Tyrant (comics)
Encyclopedia
Tyrant is a fictional
, extraterrestrial supervillain
in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appears in Silver Surfer
vol. 3, #81 (June 1993).
, created an immensely powerful living machine in his own image, and bestowed upon it the power cosmic: Tyrant. However, unlike his creator, Tyrant developed a lust for tyranny and conquest that directly conflicted with Galactus' desire to do only what is necessary to survive. Tyrant's conquests aroused opposition in many forms including an order of super-powered female warriors called the Spinsterhood
, of which Ganymede
was a member.
Eventually, Galactus learned of Tyrant's betrayal and engaged him in a titanic battle that unleashed energies that (according to Thanos
) had destroyed whole galaxies.
In the end, Galactus defeated Tyrant, stripped him of the bulk of his power (thereby reducing him to his current stature and power levels), and banished him to the farthest corners of the universe. The Spinsters mistakenly believed they were responsible for driving Tyrant away, when in fact it was his defeat and depowerment at the hands of Galactus that had done so, as Ganymede later learned.
Tyrant returns eons later with a vast arsenal he built during his exile to resume his conquest. He kidnaps a varied selection of space-faring heroes and villains in order to harness their combined powers for himself. Those kidnapped by Tyrant to this end were Silver Surfer
, Terrax
, Morg
, Beta Ray Bill
, Gladiator, Jack of Hearts
and Ganymede
. Jack of Hearts, the last to have been captured, managed to destroy the containment unit before he could be put into it, rendering him unconscious for the remainder of the ensuing battle but freeing the others. Tyrant defeated them all, seeming to "toy" with them in the process. At the end of the conflict, Galactus himself arrived, searching for Morg, his current herald. Galactus' arrival disrupted the battle so Tyrant decided to offer all the others' freedom to Galactus in exchange for Morg. Galactus reluctantly accepted.
Later Thanos
of Titan
, seeking a challenge, learned of Tyrant's existence. He allied himself with Terrax, Ganymede, Jack of Hearts and Legacy to learn about Tyrant.
When the group attacked Tyrant's fortress, Thanos abandoned his allies to access Tyrant's computers while they battled Tyrant. Thanos learned of Tyrant's origin and of his defeat at the hands of Galactus. After his former allies were defeated he threatened to steal an orb containing an unknown amount of energy that Tyrant had drained. He challenged Tyrant to stop him. Thanos was able to withstand Tyrant's attacks while the others escaped on Thanos' ship leaving him alone against Tyrant. In the end, after surviving a tremendous assault that destroyed much of Tyrant's fortress, Thanos teleported away. Thanos declared that he had gained what he sought (the said power orb) so further conflict was pointless. He also pointed out to Tyrant that being able to hold his own against him was a success in itself.
Tyrant later revives the herald Morg and implant mental controls in his mind to make him do his bidding. He allowed Morg to return to Galactus as a ruse, but Morg managed to defy Tyrant; seeking out the Ultimate Nullifier
, the only weapon in the known universe that even Galactus feared. In a final battle between Galactus and Tyrant, Morg used the Ultimate Nullifier, destroying Galactus' ship and seemingly destroying everyone aboard - including Tyrant.
Galactus later reappeared - it was revealed that he had avoided nullification by escaping into a parallel dimension. Morg (only as a corpse) and Air-Walker
later resurfaced during Marvel's Annihilation
event. Tyrant, however, has not been seen.
properties, Tyrant was effectively immortal. Tyrant also had the ability to psionically
control any technology that he came into contact with at will. Tyrant proved capable of turning even the world ship of Galactus against its master.
In his original form, Tyrant was as large as Galactus
and nearly as powerful. After Tyrant's eventual defeat and depowerement at the hands of Galactus eons ago he was reduced to his lesser modern state. When Tyrant was last seen he drew on the energy of planetary biosphere
s and proved capable of "feeding" on the energy blasts of Galactus.
In his diminished form Tyrant's power was initially portrayed as dependent on feeding from containers of superhuman energy, and directly proportional to the amount he had available. When he wasn't at full power, he proved capable of defeating an alliance of super-powered beings which included Silver Surfer
, Morg
, Terrax
, Beta Ray Bill
, Gladiator, Ganymede
, and Jack of Hearts
.
