The ROC

Real Name: Inapplicable

Identity/Class: Giant terrestrial animal (possibly Deviant mutate or mystical); (Pre-modern era)

Occupation: Bird

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Anne; John

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: The Winged Mammoth

Base of Operations: Cairo, Egypt

First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery I#71/1 (August, 1961)

Powers/Abilities: Outside of possessing the proportionate strength of a bird its size, the Roc matured into a full-grown adult only moments after being hatched. It can also fly and survive in outer space. Due to its size, it was invurnerable to most known weapons.

History: (Journey into Mystery I#71/1) - While on their honeymoon in Cairo, archaeologist John and his wife Anne went sightseeing in the desert.  Anne noticed a perfectly round hill and John dug it up to find a brilliantly-colored giant egg under it. When they left to report their find, the desert heat and sun caused the egg to hatch, releasing the Roc. The creature matured in minutes, and set out on what appeared to be a rampage, carrying off trains, ships and other large objects. In actuality, it was building a nest. John realized that the Roc would be looking for a mate, and suggested to the United Nations that they work together to create a robot female Roc. They did so, and when it was launched, the real Roc followed it straight into outer space, where it pursued the robot.




Comments: Created by Stan Lee (or Larry Lieber), Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.

Reprinted in Monsters on the Prowl#10.

The Roc (original spelling - Rukh) is based on the legend of a huge flightless bird from Madagascar described through the travels of Sindbad. It might have been based on an actual bird called the Aepyornis which was driven to extinction in the 16th Century by the first explorers to the island.
--Will U

Profile by Madison Carter

Clarifications:

This Roc has no known connections to

Anne

After marrying John, Anne and he honeymooned in Cairo, where Anne spotted a hill containing the Roc's egg.




-- Journey into Mystery I#71/1

John

An archaeologist, John discovered the Roc egg, and later was the one who came up with the idea to create a robot Roc decoy to lead the real one into space.




-- Journey into Mystery I#71/1

images:
Journey into Mystery I#71, story 1, page 1, panel 1 (Roc)
                                                                page 4, panel 1 (egg)
                                                                page 4, panel 8 (young Roc)
                                                                page 6, panel 1 (Anne and John)

Monsters on the Prowl#10 (August, 1961) - Stan Lee or Larry Lieber (writer), Jack Kirby (penciler), Dick Ayers (inker), Stan Lee (editor)

Last updated: 08/22/06

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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