REAL
NAME: Annihilus
KNOWN ALIASES: The Living Death That Walks,
Lord of the Negative Zone
IDENTITY: No dual identity, Annihilus's existence
is not known to the general public of Earth.
OCCUPATION: Megalomaniac, conqueror, destroyer
of life
CITIZENSHIP: Citizen of Arthros, planet in
Sector 17A of the Negative Zone (as charted by Reed Richards)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Planet of Arthros, Negative
Zone
MARITAL STATUS: Single, perhaps inapplicable
KNOWN RELATIVES: Annihilus is a series of
clonal scions
GROU AFFILIATION: Sometimes partner of Blastaar
BASE OF OPERATIONS: Sector 17A of the Negative
Zone
EDUCATION: Tyannan Knowledge Transference
Helmet
FIRST APPEARANCE: Fantastic Four Annual #6
(1968)
HISTORY: Untold millennia ago,
the Tyannans, a technologically-advanced semi-humanoid/leonine
species of the anti-matter universe the Negative Zone, seeded
barren worlds with life spores. A freak meteor collision hurled
one of their ships into the volcanic planet Arthros, where
the crew released their spores before starving to death. Many
generations later, one of those spores evolved into a weak
insectoid creature. Significantly intelligent due to a mutation,
the creature found the Tyannan starship wreckage and used
a knowledge transference helmet to master the advanced Tyannan
technology, enhancing his intelligence and strength, and he
created a “Cosmic Control Rod” and body armaments.
Obsessed with survival, the paranoid creature, who came to
be known as Annihilus, set out to destroy any other living
being he viewed as a possible threat to his existence. Annihilus
used his newly acquired power to dominate other life forms
that had arisen from the spores on Arthros, and plotted to
either conquer or destroy the neighboring worlds in the Negative
Zone. He transformed many prisoners via the Tyannans’
Gene Transmuter into his servile Scavengers.
Annihilus first encountered the Fantastic Four
when Reed, Ben, and Johnny entered the Negative Zone seeking
anti-particles needed to treat Sue’s cosmic ray-related
pregnancy complications. Annihilus’ minions captured
the heroes, but the escaped, stealing his Control Rod. They
gave it back after siphoning off the needed anti-particles
and returned to Earth. Annihilus next invaded the Microverse,
a dimension accessed via the energies of shrinking, send in
his Insectivorid drones to conquer worlds in his name. Psycho-Man
tried to control the dimensional interface leading to the
Microverse, but the Insectivorids, emotionless and immune
to his power, overran the entire Sub-Atomica system and forced
him to retreat to his worldship. Psycho-Man captured the Silver
Surfer and Spider-Man to power his weapons and drive off the
invaders, but the heroes escaped, leaving Annihilus and Psycho-Man
to battle for control of the worldship. Annihilus’ Microverse
invasion was presumable repelled.
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Doom stole Annihilus’
Rod in a complex scheme to harness Galactus’s cosmic
power. Almost immediately, Annihilus captured the human Rick
Jones, who was often stranded in the Negative Zone through
a bond he shared with Kree soldier Captain Mar-Vell. Annihilus
released Jones when the Fantastic Four retrieved his Control
Rod from Dr. Doom. Later, Annihilus was challenged by Janus
the Nega-Man, a research scientist and contemporary of Reed
who developed a module capable of harnessing anti-matter energy,
within the Negative Zone. Annihilus defeated Janus, forcing
the Nega-Man to lead him to Earth, but Janus was instead seemingly
killed in the exploding atmosphere where matter meets anti-matter.
When Mar-Vell used Reed’s technology to free Rick Jones
from the Negative Zone, Annihilus nearly crossed over to Earth
along with Jones, but was driven back by the Avengers. Jones
later returned to the Negative Zone, but his ability to access
the Destiny Force – a near infinite power source inherent
in all humanity – protected him from Annihilus. Sensing
the great power within Franklin Richards, Annihilus once abducted
him, amplifying his power out of control. The Fantastic Four
defeated Annihilus and escaped back to Earth, but Reed was
forced to temporarily shut down Franklin’s mind to protect
Earth’s Solar System.