When temporarily denied access to his containers, Terrax, Legacy, Ganymede, and Jack of Hearts alone managed to keep Tyrant busy for a while. Thanos
, through the use of one of Tyrant's containers filled with Morg's energies, managed to engage Tyrant for an extended period.
In addition, Tyrant commanded a number of robots who proved powerful enough to incapacitate the likes of Gladiator and Morg. His Fortress had equipment capable of draining and storing the life forces of living beings to power his robots and Fortress.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, extraterrestrial supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in comic books published by Marvel Comics
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 character first appears in Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
vol. 3, #81 (June 1993).
Fictional character biography
In the distant past, the devourer of worlds, GalactusGalactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
, created an immensely powerful living machine in his own image, and bestowed upon it the power cosmic: Tyrant. However, unlike his creator, Tyrant developed a lust for tyranny and conquest that directly conflicted with Galactus' desire to do only what is necessary to survive. Tyrant's conquests aroused opposition in many forms including an order of super-powered female warriors called the Spinsterhood
Spinsterhood
The Spinsterhood is a fictional order of extraterrestrial female warriors appearing in comic books published by American publisher, Marvel Comics. The group was first introduced in Silver Surfer Vol. 3, #80 .-Fictional history:...
, of which Ganymede
Ganymede (comics)
Ganymede is a fictional character and an extraterrestrial superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe-Fictional character biography:Ganymede is the last surviving member of a race of warrior women known as the Spinsterhood, a group which was formed with the sole purpose of destroying the cosmic being...
was a member.
Eventually, Galactus learned of Tyrant's betrayal and engaged him in a titanic battle that unleashed energies that (according to Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
) had destroyed whole galaxies.
In the end, Galactus defeated Tyrant, stripped him of the bulk of his power (thereby reducing him to his current stature and power levels), and banished him to the farthest corners of the universe. The Spinsters mistakenly believed they were responsible for driving Tyrant away, when in fact it was his defeat and depowerment at the hands of Galactus that had done so, as Ganymede later learned.
Tyrant returns eons later with a vast arsenal he built during his exile to resume his conquest. He kidnaps a varied selection of space-faring heroes and villains in order to harness their combined powers for himself. Those kidnapped by Tyrant to this end were Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, Terrax
Terrax
Terrax the Tamer is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #211 and was created by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
, Morg
Morg
Morg is a fictional supervillain published by Marvel Comics universe, appearing as a herald of Galactus. Created by Ron Lim and Ron Marz, he first appeared in Silver Surfer vol. 3, #70 .-Origin:...
, Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson....
, Gladiator, Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 , and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and illustrator Keith Giffen...
and Ganymede
Ganymede (comics)
Ganymede is a fictional character and an extraterrestrial superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe-Fictional character biography:Ganymede is the last surviving member of a race of warrior women known as the Spinsterhood, a group which was formed with the sole purpose of destroying the cosmic being...
. Jack of Hearts, the last to have been captured, managed to destroy the containment unit before he could be put into it, rendering him unconscious for the remainder of the ensuing battle but freeing the others. Tyrant defeated them all, seeming to "toy" with them in the process. At the end of the conflict, Galactus himself arrived, searching for Morg, his current herald. Galactus' arrival disrupted the battle so Tyrant decided to offer all the others' freedom to Galactus in exchange for Morg. Galactus reluctantly accepted.
Later Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
of Titan
Titan (comics)
Titan, in comics, can refer to:* Titan , a Marvel Comics character and member of the Imperial Guard* Titan , a Dark Horse Comics character...
, seeking a challenge, learned of Tyrant's existence. He allied himself with Terrax, Ganymede, Jack of Hearts and Legacy to learn about Tyrant.
