Living Monolith

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The Living Monolith
Monolith.png
The Living Monolith as depicted in X-Men (vol. 2) #94 (November 1999). Art by Alan Davis.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance The X-Men #54 (March 1969)
Created by Arnold Drake
Don Heck
In-story information
Alter egoAhmet Abdol
Species Human mutant
Team affiliationsCult of the Living Monolith
The Twelve
PartnershipsPlasma
Notable aliasesLiving Pharaoh
Living Planet
AbilitiesEnergy absorption and projection
Superhuman strength, durability and longevity
Size and mass manipulation
Telepathy

The Living Monolith (Ahmet Abdol) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Don Heck, and first appeared in The X-Men #54 (March 1969). [1]

Contents

Abdol is the Living Pharaoh while in his normal appearance, but once he obtained enough cosmic energy, he would increase in mass, size, and power, thus becoming the Living Monolith. [2]

Abdol has mainly been an X-Men villain, usually using Havok to become the Living Monolith. He has also used other superheroes, including the Fantastic Four (who gained their super powers from exposure to cosmic rays). He even killed his own daughter to achieve his goal.

Fictional character biography

Ahmet Abdol was born in Cairo, Egypt. He is a professor of Egyptology and archeologist who possesses the ability to manipulate cosmic energy, mainly by absorbing it and projecting it as energy blasts. Deciding to use his powers for his own personal gain, Abdol creates a cult around himself as the messiah, the Cult of the Living Pharaoh, and becomes a supervillain, intending to rule all of Earth. [3]

Abdol discovers that another mutant, Havok (Alex Summers, brother to Scott Summers also known as Cyclops) could absorb and project cosmic energy more easily than him. Abdol kidnaps Havok and uses him to increase his power, then battles the X-Men. [4] [5] He transforms into the Living Monolith and battles the X-Men in this form. [6] He is captured by Sentinels, but escapes. [7]

Later, Abdol abducts Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, and the Human Torch to absorb cosmic radiation from their bodies, growing to a massive size. Thor throws Abdol into outer space, where he becomes a "Living Planet," similar to Ego. [8]

It is later revealed that Abdol's formerly dormant mutant powers were activated by a procedure performed on him by Mister Sinister. Sinister spliced genes from Alex Summers into his genome, thus giving Abdol the ability to absorb cosmic energy. Since his powers were modified to become genetically similar to Havok's, this explained why their abilities symbiotically interfered with one another's.[ volume & issue needed ] Abdol is found by Bishop and Deathbird floating in space. Deathbird betrays Bishop and brings Abdol to Apocalypse, who uses his body as an energy container during The Twelve story arc. [9] [10]

When the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak reappears on Earth and sends out a call to individuals suitable to become a new Juggernaut, Abdol hears the call and makes his way to the Temple of Cyttorak. Amidst conflict between demonic guardians of the Gem, the X-Men, and several prospective and former candidates for the Juggernaut's power, Abdol manages to claim the Gem. He loses his powers when Cyttorak returns his power to his former host, Cain Marko. [11] [12]

Powers and abilities

Ahmet Abdol possesses the mutant ability to absorb cosmic energy, transforming him into the Living Monolith. After genetically augmenting himself, he gains the additional ability to empower himself by absorbing energy and psychic abilities that enable him to read and control the minds of others. [12] Additionally, he is a skilled scientist specializing in archaeology, genetics, and radiation.

In other media

References

  1. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 215. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
  2. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains . New York: Facts on File. p. 191. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
  3. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 135. ISBN   978-1465455505.
  4. X-Men #54-55 (March - April 1969)
  5. Allan, Scoot (September 14, 2020). "X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Facts About Havok's Body". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  6. X-Men #56-57 (May - June 1969)
  7. X-Men #58-60 (July - September 1969)
  8. Marvel Graphic Novel #17 (October 1985)
  9. Cassidy, Eve (June 12, 2020). "X-Men: How Marvel Mashed Up Cyclops and Apocalypse". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  10. Zachary, Brandon (March 21, 2021). "X-Men: How Ages of Apocalypse Created Forgotten Marvel Alternate Realities". CBR. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  11. Amazing X-Men (vol. 2) #17-18 (April - May 2015)
  12. 1 2 Stovall, Justin (September 11, 2020). "Juggernaut: How the Largest X-Men Villain Became the Marvel Powerhouse". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  13. "Living Monolith Voice - X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse (Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.). December 19, 2019.