Fin Fang Foom

Fin Fang Foom is a fictional 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 (cover-dated Oct. 1961), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[1]

Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom on the cover of Strange Tales #89 (Oct. 1961).
Art by Jack Kirby.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceStrange Tales #89 (Oct. 1961)
Created byStan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
SpeciesMakluan/Axonn-Karr
Team affiliationsDragon Lords of Kakaranathara
Fin Fang Four
Beyond Reason Spiritual Fellowship
Lethal Legion
Notable aliases"He Whose Limbs Shatter Mountains and Whose Back Scrapes the Sun"
AbilitiesSuperhuman strength
Supersonic flight via wings
Extreme durability
Regenerative healing factor
Acid mist breath
Telepathy
Prolonged lifespan
Gifted intellect
Possesses advanced alien technology

The character has also appeared in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, toys, trading cards, and video games. IGN's List of Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Fin Fang Foom #99.[2]

Publication history

Making his debut in Strange Tales #89 (Oct. 1961) during the Silver Age of Comic Books, Fin Fang Foom appeared during Marvel Comics' "pre-superhero" period, which would not become integrated into Marvel's mainstream fictional continuity until the 1970s.

Writer-editor Stan Lee's inspiration for the character's name was the title of the 1934 movie version of the long-running British stage musical Chu Chin Chow. As Lee described in 2005:

When I was a kid, I loved going to the movies. When I say a kid, I mean 10, 11, 12 years old. And there was one movie I'd seen. I remember nothing about it except the name. It took place in China, I believe, and the name of the movie was Chu Chin Chow. Now I have no idea what it meant — I don't know if it was somebody's name or a country or a city, but I never forgot that name. Those three words just stuck in my memory: Chu Chin Chow. So when I was looking for the name of a monster, I remember Chu Chin Chow... and that particular meter, that beat, somehow led to Fin Fang Foom.[3] (transcript of 2005 interview)

The character first appeared in the standalone story "Fin Fang Foom" in Strange Tales #89 (Oct. 1961) and reappeared in Astonishing Tales #23-24 (April and June 1974). He was impersonated by the Midgard Serpent in Thor #379 (May 1987). His first story was reprinted in Fantasy Masterpieces #2 (April 1966), Where Monsters Dwell #21 (May 1973) and Marvel Monsterworks (1990). Foom eventually reappeared in Marvel continuity in Legion of Night #1-2 (Oct. 1991), and then made multiple appearances in Iron Man #261 - 264 (Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991); 267 (April 1991) and 270 - 275 (July-Dec. 1992), and returned in Iron Man vol. 3 #15-18 (April–July 1999).

An alternate version appears in Mutant X Annual 2001. Foom briefly appeared in the intercompany crossover JLA/Avengers #1 (Sept. 2003). The villain Nightmare changed a creature called a Mindless One into a copy of Foom to battle the Hulk in Hulk vol. 3 #79 (May 2005).

The character's origins and early days are developed in Marvel Monsters: Monsters On The Prowl #1 (Dec. 2005) and Fin Fang Four #1 (Dec. 2005). Foom also appeared in Nextwave #1-2 (March–April 2006), Marvel Holiday Special 2006 (Jan. 2007), in a dream in Howard the Duck vol. 3 #1 (Nov. 2007), in Iron Man: Las Vegas (May - June 2008); and appeared briefly in the limited series Age of the Sentry #1-6 (Sept. 2008 - May 2009); one-shot titles Monster-Size Hulk #1 (Dec. 2008) and Dark Reign Files #1 (April 2009) and featured in another monster one-shot title, Fin Fang Four Return! (July 2009) as well as another version in Hulk: Broken Worlds #2 (July 2009).

Fictional character biography

It is revealed in flashback that Fin Fang Foom is an alien being from the world of Kakaranathara (also known as Maklu IV) in the Maklu star-system of the Greater Magellanic Cloud. The aliens arrive on Earth in ancient China, intending to conquer the planet. Using their natural shapeshifting powers to mimic human form, the aliens infiltrate human society to study it before beginning their conquest. Foom, the navigator, is the exception and, acting as a reserve, is placed in a tomb in a catatonic state.[4]

Sometime during the early Qing Dynasty, Fin Fang Foom attacked the Tianjin Prefecture for constructing the governor's mansion on top of the land's dragon lines, but was thwarted by Zheng Zu and the Five Weapons Society.[5]

