Real
Name: Gullivar JonesGULLIVAR JONES
Real
Name: Gullivar Jones
Identity/Class: Normal human (1
Billion BC, 1950s
to 1970s)
Occupation: Adventurer;
formerly U.S. Marines officer (lieutenant, retired)
Group Membership: None;
formerly U.S. Marines
Affiliations: Chak,
Heru, Lu-Pov,
Noltoi
outcast, Wing-Men
Enemies: Ar-Hap,
Bloodpet,
Giant Slugs, Jen-In,
Lizardmen,
Noltoi
(Spider-Swarm), Parth, Phra,
Ra-Kar, Technics
Guild and their hybrids (Firstborn,
others);
formerly Viet Cong (topical)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: mobile on Mars (circa 1
billion years ago);
formerly modern USA;
briefly east Asian war zone (see comments)
First Appearance: Creatures on the Loose I#16/1
(March, 1972)
Powers/Abilities: Gullivar Jones was a trained U.S. Marine, skilled in different ways to kill and in handling firearms, and experienced in a foreign war zone. On Mars, he quickly gained proficiency in sword-fighting. When on ancient Mars, he benefits from its reduced gravity; this provides him with extra strength and jumping height/length. Further, he wears the circular mystical Martian amulet of understanding, which translates ancient Martian language for him to understand, and makes his spoken English comprehensible for Martians. The amulet also enhances his healing and recovery times; however, he has no additional durability. The amulet has also shown the capacity to show the wearer a vision of what is happening elsewhere. While on Mars, he usually runs bare-chested and is armed with a sword. Jones is very protective of his loved one, making him brash in response.
Height: 6' (by
approximation)
Weight: 190 lbs.(by
approximation)
Eyes: Gray-blue
Hair: White (formerly black)
History:
(Creatures on the Loose I#16/1 (fb) - BTS) - Gullivar Jones was a member of the U.S. Marines, ranked lieutenant, in the Vietnam War. He fought during the Battle of Khe Sanh in 1968. After years of experiencing savage warfare, he grew tired of fighting and disillusioned with the war, and returned to the USA.
(Creatures on the Loose I#16/1) - As Jones left the
officers' club for the last time, he was confronted by the Martian
mystic Lu-Pov on a floating disc of light. Lu-Pov had searched across
eons for a champion like him. Jones protested that Mars was lifeless,
but with his dying breath, Lu-Pov passed to Jones the golden amulet of
understanding. As he died, Lu-Pov fell through the disc and it took
Jones up instead, taking him into a colorful yet disorienting chronal
whirlpool where winds ripped his suit apart and his hair turned from
black to white.
He emerged almost a
billion years before outside the Martian city of Seth, where he saw the
beautiful and golden-skinned Princess Heru being forcibly taken by
monstrous red Lizardmen as a tribute wife for their leader, Ar-Hap.
Chivalrous, he charged in to help the female; lower Martian gravity
meant his strength was significantly enhanced, surprising him, and he
easily overcame the Lizardmen, although one escaped by throwing Heru at
Jones. The Earthman explained himself to Heru, who knew Lu-Pov, and she
explained the basics of Martian life in Seth over the next few peaceful
days. Jones and Heru shared a romantic evening, but Wing-Men minions of
Ar-Hap flew in and kidnapped Heru as a tribute. Jones fought the
attackers, but was kicked off mid-air and he fell onto a passing funeral
barge heading downstream on the River of the Dead.
(Creatures on the Loose I#17/1) - Unconscious on the barge, Jones dreamt of his journey and arrival on Mars. He awoke passing a shore-bound group of Giant Slugs, which baited him with telepathic images of his desire: Heru. Taking a sword left on the barge, he made it to the river banks and fought several Slugs before bounding back to the ship with a Slug duplicitously masking itself as Heru. However, Jones realized the threat and kicked it overboard, where it sank. Exhausted, Jones fell asleep, but the barge was soon caught in a giant web spun by the hungry and bestial Noltoi. Also known as the Spider-Swarm, Noltoi jumped onboard and, despite his fighting skills, bound Jones in their sticky web-ropes. He was hauled to an altar as an offering and trussed up next to mutant Wing-Man Chak, also tied up. Chak warned him of what their fate was just as the giant creature Phra surfaced to claim his offerings.
