Maelstrom's Minions
Encyclopedia
Maelstrom's Minions are a trio of supervillain
s in the Marvel Comics
universe
that work for Maelstrom
. They are Gronk, Helio, and Phobius.
, Ralph Macchio
and Ron Wilson
.
The characters subsequently appear in Avengers #250 (December 1984), Quasar #21-23 (April-June 1991), #25 (August 1991), and Fantastic Four Unlimited #10 (July 1995).
The group has an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#7.
to steal the Anti-Terrigen Compound developed by Mister Fantastic
and the Inhumans
. They battled the Thing
, Gorgon, Karnak
, and Stingray
. The Minions were captured, but then put to death by Deathurge
at Maelstrom's command. When the four heroes invaded Maelstrom's base, they battled again and one more time the Minions were defeated. They died when Gorgon destroyed Maelstrom's base.
Their cloned bodies were later activated by Maelstrom, and dispatched against the Avengers
. The Minions confronted Iron Man
and Starfox, but were coerced into helping the Avengers by Starfox. They were rendered unconscious by Wonder Man
. The Minions's spare clonal bodies were destroyed, and they was taken captive.
Much later, Helio and Phobius posed as Malcolm Stromberg's domestic servants. Malcolm Stromberg is a fake identity that Maelstrom use to capture Quasar and his friends invited over as guests. Helio attempted to keep Ghost Rider
from entering Stromberg's estate. The Minions then battled Moondragon
and Sersi
, and Sersi turned Phobius into a rat
, Gronk into a pig
and Helio into a goose
.
After the death of Maelstrom during a fight with Quasar, the Minions joined forces with Maelstrom's lovers, the Weird Sisters, to capture Deviants and siphon their kinetic energy in the purpose to revive Maelstrom. They managed to capture Donald and Deborah Ritter, Karkas
, Ransak
, and Yrdisis and succeeded in reviving Maelstrom. After learning that Ransak was his son, Maelstrom decide to spare his son's life by rejecting the energy that could have finished the process. Phobius was defeated by Thena
, who overcame his powers because of her determination to save her children. Gronk and Helio were defeated by respectively the Thing and the Invisible Woman
.
. He is superhumanly strong thanks to a chemical enhancement of his genetic potential with the mutagenic Terrigen Mist
. He can also secrete a highly adhesive chemical, enabling him to adhere to anything or make anything adhere to him.
. He gained his superhuman powers from exposure to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist. He has superhuman agility and reflexes. He can manipulate air molecules for various effects, such as propulsion for flight at supersonic speeds, tornado-force explosions ("air-quakes"), and near-vacuums. His eyes, nose, and skin are especially adapted to resisting rigorous atmospheric conditions. Unless he is wearing weighted shoes, Helio's feet never touch the ground. Helio's hair is also lighter than air and consequently floats freely about him unless braided and weighted down. Helio has moderate experience at hand-to-hand combat utilizing his lighter-than-air body and air manipulating attributes. He possesses various laboratory technician skills.
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...
s in the 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...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
that work for Maelstrom
Maelstrom (comics)
Maelstrom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Marvel Two-in-One #71 , and was created by writer Mark Gruenwald.-Fictional character biography:...
. They are Gronk, Helio, and Phobius.
Publication history
The Maelstrom's Minions first appeared in Marvel Two-in-One #71 (January 1981), and was created by Mark GruenwaldMark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...
, Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio (comics)
Ralph Macchio is an American comic book editor and writer, who has held many positions at Marvel Comics, including executive editor. Macchio is commonly associated with Daredevil, the Spider-Man line of comics and the popular Ultimate Marvel line...
and Ron Wilson
Ron Wilson (comics)
Ron Wilson is an American comic book artist known for his work on titles starring the Marvel Comics character The Thing, including the titles Marvel Two-in-One and The Thing...
.
The characters subsequently appear in Avengers #250 (December 1984), Quasar #21-23 (April-June 1991), #25 (August 1991), and Fantastic Four Unlimited #10 (July 1995).
The group has an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
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...
#7.
Fictional biography
The Minions were dispatched by Maelstrom to Hydro-BaseHydro-Base
Hydro-Base is a fictional base in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in Sub-Mariner #61, created by Steve Gerber, Bill Everett, and Win Mortimer .-Fictional history:...
to steal the Anti-Terrigen Compound developed by 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 ....
and the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
. They battled the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
, Gorgon, Karnak
Karnak (comics)
Karnak is a fictional martial artist published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #45, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Stingray
Stingray (comics)
Stingray is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The character first appears as Walter Newell in Tales to Astonish #95 and as Stingray in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #19 Stingray (Walter Newell) is a fictional character that appears...
