ANGMO the FIRST
ANGMO the FIRST
Real Name: Angmo I (see comments)
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Sakaarian Imperial/Imperial Prime)
Occupation: Emperor (at time of death) of the
First Sakaarian Empire;
former general in Umegan army (and captain (specified) and other lower ranks, prior to that);
Group Membership: Imperial Primes (more of a sub-species than a group), Imperial Senate (head at time of death)
Affiliations: Denebo Aruc II, Death's Head Warguard, Etmo Skee, Primus Vand, Yenrag;
loose alliance with Sakaarian Natives & Shadow People (primarily to oppose the Spikes);
formerly Hiroim
Enemies: Angmo-Asan, General Arkash, Axeman Bone, General Denbo, Great Devil Corkers, harrowbeast, Hiroim the Shamed, Ronan Kaifi's father and grandfather, a Mawkaw Magong, General Sharn, Spikes, Omegus Vand; 300 unidentified "bot-crossed warriors," 13 unidentified Native Kings, unspecified politicians in the Community Congress
formerly numerous pre-Empire Sakaarian kingdoms (enemies prior to being
conquered & annexed by him), including Filia, Kumar, Okini, and
Vandro;
formerly the Sakaarian Natives & Shadow People;
Known Relatives: Enka (wife; or, at least, father of his son, Angmo II; presumed deceased), Angmo-Asan (son; Angmo II, Red King, Hero Protector), unidentified father (Umegan senator, deceased), unidentified ancestors
Aliases: Angmo I, Father Emperor, General Angmo of Umegus, unrevealed alias while serving as a soldier in Umegus' army
Base of Operations: Currently unrevealed;
formerly Crown City, Imperia Province
(formerly Geot City, Tego Province), planet Sakaar, Tayo system, Fornax galaxy;
formerly a volcanic crater deep in the Mawkaw Mountains,
Sakaar;
formerly First Imperial Capital City, Umegus (now the
Wasteland), Sakaar
First Appearance: (Referenced) Incredible Hulk III#93 (May, 2006);
(identified as Father Emperor & Angmo I) Planet Hulk: Gladiator
Guidebook#1 (July, 2006);
(seen) World War Hulk Aftersmash: Warbound #2 (March, 2008)
Powers/Abilities:
As an Imperial Prime," Angmo the First was apparently significantly
stronger and more durable than the average Sakaarian Imperial. The exact extent of his abilities is unrevealed.
He was a skilled tactical leader and a highly accomplished warrior, experienced with conventional weaponry, such as spears and swords, as well as his flaming sword. He wielded a Shadowforge blade (presumably forged by the Shadow People and possessing great durability).
He also wore, on occasion, armor derived from the former leader of the Death's Heads.
He commanded the Imperial armies as well as the Death's Head units.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 7' tall in comparsion to Hiroim)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 325 lbs. in comparsion to Hiroim, though Shadow People are more dense/heavy)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Unrevealed None seen
Skin: Red
History:
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1 (fb) - BTS) <566 years before the Hulk's
arrival on Sakaar - see comments regarding the calendar> - Angmo I's oldest known ancestor was born.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - Born in the ancient Imperial city-state of Andav along the Vandro River, this ancestor led a failed coup against Andav's Prime Lord at age 23 (the year was later designated 23 Post). His grab for power thwarted, he and his followers were forced to flee Andav to avoid execution and travel southward where they founded the Umegus city-state west of the Torkaw river later that year.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - In the decades following the establishment of the first known Imperial kingdom Filia in 133 Post, similar Imperial kingdoms were established in Umegus and others. In these new kingdoms, rule was no longer determined by gladiatorial combat; rather, leadership was passed down through familial bloodlines; but the gladiatorial battles, or the "Great Games" as they had come to be known, remained a central form of entertainment in Imperial society, with retired soldiers, unemployed youths, and convicted criminals hoping for pardon now competing as gladiators for sport.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) <181 Post> - Silver squares were adopted as the primary forms of currency throughout many of the Imperial kingdoms.