Devil Dinosaur | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Devil Dinosaur #1 (April 1978) |
Created by | Jack Kirby |
In-story information | |
Species | Devil-Beast |
Place of origin | Dinosaur World |
Team affiliations | Fallen Angels Circus of Crime Pet Avengers |
Partnerships | Moon-Boy Moon Girl |
Abilities |
|
Devil Dinosaur is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #1 (April 1978). [1] Devil Dinosaur is depicted as resembling an enormous, crimson Tyrannosaurus -like dinosaur. The character and his inseparable ape-like friend, Moon-Boy, are natives of "Dinosaur World," a version of Earth in a parallel universe where dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures co-exist with tribes of primitive humanoid beings. [2]
Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy are the creations of artist Jack Kirby who scripted and penciled all nine issues of the first series. The comic is considered a "cult classic" by Kirby fans. [3]
Kirby created the character during his third stint at Marvel (1975–1978). [4] Having learned that DC Comics was working on an animated series featuring Kirby's Kamandi, Marvel attempted to one-up their competitor by instructing Kirby to create a series similar to Kamandi, but incorporating a dinosaur co-star, since dinosaurs were hugely popular with young audiences of the time. [5] The resulting Devil Dinosaur series was short lived, lasting only nine months (April – December 1978), and the proposed animated series never entered development. [5] The original Devil Dinosaur series chronicled Devil and Moon-Boy's adventures in their home, "Dinosaur World." After the cancellation of Devil Dinosaur, the character's appearances were relegated to one-shot comics, cameos, and supporting roles in other series.
In Devil Dinosaur #1, Kirby states in the "Dinosaur Dispatches" letters column that the original intent was for Moon-Boy and Devil to be an early human and dinosaur from Earth's past. Kirby writes: "After all, just where the Dinosaur met his end, and when Man first stood reasonably erect, is still shrouded in mystery". Writers subsequent to Kirby have approached the character's origin in various ways. Some have followed Kirby's lead and portrayed the character as being from the prehistoric past of the main Marvel continuity (sometimes referred to as "Earth-616"), while others have depicted Devil as hailing from either an alien planet or an alternate reality Earth. Marvel's most recent publications list Devil's home of origin as "Dinosaur World (Earth-78411)", a primitive version of Earth existing in one of the many alternative universes contained within the Marvel Multiverse. [6]
The first appearance of Devil Dinosaur after the cancellation of the original series was in Marvel's Godzilla, King of the Monsters of 1979. [7] The character was not to be referenced again in a Marvel comic until 1986 when the Thing of the Fantastic Four travels to a Pacific island where "Devil Dinosaur: The Movie" is being produced. During the Thing's visit, Godzilla appears. After battling and destroying a robot Devil Dinosaur used in the film, Godzilla disappears once again into the ocean. [8] Devil Dinosaur himself does not actually appear in the 1986 story, but beginning with the Fallen Angels limited series of 1987, the character has continued to make sporadic appearances in Marvel publications.
In 2016, Devil Dinosaur was again given his own ongoing series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. [9] The series has Devil teaming up with Lunella Lafayette, a.k.a. Moon Girl, a 9-year-old prodigy from modern times. Moon Boy, no longer Devil's primary partner, plays only a minor role in the series.