In the 1960s, Fin Fang Foom is awakened by teenager Chan Liuchow, whose homeland is under threat from invading forces of Communist China. Liuchow goads the dragon into chasing him into the Communist camp (which Foom destroys) and then back to Fin Fang Foom's tomb, where the creature is returned to sleep via the use of a rare herb.[6][7]The mad scientist Doctor Vault locates and mentally controls the dragon for use against Vault's foe, It, the Living Colossus. Fin Fang Foom resists the control and aids the Colossus against an alien invasion by the gargoyles of the planet Stonus V (intent on preserving Earth for the gargoyles to conquer at a later date), then briefly battles the Colossus before being freed from Vault's control and returning to hibernation once again.[8] Fin Fang Foom is again roused from his slumber when his body is possessed by the demon "Aan Taanu". Combating a group of occult adventurers (including an older Chan Liuchow, now a professor) known as the Legion of Night in New York, Taanu is exorcised from Foom's body, and the creature once again returns to hibernation.[9]

The Makluan vessel is eventually found by a man who steals 10 sophisticated rings from it, and becomes the supervillain the Mandarin.[10] The Mandarin is directed to the Valley of the Sleeping Dragon by a man called Chen Hsu, who is actually the captain of Foom's vessel. The Mandarin finds and wakes Fin Fang Foom, using the dragon to threaten the Chinese government. Fin Fang Foom helps the Mandarin take control of one-third of China, and is then revealed as an alien of Kakaranathara. With "Chen Hsu", whose true form is also revealed, the pair begin to summon the rest of the crew, who had been disguised as humans for centuries. Realizing he has been tricked, the Mandarin joins forces with heroes Iron Man and War Machine to defeat the dragons, the battle ending with their apparent annihilation.[11]

Although Fin Fang Foom's body is destroyed, the alien's spirit survives and bonds itself to a small dragon statue, which was stolen from a curio shop by teenager Billy Yuan at Fin Fang Foom's mental urging. Using Yuan's body as a conduit for his power, Fin Fang Foom summons thousands of lizards from the sewers beneath New York, merging them with Yuan's body to recreate his own form. Iron Man, however, defeats Foom with assistance from the last remnants of Yuan's mind. Due to legal complications, the defeated dragon is sent to Monster Isle once again.[12]

In the four-issue crossover miniseries JLA/Avengers, Fin Fang Foom and several other monsters are seen briefly battling the dimension-displaced superhero team the Justice League of America.[13]

Fin Fang Foom is captured by the Elder of the Universe known as the Collector, and imprisoned with a subterranean collection of monsters.[14] After being captured, along with other monsters, by the recently formed Fantastic Four and deposited on "Monster Isle", Fin Fang Foom returns to China and hibernation.[15]

With the other members of the Makluan crew dead, Fin Fang Foom decides to reform and becomes a follower of Buddhism. Entering into a rehabilitation program with three other monsters - the robot Elektro; the giant ape Gorgilla, and the alien Googam - Foom is shrunk down to human size, hypnotically stripped of all his powers and allowed to enter human society. Fin Fang Foom becomes head chef in a Chinese restaurant within the Baxter Building, and teams with the other monsters to defeat the size-changing warlord Tim Boo Ba.[16] Fin Fang Foom begrudgingly aids Wong (the servant of Doctor Strange) in defeating a force of HYDRA agents.[17]

Fin Fang Foom is later confronted and defeated by Squirrel Girl.[18]

Howard the Duck also has dreams of playing cards with the Thing; the Man-Thing; Bigfoot; Frankenstein's Monster and Fin Fang Foom.[19]

There have also been two imitations of Fin Fang Foom. The Midgard Serpent imitated Foom to attempt to trick the thunder god Thor,[20] while the villain Nightmare changed a Mindless One into a copy of Fin Fang Foom to battle the Hulk.[21] Thor also claims to have killed the true Fin Fang Foom in battle, and uses the dragon's bones to build a tomb in the realm of Asgard.[22]

Fin Fang Foom and several Makluans come into conflict with the Pet Avengers.[23]

Under orders from the Roxxon Energy Corporation, Mentallo controls the mind of Fin Fang Foom and other giant monsters in a plot to take over an island and drill for oil.[24]

During the "Monsters Unleashed" storyline, Fin Fang Foom, Gorgilla, the Green Thing, and Zzutak confront Kei Kawade in the forest outside his house and warned Kei Kawade against the preceding monster summoning.[25] He was later seen falling from the sky alongside the other monsters, because they had been summoned by Kei Kawade to help superheroes fight the Leviathons.[26] He was told by Tim Boo Ba that he and the other monsters are not fighting of their own volition.[27] Kei Kawade later sends Fin Fang Foom to assist the Heroes for Hire against the Leviathons in Hell's Kitchen.[28] When the Leviathon Mother shows up and calls out to Kei Kawade, Fin Fang Foom shows up to challenge her. When Kei Kawade confronts the Leviathon Mother and gets her attention, she spits out Fin Fang Foom. Following the Leviathon Mother's death, Fin Fang Foom and the other Goliathons confront Kei Kawade. Even though Kei Kawade thanks the Goliathons for their help in fending off the Leviathons, Fin Fang Foom warns him about summoning them again before the Goliathons are teleported away.[29]