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - With the rise of a wealthy and educated Imperial noble class, the kingdoms Umegus and Vandro began operating as parliamentary systems, their kings reduced to mere figureheads and senators taking over the duties of governance. Although the practice of succession through familial bloodlines was formally abolished at this time, in reality, the same rich, land-owning families still retained political power over the generations while the poor masses experienced little to no upward social mobility.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) <199 Post> - After years of minor border skirmishes, full scale war broke out among the various Imperial kingdoms as they competed for land and resources, leading to what became known as the "Dark Ages" of Imperial society, characterized by bloody invasions and political assassinations; the kingdoms Vandro and Filia maintained dominance throughout this period.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1 (fb) - BTS/Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) <466 Post> - Angmo the First was born, the son of a senator, into the most privileged class of Umegus.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb) - BTS) - Angmo was one of the rare and powerful Imperial Primes, only 2-3 of which were born into each generation.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1 (fb) - BTS/Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - Angmo grew up in the Mansions of Congress, where the rich and influential enjoyed all the luxuries Umegus could provide.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - While his peers studied law and politics, Angmo spent his days sneaking past the walls surrounding the mansion of Congress to play with the gangs of street children who lived in the Umegan slums. He later joined the army under an assumed name, rising swiftly to the rank of Captain.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The
Emperor) - When Umegus' <capital?> city was attacked by invaders of the kingdom
Okini who had destroyed the bulk of the army in an ambush, Angmo saved the day
by arming the street gangs of the slums and leading them against the invaders.
With the city's military leadership decimated (and Angmo's
father having perished), Angmo revealed his true identity and became a General.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - Angmo promptly restructured the army, admitting any person regardless of social class. Any slave willing to fight was granted his or her freedom and allowed to join.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS/Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) <486 Post> - Angmo rose to power as a noble army general from Umegus.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb) - BTS) - Witnessed by fellow warrior Yenrag, at some point or perhaps over the stretch of career, Angmo I broke the battle shells of thirteen of the insectoid Native Kings.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The Wastelands (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - General Angmo of Umegus led a brilliant yet bloody military campaign to unify Sakaar's rival Imperial kingdoms, annexing all other territories into Umegus.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) <486 post> Angmo led his troops against the neighboring kingdom Okini, starting the War of the Empires and making Okini's ruling class pay for the death of his father with their blood following a year-long siege of their capital city T'msar.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Governor of Wukar (fb) - BTS) <487 Post> - Denebo Aruc II, who had become political ruler of Wukar kingdom following the assassination of Wukar's king by Okini agents, signed a treaty with Angmo and contributed Wukar forces to his efforts.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Great Games: Captain Lavin Skee -- Imperial) - A destitute young street merchant living on the streets of T'msar, Etmo Skee (grandfather of Lavin Skee) was offered the chance to make more of his life, and he was one of many poor Okinians who willingly turned against their royal family and assisted General Angmo in conquering the kingdom.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Ronan Kaifi (fb) - BTS) <487 Post> - Among those slaughtered amongst Okini's ruling class was the grandfather of Ronan Kaifi.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor (fb) - BTS) - After Okini fell to the combined might of Wukar and Umegus, Angmo annexed Okini into a new political entity known as Greater Umegus.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Governor
of Wukar (fb) - BTS) - Denebo II whole-heartedly supported Wukar's inclusion in
Greater Umegus as long as this meant Wukar could share in Greater Umegus'
fortune.