The young Devil Dinosaur was nearly burned to death by a tribe of Killer-Folk, hostile beings native to his planet, but was rescued by Moon-Boy, a young member of a rival tribe, the Small-Folk. Exposure to the Killer-Folk's fire activated a mutation in the dinosaur which gave him powers greater than others of his species and turned his skin red. [10] Devil's early adventures on his home world include encounters with extraterrestrials and a brief teleportation to modern day Earth. [11]
Later, Godzilla rampages through the Marvel Universe (Earth-616). In an attempt to stop the monster, S.H.I.E.L.D. shrinks Godzilla with Pym Particles and attempts to teleport him via a time machine to the prehistoric past. However, Godzilla's radiation apparently distorts the time machine so that he is transported to the alternative universe of Dinosaur World instead. While there, he briefly unites with Moon-Boy and Devil against a common foe before being pulled back to the main Marvel continuity. [12]
After Ariel, an extraterrestrial mutant with teleportation powers, teleports the Fallen Angels to Dinosaur World, the group convinces Devil and Moon-Boy to join their team and return with them to Earth-616. During his time with the Fallen Angels, Devil Dinosaur accidentally kills "Don", the super-intelligent mutant lobster on the team by stepping on him. Devil and Moon-Boy return to their own universe when the Fallen Angels eventually disband. [13]
After their stint with the Fallen Angels, the duo's life back on Dinosaur World is interrupted numerous times by events occurring in the main Marvel continuity:
Some time later, the sorceress Jennifer Kale, in an attempt to return Howard the Duck to his homeworld, inadvertently teleports Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy into her New York apartment. The disoriented dinosaur rampages through the city before being subdued by Ghost Rider. [20] Stranded in modern-day Earth-616 after their teleportation there by Kale, the pair is hypnotized into joining the Circus of Crime. After being rescued by Spider-Man, Devil and Moon-Boy are relocated to the Savage Land. [21]
The Heroes for Hire mercenaries go on a mission to retrieve Moon-Boy from the Savage Land and encounter Devil Dinosaur, who is guarding a clutch of eggs and abandons Moon-Boy to ensure their safety. The mercenaries note the discrepancy between this development and his previously presumed male sex, and can only speculate as to the cause of the change. [22] After returning to the U.S. the Heroes for Hire disband and group member Paladin leaves alone with Moon-Boy to collect the reward from the S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists who hired the mercenaries. [23]
Moon-Boy would remain under the custody of S.H.I.E.L.D. for some time, which drove Devil Dinosaur into a sort of saurian depression. Refusing to eat, or defend himself, he was in danger of dying. However, Stegron, the dinosaur man, became worried about the survival of the Devil-Beast due to it being the last known of its species. Leaving the Savage Land without the permission of Ka-Zar and building an army of reanimated dinosaurs, Stegron marched across the U.S. attacking S.H.I.E.L.D. base after base, until he was eventually stopped by the Fifty State Initiative. The group discovered the motive behind Stegron's plan and, though he was arrested all the same, the Initiative recruit Reptil smuggled Moon-Boy back to the Savage Land, where he was reunited with his companion. [24]
Reunited in the Savage Land, the companions' adventures continued:
In the Savage Land, Devil Dinosaur and his enemies, the Killer Folk, are transported to New York by a temporal vortex, which also kills Moon-Boy. Moon-Boy's dying wish was for Devil Dinosaur to reclaim the sacred Nightstone from the Killer Folk and avenge him.
Lunella Lafeyette later obtains the Nightstone, identifies it as a Kree Omni-Wave Projector, and intends to use it to stop her latent Inhuman genes from activating. She comes into conflict with Amadeus Cho / Totally Awesome Hulk and the Killer Folk before being caught in a cloud of Terrigen Mist and enveloped in a cocoon as her body mutates. [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34]
Devil Dinosaur took Lunella's cocoon to her lab and watched over it for several days until she hatched. Lunella was at first relieved she had not changed physically, but was dismayed to learn her Inhuman power caused her consciousness and that of Devil Dinosaur's to switch. Devil Dinosaur proceeded to make her even more ostracized at school due to freaking out in class and attacking other students whilst Lunella rampaged through the city. Eventually though they returned to normal. [35]
Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl's next opponent came in the form of Kid Kree - a misunderstood Kree boy who had failed to enter the academy twice, who sought to capture an Inhuman to impress his father and make a name for himself on Earth as Captain Marvel had - who disguised himself as a new student, Marvin Ellis, in Lunella's class. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur fought Kid Kree several times, [36] once being separated by Ms. Marvel, who recognized their fight as the childish squabble it was, but still entrusted Moon Girl with a device to contact her if things ever got out of hand. [37]
