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Shuma-Gorath () is a character 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 ...
. Created by
Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...
and
Frank Brunner Frank Brunner (born February 21, 1949) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Early life Brunner attended Manhattan's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class ...
, the character first appeared in ''
Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own ser ...
'' #10 (September 1973). Shuma-Gorath belongs to the Great Old Ones, a race of ancient eldritch beings who predate Earth. It is a recurring
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
.


Publication history

Shuma-Gorath first appears as an adversary for
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
in ''
Marvel Premiere ''Marvel Premiere'' is an American comic book anthology series that was published by Marvel Comics. In concept it was a tryout book, intended to determine if a character or concept could attract enough readers to justify launching their own ser ...
'' #10 (September
1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...
), created by writer
Steve Englehart Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett. Early li ...
and artist
Frank Brunner Frank Brunner (born February 21, 1949) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known for his work at Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Early life Brunner attended Manhattan's High School of Art and Design. He was in the same graduating class ...
. The character's name is taken from
Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...
's short story " The Curse of the Golden Skull," which features a dying magician named Rotath invoking the "iron-bound books of Shuma-Gorath" in a curse against humanity. Heroic Signatures holds the rights to the Shuma-Gorath name, due to its use in Howard's story, along with additional elements related to the
Conan the Barbarian Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...
and
Kull of Atlantis Kull of Atlantis or Kull the Conqueror is a fictional character created by writer Robert E. Howard. The character was more introspective than Howard's subsequent creation, Conan the Barbarian, whose first appearance was in a re-write of a rejec ...
mythos, which is licensed to
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 ...
.


Fictional character biography

During Earth's pre-history Shuma-Gorath ruled the world, and demanded
human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...
until eventually banished by time-traveling sorcerer Sise-Neg. The entity eventually returns during the
Hyborian Age The Hyborian Age is a fictional period of Earth's history within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, serving as the Setting (narrative), setting for the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian. The word "Hyborian" is ...
, but is imprisoned within a mountain by the power of the god Crom. Shuma-Gorath continues to be an influence on Earth until it was returned to its home dimension by Crom. When Shuma-Gorath tries to return to Earth via the mind of the
Ancient One The Ancient One is a fictional character appearing in American comic books 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, ...
, his disciple Doctor Strange is forced to kill him to prevent this. Years later, Strange battles Shuma-Gorath in its home dimension, and although victorious, he gradually becomes a new version of the entity. Strange commits suicide to prevent this transformation and is resurrected by an ally.
Nicholas Scratch Nicholas Scratch is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The son of Agatha Harkness, he is a warlock and father of the Salem's Seven and predominantly a foe of the Fantastic Four and Patsy Walker. The char ...
summons Shuma-Gorath to Earth, but it is driven back by Strange, 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
Salem's Seven Salem's Seven is a fictional team of magical beings and former supervillains appearing in Marvel Comics. They were initially foes of the Scarlet Witch and the Fantastic Four, but became allies to both. All seven are the children of Nicholas Scrat ...
, and Diablo. Shuma-Gorath is eventually revealed to be one of the four undying extra-dimensional " multi-angled ones" guiding a metaphysical invasion from a dimension called the " cancerverse". After attempting to destroy
Death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
, the entity and its allies are rendered inert by the conceptual form of Death and subsequently are trapped in the cancerverse when it is destroyed.''Thanos Imperative'' #6 (November 2010) Shuma-Gorath survives and once again attempts to invade Earth, but is repelled by the
Avengers Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sag ...
with the
Spear of Destiny A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to t ...
. During the 2013 "
Infinity Infinity is something which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is denoted by \infty, called the infinity symbol. From the time of the Ancient Greek mathematics, ancient Greeks, the Infinity (philosophy), philosophic ...
" storyline, Ebony Maw manipulates Doctor Strange into summoning Shuma-Gorath to New York. The creature is met by
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
and his new team of Avengers.
Blue Marvel Blue Marvel (Adam Bernard Brashear) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Kevin Grevioux, who originally conceived the character as a child, and Mat Brome, the character first appeared in ''Adam ...
arrives at the scene of the battle and flies through Shuma-Gorath's head, destroying its physical manifestation. Shuma-Gorath's astral body possesses a crowd of people in New York City and attempts to recreate itself on Earth. It is weakened through mystical attacks by
Power Man Power Man may refer to: * Luke Cage, a Marvel Comics superhero, originally called Power Man * Erik Josten, a Marvel supervillain later known as Smuggler, Goliath and Atlas * Victor Alvarez, the current Power Man introduced in the mini-series ''Sh ...
and
White Tiger The white tiger (ashy tiger) is a leucistic morph of the tiger, typically the Bengal tiger. It is occasionally reported in the Indian wilderness. It has the typical black stripes of a tiger, but its coat is otherwise white or near-white, and ...
and banished by
Monica Rambeau Monica Rambeau is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr., the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #16 (October 1982). Monica Ram ...
. The ''Last Days of Magic'' storyline describes Shuma-Gorath as responsible for destroying the home planet of the Imperator, leader of the Empirikul, by sending a group of evil sorcerers after his family. This leads the Imperator to dedicate his life to destroying magic in every universe. Later, during a battle,
Dormammu Dormammu () is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). He is the extra and inter-dimensional demonic e ...
states to Doctor Strange that he helped the Empirikul in finding Shuma-Gorath, who was defeated by the Imperator. Strange later banishes Dormammu to Shuma-Gorath itself, who was visibly wounded and seeking revenge.


