SILAS GRANT
Real
Name: Silas Grant
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Blackworld) humanoid
Occupation: Steamboat
captain
Group
Membership: None
Affiliations: Balder the
Brave, Chuck,
Hawkeye
(Clint Barton), Heimdall, Hildegarde, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Edwin
Jarvis, Karnilla
the Norn Queen, Kragonn,
Mercurio
the 4D Man
and his soldiers, the Mutant Class (Bolaa, Gerr, Jukka, Tryx),
Tana Nile, Odin,
the Rigellian Colonizers (Colonizer 12, Grand Commissioner, others),
Sif, Sub-Worlders
(Avalon,
others), Thor (Thor Odinson), the Warriors Three (Fandral the Dashing,
Hogun
the Grim, Volstagg the Voluminous)
Enemies: Asgardian
rock trolls, the Rhunians of the "Black Stars" (Dracus,
Group
Commander,
Leader, Protector,
Technician,
numerous others on various planets), Dark
Nebula miners
(Kagg,
Quellor,
Rothgar),
Ego-Prime, Igron
and his
imposter Asgardians, Mephisto,
Ssthgar
and his Sssth legions (Gorney, Higila, many others), Vrellnexians, Xorr
the God-Jewel
Known
Relatives: None
Aliases: “Ancient
One” (name called by
Thor), “The Mortal,” “Old Man” (names called by Tana Nile), “Old One”
(name
called by Tryx)
Base
of Operations: Outer
space;
formerly Avengers
Mansion, New York City, New York, USA;
formerly Blackworld;
formerly a steamship that was formerly a small sailboat on Blackworld
First
Appearance: Thor I#197
(March, 1972)
Powers/Abilities: Silas Grant seemed to be able to survive in space unaided (see comments). He was a skilled boat captain and was competent at using a crowbar and pieces of wood in battle.
On Blackworld, he owned steamboat that was formerly a sailboat.
History:
(Thor
I#201 (fb) –
BTS) – A resident of the Blackworld, Silas Grant was evolved by a sentient part of Ego the
Living
Planet, called Ego Prime, along with the rest of Blackworld.
(Thor
I#197) – Weeks later, when the
Earth-616 Asgardian Lady Sif and Hildegarde were banished to Blackworld
by Odin
to protect them from the invading Mangog, Blackworld resident Silas
Grant was
piloting his steamboat up a river when he found the two
Asgardians
battling a
monster. Rowing a rescue boat to them, Silas Grant offered them a ride,
which
they accepted. Claiming that he was a lone survivor of a mad world,
Silas
prepared to tell Sif his story as they rowed back to his steamboat.
(Thor
I#198) – Onboard Silas
Grant’s steamboat, Sif and Hildegarde were surprised when Grant gave
them proof
of how mad Blackworld was when he took them a harbor that appeared as
if it
were from Earth-616’s Great Depression era, despite Sif’s earlier
battle with
knights and Grant being the captain of a steamboat. Silas Grant then
revealed
that hours ago, he had owned a sailboat instead of a steamboat and the
harbor
area they were now in had been nothing but green grass. Unsure what to
make of
a world that seemed to advance in technology within hours, Sif,
Hildegarde and
Silas Grant were soon confronted by Tana Nile, who confirmed their
suspicions
that a mysterious “he” was about to arrive.
(Thor
I#199) – As Silas, Sif and
Hilegarde watched, Tana Nile explained that “he” was actually Ego
Prime, and
that everything it touched was modernized. Blackworld’s mysterious
technological advancement now explained, Silas,
Sif, Hildegarde and Tana Nile escaped into the subway
system when Ego Prime noticed them. Noticing a poster in the subway
system for
a 1964 Ford automobile, Sif expressed her fears of Earth-616’s safety
once
Blackworld’s advancement had surpassed that of 616’s modern era.
Hildegarde
exclaimed that they all needed to take care of themselves as Ego Prime
had
followed them.
(Thor
I#201) – Continuing to run
from Ego Prime, Silas, Sif, Hildegarde and Tana Nile were able to
briefly rest
when Ego Prime stopped to investigate a subway train. During that time,
Tana
Nile revealed that Ego Prime had arrived on Blackworld only a few weeks
ago and
began evolving anything it touched. Sif soon noticed a newspaper that
claimed
nuclear war was imminent. Sif could barely comment before Silas,
Hildegarde,
Tana Nile and herself were seemingly caught in a nuclear explosion.