. The Minions were captured, but then put to death by Deathurge
Deathurge
Deathurge is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a wraith-like superhuman entity who served as the herald and agent of Oblivion. He first appeared in Marvel Two-In-One #71.-Fictional character biography:...
at Maelstrom's command. When the four heroes invaded Maelstrom's base, they battled again and one more time the Minions were defeated. They died when Gorgon destroyed Maelstrom's base.
Their cloned bodies were later activated by Maelstrom, and dispatched against 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...
. The Minions confronted 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,...
and Starfox, but were coerced into helping the Avengers by Starfox. They were rendered unconscious by Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
. The Minions's spare clonal bodies were destroyed, and they was taken captive.
Much later, Helio and Phobius posed as Malcolm Stromberg's domestic servants. Malcolm Stromberg is a fake identity that Maelstrom use to capture Quasar and his friends invited over as guests. Helio attempted to keep Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch)
Ghost Rider is a comic book character, a supernatural superhero in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He is the third Marvel character to use the name Ghost Rider, following the Western hero later known as the Phantom Rider, and Johnny Blaze, the first supernatural Ghost Rider.-Publication...
from entering Stromberg's estate. The Minions then battled Moondragon
Moondragon
Moondragon is a fictional character in Marvel Comics Universe. A vastly powerful telepath, master martial artist, minor telekinetic, and highly skilled geneticist, Moondragon's most notable characteristics are her shaved head, superiority complex, and gruelling elite excellence in virtually every...
and Sersi
Sersi
Sersi is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine and an Eternal.-Publication history:Sersi was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in The Eternals #3 . Although the comic book was published by Marvel Comics, the Eternals were not treated as part of the Marvel universe, but as a...
, and Sersi turned Phobius into a rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
, Gronk into a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
and Helio into a goose
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
.
After the death of Maelstrom during a fight with Quasar, the Minions joined forces with Maelstrom's lovers, the Weird Sisters, to capture Deviants and siphon their kinetic energy in the purpose to revive Maelstrom. They managed to capture Donald and Deborah Ritter, Karkas
Karkas
Karkas is a fictional superhuman from the Marvel Comics universe. Karkas is a member of the Deviants, a monstrous off-shoot of humanity created by the Celestials. Karkas was created by writer/artist Jack Kirby, in 1977.-Fictional character biography:...
, Ransak
Ransak the Reject
Ransak the Reject is a fictional superhuman from the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the race known as the Deviants. Ransak was created by writer/artist Jack Kirby in 1977. He first appeared in Eternals #8.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Yrdisis and succeeded in reviving Maelstrom. After learning that Ransak was his son, Maelstrom decide to spare his son's life by rejecting the energy that could have finished the process. Phobius was defeated by Thena
Thena
Thena is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is a member of the Eternals.- Fictional character biography :Thena was born in the city of Olympia in ancient Greece, and is thus one of the Eternals of Olympia...
, who overcame his powers because of her determination to save her children. Gronk and Helio were defeated by respectively the Thing and the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
.
Gronk
Gronk serves as a bodyguardBodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
. He is superhumanly strong thanks to a chemical enhancement of his genetic potential with the mutagenic Terrigen Mist
Terrigen Mist
The Terrigen Mist is a fictional substance from the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the stories of the Inhumans, a fictional race of super-humans...
. He can also secrete a highly adhesive chemical, enabling him to adhere to anything or make anything adhere to him.
Helio
Helio serves as a scoutScout
A scout is a soldier performing reconnaissance and other support duties.Scout may also refer to:-Aircraft:* Scout , pre-1920s terminology for a single-seat fighter...
. He gained his superhuman powers from exposure to the mutagenic Terrigen Mist. He has superhuman agility and reflexes. He can manipulate air molecules for various effects, such as propulsion for flight at supersonic speeds, tornado-force explosions ("air-quakes"), and near-vacuums. His eyes, nose, and skin are especially adapted to resisting rigorous atmospheric conditions. Unless he is wearing weighted shoes, Helio's feet never touch the ground. Helio's hair is also lighter than air and consequently floats freely about him unless braided and weighted down. Helio has moderate experience at hand-to-hand combat utilizing his lighter-than-air body and air manipulating attributes. He possesses various laboratory technician skills.