Wendigo (comics)
Encyclopedia
Wendigo is a fictional monster 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...

. He is based on the mythical creature of the same name
Wendigo
The Wendigo is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans...

. The Wendigo first appeared in the Incredible Hulk #162.

Fictional character biography

Several people have been afflicted with the curse of the Wendigo, including Paul Cartier, Georges Baptiste, Francois Lartigue, Lorenzo, Mauvais and others.

The curse is regional to the woods of Northern Canada
Northern Canada
Northern Canada, colloquially the North, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut...

 and takes place, under the right conditions, when a person in the forests of Canada feeds on human flesh
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...

. This "Curse of the Wendigo" was created by the Northern Gods (also known as "the Inua") in an effort to deter human cannibalism. The cannibal transforms into a superhumanly strong, nearly indestructible, fur-covered monster: the Wendigo. He or she then roams the woods eating human beings. The Wendigo has frequently fought the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....

, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

, and Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

. Paul Cartier transformed into the Wendigo, battled the Hulk, and escaped. He battled the Hulk again and encountered Wolverine, and then battled the Hulk and Wolverine; Paul Cartier was cured as college professor Georges Baptiste became the Wendigo. He later terrorized a snowbound group. He battled Wolverine, Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...

, and members of Alpha Flight; the Baptiste Wendigo was captured and cured by Shaman
Shaman (comics)
Shaman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and a member of Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...

. Fur trapper Francois Lartrigue later transformed into the Wendigo, battled the Hulk when Bruce Banner stumbled across a cabin belonging to him, and Sasquatch
Sasquatch (comics)
Sasquatch is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:Dr...

, and was taken to be cured by Shaman.

One Wendigo battled the Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night
Werewolf by Night is a fictional character, an antiheroic werewolf in the Marvel Comics universe. The Werewolf by Night first appeared in Marvel Spotlight vol...

 in an issue of Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents
Marvel Comics Presents was an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics originally from 1988 to 1995; it returned for a second volume in 2007-2008.-Volume 1:The first volume was released on a biweekly basis and lasted for 175 issues...

. Its most frequent appearances were in the limited series Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...

: Open Season #1-4 where Sabretooth was hired to kill a Wendigo creature, ultimately succeeding. A few years later, a new Wendigo emerges, leading to a fight with Wolverine and She-Hulk
She-Hulk
She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....

. A local Canadian super-hero, Talisman
Talisman (comics)
Talisman is a superhero featured in the publications of Marvel Comics. She first appeared as Elizabeth Twoyoungmen in Alpha Flight vol. 1 #5...

, arrives and claims to have a magical cure for the Wendigo's condition, but S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....

 agents won't let her pass until they finally confirm her identity. After a long battle, the Wendigo is defeated by a combined attack from his two opponents, and placed into SHIELD custody.

In King Size Hulk #1, it is revealed that a pack of Wendigo exist in the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...

 after Red Hulk is attacked by a Wendigo, attracted by his camp fire while cooking a meal. A Wendigo bites the Red Hulk on the shoulder and he bleeds hot radioactive blood. He shoots the Wendigo in chest a few times with a rifle and wounds the creature, but it uses its long tail to damage his gun's sight scope. Angered, the Red Hulk reveals he gets hotter the madder he gets and then kills one Wendigo; the others come to claim the body and eat it.

The Wendigos begin their invasion upon Las Vegas. Bruce Banner, on the trail of the Red Hulk, witnesses the Wendigo pack hunting the Casino area's big gaming room, all crouched about a water fountain with statues. Excited near a terrified girl, he transforms into the Grey Hulk. The Grey Hulk gets help in the fight against them from Moon Knight
Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a fictional character, a mercenary-turned-superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character exists in the Marvel Universe and was created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin...

, Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...

, Sentry
Sentry (Robert Reynolds)
The Sentry is a fictional character in the . The character first appears in The Sentry #1 and was created by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee, with uncredited conceptual contributions by Rick Veitch.-Creation:...

 and Brother Voodoo
Brother Voodoo
Brother Voodoo is a fictional character, a supernatural superhero in the Marvel Universe. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Gene Colan, he first appears in Strange Tales #169...

. Knocked into some debris, later on the Green Hulk appears. However, the Wendigos infect Hulk turning him into the "Wendihulk" who ends up attacking his fellow heroes. The heroes managed to cure Hulk and drive away the Wendigos.

