Giants (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
There are different kinds of Giants in Marvel Comics
. The most popular of the Giants are the Giants of Johunheim, fictional race of people based on the giants of actual Norse
legends.
and Jack Kirby
; ice giants and rime giants first appeared in Journey into Mystery #101 (February 1964); frost giants first appeared in Balder the Brave #1 (November 1985).
Ymir first appeared in Journey into Mystery #97 (October 1963); the first Executioner
first appeared in Journey into Mystery #103 (April 1964); Laufey
first appeared in Journey into Mystery #112 (January 1965); these characters were all created by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
.
Utgard-Loki
first appeared in Thor #272 (June 1978), and was created by Roy Thomas
and John Buscema
. Fasolt and the second Fafnir first appeared in Thor #294 (April 1980), and were created by Roy Thomas
, Keith Pollard
, and Chic Stone
. The second Hagen first appeared in Balder the Brave #2 (January 1986), and was created by Walt Simonson
and Sal Buscema
. Grundroth first appeared in Thor #378 (April 1987), and was created by Walt Simonson
and Sal Buscema
. Siggorth first appeared in Thor #381 (July 1987), and was created by Walt Simonson
and Sal Buscema
.
Brimer, King of Storm Giants, and Skagg the largest of the storm giants first appeared in Journey into Mystery #104 (May 1964). Nedra, Queen of the mountain giants, first appeared in Journey into Mystery #105 (June 1964). Arkin the Weak, and Knorda the storm giant first appeared in Journey into Mystery #109 (October 1964). Ghan the storm giant first appeared in Journey into Mystery #113 (February 1965). Kaggor the storm giant first appeared in Thor #193 (November 1971).
The Giants of Jotunheim received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#3.
The first of the Giants was the Ice Giant, Ymir, who existed before any of the Asgardians. He fought Odin but was imprisoned in a ring of flame. Many different races of Giants arose in Jotunheim, including the Ice, Mountain, Rime, Storm, and Frost Giants.
to help fight them. Each of the Giants were killed in the similar way as in the actual Greek mythology.
In recent years, a blind Giant named Zeno and a one-armed giant named Callias encountered Hulk
near the entrance to Tartarus where they held a meal to honor their brethren that are imprisoned there. They shared their meal with Hulk until it was interrupted by an attack from Ares
. This attack ended up causing Hulk to attack Mount Olympus upon Hulk being convinced by Zeno and Callias that the Olympian Gods were his enemies. Callias and Zeno rallied the Giants into breaking the seal on Tartarus which ended up freeing Cronus. Cronus, Callias, and Zeno then stormed Mount Olympus only to end up fighting Hulk and Hercules. Hercules managed to slay Callias and Zeno before resealing Tartarus after throwing Cronus back into Tartarus.
Some years later, Hulk was invited to Mount Olympus as a guest of the Olympians. He and Hercules later took a path where they ended up fighting some Giants.
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The most popular of the Giants are the Giants of Johunheim, fictional race of people based on the giants of actual Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
legends.
Giants of Jotunheim
The Storm giants first appeared in Journey into Mystery #100 (January 1964), and were created by Stan LeeStan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
; ice giants and rime giants first appeared in Journey into Mystery #101 (February 1964); frost giants first appeared in Balder the Brave #1 (November 1985).
Ymir first appeared in Journey into Mystery #97 (October 1963); the first Executioner
Executioner (comics)
Executioner is the name of two fictional characters in the .-Skurge:Skurge is born in Jotunheim, and later becomes a warrior, gaining his name the Executioner after fighting in a war against the Storm giants. Skurge has always had feelings for Amora, the Enchantress, and regularly aids her in...
first appeared in Journey into Mystery #103 (April 1964); Laufey
Laufey (comics)
Laufey is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, sharing a name with the frost giantess from Norse mythology. Laufey was King of the Frost Giants and father of Loki, the archenemy of the superhero Thor.-Publication history:...
first appeared in Journey into Mystery #112 (January 1965); these characters were all created by Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
.
Utgard-Loki
Utgard-Loki (Marvel Comics)
Utgard-Loki is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Utgard-Loki is the monarch of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, the traditional enemies of the Asgardian gods....
first appeared in Thor #272 (June 1978), and was created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and John Buscema
John Buscema
John Buscema, born Giovanni Natale Buscema , was an American comic-book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics during its 1960s and 1970s ascendancy into an industry leader and its subsequent expansion to a major pop culture conglomerate...
. Fasolt and the second Fafnir first appeared in Thor #294 (April 1980), and were created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, Keith Pollard
Keith Pollard
Keith Pollard is an American comic book artist. Originally from the Detroit area, Pollard is best known for his simultaneous work on the Marvel Comics titles Fantastic Four, Thor, and The Amazing Spider-Man in the late 1970s-early 1980s.Pollard made his professional comics debut in 1974 with...
