King Kull (also known as the Beastman or the Beast Man) is a supervillain, created by

Otto Binder Otto Oscar Binder (; August 26, 1911 – October 13, 1974) was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books. He is best known as the co-creator of Supergirl and for his many scripts for '' Captain Ma ...

and C.C. Beck. He originally appeared in

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel, the alter ego of ...

in the early fifties before that company ceased publishing its superhero titles.

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

would later revive the character in the nineteen seventies, where he now appears as a foe of Captain Marvel.

Publication history

Created by writer

and artist C. C. Beck, King Kull's first appearance was in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #125 (

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...

d October 1951). King Kull appeared in adventures of Captain Marvel during the 1950s and the period in which DC Comics revived the hero during the 1970s.

Fictional character biography

In prehistoric times (according to one account around 28,000 BC), King Kull is ruler of the Submen (also called Beast-Men), a brutish but technologically advanced race that ruled humanity until they were overthrown in a revolt thousands of years ago, as the humans vastly outnumbered them and killed all the other Beast-Men. Kull fakes his death with a bomb and survives until the 20th century in suspended animation in a cavern, then awakens due to an earthquake and repeatedly threatens the human-dominated modern world with his immense strength, durability, and bizarre technology, which is in Captain Marvel's region. However, other versions claim he emerged throughout human history and attempted to stop the spread of democracy, and is apparently the basis for the

Bogeyman The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...

and other mythical monsters.''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #149. Fawcett Comics. He is usually thwarted by Captain Marvel or the

Marvel Family The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family (or "Shazamily"), are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist M ...

. On one occasion, he collaborated with Doctor Sivana. On another occasion, he released the Seven Deadly Enemies of Man and using Sin bombs to try destroying the world. King Kull once tried to turn Billy to stone instead on one occasion. One particularly well-planned escapade requires the efforts of the

Justice League of America The Justice League (also known as The Justice League of America) are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in '' The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). The team was conceive ...

and the Justice Society of America (in one of their dimension-crossing team-ups, which DC produced annually from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s), as well as a group of heroes of Captain Marvel and King Kull's home universe of Earth-S, referred to unofficially as Shazam's Squadron of Justice. All of these are required because Kull has captured both the wizard Shazam who grants the Marvel Family's powers and the ancient gods and goddesses the powers are drawn from after gaining access to the Rock of Eternity with a faster-than-light ship, paralyzing them with a device that slowed down their impulses, except for the swift Mercury who was able to get away in time; after Shazam makes telepathic communication with him he warns other heroes from the Three Earths about King Kull. Johnny Thunder's

Thunderbolt A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hel ...

helps the Marvels get their powers back in the final issue and transports them to the Rock of Eternity. Kull recruits the aid of villains from the three earths. First, he enlists Penguin of Earth-One, Queen Clea of Earth-Two,

Blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...

of Earth-One, and Ibac of Earth-S for his attack on Earth-Two, where he tries to wreck

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

and use a cloud to sink islands. They are thwarted by Superman of Earth-One,

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

of Earth-Two, Green Arrow of Earth-One, and Spy Smasher of Earth-S. For his attack on Earth-S, King Kull recruits Joker of Earth-Two, Weeper II of Earth-S, Doctor Light of Earth-One, and Shade of Earth-One, who trap one side of the world in light and another in darkness, and try to transform people into different materials. They are defeated by Batman and Robin of Earth-Two,

Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid are two duo fictional comic book superheroes connected to each other, and first introduced in '' Wow Comics''. The superheroes were originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. The original Mis ...

of Earth-S, and Hawkman and

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics' ...

of Earth-One. For Earth-One, he recruits

Mister Atom Mister Atom is a fictional comic book supervillain, a radioactive robot who is regularly seen as an enemy of Captain Marvel. The character first appeared in ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #78 in November 1947. Along with other members of Captain Ma ...

of Earth-S and Brainiac of Earth-One, who attack the City of Tomorrow, and increase the Earth's rotation to send people into the air. They are thwarted by

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

of Earth-One,

of Earth-Two,

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

of Earth-One,

of Earth-Two, Mercury of Earth-S, and

Ibis the Invincible Ibis the Invincible is a fictional character originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular com ...