Lunella is then approached by Hulk, who gives her the Banner B.O.X. (Brain Omnicompetence Examiner), and is surprised when she solves it in seconds, proving her to be the smartest person on Earth. After consulting experts, Moon Girl, Hulk and Devil Dinosaur encounter Mole Man, who was attacking the city with a group of monsters. The next day, at her lab, Lunella ends up having a vision of herself in the future, where she is approached by Earth's smartest heroes. After school, she is approached by the Thing, who takes her for a walk when Hulk appears. When the two start fighting, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur manage to contain them while protecting the civilians, until both of them are left unconscious. Meanwhile, Doctor Doom is surprised to discover that Moon Girl is considered the smartest person on Earth and vows to prove himself superior. [38] During science class, Lunella is attacked by robot drones until she is saved by Ironheart. They follow the drones to a nearby alley, where Moon Girl encounters Doctor Doom. After Doom escapes, Moon Girl and Ironheart go to Moon Girl's secret lab, where they discover that the energy signatures of the drones are mystic in origin. While tracing Doom's location, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur arrive at the Sanctum Sanctorum and are found by Doctor Strange. [39] Waking up from a dream, Lunella is reunited with Devil, who was shrunk down by Strange. While walking back home, Moon Girl and two of her classmates are attacked by Doctor Doom and his Doombots. Moon Girl uses an enlargement potion on herself to help Doctor Strange fight Doom and his robots. A few nights later, while installing an energy sensing probe, Moon Girl is found by five members of the X-Men. [40] Arriving at an abandoned mall, Moon Girl reengineers a Cerebro helmet with the Omni-Wave Projector to locate Doom, only for her and the X-Men to travel back to the 1980s. Once there, Doctor Doom arrives with an army of Doombots. The X-Men and Devil fight the Doombots until Moon Girl takes off the helmet, sending them back to the present, where they discover that Doom is actually a Doombot. Lunella takes the Doombot to her lab to analyze it. [41] Lunella later makes a major discovery about her Inhuman power: it only activates during a full moon. She then encounters an army of Doombots, along with Thing, Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart, Doctor Strange, Kid Kree and the Killer Folk, who went to her aid after being recruited by Lunella. [42]
Lunella then receives a call for help from an alien girl named Illa and, after building a spaceship, goes to space with Devil and crash land on a moon. While exploring, Lunella discovers that Illa is the moon. [43] She soon realizes that Illa is lonely and wants company and does not understand Lunella at all. After a brief fight between Devil and some giant bugs, Lunella leaves, despite Illa's objections. In the process, she is sent to a parallel universe where she meets another version of herself and Devil Dinosaur. Meanwhile, the Doombot head creates robotic versions of Lunella to avoid suspicions of her absence. [44] After fighting their counterparts, Devil Girl and Moon Dinosaur, Lunella and Devil get back on their spacecraft and return to Illa who tells them that they'll never leave her. Back home, the Doombot head begins to have problems with one of Lunella robots. Moon Girl and Devil manage to find Ego the Living Planet and reunite him with Illa, while the Doombot discovers that the Lunella robot is acting independently. [45] Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl later made use of a time machine which they used to save Moon-Boy from being killed. [46]
Meanwhile, the Doombot head has created multiple Moon Girl replacement robots who to his surprise are acting like real little girls.[ volume & issue needed ] He tells them that they will be obsolete when the real Lunella returns.[ volume & issue needed ] While up in space Lunella has united Ego and Illa as a family.[ volume & issue needed ] On the way to Earth she uses the Omniwave projector to tearfully return Devil Dinosaur to Moon Boy in the Savage Land where she thinks he belongs and then returns to New York where she tosses it away in the trash.[ volume & issue needed ]
Admitting she was wrong Moon Girl brought him back as she, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm reformed the Fantastic Four and even gave Devil his own uniform. [47] Afterwards while Wilson Fisks's daughter Princess is enrolled in her school Moon Girl decides to turn Devil into a human boy and enroll him in her class to tone down his destructive accidents. Taking attention away from princess causes her to begin focusing her and her father's negative attentions on the two.[ volume & issue needed ]
During the Monsters Unleashed storyline, Devil Dinosaur was with Moon Girl when she was studying the Leviathon attacks. [48] Later, Kei Kawade demonstrates his abilities to the heroes present by summoning Devil Dinosaur, though Moon Girl was also brought along during Devil Dinosaur's summoning. [49] When the Leviathon Servitors attack the Baxter Building, Kei Kawade summons Devil Dinosaur to help fight them. [50] Moon Girl, Devil Dinosaur and other heroes later encounter other monsters until the Leviathon Queen is defeated by Kei Kawade and his new creations. [51]
