DELINQUENT
DELINQUENT
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Elan)
Occupation: Adventurer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Chandra, Fantastic Four, the smartship Friday, Nova (Frankie Raye), Paibok the Power-Skrull, Power Pack (Mass Master imposter, Lightspeed (Julie Power), Destroyer (Jack Power) and Counterweight (Katie Power)),
Raymond the Flame Guy, Franklin Richards, Terrax;
former pawn of Annihilus (during which time he was controlled
by parasitic worms and allied
with Paibok, Terrax, and the
Mad Thinker's "Most
Powerful" android)
Enemies: Annihilation Wave, Big Joe and his gang, Space Parasite, Star Stalker;
while part of the Annihilation Wave fought Drax and the
United Front
Known Relatives: Parents (unidentified)
Aliases: Infant Terrible, the Elan;
possibly Marty the
Martian
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly the planet Elanis, Beta Scorpi star system, Milky Way galaxy
Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#24 (March, 1964)
Powers/Abilities: Like all Elan, the Infant
Terrible can generate powerful energy from its antennae, enabling it to
transmute elements, rearrange matter, animate inanimate matter, attract
and repel objects, etc. The limitations to its abilities are undefined.
As a youth, it used its abilities for play--forming giant toys, playing
games, attracting shiny objects, making food to eat, etc. Despite
appearances to the contrary, it cannot create living creatures, but can
just animate matter for a similar appearance.
As a young adult, the Delinquent, as he was renamed,
presumably had developed greater maturity and control of his powers, but he was
enslaved by parasites and used as a pawn of the Annihilation Wave. When freed
from their control, his mind was severely traumatized, and he was left with the
mind of a child once again. He can be guided to form ships able to travel
through space, and he can be forced to fight against something or someone when
his own life is threatened by said being.
Height: 6' (Though 6' tall as a toddler, he now appears
more mature in configuration, but is no taller)
Weight: 200 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: None
History: The Infant Terrible is a young member of the powerful, benevolent race known as the Elan.
(Fantastic Four I#24) - Under unknown circumstances, the Elan youth arrived via spaceship on Earth. Entering Manhattan, it began to play--the extent of its play causing major disruptions in the city's functions and terrifying the populace. The Fantastic Four encountered the youth and despite being overwhelmed by its power, Reed Richards correctly determined that the pattern of its activities represented play, and that the alien was an infant. A criminal, Big Joe, saw the Elan's power and sought to use it to attain great wealth. Hearing a news report that it was a youth, Big Joe ahd his gang bribed the Elan with candy and toys. Joe convinced the Elan to capture and tear open an armored car, but the youth then turned the money bags into pigs, or caused the bags to grow wings and fly away. After a few other similar efforts, Big Joe became furious and threatened to gun down the alien. Ben, Johnny, and Sue corralled the criminals, while Reed used his Ultra-Sonic Radio Transmitter to summon its parents. The Elan returned to its play, which grew progressively more destructive and violent as the city's police forces attempted to subdue it. Fortunately, its parents arrived in time to stop the child from doing any further damage. They thanked Reed for summoning them and for preventing injury to their child, and they took him back home.
(SPECIAL-ZEMBLA#152-153/Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook) - In the Jungle of the African Republic of Karunda, the Infant Terrible meets stage magician Rasmus, who is one of the companions of Jungle Lord Zembla. Because the alien senses Rasmus' frustration at feeling somewhat useless, the Infant Terrible endows him with real "magical" powers. Unfortunately, Rasmus cannot cope with his new-found powers and causes havoc among his jungle friends. The Infant Terrible's parents intervene, restore things to normalcy, explain who they are to Zembla (referencing the "recent troubles" caused by their son), and leave Earth.
(Fantastic Four Annual#19 (BTS)) - During the Skrull civil war brought about by Galactus' consumption of their throneworld, one of the would-be empresses sought to gain support by slaying the Fantastic Four. Having learned of the Fantastic Four's earlier encounter with the Elan youth, the Empress had one of the Skrulls impersonate the youth (via both shapechanging and technology), and bring the Fantastic Four back with him. The Fantastic Four, however, saw through the plot and defeated the Skrull "empress" (see comments).