Following a
bright flash of light, Sif, Tana, Silas and Hildegarde found themselves
fleeing
from Ego Prime into Earth-616’s Brooklyn, New York. As they ran, Sif
saw Thor
and warned him of the threat posed by Ego Prime.
(Thor
I#202) – Silas watched in
horror, along with Sif, Tana Nile, Hildegarde, Thor, Balder and the
Warriors
Three, as Ego Prime evolved itself into an aspect of Ego itself. After
Ego
Prime transformed several New Yorkers into monsters, Tana Nile cried
for help
from Silas, who wielded a crowbar to rescue Tana.
(Thor
I#203) – Silas Grant and
Tana Nile retreated into an old tenement building while Silas continued
to
battle back Ego Prime’s monsters with the crowbar. Boarding themselves
in an
apartment, Tana Nile asked Silas why he was helping her, to which Silas
replied
he wasn’t sure. He then explained that while Tana Nile and the
Rigellians did
unleash Ego Prime upon Blackworld, he had been evolved in the process.
(Thor
I#204) – Shortly thereafter,
Silas saw Thor, the Warriors Three, Balder and Hildegarde walking past
their
tenement hideout. Realizing the battle with Ego Prime had ended, Silas
and Tana
joined the Asgardians and learned that they had all been exiled to
Earth.
Despite being sad at her exile on Earth, Tana Nile transformed herself
into
human form, much to Silas’ bewilderment, and agreed to accompany the
Asgardians
in finding a place to stay. Hours later, the Asgardians, Tana Nile and
Silas
Grant joined Thor in rooming at Avengers Mansion. While the others
attempted to
recover from the shock of exile, Silas Grant, Tana Nile and Hildegarde
went for
a walk in Central Park. When a young boy named Chuck missed catching a
baseball
and it rolled under a bridge, Silas Grant agreed to retrieve the ball
for him
and when he did, he seemingly disappeared, having been transported to
Mephisto’s
Hell.
(Thor
I#205 – BTS) – Silas Grant,
along with Thor’s Asgardian friends and numerous random people of
Earth, were
used by Mephisto to lure Thor into his realm. Upon defeating Mephisto,
Thor
returned Silas and the other captives to Earth.
(Avengers
I#105) – Silas Grant
joined Fandral, Hogun, Tana Nile and Hildegarde as they went out on the
town in
search of good food and drink.
(Thor
I#211) – Silas and Tana
Nile watched on television as Ulik attacked New York City. Upon seeing
an
injured Thor on television, Silas decided to go help and asked Tana if
she was
joining him. Assuming her true Rigellian form, Tana Nile accompanied
Silas into
the heart of the battle, attempting to stun one of Geirrodur’s rock
trolls with
her stasis gun.
(Thor
I#212) – Silas joined the
Warriors Three, Thor, Hildegarde and Tana Nile as they watched a
madness-suffering
Balder the Brave. Thinking that Balder’s madness was the work of Odin,
Thor
decided to pay Odin a visit despite his exile from Asgard. Accompanying
him,
Tana Nile, Hogun, Hildegarde and Fandral, Silas commented that the
whole
situation stunk of a trap. Finding a legion of lizard-men in Asgard,
Thor
demanded answers from their leader Sssthgar. After explaining the
lizard-men’s
origins, Ssthgar explained that his world along with Asgard had been
invaded by
insect-like aliens who had captured the Asgardians. Agreeing to help
Ssthgar
gain vengeance on the aliens, Thor, Silas, Hogun, Fandral and
Hildegarde
accompanied Ssthgar to the Land of the Golden Star, where Odin was on a
Vrellnexian auction block. After Thor, Hogun, Fandral and Hildegarde
jumped
into battle against the Vrellnexians, unaware that Ssthgar had planned
to use
Thor and his friends to take over the Land of the Golden Star himself,
Silas
and Tana Nile helped fight off some of the aliens on their own. Once
Thor had
freed Odin, Ssthgar surrounded Silas and Thor’s other friends,
revealing that
now that they had tired themselves out fighting the Vrellnexians that
marooned
Ssthgar’s legions in Asgard, he planned to use them as slaves.
(Thor
I#213) – Surrounded by
Ssthgar’s forces, Silas, Thor and company fought back with Silas
wielding a
piece of wood. Eventually overcome by the lizard-men, Silas was
captured with
Thor and his friends and placed in a dungeon. Thor quickly realized the
gruel
being fed to the slaves was drugged and made his escape, leaving the
drugged
Fandral and unconscious Silas behind. Soon returning to free the
others, Thor
demanded Sif’s location from Ssthgar.