(Creatures on the Loose I#18/1) - Phra ripped Jones and
Chak from the altar and, taking one in each hand, swam underwater to his
hidden lair. Jones had passed out during the trip and woke somehow
reshackled while Phra slumbered nearby. Using his newfound strength,
Jones freed himself and Chak, then investigated Phra's lair. Phra was
oblivious to its true nature, but Jones found an electronic video
database that summarized Martian history for him: the Hither People were
once technologically advanced, but repeated cataclysms caused
destruction and evacuation from cities; the power-hungry Technics Guild
rose to safe-keep some scientific knowledge, but a Martian diaspora led
to the evolution of eight additional races in a ravaged landscape. But
Phra awoke and lunged at the two. Chak and Jones fought back, toppling
the giant, but this triggered fires amongst the old machinery. Chak and
Jones fled by jumping into the water, but were quickly pursued by Phra;
however, Phra's lair exploded, pushing Jones and Chak to the surface,
although Phra failed to resurface. The two emerged amidst a graveyard of
dead bodies entombed in ice. Angry and feeling loss, Jones railed that
he had been cast lost in the distant past on a planet far from his home.
(Creatures on the Loose I#19/1) - Amongst the ice-bound Martian corpses, Jones and the injured Chak found a cavern and lit a fire to keep warm, but strange sounds troubled them. Eventually they discovered it was a massive horde of Parth, small but fanged creatures. Using abandoned weapons, the two cleared Parth out of their cave, but were left exhausted. Later, feeling quickly healed, Jones realized that the amulet held special healing properties and let Chak hold it to help with his injuries. But with the amulet, Chak saw the otherwise invisible Ra-Kar, a savage creature intent on killing them. Jones grabbed the amulet and sword from the tripped Chak to fight the creature, but Jones was instead distracted by the amulet's vision of Heru in danger. Ra-Kar used the opportunity to knock down the two.
(Creatures on the Loose I#20/1) - Chak helped Jones
recover and Jones coordinated a counter-attack that saw Ra-Kar kicked
over a deep cliff face. Jones and Chak slowly climbed down the icy
mountain, taking warmer clothes, food and weapons left for the spirits
of the dead. Chak taught Jones of local edible fruits. They encountered
an encampment of Lizardmen and fought. Victorious, the duo continued,
but Jones was distracted with thoughts of Heru. Chak told Jones that the
star of Jones' home was considered lifeless by Martian scientists,
reminding the Earthman of how far back in time he had been cast.
A roving patrol of Wing-Men captured the two and brought them to Ar-Hap's camp of Lizardmen where they were caged. Stripped back to his trunks, Jones had one arm tied behind his back and let loose to fight a fierce Bloodbeast for the evening's entertainment. Seeing Heru, Jones won, then chased Lizardman Jen-In, who trapped him in the tent of Ar-Hap in an attempted internal coup.
(Creatures
on the Loose I#21/1) - Jen-In led Lizardmen to Jones, who knelt by the
inert (actually sleeping) body of Ar-Hap and claimed Jones was an
assassin. Jones fought back and escaped, also freeing Chak. Fleeing,
Jen-In threatened his captive Heru, so Chak disarmed him, then Jones
killed him with a single powerful punch. Heru pledged her love for
Jones. Meanwhile, Ar-Hap woke and charged his troops at the trio, who
bested many foes. Soon Wing-Men also arrived and Jones sent Heru away
with Chak for safety. The Wing-Men's simmering feud with the Lizardmen
erupted into battle with Jones as observer. Of the Lizardmen warriors,
only Ar-Hap survived and Jones banished him into exile. The Wing-Men
promised Jones their friendship and he rejoined Heru and Chak. While
recognizing hazards lay ahead, Jones' Martian adventures reinforced to
him that peace and love were worth fighting for.
