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GIGANTO

Classification: Terrestrial water-based animals

Location/Base of Operations: Earth's oceans

Known Members: all of them are called Giganto

Affiliations: Cap'n Barracuda, Droom, Eerok, Goom, Grogg, Invaders (Bucky/James Barnes, Captain America/Steve Rogers, Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Spitfire/Jacqueline Falsworth, Toro/Thomas Raymond, Union Jack/Brian Falsworth), Llyra, Llyron, Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox), Rorgg, Strong Guy (Guido Carosella), Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie), Tiger Shark (Todd Arliss), Triton, Two-Headed Thing,

Enemies: Apocalypse Beast, Avengers (Captain America/Steve Rogers, Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider/Robbie Reyes, Iron Man/Tony Stark, She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters, Thor/Odinson), Black Panther (T'Challa), Ulysses Bloodstone, Crustor, Crystal, Fantastic Four (Human Torch/Johnny Storm, Invisible Woman/Sue Richards, Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards, Thing/Benjamin Grimm), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Krang, Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff), Otetsukun, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Stingray (Walter Newell), Storm, Super-Axis (Agent Axis, Lady Lotus, Master Man/Wilhelm Lohmer, Scarlet Scarab/Abdul Faoul, U-Man/Meranno, Warrior Woman/Julia), Xemnu
formerly Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie)

Aliases: Moby Dick, "Monstro"

First Appearance: Fantastic Four I#4 (May, 1962)

Powers/Abilities: Giganto is an ancient creature, resembling a whale with legs, able to breathe below and above water. It is immensely large, superhumanly strong, and resistant to injury. It also possesses a blow-hole similiar to a whale's which can squirt water.

Traits: Gigantos most often resemble oversized bipedal sperm whales with immeasurable strength. They possess echolocation (the emission of sound waves) and the ability to emit hard blasts of water via their blowholes, both strong enough to injure smaller beings. Some Gigantos possess unique abilities, and most can be controlled by the Proteus Horn

Type: Whale-like animals
Eyes: Two, mostly white
Fingers: Three, sometimes seen with four
Toes: Three
Skin color: Gray, on rare occasions others have been seen: white/albino version, red tentacled version, blue whale-like version and a brown finned version.
Average height: They range in size from 35' to approximately 200'

History:

(Marvel Pets Handbook - BTS) - Giganto, though often referred to as a singular creature is actually a race of whale-like leviathans lurking deep in the ocean. Theories about the race's origins range from them being Deviant mutates, products of Atlantean sorcery or evolutionary offshoots of the order Cetacea.

(Marvel Universe#7 (fb)) - In the 19th Century, Giganto encountered the ship, the Pequod, and its crew, including Captain Ahab--who was actually Ulysses Bloodstone. During this encounter, a lighter gray, if not white, version of Giganto received the name Moby Dick.

(All-New Invaders#4 (fb) ) - <July, 1944> Sub-Mariner led several Gigantos and other sea monsters to the Crete coast to save the Invaders from the Super-Axis.

(Fantastic Four I#4) - Believing that the surface world had destroyed Atlantis, the Sub-Mariner used the Horn of Proteus to awaken Giganto, and sent it on a rampage on the surface world. Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four attempted to slow it down by creating a smoke screen with his Fantasticar, but was forced to withdraw when the Human Torch tried to help, and had his flame put out by Giganto's water-spout.

In order to destroy the creature, the Thing strapped a nuclear bomb to his back, and walked inside Giganto's mouth to plant it. He was temporarily way-laid by a still-living creature Giganto had swallowed, but was successful, and Giganto was slain by the explosion.

(Spider-Man/Fantastic Four#1) - Learning Doctor Doom was sighted on the campus of Empire State University, Namor brought a towering Giganto and his Atlantean army to get his revenge on the Latverian after being crossed by Doom. The recently engaged Sue Storm pleaded with Namor to stop but he ensured her his quarrel was with Doom alone. Moments later a fierce battle erupted when Doom took control of the Human Torch's body, however with the help of Spider-Man the battle soon ended and Namor, Giganto and the Atlantean army returned to sea.

(Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine#7, 8) - Dr. Doom had one of his servants both the Proteus Horn, awakening another Giganto, even larger than the last, as well as a large number of other sea monsters, and sending them on a course into a New England town.

    Reed Richards correctly realized this to be the offspring of Giganto. However, even the combined power of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers could not drive this massive creature off. Ultimately, Reed Richards created a sonic generator and hooked it up to the Proteus Horn--there's an explanation of how they got it, but it's not relevant here. Iron Man then flew the generator and the Horn out over the ocean, leading them all back out to sea.

(Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine#11) - Namor summoned Giganto and an army of sea monsters to oppose Dr. Doom, who had ammassed the combined power of the Cosmic Cube, Galactus, and a few other various and sundry objects/beings of power. The immensely powerful Doom waved them all off with a sweep of his hand.

(Fantastic Four I#149)- Years later, the Sub-Mariner prepared a mock invasion of the surface world with the Inhuman Triton, as part of a plot to reunite Mr. Fantastic with his estranged wife, the Invisible Girl. Among the sea creatures he brought with him in this "invasion" was another Giganto, much smaller than the previous one, and believed by the Thing to be the earlier one's twin brother. Being much less powerful than the earlier Giganto(s), the Thing defeated this one with a single punch.

(Fantastic Four I#219) - Now controlled by Cap'N Barracuda, who had obtained the Horn of Proteus, Giganto was sent on another rampage in Manhattan to cover his men's robberies. Giganto was opposed by the Sub-Mariner and Fantastic Four, and returned to the ocean with Cap'n Barracuda's defeat.

(Amazing Spider-Man I#213) - Llyra summoned a tentacled Giganto to assist her rescue of the the Wizard from Ryker's Island prison.

(Avengers West Coast#65/2) - As part of his plot to assist his friends the Human Torch and Anne Raymond, without revealing his existence to them, Namor disguised himself as the Mad Thinker and sent a robot of Giganto after the Torch. This robot was set aflame by the Torch and ruined.

(Namor the Sub-Mariner#56) - As part of their plot to discredit Namor, Llyra and Llyron awakened Giganto with the Horn of Proteus, and sent him to destroy the UN Building. Namor attempted to stop Giganto, but was unable to prevent mass destruction, and Llyron ultimately appeared more heroic. Giganto then returned to the ocean.

(GLX-Mas Special#1 (fb)) - Squirrel Girl defeated the Atlantean Giganto.

(Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1-2) - A Giganto was among the many monsters that were driven into a frenzy by the nearing arrival of the Apocalypse Beast.  As the crazed beasts rampaged through Tokyo, they were fought by the Fantastic Four and Iron Man. The Human Torch and the Thing took control of the giant robot Oteksukun and used it to defeat Giganto and Eerok. When Mr. Fantastic considered one of the monsters, Grogg, that the Fantastic Four could defeat the Apocalypse Beast, Grogg led Giganto and the others away from Japan.

(Black Panther IV#19) - A Giganto and other sea monsters were sent by Namor to watch over an uncharted island, keeping any others from interfering with the honeymoon of Ororo & T'Challa.

(Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America#2) - Gigano was summoned by Tiger Shark using the Horn of Proteus. Alongside an army of sea creatures, Giganto fought the Avengers (Ares, Black Widow, Ms. Marvel, Sentry, Wasp, Wonder Man), but was finally returned to the seas by the Sub-Mariner.

(Marvel Comics Presents II#11/3) - A Giganto was found near a shipwreck just off the Atlantic Ocean by a salvage crew and Stingray. Angered by the sudden disturbance it attacked Stingray, who tried to kill it with grenades. Unimpressed the Giganto swallowed Stingray and seemingly choked to death on him. Stingray survived.

(Namor: The First Mutant#9) - Giganto, Namor's old friend, participated in the traditional Running of the Beasts. He and the other sea monsters ran amok, but were soon subdued by Krang and his Lemurian legions. Namor wasn't happy how Krang interfered and how brutally he injured the noble creature Giganto.

(Fantastic Four V#3) - Namor gave the Future Foundation a tour of the Gigantos race grazing lands. They saw several Gigantos.

(Unbeatable Squirrel Girl I#1 - BTS) - Squirrel Girl convinced Kraven to go hunting in deep sea for creatures like the Gigantos.

(Unbeatable Squirrel Girl I#9 (fb) ) - Kraven began hunting Gigantos in the deep sea, but stopped when the costs proved too high.

(Avengers IIX#9) - With the underwater world on the brink of war, one of the Atlanteans deployed a towering Giganto to face the Avengers whom they were fighting underwater. Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes) used his Hell Charger to burn the beasts inside after which Giganto spit the burning car out. The Giganto then retreated.

(X-Men Unlimited III#34 (fb) - BTS) - A Giganto and several other inhabitants of Monster Island came under the influence of Xemnu the Titan who proclaimed himself King of Monster Island using his psychic abilities to bend other monsters to his will.

(X-Men Unlimited III#34) - When mutants Strong Guy and one of Multiple Man's dupes found themselves on Monster Island they were discovered by Goom, the battle that followed quickly attracted the attention of the Giganto, the Two-Headed Thing and Rorrg who were all under Xemnu's control. The monsters brought the two mutants to Xemnu who was seemingly impressed with their efforts and revealed his newly developed master plan to amass a mutant army to conquer the island nation of Krakoa after which he placed the mutants under his mind control.