When the Avengers Academy
Avengers Academy
Avengers Academy is a Marvel Comics comic book series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age". The series is written by Christos Gage, with artwork by Mike McKone and tells the story of a group of young super-powered persons who were selected to join a training academy for the...

 students have an encounter with former Norman Osborn
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....

 subject Jeremy Biggs, it was mentioned that Biggs' company had bought a Wendigo which killed Steve (another former Osborn subject with ice-based powers).

During the Fear Itself
Fear Itself (comics)
"Fear Itself" is a 2011 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a seven-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Laura Martin, a prologue book by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Scott Eaton, and...

 storyline, a Wendigo was among the Alpha Flight villains gathered by Vindicator and Department H to spread the Master of the World's "Unity" program and to take down Alpha Flight.

Powers and abilities

The Wendigo possesses a variety of superhuman physical abilities as a result of transformation by an ancient mystical curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...

. The curse causes anyone that ingests the flesh of another human, while within the Canadian wilderness, to transform into the Wendigo.

The Wendigo possesses superhuman physical strength of an unknown limit. It is known that the Wendigo possesses sufficient strength to go toe-to-toe with the Incredible Hulk.

Aside from its vast strength, the tissues
Tissue (biology)
Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...

 of the Wendigo's body are considerably stronger than those of a human being, providing it with superhuman durability. A Wendigo's body can resist high caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....

 machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....

 rounds without sustaining injury. If a Wendigo is injured, it can recover from the physical trauma with tremendous speed and efficiency, giving rise to the quote "strike him down and he shall only rise again". The dense fur covering the Wendigo's body grants it immunity to the harsh conditions of the extreme cold weather common in the areas in which the Wendigo has appeared. The Wendigo can be rendered unconscious by sufficient force, such as severe physical injury and trauma, but it has even been able to regenerate from being completely disemboweled, including having its heart removed from its body. However, consumption of a removed heart will confer all powers and even the form of the Wendigo on whoever consumes it. It is not known what effect psionic attacks would have on or against a Wendigo.

Despite the Wendigo's great size, it can run at speeds greater than that of an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 level athlete. The enhanced musculature
Muscular system
The muscular system is the anatomical system of a species that allows it to move. The muscular system in vertebrates is controlled through the nervous system, although some muscles can be completely autonomous.- Muscles :...

 of the Wendigo generates less lactic acid
Lactic acid
Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...

 than the muscles of a human being, granting it superhuman levels of stamina.

The Wendigo's fingers and toes are tipped with razor sharp, retractable claws that are capable of piercing even the Hulk's skin, a feat usually reserved for adamantium, due to a combination of the toughness of the claws and the Wendigo's massive physical strength.

Even though each Wendigo was once a human being, in most cases very little is left of the person it once was. It possesses little intelligence and can be considered non-sentient, and with the exception of brief and rare instances, is unable to remember things about its former life. It also lacks the ability to speak anything other than its own name, which it often will yell and repeat during its attacks. Sorcerers such as Mauvais and Lorenzo have been able to avoid this aspect of the curse, using magic to gain the power of the Wendigo while keeping their intelligence and the power of speech.

Other Wendigo

In Amazing Spider-Man #277, a creature called Wendigo appears. This Wendigo seemed to be a ghost-like being whose very presence in New York caused a blizzard to strike. Though the creature only makes its appearance at the end of the comic, the story makes it obvious that it is stalking Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...

 the entire time he was chasing a group of kidnappers. This Wendigo seemed to be able to change size and become invisible; it was also reptilian in appearance and pale green in color.

In Spider-Man issues #8-12 (the "Perceptions" story arc), a Wendigo creature is blamed in the deaths of several children near Hope, British Columbia
Hope, British Columbia
Hope is a district municipality located at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla rivers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Hope is at the eastern end of both the Fraser Valley and the Lower Mainland region, and is at the southern end of the Fraser Canyon...

 and terrorizing the town. Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, is sent to take pictures during the media frenzy that follows. Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...

, having previous experience with Wendigo creatures and having concern for the creature's welfare, comes to the town and contacts Peter Parker directly, seeking Spider-Man's assistance. Together Spider-Man and Wolverine are able to determine the real cause of death among the children. The Wendigo in "Perceptions" has an appearance very similar to other incarnations of the Wendigo, yet seems to be a different manifestation. For example, this version of Wendigo is more vulnerable to harm than those that battled the Hulk as it suffers a significant wound from a hunter's bullet, and sustains injury when struck by a car. Additionally, it does not appear very aggressive, unless provoked, nor is it interested in consuming human flesh, feeding primarily on deer. In fact, when the Wendigo comes across the corpse of a child, the creature attempts to return the body to town instead of consuming it.

