Saturday Spotlight: Shuma-Gorath

 

With May basically around the corner, I figured I would focus my spotlights on characters we may or may not see in the upcoming Multiverse of Madness Doctor Strange film.  The character I chose is in the trailer but most people may not know his background except for the fact that he is a playable character in the Marvel Vs Capcom games.  So, I decided to share my knowledge of the being known as Shuma-Gorath.

Shuma-Gorath first appears as an adversary for Doctor Strange in Marvel Premiere #10 (September 1973), created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Frank Brunner.  He also has deeper ties to Conan, being that it was Crom that imprisoned the mighty Shuma-Gorath.

During Earth's pre-history Shuma-Gorath ruled the world, and demanded human sacrifice until eventually banished and imprisoned within a mountain by the power of the god Crom. Shuma-Gorath continues to be an influence on Earth until returned to its home dimension by Crom.

When the entity tries to return to Earth via the mind of the Ancient One, his disciple Doctor Strange is forced to kill him to prevent this. Years later, Strange battles Shuma-Gorath in its home dimension, and although victorious, he gradually becomes a new version of the entity. Strange commits suicide to prevent this transformation from taken full control.  Strange is later resurrected, but that is a story for another time.

That would not be the last time we would see or hear from Shuma-Gorath.  Gorath has taken on all comers in a variety of timelines as well as a variety of galaxies.  He has battled teh Avengers, the Invaders, Doctor Strange, Galactus, and even the mad titan Thanos.  Gorath has proven to be a force that needs to be stopped, no matter the cost.

The most recent sightings of Shuma-Gorath have been through advertisements for the ne w Doctor Strange film as well as future toys like LEGO sets that are promoting the film.

Powers & Abilities

Shuma-Gorath is an ancient force of chaos, the immortal, nigh-invincible, and godlike ruler of nearly a hundred alternate universes.

Capable of:

• Energy Projection
• Shapeshifting
• Teleportation
• Levitation
• Altering Reality
• Sympathetic Magic

He is described as being vastly more powerful than other mighty demonic enemies, such as Satannish and Mephisto, and is capable of automatically destroying multiple galaxies through aura-pressure alone.

Publication Information

Publisher:  Marvel Comics

First Appearance: Marvel Premiere #10 (September 1973)

Created by Steve Englehart & Frank Brunner

Species:  Old Ones/Many-angled ones

Notable Aliases:  Lord of Chaos

Well, I hope you enjoyed my spotlight post on Shuma-Gorath.  Tune in next week when I pick another character from  the Doctor Strange Universe.

Until next time, get your READ on!