(Thor
I#214) – Escaping on
Ssthgar’s ship, the Starjammer, Thor, with Silas and friends, traveled
to the
Dark Nebula where they were mistakenly attacked by Dark Nebula miners
who had
thought they were raiders. After clearing up the misunderstanding,
Silas and
the others accompanied the miners to their foreman, Kagg, who explained
that
their mine had been under attack by raiders for weeks. Before their
conversation could continue, the mine fell under attack from Mercurio
the 4D
Man and his legions. While Thor and the others fought off Mercurio’s
men, the
miner rushed to save their “jewel.” When the jewel was revealed, Thor
was
surprised to see Sif and the Norn Queen Karnilla inside.
(Thor
I#215) – The jewel itself
ordered Thor, Silas, his friends and even Mercurio into the mines and
when
Mercurio refused, the jewel vibrated and opened a crater that they all
fell
into. Agreeing to work with Mercurio towards destroying the jewel,
Thor, Silas
and company made their way back to the jewel’s location, battling the
jewel-controlled miners. The jewel was eventually launched into space
by the
miners and Thor gathered up his allies onto the Starjammer to pursue
the jewel.
The ship eventually caught up to the miners and the Asgardians boarded
the
miners’ ship in an attempt to free Karnilla and Sif from the jewel,
which began
to transform itself into a gigantic humanoid form.
(Thor
I#216) – When Thor refused
to attack the humanoid jewel, now calling itself Xorr, Odin ordered the
other
Asgardians to stand down. The other Asgardians boarded the Starjammer
and Silas
Grant steered the ship in Thor’s absence. Onboard the ship, Silas
noticed Tana
Nile seemed distracted and commented how she must be thinking of her
homeworld
of Rigel. She explained to him that she sensed danger for Rigel and was
worried. While Odin had Silas lead Xorr to a nearby star, Thor and
Mercurio
managed to free Karnilla and Sif, escaping back to the ship in time for
Xorr to
be shattered by the sun whose power it attempted to harness. Back on
the ship,
Mercurio and Thor parted as allies as The Starjammer made its way home.
(Thor
I#217) – Upon their return
to Asgard, Thor and his friends were met with imposter Asgardians as
conjured
by the sorceror Igron. During the battle, Thor ordered Fandral,
Volstagg and
Balder to protect Silas Grant while he dealt with the imposter Odin.
Once Igron
was defeated and the true Odin took his seat as ruler of Asgard, he
sent for
Silas, Tana Nile, Thor and his friends to tell them that a danger
loomed on the
horizon that would first destroy Rigel and then possibly all the worlds
of men.
(Thor
I#218) – Odin then ordered
Thor, Silas, Tana Nile and Sif to travel to Rigel. They were soon
joined by
Balder as well and upon their arrival, they found Rigel nearly devoid
of life.
They were almost immediately attacked by Rigel’s Mutant Class and both
Silas
and Tana Nile were quickly tied up. Thor quickly defeated the Mutant
Class and
learned that they were left behind by the Rigellian Colonizers for
being
considered inferior. Thor invited them onboard the Starjammer and they
set out
to locate the Colonizers just as the cosmic occurrence known as the
Black Stars
destroyed the planet Rigel. The Starjammer soon met with a large fleet
of
Colonizers who attacked. Meeting the Colonizers in battle, Thor and the
Asgardians battled furiously, learning that the Colonizers had been
ordered by
the Grand Commissioner to destroy any that might impede their journey.
Quickly,
the Colonizers were ordered to halt battle as the Grand Commissioner
deemed
that the Asgardians could be of help to them. Boarding one of the
Rigellian
ships, Thor, Silas and company learned of the Black Stars’ origins and
their
desire to destroy the entire galaxy.
(Thor
I#219) – Silas and the
others looked on in horror at the sight of the Black Stars, fearing
that there
was no hope in saving the galaxy. Thor rallied the Asgardians to fight
against
the Black Stars and as they neared the closest Black Star, a ship
appeared and
from it came the giant Avalon, who attacked the Starjammer. Following a
fierce
fight, Avalon ceased hostilities and explain that he was there to test
them on
behalf of the Sub-Worlders, caretakers and slaves of the Black Stars.
Hoping
that Thor and his friends might help them, Avalon explained the
Sub-Worlders’
origins. Agreeing to aid the Sub-Worlders, Thor and friends were soon
attacked
by the Protector, a large servant of the Black Stars, who had predicted
the
Sub-Worlders’ betrayal. Thor eventually destroyed the Protector and his
allies
continued their journey to the nearest Black Star, which housed the
gigantic
dark lord Kragonn.
