GNOME

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human or mutant technology user (see comments)

Occupation: Inventor, megalomaniac

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: His elite troops

Enemies: Dorma, Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), unidentified rebel soldiers

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Dragorr the Diabolical

Base of Operations: His castle on an unidentified "strife-torn Caribbean isle"

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#94/1 (August, 1967)

Powers/Abilities: The Gnome may have been a super-intelligent dwarf-like mutant (along the lines of the Gremlin), or just a diminutive genius. He created the robot Dragorr, which he operated from within its torso.

Other advanced technology he had at his disposal included a miniature missile which delivered written messages, an electrified steel net, an amphibious underwater vortex-creating machine with an insulated holding tank, and will-sapping electro-blasters.

While operating Dragorr, the Gnome commanded his elite troops (...who utilized most of the aforementioned technology).

Weaknesses: He built wussy robots--for a super-genius, he wasn't very smart.

Height: 3' 2"
Weight: 85 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black

History:
(Tales to Astonish I#94/1 (fb) - BTS) - The past of the Gnome is largely unrevealed, but he was a brilliant inventor bent on world domination. Because he was a dwarf, the Gnome believed that he was too despised to ever succeed with his plans, so he created the robotic strongman Dragorr to be his alter ego. While secretly operating his brutish creation, the Gnome commanded his elite troops, and he seized power in his Spanish-speaking Caribbean island homeland. The Gnome then set himself up as the adviser/mouthpiece for his puppet-dictator, George W. Bus--err...I mean Dragorr.

   But eventually, rebellious forces on the island opposed Dragorr's tyrannical rule, and they wanted to overthrow the dictator--in order to prevent this, the Gnome formulated a scheme to lure the Sub-Mariner and have him defeat the rebels.

(Tales to Astonish I#94/1) - Posing as Dragorr, the Gnome sent a letter (delivered in a miniature missile) to Atlantis, and asked Namor to ally with him in order to conquer the world. But Namor was insulted by the surface-dweller's insolence, so he responded by swimming toward Dragorr's island, to teach the tyrant a lesson.

   As the Sub-Mariner drew near the island, the Gnome had him trapped within an electrified net, then activated an underwater vortex machine to bring Namor to the surface. The Atlantean prince was transferred into a glass-like insulated tank and taken into Dragorr's castle. But Namor's transparent cage proved to be inferior to his strength, and he shattered it with a mighty blow; Dragorr's troops used their electro-blasters to stun the sojourner of the sea--as he watched these events with his video monitor, the Gnome chuckled with maniacal glee, then he spoke into a microphone and ordered his men to bring the Sub-Mariner to Dragorr's chambers. Blindly loyal to the supreme word of Dragorr--even though it was given through "so despicable a creature as...the Gnome"--the troops complied and used their electro-blasters to herd Namor in the direction of the dictator's office.

(Tales to Astonish I#94/1 - BTS) - Meanwhile, the Gnome climbed into the back of his robot to resume his charade.

(Tales to Astonish I#94/1) - As Dragorr, the Gnome met with the captured Sub-Mariner and sapped his will by bombarding his body with electro-rays; Dragorr then commanded Namor to battle with the rebel armies, and Namor was unable to resist.

   After demolishing the rebel army, and having spent too long of a time away from the sea, Namor's strength was depleted--he was too weak to fly away, and he thought that he'd fall prey to Dragorr's enemies. But then a ray pulled Namor through the air and returned him to Dragorr's castle, where the dictator asked him once more if he would become his ally--Namor refused, because the tyrant desired slaves, not allies. In response, Dragorr called for his guards to take the weakened Namor away and bind him to an electrified pillar, so he would die a slow death.

   But fortunately for Namor, his ladylove Dorma had followed the headstrong prince out of concern; she found him in contact with the pillar and fired her hydro-rifle at him--her first shot of the liquid blast short-circuited the electrical field, and her second replenished Namor's strength.

   Namor and Dorma began to search the castle for Dragorr, but the diabolical dictator found them first, and a fight ensued between the Sub-Mariner and Dragorr. When the dictator began to pummel him with fists as hard as metal, Namor began to suspect the true nature of his foe, so he picked up Dragorr and tossed him into the air, then he told Dorma to fire upon Dragorr with her hydro-rifle--the resulting blast of water caused the massive robot to short-circuit. Afterward, Namor destroyed his robotic enemy, dismantling it with a single punch, and forced the Gnome to exit from his creation.

   Disgusted that his brilliant ruse was exposed, and that his scheme had crumbled like his robotic creation, the Gnome chose to end his life by jumping out a nearby window--but there just happened to be a group of rebels waiting below with an open net to catch him. The Gnome was enraged at the "blundering dolts" who had prevented his suicide attempt, because he couldn't bear the scorn of those he had wronged, and he felt it was better to die than to face their inevitable judgement.

   When Dragorr's elite troops learned the truth about their leader, they surrendered to the rebel forces; later, the leader of the rebels made preparations for free and democratic elections.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas and Bill Everett.

