Real Name: Consumption

Identity/Class: Unknown (see comments)

Occupation: Herald/minion of Thanos

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Parnival Plunder, Thanos

Enemies: Parnival Plunder's private soldiers

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New York City, U.S.A.

First Appearance: Ka-Zar Annual '97 (1997)

Powers/Abilities: Consumption was a large, green, semi-reptilian, serpentine creature (about 20' stretched out) with six long arms (about 9' each) that each ended in three massive talons that could easily and viciously rip apart an adult human with basic body armor and completely clutch a human head. It had a solid, armored torso that tapered down to a long thin tail. Its strength was about superhuman Class 10+, and it could easily cleave through solid concrete floors and walls. Consumption was impervious to bullets fired from high-powered guns at close range, indicating superhuman-metahuman durability, plus metahuman stamina. It had a wide mouth filled with large, pointy teeth and its two eyes glowed red, plus a long horn-like fin on its head. It had at least short-range teleportation ability and could carry at least one human with no effort. Consumption could track its prey without the need to see its target. It could levitate in mid-air, but its flight speed was directed motion hovering fast enough to keep up with a running human. Consumption could also offer visions of what could be to tempt people to Thanos' will. It showed normal intelligence and could speak fluent English (although this could have been telepathic communication tuned to the target's native language).

It arrived in New York City in a flaming ball of rock that exploded once it reached its target; it appeared to have survived entering Earth's atmosphere. Inside its body was an interdimensional teleportation gate that could be accessed only by the creature ripping its own chest apart; this gate, stretching about 6' in diameter, transported directly to the realm where Thanos was waiting. Consumption was also totally subservient to Thanos, enacting his will.

History:

(Ka-Zar Annual '97 - BTS) - Thanos dispatched his minion, Consumption, to seek out Parnival Plunder to aid the mad Titan in his next quest for power, as he deemed Parnival to be utterly heartless.

(Ka-Zar Annual '97) - Parnival Plunder gazed out over New York City from his palatial penthouse and saw what he thought was a shooting star, except that it shot straight at him. The spherical rock-like protective cocoon abruptly stopped before Parnival's window still fiercely aflame. The cocoon then exploded, destroying much of the penthouse, but left Parnival safe. Parnival's hired soldiers then rushed to his aid, but hovering before him was Thanos' minion, Consumption, who declared that it had come for him. Parnival ran away in fear and ordered his soldiers to kill the menacing creature. The explosion had taken out the elevator winches, so Parnival had to flee by the stairs (over 118 floors), but Consumption ripped through the soldiers, slaughtering them. It then pursued Parnival, tearing through the floors of the building, unaffected by the soldiers' bullets. Parnival made it outside, but saw Consumption smash through the wall and he fled down some nearby stairs to the subway metro station (49 Street). However, Parnival, obsessed with cleanliness and neurotically averse to dirtiness, reeled back from the waiting subway train, stumbled back across the platform before falling onto the tracks opposite, as he suddenly saw the lights of an approaching train. Consumption quickly appeared and pulled him off the tracks, before teleporting the two of them away back to Parnival's destroyed penthouse.

Consumption then revealed that it had come to offer Parnival servitude to Thanos, but that he would receive as his reward a soulless, sterile and sanitary world devoid of animals, germs and life. Consumption revealed this to him in a vision by wrapping some talons about Parnival's head (although it may have been a portal to an alternate future). For Parnival, it was no choice at all, as he was willing to sacrifice humanity to secure power and clean surfaces. Parnival then demanded of Consumption to be taken to its leader. Consumption ripped its body open revealing an interdimensional teleportation portal but dying in the process, although the herald welcomed death as a reward. Parnival then entered the portal and met with the huge and ominous form of Thanos. Once introductory negotiations were complete, Parnival returned to his destroyed penthouse using the corporeal portal of Consumption, before planning his next evil scheme.

Comments: Created by Brian K. Vaughn (writer), Walter McDaniel (penciler), Jon Holdredge, Allen Martinez, Nathan Massengill, Whitney McFarland & Rob Stull (inkers).

While it's not specified what Consumption actually is, it is likely an (extradimensional?) extraterrestrial mutated by Thanos to act as his temporary herald, or possibly a creature crafted from scratch by Thanos. It appeared to be male, given its chest, but this is only speculation.

Consumption never referred to Thanos by name, instead melodramatically calling him "the Lord of Oblivion" and "the High Host of Ruination".

Profile by Grendel Prime

Clarifications:

Consumption has no known connections to:

• Any other "Consum-" characters

images:
Ka-Zar Annual '97, p12, panel 3 (main image)

Ka-Zar Annual '97 (1997) - Brian K. Vaughn (writer), Walter McDaniel (pencils), Jon Holdredge, Allen Martinez, Nathan Massengill, Whitney McFarland & Rob Stull (inks), Matt Idelson (editor)

First Posted: 08/21/2006
Last updated: 08/21/2006

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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