(Thor
I#220) – Thor leapt into
battle against Kragonn but was easily knocked unconscious. Avalon
retrieved
Thor and returned to the Sub-Worlders’ Space-Scoop with him. The ship
was soon grabbed
by Kragonn and presented to lord Dracus. Secretly feeling mocked by
Kragonn and
other masters of the Black Stars, Dracus took Thor and the others to
his lab,
where he unleashed a squadron of Protectors to test Thor. While Thor
defeated
the Protectors, Dracus explained to Kragonn the existence of Thor’s
allies. To eliminate
Thor and his allies, Dracus was ordered to unleash intense radiation on
Thor
and his friends but Thor, Silas and the others managed to escape via
flight. The
Sub-Worlders then attacked Kragonn and the other Black Star masters,
with Thor
and friends joining in the fray as well. After Dracus was
incapacitated,
Kragonn was made to listen to reason and agreed to speak with the other
planets
of the Black Stars in an effort to both free the Sub-Worlders and give
up
destroying other smaller planets. Despite Dracus’ pleas, Kragoon agreed
to the
terms, tired of the destruction. Kragonn then allowed Thor and his
friends to
leave freely.
(Thor
I#221 (fb)) – Thor and
friends returned to the Rigellian Colonizers and were praised for their
victory
over the Black Stars. At that time, Silas Grant revealed that he had
decided to
remain with Tana Nile and the Rigellians, having become good friends
with Tana.
With that, Thor and the other Asgardians bid farewell to Tana and Silas
and
continued on their way back to Asgard.
Comments: Created by Gerry
Conway, John Buscema
and Vince Colletta.
Silas
Grant seemed to be able to
survive in space unaided but this remained unconfirmed. He was often
seen
without protective masks or suits while onboard the Starjammer
spaceship but it
was not know if the Starjammer contained some sort of invisible
pressurized
barrier of oxygen around it that might explain why Silas was able to
breathe
unaided. That seemed to be the case as the Rigellian Mutant Class
brought
helmets with them when they boarded the Starjammer but did not have to
put them
on until they left the Starjammer’s deck. Of course, Silas also was
able to
leave the Starjammer and enter the Rigellian ship and back, at which
time he
was not seen wearing protective gear but he wasn’t seen at all during
those
scenes so it’s just as possible that he did wear gear at that point. IF
he
could indeed survive unaided in space, it was likely a result of Ego
Prime’s
evolving...
It
was unrevealed whatever
happened to Silas. Though Tana Nile did eventually show up again, Silas
did
not...
Thanks to Brandon Nash for pointing out Gerr's name (one of the Mutant Class) from the Rhunians profile in Thor: Asgard's Avenger.
Profile
by Proto-Man.
Ships sub-profile and "Silas" clarifications added by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Silas Grant has no known connections to
- Grant, Dr., attempted to blow up Niagara Falls
power station, enemy of Namor @ Marvel Mystery Comics#44
- Grant,
Mr., Brand Corporation, former
supervisor of Buzz Baxter @ Amazing Adventures II#13
- Grant, Mr., aka Audit, former head of Warheads
Kether Troop, briefly possessed by Golem @ Warheads#1
- Grant,
Prof., nuclear physicist, attempted to
use telepathic children as prevention of missile attacks @ Mystic#41
- Grant, Amber, high school friend of James-Michael Starling @ Omega the Unknown I#1
- Grant, Donald, childhood friend of Patsy Walker (Hellcat), manipulated by Russell Daboia @ Avengers 2001 Annual
- Grant, Doug, Golden Age character @ Spy Cases#1
- Grant, Gary “Long Green,” Earth-Shadowline, wrestling promoter @ Powerline#3
- Grant, “Gator,” Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, mutated into reptilian form @ Thing I#29
- Grant, Gloria “Glory,” Daily Bugle secretary, developed hatred of Spider-Man when Eduardo Lobo died in battle against him @ Amazing Spider-Man I#140
- Grant, Mary Meeke, wife of Donald Grant, childhood friend of Patsy Walker, briefly controlled by Russell Daboia @ Avengers 2000 Annual
- Grant, Max, employed by the Committee, killed by the Werewolf (Jack Russell) @ Marvel Spotlight I#2
- Grant, Phillip, Stark Enterprises computer hacker @ Iron Man I#305
- Grant, Richard Thomas, Broadway Project, slain by Morbius @ Dracula Lives!#7
- Grant, Steven, alias used by Moon Knight @ Marvel Spotlight I#28
- Cragg, Silas X - enemy from Captain America's past, empowered Man-Brute--Captain America I#121
- Mourner, Silas - Council of Antiquarians/Collectors--Black Panther I#4
- Stenson, Silas of Earth-5555 circa 8162 AD - N.U.R.S.E., pawn of Matron, killed by Slaughterhouse--Dragon’s Claws#1
- Cyber (Silas Burr) - mutant, old enemy of Wolverine, skin coated with Adamantium--Marvel Comics Presents I#85
- Mindstar (Silas Warden) - mystic assassin, empowered by Anubis--Son of Satan#5