of Earth-S. He is trying to wipe out humanity on all three Earths so his people can rule once again. They are all defeated, and the heroes then head to the Rock of Eternity, with Superman leading the attack. Despite turning Superman against the other superheroes using a Red Kryptonite chunk which fills Superman's mind with rage and makes him invulnerable to Green Kryptonite, he is eventually defeated after Captain Marvel knocks him out, Jr. destroys the Red Kryptonite, Mary frees the Elders, and Captain Marvel uses his lightning to restore Superman's mind. King Kull was imprisoned with magic chains that supposedly even

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

could not break, and the heroes returned to their own worlds. King Kull has occasionally appeared as a member of the final Monster Society of Evil, and assisted in their assault on the Rock of Eternity with an army from 247 planets. The character has not appeared since Captain Marvel's history was rebooted by ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths "Crisis on Infinite Earths" is a 1985 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and pencilled by George Pérez, was first serialized as a 12-issue limited series from April 1985 to Mar ...

'' in 1985. He is sometimes confused with Kull, a barbarian hero and king created by Robert E. Howard, but Howard's Kull was an ancient human in a sword-and-sorcery setting rather than a protohuman with science-fiction technology. King Kull made his first appearance in over 20 years in the fifth issue of the limited series '' Justice League: Cry For Justice''. Here, he was shown battling Stargirl and Cyclone as part of a massive plot by

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning " forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, kn ...

to distract Earth's superheroes so that he could plant massive teleportation devices in various cities. In "

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 initiative in May 2016 as its launching point, DC Rebirth restored the DC ...

", King Kull came from the Earthlands and is a member of the Monster Society of Evil. He was among its members imprisoned in the Dungeon of Eternity within the Monsterlands until Mister Mind instructed Doctor Sivana on how to free them. As Shazam fights the Mister Mind-controlled C.C. Batson, King Kull states to the rest of the Monster Society of Evil to leave the women to him while Mister Merry-Go-Round states that he "gets the youngest to play with" which is what they agreed on. While mentioning that his kind used to rule the Earthlands, Mary tricks King Kull into attacking the three-headed Crocodile-Man. He manages to pin Mary down as Mister Mind provokes Shazam into reading a spell from the Book of Champions that unites the Seven Magiclands. King Kull continues his fight with Mary until magical energy emitted from Shazam defeating Mister Mind knocked him and the Monster Society of Evil out. The Monster Society of Evil was mentioned to have been remanded to Rock Falls Penitentiary where the Shazam Family built a special section to contain magical threats.

Powers and abilities

King Kull has super-strength, enhanced durability, and enhanced stamina. He also possesses genius-level intellect and is an expert at hand-to-hand combat.

Related characters

Prior to King Kull, there have been some characters that had his traits: A race of prehistoric men who have been frozen for thousands of years at the North Pole. They are apparently strong enough to survive a bazooka shell, super-intelligent, and explorer Rodney Stark has devised a method of bringing them back to life, planning to use them to build an air force, using copies of stolen U.S planes, allowing him to take over the world. They are all destroyed in an explosion along with Stark when Captain Marvel makes their planes crash. A similar-looking villain called the Beast-Ruler. He was created by the mad scientist Sivana with a humanoid body and animal qualities like a gorilla's strength, a serpent's speed, a tiger's fighting skills, a fox's cunning, a lion's bravery, and an elephant's memory after imbuing it with the lifeforce that was drawn from 1,000 animals. He turns against Sivana and tries to attack humanity with an animal army, hating man despite his similar appearance and planning to make animals rule. Captain Marvel leads an army of animals against his. He is finally thrown over a waterfall in a fight with Captain Marvel. Kull, the God of Crime, also fought Captain Marvel. He resided in the Underworld and planned crimes against mankind. Apart from the name he had little in common.''Captain Marvel Adventures'' #94. Fawcett Comics.

In other media

A character partially inspired by King Kull named Kru'll the Eternal appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by

Michael Dorn Michael Dorn (born December 9, 1952) is an American actor best known for his role as the Klingon Worf in the '' Star Trek'' franchise. He has appeared more times as a regular cast member than any other ''Star Trek'' actor in the franchise's hist ...

. Following his introduction in the episode "Menace from the Conquering Caveman!", he joins the Monster Society of Evil in the episode "The Malicious Mr. Mind!".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King Kull (Dc Comics) DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds DC Comics supervillains DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics male supervillains Fawcett Comics supervillains Golden Age supervillains Comics characters introduced in 1951 Fictional prehistoric characters Fictional warlords Characters created by Otto Binder Characters created by C. C. Beck Captain Marvel (DC Comics)