During the Secret Empire storyline, Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl join up with Daisy Johnson's Secret Warriors. After rescuing Karnak from a prison camp, the Warriors encounter the Howling Commandos after falling into a trap. While driving West, the team is found by the X-Men. After escaping New Tian, the team meets Dark Beast, an evil version of Beast, who's tortured by Daisy and Karnak on information of an Inhuman who can help them. After receiving their information, the team encounters Mister Hyde along with Hydra's Avengers. After a brief fight, the team is captured until they break out when Daisy uses her powers to destroy the Helicarrier they were in. While trying to break Devil out of his cage, Moon Girl meets Leer, the Inhuman Karnak mentioned, who knocks her unconscious when the Helicarrier crash lands. Fortunately, Moon Girl and Devil have switched brains just in time, enabling Moon Girl to lead the Warriors to an Inhuman prison camp. There, the Warriors plan a jailbreak with the imprisoned Inhumans when the Underground resistance arrives to help them. It is later revealed that Leer is Karnak's son and that Karnak had sold him to Mister Sinister to help activate his powers. [52]
Devil Dinosaur is a gigantic reptile, and thus possesses super strength and durability. He also possesses above normal intelligence, on par with a human's. [53] [54]
A cybernetic, alternate universe variant of Devil Dinosaur appears in Astonishing Spider-Man and Wolverine #1. [59]
Deadpool Dinosaur, an alternate universe variant of Devil Dinosaur amalgamated with Deadpool, appears in Deadpool Kills Deadpool #3. [60]
Devil Dinosaur's skeletal remains appear in Earth X #0. [61] [62]
An alternate universe variant of Devil Dinosaur, amalgamated with Tippy-Toe and Monkey Joe, appears in Infinity Wars . This version is a red squirrel who grew to a massive size after being exposed to Terrigen Mists. [63]
An alternate universe variant of Devil Dinosaur from Earth-1298 appears in Mutant X as a member of the Lethal Legion. [64]
An alternate universe clone of Devil Dinosaur from Earth-63163 appears in Nextwave . This version is capable of speech and claims to be the head of the Beyond Corporation©. [65] [66] [a]
An alternate universe variant of Devil Dinosaur from Earth-15513 appears in Secret Wars . [67] [68] [69]
An alternate universe variant of Devil Dinosaur from Earth-34882 appears in What If? #34. [70]
Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Devil Dinosaur Omnibus | Devil Dinosaur #1–9 | July 11, 2007 [89] | 0-7851-2694-5 |
Devil Dinosaur by Jack Kirby: The Complete Collection | Devil Dinosaur #1–9 | June 14, 2014 | 978-0785126942 |
Marvel Monsters | Marvel Monsters: Devil Dinosaur and Marvel Monsters: Fin Fang Four, Monsters on the Prowl, Where Monsters Dwell and Marvel Monster Handbook | February 2006 | 978-0785121411 |
Title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 1: BFF | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1-6 | July 2016 | 978-1302900052 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 2: Cosmic Cooties | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #7-12 | January 2017 | 978-1302902087 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 3: The Smartest There Is | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #13-18 | June 2017 | 978-1302905347 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 4: Girl-Moon | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #19-24 | September 2017 | 978-1302905354 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 5: Fantastic Three | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #25-30 | July 2018 | 978-1302910990 |
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur Vol. 6: Save Our School | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #31-36 | January 2019 | 978-1302911003 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 7: Bad Dream | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #37-41 | July 2019 | 978-1302914363 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Vol. 8: Yancy Street Legends | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #42-47 | January 2020 | 978-1302914370 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: The Beginning | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1-12 | February 2019 | 978-1302916541 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Full Moon | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #13-24 | January 2020 | 978-1302921132 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Bad Buzz | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #25-36 | June 2021 | 978-1302929848 |
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Place In The World | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #36-47 | September 2022 | 978-1302945008 |
Moon Girl and the Marvel Universe | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #24,31 and material from Extraordinary X-Men Annual #1, Venom #153, Monsters Unleashed #12, Moon Girl Marvel Legacy Primer pages | December 2018 | 978-1302913700 |
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of The Incredible Hulk. In his comic book appearances, the character, who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), is primarily represented by the alter ego Hulk, a green-skinned, hulking, and muscular humanoid possessing a limitless degree of physical strength, and the alter ego Dr. Robert Bruce Banner, a physically weak, socially withdrawn, and emotionally reserved physicist, both of whom typically resent each other.
