GNOBIANS
Classification: Extraterrestrial, humanoids
Location/Base of Operations: An underground complex outside of Gruenstadt, Germany
Known Members: Death's Head Squadron, Lump, mother
Affiliations: Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, Kree, Wilhelm Schmidt
Enemies: Red, S.H.I.E.L.D., Werner von Strucker
First Appearance: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#1 (September, 1989)
Powers/Abilities: The Gnobians possessed a number of psychic powers, including the ability to fly, to sense the thoughts and emotions of others, to cast psychic illusions, and could emit a powerful sonic blast and fire energy from their hands. The Gnobian mother could psychically heal others, but doing so required lowering her mental safeguards, linking her mind to that of her patient. They possessed advanced technology specially suited to their psychic powers, such as the Memory Chamber, which could call forth memories from its occupants and render them in a three-dimensional holographic environment.
History: (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4 (fb) - BTS) - The Gnobians were a species of almost complete innocence whose journeys through space led to contact with the Kree, from whom they purchased a Sentry and the Kree Death Missile so that they could defend themselves. Their travels eventually brought them to Earth, and they set up an underground base outside of Gruenstadt, Germany, some time before 1944. The villagers of Gruenstadt befriended the friendly Gnobians, sighting them in the woods from time to time.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4 (fb)) - Stories of the strange creatures near Gruenstadt brought Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, his Death's Head Guards, and scientist Wilhelm Schmidt in 1944. Strucker killed two of the Gnobians, then brought them with him as he invaded the Gnobian base, but the two Gnobians revived just as they stood before the chamber of the Gnobian mother. The Sentry was used to communicate with Strucker's people, and it informed Strucker that the mother was intrigued with him, and wanted him to be their guide.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#5 (fb)) - The mother made psychic contact with Strucker, and Strucker was amazed by what he saw in their minds. Strucker massacred the population of Gruenstadt to guard the knowledge of their existence, but was fatally wounded battling Sgt. Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. Strucker returned to the mother for aid, and she merged with him in order to heal his wounds, but her mind became tainted by Strucker's madness, and fell into a coma. The Sentry drove Strucker out of the base, not knowing that Schmidt had departed with one of the eggs, and Strucker had taken discs containing data on their technology.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#6 (fb)) - Schmidt raised the egg he had stolen, calling the creature that emerged "Lump," and treating him as his son. Lump was stunted in both mind and body, but retained the innocence that the Gnobians had lost. In recent years, Schmidt told Strucker's son Werner von Strucker of what his father had done in 1944, and the two men attempted to undo Strucker's damage. They awoke the mother, but found that the madness had only grown over time, and her offspring adopted the identities of the Death's Head Squadron, based upon Strucker's guards. They destroyed the mind of Werner's wife so that they could force Werner and Schmidt to continued assisting them.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#1) - The Death's Head Squadron began attacking C.I.A. agents, and finally attacked and killed Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan, presenting his body to Nick Fury as the first in their blood debt.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#2) - Schmidt allowed himself to merge with the mother, hoping to ease her mind, but was instead overwhelmed by her mind. He learnined that Lump had made psychic contact with Red, a Deltan-model LMD whose technology was based upon the Gnobians'.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#3) - The mother had Red and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Kate Neville, Al MacKenzie, Alexander Goodwin Pierce and Network Nina placed within their memory chambers so that they could study Red's memories. When Nick Fury and Valentina De Fontaine came in search of their captured friends, they altered Fury's appearance psychically so that he would look as he did in 1944. When Werner aided Fury and Fontaine, the Gnobians had all three of them placed within the memory chamber, now enacting events from the 1944 encounter.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4) - The Death's Head Squadron made an assault upon a NATO base while their captives continued to drift through the 1944 memories. The mother led Lump to enter the memory chamber so that he could find Fury and help her.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#5) - The Death's Head Squadron were sent out to begin their war against the weak, while the mother, still in Schmidt's body, had Fury brought before her so that she could have one of her newborn children kill him.
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#6) - Fury slew the Gnobian with his bare hands then attacked Schmidt, driving the mother out of his mind. The mother assaulted Lump, the Strucker in her hating him for being small and weak. Schmidt tried to reason with her, but she grabbed him and crushed him to death. Dying, Schmidt indicated that Lump was the key to defeating her, and Fury had Network Nina join Lump's mind to the mother, exposing her (and the other Gnobians) to Lump's innocence, so that they would see the way they should have been. Strucker's madness departed from the mother, and she had the Sentry arm the Kree Death Missile so that it would destroy their base, not trusting herself to remain free from Strucker's influence forever. The mother was destroyed, taking the lives of the Death's Head Squadron with her, but Lump was taken away with Fury and his friends to be cared for by them.
Comments: Created by Bob Harras, Bob Hall and Kim DeMulder.
Fury I#1 seems to claim that the Gnobians were all created by Arnim Zola as a hoax, but it doesn't jive with the actual story--it doesn't explain where the Sentry or Kree Death Missile came from, why Strucker killed everyone in Gruenstadt, or where Lump came from. I think it's best to ignore the retcon.
The only reason why the Gnobians' continuity was contended at all by Fury I#1 was because the original story suggested that HYDRA and A.I.M. had received their technology from the Gnobians, after Strucker had Japanese scientists study the data he had stolen.
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CLARIFICATIONS:
The Gnobians should not be confused with:
The Gnobians purchased a Kree Sentry to defend themselves during their voyages through space. It was programmed to serve the Gnobian mother, and helped defend her against the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who invaded the Gnobian base. The Sentry was destroyed when the mother destroyed the base with the Kree Death Missile.
--Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#3 (4 (fb), 5 (fb), 3, 6
The Gnobian mother gave birth to all of the Gnobians seen on Earth. In 1944, she, in her innocence, was drawn to Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, wishing him to be her guide. When Strucker was fatally injured, she merged with him to heal his wound, and was overcome by Strucker's madness. She remained comatose for decades, until she was awakened by Wilhelm Schmidt, hoping to cure her. However, the madness had only grown over time, and she sent her children out as the Death's Head Squadron to massacre the weak, intending to reshape the Earth in the way Strucker would have wanted it. Schmidt merged with the mother, hoping to help her, but he was overcome by her, and she took possession of his body, using it to communicate with Fury and his allies when they were brought to her base. When Schmidt tried to help her again, she crushed him to death, but regained her innocence when Network Nina joined her mind with Lump's. Not trusting herself to remain free from Strucker's influence forever, she had her Sentry destroy the base with a Kree Death Missile, asking Fury and his friends to take care of Lump. As she died, all of the Death's Head Squadron died with her.
--Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4 (4-6 (fb), [1, 2, 3,] 4, [5], 6
The Kree Death Missile, also known as the "Omega Bomb," was a powerful weapon purchased by the Gnobians with which to defend themselves. The Death's Head Squadron intended to use it to usher in Strucker's dreams of war, but the Gnobian mother used it to destroy their base instead.
--Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4 (6
Images taken from:
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4, page 13, panel 2
Sentry- Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4, page 24, panel 3
Mother- Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4, page 21
Missile- Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. II#4, page 27, panel 3
First Posted: 07/06/2005
Last updated: 08/26/2005
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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