The Marvel Universe is weird. Talking raccoons, purple giants, little green men, bird people, those writers sure were creative I'll give them that. As if the limitations of space creatures couldn't be pushed far enough we get this "Goodnight Moon"-looking thing. Today's Weekly Z-Lister is Ego The Living Planet.
Created in "Thor #132" in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Ego The Living Planet was one of the many cosmic characters imagined by legendary artist Jack Kirby. After creating The Kree Race and Galactus, Kirby came up with Ego. "I felt that somewhere in the universe, the universe becomes denser and turns liquid and that in this liquid there was a giant multiple virus, and if it remained isolated for millions and millions of years, it would begin to evolve by itself and it would begin to think. By the time we reached it, it might be quite superior to us. And that was Ego". Despite that vivid and articulate backstory by Kirby, Ego first proclaims he was a scientist who merged with his planet when the planet's sun went supernova. Ego The Living Planet used to wander the cosmos and devour vessels and planets to survive, but a race called The Rigellians contacted Earth's God of Thunder Thor to defeat Ego before their world could be eaten. Thor battles The Living Planet, causing Ego to leave and never return as he is shamed by defeat. Months later, Galactus The Devourer of Worlds tries to eat Ego and Thor returns to save the planet's life. In return for Thor saving him, Ego allows a race of aliens-who's planet was the first destroyed by Galactus-to live on him.
A Rigellian scientist took a sample of Ego's body hoping it could be used to create new planets, but Ego was offended by this act and slowly went insane. He started devouring the aliens who lived on him and Thor had to unite with Greek God Hercules and Galactus to stop Ego. While Thor and Herc fought Ego, Galactus placed an engine on Ego that propelled him far into space. However, having access to an engine gave Ego free range to attack other planets and even Earth. He became the enemy of The Fantastic Four, ROM The Spaceknight, The Silver Surfer, Professor X, and Quasar.
Eventually, Ego learned he was one of two sentient planets created by The Stranger and that his brother Alter-Ego was created to hate him. The battle between Ego and Alter-Ego is intervened by Thor and the resulting blast leaves Alter-Ego a pile of fragments that form into a moon and rotate Ego. With his brother Alter-Ego as his new moon, Ego The Living Planet happily explores the universe with someone like himself.
Though he is literally a planet, Ego has been a member of The Elders of The Universe and The Nova Corps. Ego's biology is fascinating to say the least, he has complete control over his body. He can shape his surface to look like a wasteland, a lush paradise, or-most commonly-a big face. He controls the plants, oceans, air currents, surfaces and temperature of himself, even being able to create ecological masses as bodies he can inhabit or raise his internal heat to kill those who hide under his surface. Many of his internal systems-tunnels, caves, layers-are comparable to organs. He is also capable of changing his mass and density, reading thoughts, projecting telekinetic blasts and fully operating the engine attached to his south pole. Ego is incredibly smart, but his clear superiority complex is often his downfall.
Rumor is, Ego The Living Planet could show up in "Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2" so I really wanted to look into this interesting character. DC Comics has Mogo The Living Planet who is also a Green Lantern-which is cool-but Ego seems so thought-out and detailed. I look forward to see what other whacky ideas can be offered for this "far out" character.
Thanks for reading.
Oh, Al Pacino for Ego The Living Planet! Let's do it!
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