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    Fin Fang Foom

    Character » Fin Fang Foom appears in 389 issues.

    Fin Fang Foom is an alien from Kakaranathara. He is mainly seen battling Iron Man.

    Short summary describing this character.

    Fin Fang Foom last edited by Darth_Nimrod on 09/30/23 02:03PM View full history

    Origin

    Fin Fang Foom
    Fin Fang Foom

    Fin Fang Foom is an alien dragon from Kakaranathara which is also known as Maklu IV. He and several others of his race left their world in search of planets to conquer. Fin Fang Foom was the navigator of the ship which was the vessel of exploration for him and his fellow Dragon Lords and Foom would employ ten powerful rings to pilot and guide their ship though the cosmos. They came to Earth and landed in ancient China, there the invaders changed their forms to mimic humans. The valley the ship was located would come to be known as the Valley of the Dragons. They put Foom in a catatonic state as a back up.

    During the Qing Dynasty, it attacked the Tianjin Prefecture, but was stopped by Zheng Zu and the Five Weapons Society.

    He is awakened by Chan Liuchow, a teenager who uses Foom to decimate the Communist party of China. Afterwards, the boy uses an herb to put the dragon back to sleep. Fin Fang Foom in the periods between his arrival on Earth and the modern present, would encounter various other monstrous creatures, brawling with many of them, including Kee Kaa Kon, Lo Lin Laam, Tiik Taak Toe and the Hydra. He has also fought other legendary figures such as Thor and the monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone. His encounter with Thor left the mighty green dragon slain, but Foom managed to find some unknown means of resurrection. At some point Foom is captured by The Collector and put into a type of zoo with other monsters. He stays here until the Mole Man attacks. Their freedom doesn't last long as all the escaped monsters are rounded up and put on Monster Island by the Fantastic Four. Foom dislikes being on the island and escapes back to China and into hibernation once again.

    Creation

    Fin Fang Foom is a Marvel comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He first appears in Strange Tales #89 released in 1961. Fin Fang Foom has been subject to numerous retcons that have changed aspects about his origin, but his most popular and endearing traits, such as his name and his appearance as a big green dragon, have been kept consistent.

    Character Evolution

    One of myriad giant bug-eyed monsters created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee during their prodigious output of the "Pre-Hero" Marvel era, Fin Fang Foom proved to be enduringly popular among fans, not in the least because of his ludicrous (or Cool, depending on how critical you are) name, and of course those giant Little Pants he wears, much like so many other giant monsters Kirby designed in that era. Fin-guy fist appeared in Marvel's Strange Tales #89, from October 1961, with an iconic cover that makes the monster look infinitely more terrifying than he ends up looking in the story inside. This story was reprinted a dozen years later in Marvel's monster reprint book Where Monsters Dwell #21 in May 1973 before his second original appearance as a guest villain during Marvel's initial attempt at a giant monster revival in the 23rd & 24th issues of 1974's run of Astonishing Tales featuring the resurrected It, The Living Colossus as the "hero," in a run written by Tony Isabella and drawn by the venerable Dick Ayers, with inking by Vince Colletta and Bob Brown.

    Major Story Arcs

    Mind Control

    A scientist named Doctor Vault managed to mind control Foom into attacking his enemy, It The Living Colossus. Foom resists the mind control long enough to aid the Colossus against an alien invasion. He does so because he wishes to preserve the planet for when his race take it over. Foom becomes controlled again and battles the Colossus, defeating him with his mastery of unarmed combat. Again Foom frees his mind and returns to hibernation. Foom is briefly possessed by a demon named Aan Taanu, after some battling with The Legion of Night, the demon is cast from Foom's body and he returns peacefully, although quite confused, to his slumber.

