GROGG

Real Name: Grogg

Identity/Class: Unrevealed; possibly mystical life-form

Occupation: Rampager; former living battleship

Group Membership: None;
formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Howling Commandos unit (Abominable Snowman, Bradley Beemer, Brother Voodoo, Clone of Frankenstein, Glob/Joe Timms, Gorilla Man/Ken Hale, Groot, Hellstorm, It the Living Colossus, Lilith, Living Mummy, Clay Quartermain, Sasquatch/Walter Langkowski, Vampire by Night, Warwolf/Vince Marcus, Zombie"John Doe", many others); (formerly) "the Collector's collection" (Droom, Fin Fang Foom, Gargantus, Goom, Groot, Grottu, Rommbu, Taboo, Tragg, Vandoom's Monster);

Affiliations: Droom, Eerok, Fin Fang Foom, a Flora Colossus, Giganto, Krakoa (grandchild), Thorg;
formerly the Collector

Enemies: The Beast (Henry McCoy), the Collector, Doop, Fantastic Four, Giant Man (Hank Pym), Hulk (Bruce Banner), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Miklos Kozlov, Thing (Ben Grimm), Colonel Vorcutsky;
possibly Merlin

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Grog

Base of Operations: Monster Island (presumably);
   formerly Area 13, Pine Barrens, New Jersey;
   formerly the Negative Zone;
   formerly the Collector's zoo beneath Canada;
   formerly Mars;
   formerly Russia

First Appearance: Strange Tales I#83 (April, 1961)

Powers/Abilities: Grogg possesses superhuman size and strength, can breathe flames from his mouth, and can fly.

History: The origins of the dragon known only as Grogg are not known, although it is believed that the Great Wall of China was built to keep dragons such as he from entering the country. Somehow, Grogg came to dwell underground in Russia, and became a part of local legends in the area.

(Strange Tales I#83) - Grogg was awakened in modern times when a team of Russians led by Colonel Vorcutsky, employing scientist Miklos Kozlov, performed underground nuclear tests. At first, Grogg attacked a nearby village, but a villager there told Grogg that it was the scientists who had awakend him. Grogg chased after them, flying after them after they took to the air, and finally downed their plane. They continued to run on foot, but he picked them off one at a time, searching for the one who was their leader. Finally, Vorcutsky, holed up in a cave, decided to release Kozlov to Grogg and claim that Kozlov was the one who had awakened him. The ploy almost worked, but Kozlov narrowly escaped by releasing a smoke bomb to hide from Grogg. He left Vorcutsky to Grogg's tender mercies.

(Strange Tales I#87) - Some time later, Kozlov again encountered Grogg while on an undercover mission in Russia. Kozlov had discovered that the Russians were preparing a space flight to Mars, and in order to thwart their efforts, he lured Grogg to the launch site, and sent him onboard the rocket. Grogg was launched to Mars, in the hopes that if the Russians did reach Mars before America, they would have to deal with him there.

(Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl#1 (fb) BTS) - Grogg was captured by the Collector and placed in his zoo beneath Canada.

(Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl#1) - After an attack on the Collector by the Mole Man caused the freedom of the creatures, Grogg was among many of the specimens to go on a rampage through New York City. They were defeated by a group of heroes that included the Hulk, the Beast, the Thing and Giant-Man.  Mr. Fantastic had the Thing open a portal to the Negative Zone, where the creatures were all dumped.

(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1-2) - Grogg was among the monsters driven into a frenzied rampage upon Japan due to the impending arrival of the Apocalypse Beast. The monsters were confronted by Iron Man and the Fantastic Four, and Mr. Fantastic managed to communicate with Grogg, telling him that he and his fellow heroes would stop the Apocalypse Beast.  Grogg, amused that these humans would even try to do so, led the rest of the monsters away from Japan.

(Nick Fury's Howling Commandos#1 (fb)-BTS) - At some point, Grogg was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and placed into their Howling Commandos unit, where he served as a living carrier.