Denebo's title officially changed to "Governor of Wukar," and
his devotion and support were such that he was the only provincial leader not
replaced by one of Angmo's political chronies during the War of Empires.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Great Games: Captain Lavin Skee -- Imperial) - Etmo Skee and the other Okinians who had aided in their rulers' downfall were allowed to join Angmo's rapidly growing army and assisted Angmo in his continuing march across Sakaar.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor (fb) - BTS) - Joined by the kingdom Wukar, General Angmo launched what would become a famed march across Sakaar, demanding the allegiance of all other kingdoms. Any who resisted were attacked and conquered, with their noble classes slaughtered and their slaves and oppressed lower classes granted all of the rights of the citizens of Greater Umegus. Over the next 15 years, Angmo's Wars of Empire led to the creation of a grand coalition of states, which even included Native hives.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor (fb) - BTS) - Much of official documents and record detailing Angmo's early days were destroyed during the War of the Empires.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: Lower Vandro (fb) - BTS) - General Angmo concocted a plan to weaken a rival in the unified kingdom of Vandro, planting Umegan spies within Vandronese society to convince the citizens of the portions of Vandro south of the Vandro river. The plan worked, and a civil war soon erupted when upper Vandro attempted to prevent lower Vandro from seceding through the use of military force. The Vandro Civil War came to an end years later after Angmo convinced the rulers of both Upper and Lower Vandro (both exhausted from years of war) to set aside their differences and join his new political entity for their mutual benefit.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Imperials: Crown City (fb) - BTS) <495 Post> The kingdom Tego was annexed by Angmo's forces, becoming part of Greater Umegus, and was renamed Tego Province.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Primus Vand (fb) - BTS) - The entire ruling family of Kumar was killed during the War of the Empires. Omegus Vand, once a high ranking advisor to Kumar's king, was forced into a life of slavery.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: Independent Province of Filia (fb) - BTS) - The northernmost known civilization, Filia, was the last of the Imperial kingdoms to resist being conquered by Angmo until it was finally annexed in 500 Post after a costly four year war.
(WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound (fb) - BTS) <Before the Spikes came> - Angmo I's generals slaughtered three tribes of the Shadow People.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb) - BTS) - Witnessed by fellow warrior Yenrag, Angmo I slaughtered 300 bot-crossed warriors in the final battle of the Wars of Empire.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) <500 Post> - Angmo completed his conquest and named his new political entity the "First Sakaarian Empire" and named himself as its "Father Emperor."
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The Wastelands (fb) - BTS) - Umegus, which possessed a beautiful countryside, was the home of the First Imperial Capital City and was the most powerful Sakaarian city-state.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1 (fb) - BTS) - At the time of the First Sakaarian Empire's founding, it became clear that a universal calendar system was needed to replace the individual calendar systems of the old Imperial kingdoms. The modern Sakaarian calendar was introduced and promulgated, with a system of numbering years from the year of birth of Angmo I's oldest known ancestor, with each year subsequent to his birth labeled "Post" and years prior to his birth labeled "Pre."
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Ronan
Kaifi (fb) - BTS) - Ronan Kaifi's father, who resented the Father Emperor as the
man responsible for his own father's death, was elected as Representative of the
local Community Congress (presumably in the Okini province) -- a political
institution with no real power established by the Father Emperor in all
provinces merely to give the conquered masses a false sense of participation in
government.
Real political power in the provinces was held by the
governors, who were personally appointed to their positions by the Emperor
himself and, as a result, consisted entirely of his chronies and political
allies.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - With the external enemies defeated, some politicians from recently conquered member states of the Empire began to chafe under the Father Emperor's rule, claiming that the Imperial Senate and Regional Community Congresses that Angmo had established were merely for show and that the people had no voice in the Angmo's new world order.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - The era of peace under the Father Emperor's reign was short-lived.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The Wastelands (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor ) <504 Post> - Shortly after the Empire was established (and before the grumbling of the politicians could turn to action), alien invaders arrived on Sakaar and attacked.
(Incredible Hulk III#102 (fb) - BTS) - Normally surviving on the energies of dying stars, the Spikes crashed-landed on Sakaar. Trapped there and deprived of the stellar energies, the Spikes were maddenly starved, and they ravenously attacked and fed on Sakaar's living beings.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Spikes: History &
Physiology (fb) - BTS) <504 Post> - An armada of enormous, spike-shaped vessels
darkened the skies above Kumar province and launched a devastating attack upon
the province's outlying cities.
The Imperials once opposed to Angmo I immediately toned down
their anti-Empire rhetoric and looked to their leader for guidance in this time
of crisis.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - All of the Empire's member states united under the Father Emperor's military leadership.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Spikes: History & Physiology (fb) - BTS) - It soon became apparent that the aliens regarded the Imperials and other living beings as food, and Angmo I declared war on these "Spikes," named for the shape of their terrifying vehicles and the dagger-like pseudopodia with which they infected their victims. Minor skirmishes erupted across the Empire as new Spike armadas entered Sakaar's atmosphere daily.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - The war against the Spikes stretched Imperial civilization to its limits, and Spike victory seemed imminent for many years.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Natives: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) <509 Post> - Angmo I sent delegates to the various Native hives with an offer of alliance: If the Natives agreed to fight alongside the Imperial Guard in the Spike Wars, he would grant them the land they inhabited by royal decree. Many of the Hive kings, weary from years of skirmishes with Imperials, readily accepted the offer and enlisted their hives. Although not technically members of the Imperial Guard, these special Native units (aka "Bug Brigades") were instrumental in several key battles.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The
Wastelands (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The
Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Spikes: History & Physiology (fb) - BTS)
- The Spikes eventually launched a ground assault that killed hundreds of
thousands of Imperials and left the Empire's Capital City in Umegus under Spike
occupation.
