ZOM

Real Name: Zom

Identity/Class: Extradimensional demon

Occupation: Destroyer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Abomination (Emil Blonsky), Chaos King (Amatsu-Mikaboshi);
    formerly Amadeus Cho, Dr. Stephen Strange, Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor (hosts)

Enemies: A-Bomb (Rick Jones), Ancient One, Angel (Warren Worthington III), Imei Chang, Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Dormammu, Faeries of Dr. Strange's sanctum, Hiroim the Oldstrong, Hulk (Bruce Banner), Living Tribunal, Red She-Hulk (Betty Ross), Renegades (Angel/Warren Worthington III, Amadeus Cho, Hercules, Namora), Rintrah, She-Hulk (Jennifer Walters), Skaar, Umar

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Zomling, Zomadeus

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
   formerly an amphora (a type of vase; see left) in an unidentified dimension (possibly outside the timestream)

First Appearance: Strange Tales I#156/2 (May, 1967)

Powers/Abilities: Zom has vast mystical power, dwarfing that of adepts such as Dr. Strange, or even of extremely powerful beings such as Umar. However, his own power is far below that of a virtually omnipotent being such as the Living Tribunal. He uses his powers primarily to destroy everything around him. Apparently his long lock of hair acted as a mystic shield which protected him from the detection of more powerful mystic entities. The removal of this forelock awakened the "sense of evil which had slumbered for ages in the bosom of the mystics of mankind."

Height: 20'
Weight: 9 tons
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Brown

The Zomling possessed the tiniest fraction of Zom's virtually limitless power. However, it absorbed magical energy to grow in size and power. At some point, it would become powerful enough to completely reform Zom, and regain its full power.

History:
(Strange Tales I#156/2 (fb) - BTS) - Zom is an extra-dimensional monster of unknown origin. He claims to have been created to destroy, but his creator and the methods of his creation are unknown. Ages ago, he was defeated under unknown circumstances, which may have involved a union of several other extremely powerful beings, including Dormammu (the ruler of the Dark Dimension) and Eternity (the cosmic being representing the entire temporal axis of the Earth dimension). To protect the universe from his might, Zom's hands were bound with Chains of Living Bondage by Dormammu. Zom was forced to wear a Crown of Blindness, and his essence was imprisoned by Eternity within an Amphora in a "world beyond all worlds" in a "time beyond all time."

(Strange Tales I#156/2) - When Dr. Strange first encountered Umar, the sorceress of the Dark Dimension, his power and training were insufficient to oppose her directly. Under the guidance of his mentor, the Ancient One, Strange journeyed to the extra-dimensional realm which held Zom's prison, and shattered the vase. Zom instantly began to rampage, tearing off his crown and bringing down the temple which formerly held his prison. Dr. Strange got Zom's attention and opened a portal, pretending to flee from him, and led him to Stonehenge, and to Umar. Zom recognized Umar as the sister of Dormammu, who had been involved in his previous defeat. Confronted with Zom's immense power, Umar immediately fled back to the Dark Dimension. However, Dr. Strange and the Ancient One were now faced with the question of how to get rid of Zom, who shattered his bonds and threatened to shatter the entire Earth.

(Strange Tales I#157/2) - Zom attacked the Ancient One, fusing his form with the rock of Stonehenge--but not before he could say, "The--Forelock--", and pass his mystic might on to Dr. Strange. Strange had no idea what this meant, but he managed to stay out of the path of Zom's attacks until he could rip off the "Mystic Topknot" (I kid you not). Zom screamed in pain and anguish, but recovered and attacked Strange, telling him he had brought about the destruction of them all. Zom assaulted Strange, but then the Living Tribunal appeared and banished/dispersed Zom. The Tribunal told Strange that his actions awakened a sense of evil on Earth that necessitated the destruction of the entire planet.

(Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#20(fb)-BTS) - Following Zom's banishment, Strange magically stitched the Amphora back together and sealed it with a spell.

(Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#20) - A struggle in Doc's sanctum shattered the Amphora. A remnant of Zom's evil essence, the Zomling, was released. The only one who saw the Zomling was Wong's then-fiancee, Imei Chang, but the Zomling magically stopped her from mentioning it. The Zomling scurried around the mansion, absorbing power from various sources. After growing in power, it discovered the Faeries who inhabit the sanctum, and managed to capture the Faery Queen.