  However, Xemnu came under attack by the same ferocious blue little monsters that had previously attacked Strong Guy and Multiple Man. Having dented Xemnu's chrome cranium, the Giganto and the other monsters regained their senses for a brief moment. Still able to use some of his hypnotic capabilities, Xemnu once again took control of the Giganto, the Two-Headed Thing and Rorrg who then attacked Goom. Mere moments later another monster appeared, aptly named Crustor by the Multiple Man dupe, the crustaceous monster helped Goom ward off the other monsters while the dupe and Strong Guy successfully defeated Xemnu, ending his reign.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

The Marvel Pets Handbook (June, 2009) revealed that the red tentacled beast summoned by Llyra who appears in Amazing Spider-Man I#213 is in fact another Giganto. Through the years we've seen different renditions of these mighty beasts: Marvel Universe#7 (December, 1998) featured an albino Giganto, Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1 (December, 2005) a blue whale version and Marvel Comics Presents II#11 (September, 2008) portrayed a finned Giganto.

You can read all you want about the story of Moby Dick in the actual book, by Herman Melville, or in Marvel Classic Comics#8, which adapts it. It's worth a mention in this profile because Ulysses Bloodstone recalled it in a flashback, but we're not including any more than that, because that story hasn't actually been adapted to the Marvel Universe.

The named Monstro was used in Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine#8, by the Thing, who thought he was referring to the original creature from Fantastic Four I#4, and probably is thus just a mistake on his part, and not really a real alias for Giganto or its offspring. For my money, it was just an exercise in confusion for John Byrne to name the Mole Man's mutate Giganto. That guy could have been called Monstro, and it would have been a clear and easy identification. But nooooooo!

In Namor#13, Reed Richards discussed that Giganto's post-mortem examination revealed it to have been a member of the Order Cetacea, perhaps a throwback to the early ancestors of the modern whale. Current thought leans towards the fact that Giganto--as well as a large number of the giant monsters on Earth--is actually a Deviant mutate. It could be that they engineered a creature similar enough to that Order to fool Reed, who while smart as all get out does not specialize in Biology, Phylogeny, or other life sciences. Alternatively, it could be that the Deviant's started out their experiments in genetic engineering using material from the Order Cetacea.

As seen in Avengers/Invaders#10 (June, 2009) an Atlantean Giganto was killed in 1943 by the Red Skull (Johann Shmidt) when he used a Cosmic Cube to alter history, creating a new timeline (Earth-93198); the Invaders and Avengers restored the original timeline, reviving this Giganto. Other monster corpses seen floating in the ocean were Monster Island's Giganto, Behemoth and Titano.
--Markus Raymond

Gammatotem mentioned two issues that feature giant white whales: Marvel Tales I#154/1 (October, 1956) and Uncanny Tales I#53/4 (March, 1957), it's been unrevealed if there's any relation to the albino Giganto seen in Marvel Universe#7 (December, 1998). Marvel Tales I#154/1 tells the story of a sea captain who in approximately 1907 ran his ship into an iceberg only to learn it was a towering white whale after which the same happens again in 1957 to another sea captain. Uncanny Tales I#53/4 tells the story of two scientists who come across a giant white whale which is intelligent and has the ability to communicate telepathically. A case could be made they are in fact the same creature as the one Ulysses faced.

Profile has been fully reworked, updated and extended by MarvellousLuke.

Profile by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Giganto has no known connections to

  • Gigantus, another one of the Mole Man's monsters @ Journey Into Mystery I#63
  • Gigantus, the immense world (or Dyson Sphere) which spawned the composite being which was accidentally destroyed and then replaced by the Stranger @ Fantastic Four I#115
  • Gigantus, the name of Henry Pym/Giant-Man on the remade Earth of Morgan le Fay @ Avengers III#2
  • Giganto, chief monster of the Mole Man @ Fantastic Four I#1
  • Gigantauron, an immense robot used by the Charter @ Shogun Warriors#19
  • Monstro the whale from Disney's Pinocchio (1940)
  • Monstro the Mighty, son of Ares @ Comedy Comics#10
  • Monsteroso, youthful extraterrestrial, rampaged thru New York until parents came for him @ Amazing Adventures I#5
  • Monstroid (Ballox,7NH54), Skrull robot scout @ Marvel Team-Up I#5
  • Monstrobot, created by father of Jade Ryuteki @ X-Men 2099#19
  • Monstrosity, creature formed from the Darkhold spell used by Victoria Montesi @ Darkhold I#13
  • white whale, a towering creature mistaken for an iceberg @ Marvel Tales I#154/1
  • white whale, a giant creature with the ability to communicate telepathically @ Uncanny Tales I#53/4
  • or any other "Gigantic" or "Monstrous" characters

