The Mangog

The Mangog

(pop culture)The 12-foot, 3,500-pound, yellow-skinned creature known as the Mangog growled onto the pages of Thor vol. 1 #154 (1968) in a story by superscribe Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Alternatively referred to as a demon, or an “abstract” or “conceptual” being, the superhumanly strong Mangog was created by the magical union of the billions of alien humanoids of a warlike race that Asgardian highfather Odin had defeated and cast into oblivion. After Odin restored the humanoids to life, the Mangog continued to exist, although eventually he shrank to the size of a small rodent. The Mangog feeds his superstrength from drawing the psionic energies manifested in the hatred and/or vengeance felt by himself or by others. He possesses the power to manipulate magical energies and shows a demigod-like resistance to injury. However, this muscular monstrosity has limitations: the Mangog will shrink or appear to vanish if deprived of his energy sources. This clawed being has primarily fought Thor and Odin, although he has battled Balder and various Asgardians as well. As part of his plot to stop a death god called Walker, the alien Thanos allied himself with the Mangog. The pair devastated much of the homeworld of the alien Rigellians until they surrendered the “Fire Gem,” which Thanos needed to find a woman named Tarene, the Designate. Thanos and the Mangog captured Tarene, but Thor seemingly destroyed the Mangog and defeated Thanos. History has demonstrated that once he finds a new source of psionic energy, the Mangog will rise yet again.