Saturday, October 19, 2013

Fin Fang Foom

Real Name
Unrevealed

Occupation
Chef; Former would-be World Conqueror, Starship Navigator

Citizenship

Kakarantharaian (Makluan)

Place of Birth
Kakaranthara (aka Maklu-IV)

Known Relatives
None 

Group Affiliation

Fin Fang Four, Dragon Lords of Kakaranthara

Education 
Unrevealed

Height
 

32' (44' including tail)

Weight
20 tons

Eyes
Red

Hair 
None

Powers

Fin Fang Foom possesses various superhuman attributes common among his race. (It isn't known, however, if the level of Foom's various powers is average or above average for a Kakarantharaian.) These powers include super strength and the power to spew combustible acid mist from his mouth. Foom is also extremely durable and can regenerate at a rapid rate. By entering into long periods of hibernation, Foom has managed to survive for centuries. Foom can utilize telepathy to limited degrees, typically for communication. And he can shape-shift.

Abilities
Due to his massive wings, Foom can fly at supersonic speeds. He is highly experienced with and in the use of the advanced technology of his home planet. He is an accomplished and proven spacecraft navigator and has proven himself to be an excellent hand-to-hand combatant. He has mastered the fighting style of his people, which happens to be identical to a number of Asian martial arts. He also possesses a gifted intellect, and is a great chef.

Other Info
Fin Fang Foom is an alien dragon from Kakaranathara (aka Maklu-IV). The Kakarantharaians were a peaceful race, but Fin Fang Foom (roughly translated as "He whose limbs shatter mountains and whose back scrapes the sun") and a group of dissenters escaped, setting out to conquer other worlds. Fin Fang Foom was the navigator of the ship they took exploring. Foom used ten powerful rings to pilot and guide their ship though the cosmos. At some point, the group arrived in ancient China. (The valley the ship was located would come to be known as the Valley of the Dragons.) Upon landing, Foom and his fellow Makluans were confronted by a group of natives, and a member of thier crew was slain. The rest, not ready to start their conquest, used their natural shape-shifting powers to take human forms and blended into this new world, waiting for the right time to attack--except for Fin Fang Foom. Wishing to keep a "back-up" plan, Foom went into hiding in case the rest of the crew failed or were killed. Foom was placed in a well-hidden tomb and was given a potent herb that put him into a long slumber. (To learn about the artifacts highlighted above, just click on their name.)

As his other would-be-conquerors slipped into domestic lives, Foom slept for the next few centuries. He was somehow awakened in the 8th Century; however, he returned to sleep through a second application of the herb. This awakening resulted in Fin Fang Foom entering into Chinese legend, and a group of humans were placed as guards outside his tomb, passing the job on to their descendants. The surrounding region became known as the "Valley of the Sleeping Dragon."

The "Sleeping Dragon" rested for centuries until 1961. A young man named Chen Liuchow had found some manuscripts describing the legend of Fin Fang Foom. When Liuchow's homeland was being terrorized by the communist Chinese, he wanted to find his own way to stop the invaders. Therefore, Chen investigated to see if the legends were true about the dragon. He ended up finding the slumbering beast and Liuchow awakened him. After this, Chen taunted Foom enough to lead him straight into the communist camps--destroying them all. With his plan accomplished, Liuchow somehow was able to lure Fin Fang Foom back into his tomb and used the herb to place the creature to sleep once more. (To learn about Dr. Liuchow, click on his highlighted name above.)

Later on, the powerful Elder of the Universe, the Collector, found the sleeping creature and captured him for his collection of giant monsters in his subterranean "zoo" in Canada. (The "zoo" held such esteemed inmates as GoomGargantus, Grogg, Groot, Grottu, and Rommbu, among others.) At one point, while the Collecter was away, the Mole Man, invaded the Collector's lair and set the monsters free. While many monsters rampaged through New York City after this debacle, Fin Fang Foom headed elsewhere. However, all of the monsters (including Foom) were eventually rounded up by the Fantastic Four and were exiled to Monster Isle. (To learn about the highlighted characters, team, and/or place, just click on their names above.)

Soon after, Foom decided to leave the island (no security measures were put into place to contain him) and head toward the bottom of the world, Antarctica, to find isolation. Again changed into his humanoid form, Foom found a base there that just so happened to be where Bruce Banner was located. After an incident at the base, Doctor Banner transformed into the Hulk. Fin Fang Foom witnessed the green behemoth and believed him to be a potential ally. However, after transforming himself into his own dragon form, the two creatures ended up exchanging blows. Unable to make much way and getting bored, Hulk ended up throwing Fin Fang Foom out of the atmosphere--Foom ended up on the moon. (To learn about the Hulk, click on the highlighted name above.)

