Annihilus () is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, primarily as an adversary to the

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

. The character debuted in '' Fantastic Four Annual'' #6, which was published in November 1968. Annihilus was created by writer

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

and artist

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

, and was notably featured in the "

Annihilation In particle physics, annihilation is the process that occurs when a subatomic particle collides with its respective antiparticle to produce other particles, such as an electron colliding with a positron to produce two photons. The total energy a ...

" event. Annihilus has at various times been the ruler of the Negative Zone, controlling its inhabitants via his powerful Cosmic Control Rod. He first encountered the Fantastic Four after Reed Richards discovered how to travel to the Negative Zone from Earth. Over the years he clashed with the Fantastic Four on many occasions, often with the group foiling his plans to invade Earth. He is often the partner of

Blastaar Blastaar (, ) (also known as the Living Bomb-Burst and Blasstaar) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #62 (May 1967). ...

, who started out as a rival to Annihilus' rule of the Negative Zone before becoming an ally. Annihilus has appeared in a number of Marvel media, including several Fantastic Four shows, as well as ''

The Super Hero Squad Show ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...

'', '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'' and ''

Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...

''. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Publication history

The character

first appeared In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...

in '' Fantastic Four Annual'' #6 (1968), and was created by

and

. He had a recurring role in the series, including issues #108–110, #140–141, #181–183, #251–256, #289–290, and ''Fantastic Four Unlimited'' #3. He played a small role in the Kree–Skrull War issues of '' Avengers'', #89, 96–97. Other appearances include ''The Avengers'' #233, '' Marvel Team-Up'' #2, ''

Marvel Two-in-One ''Marvel Two-in-One'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics featuring Fantastic Four member the Thing in a different team-up each issue. Publication history Original series The concept of teaming the Thing with a differen ...

'' #75, and ''

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

'' #404–405, #434–435. The character was the main antagonist in ''

'', appearing in the prologue, the second issue of the ''

Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...

'' mini-series, and all six issues of the main title. He was killed in issue six, but has since been reborn. He appeared as an infant in ''

War of Kings "War of Kings" is a comic book crossover storyline written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, published by Marvel Comics, and set in Marvel's main shared universe. The six-issue limited series was published between March

: Ascension'' #2.

Fictional character biography

Annihilus first encounters the

when they enter the Negative Zone seeking anti-particles needed to treat Sue's cosmic ray-related pregnancy complications. Annihilus's minions capture the heroes, but they escape and temporarily steal his Cosmic Control Rod to harness its

antimatter In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding subatomic particle, particles in "ordinary" matter, and can be thought of as matter with reversed charge and parity, or go ...

particles. Annihilus then becomes a recurring enemy of the Fantastic Four. In the "

" event, Annihilus leads the Annihilation Wave, a fleet of battleships, ostensibly claiming to have the goal of conquering the universe. Annihilus attempts to destroy the universe, but is killed by

Nova A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

while

Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the p ...

destroys the Annihilation Wave.''

'' #6 (March 2007) Annihilus is later reborn as an infant while retaining his memories. He is placed under the care of Catastrophus, a lord of the Negative Zone who uses the Cosmic Control Rod to stunt Annihilus' growth. Annihilus later returns to his normal appearance after harnessing the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

's power. In the "Annihilation - Scourge" event, the Negative Zone is attacked by forces from the Cancerverse, collectively known as the Scourge and led by the Void. Annihilus and Blastaar work together to fight the Scourge. The Silver Surfer reunites the Void with his other half,

Sentry Sentry or The Sentry may refer to: Marvel Comics *Sentry (Kree) *Sentry (Curtis Elkins) *Sentry (Robert Reynolds) *Senator Ward (comics) or Sentry Vehicles *Sentry (AUV), an autonomous underwater vehicle used to measure deep-ocean data *E-3 Sentr ...

, while Nova sacrifices himself to stop the Scourge. However, he is resurrected by Annihilus soon after. During the " One World Under Doom" storyline, Annihilus led his Annihilation Wave into attacking Washington DC. They were repelled by

Doctor Doom Doctor Doom is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in April 1962, and has since endured as the arch ...

's Superior Avengers.

Powers and abilities

Annihilus is capable of self-propelled flight and can withstand the vacuum of space. He possesses an insectoid

exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...

with armored components that grants him resistance to most forms of injury. He has superhuman physical abilities. He is able to breathe in the vacuum of empty space, and can fly at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. Annihilus wields the Cosmic Control Rod, which slows his aging process and enables him to manipulate energy and matter. Though not always engaging himself in direct combat, Annihilus has proved to be a formidable opponent, and was able to defeat the Thing,

, Nova Prime,

Quasar A quasar ( ) is an extremely Luminosity, luminous active galactic nucleus (AGN). It is sometimes known as a quasi-stellar object, abbreviated QSO. The emission from an AGN is powered by accretion onto a supermassive black hole with a mass rangi ...

, and

in individual fights with relative ease. Annihilus also leads an elite personal guard, the Centurions, who have occasionally wielded portions of the Cosmic Control Rod's power. ''Fantastic Four'' #600 reveals that Annihilus can continuously resurrect if he is killed.

Reception

* In 2018, '' CBR.com'' ranked Ahmyor 12th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list. * In 2022, ''

GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...

