GIANTS 

Classification: Extradimensional Race (Olympus) (13th BC to Modern)

Location/Base of operations: Ossa and Pelion in the dimension of Olympus, formerly Phlegyra in the area known as Thrace (modern Greece and Bulgaria)

Known Members: Agrius, Alcyoneus, Callias, Clytius, Enceladus, Ephialtes, Eurymedon, Eurytus, Gration, Hippolytus, Mimas, Pallas, Polyboetus, Porphyrion, Thoas (all deceased), Hopladamus, "Long Hair," "Bearded One," "One-Eye,"  

AffiliationsCronus, Gaea, Zeno

Enemies: The Gods of Olympus, The Hulk,

First Appearance: Hulk: Hercules Unleashed (October 1996)

Powers/Abilities: The Giants of Olympus possess the conventional attributes of the Olympian Gods including superhuman strength, enough to battle Hercules and the Incredible Hulk (Class 100), incredible stamina and heightened resistance to injury. They are extremely long-lived, but they are not immortal like the Olympians. They fighting style is bestial in nature with no style of unarmed combat at all.

History: (Greek/Roman Myth/Incredible Hercules#130) - The Giants of Olympus are the progeny of Gaea, the primeval goddess of earth, who conceived them mystically from the blood of Ouranus. Among them, the giant Hopladamus protected and aided in concealing the Titaness Rhea that she might give birth to Zeus without fear of ill treatment from Cronus, her husband. As a young god, Zeus overthrew Cronus and the Titans and imprisoned them in Tartarus. Gaea had searched for a plant to make the Giants immortal as the Olympian Gods and the Titans before them, but Zeus withheld Helios, Eos and Selene from giving light to earth for Gaea to find it, and by finding it himself in the darkness, he managed to keep the Giants from obtaining it. 

The Giants were prophesied by the Titaness Themis to be indestructible and could not be killed by god or immortal. Zeus obtained the help of his mortal son, Hercules, to battle them, who being born of a mortal was neither a god or mortal. Under the leadership of Eurymedon, the giants attacked Olympus by hurling huge rocks and flaming oaks upon the Olympians. Among the Giants, the strongest were Alcyoneus and Porphyrion. Alcyoneus was immortal only in the vicinity of his homeland of Pallene. Hercules shot him with his arrows dipped in from the blood of the Hydra and dragged him belong Pallene where he died. Porphyrion attacked Hercules and would have raped Hera, but Zeus struck him with a thunderbolt and Hercules killed him with an arrow. Ephialtes was killed in a joint manner with Apollo also hitting him with an arrow in the left eye while Hercules hit him in the right eye with an arrow. Dionysus used his thyrsus and managed to kill Eurytus with it. Hecate burned Clytius with torches and Hephaestus hurled molten metal with deadly aim upon Mimas. Enceladus fled west, and was crushed in an avalanche near Sicily created by Athena. She then turned and flayed the giant Pallas and used his skin on her shield. Neptune pursued Polyboetes through the Aegean sea to the island of Cos and threw a part of the island atop of him which became the island of Nisyrus. Hermes borrowed the cap of darkness from Pluto, god of the dead, to become invisible and slew Hippolytus. The Fates killed Agrius and Thoas with clubs of bronze while Eurymedon. 

The rest of the giants were routed by Triton, son of Neptune, blowing a conch shell along with the raucous braying of wild asses ridden into the battle by the satyrs of Olympus. They were then felled by thunderbolts created by Zeus and finished off by Hercules' arrows tipped from the blood of the Hydra. Gaea, crying out from the blood of the Giants spilled on earth, then gave birth to her most loathsome and most formidable son, Typhon.  

(Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide#1 (fb)) - In recent years, a blind Titan named Zeno and one-armed giant named Callias encountered the Hulk by the entrance to Tartarus as they held a meal to honor their brethren consigned to that realm. The Hulk shared their meal until they were attacked by Ares, which led to the Hulk attacking Olympus, convinced by Callias and Zeno that they were his enemies. Callias and Zeno had their fellow giants join them in breaking the seal to Tartarus, unleashing Cronus upon Olympus. They attempted to overthrow Olympus, but Hercules and the Hulk led the Gods of Olympus against them. During the clash, Hercules slew Callias and Zeno. Hercules ultimately resealed Tartarus.

(Hulk: Hercules Unleashed) - Years later, the Hulk became a guest of the Olympian Gods following a confrontation with Hercules. As he looked for a way back to Earth, Hercules told him of a short path to Greece and a longer much arduous path through the regions of Ossa and Pelion filled with "Giants, a rogue Titan, a Cyclops or two." Not being in any sort of hurry, the Hulk took the longer path with Hercules guiding the way - clashing and fighting Giants along the way. 

Comments: Adapted by Peter David, Michael Deodato Jr. and Steve Rockwell

Mythologically, it is believed that most of the myths are thinly veiled accounts of historical events and that the battle of the Olympian Gods and the Giants (The Gigantomachy, Apollodorus), may actually be based on nearly forgotten wars the Ancient Greeks had against barbarian hordes from the North (possibly Celts). This theory coincides with translations of  Scandinavian myth that the Asgardian Gods were originally powerful Germanic kings at war with the Celts (Giants) while the realms of Niffleheim, Alfheim and Svartalheim represented Iceland, Finland and Ancient Poland, respectively.   

There are at least two other groups of Giants: the Curetes who protected Rhea and the infant Zeus, of which Hopladamus may be a member, and then the Gegenees ("earthborn"), who Hercules and the Argonauts killed in Mysia on behalf of King Cyzicus of the Doliones tribes.

In Hulk: Hercules Unleashed, Hercules suggests that there are other parts within the Olympian dimension just as the Asgardian dimension is made up of various regions. Of these regions, Ossa and Pelion are also known as the two mountains which the giant sons of Neptune, Otus and Ephialtes, piled up to reach Olympus. Pelion is also the home of the wise centaur, Chiron.

A list of Olympian gods who did not take part of the war with the Giants: Ares, Artemis, Demeter, The Furies, The Muses, Pan (could be counted among the satyrs), Persephone, Pluto (Hades - he did give Hermes a hat), Venus (Aphrodite) and Vesta (Hestia). Ares was imprisoned in a vase by Otus and Ephialtes, the sons of Neptune (Poseidon), but this story occurs perhaps as much as twenty to thirty years earlier during the reign of King Aloeus of Sicyon.

Profile by: Will U

CLARIFICATIONS:  The Giants of Olympus are not to be confused with:  

  • Giant-Man, crime-fighting role of Dr. Henry Pym, Tales to Astonish I#49
  • Giant Man, brief role assumed by Dr. William Foster, @ Marvel Two-In-One#55
  • Giganta, Dr. Doris Zuel/Mary Hart, foe of Wonder Woman, DC Comics
  • The Jotuns (Giants of Asgard), denizens of Jotunheim and eternal foes of the Asgardian Gods, @ Journey Into Mystery I#100
  • The New York Giants, professional football team,
  • They Might Be Giants, rock and roll music group,

   


Images:
Hulk - Hercules Unleashed, page 49, full page
"Long Hair," - Hercules Unleashed, page 49
"Bearded One," - Hercules Unleashed, page 49


Issues:
Hulk - Hercules Unleashed (October, 1996) - Peter David (writer), Mike Deodato (artist), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide#1 (June, 2008) - Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente (writers), Khoi Pham, Paul Neary, Dennis Calero, Eric Nguyen, Reilly Brown, Carlos Cuevas, Terry Pallot, Chris Sotomayor, Bob Layton (artists), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Incredible Hercules#130 (August, 2009) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Ryan Stegman & Rodney Buchemi (pencils), Terry Pallot (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)


Last updated: 05/19/08

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

Back to Races