GOG

Real Name: Owen Llewelyn

Identity/Class: Human mutate, U.K. citizen

Occupation: Adventurer, formerly a member of Sir Marcus's Commando unit, formerly a cook in the Welsh Guards

Group Membership: Super Soldiers (Dalton (Dauntless), Dragonfly (Andre LeRoux), Hauer (Invincible) Guvnor, Xantia; formerly Turner (Dreadnaught, deceased), Wright (Victory,deceased), Black (Challenger,deceased));
former member of the Squaddies

Affiliations: Captain America, Mercy Corporation, Mr. Stasser, Sarah Wilde, U.S. Agent

Enemies: Empire Chemical Enterprises (ECE), Childs (Revenge,deceased), Sir Marcus Grantby-Fox, HYDRA, Warlord (Huang Zhu), Mandarin, Shinobi Shaw

Known Relatives: His ex-wife (first name unrevealed and now remarried), Kelly and Marie Llewelyn (twin daughters)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mercy Science Central, Alaska, formerly the ECE research centre.

First Appearance: Super Soldiers#2 (June 1993)

Powers/Abilities: Gog has superhuman strength (class 10) and endurance. His build has increased, and he now stands seven foot tall. He has bionic eyes.

Limitations: Gog was previously controlled by a cybernetic implant

History: (Super Soldiers#(fb) ) - Owen Llewelyn was a cook in the Welsh Guard during the Falklands war. His troopship was waiting to disembark when it was hit by Argentinean bombs, and he thought he was going to die. Instead he and his fellow guardsmen were experimented on, and worse they were able to feel the agony of the operations but unable to react even to scream.

(Super Soldiers#2) - Captain Hauer had escaped from his Cryo-Tube. As Sir Marcus walked General Devilliers through the ECE research centre explaining his plans to capture Hauer, he revealed Gog and his fellow Squadies. He explained how they had been used as test subjects for the Super Soldier project and had since become his own personal Corporate Commando unit. Plans were already under way for the U.S. Agent to recover Hauer.

(Super Soldiers#3(fb)) - Childs was placed in charge of Gog and the Squadies by Sir Marcus and ordered only to release them should the U.S. Agent fail. They set of for the Thai/Cambodian border to find Hauer.

(Super Soldiers#3-5) - Childs disobeyed orders and released the Squadies. However Hauer and his new friends, Dalton and U.S. Agent soon defeat them all in combat. Only Gog was left alive, the cybernetic implant removed from the side of his head. Dalton broke the remaining mental conditioning with his telepathic abilities. Gog agreed to join Hauer and the others in a raid on ECE headquarters.

(Super Soldiers#6(fb)) - Owen went to visit his family at their home on the Bevan estate in Llareggub. Unfortunately he discovered that his wife was remarried to an unemployed man, and neither of them were happy to see him. Worse still, his children were often in trouble with the police for stealing cars and joyriding.

(Super Soldiers#6-7) - Needing money to help his children out of their current situation in Wales, Owen decided to work with Dalton and Hauer for the British Government as an autonomous superhero response unit, agreeing to keep quiet about the murky past of the Super soldier project in return for funding.

In their first mission they were recruited by SHIELD (Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate) to capture Warlord, Huang Zhu, who was working with HYDRA, and hosting a martial arts tournament in the Savage Land. SHIELD and the Super Soldiers broke up the HYDRA operation, which involved the creations of some genetically engineered "super-poppies" (synthetic opium derivative). Unbeknownst to them, the information they gained had been leaked by the Mandarin and Shinobi Shaw, who wished to have HYDRA's operation eliminated for their own reasons. As a result of this adventure, the Super Soldiers gained three new members: Dragonfly, Guvnor and Xantia

(Super Soldiers#8) - The funding for the Super Soldiers was cut by the Cabinet Office, and they were effectively privitised. They were sold to Mercy Corporation, who had their own corps of super-soldiers. Owen and his team mates were relocated to Mercy's base in Alaska, where they were tossed in with Mercy's group of malcontents and tested for future missions.

They next faced the ultimate threat: Cancellation of their comic! Unfortunately the Super Soldiers have not been seen since...

Well except Captain America that is.

Comments: Created by Lee Stevens and Andrew Currie for Marvel UK

So it would seem that Owens twin daughters (who would be in their teens as a decade has passed since Owen "died") are regularly in trouble with the law for "Twocking" and joyriding. While it is explained that the word Twocking means to steal cars in Super Soldiers#6 perhaps you didn't realise that twoc stands for Taking With Out Consent.

I've often noted in U.K. works of fiction that the Welsh have been stereotypically portrayed as cowardly. However I wouldn't say that about Gog, indeed he's a likeable character who from#6 onwards seems quite happy despite his troubles. I wouldn't advise saying it to his face anyway! Perhaps Gog could make a comeback as the Welsh equivalent of Captain America or Captain Britain?

Danny Wind mentions that Gog's home village, Llareggub, was actually the name of a Welsh village invented by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in his play "Under Milk Wood." Read it backwards.

Super-Soldiers#9 and 10 were scheduled to be part of the "Red Mist" cross-over storyline, which never came out. It involved a virus accidentally induced in government's super soldier program, set have run thru new series Death Duty, 'Roid Rage, and Bloodrush, as well as Wild Thing#9+10. Super-Soldiers#9 would also have featured the Punisher (Frank Castle).--Snood.

David (Newvani) had following to say about Gog: I find it interesting that no-one has brought up the origin of his name, as being Welsh myself, I can tell you I'm a thousand percent sure it has very little to do with the usual "Gog" Bible connotations. Although I'm hard-pressed to find proof of it on the internet, being brought up in Cardiff (Where the sport is respected ludicrously highly) and regularly reading Welsh Rugby newsletters as a kid, I can say that Gog has three loosely associated Welsh meanings:

• A Welsh Rugby Union Fan, usually reserved for large brutish "valleys" men (The name is somewhat self-derogatory, and well matches most fans bald, bloody, drunken toothless grins)
• A Welsh Rugby player (of the same origin above)
• A series of statues depicting famous Welsh rugby players - they have large, squat, almost "super-deformed" caricature heads, resembling Gog's face quite a bit. These were available quite cheaply through the rugby newsletters, and for a time in the early nineties were just as collectable as rugby shirts. Also, I’m sure some might have had glass eyes, which might explain Gog's distinctive bionics. These statues may have spelt with 3 G's (Goggs), I can’t remember. Sorry. I believe they were all based on cartoons by a famous Welsh artist, whose name has slipped me too. Damn.