(the) ZALKOR

Real Name: Apparently the Zalkor

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (unidentified dimension; apparently the same realm that contained Egolix-7) cosmic being

Occupation: Wish-granter, power-bestower

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Formerly Count Abyss (Milos Abyss), the Zalgodian high priests;
    an unspecified number of unidentified previous Kalorions

Enemies: None truly, but all those Abyss used his power against could be considered enemies, including Darklore, the Egolans, Infinity Watch (Drax/Arthur Douglas, Gamora, Maxam, Moondragon/Heather Douglass, Pip, Adam Warlock), Kray-Tor, Meer'lyn, the residents of Soul World, and the rest of the beings in their universe slaughtered and/or formerly enslaved by Count Abyss

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Dreamer" (from Count Abyss), the Bestower of Unlimited Wishes

Base of Operations: A seat in his chambers, either deep within or accessed via a portal within the former fortress of Count Abyss

First Appearance: (Unidentified, as "dreamer") Warlock and the Infinity Watch#23 (December, 1993);
    (identified) Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (August, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Apparently immortal and possessing great magical abilities, the Zalkor is virtual immobile.

    He can speak, use his hands to grasp something placed into them, and raise his arms to allow his hands to reach his mouth, but he is not to reach something a short distance out of arm's reach (even a substance to which he is addicted)

    The Zalkor is addicted to the beta-metaphysical plant known as Skrimblatt, a pot of which grows at his feet, but he cannot obtain it on his own and requires someone to place its leaves into his mouth. The Skrimblatt apparently soothes him and provides him dreams (perhaps visions and/or hallucinations).
    Although he is always desiring the Skrimblatt, the Zalkor can go for centuries without it.

    The Zalkor can grant great power to another being, known as his Kalorion, who delivers to him the Skrimblatt in exchange for these powers. However, the Zalkor can only supply these powers to a being lacking a soul. The Zalkor can facilitate this by removing the would-be Kalorion's soul. If a Kalorion gains a soul by other means, the Zalkor no longer recognizes that being, even after centuries of working together.

    The Zalkor grants nearly anything his Kalorion requests, and there is little that Zalkor magic cannot accomplish. However, this power is limited to the Zalkor's sphere of influence, which was within Abyss' own dimension. The Zalkor's might faded the farther he or his agent ventured from their actuality.

    Count Abyss kept the Zalkor's existence secret, and his chambers were typically accessed via a set of doors and a convoluted pathway.

History:
(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (fb) - BTS) - Possessing vast power but otherwise virtually immobile, the ancient cosmic being known only as the Zalkor was addicted to the beta-metaphysical plant known as Skrimblatt.

    Within his chambers, the Zalkor was seated in a throne, with the Skrimblatt growing in a pot by his feet, but he was unable to move to take it for himself.

    Eventually, a race known as the Zalgodians found the Zalkor. For centuries, Zalgodian high priests delivered the Skrimblatt.

    One such priest would become the Kalorion, to whom the Zalkor could grant great power but only after that being had been stripped of his or her soul.

    Under unrevealed circumstances, the Zalgodians perished.

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (fb) - BTS) - Ancient Zalgodian legend told about the supposedly mythical Zalkor, the Bestower ofUnlimited Wishes.

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (fb) - BTS) - Learning of the legend, Imperial Researcher Milos Abyss delved deeply into the subject and became the most knowledgeable person about the now-extinct Zalgodian race.

    Abyss was part of an archeological away team composed of top scientists that were sent to examine a newly discovered centuries-old derelict spacecraft of unknown origin. His knowledge of the Zalgodians allowed Milos to decipher the ghost ship's log; realizing the wonder the the craft's crew had experienced before suffering their untimely deaths and considering the knowledge too precious to share with his co-workers, Abyss slew them all. 

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (fb)) - Following the Zalgodian star charts, Abyss located the satellite, a holy shrine that still  maintained its orbit around some nameless crimson planet.

    Within the immense, abandoned, and decaying hulk, Abyss followed the trail to the Zalkor's chambers. En route, he considered many questioned, but decided that none of them mattered and that either the Zalkor still lived or he did not. If the granter of wishes had died with his followers, Abyss resolved that he would merely draw his sidearm and blow a large hole out of the back of his own head.

    Ulimately, however, Milos ended up in the chambers of the Zalkor, who greeted him and asked him to give it its Skrimblatt. 

    Knowing the legends and of the traditional bargain, Abyss gathered the Skrimblatt but told the Zalkor that he would only give it to him if the Zalkor allowed Abyss to become his Kalorion. The Zalkor advised the mortal that it was a costly ambition, but Abyss accepted, questioning that with such power, what need would he have for a soul. After the Zalkor accepted the deal, Abyss gave the Skrimblatt to the Zalkor, who consumed it and then released a blast from its eyes that transformed Milos into the powerful but soulless Count Abyss.

    "On that day those two diverse creatures bonded in a fashion no one will probably ever understand. A union of master and slave, with each thinking the other the subservient. A dark marriage in madness"
    <as narrated by the Orb of Eternity to Adam Warlock>

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (fb) - BTS) - Abyss resolved that together, he and the Zalkor would conquer their universe, which they did. Nothing in their dimension could stand against the Abyss-directed might of the Zalkor. World after world fell into submission. Galaxy after galaxy paid homage to its new tyrant.