(Nick Fury's Howling Commandos#1) - Grogg (referred to by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as Grog) was used to pick up the Howling Commandos after they raided the base of a doomsday group that utilized weaponry supplied by the Lords of Living Lightning.

(Nick Fury's Howling Commandos#6) - Grogg/Grog was among the Commandos who launched an assault on the forces of the supposed Merlin, who had transformed an area of land into a mystical kingdom.

(Wolverine & the X-Men I#17) - Goom, Fin Fang Foom, a Flora Colossus, Grogg, Krakoa and Thorg got into a fight with Doop.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Grogg was colored green-ish in his Howling Commandos appearances, but except for that (and that he was called Grog), it's the same character.

The reprint of Strange Tales I#83 in Where Monsters Dwell#27 changes Kozlov's name from Miklos to Michael, and references to Russia are changed to Bodavia. The Marvel Monsters book retconned this so that Miklos had his name legally changed to Michael upon his defection to the United States. - Madison

Bodovia was a fictional country that Tony Isabella created for British Marvel reprints. It has also appeared in pre-1961 story reprints such as: Chamber of Chills#8 (in a story set in the 1920’s), Monsters on the Prowl#23/1 and Monsters on the Prowl#23/2. The Silencer also came from Bodavia.--John McDonagh
Tony Isabella talks about Bodavia in the lower half of this page.

I can't believe we've avoided a Grogg-Fin Fang Foom bout. Russia vs. China -- whose ancient sleeping underwear-equipped dragon will survive? And hey, if Fin Fang Foom knows kung fu, maybe Grogg could fight like a Russian wrestler...

Brilliant idea, Kozlov, sending Grogg to Mars. Just one hitch -- suppose America wants to land on Mars? How are they supposed to deal with Grogg?

As for the Great Wall of China idea that Kozlov proposes...sheesh! Yeah, why would the Chinese have built the wall to keep out invaders...why not dragons? Hey, and maybe gargoyles are really aliens...

Oh. Wait.

Well, I'm sure we all know what I thought when Grogg rose up from the ground -- he's clearly a Deviant Mutate, don't you think?

Big thanks to MD Carter for allowing me to borrow images from his website, The Monsters of Jack Kirby.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

Updated by Markus Raymond (Wolverine).

CLARIFICATIONS:
Grogg should not be confused with:

Miklos Kozlov was a brilliant scientist who became a freedom fighter in central Europe, opposing the Communist regime. He was to have been executed before a firing squad, but when the Russians learned who he was, they forced him to work for them. They sent him on a mission to test nuclear weapons underground, during which they accidentally awoke Grogg. Kozlov narrowly avoided Grogg, and escaped to America, where he was granted asylum, but no one believed his story about Grogg. Later, America sent him on an undercover mission to Russia, during which he learned that Russia was prepared to land men on Mars. Kozlov again encountered Grogg, and tricked him into entering the Russian craft, then sent him to Mars to keep the Russians from ever establishing a base there. At some point, he legally changed his name to Micahel Kozlov

-Strange Tales I#83 ( 83, 87, Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters#1 - BTS)

images
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2, page 23, panel 1

Strange Tales I#87 (October, 1961) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)
Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl#1 (December, 2005) - Steve Niles (writer), Duncan Fegredo (artist), Jenny Lee & Mark Paniccia (editors)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1-2 (December, 2005-January, 2006) - Zeb Wells (writer), Seth Fisher (artist), Cory Sedlmeier (editor)
Nick Fury's Howling Commandos#1 (December, 2005) - Keith Giffen (writer), Eduardo Francisco (penciler), Kris Justice & Terry Pallot (inkers), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Nick Fury's Howling Commandos#6 (May, 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Mike Norton (penciler), Derec Aucoin & Norman Lee (inkers), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Wolverine & the X-Men I#17 (November, 2012) - Jason Aaron (writer), Michael Allred (artist), Nick Lowe (editor)

Last updated: 11/25/17

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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