The Living Monolith (Ahmet Abdol) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Don Heck, and first appeared in The X-Men #54 (March 1969).[1][2]
| The Living Monolith | |
|---|---|
 The Living Monolith as depicted in X-Men (vol. 2) #94 (November 1999). Art by Alan Davis. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The X-Men #54 (March 1969) |
| Created by | Arnold Drake Don Heck |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Ahmet Abdol |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Cult of the Living Monolith The Twelve |
| Partnerships | Plasma |
| Notable aliases | Living Pharaoh Living Planet |
| Abilities | Energy absorption and projection Superhuman strength, durability and longevity Size and mass manipulation Telepathy |
Abdol is the Living Pharaoh while in his normal appearance, but once he obtained enough cosmic energy, he would increase in mass, size, and power, thus becoming the Living Monolith.[3]
Abdol has mainly been an X-Men villain, usually using Havok to become the Living Monolith. He has also used other superheroes, including the Fantastic Four (who gained their super powers from exposure to cosmic rays). He even killed his own daughter to achieve his goal.
Fictional character biography
editAhmet Abdol is a professor of Egyptology and archeologist with the ability to manipulate cosmic energy. Deciding to use his powers for personal gain, Abdol creates a cult around himself as the messiah, the Cult of the Living Pharaoh, intending to rule the world.[4]
Abdol discovers that another mutant, Alex Summers / Havok, can manipulate energy more easily than himself. Abdol kidnaps Havok to increase his power and battles the X-Men.[5][6][7] He is captured by Sentinels, but escapes.[8]
Abdol later steals a ruby scarab and battled the Living Mummy.[9] As the Living Monolith, he battles Spider-Man and Thor.[10] Later, using the Cheops Crystal, he becomes the Monolith again and battles battled Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Cyclops, Storm, and Nightcrawler.[11]
Later, Abdol abducts the Fantastic Four to absorb cosmic radiation from their bodies. This causes him to grow to a planet's size before Thor throws him into outer space.[12]
Abdol's relative, Leila O'Toole / Plasma, joins the Cult of the Living Pharaoh and tries to capture Havok for the Pharaoh.[13][14] During this time, it is revealed that Mister Sinister gave Abdol his powers by splicing his genes with Havok's.[volume & issue needed]
During the Monolith's time in space, the civilian Akasha acquires his staff and becomes the second Living Pharaoh. Spider-Man destroys the staff, leaving Akasha with only fragments of the Pharaoh's power.[volume & issue needed]
In the Apocalypse: The Twelve storyline, the Living Monolith is among the mutants who Apocalypse captures in an attempt to gain omnipotence. Apocalypse then attempts to possess Nate Grey before the process is interrupted, forcing him to possess Cyclops instead.[15][16]
Abdol later obtains the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak and becomes a titanic fusion of himself and Juggernaut. However, he is depowered when Cyttorak returns the power to the original Juggernaut, Cain Marko.[17][18]
Powers and abilities
editAhmet Abdol possesses the mutant ability to absorb cosmic energy, transforming him into the Living Monolith. After genetically augmenting himself, he gains the additional ability to empower himself by absorbing energy and psychic abilities that enable him to read and control the minds of others.[2][17] Additionally, he is a skilled scientist specializing in archaeology, genetics, and radiation.
In other media
edit- The Living Monolith appears as a boss in X-Men.[citation needed]
- The Living Monolith appears as a boss in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, voiced by Dwight Schultz.[19]
- Ahmet Abdol as the Living Monolith and Living Pharaoh appears as a boss in Marvel Avengers Alliance.
References
edit- ^ DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 215. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ a b Allan, Scoot; Samson, Antonio (May 31, 2024). "15 Strongest X-Men Villains, Ranked". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains. New York: Facts on File. p. 191. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.[1]
- ^ Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 135. ISBN 978-1465455505.
- ^ Allan, Scoot (September 14, 2020). "X-Men Anatomy: The 5 Weirdest Facts About Havok's Body". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ The X-Men #54-55. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The X-Men #56-57. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The X-Men #58-60. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Supernatural Thrillers #9. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Marvel Team-Up #69-70. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Power Man and Iron Fist #56-57. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Marvel Graphic Novel #17. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Marvel Comics Presents #24–31. Marvel Comics.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #376 (Jan. 2000). Marvel Comics.
- ^ Cassidy, Eve (June 12, 2020). "X-Men: How Marvel Mashed Up Cyclops and Apocalypse". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ Zachary, Brandon (March 21, 2021). "X-Men: How Ages of Apocalypse Created Forgotten Marvel Alternate Realities". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Stovall, Justin (September 11, 2020). "Juggernaut: How the Largest X-Men Villain Became the Marvel Powerhouse". CBR. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ Amazing X-Men vol. 2 #17-18. Marvel Comics.
- ^ "Living Monolith Voice - X-Men Legends 2: Rise Of Apocalypse (Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. December 19, 2019. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
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External links
edit- Living Monolith at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
- Living Monolith at Marvel.com
- The Topographical Man at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe; a possible alternate future Living Monolith in the Guardians of the Galaxy universe