DROOM

Real Name: Droom

Identity/Class: Animal mutate (post-WWII era-modern era)

Occupation: Rampager

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Eerok; Giganto; Henry Gordon; Grogg; Iron Man (Stark); Robotman;
                       (formerly) the Collector (Elder); "The Collector's collection" (Fin Fang Foom, Gargantus, Goom, Grogg, Groot, Grottu, Rommbu, Taboo, Tragg, Vandoom's Monster); Mole Man (Elder)

Enemies: The Apocalypse Beast; the Beast (McCoy); the Collector (Elder); Fantastic Four; Giant-Man (Pym); Hulk (Banner); the Japanese Army; "Monoran"; Otetsukun; "Salamandro"; Thing (Grimm)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Droomedia Rex; the Living Lizard

Base of Operations: Currently none;
                                     (formerly) the Negative Zone;
                                     (formerly) the Collector's zoo, beneath Canada;
                                     (formerly) Japan;
                                     (formerly) Maran's Museum;
                                     (formerly) a jungle in South America                                   

First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#9 (May, 1960)

Powers/Abilities: As a giant mutated lizard, Droom was incredibly strong, and for the most part, impervious to most weapons.  He could also survive in space.

History: (Tales to Astonish I#9 (fb)-BTS)) - A Dr. Nathan Johnson found a rare dward version of the species droomedia rex in a South American jungle, and sent it to his friend Arnold Gravitt, the curator of Maran's Museum.


(Tales to Astonish I#9) - Dr. Henry Gordon finally perfected his serum for growing vegetables artificially in near-instants.  He took his serum to show Arnold.  While the two awed at the serum's performance on a banana, the droomedia rex that Arnold had received escaped its box. It drank some of the serum and was almost instantly transformed, growing larger by the second.  Still growing, it rampaged through town and nearby mountains, where military weapons proved futile.  The military finally devised a plan to rid the world of the now-dubbed Droom. They would use thousands of men to strap a hundred solar-powered rockets to his feet. When they launced the rockets, Droom shot up into space.  While in space, Droom survived in a state of suspended animation, and the lack of oxygen caused his growth to stop. (see comments)


(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1 (fb)-BTS) - Somehow, Droom returned to Earth, and had been reduced in size somewhat.

(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1 (fb)-BTS) - In 1954, Droom attacked Tokyo, Japan for the first time.

(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2 (fb) - Over the next few years, Droom would both terrorize and protect Japan.  At various times, he battled the military-created robot Otetsukun and helped Robotman fight various other giant monsters.

(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1 (fb)-BTS) - Eventually, the monster attacks on Japan stopped.

(Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl#1 (fb)-BTS) - Droom was captured by the Collector and placed in his zoo beneath Canada.

(Marvel Monsters: Monsters on the Prowl#1) - After an attack on the Collector by the Mole Man caused the freedom of the creatures, Droom was among many of the specimens to go on a rampage through New York City. They were defeated by a group of heroes that included the Hulk, the Beast, the Thing and Giant-Man.  Mr. Fantastic had the Thing open a portal to the Negative Zone, where the creatures were all dumped.



(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1 (fb)-BTS) - Somehow, Droom returned to Earth from the Negative Zone.


(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1 - BTS) - Droom, along with Grogg, Eerok, Giganto and many other monsters, arrived in Tokyo, having been driven into a maddened frenzy by the pending arrival of the Apocalypse Beast.

(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2) - As the Fantastic Four tried to battle the other creatures, Iron Man turned his focus on Droom. Droom, seeing the red and gold armor, recalled his one-time ally Robotman, and apparently believing Iron Man to be him, followed him willingly.  The Japanese army directed Iron Man to lead Droom towards them, and much to the hero's horror (as he had hoped they could contain the creature), could only watch as they fired upon Droom, apparently killing him.




Comments: Created by Stan Lee(?), Don Heck and unknown inker.

Okay, time to start reconciling things.  The original Droom story came out in 1960. The FF/Iron Man story has Droom rampaging in Japan in 1954.  Now, generally, we usually (with a few exceptions) set these pre-FF monster stories in the years they first came out. However, this once, we can't, unless we disregard the 1954 reference.  That's hard to do, as this is a very pointed reference to Droom being Marvel's counterpart of Godzilla, and that creature emerged in 1954.  So, for the sake of keeping that nice piece of homaging, the TTA story takes place in the early 50's, not when it was published.