If the Gnome was truly as ingenious as we were led to believe, his wits probably got him out of imprisonment. Furthermore, given the negative encounter he had with Namor, he would have probably stayed as far away from superhumans as possible in the future (much like Ogre of Factor Three, and later of the Thunderbolts). But it's been long enough, so it's time for the Gnome to make a return.

Gnome/Dragorr has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook.

Considering his short stature and his inventive genius, the Gnome reminds me of the diminutive villain Dr. Loveless from The Wild Wild West TV-series of the 1960s; in fact, one episode ("The Night of the Green Terror" (original air date: November 18, 1966)) had Loveless using a full-size suit of robotic medieval armor to give himself a larger alter ego--I wonder if Roy Thomas was "inspired "by that episode to later create the Gnome...--Ron Fredricks

Profile by Kyle Smith. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Gnome has no known connections to:

Dragorr has no known connections to:

Dragorr

Height: 7' 2"
Weight: 490 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Bald

A human-like robot built by the Gnome, it functioned as his alter ego. The Gnome rode within a compartment inside the robot's torso, and thereby used it to become absolute dictator of a Caribbean island nation.

The lumbering Dragorr had strength comparable to the Sub-Mariner (Class 85-90 ton range), but it could not match his speed.

 The massive robot was susceptible to water, and it was eventually short-circuited by a blast from a hydro-rifle; Namor then dismantled Dragorr with a single punch.

--Tales to Astonish I#94/1

Dragorr's elite troops

An unspecified number of soldiers (at least ten) clad in black military garb, they were armed with electro-blaster rifles.

They served the dictator Dragorr on an unidentified Spanish-speaking Caribbean island. They were completely loyal to the tyrant, and followed his orders unquestionably, even when those orders were relayed by Dragorr's adviser, the Gnome (whom they considered to be a "despicable creature").

Rebel forces rose to overthrow Dragorr's rule, so Draggor had his troops capture the Sub-Mariner with a vortex-creating machine, then Dragorr forced the Atlantean prince to battle the rebels.

But the Sub-Mariner eventually broke free from Dragorr's control and fought the tyrant--when the elite troops learned that their leader was actually a robot operated by the Gnome, they surrendered to the rebels.

--Tales to Astonish I#94/1

Dragorr's castle

A centuries-old fortress, it was located on an unidentified Caribbean island.

It served as the headquarters of the Gnome, where he ruled the nation through his robotic alter ego, Dragorr.

During a revolution, Dragorr was destroyed in a fight with the Sub-Mariner, so the Gnome attempted suicide by jumping out one of the castle's windows, but rebels caught him in a net.

Afterward, the leader of the rebels took over the castle, and he promised free and democratic elections in the future.

--Tales to Astonish I#94/1

rebel forces

When the dictator Dragorr and his elite troops took over their Caribbean island homeland, they fought to overthrow him and bring democracy to their nation.

But when Dragorr used his advanced technology to force the Sub-Mariner to fight them, the rebels thought their cause was lost.

Later, the Sub-Mariner was able to break free of Dragorr's control, and he fought the tyrant--during their battle, it was revealed that Dragorr was actually a robot controlled by the diminutive Gnome; with his charade exposed, the Gnome jumped out his castle's window to commit suicide, but the rebels caught the dwarf with a net as he fell.

With the rule of Dragorr ended and their nation liberated, the leader of the rebels promised that there would be free and democratic elections in the future.

(Comment: Since they wore uniforms and had conventional weapons (including tanks and missiles), my guess is that they were actually former members of the island's military, but they had been forcibly "retired" when Dragorr and his troops took over.)

--Tales to Astonish I#94/1

images: (without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p4, pan2 (Main Image - Gnome)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p11, pan3 (Gnome jumps out of short-circuited and dismantled Dragorr; Sub-Mariner (left))
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p11, pan4 (Gnome, bemoaning the defeat of Dragorr)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p12, pan1 (Gnome, caught and captured in net by rebels)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p6, pan4 (Dragorr in uniform)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p6, pan5 (Headshot - Dragorr)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p10, pan6 (Dragorr punches Sub-Mariner)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p11, pan2 (Dragorr gets short-circuited by Dorma's hydro-rifle)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p5, pan3 (Dragorr's elite troops, firing electro-blaster at Sub-Mariner)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p5, pan2 (Dragorr's elite troops, transporting vortex-creating machine, with Sub-Mariner trapped inside insulated holding tank; Dragorr's castle (background))
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p4, pan1 (inside castle, Gnome watches Sub-Mariner on video monitor; Dragorr (left))
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p12 pan3 (victorious rebels and Sub-Mariner speaking inside Dragorr's castle)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p8, pan3 (rebel forces react to attack by Sub-Mariner)
Tales to Astonish I#94/1, p12, pan4 (leader of rebels thanks Sub-Mariner and Dorma)

Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#94/1 (August, 1967) - Roy Thomas (writer), Bill Everett (pencils and inks), Artie Simek (letters), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 03/17/2002
Last updated: 09/10/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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