Growing Man
Encyclopedia
The Growing Man is a fictional character
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appears in Thor
#140 (May 1967) and was created by Stan Lee
and Jack Kirby
.
#69(Oct. 1969). After an appearance in Iron Man #108 (March 1978), the Growing Man is not seen in Marvel continuity until Avengers #268 (June 1986), and then #300 (Feb. 1989).
After being found and used by new masters HYDRA in Thunderbolts #5 (Aug. 1997), the android appeared in Young Avengers
#3 (June 2005) and in upgraded form in Sentinel Squad O*N*E #2 (April 2006). The Growing Man later appeared in Avengers vs. Atlas #1 (Jan. 2010).
race on behalf of the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror
. First appearing on Earth as an inert doll
-sized figure, the android is found by New York
police
, reactivating and causing havoc until coming into conflict with the Thunder God Thor
. The Growing Man is then deactivated and recovered by Kang, who is in turn defeated by Thor.
Kang also uses the Growing Man to abduct Tony Stark (the alter-ego of hero Iron Man
) from a hospital
. Superhero team the Avengers
(including Thor) attack the Growing Man and follow the android into the future, where they become involved in a competition between Kang and the Elder of the Universe the Grandmaster. The alien colonizers of Rigel
eventually find the Growing Man in one of Kang's abandoned vessels and send it back to Earth to use it against Iron Man, who defeats the android by overloading its circuitry.
The Growing Man reappears in the dimension of Limbo
and attacks the Avenger Hercules
, who hit it so hard that it collapses as its cells are overtaxed. and eventually finds its way to Earth, where temporary member Mister Fantastic
devises a means of reversing the growing process, causing the android to shrink from sight.
The Growing Man is found and reactivated by the subversive organization HYDRA
. The leader of HYDRA, Baron Strucker
, Strucker orders the android to attack New York as part of a ploy to destroy the formative team the Thunderbolts. The heroes manage to defeat the android and also activate a beacon
in its circuitry that will warn the ancestors of the original aliens of Kang's coming. Kang discovers the android when attempting to track his younger self and in upgraded form is sent by HYDRA to disrupt a political rally
, but is stopped when its powers are overloaded.
directed against it. The kinetic energy stimulates the rapid multiplication of the stimuloid's artificial cells, causing it to grow significantly in size with a proportionate increase in strength and resistance to damage. The character's normal size is that of a child's doll, although it can grow to hundreds of feet in height. Its ability to absorb damage, while significant, is apparently not limitless, as Hercules has managed to overload it by hitting it exceptionally hard.
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...
that appears 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 Thor
Thor (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....
#140 (May 1967) and was 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....
.
Publication history
The Growing Man first appears in Thor #140 (May 1967); and reappears in AvengersAvengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
#69(Oct. 1969). After an appearance in Iron Man #108 (March 1978), the Growing Man is not seen in Marvel continuity until Avengers #268 (June 1986), and then #300 (Feb. 1989).
After being found and used by new masters HYDRA in Thunderbolts #5 (Aug. 1997), the android appeared in Young Avengers
Young Avengers
Young Avengers is an American comic book series written by Allan Heinberg and published by Marvel Comics. It follows a group of young superheroes, each of whom patterns themselves after a member of the long-established Marvel superhero team the Avengers....
#3 (June 2005) and in upgraded form in Sentinel Squad O*N*E #2 (April 2006). The Growing Man later appeared in Avengers vs. Atlas #1 (Jan. 2010).
Fictional character biography
The Growing Man is an android built by an enslaved alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
race on behalf of the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #8 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
. First appearing on Earth as an inert doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
-sized figure, the android is found by New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
, reactivating and causing havoc until coming into conflict with the Thunder God Thor
Thor (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....
. The Growing Man is then deactivated and recovered by Kang, who is in turn defeated by Thor.
Kang also uses the Growing Man to abduct Tony Stark (the alter-ego of hero Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
) from a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
. Superhero team the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
(including Thor) attack the Growing Man and follow the android into the future, where they become involved in a competition between Kang and the Elder of the Universe the Grandmaster. The alien colonizers of Rigel
Rigellians (Marvel Comics)
The Rigellians, also known as the Colonizers of Rigel, are a scientifically and technologically advanced alien race in the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, devoted towards amassing an empire via colonization. They are native to Rigel-3 the third planet orbiting the star Rigel in the Milky Way Galaxy...
eventually find the Growing Man in one of Kang's abandoned vessels and send it back to Earth to use it against Iron Man, who defeats the android by overloading its circuitry.
The Growing Man reappears in the dimension of Limbo
Limbo (Marvel Comics)
Limbo, may refer to several fictional locations in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in The Avengers #2, , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-History:...
and attacks the Avenger Hercules
Hercules (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....
, who hit it so hard that it collapses as its cells are overtaxed. and eventually finds its way to Earth, where temporary member Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
devises a means of reversing the growing process, causing the android to shrink from sight.
The Growing Man is found and reactivated by the subversive organization HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
. The leader of HYDRA, Baron Strucker
Baron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a fictional character created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5...
, Strucker orders the android to attack New York as part of a ploy to destroy the formative team the Thunderbolts. The heroes manage to defeat the android and also activate a beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
in its circuitry that will warn the ancestors of the original aliens of Kang's coming. Kang discovers the android when attempting to track his younger self and in upgraded form is sent by HYDRA to disrupt a political rally
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
, but is stopped when its powers are overloaded.
Powers and abilities
The Growing Man is a stimuloid — a form of android that absorbs any kinetic energyKinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
directed against it. The kinetic energy stimulates the rapid multiplication of the stimuloid's artificial cells, causing it to grow significantly in size with a proportionate increase in strength and resistance to damage. The character's normal size is that of a child's doll, although it can grow to hundreds of feet in height. Its ability to absorb damage, while significant, is apparently not limitless, as Hercules has managed to overload it by hitting it exceptionally hard.