Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (race unrevealed) (Pre-Modern Era to modern era)

Occupation: Explorer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: John and Martha, Kid Kaiju (Kei Kawade);
temporarily Abominable Snowman, Blip, Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm), Bruttu, Crawling Creature, Creature from Krogarr, Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Fin Fan Foom, Googam, Goom, Gorgilla, Green Thing, Insect Man, Klagg, Kraa, Magik (Illyana Rasputin), Metallo, Monsteroso, Monstro, Monstrom, Moomba, Oog, Orrgo, Pildorr the Plunderer, Quogg, Rommbu, Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Shaman (Michael Twoyoungmen), Sporr, Thing that Crawled by Night, Tim Boo Ba, Ulvar, an unidentified mystic, Vandoom's Monster, Zetora, Zzutak

Enemies: Leviathon Tide

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile; formerly the Florida Everglades, originally from "a far distant galaxy"

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#23/2 (November, 1961)

Powers/Abilities: The gargantuan alien possessed superhuman strength; he was also capable of both piloting and repairing his sophisticated spacecraft. While on Earth, he had access to water from the Fountain of Youth.

Height: Unrevealed (60'; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Black (with yellow sclera)
Hair: None

History:
(Tales of Suspense I#23/2 (fb)) - An alien from another galaxy was passing through Earth's solar system when his vessel developed slight engine problems. He set down his spaceship in the Florida Everglades and made repairs, then set out to explore the swamps. Unfortunately, he stepped into a bog and became trapped; he tried to pull himself free with some vines hanging overhead, but the vines were just beyond his reach.

(Tales of Suspense I#23/2) - The alien was found in the bog by John and Martha, an elderly couple on vacation. The alien pleaded to them to save his life, as he was slowly sinking beneath the waters. John and Martha helped the alien out by pulling down some vines for him, and the alien pulled himself free from the bog.

   The alien then lifted up John and Martha's boat and splashed a few drops of bog water on them -- he promised the couple that they would be rewarded for their kindness. As the alien boarded his ship and returned to space, the elderly couple's youth was restored, for the water that had splashed them was from the Fountain of Youth.

SECRET WARS III HAPPENED

(Monsters Unleashed II#2) - The Inhuman Kid Kaiju summoned the Creature from the Black Bog along with numerous other monsters to an area outside San Diego, California in defense against the Leviathons.

(Monsters Unleashed II#3) - The Creature from the Black Bog joined the fight against the Leviathons. Earth's heroes watched the monsters summoned by Kid Kaiju defeat the Leviathons. After the battle, the Creature from the Black Bog and the other monsters were teleported back to where they came from.

(Monsters Unleashed II#4) - Kid Kaiju teleported the Creature from the Black Bog to the Sanctum Sanctorum, where he saved Doctor Strange, Brother Voodoo, Magik, Scarlet Witch, Shaman and another mystic from a Leviathon attack as they prepared a spell to either banish the Leviathons or mass evacuate Earth. While taking down the Leviathon, the Creature from the Black Bog told Strange to gather his friends and flee.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Although John and Martha's memories were altered by the Fountain of Youth water, you would think anyone else they knew would remember they used to be geriatric.

That's assuming they returned back to their hometown -- maybe they had no close friends or living relatives, so they just stayed in Florida and began a new life together. -- Ron Fredricks

The tale of the Creature from the Black Bog was more or less retold in Chamber of Darkness#5 with the character Chalo.

The Creature's first appearance was reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl#19 (October, 1972).

Profile by Prime Eternal. Update by Markus Raymond (Monsters Unleashed). Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Creature from the Black Bog should not be confused with:

• Bogweed - goblin/troll of Otherworld--Hulk Comic#10
• Thing From the Hidden Swamp - similar benevolent alien--Tales To Astonish I#30
• any other creatures or characters associated with bogs

Creature from the Black Bog's spaceship An extremely large vessel built by an unidentified extraterrestrial race, it was capable of intergalactic flight. It was used by a lone alien explorer. While passing through Earth's solar system, the spacecraft developed slight engine trouble, so the alien landed it in the Florida Everglades to make repairs. Afterward, the gargantuan alien went exploring in the swamp, but he became trapped in a bog. The alien was eventually able to free himself with the help of John and Martha, so he climbed back aboard his ship and returned to space. (Comment: Since John and Martha never saw the immense spaceship until it took flight, it was likely equipped with some type of cloaking device to render it invisible.) --Tales of Suspense I#23/2

John and Martha John and Martha (last names unrevealed) were an elderly married couple who owned a book store. After they sold their business and retired, they took a vacation to Florida. But they grew dissatisfied with just relaxing on the beach all the time, and wished they were young again, with their lives still ahead of them. The next day, they rented a boat to explore the Everglades, where they discovered a gigantic alien who was sinking in a bog. When the alien begged them for help, the good-hearted couple refused to just stand by and let any living creature suffer, so they pulled down some vines and helped the alien free himself. The alien then splashed John and Martha with a few drops of bog water, and he promised them that they would be rewarded for their kindness. As the alien returned to his spaceship and took flight, both John and Martha's memories of meeting him faded away... and their youth had been restored, for the water they had been splashed with came from the Fountain of Youth! Having forgotten the extraterrestrial benefactor who rejuvenated them, the once-elderly couple decided they'd had enough of idle relaxation, because they had their whole lives ahead of them. --Tales of Suspense I#23/2

images: (without ads)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p6, pan2 (Main Image - Creature rises after being freed from Black Bog, holding John and Martha's boat in his right hand)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p1, pan1 (Headshot - Creature; John and Martha in boat)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p3, pan5 (Creature begs John and Martha for help)
Monsters Unleashed II#4, p19, pan1 (Creature battles Leviathon)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p6, pan3 (Creature's spaceship takes flight; John and Martha in boat)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p6, pan7 (Creature's spaceship flying through space)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p2, pan2 (after selling their business, elderly John and Martha retire)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p4, pan3 (elderly John and Martha decide to help trapped Creature)
Tales of Suspense I#23/2, p6, pan6 (Martha and John, after being rejuvenated by water from Fountain of Youth)

Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#23/2 (November, 1961) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Steve Ditko (pencils/inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Artie Simek (letters)
Monsters Unleashed II#2 (April, 2017) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Monsters Unleashed II#3 (April, 2017) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Leinil Francis Yu (pencils), Gerry Alanguilan & Michael Jason Paz (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Monsters Unleashed II#4 (May, 2017) - Cullen Bunn (writer), Salvador Larroca (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)

First posted: 07/01/2004
Last updated: 01/02/022