Angmo I survived the attack.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The Wastelands (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Great Games: The Maw (fb) - BTS) - Angmo I and his surviving army sought a new base of operations.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The Wastelands (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Great Games: The Maw (fb) - BTS) <515 Post> - While crossing the Mawkaw mountains in retreat from a Spike offensive in Kumar Province, Angmo I discovered the Maw. Soon realizing the intense heat generated from the Maw's magma rivers prevented Spike tracking devices from pinpointing their location, Angmo I decided to make the Maw his temporary headquarters.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb) - BTS) - Witnessed by fellow warrior Yenrag, Angmo I at some point tore out the burning heart of a Mawkaw Magong.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Great Games (fb) - BTS) - With most of the Empire's money being spent on the war against the Spikes and most able-bodied Imperials drafted into service, the resources were not available to continue the Great Games, which came to a halt.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Great Games (fb) - BTS) - Angmo I noticed the drop in morale in his subjects due to the loss of one of their most beloved pastimes, and he knew the Great Games must be reinstated once the Spike War was won.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Imperials: Crown City (fb) - BTS) <515 Post> - Angmo I secretly ordered Geot to be transformed into the new capital of the Empire, Crown City.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Primus Vand (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Great Games (fb) - BTS) <515 Post> - The Father Emperor ordered the dilapidated Tego Arena be converted into the larger, more modern Great Arena in Tego Province's Geot City.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Great Games (fb) - BTS) - Angmo I envisioned the Great Arena as a center for social life for Crown City's richest and poorest inhabitants.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Primus Vand (fb) - BTS) <517 Post> - Omegus Vand and his family were forcibly relocated to Geot City where they were among the first group of slaves to start work on the Great Arena Project.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Primus Vand (fb) - BTS) <526 Post> - Omegus Vand and his wife were among the many slaves killed when a Spike attack caused part of the Great Arena to collapse on them.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The
Emperor) - Most of the remaining official documents and record detailing Angmo's
early days were destroyed during the Spike Wars.
Information was pieced together in the New Encyclopedia and
established as the official history of Imperial Sakaar.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The
Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Shadow People: History,
Culture & Society) <535 Post> - As the Shadow People's military leader, Hiroim,
recognized the Spikes were a threat they could not stop. The Shadow People --
who had thus far resisted any allegiance with the Empire -- entered into the
Shadow Treaty with the Empire to fight the Spikes; but even their combined might
could not stop the invaders.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Shadow People: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - The Shadow Treaty guaranteed the political independence of the Shadow People and the assistance of the Empire in wiping out the Spikes in exchange for a certain number of Warbound Shadows dedicated to service to the Empire. Angmo I chose Hiroim to be his Warbound Shadow.
(WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound (fb)) - As
Hiroim ordered the Shadow People to strike camp and move in an hour to escape a
Spike assault, the Elders tried to silence him, and Angmo ordered Hiroim to shut
his mouth and bow before his emperor. When Hiroim commented that Hiroim ruled
the Imperials, not the Shadows, the Shadow Elders explained that Hiroim was now
Warbound to Angmo by the terms of the treaty so that together they could
defeat the Spikes. Hiroim denounced this as insanity, as Angmo's generals had
slaughtered three of the Shadow People's tribes before the Spikes came. The Elder
told Hiroim he could refuse if he must, but without Angmo's armies and aid, all
of their people would die.