- Solarr (Silas King) - hire-projecting mutant, Egghead’s Emissaries of Evil, killed by Bres while at Project PEGASUS--Captain America I#160
- Silas ?? - vampire, head of gunrunning ring, destroyed by Blade, reanimated when Blade unwittingly fulfilled a prophecy--Blade III#7
- Silas ?? - NYPD, assistant to Det. Jonas Fogg--Sensational Spider-Man III#35
- Silas of the Inquisitors of Earth-93060 - agent of Donnos--Mantra I#10
- Dr. Glenn Silas - vampire, served Solomon Negus--Spider-Man vs. Vampires#1
- or any other "Silas" or "Grant" characters
 |
(Thor I#198 (fb) - BTS) - Silas
Grant's small sailboat and the green lands almost instantly changed
into a large steamship with villages filling the previously open land. (Thor I#197) - Sif was shocked to see a steamship -- an
anachronism in this world of knights and monsters -- approach. Silas
Grant then lowered himself via a rowboat and approached them. As Sif
worried that her mind betrayed her, Silas assured her that that was not
the case, as this was all "His" doing. Taking Sif and Hildegarde aboard his
rowboat and noting that he guessed that he was the only one that had
survived these changes, Silas brought them to his steam ship. --Thor I#197 (198 |  |
Chuck
was a New York child who was playing baseball in Central Park when
Silas Grant,
Tana Nile and Hildegarde took a walk. When Chuck missed catching a
ball, Silas
Grant went to retrieve the ball for Chuck and seemingly disappeared.
Terrified,
Chuck ran back to his friends.
--Thor
I#204
images: (without ads)
Thor I#202, p8, pan4 (Silas Grant w/crowbar, main image)
Thor I#198, p10, pan1 (Silas Grant headshot)
Thor I#197, pg. 15, panel 1-2 (Silas Grant, steamship and rowboat)
Thor I#204, p13, pan5 (Chuck)
Appearances:
Thor I#197 (March, 1972) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema (art),
Vince
Colletta (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Thor I#198 (April, 1972) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema (art),
Vince
Colletta (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Thor I#199 (May, 1972) – Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema (art),
Vince
Colletta (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Thor I#201 (July, 1972) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema
(layouts), Jim
Mooney (finishes), Stan Lee (editor)
Thor I#202 (August, 1972) – Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema (art),
Vinnie
Colletta (inks)
Thor I#203 (September, 1972) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema
(art), Vince
Colletta (inks)
Thor I#204 (October, 1972) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema
(pencils), Jim
Mooney (finishes), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#205 (November, 1972) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema
(art), Vinnie
Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Avengers I#105 (November, 1972) – Steve Englehart (writer), John
Buscema
(pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#211 (May, 1973) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema, Don
Perlin (art),
Vinnie Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#212 (June, 1973) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema, Don
Perlin
(art), Vinnie Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#213 (July, 1973) – Gerry Conway (story), Len Wein (script), John
Buscema, Don Perlin (art), Vince Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#214 (August, 1973) – Gerry Conway (script), Sal Buscema (art),
Jim
Mooney (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#215 (September, 1973) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema, Jim
Mooney
(art), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#216 (October, 1973) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema, Jim
Mooney
(art), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#217 (November, 1973) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema, Sal
Buscema
(art), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#218 (December, 1973) – Gerry Conway (writer), John Buscema
(art), Jim
Mooney (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#219 (January, 1974) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema (art),
Mike
Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#220 (February, 1974) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema
(art), Mike
Esposito (embellishes), Roy Thomas (editor)
Thor I#221 (March, 1974) – Gerry Conway (script), John Buscema (art),
Mike
Esposito (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
First Posted: 04/07/2013
Last updated: 10/18/2020
Any
Additions/Corrections? please
let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and ©
1941-2099 Marvel Characters,
Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out
the real
thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
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