Zzzax
Encyclopedia
Zzzax is a fictional character
that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appears in The Incredible Hulk
#166 (August 1973) and was created by Steve Englehart
and Herb Trimpe
.
creature formed from electricity by an act of sabotage at a Con Ed
nuclear power plant
in New York City
. A group of terrorists destroying the dynamo
s started a chain reaction
that causes a rapid build in energy, which takes on a life of its own and absorbs the minds of the terrorists and several engineers. By using the electrical energy from their brains, the entity is able to achieve humanoid form and sentience
. Calling itself Zzzax, the entity fights the Hulk and the hero Hawkeye
before being defeated.
The character returns to the title Hulk and repeats its behavior at a research center in Chicago
. The Hulk battles the entity to a standstill before several scientists shut down the process that creates Zzzax. Zzzax reappears in the title Luke Cage
, Power Man, and hunts the men responsible for its last defeat. Cage defeats the entity, but not before it kills one of the scientists. Zzzax returns in the title Hulk to confront an intelligent version of the monster (possessing the intelligence of Bruce Banner), but is quickly defeated. Mephisto
later reforms the entity in the limited series
Secret Wars II
, although it is defeated by Fantastic Four
member the Thing
. In the title West Coast Avengers
the character Zzzax teams with fundamental force
villains Graviton
; Quantum
and Halflife
, but is shortcircuited by Hawkeye.
The title Hulk details how Zzzax is eventually captured and contained by the spy organization S.H.I.E.L.D.
, who transport it to Gamma Base. General Thunderbolt Ross
, long-time foe of the Hulk, arranges for his mind to be transferred into Zzzax's body and battles a new version of the Hulk, Rick Jones
. Ross relinquishes control of the entity soon after saving his daughter Betty Ross Banner
, realizing that his actions had risked lives. Zzzax battles hero Iron Man
in the title Marvel Comics Presents
and outsider Cable
in the self-titled series.
The entity reappears in the title New Avengers and participates in the mass escape by super-villains from holding facility The Raft
. The second volume of the title She-Hulk
reveals the character has been contained by S.H.I.E.L.D. After briefly escaping and turning the defence systems of the organisation's Helicarrier
against its agents, it is recaptured by heroine She-Hulk.
The Mighty Avengers later apprehend Zzzax when he was attacks New Delhi.
Zzzax later appears in the services of MODOK
Superior when it comes to him attacking Red Hulk.
During the Fear Itself
storyline, Zzzax was with MODOK Superior when it comes to competing against Zero/One and Black Fog into getting to Red Hulk first.
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 The Incredible 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 ....
#166 (August 1973) and was created by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
and Herb Trimpe
Herb Trimpe
Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe Herbert W. "Herb" Trimpe (b. May 26, 1939, is an American comic book artist and occasional writer, best known for his work on The Incredible Hulk and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wolverine, who later became a breakout...
.
Fictional character biography
Debuting in the title The Incredible Hulk, Zzzax is a humanoidHumanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
creature formed from electricity by an act of sabotage at a Con Ed
Consolidated Edison
Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $36 billion in assets...
nuclear power plant
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. A group of terrorists destroying the dynamo
Dynamo
- Engineering :* Dynamo, a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator* Dynamo theory, a theory relating to magnetic fields of celestial bodies* Solar dynamo, the physical process that generates the Sun's magnetic field- Software :...
s started a chain reaction
Chain reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events....
that causes a rapid build in energy, which takes on a life of its own and absorbs the minds of the terrorists and several engineers. By using the electrical energy from their brains, the entity is able to achieve humanoid form and sentience
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
. Calling itself Zzzax, the entity fights the Hulk and the hero Hawkeye
Hawkeye (comics)
Hawkeye , also known as Goliath and Ronin, is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #57 and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck. Hawkeye joined the Avengers in Avengers Vol. 1 #16 Hawkeye...
before being defeated.
The character returns to the title Hulk and repeats its behavior at a research center in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The Hulk battles the entity to a standstill before several scientists shut down the process that creates Zzzax. Zzzax reappears in the title Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
, Power Man, and hunts the men responsible for its last defeat. Cage defeats the entity, but not before it kills one of the scientists. Zzzax returns in the title Hulk to confront an intelligent version of the monster (possessing the intelligence of Bruce Banner), but is quickly defeated. Mephisto
Mephisto (comics)
Mephisto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Silver Surfer #3 and was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, loosely modeled on Mephistopheles - a character from the Faust legend.Debuting in the Silver Age of comic books,...
later reforms the entity in the limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom....
, although it is defeated by Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
member 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...
. In the title West Coast Avengers
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The team first appear in The West Coast Avengers #1 and was created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall.- Publication history :...
the character Zzzax teams with fundamental force
Fundamental interaction
In particle physics, fundamental interactions are the ways that elementary particles interact with one another...
villains Graviton
Graviton (comics)
Graviton is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Avengers #158 and was created by Jim Shooter and Sal Buscema....
; Quantum
Quantum (comics)
Quantum is a fictional character, an alien supervillain appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in West Coast Avengers, Volume 2, #12 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Halflife
Halflife (comics)
There are two fictional characters in the Marvel Universe that are named Halflife with two distinct origins. They are detailed separately below.- Halflife :...