When the Mad Thinker regained control of his
“most powerful android,” which Annihilus had previously
transmuted into on of his Scavengers servants, it stole Annihilus’
Control Rod, morphing into monster from. Annihilus was forced
to team up with Reed, who had been stranded in the Negative
Zone by the Brute (Reed Richards of the High Evolutionary’s
Counter-Earth), to foil the Mad Thinker’s plan to conquer
both the Negative Zone and Earth. The monster android was
ultimately defeated, and Annihilus regained his Rod.
Annihilus next forged the first of many uneasy
alliances with Blastaar, another Negative Zone warlord who
ruled the planet Baluur. When his monarchy was overthrown,
Blastaar offered to serve Annihilus in exchange for assistance
in regarding control of Baluur. Although Annihilus viewed
Blastaar as emotional and weak, he agreed to Blastaar’s
proposal, secretly planning to betray his newfound ally. Annihilus
showed Blastaar his new weapon, the Super-Adaptoid –
a powerful Advanced Idea Mechanic android which Annihilus
“found” and reprogrammed, but when Nyglar, Blastaar’s
mate, grew suspicious of Annihilus and sent out a distress
signal, the Thing and Avengers responded and defeated the
villains. Annihilus slew Nyglar, after which Blastaar stole
the Control Rod and left Annihilus to weaken and deteriorate
rapidly. Dying and desperate, Annihilus slipped through the
portal to Earth while the Fantastic Four were in the Negative
Zone. Taking Franklin and Alicia Master hostage, he attempted
to merge the Earth universe with the Negative Zone, nearly
destroying both in the process. Narrowly surviving the ensuing
conflict, Annihilus eventually regained his Control Rod with
the unwitting aid of Blastaar.
Annihilus next attacked the dimension of Asgard,
home of the Norse gods, which had partially drifted into the
Negative Zone for a time after the Rainbow Bridge was shattered.
Annihilus slew several of Asgard’s elite guard, the
Crimson Hawks, and even defeated the mighty Thor before finally
failing in battle to Odin, King of Asgard. Later, when Odin
entered a week-long “Odinsleep” to renew his godly
energies, Annihilus kidnapped his dormant body and transported
it to the Negative Zone. Annihilus was soon located by the
god Heimdall and defeated by Thor, who returned Odin to Asgard.
Shortly thereafter, the extradimensional energy vampire Rune
was defeated and cast into the Negative Zone. The weakened
Rune attempted to steal the Control Rod, but was defeated
by Annihilus and held prisoner within a cosmic singularity
until eventually escaping through a portal.
After investigating a strong energy pulse within
the Negative Zone, Annihilus and Blastaar were imprisoned
alongside the Fantastic Four by the Brute, who had enslaved
the Tyannans as his personal army. Annihilus and his fellow
captives eventually escaped and defeated the Brute, but Reed
helped the Tyannans seal themselves off from the rest of the
Negative Zone before a vengeful Annihilus and Blastaar were
able to conquer them. Soon after, Annihilus and Blastaar joined
forces with fellow Negative Zone warlord Syphonn, who created
the Conqueror Wheel to access the Earth Universe. During a
confrontation with Adam Warlock, Annihilus and Blastaar realized
that Syphonn planned to betray them – so they betrayed
him first, forcing Syphonn to retreat as his Conqueror Wheel
was destroyed by Warlock’s allies.