Powers and abilities

Shuma-Gorath is a godlike ruler of nearly a hundred alternate universes. The character has the power to destroy galaxies and realities. The entity is described as immortal. Shuma-Gorath is able to manipulate reality. It can communicate with and control life forms across dimensions. It can shoot powerful energy blasts from its eye or tentacles. The entity is capable of
teleportation Teleportation is the hypothetical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject in science fiction and fantasy literature. Teleportation is often paired with tim ...
. It also possesses the ability to shape-shift. Shuma-Gorath can also levitate.


Reception


Critical response

Peter Cunis of ''
CBR.com ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' called Shuma-Gorath one of Doctor Strange's "most popular villains." Jonah Schuhart of '' Looper'' asserted, "Shuma-Gorath remains one of Marvel's most interesting antagonists, and a fine example of how Marvel's writers have been able to integrate a variety of influences into one universe." Johnny Brayson and Nola Pfau of ''
Bustle A bustle is a padded undergarment or wire frame used to add fullness, or support the drapery, at the back of women's dresses in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles are worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skir ...
'' included Shuma-Gorath in their "50 Most Powerful Characters In The Marvel Universe" list, and called it Doctor Strange's "greatest and most dangerous foe." Marc Buxton of ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...
'' included in their "Doctor Strange 2: Characters We Want to See" list. Rosie Knight of ''
Nerdist Nerdist Industries, LLC (also simply known as Nerdist) is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast ( The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a net ...
'' included Shuma-Gorath in their "8 Magic Characters We Want to See Come to the MCU" list. Chris Heasman of '' Looper'' ranked Shuma-Gorath 2nd in their "Doctor Strange's Most Powerful Villains" list. Trey Pasch of ''
MovieWeb Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal, Quebec. It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry, where it has sought to acquire producers of content in this space. In ...
'' ranked 3rd in their "Doctor Strange: His Best Comic Book Villains" list. Jamie Lovett of ''
ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...
'' ranked Shuma-Gorath 4th in their "5 Greatest Doctor Strange Villains" list. Aparna Ukil of ''Sportskeeda'' ranked Shuma-Gorath 7th in their "10 Best Kaijus from Marvel and DC Comics" list. ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...
'' included Shuma-Gorath in their "15 Most Powerful Magical Beings In Marvel Comics" list, in their "15 Most Powerful Doctor Strange Villains" list, in their "Scarlet Witch's 15 Most Powerful Enemies" list, and in their "10 Best Doctor Strange Comics Characters Not In The MCU" list. ''
CBR.com ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
'' ranked Shuma-Gorath 1st in their "11 Strongest Doctor Strange Villains" list, 2nd in their "10 Most Powerful Demonic Marvel Villains" list, and 3rd in their "20 Most Villainous Gods In The Marvel Universe" list.


Other versions

A "Poison" Shuma-Gorath makes a minor appearance in ''Venomized''.


In other media


Film

A creature based on Shuma-Gorath appears in ''
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
'', but due to the legal issues with
Funcom Funcom Oslo AS (formerly Funcom N.V. and Funcom Productions AS) is a Norwegian video game developer and publisher that specializes in online games. It is best known for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) titles ''Conan Ex ...
this version was renamed " Gargantos" (borrowing the name of a different one-eyed green octopus monster featured in 1969's ''Sub-Mariner'' #13). This version was created by Wanda Maximoff to capture
America Chavez America Chavez is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Joe Casey and artist Nick Dragotta, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Vengeance'' #1 (September 2011). Chavez is a List ...
before it is killed by
Doctor Strange Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as ...
.


Video games

* Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in '' Marvel Super Heroes'', voiced by Frank Perry. 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. * Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in '' Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter'', voiced again by Frank Perry. * Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in '' Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes'', voiced again by Frank Perry. * Shuma-Gorath appears as a non-playable character in ''
Pinball FX 2 ''Pinball FX 2'' (stylized as ''Pinball FX2'') is a pinball video game for Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows (Windows XP, XP and higher) and is the sequel to ''Pinball FX''. It was developed by Zen Studios and published by Xbox Game Studi ...
''. * Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds'', voiced by Paul Dobson. * Shuma-Gorath appears as a playable character in ''
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a 2011 crossover fighting game developed by Capcom in collaboration with Eighting. It is an updated version of '' Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds''. The game features characters from both Capcom's video game franchises and comic book ...
'', voiced again by Paul Dobson. * The film incarnation of Gargantos appears in '' Marvel Puzzle Quest''.


Merchandise

In 2022,
Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...
released a Gargantos
Lego minifigure A Lego minifigure, often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig, is a small plastic Joint, articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Denmark, Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced ...
inspired by the film incarnation. On May 29, 2025,
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 ...
announced a
Marvel Legends Marvel Legends is an action figure line based on the characters of Marvel Comics, initially produced by Toy Biz, then by Hasbro. This line is in the scale, with spin-off lines in the , , and scale. The line initially began in 2002 as a spi ...
Series Gamerverse Shuma-Gorath action figure based on his appearances in the
Marvel vs. Capcom is a series of Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting games developed and published by Capcom, featuring characters from their video game franchises and comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series originated as coin-operated arca ...
games. As with the movie character, licensing issues meant that this figure also had to be renamed "Gargantos."


See also

*
Shub-Niggurath Shub-Niggurath is a deity created by H. P. Lovecraft. She is often associated with the phrase "The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young". The only other name by which Lovecraft referred to her was "Lord of the Wood" in his story ''The W ...


References


External links


Shuma-Gorath
at Marvel.com * * {{Marvel Mystic Characters created by Steve Englehart Comics characters introduced in 1972 Fictional characters who can levitate Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities Marvel Comics characters who can teleport Marvel Comics characters who use magic Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics deities Marvel Comics demons Marvel Comics extraterrestrial supervillains Marvel Comics immortals Marvel Comics monsters Marvel Comics psychics Marvel Comics shapeshifters