'' ranked Annihilus third in their "Best Fantastic Four Villains" list.

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

An alternate universe variant of Annihilus from Earth-295 appears in '' Age of Apocalypse''. This version is a member of a resistance against

who was previously rendered amnesiac, assumed a humanoid form, and took the identity of Ahmyor. While fighting Blastaar alongside

Blink Blinking is a bodily function; it is a semi-autonomic rapid closing of the eyelid. A single blink is determined by the forceful closing of the eyelid or inactivation of the levator palpebrae superioris and the activation of the palpebral por ...

, Annihilus regains his memories and returns to his original form before leaving her to battle Blastaar.

''Heroes Reborn'' (2021)

An alternate universe variant of Annihilus from Earth-21798 appears in '' Heroes Reborn''. This version is the leader of the Bottled Hive of Annihilation, a race of small but powerful insects from the Negative Zone.

Mangaverse

An alternate universe variant of Annihilus from Earth-2301 appears in '' Marvel Mangaverse: Fantastic Four'' #1. This version is a

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

-like monster.

Ultimate Marvel

Nihil, a character from Earth-1610 inspired by Annihilus, appears in ''

Ultimate Fantastic Four ''Ultimate Fantastic Four'' is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running ''Fantastic Four'' comic book franchise as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. The Ultimate ...

''. He is the ruler of a space station composed of the remains of alien spaceships that orbits a dying red

dwarf star A dwarf star is a star of relatively small size and low luminosity. Most main sequence stars are dwarf stars. The meaning of the word "dwarf" was later extended to some star-sized objects that are not stars, and compact stellar remnants that are ...

. After learning of the Ultimate Universe, Nihil attempts to travel to it to escape the Negative Zone's decay, only to be killed by the Fantastic Four.

In other media

Television

* An illusionary Annihilus makes a cameo appearance in the ''

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends ''Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends'' is a 1981–1983 American animated television series produced by Marvel Productions, considered to be a crossover series connected to the 1981 ''Spider-Man'' series. The show stars already-established Marve ...

'' episode "The Prison Plot". * Annihilus appears in the ''

'' (1994) episode "Behold the Negative Zone", voiced by Clyde Kusatsu. * Annihilus appears in '' Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes'', voiced by

Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is an Australian actor based in Canada, known for his live-action work as well as his roles in animation. His voice roles include Ace the Bat-Hound in '' Krypto the Superdog'', Voltar in '' League of Super Evil'', Jetfire, Backstop ...

. * Annihilus appears in ''

'' episode "Double Negation at the World's End!", voiced by

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...

. * Annihilus appears in '' The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'' episode "Assault on 42". * Annihilus appears in '' Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'', voiced by

Robin Atkin Downes Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor. He is known for his work in animation and video games. Early life Downes was born in London. He earned an MFA from Temple University in Philadelphia. Career Downes has voiced characters in animated f ...

. 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. * Annihilus appears in the ''

'' episode "Contest of Champions", voiced again by Robin Atkin Downes.

Film

Annihilus was originally intended to appear in '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'', but was ultimately replaced with the

High Evolutionary The High Evolutionary (Herbert Edgar Wyndham) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is depicted as a scientist who seeks to evolve different life forms such as the New Men. The High Evolutionary ...

Video games

* Annihilus appears as a boss in ''

'' (2005), voiced by

Lex Lang Lex Lang is an American voice actor and voice director, who has provided voices and served as a director for a number of animations and video games. He is best known for voicing Doctor Neo Cortex in the '' Crash Bandicoot'' franchise, Suguru ...

. * Annihilus was originally intended to appear as a boss in '' Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', but was cut from the final release for unknown reasons. * Annihilus appears in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet'', voiced by

. * Annihilus appears in '' Marvel Super Hero Squad Online''. * Annihilus appears as an alternate skin for the

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...

in '' Marvel: Avengers Alliance''. * Annihilus appears in '' Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'', voiced again by Robin Atkin Downes. He is available via the "Shadow of Doom" DLC. * Annihilus appears in ''

Marvel Contest of Champions ''Marvel Contest of Champions'' is a 2014 fighting video game developed and published by Kabam. It was released on December 10, 2014, for iOS and Android. The fighting game is primarily set in the Marvel Universe. The game is strongly based o ...

''. * Annihilus appears in '' Marvel Snap''.

Miscellaneous

Annihilus appears in '' Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game'' via the "Annihilation" expansion set.

Merchandise

* An Annihilus figure was released in series 3 of Toy Biz's ''Marvel Super Heroes'' action figure line. * An Annihilus figure was released in series 3 of Toy Biz's ''Fantastic Four'' (1994) tie-in toy line. * Annihilus served as a build-a-figure for the "Annihilus Series" of

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...

's Marvel Legends line and a Wal-mart exclusive repaint. * An Annihilus figure was released in series 5 of Hasbro's ''Marvel Super Hero Squad'' line. * Annihilus was added to HeroClix in 2013 after winning a fan poll in 2012.

References

External links

Annihilus
at Marvel.com * {{Jack Kirby Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Comics characters introduced in 1968 Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Fictional dictators Fictional extraterrestrial humanoids Fictional mass murderers Marvel Comics aliens Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics extraterrestrial supervillains Marvel Comics immortals Marvel Comics male supervillains