Angmo told Hiroim, "You fear you've sold your soul. And
you're right. But I think you're going to like it." Soon after, the renegade
generals Denbo (presumably NOT Denebo Aruc II), Arkash, and Sharn (who had
slaughtered the Shadow of Vandro) confronted them, apparently planning to try
the same trick on their Emperor. Angmo I laughed, telling Hiroim to go and find
out how good it could feel to serve a demon. And Hiroim attacked and presumably
slew the rebels.
(WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound (fb)) -
Alongside Hiroim, Angmo I and his forces battled Spikes, united the free tribes
of Sakaar, and destroyed rebels who would challenge them.
(WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound (fb)) - Angmo I gave Hiroim one more task, to travel hundred stone steps north to the walled city of An Sara and slay Angmo II (who was hidden there), whom Angmo I proclaimed to be the the greatest threat to peace Sakaar had ever known.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Great Games: Hiroim -- Shadow Person / WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound (fb)) - Hiroim made the trip to An Sara, but could not murder the young (perhaps a few years old) prince. Instead, Hiroim broke his bond to Angmo I and went into seclusion, hated by his people and hunted by the Empire for his betrayal. Hiroim wandered the deserts thusly for 20 years, until Angmo I's death.
(Incredible Hulk III#99 (fb) - BTS) - The Shadow People created the Great Portal.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk#6 (fb) - BTS) - The Great Portal was created by the Shadow People's Ol'Sahm using technology from an ancient Shadow Stone Starship.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Tayo system
(fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1:
Imperial Technology: Death's Head Unit) <536 post> - During the height of the Spike
War, the Father Emperor led a small contingent of troops into the Great Desert's
Northern Steppes' barren expanse for seven days of fasting and prayer. On the
seventh day, a cosmic vortex (later known as the Great Portal) opened in the planet's orbit
for the first time, shattering
the moon Sabyr. Having emerged from the portal, a flagship full of 300
cybernetic Death's Head units fell to the planet's surface. Though still
operational, the Death's Heads' cyberneural cortices were apparently rebooted as
a result of their trip through the Great Portal, causing them to wander
aimlessly without a set of programmed protocols to follow.
The Father Emperor and his troops were the first on the
scene, and Angmo -- feeling threatened by these cybernetic killing machines --
destroyed the lead unit with his Shadowforge blade, after which the Death's Head
units -- their malfunctioning artificial intelligence telling them Angmo was
their new lead unit -- kneeled at his feet. They came to serve the Father
Emperor as his Death's Head Warguard.
Though the inhabitants of Sakaar initially viewed this as a sign
of the end of their world, they soon came to appreciate the technology and
beings arriving through it.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology: Death's Head Unit (fb) - BTS) - While the destroyed Death's Head unit and the disabled flagship were taken to the Okini Province to be studied by Empire engineers, the Father Emperor immediately put the remaining Death's Head units to use in the war against the Spikes. Supplementing the traditional Imperial Guard, Angmo I's "Death's Head Warguard" proved especially adept at finding and killing Spikes, their success attributable to the fact that their metallic bodies were immune to the Spikes' ability to infect and consume organic materials. Becoming increasingly reliant on the loyal and untiring Death's Heads, Angmo I led a series of successful military campaigns against the Spikes over the next three years.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: Independent Province of Filia (fb) - BTS) - The Fillians faithfully served the Empire during the Spike War.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Imperials: Crown City (fb) - BTS) - During the waning years of the Spike War, Empire slaves not suited for battle were put to work rebuilding Geot on a greatly enlarged pattern and a grander scale.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Ronan Kaifi (fb) - BTS) <538 Post> - After his father's death, Ronan Kaifi was popularly elected to fill his father's vacant seat on the Fifth Community Congress.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Shadow People: The Lieutenant (fb) - BTS / Incredible Hulk II#98 (fb) - BTS) <533 Post> - Spikes attacked a Shadow Tribe; Caiera the Oldstrong was the sole survivor, and she was rescued by Prince Angmo-Asan (Angmo II), who had a trio of Death's Head Warguards destroy the Spikes after the last of the other Shadow People were slain. Angmo-Asan then had the Death's Heads implant an obedience disk on Caiera, after which she was taken into Imperial custody and entered the service of Angmo-Asan.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology:
Death's Head Unit (fb) - BTS) <540 Post> - After four years (see comments)
of reverse-engineering the Death's Head flagship and unlocking it
s technological
secrets, the Empire's engineers were finally able to activate the vessel's main
propulsion engines and navigational systems.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: The
Wastelands (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The
