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OGUN

Real Name: Ogun

Identity/Class: African god

Occupation: God of war, god of iron and metalworkers

Group Membership: The Vodū (Gods of Africa)

Affiliations: Marinette-Bwa-Chech

Enemies: Daniel Drumm, Makeen, Nightmare, Papa Legba, Dr. Voodoo (Jericho Drumm)

Known Relatives: Lusa (father), Mahu (mother),
Sagbata, Damballah, Legba, Eschu, Loco, Zaca, Gu, Maou (brothers), Shango (twin brother);
Ayaba, Faa, Erzulie, Avlekete (sisters); Oya (sister-in-law/(wife?)); Osun (wife); Nyambi (uncle); Asase-Ya (aunt), Anansi (cousin); Obatala (grandfather), Odudua (grandmother)

Aliases: Ogoun

Base of Operations: Orun (Bondye), the Great Beyond

First Appearance: Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#17/2 (May, 1990)

Powers/Abilities: Like other Vodū, Ogun is a true immortal who has ceased to age upon reaching adulthood and  cannot die by conventional means. He is immune to terrestrial diseases and resistant to conventional injury (but not magical). If wounded conventionally, his godly life force enables him to recover at a superhuman rate. Injured magically, Ogun is missing his right hand. Ogun's flesh and bone are about two-and-a-half times denser than similar human tissue, contributing to his superhuman strength and weight, which may magnify with his apparent increase in size in times of rage. He can lift about 25 tons and his metabolism gives him superhuman endurance in all physical activities. Ogun can unleash eye blasts of considerable destructive power. Fearless, he is also quick to anger. He has vast knowledge of iron metalwork, particularly manufacturing weapons, and initially carried a giant hammer. Ogun consumes the venom of spitting cobras for sustenance, which are also part of sacrificial offerings to him by worshipers. Like other Vodū, he can be attended by loa, spirits of varying power.

Height: Variable up to at least 40' (by approximation)
Weight: Variable
Eyes: White (glow when charging with power)
Hair: Black

History:

(Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica) - The Vodū (also known as the "Orishas" or West African gods) are a race of superhumanly powerful humanoid beings. Most of these gods dwell in the Orun (Bondye), a small "pocket" dimension adjacent to Earth; several interdimensional nexuses between Orun and Earth exist in Africa. While Vodū gods are called different names by their human worshipers, Ogun has largely retained his original sound (although other potential religious interpretations exist - see comments).

   Buluku, the supreme all-father of the Vodū, sired twin offspring, Lusa and Mahu, who in turn sired several divine pairs of twins (including Ogun and Shango), who all possessed a unique aspect of Buluku's omnipotence. Lusa, Mahu and their family became directly active in mortal affairs and descended to the ancient city of Ife, the legendary first city of the Yoruba people.

(Vodu mythology) - The gods found only soft metal for clearing forest on Earth, and Ogun shared the secret of iron with the gods and humans for tools and weapons.

(Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica) - Eventually, Lusa, Mahu and their family strayed from Ife and settled in other mortal cities in Western Africa.

(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural# (fb) - BTS) - Many of the Vodū kept Bondye for their councils.

(Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica) - In recent centuries, the Vodū's mortal followers incorporated aspects of Christianity into their worship, which had since spread to the Caribbean (particularly Haiti and Cuba), and Central America, initially through slave trade and colonialism. Through ritualistic propitiation and invocations directed toward a particular Vodū or loa, mortals could tap their patron god's power.

(Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#20/2 (fb)) - In the 1500s, Ogun supported Legba in giving power of the loa to a mortal human as a force of good against the evil unleashed by their brother Sagbata and Chthon.

(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#1 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Ogun gained (or created) the dangerous loa Marinette-Bwa-Chech as his herald and helper.

(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#3 (fb)) - Ogun, since darkened by rage and war, and now dubbed Ogoun the Slayer, lived in a swamp realm of iron and pain in Bondye. In the "six hundredth and sixteenth Age of Man", Papa Legba and Makeen (that era's Sorcerer Supreme) traveled to Bondye seeking help from years of drought and plague, but unwittingly awoke Ogun. While Marinette-Bwa-Chech taunted the human duo, the enraged gigantic Ogun pushed through the magic seals on the door. Seeing the imminent threat and recognizing Ogun had been foretold in the Book of the Vishanti as a destroyer, the two magic-wielders sacrificed their lives to prevent Ogun's escape, their additional magic seals severing Ogun's right hand as the door closed.