, but is shortcircuited by Hawkeye.
The title Hulk details how Zzzax is eventually captured and contained by the spy organization 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....
, who transport it to Gamma Base. 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...
, long-time foe of the Hulk, arranges for his mind to be transferred into Zzzax's body and battles a new version of the Hulk, Rick Jones
Rick Jones (comics)
Richard Milhouse "Rick" Jones is a fictional comic book character in the .-Publication history:Rick Jones first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1, as a sidekick to the Incredible Hulk...
. Ross relinquishes control of the entity soon after saving his daughter Betty Ross Banner
Betty Ross Banner
Betty Ross is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, and love interest of Bruce Banner...
, realizing that his actions had risked lives. Zzzax battles 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,...
in the title 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...
and outsider Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
in the self-titled series.
The entity reappears in the title New Avengers and participates in the mass escape by super-villains from holding facility The Raft
The Raft (comics)
The Raft is a fictional island prison facility in New York City for psychopathic superhuman criminals appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
. The second volume of the title 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 ....
reveals the character has been contained by S.H.I.E.L.D. After briefly escaping and turning the defence systems of the organisation's Helicarrier
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier specifically designed to be capable of independent powered flight in addition to the conventional functions of aircraft carriers...
against its agents, it is recaptured by heroine She-Hulk.
The Mighty Avengers later apprehend Zzzax when he was attacks New Delhi.
Zzzax later appears in the services of MODOK
MODOK
MODOK is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #93 MODOK (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character...
Superior when it comes to him attacking Red Hulk.
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, Zzzax was with MODOK Superior when it comes to competing against Zero/One and Black Fog into getting to Red Hulk first.
Powers and abilities
As a being of pure electricity, Zzzax is capable of absorbing and discharging powerful currents of electricity; manipulating nearby electrical fields and equipment, and flying. The character's size and strength increases in proportion to the amount of electricity absorbed. This control of electrical current extends to the human nervous system, as Zzzax has been shown controlling the Hulk. Zzzax is also dependent upon brain electricity, and when killing prey will temporarily take on the personality traits of the victim. Zzzax has been shown generating intense heat, to the point whereby water - a previous weakness - evaporates before touching it.Television
- Zzzax appears in The Incredible Hulk episode "Raw Power" simultaneously voiced by Michael Bell, Leeza Miller McGee, and Kevin SchonKevin SchonKevin Schon is an American voice actor, producer, and energy entrepreur with extensive credits in nearly every area of voice work. Voiceover was his second career, begun in 1992 in Los Angeles, after 10 years as a Senior Advisory Systems Engineer for IBM, where he developed and taught Design...
. Researcher Mitch McCutcheon is transformed into a blue-coloured, talking Zzzax after trying to cure Bruce Banner from becoming the Hulk. The accident occurs after the device Banner is put into explodes with Mitch still inside it. Mitch is eventually transformed back to normal. - Zzzax is featured in the animated television series The Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
, voiced by Jonathan Mankuta. In the episode "A Brat Walks Among Us," Doctor DoomDoctor DoomVictor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
pairs him up with PyroPyro (comics)Pyro is a fictional character in Marvel Comics and an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 ....
in attacking a part of the wall that separates Super Hero City and Villainville in order to enable Doctor Doom's forces to invade. They were defeated by Heroes for HireHeroes For HireHeroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
and remanded to the VaultVault (comics)The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
. In the episode "The Ice Melt Cometh," Zzzax is paired up with Pyro and TrapsterTrapsterThe Trapster , originally known as Paste Pot Pete, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Publication history:...
as "Team Toxic" to build a super-spinner machine in order to spin the Earth enough to send Super Hero City into a space device built by Doctor Doom in his latest plot to get the Infinity Fractals. - Zzzax appears in two episodes of the animated television series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest HeroesThe Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes is an American animated television series by Marvel Animation in cooperation with Film Roman based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. The show debuted on Disney XD in Fall 2010 starting with a 20 part micro-series. A second season has been...
. In the episode "The Breakout, Part 1", he is one of many supervillains released from the CubeCube (comics)-History:The Cube was built as a prison for irradiated supervillains. The location the Cube is unknown as only high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents know of its existence. Its "villain rehabilitation program" brainwashes the inmates to serve S.H.I.E.L.D...
. In the episode "Gamma World, Part 1", Zzzax assists the U-FoesU-FoesU-Foes are a fictional comic book supervillain team appearing in various series published by Marvel Comics. The group first appeared in Incredible Hulk #254...
and the Wrecking CrewWrecking Crew (comics)The Wrecking Crew is a team of four fictional supervillains — Bulldozer, Piledriver, Thunderball, and the Wrecker — that appears in Marvel Comics. While not featured on the cover, the Wrecking Crew's first appearance is in Defenders vol. 1, #17 in November 1974.-Fictional biography:The Wrecking...
in attacking the 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...
when they enter the Cube. Zzzax was defeated (alongside the U-Foes and the Wrecking Crew) by the Avengers.
External links
- Zzzax at Marvel.com
- Leader's Lair: Zzzax