, and Chic Stone
Chic Stone
Charles Eber "Chic" Stone was an American comic book artist best known as one of Jack Kirby's Silver Age inkers, including on a landmark run of Fantastic Four.-Biography:...
. The second Hagen first appeared in Balder the Brave #2 (January 1986), and was created by Walt Simonson
Walt Simonson
Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
and Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
. Grundroth first appeared in Thor #378 (April 1987), and was created by Walt Simonson
Walt Simonson
Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
and Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
. Siggorth first appeared in Thor #381 (July 1987), and was created by Walt Simonson
Walt Simonson
Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
and Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema
Silvio "Sal" Buscema is an American comic book artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of The Incredible Hulk...
.
Brimer, King of Storm Giants, and Skagg the largest of the storm giants first appeared in Journey into Mystery #104 (May 1964). Nedra, Queen of the mountain giants, first appeared in Journey into Mystery #105 (June 1964). Arkin the Weak, and Knorda the storm giant first appeared in Journey into Mystery #109 (October 1964). Ghan the storm giant first appeared in Journey into Mystery #113 (February 1965). Kaggor the storm giant first appeared in Thor #193 (November 1971).
The Giants of Jotunheim received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#3.
Giants of Jojunheim
The Giants of Jotunheim are enormous beings who reside in the other-dimensional realm of Jotunheim, one of the Nine Worlds in Asgardian cosmology. They are the traditional enemies of the Gods of Asgard, with whom they have warred off and on for millennia, trying to bring eternal night to Asgard.The first of the Giants was the Ice Giant, Ymir, who existed before any of the Asgardians. He fought Odin but was imprisoned in a ring of flame. Many different races of Giants arose in Jotunheim, including the Ice, Mountain, Rime, Storm, and Frost Giants.
- The Frost Giants are the direct descendants of Ymir, and their monarch is Utgard-LokiUtgard-Loki (Marvel Comics)Utgard-Loki is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Utgard-Loki is the monarch of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, the traditional enemies of the Asgardian gods....
. The Giant LaufeyLaufey (comics)Laufey is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, sharing a name with the frost giantess from Norse mythology. Laufey was King of the Frost Giants and father of Loki, the archenemy of the superhero Thor.-Publication history:...
was another monarch who died in battle against the Asgardians. In tribute to Laufey's courage, Odin adopted the giant's infant son LokiLoki (comics)Loki is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. He is the adoptive brother and archenemy of the superhero Thor. He is based on the being of the same name from Norse mythology...
, who often attempted to overthrow Odin and became the God of Evil. Two other giants of note were Fafnir II and Fasolt (both deceased), who built Odin's palace in Valhalla in exchange for a Goddess, and battled over a magic ring and treasure that was given for the Goddess being released. Skurge the ExecutionerExecutioner (comics)Executioner is the name of two fictional characters in the .-Skurge:Skurge is born in Jotunheim, and later becomes a warrior, gaining his name the Executioner after fighting in a war against the Storm giants. Skurge has always had feelings for Amora, the Enchantress, and regularly aids her in...
is another famous giant who went from being a villain to hero. Skagg was once released by Loki, but defeated and re-imprisoned by Odin, Thor and Balder.
- The Ice Giants are giants who are made of Ice. This is the kind that is associated with Ymir. The Ice Giants are the oldest living beings in the Nine Realms.
- The Storm Giants dwell in the mountainous regions of Jotunheim. They have frequently battled with the Asgardians during their history.
Giants of Olympus
The Giants of Olympus are based off the Giants of Greek Mythology. There history is the same as they were fertilized by Gaea from the blood of Uranus. Following the defeat of the Titans, Gaea sought for a way to make the Giants immortal like the Olympians. To keep Gaea from finding a solution to this, Zeus withheld Helios, Eos, and Selene from the night sky so that Gaea wouldn't find it. The Giants were prophesied by the female Titan Themis to be indestructible and could not be killed by a god or an immortal. Zeus obtained the help of his son HerculesHercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
to help fight them. Each of the Giants were killed in the similar way as in the actual Greek mythology.
In recent years, a blind Giant named Zeno and a one-armed giant named Callias encountered Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
near the entrance to Tartarus where they held a meal to honor their brethren that are imprisoned there. They shared their meal with Hulk until it was interrupted by an attack from Ares
Ares (Marvel Comics)
Ares is a fictional character, a deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek god of the same name. He first appears in Thor #129 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
. This attack ended up causing Hulk to attack Mount Olympus upon Hulk being convinced by Zeno and Callias that the Olympian Gods were his enemies. Callias and Zeno rallied the Giants into breaking the seal on Tartarus which ended up freeing Cronus. Cronus, Callias, and Zeno then stormed Mount Olympus only to end up fighting Hulk and Hercules. Hercules managed to slay Callias and Zeno before resealing Tartarus after throwing Cronus back into Tartarus.
