HIBERS
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Classification: Humanoid
extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: Planet Hiberlac, sixth from the sun in the Hunyoc System, Milky Way Galaxy
Known Members: None identified;
population estimated at 444,000
Affiliations: Unidentified protector (presumed android);
Rom observed and appreciated them, but did not interact with them.
Enemies: None known
Type of Government: Absolute democracy
First Appearance: Rom I#67 (June, 1985)
Powers/Abilities: The Hibers did not possess any superhuman abilities.
They designed a highly-advanced
suspended animation technology, preserving their population for untold
millennia while rapidly reviving and recovering them -- via the call,
signaling the time of awakening so they could fully enjoy the period
of less than a day.
They also could create a (or perhaps multiple) apparently android beings possessed of great strength and durability in order to protect them while they were in suspended animation.
Beyond this technology, they apparently were roughly comparable to humanity. |
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  Traits:
The Hibers remain in suspended animation for approximately a
millennium, swiftly responding to call for the time of the awakening
and singing joyously and thankfully -- a wordless song that came from
the heart as they were grateful to be alive -- as they exited the
hibernation facility and were exposed to the brilliant sunlight.
The Hibers are a happy people,
grateful for their existence and loving their planet, despite the fact
that they could only live less than a day each millennium.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; green color observed)
Fingers: Four (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Five
Skin color: "Pink" (comparable to Caucasian humanity), at least
Average height: 5'7"
Other distinguishing features: Males and females, young and old are bald. No facial hair existed. The absence of body hair seems likely but is unconfirmed
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  History:
(Rom I#67 (fb) - BTS) - In the
past, the twin suns of the Hunyoc System shined brightly on the planet
Hiberlac. It was always warm and the suns light made the planet
flourish.
Grateful and happy, the people sang continually, joyfully, reverentially and filled with the glory of life.
Eventually, however, the suns grew dimmer, and their world cooled with it.
The plants and animals died, and it quickly became apparent that humanoid life could not survive.
Loving their world and believing
their fate to be bound to their planet, the people were unable to
consider building spaceships to flee to some other location; the though
of abandoning their beloved world made their souls shrivel.
The planet lapsed into a dormant,
deep and frozen sleep from which it awakened once every millennium for
less than day when the planet was midway between the warming rays of
its suns. Then the world swiftly awakened, with long-frozen seeds
sprouting in the rains from melting ice.
The people developed a great
building (or buildings) that could sustain the people in suspended
animation and then revive them at the time of awakening. They also
created large and strong android protector(s) to watch over them while
they were in suspended animation and destroy anyone who sought to
disturb the sleepers.
The people again sang joyfully
during their short period of revival and then returned to their
building(s) and re-entered suspended animation until the next time.
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(Rom I#67 - BTS) - Flying
through space, the Galadorian Spaceknight Rom observed a bright light
focally flashing from the otherwise barren world Hiberlac (although the
planet was unknown to him at the time).
Curious of the source of the light
bright enough for him to perceive from space, Rom traveled to Hiberlac
to investigate.
On Hiberlac, Rom pursued the
source of the light to a mountain range as a storm started that thawed
and restored life to Hiberlac.
Rom reached the mountain range as
the melting ice fell off of it, revealing the face-like entrance to the
hibernation center.
Entering the center through it's
mouth-like opening, Rom was assaulted by the massive protector android.
Appreciating that it was speaking but in an unidentified language, Rom
used his translator to open communication between him and the
protector. Assured of Rom's peaceful intent, the protector explained
the nature of the planet and its people.
(Rom I#67) - Awakening, the
Hibers sang their wordless song of joy as the exulted in the Time of
Awakening of their world and people. They wandered out of the
hibernation center, into the lush vegetation that had so recently
regrown.
Before too long, however, the
planet began to pass out of the point between the two suns, and the
world swiftly cooled again. As the vegetation began to wither again,
the people realized that the moment had passed. After a brief moment of
alarm, they turned and headed back into the hibernation centers, after
which their protector followed them in.
(Rom I#67 - BTS) - The Hibers were returned to their state of suspended animation.