At some point, Foom returned to his old Chinese tomb in the Valley of the Dragons and once again fell asleep. Shortly afterwards, however, Fin Fang Foom faced duel threats: firstly from the villainous madman Dr. Vault wishing to mentally control the dragon to attack and defeat It, The Living Colossus; and secondly the extraterrestrial Stonians, an invading alien force, that were attempting to take over the Earth. Resisting Dr. Vault's control, Foom actually ended up teaming with It, The Living Colossus against the Stonians. However, after that battle was finished, Vault successfully gained control of the dragon and sent him to battle against It, The Living Colossus. Fin Fang Foom was able to overpower his stony opponent by using his martial arts. Eventually though, Foom was able to shake Dr. Vault's influence and went after him instead. Afterward, Foom parted ways with It, The Living Colossus on friendly terms, and the dragon returned to his lair once more. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or race.)

After several years in quiet slumber, Fin Fang Foom awakened again. This time, a cult calling itself "Beyond Reason Spiritual Fellowship" used him as a vessel for their demonic lord, Aan Taanu. Chan Liuchow (now a middle-age doctor) aided a group of supernatural beings known as Legion of Night against both the possessed-Foom and the cult. When Aan Taanu was driven from this reality, Foom was confused by his sudden awakening in the middle of New York City. He then escaped back to his lair in China. (To learn about the Legion of Night, click on their highlighted name above. Note: Beware of the extremely revealing outfit worn by one on the Legion of Night's bio page--block image if possible.)

At some point, the villainous Mandarin was directed to the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon by the Makluan starship captain Axonn-Karr (in his human form as Chen Hsuin). Once there, the Mandarin ransacked the starship for artifacts, including his now-signature 10 rings of power. In addition, the Mandarin awakened Fin Fang Foom to use him to threaten the Chinese government. In response, the Chinese called in Iron Man to confront them, but he was quickly defeated. Soon after, another Iron Man (James Rhodes) arrived to help; however, by this point, the rest of Makluans had decided to shed their human shells and revealed themselves to the world. Foom and nearly a dozen of his cohorts terrorized the Chinese before the two Iron Men along with the Mandarin--who realized the aliens were merely using him--combined their powers and energies into a small nuclear blast that seemed to have wiped out all the dragons. (Click the highlighted names above to learn about the characters, item, and/or race.)

Though his body was destroyed, Fin Fang Foom's spirit endured by bonding itself to a small dragon statue. This statue was later stolen from a shop by a teenager named Billy Yuan. Foom's spirit then possessed the body of young boy and used Yuan as his vessel. Soon, the dragon began to change Billy's form into one more closely resembling his own. At one point, Foom battled Iron Man again, and actually called upon thousands of lizards residing in the sewers to merge with his body; thus, restoring him to his full size and power. However, even fully reborn, Foom was overpowered by the Avengers. Afterward, Iron Man was forced to place Fin Fang Foom into custody of Sunset Bain of Baintronics. But, due to various legal decisions, Foom was again relocated to Monster Isle. (Click on the names above to learn about the highlighted character and/or company. Note: Beware of the low-cut dress worn by Sunset Bain on her bio page.)

At one point, it appeared that Thor had actually killed Fin Fang Foom on Monster Isle after the dragon fought a league of heroes from another dimension trying to obtain the Ultimate Nullifier and then went on to battle the God of Thunder. However, it was later reported that the creature's skeleton that Thor took custody of after the battle was actually that of the Midgard Serpent who used Foom's likeness (but with orange scales) to conceal its true identity from Thor. (Click on the highlighted names above to learn about the characters and/or item.)

After some time, Fin Fang Foom decided to change his ways: he reformed both physically and mentally and began following Buddhism. In addition, he agreed to a program established by Reed Richards to rehabilitate monsters and bring them into society. Along with several other creatures (Googam, Gorgilla, and the robot Elektro), the once mighty dragon was reduced to human size and hypnotically striped of his powers. Once this was done, Foom was hired as head chef of a Chinese restaurant at the Baxter Building. (To learn about the characters and/or place highlighted above, just click on their names.)

Recently, Fin Fang Foom and his fellow "reformed" monsters made headlines when they teamed up to defeat the Microverse's size-changing warlord, Tim Boo Ba. For a time the four were celebrated as heroes. Whether or not Fin Fang Foom has truly reformed remains to be seen; however, for now, he is under the watchful eye of the Fantastic Four. (To learn about Tim Boo Ba, click on this name above.)

To learn a little bit more about Fin Fang Foom, click on the following link, http://marvel.com/universe/Fin_Fang_Foom.

An image of Fin Fang Foom (based on the character's depiction in the Viva Las Vegas comic series but created specially for the film by artist Adi Granov) makes a brief appearance as a movie poster in the background in the film Iron Man when Tony Stark flies through the streets. (The scene from the movie is shown as the top part of the second picture posted above. The concept are for the poster in the scene is shown as the bottom part of the second picture posted above.)

1 comment:

  1. I love that the cult that used him as a vessel for their demon is so aptly named "Beyond Reason Spiritual Fellowship." Definitely "beyond reason"... not so sure about "spiritual" ;-)

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