   Despite being locked away, Ogun's worship continued (possibly by possessing mortals who invoked his name).

(Daredevil: Father#4 (fb) - BTS/All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#9) - In the current era, to fight crime, young Nestor Rodriguez formed hero group the Santerians, whose members underwent Orisha religious rites to gain super powers, reinforced by their faith. The one with super strength named himself Ogun (any connection to the god is speculative - see comments).

(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#1) - Marinette-Bwa-Chech attacked Dr. Voodoo as the first step to Ogun's plan for freedom.

(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#4) - Dr. Voodoo felt forced to open the gate to Bondye to counter an intense otherworldly attack from the power-mad Nightmare. He and the spirit of his dead brother Daniel Drumm traveled to the crossroads with the sealed doors, past the petrified bodies of Makeen and Papa Legba, and reopened the door; Ogun's petrified giant hand crumbled away as it opened. Angered at the reopened gate, all the Vodū (except the good Yamalla and the corrupt Ogun) fled. Dr. Voodoo and Drumm quickly returned.

(Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#5) - Dr. Voodoo (with Dr. Doom's unwitting help) cast Nightmare into Bondye, where Nightmare was captured and his dark essence consumed by Ogun in the swamps. Marinette-Bwa-Chech arrived and told him that the door was open again. Ogun declared he intended to leave.

Comments: Adapted by Roy Thomas; R.J.M. Lofficier, Geof Isherwood, Mickey Ritter.

The Doctor Voodoo series was cut short and seemed to promise Ogun as a major villain for the next story arc. But maybe his rage abated once he left his swamp realm of iron and pain.

I wonder if the elder god Chthon corrupted Ogun, enhancing his destructive power, potentially as revenge against the Vodū for thwarting his earlier zombie plot with Sagbata.

More on the god Ogun can be found here; he appears in several West African religions and Haitian Vodu (extra info here). Ogun has various aspects and facets, which is unsurprising given the spread of his worship and the later influence of Christianity, although the core elements remain. While he does respond to prayers and is not considered evil, he is seen as fierce and authoritarian.

It is said that Ogun inspired and led the slave revolt of the Haitian revolution of 1804. Likewise, Marinette-Bwa-Chech is said to have aided in this revolt. This could be brought into the Marvel world.

As per the Santerian religion (which is similar to voodoo), Ogun is considered part of the Orisha pantheon. While the super hero group the Santerians claim faith-based powers, it seems unlikely the super hero Ogun has any direct connection with the god Ogun.

As per the Vodū entry, the Vodū gods have different names, depending on the location and language of the worshipers. Ogun might be related to the war god Kibuka of the Baganda people. Kibuka seems connected with Ghekre, who would later be worshiped as the "Gorilla God" by the White Gorilla Cult of Wakanda's Jabari tribe.

This profile was completed 7/01/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Ogun/Ogoun has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#5, p, pan (main image)
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#17/2, p2, pan (crouching)
Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#3, p, pan (rage, reaching through door)

Appearances:
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#17/2 (May, 1990) - Roy Thomas, R.J.M. Lofficier (writers), Geof Isherwood (pencils), Mickey Ritter (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor) (reprinted in Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#3/2)
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#20/2 (August, 1990) - Roy Thomas, R.J.M. Lofficier (writers), Geof Isherwood (pencils & inks), Ralph Macchio (editor) (reprinted in Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#4/2)
Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#3 (February, 2010) - Rick Remender (writer), Gabriel Hardman, Jefté Palo (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural#5 (April, 2010) - Rick Remender (writer), Jefté Palo (pencils & inks), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Thor & Hercules: Encyclopedia Mythologica (2009) - Anthony Flamini, Greg Pak, Fred Van Lante & Paul Cornell (writers), Jeff Youngquist (editor)

First posted: 09/18/2021
Last updated: 09/17/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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