Real Name: Ulysses Abboud

Identity/Class: Human technology user;
   presumed citizen of Morocco

Occupation: Geneticist, terrorist, would-be world conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Half-Man, Pierre St. Cyr, Pepe Soulange, Tumumba, Cedric Twigg-Smythe, Guiseppi Valenti, his army of servants

Enemies: Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-enforcement Division)

Known Relatives: Fatima Abboud (half-sister)

Aliases: "The Supreme Power" (as referred to by himself); "the Ultimate Power" (as referred to by Guiseppi Valenti)

Base of Operations: The Caves of Hercules, Cape Spartel (at the junction of the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea), outside Tangiers

First Appearance: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8 (January, 1969)

Powers/Abilities: Ulysses Abboud was a genius, specializing in genetics and various forms of advanced technology. As a master of genetic manipulation, he was capable of splicing together the genes of different species (and even from different phyla or kingdoms) to create hybrid forms of life. He created the "Zombie-Gas," with which he could control the minds of individuals directly. He also used a machine which captured the heat of the sun and sent it radiating outward, to maintain the heat of summer across the planet in the autumn months.

Because of an incurable glandular disease, Abboud suffered from atrophied muscles; he wore a giant robotic exoskeleton for his alter ego of Supremus, which granted him superhuman strength and durability.

He utilized his own creation, Half-Man, as a warrior. In addition, he had a large number of mindless servants that were controlled by his gas -- these servants functioned both as workers and warriors as needed.

Height: 5'6"; (armored) 10'
Weight: 80 lbs.; (armored) 495 lbs.
Eyes: Brown; (armored) yellow
Hair: None; (armored) none

History:
(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8 (fb) - BTS) - Presumably a citizen of Morocco, Ulysses Abboud was a genius, excelling in genetics and several other fields. However, he suffered from an incurable glandular anomaly, which made him weaken as he grew older, to the point that his muscles could no longer support him. His research was beyond most other geneticists, and many who read his papers considered him to be insane. Mocked as a cripple and ridiculed as a madman, he eventually grew to hate all of mankind.

   Constructing and donning a large exoskeleton to regain his mobility, Abboud's madness caused him to take on a new identity -- as Supremus, he posed as a god-like giant and sought vengeance on all mankind. He created the servant Half-Man, and then enslaved a number of other men with his "Zombie Gas" to become his servants. He built a large base in the Caves of Hercules, outside of Tangiers, and then placed large canisters of his Zombie Gas in key cities throughout the U.S. He also created a machine to cause the excessive heat of the summer to persist into autumn, heightening tensions across the entire globe -- he did this because he felt that the extreme temperatures would arouse senseless anger and chaos to wear mankind down, and thus make humanity easier to control. Ultimately, Supremus sought to wipe out the human race and replace it with a new race that he would create, which would worship him as a god.

(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8) - After using his technology to cause an unseasonable heat-wave around the planet, Supremus had officials of various world intelligence agencies (including Sir Geoffrey Ainsley in London) targeted by his assassins. Realizing that S.H.I.E.L.D. would oppose his plans, Supremus sent his assassins to kill Nick Fury, director of that organization. When Fury was seemingly "killed" (actually only a 3-D image, supplied by Tony Stark), Supremus sent a video message to the Helicarrier, commanding S.H.I.E.L.D. to disband. But from the video's background, Fury recognized the location of Supremus' base -- he had been there on a previous mission during World War II with the Howling Commandos -- so he flew there in an aerial sled to confront the megalomaniac.

   But once Fury arrived and entered the cavern, Supremus trapped him behind steel walls and sent Half-Man to slay him. Fury tried firing his laser pistol at his four-armed adversary, but Supremus had erected an invisible shield in the cell that negated the power of his weapon. Although unarmed and physically outmatched, Fury realized he was the only hope for mankind, so he punched Half-Man and caused the creature to drop its spear; grabbing the weapon and hurling it, Fury impaled Half-Man with the spear, apparently killing the creature. But moments later, Fury was incapacitated by knockout-gas.

   Sometime later, Fury was revived and freed by Supremus' half-sister, Fatima, who warned him of the villain's plans to release his Zombie Gas across Earth. Fatima took Fury further into the cavern, where he fought his way past Supremus' mindless servants. Finally reaching the villain's control center, Fury saw the giant was about to press a button to release the Zombie Gas, so he fired his laser pistol and shot Supremus' hand -- when he saw no blood, only wires and cold steel, Fury realized that Supremus wasn't human, but an over-sized robot; he then fired a second shot, which not only destroyed Supremus' head, but also hit the machinery behind the mechanical giant -- the resultant explosion started a chain-reaction that caused the entire cavern to begin to collapse.

