KAI-MAK

Real Name: Kai-Mak

Identity/Class: Human mutate (?); possibly Deviant or Atlantean

Occupation: Would-be god

Affiliations: None

Enemies: The Vision (Aarkus)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The Shark-God; "Lord of The Deep"; "God of Sharks"; "Master of the Deep"

Base of Operations:  An unidentified lagoon in the Zambiji region of Africa

First Appearance: Marvel Mystery Comics#23 (September, 1941)

Powers/Abilities: Kai-Mak appears to be between fifteen and twenty feet tall, and has the strength proportionate to his size. It is not certain how long he can breathe underwater, though it seems to be far longer than a human can; Indefinitely long life-span, at least able to live over a century.

History: ( Marvel Mystery Comics#23) - When an explorer and his daughter (both unnamed) sought the legend of the Shark-God Kai-Mak near the regions where the Zambiji tribe lived, they were captured by the natives, and prepared as sacrifices to their god. However, The Vision appeared in the smoke of a bonfire, and challenged the giant creature. The battle took to the water, where The Vision overcame Kai-Mak, and ripped his jaw apart, apparently killing him. Upon his return to the surface, the Zambiji’s proclaimed their new-found devotion to Aarkus, and the prisoners were released.

Comments: Created by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.

There’s not much to Kai-Mak’s story, as the stories of that day and age were incredibly short. At one point Aarkus/Vision does make the statement that Kai-Mak’s "ancestors took to the sea and spawned a race of hellish monsters that are now extinct but for you!" This exchange brings me to the theory that Kai-Mak may have been some offshoot of the Atlanteans or a similar race that adapted to the water, and may even be a mutant of that race. There’s also the possibility he could be a Deviant.

As with all Golden Age characters who have not been seen since, Kai-Mak may or may not actually have existed in the Marvel universe (Earth-616). Until a modern story confirms or denies his existence, he remains in limbo. His opponent, the Golden Age Vision on the other hand, appeared in Invaders II#3 in 1993, so there may be hope for Kai-Mak yet. - Loki

Last year when I read the Master List entry for the Devil-God (Mystic Comics#9 (8/1940) text story) I noticed a similarity with Kai-Mak the Shark God and since the Master List never said how old Dr. Karl Strang was, I wonder if he could've been the unidentified explorer in the Kai-Mak story?At the very least he could be the father (Karl Strang, Sr.) of Dr. Karl Strang and his unidentified daughter could be named Karla Strang. Question is there a description of the Devil-God? Is it a Dinosaur or Deviant Monster?
--John Holstein

Profile by Madison Carter