Images: (without ads)
Namor the Sub-Mariner#13, cover (main image)
Fantastic Four I#4, p16, pan1 (first appearance)
Fantastic Four I#219, p9, pan1 (fighting the Fantastic Four)
Fantastic Four V#3, p9, pan1 (herd of Gigantos grazing)
Marvel Universe#7, p5, pan1 (albino Giganto)
Amazing Spider-Man I#213, p5, pan3 (red tentacled Giganto)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1, p21, pan4 (blue whale Giganto)
Marvel Comics Presents II#11, p19, pan1 (finned Giganto)


Appearances:
Fantastic Four I#4 (May, 1962) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Sol Brodsky (inks)
Fantastic Four I#149 (August, 1974) - Gerry Conway (writer), Rich Buckler (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Fantastic Four I#219 (June, 1980) - Doug Moench (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man I#213 (February, 1981) - Denny O'Neil (writer), John Romita Jr. (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Avengers West Coast#65 (December, 1990) - Roy & Dann Thomas (writers), Richard Levins (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Namor the Sub-Mariner#56 (November, 1994) - Glenn Herdling (writer), Geof Isherwood (artist), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Marvel Universe#7 (December, 1998) - Roger Stern (writer), Jason Armstrong (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine#7 (August, 2001) - Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson & Tom DeFalco (writers), Erik Larsen, Rick Veitch, Ron Frenz, Mike Manley & Graham Nolan (pencils), Alan Gordon, Al Milgrom, Bruce Timm & Al Williamson (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine#8 (September, 2001) - Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson & Kurt Busiek (writers), Erik Larsen, Ron Frenz, Jorge Pereira Lucas, Bill Wray & Rick Veitch (pencils), Bruce Timm, Al Milgrom, Bill Wray & Terry Beatty (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Fantastic Four: World Greatest Comic Magazine#11 (December, 2001) - Erik Larsen & Eric Stephenson (writers), Ron Frenz, Frank Fosco & Al Milgrom (pencils), Bruce Timm, Mike Royer, Paul Ryan & Joe Sinnott (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big in Japan#1-2 (December, 2005 - January, 2006) - Zeb Wells (writer), Seth Fisher (artist), Cory Sedlmeier (editor)
GLX-Mas Special#1 (February, 2006) - Dan Slott (writer), Matt Haley (artist), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Black Panther IV#19 (October 2006) - Reginald Hudlin (writer), Scot Eaton (pencils), Andrew Hennessy (inks), Axel Alonso (editor)
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America#2 (June, 2007) - Jeph Loeb (writer), Ed McGuinness (penciler), Dexter Vines (inker), Bill Rosemann (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents II#11 (September, 2008) - B. Clay Moore (writer), Lee Weeks (pencils/inks), Stefano Gaudiano (inks), Warren Simons (editor)
Marvel Pets Handbook (June, 2009) - Michael Hoskin, Madison Carter, Sean McQuaid, Stuart Vandal, Gabriel Shechter, David Wiltfong, Ronald Byrd, Eric J. Moreels, Jacob Rougemont, Markus Raymond, Jeff Christiansen, Mark O'English, Mike O'Sullivan, Chris Biggs, Rob London (writers), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Spider-Man/Fantastic Four#1 (July, 2010) - Christos N. Gage (writer), Mario Alberti (pencils, inks), Thomas Brennan (editor)
Namor: The First Mutant#9 (June, 2011) - Stuart Moore (writer), Carlos Rodriguez & Sergio Ariño (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Jeanine Schaefer (editor)
Fantastic Four V#3 (March, 2013) - James Robinson (writer), Leonard Kirk (pencils), Karl Kesel (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
All-New Invaders#4 (June, 2014) - James Robinson (writer), Steve Pugh (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl I#1 (March, 2015) - Ryan North (writer), Erica Henderson & Maris Wicks (artist), Wil Moss (editor)
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl II#9 (August, 2016) - Ryan North (writer), Erica Henderson, David Malki & Braden Renzi (artists), Tom Fowler (inks for Henderson), Wil Moss (editor)
Avengers IIX#9 (October, 2018) - Jason Aaron (writer), David Marquez (pencils, inks), Tom Brevoort, Alanna Smith (editors)
X-Men Unlimited III#34 (May 9, 2022) - Jason Loo (writer, pencils, inks), Lauren Amaro (editor)


First Posted: 03/24/2003
Last Updated: 08/16/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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