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#33 (fb) - BTS) - Abyss apparently transferred the Zalkor's chambers into the belly of his stronghold/palace on Egolix-7.

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (fb) - BTS) - Eventually, with the entire universe conquered, the soulless Abyss found that he could not gain any further satisfaction from food, drink, woman, or anything else, and the emptiness in his life became too apparent.

    Seeking a means to regain his spirit and yet retain his might, Count Abyss learned of the Infinity Soul Gem and plotted to claim it.

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#32) - In preparation for his confrontation with Adam Warlock, Abyss visited the Zalkor, telling him to bestir his besotted brain and that he needed help in overcoming the Infinity Watch, as his omnipotence must not be challenged. In exchange for a few leaves of Skrimblatt, the Zalkor granted Abyss the power to defeat the Watch, which he did.

(Warlock and the Infinity Watch#33) - Recovering the Soul Gem, Warlock used it to instill the soul of Kray-Tor into Abyss, agonizing Abyss with the guilt of his multiple genocides. Fleeing to the Zalkor, Abyss told him he needed his power more than ever. However, not recognizing Abyss as he had a soul, the Zalkor noted only that Abyss looked familiar.

    Arguing that he was the Zalkor's Kalorion, Abyss swiftly appreciated that he no longer qualified due to the soul inside of him, and he implored the Zalkor to take the soul from him. Countering that Kray-Tor's soul was not Abyss' to give, Warlock punched Abyss down. As Darklore opened a portal to a reality many times removed from the Zalkor's realm of influence, Warlock retrieved Kray-Tor's soul (and returned it to the Soul Gem) and then cast Abyss through the portal. Darklore then closed the portal, leaving Abyss trapped and cut off from the Zalkor's power.

    Later, deep within the belly of the palace, the Zalkor cried out and begged for his Skrimblatt.

Comments: Created by Jim Starlin, Tom Grindberg, Bob Almond and Harry Candelario.

    We got the origin of Count Abyss, but there is no origin for the Zalkor. I would imagine that it was cursed by some being to have all of this power but to be unable to do anything to help himself.
    One also has to wonder what becomes of his waste products if he can't get out of that chair, but maybe he is some magical being who does not produce waste products.

    He is referred to both as Zalkor and "the Zalkor."

    Warlock and the Infinity Watch#33 refers to the Zalkor's chambers as "deep within the belly of the palace," which would seem to indicate that Abyss actually moved the Zalkor's chambers to within his Castle/Fortress. However, it could just be that it was accessed via the door deep within the palace.

    Certainly there are other beings willing to sacrifice their soul to gain the immense power that the Zalkor grants...or Abyss could have found a means to return to his castle and the Zalkor, who would again recognize him as he lacked a soul...

    The end of the story in Warlock and the Infinity Watch#33 refers to the Zalkor as "so immensely evil." I don't think he is evil; it is just amoral. He doesn't care about anything other than the Skrimblatt to which he is addicted.

    The Zalkor originally had a sub-profile under Count Abyss, first published 03/07/2005.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Zalkor should be distinguished from:

• other "Zalkor" characters, groups, items, events, races, or places...or other immense/monstrous, cosmic beings
  

An addictive, opiate-like plant, it was constantly desired by the Zalkor.      It both soothed him and provided him with dreams (perhaps visions and/or hallucinations).      The Skrimblatt apparently grew as needed without need for sunlight, watering, etc., as it thrived for centuries deep within a satellite. --Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 Note: Warlock and the Infinity Watch#33, with John Arcudi writing, shows the Zalkor feeding on Skrimblatt -- with a handful in each hand -- as Abyss arrives. That should be an error, as that was the whole deal, that the Zalkor could not get the Skrimblatt on his own.

The Kalorion was one who made a deal with the Zalkor to supply his skrimblatt in exchange for the Zalkor granting this being great power. However, for this power exchange to occur, the Kalorion had to be stripped of his or her soul, which the Zalkor could accomplish. --Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 Note: Abyss referred to himself as the Zalkor's "Kalorain" in Warlock and the Infinity Watch#32, which was when Jim Ashford took over the writing.      And then, in #3, with John Arcudi writing, Abyss called himself "your Kalorian."      I think the original spelling by the creator is most likely the correct one, so that's what I'm going with.

Appearances:
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#23 (December, 1993) - Jim Starlin (writer), Tom Grindberg (pencils), Bob Almond & Harry Candelario (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#31 (August, 1994) - Jim Starlin (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils), Bob Almond & Nichols (inks), Craig Anderson (editor)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#32 (September, 1994) - Richard Ashford (writer), Patrick Olliffe (pencils), Keith Williams (inker), Craig Anderson (editor)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch#33 (October, 1994) - John Arcudi (story), Pat Olliffe (penciler), Bob Almond (inker), Craig Anderson (editor)

First posted: 12/04/2023
Last updated: 12/26/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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