    Antarctica and the Hulk

    After the Fantastic Four had defeated and disposed of Fin Fang Foom on Monster Island, although it was easy enough for Foom to escape, he realized that he had not quite recuperated after his defeat at the hands of Thor, so the monstrous dragon headed towards the bottom of the world, Antarctica to find isolation. Resting there, he was encased in ice, and when he was released from his frozen state he shape shifted into a humanoid form. He also found a base where it just so happened that Bruce Banner was located at. After an incident at the base causes Doctor Banner to hulk out, transforming into his alter ego, the Incredible Hulk, Fin Fang Foom witnesses the green behemoth and believes him a potential ally. However after transforming himself into his own default form, that of a giant dragon, the two creatures exchange blows. Unable to make much way and getting bored, Hulk throws Fin Fang Foom out of the atmosphere where Foom would end up on the moon.

    The Collectors Zoo

    Fin Fang Foom is collected by powerful Elder of the Universe the Collector and positioned in Collectors underground zoo located in Canada. Its a zoo created especially for giant monsters and holds such esteemed inmates as Droom, Goom, Taboo, Gargantus, Grogg, Groot, Grottu, Rommbu and Vandoom's Monster, and now Fin Fang Foom also. The Mole Man, whilst the Collector was away, as he typically tended to be, his attention elsewhere often, would enter the zoo and free its inhabitants. Most would go on to run rampant through New York, and then defeated by its superheroes. Fin Fang Foom however sought out his home, attempting to return to the Valley of the Dragons. It was here however that he faced duel threats, one from Dr Aloysius Vault who wished to use Fin Fang Foom to attack and defeat It the Living Colossus and secondly the Stonians, an invading alien force that had attempted to take over Earth more than once. Although Foom resisted Dr Vault's psychic attack, after Foom and the Living Colossus defeated the alien Stonian's he was vulnerable to Vault and a clash between Foom and Living Colossus took place. Foom managed to regain his sense during the fight and they two parted ways on friendly terms.

    Mandarin

    A man finds the vessel in which Foom and his brethren came to Earth in and steals 10 rings of power from it. He uses these to later become Iron Man's arch enemy, the Mandarin. He is then lead by a member of Foom's race to where the dragon lay sleeping. He tries to use Foom against the Chinese government and soon the other dragons shed their human forms and begin their conquest. Mandarin realizes that he has been used and joins with Iron Man to annihilate the dragons.

    Powers and Abilities

    Fin Fang Foom's incredible size grants him incredible strength - he is as strong as a dozen steam shovels. Massive wings enable the powerful dragon to fly in excess of the speed of sound. Fin Fang Foom is extremely resistant to injury and resistant to both extreme heat and extreme cold. Foom can survive in space unaided. Fin Fang Foom's strength is such as to allow him to easily lift over 100 tons, allowing him to hold his own against the likes of Hulk, Beta Ray Bill, Terrax, Drax, Torgo, Iron Man, Human Torch and Cyclops. Foom has several offensive abilities. He possesses the ability to produce and expel an acid like green mist from his mouth, along with fire breath as hot as a nuclear furnace. Foom can utilize telepathy to limited degrees, typically for communication. Fin Fang Foom also has shapeshifting abilities. Despite his size and nature, Fin Fang Foom is above average intellect, as well as a skilled navigator, chef, as well as versed with martial arts skills.

    Physical Characteristics

    • Height: 32'
    • Weight: 20 tons
    • Hair: None
    • Eyes: Red or Yellow

    Alternate Versions

    Earth - 311

    Fin Fang Foom exists in the Marvel 1602 reality. He was a rampaging beast terrorizing China, until defeated by the Hulk.

    Earth - 1298

    Fin Fang Foom appears in this reality, the Marvel Mutant X Reality.

    Earth - 2992

    Fin Fang Foom appears in the Marvel Knights reality. He is defeated by that realities League of Losers.

    Earth - 2301

    In the Mangaverse (Earth-2301) Fin Fang Foom is a monster who left Galactus to prey on the inhabitants of Earth.

    Earth - 3752

    Fin Fang Foom appears in this reality, Monster Planet and has several encounters and clashes with other monster beings. Foom clashes against and defeats Red Ronin, but also finds defeat at the hands of the living and waking island Krakoa.

    Earth - 8311

    Fin Fang Foom appears in this Larval Earth reality as Doo Wop Doo.