Strange discovered the shattered Amphora and sent his associates on a mission to locate the Zomling. Rintrah found it and attacked it before it could consume the queen, but Rintrah's magical attack only made it all the more powerful. However, Strange then arrived, and knowing that 1) The Zomling fed on magical energy, and 2) It was composed mostly of energy, but also of the dust it had consumed in the process; Strange used a vacuum cleaner to suck up and entrap the Zomling. He then magically repaired the Amphora and reversed the suction on the vacuum to spit it back into its prison. Strange resealed the Amphora, and then put it a little more out of the way, where it was unlikely to be shattered again.

(World War Hulk#3-4) - Dr. Strange used Zom's amphora and summoned Zom's power to battle the Hulk; in addition, however, Strange was possessed, at least partially, by Zom himself. Thus empowered, Strange easily overpowered Hiroim and the Warbound, and then confronted and began to batter the Hulk. However, when the Hulk saved some people who were nearly killed in the Zom-powered Strange's assault on the Hulk, Strange realized that Zom's evil, destructive nature and power was causing him to lose control. Hesitating, Strange was battered into unconsciousness by the Hulk. (Incredible Hulk III#111 (fb) - BTS) - With Strange's defeat, Zom departed him.

(Incredible Hulk III#111 (fb)) - Zom possessed Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor and continued his rampage, heading for the SHIELD nuclear weapons gathered to oppose the Hulk, intending to detonate them and destroy Manhattan. After Amadeus Cho jinxed the Iron Man armor's doomsday system, Cho deliberately confronted Zom who, seeing him as a major threat, possessed him; however, due to Amadeus' lack of any superhuman powers, he -- as intended -- was knocked out with a single punch from Angel (Warren Worthington). With Cho's defeat, Zom was expelled, and Wong trapped him anew in his Amphora.

(New Avengers Annual I#2 (fb) - BTS) - Strange retained his bond with Zom to help him function despite the damage to his hands.

(New Avengers Annual I#2) - After the Hood shot Dr. Strange, Zom's power revived him and he incapacitated everyone present in his Sanctum. Strange then quit the Avengers and then told them to leave so he could regain control.

(Incredible Hulks#619/1 (fb)) - In Hell Doctor Strange tried to stop Abomination from escaping to Earth after the Chaos King had destroyed the barrier between the dimensions, but the Chaos King attacked him and freed Zom to take control over Doctor Strange's body. The Chaos King returned to his battle with Hercules shortly after, but Abomination suggested to bring Death, who had fled when the Chaos King took over Hell, back to Earth by finding Marlo Jones and releasing the portion of Death that was still inside her.

(Incredible Hulks#618/1) - Zom posed as Doctor Strange and came to the aid of Hulk and his allies after a fight against Abomination, who was looking for Marlo. He turned on Hulk, A-Bomb, Red She-Hulk and She-Hulk as soon as A-Bomb revealed that Marlo Jones was in Phoenix.

(Incredible Hulks#619/1) - Hulk fought Zom, but got punched through his Stoneship. Moments later Abomination and Zom flew off on dragons to Phoenix, Arizona to get their hands on Marlo.

   Zom and Abomination arrived after Hulk and his friends had found Marlo and she had already brought back several of their allies from the dead, including Doc Samson, Jarella, Glenn Talbot and Hiroim. Zom dismounted his dragon after it breathed fire on Hulk, Betty and the resurrected Glenn Talbot. Hulk's son Skaar and the resurrected Hiroim the Oldstrong, who had fought Zom before, then joined forces to fight Zom.

(Incredible Hulks#620/1) - When Skaar took off to aid Hulk (his father) against his resurrected grandfather, Hiroim had to continue the fight against Zom alone. While he chocked Zom he ordered the demon to release Doctor Strange's form, but he lost his grip when he got hit by an energy beam from David Banner. Zom finally got his hands on Marlo, who used her Death powers to destroy Zom and the Abomination. Strange felt bad that Marlo had to use these powers because he couldn't stop Zom sooner.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Marie Severin.

Thanks to Omar Karindu and Uncle Pyko for pointing out Zom's Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#20...but I still want more!

    Obviously the Living Tribunal didn't destroy Earth, and the Ancient One got better from his "death" at Zom's hands, but you'll have to go get the books and read them for yourself.

    I'm just glad it was his foreLOCK that Dr. Strange had to rip off.

     Technically, Zom would be behind the scenes in every appearance of Dr. Strange between Incredible Hulk III#111 and New Avengers Annual I#4. I'm just not sure when World War Hulk took place in relation to the New Avengers series, which had few continuity breaks.

Zom has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook and the OHotMU A to Z Premiere Hardcover #14.

Profile by Snood. Update by Markus Raymond (Incredible Hulks).