Emperor) <540 Post> - Angmo immediately ordered that the Death's Head Warguard use their ship to attack the Spike-controlled Capital
City with Deathfire Bombs outfitted with biological warheads. Although the
attack led to the Spike's ultimate defeat and ended the decades-long war, it
also permanently destroyed the surrounding environment, transforming the
beautiful land of Umegus into what would become known as the Wastelands. All that remained
of the former capital city and its province was a desolate, 400-mile-wide
circular blast radius surrounding the point where the Deathfire Bombs struck.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology: Death's Head Unit (fb) - BTS) <540 Post> - Preparing for the Spikes' attempt to depart in one of their invading ships, Imperial engineers programmed at least one of the Spikes' ships with pre-programmed coordinates that would take them to the broken moon, Sabyr, and leave them stranded there.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology: Death's Head Unit (fb) - BTS / Incredible Hulk II#102 (fb) - BTS) <540 Post> - Following the bombing raid, the Father Emperor himself (outfitted in a grandiose mechanized war suit constructed from the body of the defeated Death's Head lead unit) led the Death's Head Warguard in a ground assault that forced the devastated Spikes to retreat into one of their invading ships.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor (fb) - BTS /Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology: Death's Head Unit (fb) - BTS) <540 Post> - The Spikes' ship transported and exiled the Spikes to Sabyr.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Natives: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - Although Angmo I detested the Natives, whom he considered to be an inferior species, he nonetheless respected their service int he war and honored his deal with them for the most part.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - Following the Spike War, the Father Emperor ruled for many years, although tensions remained between him and the various Regional Community Congresses that he established.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology: Death's Head Unit (fb) - BTS) - In the years following the war, the Death's Head units were assigned to keep the peace in the outlying provinces and tasked with special government assignments, such as the failed mission to eradicate the Great Devil Corkers that plagued Upper Vandro Province's inhabitants.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Natives: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) <541 Post> - Angmo I decreed that all detritus that exited the Great Portal should go to its first finders, even if those finders happened to be Natives.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Imperials: Crown City (fb) - BTS) <542 Post> - Angmo I relocated the capital of the First Sakaarian Empire to the newly constructed Crown City (which Geot City was renamed). Similarly, Tego was renamed Imperia in honor of being the capital city's host province.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) <542 Post> - To commemorate his epic defeat of the Spikes, Angmo reinstated the Great Games, which had suspended for many years during the Spike War.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: The Great Games (fb) - BTS) - Angmo I simultaneously established the Imperial League to handle the marketing and promotion of the Great Games and other associated forms of combat entertainment.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Great Games: The Maw (fb) - BTS) - The new gladiatorial games were intended to feature predominantly criminals, slaves, and captured enemy combatants. As such, it was felt that a harsh, prison-like training environment was needed to sculpt these unwilling participants into suitable gladiators -- and Angmo I decided the Maw was perfectly suited for such a role. The Maw was adapted for this purpose.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Imperial Technology: Imperial Dreadnought (fb) - BTS) - The Father Emperor decreed that the Death's Head's original flagship be retired and transported to Crown City to serve as his Imperial Palace, a monument to his epic defeat of the Spike invaders.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb) - BTS) <10 years before Angmo I's death -- which would be 542 Post> - Hearing from one of his soldiers of the existence of another Imperial Prime, within hours, Angmo I sent his Imperial Dreadnaughts with their Deathfire Bombs to destroy him. However, as the Prime had been kept in chains in a secret dungeon, the attack served only to free him. The being who would become known as Axeman Bone saw the Imperial troops murdering innocents, and he turned on them, wiping out the troops; and he then continued on to slaughter those who had imprisoned him years before.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Imperial Technology: Imperial Dreadnought (fb) - BTS) - Without being able to use the Death's Head's flagship, the Empire's engineers were forced to construct a new heavy-artillery airship to serve as a symbol of the Empire's military superiority. As the Great Portal tended to damage all space travel technology that passed through it beyond repair, the engineers had to cobble together a ship out of the component parts of several other ships, including Kree Imperial Battle Cruisers, Skrull Command Cruisers and Star-Drive Shuttles, and pieces from Luphomoid, Mobian, and Xandarian ships.
(Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb)) - Angmo I heard rumors that the Imperial Prime (who had since become known as Axeman Bone) that had escaped his attempted assassination a decade earlier had joined the army of Angmo II, who was plotting to claim his father's throne.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Sakaar: Geography: Independent Province of Filia (fb) - BTS) - Many local Fillian politicians began to question the Empire's authority in the years following the war.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The Emperor) - Aside from the robot rebellions that occurred in the decade after the war, however, Sakaar knew peace for the rest of the Father Emperor's rule.
(Incredible Hulk III#93 (fb) - BTS / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: Primus Vand (fb) - BTS) <551 Post> - The Father Emperor granted citizenship to Primus Vand, Sakaar's most beloved slave-warrior.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: Imperial Technology:
Miscellaneous Tech (fb) - BTS) <551 Post> - A Kree Starstealth-class Assault Vessel arrived via the Great Portal.
From Neuro-Lances obtained from the vessel, Imperial
engineers developed Obedience Disks.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS / Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (fb)) <552 Post> - While hunting in the plains of Upper Vandro alongside some of his soldiers, including Yenrag, the Father Emperor encountered a rutting Harrowbeast. In an effort to protect Angmo, Yenrag stepped in the beast's path and was swiftly struck down, after which Axeman Bone appeared and suddenly slew the Harrowbeast. Angmo I was pleased to finally encounter "the Prime who got away." Angmo noted that he had heard rumors of him and wondered why the Prime had saved his life. Axeman Bone explained that he just didn't want the monster killing Angmo I and -- as he shattered Angmo's shield -- that that was a privilege he claimed for himself. Angmo I fought back, telling the Axeman he would have to earn that privilege; however, after a brief, but fierce struggle, Axeman struck Angmo's sword from his hand and then decapitated the Father Emperor.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: History, Culture & Society (fb) - BTS / WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound (fb)) - Angmo-Asan, Sakaar's Hero Protector, claimed the crown over his father's corpse. He assumed the throne, becoming the Red King.
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Imperials: The
Emperor / Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1: The Shadow People: History,
Culture & Society (fb) - BTS) - As part of the Shadow Treaty, Angmo
II chose Caiera the Oldstrong to be his Warbound Shadow (see comments).
(Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1 (fb) - BTS) <566 Post> - A group of Sakaarian Imperials elected to honor the memory of the Father Emperor on his centennial birthday by producing a Guidebook that would provide in-depth profiles of the latest Spring Games sensations as well as taking a look back at the planet's history, culture, and inhabitants.
Comments: Created by Greg Pak.
Physical appearance first detailed by Rafa Sandoval & Roger Bonet.
Yes, I'm well aware that Roman Numerals are
Verboten on the Appendix...that's MY rule. The difference comes in terms of a
known line of succession, especially in pre-existing real world history. By the
same token, if Angmo was the first Emperor, and his son, also named Angmo, was
also an Emperor, than the father is Angmo I and the son if Angmo II, meaning
Angmo the First and Angmo the Second. Just like Henry the Eighth.
I have a friend with eight kids, and he named his 8th
child, a boy, Henry...
So, what was the race now known Imperials called before they formed an Empire? I guess they were known by their city-state and later kingdom...but they share a common history. Some reports note that as a divergent branch of the Shadows, but their only showing up on Sakaar a few thousand years ago argues against evolutionary divergence...perhaps something else mutated them suddenly?
I included anything on Angmo the First's ancestors and the lands they ruled in the preliminary history.
Chronological conflicts
In Incredible Hulk III#98, Caiera
refers to the teenage Angmo-Asan as the Emperor during the Spike War.
While that might seem to argue that Angmo-Asan was the one who drove
off the Spikes, it is repeatedly stated (including by the Spike Elders)
that it was the Father Emperor was the one who drove off the Spikes. I
think the easiest explanation is that Caiera was relating the account
in the present, and she referenced Angmo-Asan as she thought of him in
the present.