Stranded on the Negative Zone world of Argor
by a glitch in Reed’s Fold Space Transceptor, the Fantastic
Four stowed aboard Annihilus’ monstrous spacecraft,
but were soon defected and fought a heated battle with Annihilus
inside a cargo hold. Seizing the Control Rod, Reed combined
its technology with his Fold Space Transceptor and open an
access portal that allowed the Fantastic Four to escape Annihilus’
spacecraft. Later, Annihilus faced a major setback when the
N-Explorers, a team funded by the Gideon Trust to explore
and loot the Negative Zone, stole his Control Rod. While fighting
the N-Explorers for possession of his Rod, Annihilus was decapitated
and slain by Hellscout, a descendant of 17th century Puritan
settlers who have been stranded in the Negative Zone for centuries.
Upon Annihilus’ death, his body released a pod containing
a nymph-like clone possessing his memories. After his new
body’s maturation, Annihilus awoke from his rebirth,
but found the Control Rod missing and his empire in ruins.
Most recently, when Reed planned a new superhuman
prison in the Negative Zone, the Fantastic Four were assaulted
by Annihilus, who believed they had stolen his Control Rod.
After a brief skirmish, the Fantastic Four subdued him, only
to be attacked a second Annihilus who had apparently also
been spawned upon the death of his predecessor. Each believing
himself to be the true Annihilus and the other the thief,
the two Annihili fought each other, allowing the Fantastic
Four to escape.
HEIGHT: 5 ft. 11 in.
WEIGHT: 200 lbs.
EYES: Green
HAIR: None
SKIN: Green
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Scalloped wings
that enable flight
STRENGTH LEVEL: Annihilus possesses
superhuman strength, and can lift (press) approximately 50
tons, Earth gravity, under optimal conditions.
SUPERHUMAN POWERS: possessing
a highly evolved exoskeleton, Annihilus to withstand an external
pressures of up to 1,500 lbs. per square inch, or pressure
equal to that 2002 hundred and 50 ft. below the ocean's surface.
He can breathe at a low activity level for up to a year in
the void of interplanetary space by storage of efficient,
version of oxygen molecules. He possesses slightly greater
than human intelligence. Annihilus possesses wings enable
him to fly at speeds of up to 150 mi. per hour and the earth
like atmosphere. He was capable of even greater speeds and
careless or voids of space, but his source of propulsion was
the cosmic control rod.
WEAPONS: Annihilus major weapon was the Cosmic
Control Rod, a 6 in. long, 2 in. diameter cylinder that contains
the essence of the Tyannan starships stardrive. Harnessing
the power of the Cosmic Control Rod by cybernetic micro circuitry,
Annihilus was able to wield vast amounts cosmic energy. The
energy can be made to the Rods to alter the atomic structure
of matter into new configuration, or to shoot in destructive
beams with the maximum power of 10 megatons of TNT. Exposure
to the energies manipulated by the Rod also greatly retarded
(and possibly stopped altogether) the process of aging and
analysis body.
Annihilus has access to the highly advanced
technology of the Tyannans, and possesses other secondary
weapons and vehicles which she created by cannibalizing the
Tyannans starships. These include energy pistols and flying
tank like gun ships.
NOTE: One account appears to
portray Annihilus as a colony of small insects like beings
in having the Annihilus costume this colony was not the true
Annihilus, but was placed in the costume by the real Annihilus
in order to mislead and attack an the adversary on a particular
occasion.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES:
Encountered Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four Annual #6, 1968)
Led Insectivorids in assault on Sub-Atomica (Webspinners #4-6,
1999)
Vs. Dr. Doom (Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Comics
Magazine #9, 2001)
Versus Janus the Negative Man (Fantastic Four #108-110, 1971)
Teamed-up with Mr. Fantastic against Mad Thinker’s android
(Fantastic Four #181-183, 1977)
Alliance with Blastaar (Marvel Two-In-One #75, 1981)
Versus Brute and the Tyannans (Fantastic Four Unlimited #3,
1996)
Control Rod stolen, beheaded Hellscout (Fantastic Four #43-44,
2001)
Two Annihili versus the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four: Foes
#2-3, 2005)
NOTE:
Updated from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe:
Fantastic Four 2005

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