Fin Fang Foom later embarks on a relationship with Gwenpool's tailor Ronnie, helping her drum up customers for her Pantsgiving Day sale.[30]

Powers and abilities

Fin Fang Foom possesses super-strength and the abilities to fly via his wings at supersonic speeds and spew combustible acid mist from his mouth. Foom is also extremely durable and can regenerate at a rapid rate. By entering into long periods of hibernation, Foom has managed to survive for centuries. Foom possesses a gifted intellect and can communicate telepathically (which, in his true form, is his only form of communication), shapeshift into almost any animal and shrink to human size. Foom also has access to advanced alien technology from his homeworld.

Other versions
Illustration of Fin Fang Foom by Adi Granov, in the style of the character's depiction in the miniseries Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas

Fin Fang Foom battles Iron Man in the limited series Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas.[31]

In the Marvel 1602 universe, Fin Fang Foom rampaged through China before he was killed by the Hulk at the Great Wall of China.[32]

In an alternate universe story in Mutant X Annual 2001, Fin Fang Foom is a member of the Lethal Legion, who dies in battle against the Goblin Queen (posing as the entity the Beyonder).[33]

Fin Fang Foom appears in the miniseries Nextwave as a pawn of the Beyond Corporation. He is now back to his original size. Despite having no genitals, he wears purple pants. Captions indicate his mother became pregnant after interacting with radioactive materials. Foom had been buried for many years; when the Beyond Corp. releases him, he goes on a human-eating rampage.[34] According to Volume 4 of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z hardcover books, this Fin Fang Foom was a clone created by the Beyond Corporation.

In Thor: The Mighty Avenger #6, Heimdall takes the form of Fin Fang Foom, calling it "one which is common throughout the cosmos... echoes of a single, ancient dragon, now tamed and humbled".[35]

Fin Fang Foom appears in a cameo in Ty Templeton's comic Stig's Inferno #4, in a parody cigarette advertisement on the inside back cover.[36]

In other media

Television
  • Fin Fang Foom appears as a recurring character in the 1994 Iron Man animated series, voiced by Neil Ross.[37] Initially, he served the Mandarin as a henchman. In the episode "The Beast Within" however, Fin Fang Foom betrays him so he can reunite with his fellow dragons, only to meet their demise following a battle with Iron Man and Force Works.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the Iron Man: Armored Adventures animated series two-part episode "Tales of Suspense". This version is a Chinese dragon-esque "Makluan guardian" created by the original Mandarin in the past to guard one of his Makluan rings and test potential successors. In the present, crime lord Shin Zhang forces his nephew Gene Khan and his friends to confront Fin Fang Foom and claim the ring its guarding for himself. However, Gene is able to defeat the dragon, claim the ring from inside its body, and prove himself as the Mandarin's true successor.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the The Super Hero Squad Show animated series episodes "And Lo! A Pilot Shall Come", "Mental Organism Designed Only for Kissing", "This Al Dente Earth", and "When Strikes the Surfer", voiced by Steven Blum. This version is a mindless beast that works for Doctor Doom's Lethal Legion.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series episode "The Avenging Spider-Man" Pt. 1.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the Avengers Assemble animated series episode "The New Guy". The dragon attacks Washington DC and fights the Avengers until Ant-Man shrinks him so he could be returned to Monster Island. While fighting the Red Skull and the Mindless Ones, Fin Fang Foom returned to his normal size and attacks the former.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. animated series episode "Mission: Impossible Man".[38] This version is incapable of speech. The Impossible Man attacks the agents of S.M.A.S.H.'s base disguised as Fin Fang Foom until the Hulk sees through his ruse. After absorbing Impossible Man's powers later in the episode, Sauron uses them to summon the real Fin Fang Foom. As Impossible Man's powers started to wear off however, Sauron tried to absorb Fin Fang Foom's, only to be knocked into the ocean. The agents of S.M.A.S.H. fight the dragon until Impossible Man regained his full strength and borrows a weapon from Hank Pym's laboratory to enlarge the two-headed compound Hulk he created from the Hulk and Red Hulk earlier so they can defeat Fin Fang Foom.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series episode "One in a Million You". After the titular team escape from Fin Fang Foom while on an alien planet, the Collector adds the dragon to his collection of alien creatures as he is the last of his kind. When Rocket releases the creatures, Fin Fang Foom goes on a rampage. While the other Guardians distracted the dragon, Rocket builds a makeshift harness to tame him and pin down the Collector. The Guardians and Collector reach an agreement, and arrange for Fin Fang Foom and the other alien creatures to be released on another planet.
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the anime series Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers episode "Together With the Guardians", voiced by Keiji Hirai.