Some years later, Hulk was invited to Mount Olympus as a guest of the Olympians. He and Hercules later took a path where they ended up fighting some Giants.
Frost Giants of Jotunheim
- ExecutionerExecutioner (comics)Executioner is the name of two fictional characters in the .-Skurge:Skurge is born in Jotunheim, and later becomes a warrior, gaining his name the Executioner after fighting in a war against the Storm giants. Skurge has always had feelings for Amora, the Enchantress, and regularly aids her in...
- - Fafner II -
- Fasolt -
- LaufeyLaufey (comics)Laufey is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, sharing a name with the frost giantess from Norse mythology. Laufey was King of the Frost Giants and father of Loki, the archenemy of the superhero Thor.-Publication history:...
- - Utgard-LokiUtgard-Loki (Marvel Comics)Utgard-Loki is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:Utgard-Loki is the monarch of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, the traditional enemies of the Asgardian gods....
-
Storm Giants of Jotunheim
- Brimer -
- Ghan -
- Grondar -
- Hrungnir -
- Kagger -
- Nedra -
- Ogre -
- Skagg -
- Skoll -
Giants of Olympus
- Agrius -
- Alcyoneus -
- Callias - A one-armed giant that is exclusive to Marvel Comics.
- Enceladus -
- Eurymedon -
- Eurytus -
- Gration -
- Mimas -
- Pallas -
- Polybotes -
- Porphyrion -
- Zeno - A blind giant that is exclusive to Marvel Comics.
Television
- The Ice Giants appear in the Spider-Man and His Amazing FriendsSpider-Man and His Amazing FriendsSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends is an animated series produced by Marvel Productions starring established Marvel Comics characters Spider-Man and Iceman and an original character, Firestar...
episode "The Vengeance of Loki". IcemanIceman (comics)Iceman is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men vol. 1 #1, ....
escapes Asgard's Sea of Flame with "ice goddess" Zerona and helps her reclaim her throne from Ymir in exchange for information regarding ThorThor (Marvel Comics)Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
's whereabouts. - The Frost Giants appear in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been...
episode "Thor the Mighty", voiced by J. B. Blanc and Fred TatascioreFred TatascioreFrederick "Fred" Tatasciore is an American voice actor who portrays secondary characters as well as monstrous-looking types...
. Loki convinces them that the Asgardians will attack them causing the Frost Giants to attack Asgard when Odin is on the verge of his Odinsleep. They are all defeated by Thor. In the episode "The Fall of Asgard," the Frost Giants fight Ant-Man (who was protecting an unconscious Wasp) until Ant-Man and Wasp were saved by Sif.
Film
- The Frost Giants appear in the film ThorThor (film)Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, and their king LaufeyLaufey (comics)Laufey is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe, sharing a name with the frost giantess from Norse mythology. Laufey was King of the Frost Giants and father of Loki, the archenemy of the superhero Thor.-Publication history:...
is played by Colm FeoreColm FeoreColm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
. - The Frost Giants appear in the film Thor: Tales of AsgardThor: Tales of AsgardThor: Tales of Asgard is a 2011 direct-to-video animated film based on the Marvel Comics character, Thor. It is eighth in a series of animated films produced by Marvel Animation and distributed by Lionsgate Entertainment...
voiced by Michael DobsonMichael DobsonMichael Richard Dobson is one of the three Dobson brothers , all of whom have made themselves known prominently in the voice acting community...
and John NovakJohn NovakJohn Novak is an actor and anime voice actor who frequently does voice work for the Ocean Group based in Vancouver, Canada....
.
Video games
- The Frost Giants appear as enemies in Marvel: Ultimate AllianceMarvel: Ultimate AllianceMarvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role-playing game developed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360 by Raven Software and published by Activision. The game was simultaneously ported to the PlayStation Portable and Wii by Vicarious Visions, and to Microsoft Windows by Beenox...
. - The Frost Giants appear as enemies in Thor: God of ThunderThor: God of ThunderThor: God of Thunder is a 2011 third person single-player video game based on the film Thor developed by Liquid Entertainment and co-written by Matt Fraction, the Eisner Award-winning writer of the comic book series...
.
External links
- Giants of Jotunheim at Marvel.com
- Frost Giants at Marvel Wiki
- Ice Giants at Marvel Wiki
- Rime Giants at Marvel Wiki
- Storm Giants at Marvel Wiki
- Giants of Olympus at Marvel Appendix An article about the Giants of Jotunheim from ImmortalThor