CAL JOHNSONCAL JOHNSON
Real Name: Cal (perhaps short for Calvin) Johnson
Identity/Class: Human
Occupation: Student
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Fantastic Four (Ant-Man/Scott Lang, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Sue Richards, Thing/Ben Grimm), Xxirys;
Enemies: Grottu, the Miztli Tlanti (“Puma’s Teeth”), Phzzzrrzztlzzzz (aka Fizzle; one of the Blips), Rorgg, the Two-Headed Thing, Yucoya-Tzin (Mocuepa Tlalticpactli, "The Lord Who Creates"), Zzutak
Known Relatives: Frank Johnson (nee Juan Francisco Alonso, father), unidentified mother
Aliases: "Kiddo" (from dad)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed location in Oregon
First Appearance: Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (September, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: As a youth, Cal did not demonstrate particular skills, but he was willing to sacrifice his own life rather than have his father risk threatening the world by reviving Zzutak.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 3'8" when last seen (see comments))History:
(Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters#1) - Frank married an unidentified woman.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Intrigued by the incident with Zzutak, Frank began to explore other giant monster sightings, and he obtained the remains of Phzzzrrzztlzzzz (one of the Blips), Rorgg, Grottu, and the Two-Headed Thing; while Frank believed these beings to be deceased, they were actually in death-like states of stasis.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Frank and his wife had a son, Cal.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Cal was a fan of dinosaurs and anything else that was big.
(Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters#1 (fb) - BTS) - Frank Johnson formed the Museum of the Monstrous and Strange, using his monster remains as display exhibits.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Frank's brochure detailed his adventure with Zzutak.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS / Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster Hunters#1 (fb) - BTS) - Frank and his wife were divorced, and Cal lived with his mother in Oregon.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Frank invited Cal to attend his museum's grand opening.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Frank's ex-wife agreed to allow Cal to attend the museum's grand opening.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to use Frank to revive Zzutak, Yucoya-Tzin led a number of his Miztli Tlanti warriors to the museum.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Frank invited the Fantastic Four (Ant-Man, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Thing) to be guests of honor at his museum's grand opening,
At some point, Frank told Cal that the Fantastic Four would be there.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7) - Frank led the Fantastic Four into his museum, after which an excited Cal rushed in, asking if that was the real Fantastic Four. Jumping into his dad's arms, Cal confirmed that his dad had never lied to them. After Frank noted Cal's interests, the Thing asked Cal if he was big enough for him, and Cal told him "Sure are, Mr. Grimm."
After Ant-Man discovered Yucoya-Tzin and his warriors and alerted Frank, he instructed his security guards to get everybody out of the museum. Yucoya-Tzin then announced to Frank he had come to take possession of the "Great ones" (the giant monsters) and that they were merely in suspended animation.
After Yucoya-Tzin had revived the monsters and the Fantastic Four were engaged in battle with them, Frank sent Cal to run to his office, lock the door, and wait until he called him.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Apparently having anticipated this move, Yucoya-Tzin confronted Cal in Frank's office and threatened him with a knife to ensure his silence.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7) - After Frank returned to his office, evading some of the Miztli Tlanti in the process, he told Cal they had to get out of there before the priest's goons doubled back. Hesitating, Frank told his father "It ain't that easy!" and then Yucoya-Tzin revealed his presence and threatened Cal to force his compliance in returning to Mexico with him. Frank promised to go willingly if he let Cal go, but Yucoya insisted that Frank was not in a position to bargain and that he would take them both with him.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) -
Before departing, Frank (or possibly Cal) wrote a "Z" in the dust on
his desk as a clue for the Fantasti
c Four to follow him to where he had
first encountered Zzutak.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 - BTS) - The Fantastic Four discovered the "Z" and...
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - ...correctly determined that it referred to Zzutak, which led them to find the location of the previous Zzutak encounter from the brochure and then follow him him there.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (fb) - BTS) - Yucoya and the Miztli Tlanti brought Frank and Cal back to the ancient Aztec temple just beyond the village of Quapultec.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7) - With Cal tied to a rock and threatened at knife point, Yucoya gave Frank a spray can containing their enchanted paints and sent him into the ruins to revive Zzutak. Cal told his father not to help Yucoya no matter what they did to him, Frank -- whose Aztec heritage had just been revealed -- noted that he had to do this because, "If I have a country -- a nation -- its name is Cal Johnson.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 - BTS) - After reviving Zzutak as instructed, Frank similarly revived his other creation, late designated Xxirys, and used paints to bond it to the Fantastic Four's wills, which allowed Xxirys to defeat Zzutak, leaving both creatures buried once again.
(Fantastic Four Unlimited#7) - After
the Fantastic Four
captured Yucoya-Tzin, Cal praised his father as being most
responsible for Zzutak's defeat. Frank told him not to make him
out too much of a hero, and he blamed himself for having
gathered the other monsters. When he noted that all he had done down in
Mexico was make up for that, Cal proclaimed that he had certainly done
that.
The Torch further suggested that Yucoya-Tzin
would eventually have figured out a way to revive Zzutak with or
without him, and that it was best that it happened when Frank had the
Fantastic Four with him.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, and Carmen Imperato.
In his original appearance, Cal could have been anywhere from 5-10
years old...mature for 5, small for 10.
With the original story coming out in 1994, and with Marvel Time
equating one year to about 4-5 years of real time, that would put Cal
at anywhere from 10 to 17 years-old as of 2022...and getting 3-5 months
older every year.
Cal Johnson originally had a sub-profile under Prime Eternal's Zzutak way back on 2/18/2002.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Cal Johnson should be distinguished from:
Appearances:
Fantastic Four Unlimited#7 (September, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer),
Herb Trimpe (pencils), Carmen Imperato (inker), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone and the Monster
Hunters#1 (January, 2006) - Michael Hoskin, Madison Carter, Jeff
Christiansen, Sean McQuaid, Stuart Vandal, Eric Moreels, Ronald Byrd,
Barry Reese (writers), Jennifer Grunwald & Michael Short (assistant
editors), Jeff Younquist (editor)
FF Fifty Fantastic Years#1: Yucoya-Tzin entry (November,
2011) - Jeff Christiansen, Mike O'Sullivan & Stuart Vandal (head
writers/coordinators), Markus Raymond & Mike Fichera (assistant
coordinators), Sean McQuaid, Madison Carter, Markus Raymond, Ronald
Byrd, Patrick Duke, Kevin Garcia, Anthony Cotilletta, Roger Ott, Rob
London, Seth Johnson & Eduardo Frye (writers), Gus Vasquez
(artist), Theodore W. Kutt (copy editor), James Emmett & Joe
Hochstein (editorial assistants), Alex Starbuck & Nelson Ribeiro
(assistant editors), Jennifer Grunwald & Mark D. Beazley (editors,
special projects), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
First posted: 12/18/2022
Last updated: 12/18/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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