Now, this leaves us with the problem of having Godzilla AND Droom rampaging across Japan in the 1950s.  Personally, I say no problem. If Toho Studios could have Godzilla, Baragon, Varan and a bunch of other lizard-like creatures rampaging through Tokyo around the same time, why can't Marvel?

About the ending of the original story: Originally, Droom was shot into space, where he remained for ten million years, before he landed on another planet, which, in a twist ending, was early Earth, and Droom was the first of the dinosaurs. Please, don't start with the "the world he came from wasn't Earth."  I HATE those types of stories.  The last two panels from the original story are only an editor's note.  And even then, with characters like Droom, who's to rule out him time-travelling? Besides, this was retconned/straightened out in Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone (mostly by just ignoring that hypothetical ending). Maybe a Droom that wasn't part of Earth-616 got shot into space a million years ago by an Earth-like world and landed on that reality's Earth to start the dinosaur race, but the Earth-616 sure didn't. Also, by the time Droom got shot into space, he was so large, his foot was the size of a whole city! That isn't a freakin' dinosaur! 

Robotman is an obvious homage to Jet Jaguar from the film Godzilla Vs. Megalon.  Even some of the flashbacks are direct lifts from that film.  Robotman is never named in the actual book, but was done so in the script by Zeb Wells. We kept it in quotes in Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone, as it's not technically official. By the way, in one non-Marvel comic adaptation of Godzilla Vs. Megalon, Jet Jaguar was called Robotman instead.

Apparently, according to the FF/Iron Man series, all giant monsters are referred to as Megalosauruses (Megalosauri?)  in Japan.

The difference in appearance of Droom from TTA and FF/IM:BIJ?  Simple artistic license.  It's Droom. Giganto and Grogg and even the Thing aren't exactly spot on to previous renditions in the FF/IM book. Godzilla changed appearance and size throughout his movies, Droom does the same.

Tales to Astonish I#9 was reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell#28, though that story inaccurately notes Astonishing Tales#9 as the original source.

Dr. Johnson's first and Arnold's last name were revealed in Droom's profile in FF: Fifty Fantastic Years#1 (November, 2011).

An alternate reality version of Droom appeared in Supernaturals#4.

Profile by Madison Carter

Clarifications:

Droom has no known connections to

HENRY GORDON

Gordon was a scientist who perfected a serum that caused vegetables to grow larger than normal.  Excited about his discovery, he showed it to his friend Arnold.  It was at Arnold's office that the lizard that would become Droom drank some of the liquid.



--Tales to Astonish I#9


"MONORAN"

At some point in the past, Droom and Robotman battled "Monoran" in outer space.












-- Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2 ( 2 (fb)
ROBOTMAN

Robotman was a robotic (or possibly cyborg) hero who could grow to imense sizes.  He often helped Droom against other monstrous threats.














-- Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2 ( 2 (fb)
"SALAMANDRO"

At some point in the past, Droom and Robotman teamed up to battle "Salamandro" in Japan.








-- Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2 (2 (fb)

images:
Tales to Astonish I#9, page 1, panel 1 (main image)
Tales to Astonish I#9, page 3, panel 6 (normal droomedia)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2, page 10, panel 2 (Japan)
Marvel Monsters: Where Monsters Dwell#1, page 22, panel 5 (fighting Hulk)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2, page 11, panel 5 (with Iron Man)
Tales to Astonish I#9, page 3, panel 2 (Gordon)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2, page 10, panel 6 ("Monoran")
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2, page 10, panel 3 (Robotman)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2, page 10, panel 5 ("Salamandro")

Tales to Astonish I#9 (May, 1960) - Stan Lee (writer?), Don Heck (penciler)
Marvel Monsters: Where Monsters Dwell#1 (December, 2005) - Steve Niles (writer), Duncan Fegredo (artist), Jenny Lee & Mark Paniccia (editors)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#2 (January, 2005) - Zeb Wells (writer), Seth Fisher (Artist), Cory Sedlmeier (Editor)

Last updated: 05/23/12

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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