(Power Pack I#56) - Nova, the herald of Galactus at the time, found a number of already burnt-out planets. Investigating one, she found an injured Elan youth, as well as the cause of the destruction, the Star Stalker. As Nova fought the Stalker, Power Pack (drawn to the planet by the precognitive dreams of Franklin Richards) arrived as well. Demonstrating a new ability, Alex healed the critically injured Elan. Power Pack succeeded in finishing the efforts of Nova and driving off the Stalker, but it then traveled to Earth.
(Power Pack I#57) - As Power Pack and Nova went to Earth and defeated the Stalker. The injured Elan began to fire destructive energy from its damaged left antenna. In the process of the battle, Nova went temporarily insane and violent.
(Power Pack I#58) - Power Pack's smartship Friday was forced to amputate the Elan's left antenna to stop its destructive energy outbursts. After recovering, the Elan joined Franklin in subduing Nova. Using the Elemental Obliterater (a device gained from Galactus), the Elan targeted Nova. Power Pack united their energies to dampen the destructive effects of the Obliterater, saving both Nova and the Elan from death.
(Power Pack I#59) - Aboard the smartship Friday, the Elan (alongside Raymond the Flame Guy), traveled to pay its final respects to its deceased parents. The Elan then decided it wished to return to Earth and join Power Pack.
(Power Pack I#61) - An unidentified burst of energy struck Friday as it was re-entering Earth's atmosphere, causing it to crash into the Powers' apartment. Working together, the Elan, Power Pack, and the Fantastic Four saved Friday's intelligence core and Jim and Maggie Power (the parents).
(Power Pack I#62) - The Elan fought
alongside Power Pack against Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, who sought
to steal Friday. After the battle, the Elan helped reassemble Friday
into a working ship.
A few weeks later, the Elan accompanied Power Pack into space, with the intent of returning to its own sector.
(Nextwave#11 - BTS) - The Beyond Corporation somehow created duplicates of the Elan and unleashed them on Nextwave when they invaded their State 51 base, but Nextwave made short work of them.
(Annihilation#2-3) - Placed under the control of insect creatures serving Annihilus, the Infant Terrible, now called "Delinquent" was made to fight alongside the Annihilation Wave accompanied by fellow victims Paibok and Terrax. They fought the resistance forces led by Nova (Richard Rider) at Daedallis 5, ultimately driving the resistance off-planet as Galactus was forced by Annihilus to consume the world.
(Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#1) - After Annihilus' defeat by Nova, Terrax, Paibok and the Delinquent found themselves freed from the parasites' control. Terrax slew Admiral Deko, the officer who they had been placed under the command of, and went on to destroy Deko's ship. The three crashed on the planet "New Xeron," and were rescued from the ship's wreckage by Chandra, a Centaurian. She revealed how the planet was ruled by the Space Parasite, who was feeding on the energies of the locals. Terrax, Paibok, Chandra and Delinquent confronted the Space Parasite and Terrax slew him, although Chandra also died. Paibok hoped to take command of the colony and use it to rebuild the Skrull Empire, but Terrax angrily destroyed the entire planet, considering the Space Parasite's former slaves to be unworthy of freedom. Terrax departed, while Paibok was able to make the Delinquent create a spaceship so that they could escape the planet's destruction.
Comments: Created by Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby.
The name "Infant Terrible" is derived from the French Enfant Terrible, a child who does dreadful things. Reed used that name to describe the Elan youth.
The Infant Terrible would seem to be based on "The Howler" from Tales of Suspense I#6, and Monsteroso, from Amazing Adventures I#5 (also by Lee and Kirby, I believe), both youthful aliens who came to Earth and rampaged until their parents came for them. I VAGUELY remember Monsteroso being the name used in a similar story in the Fantastic Four's cartoon. The story from Amazing Adventures is reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl#28.