    Earth - 80734

    Fin Fang Foom exists in the Viva Las Vegas reality which is a reality based within the Iron Man movie franchise. Given that this reality is set in the Marvel cinematic universe, the character's visual appearance is quite the departure from his mainstream look. No longer a green dragon, Fin Fang Foom appears more like a mystical technological mechanical dragon. His color palette has also changed to a metallic silver and gold variation.

    Other Media

    Television

    Iron Man (1994)

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    Fin Fang Foom appeared in the 90's Iron Man series. He initially appeared to be working for the Mandarin, but was actually manipulating him to bring back his fellow dragons.

    The Super Hero Squad Show (2009)

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    Fin Fang Foom appeared in several episodes, voiced by Steven Blum.

    Iron Man: Armored Adventures (2009)

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    Fin Fang Foom appears in the two-part episode "Tales of Suspense" as one of the guardians of the Makluan rings. This version of the character more closely resembles depictions of dragons seen in classical Chinese art.

    Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013)

    Fin Fang Foom appears in the episode "Mission Impossible Man," where Sauron attempts to take control of him after stealing Impossible Man's powers.

    Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (2014)

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    Fin Fang Foom appears in the episode "Together With the Guardians," where he attacks a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship

    Avengers Assemble (2015)

    Fin Fang Foom appears in the episode "The New Guy," where Ant-Man shrinks him down after he attacks Washington, D.C. during a rampage. After being sent back to Monster Island, he attacks Red Skull and his army of Mindless Ones.

    Guardians of the Galaxy (2015)

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    Fin Fang Foom appears in the episode "One in a Million You," where he is added to the Collector's private collection of exotic alien life. Rocket Raccoon frees Fin Fang Foom along with the other captive creatures during his prison break, causing him to attack the Collector. He and the others were later released. Fin Fang Foom is stated to be the last of his kind in this series.

    Movies

    The Invincible Iron Man (2007)

    Fin Fang Foom appears in the film as the Mandarin's guardian.

    Iron Man (2008)

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    A poster showing Fin Fang Foom appears during Iron Man's test flight with the Mark 2 armor. This version of the character was designed by Adi Granov and used in the Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas mini-series.

    Iron Man 3 (2013)

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    Aldrich Killian, the mastermind behind the Mandarin plot, has a dragon tattoo that resembles Fin Fang Foom.

    Video Games

    Marvel Ultimate Alliance (2006)

    Fin Fang Foom appears at the end of the intro level as the final boss, working with the Masters of Evil in an attempt to destroy the Helicarrier. He is voiced by James Sie.

    Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (2011)

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    Fin Fang Foom appears in this Marvel vs Capcom fighting game, appearing in a minor role, as a character in Sir Arthur's ending. He is seen being attacked by Arthur after kidnapping Princess Prin-Prin.

    Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (2011)

    Fin Fang Foom appears as a villain character.

    Lego Marvel's Avengers (2016)

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    Fin Fang Foom appears in this game, voiced by Patrick Seitz. He becomes a playable character after completing a quest to help him open a frogurt company.

    Marvel Avengers Academy (2017)

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    Fin Fang Foom appears as a boss character in the "Monsters Unleashed!" event.

    Merchandise

    The Marvel Legends wave
    The Marvel Legends wave
    • Fin Fang Foom was featured in ToyBiz's line for the 90s Iron Man cartoon.
    • Bowen Designs released a Fin Fang Foom bust.
    • Eaglemoss released a Fin Fang Foom statue.
    • Fin Fang Foom was the subject of a Marvel Legends Build-a-Figure wave from Hasbro. The figure could be completed after purchasing each of the corresponding figures in the wave (King Hulk, End Hulk, Gray Hulk, Skaar, Doc Samson, She-Hulk and Wendigo). Due to the popularity of the figure, a lower-cost bootleg from Hong Kong later made the rounds online.
    • Fin Fang Foom appeared in Hasbro's Super Hero Squad line as part of a two-pack with Iron Man.
    • Hasbro was going to release a Marvel Universe Fin Fang Foom figure as a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, but the figure was cancelled.
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