Further, it was noted that Angmo-Asan removed Caiera's obedience disk
after she became his Warbound, while other sources note that she became
his Warbound as part of the Shadow Treaty. That treaty was written
either when Angmo II was an infant or before he was born (more likely
in my opinion); and Caiera was a few years younger than Angmo II; while
it's possible that Angmo I could have made provisions for his son to be
Warbound to a certain, unborn Shadow, it makes more sense to me that
after becoming Emperor, Angmo-Asan reinforced the Shadow Treaty and
made Caiera his Warbound in the process.
The final paragraph in the Emperor (Angmo II) profile in Gladiator Guidebook inadvertently refers to Angmo-Asan/Angmo II as the Father Emperor.
Per the chronology in Savage World of Sakaar, Axeman Bone was 10 years old when Angmo I's bombs freed him. And, it was 10 years later that Axeman Bone finally confronted and slew Angmo I. While Bone was clearly only 20 years old in that conflict, the chronology in the Gladiator Guidebook would put Angmo I at 86 years old at that time. Even if that chronology is not completely accurate, I think it makes sense that Angmo I was much older than Bone...which makes Bone's victory that much more logical.
In decribing the early days of the Spike war, the Gladiator Guidebook noted that "new Spike armadas entered Sakaar's atmosphere daily." However, Incredible Hulk III#102 made it clear that the Spikes' behavior was due to their being trapped on Sakaar and unable to feed on the stellar energies of space, which left them maddened/starved for energies; they didn't invade Sakaar, rather they crashed their...so it doesn't make a lot of sense for new Spikes to be flying to Sakaar to join the battle.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Angmo I should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2: Tales of the Warbound, pg. 1, panel 5 (confronting
Hiroim);
pg. 2, panel 1 (riding lizards
alongside Hiroim);
panel 3
(battling rogue generals alongside Hiroim);
pg. 3, panel 1 (battling Spikes
alongside Hiroim);
panel 2
(battling Imperial rebels alongside Hiroim);
panel 5
(giving Hiroim the task of slaying Angmo-Asan);
pg. 5, panel 2 (Angmo-Asan claims the
crown over his father's corpse)
Skaar: Son of Hulk#6, pg. 9, panel 2 (leading Death's Heads against Spikes)
Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1, pg. 8, panel 1 (with
Axeman Bone standing atop death Harrowbeast);
panel 3 (Bone
smashes his shield);
panel 4
(swings and misses Bone with his shield);
pg. 9, panel 1 (dodging Bone's axe
strike);
panel 4 (Bone
knocks away his sword);
panel 6
(decapitated by Bone);
pg. 19, panel 3 (opposing Spikes with
flame sword);
panel 4
(cheering Spikes being driven off);
Appearances:
Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook#1 (2006) - Anthony Flamini & Greg Pak
(writers), Carlo Pagulayan, Aaron Lopresti, Ladronn, Ryan Sook, Alex Maleev,
Lucio Parrillo & James Raiz (resource artists), Jim Calafiore (new art), Jen
Grunwald & Mark D. Beasley (associate editors), Michael Short (assistant
editor), Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#98 (November, 2006) - Greg Pak (writer), Aaron Lopresti (penciler),
Danny Miki & Sandu Florea (inkers), Nathan Cosby (assistant editor), Mark
Paniccia (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#102 (March, 2007) - Greg Pak (writer), Aaron Lopresti (penciler),
Danny Miki & Sandu Florea (inkers), Nathan Cosby (assistant editor), Mark
Paniccia (editor)
WWH Aftersmash: Warbound#2 (March, 2008): Tales of the Warbound (second story) -
Greg Pak (writer), Rafa Sandoval (penciler), Roger Bonet (inker), Nathan Cosby
(assistant editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Skaar: Son of Hulk#3/2 (October, 2008) - Greg Pak (writer), Butch Guice (penciler
& inker), Jordan D. White (assistant editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents – Savage World of Sakaar#1 (November, 2008) - Greg
Pak (writer), Timothy Truman (penciler, inker), Jordan D. White (assistant
editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Skaar: Son of Hulk#6 (February, 2009) - Greg Pak (writer), Ron Garney (penciler),
Butch Guice (inker), Jordan D. White (assistant editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)
First Posted: 06/11/2015
Last updated: 06/11/2015
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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