When the Skrull posing as the Infant Terrible encountered the Fantastic Four, it related a story of the Skrulls attacking Elanis. Allegedly, the Skrulls arrived under the veil of peace and tried to convince the Elan to form powerful weapons for them. The Elan, having no concept of war or aggression however, made guns that shot forth flowers and other harmless devices. Furious, the Skrulls took this as an insult and attempted to conquer the Elan. Uncertain how to fight back, the Elan parents (from Fantastic Four#24) sent their son to recruit the Fantastic Four to help them. Whether there is any truth to this described encounter is uncertain.
The Elan is never named in Power
Pack, and it is never referred to as the Infant Terrible, even by the
Fantastic Four, nor is it ever referenced as the same being from
Fantastic Four#24. It is not identified as being different, either, and
I'm including him in this entry as the same being until proven
otherwise. However, when it appeared as the Delinquent, the connection
was confirmed in the Nova Files entry (and also previously in the
Marvel Legacy: 1960s entry).
I'd like to think that the Skrulls did indeed lay waste to Elanis, as
shown in the flashback in Fantastic Four Annual#19. The Elan youth left
to get help, but got lost. Eventually, it encountered the Star Stalker
and was injured. When the Elan visits the graves of its parents in
Power Pack I#59, Friday comments that it turns out that "they were dead
even before Power Pack and I first encountered the Elan. It would
appear he returned here merely to pay his final respects." This could
mean that they were dead well before the encounter with the Star
Stalker, and the Elan was returning to Elanis to check on them, or to
reach some closure. The planet on which they visit the graves is not
identified.
Raymond the Flame Guy: He shows up in Power Pack#56, and is clearly intended to be Toro, Thomas Raymond, who is supposed to be dead. Ann Raymond, Toro's widow, even shows up in Power Pack I#60. However, no explanation is ever given for this as Toro has been shown time and time again to be dead. This is the Marvel Universe, where the realm of death has a revolving door, but it still remains unexplained. The only explanation I can come up with is that this guy is not Toro, but instead Captain Kerosene, Gulliver Jones,...er...make that Gulliver Raymond Jones, another lesser known World War II flame-based character. Or we could file it under "D" for "D'oh!"
The Beyond Corporation used several of their own versions of Elan to protect State 51 against the Nextwave Squad in Nextwave#11.
--Markus Raymond
Zembla (created in 1963) is one of the longest-running heroes of the universe of characters of French comics publisher Lug (est. 1950; later renamed Semic; which also published French editions of Marvel Comics between 1968 and the early 1990s). Jean-Marc Lofficier wrote an article about the Lug Universe in Alter Ego #30.
This story is obviously meant to take place reasonably soon after FF I #24.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Star Stalker who encountered Power Pack is the spawn of:
Appearances:
Fantastic Four I#24 (March, 1964) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), George Bell (inks)
Fantastic Four Annual#19 (1985) - John Byrne (writer/artist), Michael Carlin (editor)
Power Pack I#56 (June, 1990) - Michael Higgins (writer), Tom Morgan
(pencils), Tom Morgan (#57-59) & Andy Mushynsky (#56) (inks), Daryl
Edelman (editor)
Power Pack I#57-59 (July-October, 1990) - Michael Higgins (writer), Tom
Morgan (pencils), Tom Morgan (#57-59) & Andy Mushynsky (#57)
(inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Power Pack I#61 (December, 1990) - Michael Higgins (writer), Tom Morgan (artist), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Power Pack I#62 (February, 1991) - Michael Higgins (writer), Steve
Buccellato (pencils), Don Hudson (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
SPECIAL-ZEMBLA#152-153 (Semic, France; Jan.-Mar. 2000) - Thierry Mornet (writer), Chris Malgrain (artist)
Annihilation#2-3 (November-December, 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Andrea Devito (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Nextwave#11 (February, 2007) -
Warren Ellis (writer), Stuart Immonen (penciler), Wade von Grawbadger (inker),
Nick Lowe (editor)
Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#1 (April, 2007) - Christos N. Gage
(writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (penciler), Stefano Landini (inker), Andy
Schmidt (editor)
Last updated: 09/23/07
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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