Giganto

Giganto (/dʒaɪˈɡæntoʊ/) is a fictional monster appearing in the American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Giganto has been seen across two separate instances in the Marvel Universe.

Publication history

The Deviant Mutate version of Giganto was first seen in Fantastic Four #1 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Fictional character biographies

Giganto (Deviant Mutate)

The first Giganto seen was one of the mutates created by the

The Mole Man unleashed Giganto upon the surface world to attack and destroy chemical plants in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Australia, South America, and French Africa. It brought the attention of the Fantastic Four who headed to Monster Island. The Mole Man unleashed Giganto upon them until it was held back by the Human Torch's attacks.^[2]

A Giganto with a lizard-like appearance followed the Fantastic Four back to New York where it fought them. After it was knocked into the sea, that Giganto tunnelled underground and escaped.^[3]

When the X-Men were in Mole Man's realm, the Mole Man unleashed Giganto upon them. Giganto was too much for the X-Men even when Mole Man sent more mutates to battle them. They were subdued in Mole Man's echo cave.^[4]

When Mole Man learned that millionaire Alden Maas had destroyed part of his underground kingdom when reaching the Earth's core, Mole Man unleashed Giganto upon Maas' facilities while he teamed up with Human Torch and

A Skrull named De'Lila was brainwashing Giganto and the rest of Mole Man's monsters. Giganto was sent as a diversion while she looked for the lost Inorganic Technodrone.^[7] Giganto was used by Mole Men to capture Skrulls that were also looking for the Inorganic Technodrone. Giganto ended up fighting the "new" Fantastic Four (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider). It attempted to crush Hulk before it was stabbed by Wolverine.^[8] The Inorganic Technodrone was finally found by Giganto's mate who had laid on the flying saucer containing it thinking it was a nest. Although Mole Man and De'Lila tried to claim the Inorganic Technodrone for their own before it could end up imprinted by someone, it ended up accepting Giganto's mate who had imprinted on it and accepted it as if it were her own child.^[9]

Mole Man, Giganto, and

Mole Man assembled Giganto and other monsters to invade the surface only for it to be abandoned when the Fantastic Four were discovered to be alive.[11]

During his labors for the reality TV Show "The New Labors of Hercules", Hercules was sent to capture Giganto as a reimaging of his labor to capture the Man-Eating Mares of King Diomedes. Hercules used an enormous chain to snare Giganto then swung it at Giganto's brothers. Mole Man sent some Moloids to attack Hercules who attacked them by swinging Giganto toward them.^[12]

The Moloids later employed Giganto to help them find the Mole Man. To do that, they captured people dressed as Santa Claus when they misinterpreted Mole Man's last words being "Santa".^[13]

Alongside Frankencastle, Morbius the Living Vampire and other monsters, Giganto helped repel an attack by a squad of Japanese monster hunters who were attempting to exterminate all of Earth's monsters.^[14]

Giganto (Atlantean beasts)

The second Giganto seen were a race of Altantean beasts that resemble whales with arms and legs. Their origins are unknown, but are said to have been genetically engineered by the Deviants. They sleep on the ocean floor until wakened/summoned by whoever blows the Horn of Proteus.

In the 19th century, a Giganto encountered the Pequod and its crew led by Captain Ahab (who was Ulysses Bloodstone). This inspired the legend of Moby-Dick.^[15]

When Prince

Later, Doctor Doom had one of his servants steal the Horn of Proteus awakening a larger Giganto and a number of sea monsters to attack a New England town. The Fantastic Four and the Avengers weren't able to stop them, but Reed Richards and Iron Man managed to attach a sonic generator on it causing the sea monsters to return to the sea.^[17]

Namor later summoned Giganto and other sea monsters to oppose Doctor Doom (who had amassed the combined power of the Cosmic Cube, Galactus, and a few other various objects/beings) and they weren't enough to defeat Doctor Doom.^[18]

Namor and the Fantastic Four fought Giganto when

In a plot to assist the Human Torch and Anne Raymond, Namor disguised himself as the Mad Thinker and unleashed a robot version of Giganto. The robot was burned by the Human Torch.[20]

As a plot to ruin Namor, Llyra and Llyron used the Horn of Proteus to awaken Giganto and sent him to attack the UN Building. Namor was unable to defeat it and Llyron appeared heroic as Giganto returned to the sea.^[21]

Squirrel Girl managed to fight and defeat Giganto on one occasion.^[22]

The nearing arrival of the Apocalypse Beast caused Giganto and other monsters to go on a rampage in Tokyo. The Fantastic Four and Iron Man fought them. Human Torch and Thing took control of a robot called Oteksuken and used it to defeat Giganto and

In the storyline Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America, Tiger Shark used the Horn of Proteus to summon Giganto and other sea monsters to attack the city. The Mighty Avengers fought it and Namor returned Giganto to the sea.^[25]

A Giganto was found in a shipwreck just off the Atlantic Ocean by Stingray and a salvage crew. Angered by this disturbance, it attacked Stingray who tried to defeat it with some grenades. Giganto then swallowed Stingray and seemingly choke to death on him. Stingray managed to survive.^[26]

Powers and abilities

The Deviant Mutate version of Giganto has vast physical attributes, the ability to dig underground, and hold his breath underwater.

The Atlantean Beast version of Giganto has immense strength, resistance to injury, can adapt itself both underwater and on the surface, as well as shooting water from its blowhole.

Other versions

In the "House of M" storyline, the Deviant mutate version of Giganto was killed by Doctor Doom's Fearsome Four alongside Mole Man.^{[volume & issue needed]}

In JLA/Avengers, the Deviant mutate version of Giganto was among the monsters who fight the Justice League in their search for the Ultimate Nullifier.^[27] Namor later mentions the Atlantean Giganto, comparing the effects of Aquaman's marine life telepathy on a half-Atlantean like him as feeling like his head had been crushed by the beast.^[28]

A

A Marvel 2099 version of the Atlantean Giganto appears in Spider-Man 2099 #42-43, controlled by Roman, the 2099 Sub-Mariner. Roman, a genetically engineered "mutate" created as part of the Alchemax's New Atlantis Project, sent Giganto to attack the surface world when Alchemax attempted to remove the rebelling mutates. Spider-Man 2099 gained control of the Horn of Proteus and used it to send Giganto back.^[30] In Secret Wars: 2099, Roman summons Giganto to fight the Dweller of the Deep.^[31]

In other media

Television

• Giganto appears in the
  Fantastic Four
  (1967) episode "Demon in the Deep". This version is an ordinary whale enhanced by the villain Gamma Ray.
• Both versions of Giganto appear in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes. The Deviant Mutate version first appeared in the episode "De-Mole-Ition", while the Atlantean Beast version appears in the episodes "Imperious Rex" and "Atlantis Attacks".

• The Atlantean Beast version of Giganto appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "Beneath the Surface". This version is primarily peaceful, only attacking when provoked or controlled by others.

Video games

• The Deviate version of Giganto appears in Fantastic Four (1997).

• The Deviate version of Giganto appears in Marvel Heroes.

References