Doctor Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Fantastic Four #5. In his comic book appearances, Doctor Doom is the monarch of the fictional European country of Latveria whose goal is to bring order to humanity through world conquest. He serves as the archenemy of Mister Fantastic and the Fantastic Four, though he has also come into conflict with other superheroes in the Marvel Universe, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, the Black Panther, the X-Men, and the Avengers. While usually portrayed as a villain, Doom has also been an antihero at times, working with heroes if their goals align and only if it benefits him. Doctor Doom was ranked #4 by Wizard on its list of the 101 Greatest Villains of All Time and #3 on IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time. In a later article, IGN would declare Doom as Marvel's greatest villain.
Fin Fang Foom is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as an extraterrestrial creature resembling a dragon. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Later, the character became part of the superhero Iron Man's rogues' gallery.
Kevin Plunder, also known as Ka-Zar, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The X-Men #10. Kevin Plunder is the second character to use the codename Ka-Zar.
Karnak is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and debuted in Fantastic Four #45 (1965) along with other members of the Inhuman Royal Family.
Black Bolt is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #45. Black Bolt is the ruler of Attilan, and a member of the Inhumans, a reclusive race of genetically altered superhumans. Black Bolt's signature power is his voice, as his electron-harnessing ability is linked to the speech center of his brain. Speaking triggers a massive disturbance in the form of a highly destructive shockwave capable of leveling a city. Due to the extreme danger posed by this power, the character has undergone rigorous mental training to prevent himself from uttering a sound, even in his sleep, and he usually remains completely silent and speaks through sign language or via a spokesperson.
The Mole Man is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as a recurring foe of the Fantastic Four and was the first villain they ever faced. His schemes usually consist of trying to rule the surface of the Earth with the aid of his "Moloids", mole-human hybrids over whom he rules.
Machine Man is an android superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8, a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous 1968 Stanley Kubrick feature film and Arthur C. Clarke's 1968 novel. Shortly thereafter, Machine Man spun off into his own Kirby-created series. He is a robot, the only survivor of a series, raised as a human son of scientist Abel Stack, who was killed removing his auto-destruct mechanism, and further evolved to sentience by a Monolith.
Triton is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #45. He belongs to the subspecies of humans called inhumans, who are born with superhuman abilities.
Elsa Bloodstone is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, and Michael Lopez, the character first appeared in Bloodstone #1. Elsa Bloodstone is the daughter of the previously established Marvel Universe character Ulysses Bloodstone and the sister of Cullen Bloodstone. She has been a member of Nextwave, Midnight Sons, and Fearless Defenders.
The Enclave is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Typically depicted as a group of dictatorially-minded scientists, the Enclave is best known for creating the characters Adam Warlock and Kismet.
Stegron is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Gil Kane, he first appeared in Marvel Team-Up #19.
Moon-Boy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is best known as the constant companion of Devil Dinosaur.
The Doombots are fictional robots appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Moon Girl is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, created by writers Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder and artist Natacha Bustos. The character first appeared in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1. Lunella is a 9-year-old Inhuman girl who is described as the smartest character in the Marvel Universe and is paired with Devil Dinosaur, with whom she shares a mental link.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. Running for 24 issues from 1977 to 1979, the series starred Godzilla, a Japanese monster film character licensed from Toho. The series is set in the publishers' shared Marvel Universe and was the first ongoing American comic book based on Godzilla.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)