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ELEPHANTINE

Real Name: Elephantine

Identity/Class: Changeling (elephant-human hybrid)

Occupation: Damned soul;
   formerly soldier for Leoninus

Group Membership: None;
   formerly Leoninus' faction of Changelings

Affiliations: Fury, Leoninus, Pantherus, Viperus

Enemies: Centauria, Centaurio, Hulk (Bruce Banner), Rick Jones, Mephisto, Minotaurus, Betty Ross, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, Leonard "Doc" Samson, Siren, Fred Sloan, Trinity Base Armed Forces, Woodgod

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mephisto's Hell;
   formerly Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk I#252 (October, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: Elephantine possesses superhuman strength (lifting up to about 75 tons), endurance and durability. He was genetically spliced with more aggressive human characteristics than with the empathetic elephant aspects. Elephantine uses his trunk to wrap around a foe's neck in a fight. His ears may afford heightened hearing. Like all Changelings, he gives off a virtually imperceptible radioactive aura, which can be tracked using the right equipment. In Hell, Elephantine's soul was briefly empowered in a sheath of Hellfire, enhancing his durability.

Height: 7'9"
Weight: 850 lbs.
Eyes: Black
Hair: None

History:

(Incredible Hulk I#252 (fb) - BTS) - Woodgod had been artificially created by gene-splicing human and animal DNA to create a new hybrid species in the hope of combining human intellect with animals' proclivity toward peaceful coexistence. However, conflict from suspicious and aggressive humans drove him north into a hidden valley in the Rocky Mountains. In solitude, he created more hybrids (dubbed Changelings), including the devious Leoninus, who secretly created his own Changeling faction of the elephant-human hybrid Elephantine, the winged Fury, feline Pantherus and serpentine Viperus.

(Incredible Hulk I#252) - "Thunderbolt" Ross, along with Hulk's friends Betty Ross, Rick Jones and Fred Sloan, were captured and taken to the hidden Changeling village for their part in the grievous wounding of Changeling Centauron. Further connivance by Leoninus resulted in Centauron's death and Leoninus defied Woodgod by invoking vengeful Changeling law. Woodgod had since mellowed and no longer sought blood retribution, so Leoninus brought in his Changeling faction to support his leadership challenge.

(Incredible Hulk I#253) - Elephantine was particularly vocal in supporting Leoninus' call for execution. But Woodgod shrewdly deduced Leoninus' insidious machinations and attacked the villain; Leoninus was quickly defended by his soldiers. The other Changelings did not intervene as they saw it a challenge by combat. However, the Changeling Siren also realized Leoninus' villainy and convinced nearby Hulk and Doc Samson to help stop the injustice. Meanwhile, Woodgod refused to cede leadership to Leoninus, so the villain ordered Elephantine crush his back with a foot; however, Minotaurus intervened and Siren arrived with the gamma-powered heroes, and told of Leoninus' perfidy. Having lost the other Changelings' support, Leoninus' soldiers lashed out; Elephantine challenged Hulk, who took measure of the Changeling's strength before throwing him far using his trunk, knocking Elephantine out. Woodgod declared that he already intended to step down from leadership and let Changeling rule themselves.

(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#37/1 (fb) - BTS) - The armed forces of Trinity Base tracked down the Changelings, apparently slaying all but Woodgod.

(Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#37/1) - Elephantine's corpse was found alongside all the other Changeling dead by Nick Fury and Psi-Borg.

(Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider#1 (fb) - BTS) - Elephantine's soul apparently went to Mephisto's Hell.

(Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider#1) - In Hell, Johnny Blaze and the Ghost Rider spirit sought to recruit the souls of dead villains, including (apparently) Elephantine, who stood near the Rose, to overthrow Mephisto. Elephantine agreed and the Ghost Rider spirit rode him and briefly empowered Elephantine with Hellfire to storm the gates of Mephisto's Hotel Inferno.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo & Sal Buscema.

The rest of Leoninus' faction aren't among the corpses found by Nick Fury and Psi-Borg. Given they were newer Changelings not amongst those created by Woodgod, perhaps they escaped Trinity Base's murderous cull?

It sure looks like Elephantine in Hell, although it's a very unexpected return (but it's always welcome to see minor characters reappear!). That said, he has 4 fingers (incl. thumb) in his first appearance, then 5 fingers (incl. thumb) and longer tusks in Hell, but still those cute little ears and same height.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Elephantine has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Incredible Hulk I#253, p2, pan1 (main image)
Incredible Hulk I#253, p17, pan4 (vs. Hulk)
Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider#1, p18, pan4 (with Hellfire)

Appearances:
Incredible Hulk I#252 (October, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (art), Al Milgrom (editor)
Incredible Hulk I#253 (November, 1980) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (art), Al Milgrom (editor)
Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I#37/1 (July, 1992) - Scott Lobdell (writer), M. C. Wyman (pencils), Don Hudson (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Damnation: Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider#1 (May, 2018) - Christopher Sebela (writer), Phil Noto (art), Kathleen Wisneski (editor)

First posted: 11/09/2025
Last updated: 11/09/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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