KATHULOS
Real Name: Kathulos
Identity/Class: Magical entity/demon?/living planet
Occupation: Agent of Shuma-Gorath
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Shuma-Gorath (master)
Enemies: Dr. Strange
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Kathulos of the Eternal Lives
Base of Operations: somewhere in deep space
First Appearance: (Mentioned) Marvel Premiere#7 (March, 1973), Marvel Premiere#8 (May, 1973)
Powers: Kathulos existed as a planetoid.
It was covered with vegetation, which it could control and
physically manipulate. It could project powerful bolts of magical
force, confront others on the Astral Plane, and mesmerize others.
It could absorb the life force of victims which it had entranced.
It received additional power from Shuma-Gorath, with which it
sent an army of demons to Earth to battle Dr. Strange, and
subsequently teleported him from Earth to its own landmass.
However, despite existing as the entire planet, its own life
force was apparently contained within the major
Little-Shop-of-Horrors-Venus-Fly-Trap-type stalk through which it
communicated. This form was as vulnerable to injury as any other
plant: rip out the roots, and it's all over.
History: Unrevealed. Kathulos is apparently a sentient planet/planetoid, but it is unknown if it is a demon (most likely) or a less mystical entity, a la Ego. At any rate, at some point it came to be a servant of the demon-lord, Shuma-Gorath.
(Marvel Premiere##8)-While defeating N'Gabtoth, another agent of Shuma-Gorath, Dr. Strange found a map which led him to Stonehenge. Shortly after arriving, Strange was attacked by an army of winged demons, sent by Kathulos. Strange defeated/destroyed the demons, which drew Kathulos' attention. Using power granted by Shuma-Gorath and focused through the lintel stones of Stonehenge, Kathulos pulled Dr. Strange through a space warp, all the way across the galaxy to its own planetoid. Kathulos attacked Strange with the vines of plants covering its surface, but he freed himself. It then revealed itself and attacked him anew. Breaking free from Kathulos' onslaught took most of Strange's strength, and he fell easy victim to being mesmerized. Kathulos drew Strange to the Astral Plane in order to absorb his essence, but as their aspects merged, Strange learned of Kathulos weakness. Strange suddenly broke free and used the Crimson Bolts of Cyttorak to attack Kathulos' root system, causing it to rapidly wither and die. However, although Kathulos was defeated, Strange was left trapped on its surface, countless light years away from Earth.
Comments:
Created by Gardner F. Fox and Jim Starlin.
This entire storyline had the tag "featuring concepts created by Robert E. Howard." In addition, a lot of stuff's based on Lovecraft.
Supplemental info by Greg O: "Let's see... Kathulos? As in L'mur-Kathulos?
If I recall correctly Kathulos was a term used by Howard (see
clarifications) and Lovecraft (either a realm, or a
being from a realm).
The name Kathulos did indeed originate with Robert E Howard
as the name for his Atlantean sorceror Skull Face. Lovecraft
later used and modified the name (as he and his friends were wont
to do, sharing their mythologies with one another as they did) to
L'Mur-Kathulos in order to give it a stronger undersea
connotation by evoking Lemuria with the L'Mur prefix to the
Atlantean name Kathulos.
The name L'Mur-Kathulos appears in one of the Lovecraft stories
most reknowned for cryptic references to the Elder Gods and the
Cthulhu mythos, "The Whisperer in Darkness", in this
passage...
"I found myself faced by names and
terms that I had heard elsewhere in the most hideous of
connections-- Yuggoth, Great Cthulhu, Tstahoggua, Yog-Sothoth,
R'lyeh, Nyarlathotep, Azathoth, Hastur, Yian, Leng, the Lake of
Hali, Bethmoora, the Yellow Sign, L'mur-Kathulos, Bran, and the
Magnum Innominandum..."
Both L'mur-Kathulos and Bran are Howard references.Kathulos is
definitely Howard's term as Lovecraft mentions in a letter to him
that it would be amusing to liken "my Cthulhu to your
Kathulos".
Mentioned as it is right next to Bran who was a semi-deified king
of the Picts I would say L'mur-Kathulos is a being and not a
land. Although L'mur-Kathulos COULD be the name of a sunken land
since some of the names in that passage from "The Whisperer
in Darkness" are places (i.e. the Lake of Hali, Leng - as in
the Plateau of Leng). Yet it could just as easily mean something
as simple as 'Kathulos of Lemuria' in English. I would most
likely opt for the latter since it is closer in keeping with
Howard's original intent. I say go with being, but who knows?
L'mur-Kathulos could just as easily be a reference to the
Kathulos of the Shuma-Gorath saga as he is a place AND a being in
one.
No demons or mystical entities have any need to stay dead.
Clarifications:
Kathulos the demon-planet-thingee has no known connection to:
Appearances:
Marvel Premiere#7 (March, 1973) - Gardner F. Fox (writer), Craig Russell (pencils), Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia & David Hunt (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Marvel Premiere#8 (May, 1973) - Gardner F. Fox (writer), Jim Starlin (pencils), Frank Giacoia & David Hunt (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
First Posted: 02/06/2002
Last updated: 10/17/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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