   From the decapitated form of Supremus, a weak voice called for help; Fatima came running in and pulled Ulysses from the destroyed exoskeleton, but he died moments later -- apparently as a result of electrocution from the destruction of his armor. As the headquarters of Supremus continued to break apart, Fury offered to carry out the corpse of Ulysses Abboud, but Fatima told him, "No! Leave him here! Let him die with his dreams!"

   Fury and Fatima made their way outside and climbed aboard the aerial sled, then managed to fly away, just as Supremus' base erupted in a final annihilating blast.

   Afterward, S.H.I.E.L.D. located all the caches of Zombie Gas, and the contents of the canisters were neutralized.

Comments: Created by Ernie Hart and Frank Springer.

Supremus wasn't a particularly original character -- he basically seemed like a cross between the earlier-introduced Centurius and Gnome.

Maybe Supremus got some of his knowledge of genetics and his advanced technology from Maelstrom.

Supremus has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1960s Handbook, from which some of this information was taken. -- Ron Fredricks

Profile by Snood. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Supremus has no known connections to:

Fatima Abboud and Ulysses Abboud have no known connections to:

Cedric Twigg-Smythe has no known connections to:

Fatima Abboud

The half-sister of Ulysses Abboud, she was alarmed when she learned of his plans to conquer the world as Supremus.

Fatima went to London to warn intelligence official Sir Geoffrey Ainsley, but she got there too late, for he had already been killed by Supremus' assassins.

She later met S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in the caverns of Supremus' base and assisted him in foiling the villain's plot. As Supremus' base began to collapse, she pulled Ulysses out of his destroyed exoskeleton, but he died moments later.

Afterward, Fatima accompanied Fury to the Helicarrier, where she told him and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents the tragic story of her half-brother.

--Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8

Cedric Twigg-Smythe, Pierre St. Cyr, Tumumba, Pepe Soulange, and Guiseppi Valenti

A quintet of assassins, they were employed by Supremus to eliminate S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury.

Twigg-Smythe, St. Cyr, Tumumba, and Soulange all attacked Fury simultaneously in the study of his apartment -- they fired upon Fury with laser handguns while he sat at his desk, and seemingly killed him. Believing Fury to be dead, the four presumably reported back to Supremus; but the "Fury" they shot at was merely an image of the real Fury that was projected onto a force field (as per Tony Stark).

(Comment: These four only appeared in two panels of the story -- the other panel only showed their hands firing the laser handguns at "Fury". Supremus would later learn that Fury was still alive, so their final fate was unrevealed.)

Shortly afterward, Valenti made a second attempt on Fury's life; wearing a rubberized mask and using the stolen credentials of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, he infiltrated the Helicarrier and shot Fury with a conventional lead bullet. But the assassination attempt failed (Fury was wearing bulletproof clothing), so Fury tackled and punched the disguised Valenti, then tore off his mask, but when he looked into Valenti's eyes, Fury realized he was either drugged or under some mental spell. Before Fury could question him, Valenti merely said, "Supremus! The Ultimate Power!," then took a cyanide pill and died.

--Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8

Supremus' servants

A horde of unspecified number, they were men who had been exposed to Supremus' Zombie Gas, and became his mindless minions.

Armed with clubs, the "living robots" dwelt in the caverns of Supremus' base, where they acted as his servants and warriors.

Nick Fury infiltrated the base to put an end to Supremus' plans of world conquest, and he eventually had to battle his way past the servants; but despite being greatly outnumbered, Fury was able to defeat them with his fighting skills, because they didn't have the brains to match their brawn.

Presumably, they all died when Supremus' base exploded.

(Comment: Considering their physical appearance and skin-coloring, they were probably genetically mutated by Supremus as well.)

--Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8

images: (without ads)
Marvel Legacy: The 1960 Handbook, p49 (Main Image - Supremus; refurbed version of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p6, pan3)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p19, pan3 (Headshot - Ulysses Abboud; Nick Fury (background))
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p17, pan5 (Supremus operating equipment; Nick Fury(background))
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p19, pan2 (as cavern collapses, Fatima Abboud pulls Ulysses Abboud out of decapitated Supremus armor)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p15, pan3 (Fatima Abboud warns Nick Fury (foreground) about Supremus' plot)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p15, pan4 (Fatima Abboud)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p5, pan1 (Cedric Twigg-Smythe, Pierre St. Cyr, Tumumba, Pepe Soulange)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p8, pan3 (Nick Fury pulls mask off Giuseppi Valenti)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p10, pan1 (Supremus' servants)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8, p16, pan2 (Nick Fury fights Supremus' servants; Fatima Abboud (left))

Appearances:
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#8 (January, 1969) - Ernie Hart (plot/dialogue) Frank Springer (plot/pencils), Herb Trimpe (pencils), John Tartaglione (inks), Herb Cooper (letters), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted: 09/09/2001
Last updated: 02/27/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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