King Kull (also known as the Beastman or the Beast Man) is a fictional character appearing in
American comic books
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 ...
published originally by
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, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...
and currently by
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
. 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 first appeared in Fawcett Comics’ ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' in October 1951, and appeared from then until 1953 when the company ceased publishing its superhero titles. DC later acquired Fawcett's properties, and revived the character in the 1970s.
Publication history
Created by writer
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 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 unusu ...
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
King Kull is the ruler of the Submen (also called Beast-Men), a brutish but technologically advanced race who ruled humanity until being overthrown in a revolt. Afterward, Kull fakes his death and survives until the 20th century in suspended animation. Other versions claim that he emerged throughout human history, becoming the basis for the
Bogeyman
The bogeyman (; also spelled or known as bogyman, bogy, bogey, and, in US English, also boogeyman) is a mythical creature typically used to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearances, and conceptions vary drast ...
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 (also 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
Doctor Sivana is the name of two fictional, related characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Doctor Sivana's alter-ego is Dr.Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, a recurring enemy of the superhero Captain Marvel created ...
. On another occasion, he released the
Seven Deadly Enemies of Man
The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man (also known as the Seven Deadly Sins), are a group of demons appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Based on the Seven deadly sins, Seven Deadly Sins, the group first appeared in ''Whiz Comics'' ...
and used Sin bombs in an attempt to destroy the world. King Kull once tried to turn Billy to stone.
Kull later drains the powers of the wizard Shazam and the deities who empower him. Mercury escapes and informs Captain Marvel. King Kull used different villains from Earth-One, Earth-Two, and Earth-S to carry out his plot where they each fought members of the
Justice League
The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...
, the
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...
, and the
Squadron of Justice
The Squadron of Justice was a name used by two superhero teams of characters who originated from Fawcett Comics. Each team only made one appearance in a single story.''Justice League of America'' #135 (October 1976)
Fictional team history First v ...
. Captain Marvel defeats Kull with help from heroes across the multiverse.
Following the ''
Crisis on Infinite Earths
''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...
'' continuity reboot, Kull does not appear for many years. He returns in '' Justice League: Cry for Justice''
In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "
DC Rebirth
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...
" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "
The New 52
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
". Kull was depicted as a member of the Monster Society of Evil who originated from the Magiclands location of the Earthlands.
Powers and abilities
King Kull has enhanced strength, stamina, and durability. He possesses superhuman intelligence and is an expert at unarmed combat. He additionally has access to an advanced
airship
An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the ...
.
Related characters
Prior to King Kull, there have been some characters that had his traits:
* A race of prehistoric men who were frozen for millennia at the North Pole before being resurrected by explorer Rodney Stark.
* The Beast-Ruler is a villain created by Sivana who possesses the abilities of various animals.
* 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.
Other versions
King Kull appears in ''
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!
''Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!'' is an all-ages comic book series published by DC Comics as a part of its Johnny DC imprint. The series debuted in September 2008, and was originally written and drawn by Mike Kunkel.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 character Worf in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, appearing in all seven seasons of the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1 ...
. 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. Following his introduction in the episode "Menace of the Conqueror Caveman!", he joins the
Monster Society of Evil
The Monster Society of Evil is a supervillain team created by Otto Binder and C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. It is led by Mister Mind against their mutual enemy Captain Marvel (DC Comics), Captain Marvel. The team is significant as one of the firs ...