(Monsters Unleashed I#4/5) - Keen to find a way home to Earth, Jones traveled with Chak and Heru through the desert to Seth to challenge the Technics Guild for information. However, they had been shadowed by a Noltoi outcast, which had been exiled due to physical and mental differences, and sought the three as companions. Protective of Heru and hateful of the Noltoi, Jones attacked the Noltoi outcast, piercing it with his sword. Jones discovered the outcast's peaceful motives as it died and berated himself. He resolved not to act so brashly in the future.
(Monsters Unleashed I#8/5) -
Approaching Seth, the trio saw a giant Bloodbeast hybrid attacking the
local Hither People and killed it. The Hither People were initially
passive in response, but seeing their outcast princess, they became
abusive. Discovering the hybrid beast had belonged to the Technics
Guild, the threesome pushed past to challenge the owners, attacking a
lone hooded Technic at the city gates. The Guild's defenses kicked in
with disorienting sounds and winged humanoid slug hybrids armed with
swords. The trio savagely fought back, forcing the hybrids' retreat, but
new Technics appeared and easily overpowered the trio with sleeping gas.
The trio were manacled and hauled for trial. They woke to hear the death
sentence pronounced. Jones was defiant; knowing a little Martian
history, he stated that Seth belonged to the Hither People, but the
Technics Guild derided the golden-skinned Martians as inferior and that
the cities were saturated with radiation. The Technics' leader revealed
his deformed face and unleashed what he considered the perfect
manufactured species: a giant, tentacled cyborg monster dubbed
Firstborn. Jones used his augmented strength to break his chains, then
freed Heru and Chak. Jones killed the creature and berated the
now-silent Technics for wasting scientific opportunities on genetic
experiments and not helping existing Martians or healing Mars. Realizing
the Technics Guild could not help them, the trio strode off.
Comments: Created by Edwin L. Arnold (writer). Adapted by Roy Thomas (writer), Gil Kane (pencils), Bill Everett (inks).
Gullivar Jones
(originally conceived by Edwin L. Arnold in his novel "Lieut. Gullivar
Jones: His Vacation") and John
Carter (created by Edgar Rice Burroughs) have many
similarities. This was discussed in the editorial/letters column in
Creatures on the Loose I#16 (and reprinted partially in Monsters
Unleashed I#8), which asserted that Arnold's character (first published
1905) predates John Carter (first published around 1912). An old friend
of Marvel scripter Roy Thomas named Dick Lupoff passed a copy of
Arnold's book to Thomas and comic stories followed (after modifications)
at a time when Marvel sought new sci-fi/fantasy properties. Lupoff
theorized that Arnold's work may have inspired Burroughs, but this was
inconclusive. See GJ's Wikipedia
page for more info and sci-fi fan's review.
The wizard Lu-Pov's name was a nod to comic fan and writer Richard Lupoff, who introduced Roy Thomas to the character of Gullivar Jones.
In Monsters Unleashed I#8, the anonymous "Bullpen" suggested that Gullivar Jones would beat John Carter in a duel. Fair enough: GJ's a contemporary marine while JC is a Confederate soldier.
It's not definitively stated when
in ancient Mars Jones appeared. Martian computer records and an
in-text box indicated a billion years ago, yet other text stated
hundreds of millions of years. Whichever, it seems Jones was the first
human on Mars. I think it still sits neatly in Earth-616 continuity,
given the huge intervening period. Enduring radiation on Mars led to new
races and mutations, easily accounting for the myriad of Martian
life-forms seen since. Hopefully, one day, someone will tie Martian
history together.
The Hither
People were hinted at in the Solar System Appendix in Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z HC#6.
--Wolfram Bane
I think Marvel could easily bring Gullivar Jones back --
maybe even collect his appearances in one volume (or an omnibus of other
sci-fi/fantasy masterworks from anthology series)! There's certainly
more that could be told of Gullivar Jones. Lu-Pov seeking Jones as the
champion, when other candidates also existed across time, almost
suggests some sort of time travel mission meant specifically for Jones.
His final look in Monsters Unleashed I#8 was like a classic Killraven with cuffed boots, upper chest collar and long hair.
The Monsters Unleashed stories were printed in black and
white.