After ice again covered the
hibernation center, Rom departed Hiberlac, singing a song of gratitude
for the lesson that life was precious in any form.
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Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo and Steve Ditko.
This profile was posted to celebrate Steve Ditko on what would have been his 99th birthday.
The Hibers were identified (along
with the planet and star system names, plus the identification of their
galaxy) in the Official
Handbook of
the Marvel Universe II (Deluxe Edition) #15, Appendix to Alien Races: Hibers entry.
The population seems really high at 444,000 (the original story said
"thousands upon thousands"; hundreds of thousands seems a bit
excessive), but presumably there are hibernation centers across the
world...possibly each with their own protector...although only one was
observed from space by Rom.
And, with a name like the Hibers, what did they think was going to
happen to themselves...it's their density...I mean destiny...
This was a fun story that helped Rom -- who was uncertain of his fate
after the end of the war against the Dire Wraiths and having left Earth
-- appreciate life and existence.
However, it does raise some questions. I am
confident that Donald Campbell that will be able to express these much
more eloquently and in greater detail (and in greater number) than I
can. But for now...
- They apparently orbited a binary system and
only passed between the two stars once every millennium, and the point
where their atmosphere was hospitable occurred and faded so rapidly over less
than a 24-hour time period.
- As
you read the story, it seemed to take place over just minutes, but we
can figure that it was just compressed story-telling, and that it took
place closer to a 24-hour time period.
- It could be argued that the terms day (one rotation of the planetary
axis) and millennium (a thousand years, with a year being one orbit
around the sun) were very different than on Earth, but I'd think, if
anything, a year would have been even longer on Hiberlac given their binary
revolution.
- I
don't know whether the planet was supposed to have been doing a
figure-of-eight in orbit of both suns, or if it just orbited one sun
but for some reason the stars orbited or moved around each other so
that there was only a brief period when the planet was between the two
suns.
- They were in suspended animation for a
millennium but could be so quickly revived to fully enjoy this time period.
Perhaps they were actually revived slowly over days or whatever in preparation
for that time period, but then actually awakened for the call.
- Similarly,
as soon as the rain started to fall, the plants started to grow, and
some of them appeared to be several (if not dozens of) feet high in the
course of a day.
This profile was done in honor of Steve Ditko on what would have been in 99th birthday.
Between travel and other issues, I was only able to
complete the profile for the Hibers. I will plan to have profiles for
Hiberlac (and the hibernation center) and the protector in the near
future.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Hibers should be distinguished from:
- HIBERNACULA of Earth-712 - designed by Tom Thumb
during the Utopia Program, used to prevent decomposition until
medical science had developed a cure for that medical condition,
maintained patient in cryogenic suspension, Tom Thumb himself was
placed in one after his death--[Squadron Supreme I#5], 9
- "HIBERNATION HIVE" - storage facility for Computo's
Cybertrons--X-Men I#48
- other "Hiber" characters, groups, items, events, races or places...
images: (without ads)
Rom I#67, pg. 16, panel 4-5 (exiting Hibernation center, distant and close (faces));
pg. 17, panel 3 (line exulting in the verdant land);
pg. 19, panel 3 (main; Hibers in front of Hibernation center);
pg. 20, panel 5-6 (Hiber female
changing from exultation to distress upon realizing that the time was
over);
panel 8 (people returning to hibernation center)
Official
Handbook of
the Marvel Universe II (Deluxe Edition) #15: Hibers entry
Appearances:
Rom I#67 (June, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Steve Ditko (penciler), P. Craig Russell (inker), Mike Carlin (editor)
Official
Handbook of
the Marvel Universe II (Deluxe Edition) #15 (March,
1987) - Mark Gruenwald (writer/producer), Peter Sanderson
(writer/researcher), Josef Rubinstein
(inker), Howard Mackie (assistant editor), Marc Siry, David Wohl, Marc McLaurin (editorial
assistants), Gregory Wright (assistant editor)
First posted: 11/02/2026
Last updated: 11/01/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and
© 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you
like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to
www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
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