ANCIENT ONE

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Rock monster

Occupation: Servator

Affiliations: Servant of Modred, possibly related to the stone giants guarding King Arthur (see notes) 

Enemies: Black Knight, Captain Britain

Known Relatives: None - but he bears a strong resemblance to the stone giants who turned up in #58 and #59 of the same title, so there may be some relationship.

Aliases:  None

Base of Operations:  Standing stone, Cornwall, South-west England

First Appearance: Hulk Comic#4/2 (March 28th 1979)

Powers/Abilities: Immense strength (class 10?), rocklike skin makes him difficult to hurt. Extremely tall - I'd estimate at least 20 feet.

History: (bts) In prehistoric times ancient wizards imprison a giant man, made of (or covered by) stone, within a large outcrop of rocks on what will one day be the Cornish coast. He will be remembered simply as "the Ancient One".

(Hulk Comic#4/2) Modred the wizard releases the Ancient One from his prison and charges him with finding and killing the Black Knight.

(Hulk Comic#5/2) The giant discovers the hero conversing with Captain Britain inside a cave near the sea. It begins to smash the rockface, causing the roof to begin to collapse. Before they can be trapped, the Black Knight sallys forth upon his winged steed, Valinor, to face his foe in battle. Dodging behind his opponent, his ebony blade cuts deep into the creature's fossilised thigh, but he cannot evade its counterattack, which knocks him out of his saddle. The Knight is dragged along by the stirrups, and separated from his weapon. The goliath moves to end him before he can reclaim it, but is tripped up by a shining staff thrown by Captain Britain, joining the fray. The Captain reaches his ally's weapon seconds before the grasping arm of the Ancient One claims it, and passes it back to the Knight, who has by now remounted. Then the patriotic hero delivers a powerful blow to the face of the rockman, which sadly does more damage to his fist than to his target. As the Ancient One looms forward, the Captain jumps onto Valinor's back behind the Black Knight, and the heroes flee with the giant in close pursuit. At Captain Britain's command, the Knight encourages his horse to make a prodigious leap, clearing a patch of quicksand on the beach to land on the stone beyond. The Ancient One is not so lucky, and finds to its distress that the sand cannot support its weight. Its own weight sucks it down, seemingly forever. 

Comments: Created by Steve Parkhouse and John Stokes.

The Ancient One, and the stone it emerges from, bear a strong resemblance to the megalith encased giants who are later seen to guard King Arthur's resting place. It doesn't seem too much of a stretch to suggest they may well be similar beings to the Ancient One. If this is the case, then the Ancient One may well have contained a living man encased inside the stony surface, and might also have possessed mental powers similar to those guardians (although none were demonstrated in the brief time we saw him). 

CLARIFICATIONS: No known connection to and not to be confused with

by Loki 

Last updated: 04/28/03

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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