Film
  • Fin Fang Foom appears in the animated direct-to-video film The Invincible Iron Man as the Mandarin's guardian in his ceremonial resting chamber before Iron Man kills him.
  • An image of Fin Fang Foom – created especially for the film by artist Adi Granov based on the character's depiction in the Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas comic book miniseries – makes a brief appearance as an Easter egg in the 2008 live action motion picture Iron Man.[39][40]

Video games

Footnotes
  1. Markstein, Don. "Fin Fang Foom". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. http://www.ign.com/top/comic-book-villains/99.html
  3. "Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Interview!". Alter Ego. 3 (#104): 21. August 2011.
  4. Iron Man #274 (Nov. 1991). Marvel Comics.
  5. Shang-Chi #1 (Sept. 2020). Marvel Comics.
  6. Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 978-1605490458.
  7. Strange Tales #89 (Oct. 1961). Marvel Comics.
  8. Astonishing Tales #23-24 (April and June 1974). Marvel Comics.
  9. Legion of Night #1-2 (Oct. 1991). Marvel Comics.
  10. Tales of Suspense #50 (Feb. 1964). Marvel Comics.
  11. Iron Man #261 - 264 (Oct. 1990-Jan. 1991); 267 (April 1991) and 270-275 (July-Dec. 1992). Marvel Comics.
  12. Iron Man vol. 2 #15-18 (April - July 1999). Marvel Comics.
  13. JLA/Avengers #1 (Sept. 2003). DC Comics/Marvel Comics.
  14. Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl #1 (Dec. 2005). Marvel Comics.
  15. Fin Fang Four #1 (Dec. 2005). Marvel Comics.
  16. Fin Fang Four #1 (Dec. 2005). Marvel Comics.
  17. Marvel Holiday Special 2006 (Jan. 2007). Marvel Comics.
  18. Age of Heroes #3. Marvel Comics.
  19. Howard the Duck vol. 3 #1 (Nov. 2007). Marvel Comics.
  20. Thor #379 (May 1987). Marvel Comics.
  21. Hulk vol. 3 #79 (May 2005). Marvel Comics.
  22. Thor vol. 2 #80 (Aug. 2004). Marvel Comics.
  23. Avengers vs. Pet Avengers #1-4. Marvel Comics.
  24. Astonishing X-Men #36. Marvel Comics.
  25. Monsters Unleashed vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.
  26. Monsters Unleashed vol. 2 #2. Marvel Comics.
  27. Monsters Unleashed vol. 2 #3. Marvel Comics.
  28. Monsters Unleashed vol. 2 #4. Marvel Comics.
  29. Monsters Unleashed vol. 2 #5. Marvel Comics.
  30. Gwenpool's Holiday Special: Merry Mix-Up (vol. 2) #1. Marvel Comics.
  31. Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #1 - 2 (July - Oct. 2008). Marvel Comics.
  32. Hulk: Broken Worlds #2. Marvel Comics.
  33. Mutant X Annual 2001. Marvel Comics.
  34. Nextwave #2 (April 2006): Nextwave #1 - 12 (March 2006 - March 2007). Marvel Comics.
  35. Thor: The Mighty Avenger #6
  36. Stig's Inferno #4
  37. "Fin Fang Foom Voice - Iron Man franchise | Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. December 20, 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.
  39. Favreau, J. (dir.); Arad, A. & Feige, K. (prod.) (May 2, 2008). Iron Man (Motion picture). Los Angeles, CA: Paramount Pictures / Marvel Studios. Event occurs at 1:04:13. OCLC 243476323.
  40. Granov, A. (January 2010) [Original work created May 2008]. "Artwork—Concept Art Gallery". Adi Granov Illustration. Cuevas, C. (des. & prod.). p. 2, r. 3. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012. Fin Fang Foom: Special piece commissioned for use in the Iron Man movie. See if you can spot it in the film!
  41. Snyder, Justin (2017-03-02). "Monsters Unleashed Upon 'Marvel Avengers Academy'". News | Marvel.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
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