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS :
Gullivar Jones has no known connections to:
Lu-Pov was a wizard of the Hither People outside the city
of Seth on ancient Mars. Long-lived, he knew how the now-empty
monolithic Martian cities were built and why they fell. He was respected
by Princess Heru. Lu-Pov sought an enduring champion who could effect
positive change on Mars.
Near the end of his life, he took the
mystical amulet of understanding across many millions of years to Earth
to find his champion, Gullivar Jones. With few words of the expected
task, he passed the amulet to Jones and then died, falling through the
transportation light disc onto the Earth street. The disc then took
Jones to Lu-Pov's former location, leaving the dead Martian on Earth.
--Creatures on the Loose I#16/1 (17(fb), 18(fb), Monsters
Unleashed I#4/5 (fb)
The Giant Slugs hunted on the banks of the Mars' River of
the Dead. They duped their prey with short-range telepathic images to
mimic the prey's desire. Jones was fooled by some as he sailed past and
"saw" Heru threatened. He jumped to shore to rescue "her", fighting many
off before carrying the duplicitous slug back to his barge. Seeing
through the telepathic haze as the slug lunged to bite, Jones kicked it
off into the river. Unable to swim, it sank below the surface. Later,
Jones discovered that the Technics
Guild had genetically mixed Giant Slugs with Wing-Men to create
giant, flying humanoid slugs armed as guards.
The riverside Giant Slugs appeared more like caterpillars,
but long and thicker than a human torso. Carnivorous, they had
slobbering fangs.
--Creatures on the Loose I#17/1
Parth were small animals indigenous to Mars. Fanged and
yellow-eyed, they flocked in huge numbers and generally lived within the
ice-walled polar mountains, but colder winter temperatures led the
hunger-driven creatures over the tall polar barrier. Jones and Chak
unwittingly fell in the path of a massive running herd of Parth, but the
two cleared their cavernous hideaway by killing the small intruders
before blocking them out.
With striped tails, they looked liked demon-possessed raccoons.
--Creatures on the Loose I#19/1
images: (without ads)
Monsters Unleashed I#4/3, p32, pan1 (main, colored from the original
black and white)
Creatures on the Loose I#21, cover (Gullivar and Heru)
Creatures on the Loose I#16, p2, pan2 (headshot - black hair)
Creatures on the Loose I#17, p2, pan5 (on disk)
Creatures on the Loose I#18, p7, pan4 (torso with amulet)
Creatures on the Loose I#20, p9, pan3 (cold-weather tunic)
Monsters Unleashed I#8/5, p48, pan2 (twisting, B&W)
Creatures on the Loose I#16, p2, pan6 (Lu-Pov, body)
Creatures on the Loose I#16, p2, pan4 (Lu-Pov, headshot)
Creatures on the Loose I#17, p4, pan6 (Giant Slug)
Creatures on the Loose I#19, p4, pan2 (Parth horde)
Appearances:
Creatures on the Loose I#16/1 (March, 1972) - Roy Thomas (writer), Gil
Kane (pencils), Bill Everett (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Creatures on the Loose I#17/1 (May, 1972) - Roy Thomas (writer), Gil
Kane (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Creatures on the Loose I#18/1 (July, 1972) - George Alec Effinger &
Gerry Conway (writers), Ross Andru (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Stan
Lee (editor)
Creatures on the Loose I#19/1 (September, 1972) - George Alec Effinger
(writer), Wayne Boring & Gil Kane (pencils), Jim Mooney (inks), Roy
Thomas (editor)
Creatures on the Loose I#20/1 (November, 1972) - George Alec Effinger
(writer), Gray Morrow (pencils/inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Creatures on the Loose I#21/1 (January, 1973) - George Alec Effinger
(writer), Gray Morrow (pencils/inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Monsters Unleashed I#4/5 (February, 1974) - Tony Isabella (writer), Dave
Cockrum (pencils/inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Monsters Unleashed I#8/5 (October 1974) - Tony Isabella & Doug
Moench (writers), George Perez (pencils), Duffy Vohland & Rich
Buckler (inks), Tony Isabella (editor)
First Posted: 04/29/2018
Last updated: 10/07/2026
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!