Earth X

In the Earth X
Earth X
Earth X is a 1999 comic book limited series written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon and published by Marvel Comics. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian future version of the Marvel Universe....

 continuity, there appears a unique twist on the classic Wendigo. This variation of Wendigo is unlike the previous; while the Wendigo curse afflicts only one person at a time, an army of Wendigo is formed in this continuity, due to the curse afflicting Jamie Madrox
Jamie Madrox
James Arthur "Jamie" Madrox, also called the Multiple Man, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men...

, the Multiple Man, after he chooses to eat one of his own duplicated bodies in response to the strict rationing of food that came with the declining animal population.

MC2

The Wendigo makes another appearance in the MC2 imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...

 of Marvel Comics, an alternate future featuring, among others, the children of existing Marvel superheroes. In an issue of Wild Thing
Wild Thing (comics)
Wild Thing is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, who exists in the MC2 universe, an alternate future to the Marvel Universe. She is the daughter of the X-Men's Wolverine and the rogue mercenary Elektra...

, the Hulk, Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....

, Wolverine, and Wolverine's daughter Wild Thing encounter a large number of Wendigos, which turn out to be a lost cub scout troop that had eaten its scoutmaster. Doctor Strange is able to remove the curse from the children and remove their memory of the events.

Television

  • Wendigo appeared in The Incredible Hulk episode "And the Wind Cries...Wendigo!" voiced by Leeza Miller McGee. In this show, the Wendigo is a curse placed upon an Indian. When the Wendigo captured Betty Ross, Hulk and General Thunderbolt Ross
    Thunderbolt Ross
    General Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross is a fictional character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the Hulk, sometimes as a supervillain. Ross is a United States military officer, the father of Betty Ross, ex-father in-law of Glenn Talbot and the father in-law...

     had to work together to save her.
  • Wendigo appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "Wolverine Vs. Hulk." This Wendigo is also shown to have horns whose bite turns others into Wendigos. In this episode, Wolverine is approached by Nick Fury to take down the Hulk in the Canadian wilderness, but discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents had previously enlisted Bruce Banner to aid in capturing and curing a creature called the Wendigo when some of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents fell victim to the Wendigo and became Wendigos. It was originally believed to have been created by a mystic curse, but it is later revealed that the creature is actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. super-soldier experiment gone wrong conducted by Nick Fury
    Nick Fury
    Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...

    . With the help of Hulk, Wolverine used the formula-filled darts to cure the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents.

Video games

  • The Wendigo appears in the X-Men
    X-Men (arcade game)
    X-Men is an arcade game produced by Konami in 1992. It is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the characters of the same name under license from Marvel Comics. The animation of the X-Men and the supervillains are based on the 1989 X-Men pilot episode titled X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men...

     arcade game
    Arcade game
    An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

     as the boss
    Boss (video games)
    A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...

     of Stage 3. He returns in Stage 7, as the second boss of five after Blob
    Blob (comics)
    The Blob is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #3 ....

     and before the White Queen
    Emma Frost
    Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....

    , on Magneto's base in Asteroid M
    Asteroid M
    Utopia is the name of the sepratist mutant homeland created by the X-Men from the remains of Asteroid M which is the name of several fictional settings, each an asteroid converted by the mutant Magneto into his home/orbiting base, in the Marvel Comics Universe...

    .
  • Wendigo appears as an early boss in the video game X2: Wolverine's Revenge
    X2: Wolverine's Revenge
    X2: Wolverine's Revenge is a video game released in 2003 to coincide with the release date of the film X2: X-Men United. Revenge was the first home console title to feature Wolverine in a starring role since 1994; he had appeared two years earlier in X-Men: Wolverine's Rage for Game Boy Color...

    . Among the game's unlockable cut scenes is a humorous out-of-continuity moment involving the Wendigo entering a recording studio (and having trouble due to its size) and delivering its sole line ("WEN-DI-GO!") into the microphone.
  • In the game X-Men Origins: Wolverine
    X-Men Origins: Wolverine (video game)
    X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 action-adventure game loosely based on the film of the same name. The game release coincided with the release of the film on May 1, 2009 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable. The game was developed...

     (based on the 2009 film of the same name
    X-Men Origins: Wolverine
    X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a 2009 American action film based on the Marvel Comics' fictional character Wolverine. The fourth installment in the X-Men film series, it was released worldwide on May 1, 2009...

    ) there are super-soldier prototypes called W.E.N.D.I.G.O.s. In keeping with the somewhat realistic tone of the film series, these are genetically engineered super-soldiers instead of magically cursed beings. They are bosses in the Weapon X areas.

External links

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