When the group attacked Tyrant's fortress, Thanos abandoned his allies to access Tyrant's computers while they battled Tyrant. Thanos learned of Tyrant's origin and of his defeat at the hands of Galactus. After his former allies were defeated he threatened to steal an orb containing an unknown amount of energy that Tyrant had drained. He challenged Tyrant to stop him. Thanos was able to withstand Tyrant's attacks while the others escaped on Thanos' ship leaving him alone against Tyrant. In the end, after surviving a tremendous assault that destroyed much of Tyrant's fortress, Thanos teleported away. Thanos declared that he had gained what he sought (the said power orb) so further conflict was pointless. He also pointed out to Tyrant that being able to hold his own against him was a success in itself.
Tyrant later revives the herald Morg and implant mental controls in his mind to make him do his bidding. He allowed Morg to return to Galactus as a ruse, but Morg managed to defy Tyrant; seeking out the Ultimate Nullifier
Ultimate Nullifier
The Ultimate Nullifier is a device of immense power in the Marvel Universe. The device made its first appearance in Fantastic Four volume 1, issue #50 , in which Johnny Storm retrieves it from the home of Galactus—as directed by Uatu the Watcher—for the Fantastic Four to employ against the threat...
, the only weapon in the known universe that even Galactus feared. In a final battle between Galactus and Tyrant, Morg used the Ultimate Nullifier, destroying Galactus' ship and seemingly destroying everyone aboard - including Tyrant.
Galactus later reappeared - it was revealed that he had avoided nullification by escaping into a parallel dimension. Morg (only as a corpse) and Air-Walker
Air-Walker
The Air-Walker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
later resurfaced during Marvel's Annihilation
Annihilation (comics)
"Annihilation" was a 2006 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, highlighting several outer space-related characters in the Marvel Universe. The central miniseries was written by Keith Giffen, with editor Andy Schmidt.-Publication History:...
event. Tyrant, however, has not been seen.
Powers and abilities
Tyrant possessed enormous cosmic power. He could absorb and channel a tremendous amount of cosmic energy for destructive purposes. He possessed indeterminate levels of superhuman strength, and was incredibly resistant to physical injuries. Being of bio-mechanicalBiomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
properties, Tyrant was effectively immortal. Tyrant also had the ability to psionically
Psionics
Psionics refers to the practice, study, or psychic ability of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena. Examples of this include telepathy, telekinesis, and other workings of the outside world through the psyche.-History and terminology:...
control any technology that he came into contact with at will. Tyrant proved capable of turning even the world ship of Galactus against its master.
In his original form, Tyrant was as large as Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
and nearly as powerful. After Tyrant's eventual defeat and depowerement at the hands of Galactus eons ago he was reduced to his lesser modern state. When Tyrant was last seen he drew on the energy of planetary biosphere
Biosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
s and proved capable of "feeding" on the energy blasts of Galactus.
In his diminished form Tyrant's power was initially portrayed as dependent on feeding from containers of superhuman energy, and directly proportional to the amount he had available. When he wasn't at full power, he proved capable of defeating an alliance of super-powered beings which included Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, Morg
Morg
Morg is a fictional supervillain published by Marvel Comics universe, appearing as a herald of Galactus. Created by Ron Lim and Ron Marz, he first appeared in Silver Surfer vol. 3, #70 .-Origin:...
, Terrax
Terrax
Terrax the Tamer is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #211 and was created by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
, Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill
Beta Ray Bill is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson....
, Gladiator, Ganymede
Ganymede (comics)
Ganymede is a fictional character and an extraterrestrial superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe-Fictional character biography:Ganymede is the last surviving member of a race of warrior women known as the Spinsterhood, a group which was formed with the sole purpose of destroying the cosmic being...
, and Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts
Jack of Hearts is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Jack of Hearts first appeared in the black & white magazine Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 , and was created by writer Bill Mantlo and illustrator Keith Giffen...
.
When temporarily denied access to his containers, Terrax, Legacy, Ganymede, and Jack of Hearts alone managed to keep Tyrant busy for a while. Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
, through the use of one of Tyrant's containers filled with Morg's energies, managed to engage Tyrant for an extended period.
In addition, Tyrant commanded a number of robots who proved powerful enough to incapacitate the likes of Gladiator and Morg. His Fortress had equipment capable of draining and storing the life forces of living beings to power his robots and Fortress.