Devil Dinosaur

Origin

Devil Dinosaur is a red dinosaur similar to a Tyrannosaurus Rex that was born on an alternate Earth. He has somewhat of a telepathic link to a Neanderthal named Moon-Boy, his closest friend. For a dinosaur, Devil Dinosaur is highly intelligent and seems to understand most situations.

Creation

Devil Dinosaur was created, written and drawn by Jack Kirby and first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #1 published in April 1978.

Major Story Arcs

Enter Moon Boy

As a young Devil-Beast, Devil Dinosaur's mother and his siblings were lured into a trap by the Killer-Folk (a race of prehistoric people) who then proceeded to kill Devil's entire family. Only the lone young dinosaur remained, but before the Killer-Folk could finish him off, a nearby volcano exploded, raining fire down on the ground. The Killer-Folk fled, but Devil was still wounded from the earlier battle. Moon-Boy, a member of the Small-Folk (another prehistoric race) found the injured Devil and brought him into the forest to tend to his wounds. But a Leaper (a type of raptor) tried to attack them, before the wounded Devil fought back and killed it. As Moon-Boy nursed Devil Dinosaur back to health, a bond formed between the boy and his dinosaur, and the two would become close companions. After Moon-Boy was outcast from his home village because the Small-Folk feared Devil, the two would claim the Valley of Fire (Devil's original home) as their new home.

There, the two friends would have many adventures, including defeating the Killer-Folk, encountering the giant prehistoric spider named Long-Legs, and fighting the Giant (a member of a race of giant humans, believed to be the precursors of giants of myth). They also survived an alien invasion by the robotic Invaders, giant ants known as Swarmers, and even a living computer. Other enemies include the Dino-Riders (who tried to capture Devil for their own uses) and the Hag of the Pits (an evil witch). Through all of these battles, Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur developed a close bond and could even understand one another.

Fallen Angels

Ariel, an extraterrestrial mutant with the ability to teleport, teleports the Fallen Angels to Dinosaur World. The group encounters Devil Dinosaur and Moon Boy and convince them to join their team and return to Earth-616 with them. Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur accepted and were hurled into the present-day Marvel Universe where they fought alongside mutant superheroes such as Multiple Man, Boomer, Warlock and Sunspot. The team would become known as the Fallen Angels. While with the Fallen Angels, Devil Dinosaur accidentally kills Don, the team's cyborg mutant lobster, by stepping on him. Some weeks later, the group disbanded and Moon-Boy and Devil Dinosaur were brought to the Savage Land, a modern day wilderness in the middle of Antarctica. It was much like the environment Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur were familiar with, so a good home for the two.

Heroes for Hire

Moon Boy was eventually kidnapped by a group of superheroes named the Heroes for Hire whom sought to bring him back to a lab so experiments could be done with him. Devil Dinosaur immediately pursued the group to help out his friend and bring him back. With Devil Dinosaur on their tails, most of the group started doubting about the mission and felt it would be a crime to take Moon Boy away from his normal habitat and friends. The group eventually agreed to leave Moon Boy behind. Unfortunately, the mercenary known as Paladin was not part of this agreement and stole Moon Boy either way. Eventually the other members of the group managed to free him and return him to the Savage Land and his friend, the Devil Dinosaur.

Nextwave and a Clone of Devil Dinosaur

A clone of Devil Dinosaur was revealed to be the criminal mastermind behind the terrorist organization known as S.I.L.E.N.T. in NextWave. He has been using S.I.L.E.N.T. to field test unusual weapons of mass destruction (UMDs) in order to kill all the monkeys with their constant chatter and noise. He wants to return the world to a more peaceful time, to more Jurassic values.

He used to be paired with a man named Moon-Boy, a member of a humanoid race called "Small Folk", until Devil Dinosaur realized that Moon-Boy treated him like a dumb animal. He ate Moon-Boy. The Devil Dinosaur clone was presumably killed when the Nextwave squad kicked a spherical structure Devil Dinosaur was standing in off of State 51 and into a valley were it exploded.

Skaar, Spider-Man and Return to the Past

The Devil Dinosaur that encountered Nextwave turned out not to be the real Devil Dinosaur. The real Devil Dinosaur had stayed in the Savage Land where he fought with Skaar, the son of the Hulk. Some months later, Moonboy was found by the Fantastic Four (after Spider-man fought the duo) and both Devil Dinosaur and Moonboy were placed back in the past.

Devil Dinosaur and Moon...Girl!

More recently, Devil Dinosaur has teamed up with Lunella Lafayette.

Character Profile

• Height: 20'
• Weight: 3 tons
• Eye Color: Red
• Hair Color: None
• Species: Devil Beast
• Place of Birth: Valley of the Flame
• Known Masters: Moonboy, Lunella Lafayatte/Moongirl
• Distinguishing features: Red scales, similar appearance as a Tyrannosaurus Rex

Other Media

Animated

Super Hero Squad Show

Devil Dinosaur appears in the Super Hero Squad Show episode, "The Devil Dinosaur You Say!"