ZGREB THE SORROWER

Real Name: Zgreb

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial cosmic being (Celestial) (Distant past to modern era)

Occupation: Destroyer

Group Membership: Celestials (Progenitor, others), the Final Host (Callus the Void, Obliteron, Valknar the Exhumer, two others)

Affiliations: The Final Host, Loki (Loki Laufeyson);
    formerly Progenitor

Enemies: Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. (Agamotto, Black Panther, Ghost Rider, Iron Fist/Fan Fei, Lady Phoenix, Odin/Odin Borson, Starbrand/Vnn), Captain America (Steve Rogers), Earth in general, Ghost Rider (Robbie Reyes), the Horde

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "New Friend" (called by Loki), Zgreb the Aspirant

Base of Operations: An underground cavern beneath South Africa;
    formerly mobile throughout space

First Appearance: (unidentified): Marvel Legacy#1 (November, 2017);
(identified): Avengers VII#5 (September, 2018)

Powers/Abilities: Like most Celestials, Zgreb exists as energy inside a physical shell resembling a large suit of armor and he possesses vast cosmic powers of unknown limits. He is extremely long-lived, having survived for millennia, and can survive in space unaided, even within the heart of Earth's sun. Zgreb is superhumanly strong, able to rend Earth by simply digging, and he can at least charge his hands with energy, if not outright project said energy.

Zgreb likely possesses other cosmic powers that he did not display, probably in relation to his function as a Celestial.

Height: 2000' (by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Unrevealed

History: (Avengers VII#5 (fb) - BTS) - The Celestial Zgreb the Aspirant was the lover of the Celestial known later as the Progenitor.

(Avengers VII#3 (fb) - BTS/Avengers VII#5 (fb)) - Circa 1,000,000 B.C., Zgreb came to Earth in a state of distress, in need of assistance in locating the Progenitor. Finding the Progenitor's corpse teeming with Horde infection, Zgreb was driven mad by the sight and was moments later, infected by the Horde as well.

(Marvel Legacy#1 (fb)/Avengers VII#4 (fb)) - Zgreb ravaged the planet Earth, somewhat deranged due to his Horde infection, appearing to be searching for something. His actions were witnessed by the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. and sorcerer Agamotto informed the other Avengers of Zgreb's status as a Celestial as they discussed what to do with the unhinged cosmic being. The Avengers ultimately decided to attack Zgreb, who reached for the small beings.

(Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America (fb)) - Defeating Zgreb and thinking him dead, some of the Avengers felt immediate regret while others felt Zgreb had left them no choice. Agamotto admitted that he was not sure Zgreb truly was dead but Odin insisted that he had killed enough giants to know when they were dead. The Black Panther suggested they should have tried to cure Zgreb's infection rather than killing it and expressed worry of what might come from the sky next.





(Marvel Legacy#1 (fb) - BTS/Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America (fb) - BTS) - Odin suggested nailing Zgreb to Earth's moon as a warning to the other Celestials.

(Avengers VII#1 (fb) - BTS/Avengers VII#4 (fb)) - Following Zgreb's seeming death, Agamotto magically sealed Zgreb in the ground. Agamotto confirmed with the other Avengers that Zgreb was infected with something but proved unable to determine what exactly. Aware of what had been done to Zgreb, other Celestials soon arrived on Earth for the First Celestial Host to avenge their fallen comrade and the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C. fought back.

(Avengers VII#5 (fb)) - Deciding to leave Earth as it was, the other Celestials departed, leaving Zgreb buried in the Earth, succumbing to his Horde infection.

(Avengers VII#1 (fb) - BTS) - In the modern era, when all magic died, the spells containing Zgreb were removed and never reconstituted due to the sheer age of the original spells.

(Marvel Legacy#1) - Having remained sealed in an underground caverns for millennia, Zgreb was found by a team of archaeologists and he reawakened, repeating the phrase "Summon...the Final Host." Announcing "cleanse them all," Zgreb killed the archaeologists and he was later met by the Asgardian god of mischief Loki. When Zgreb repeated "Summon...the Final Host" again, Loki, wishing to obtain power from the Celestial, agreed and suggested they do just that.

(Avengers VII#5 (fb) - BTS) - Having been transformed by millions of year of Horde infection, Zgreb took the name Zgreb the Sorrower and told Loki the story of his infected lover, the Progenitor, his own infection and the attack on him by the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C.

(Avengers VII#3 (fb) - BTS) - Loki helped Zgreb regain his true form and assisted in his recovery.

(Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America (fb)) - Loki and the revived Zgreb visited Odin in the ruins of Asgard and Zgreb grabbed Odin, recalling his earlier defeat at Odin's hands.

(Avengers VII#5 (fb) - BTS) - Regrouping with the Celestial Final Host, Zgreb the Sorrower (with Loki in tow) infected the other Celestials with the alien Horde, seemingly killing them and littering Earth with their corpses.

(Avengers VII#1 - BTS) - Having been informed of Zgreb's escape by Odin, the modern day Black Panther (T'Challa) brought modern Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange to Zgreb's former cavern and Strange confirmed Agamotto's magics present there. The two then became curious as to where Zgreb had went when it escaped and began investigating.

(Avengers VII#3) - Zgreb and Loki accompanied the Final Host following Celestial corpses falling to Earth but they were all teleported into the sun by Captain America. Surviving thanks to Loki's magic, Captain America was introduced to Zgreb and Loki took all three to the root cause of the worldwide Horde infection, the corpse of the Celestial Progenitor.

(Avengers VII#5) - Remaining by Loki's side as Loki reiterated the story of the Celestial Horde infection and Zgreb's burial in the Earth, Zgreb joined the Final Host in preparing to destroy Earth. When Captain America escaped Loki's capture with the assistance of the Ghost Rider, Zgreb pursued the escaping Captain America and Ghost Rider alongside other Final Host Celestials. Stopping in Russia, Zgreb and the other Final Host went about destroying the area.

Comments: Created by Jason Aaron, Esad Ribic, Steve McNiven, Chris Samnee, Russell Dauterman, Alex Maleev, Ed McGuinness, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Pepe Larraz, Jim Cheung, Daniel Acuna, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Mike Deodato, Jr. and David Marquez.

Online sources say Zgreb is mentioned in Avengers VII#10 but I could not find a mention of him anywhere in that issue...

Zgreb's height was approximated using the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe's Celestials entry, which states that most Celestials exist within physical armor standing 2000' high. As an energy being, Zgreb's weight could be non-existent but the weight of his armor is unrevealed. Due to always being inside his armor, Zgreb's true eye and hair color (if any) is also unrevealed.

It was unclear what became of Zgreb after Zgreb and the Final Host attacked Russia. The Final Host was eventually defeated by the Avengers but Zgreb was not seen again...

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Zgreb the Sorrower has no known connections to:


images: (without ads)
Avengers VII#5, p6, pan2 (Zgreb, main image)
Avengers VII#5, p6, pan3 (Zgreb, headshot)
Marvel Legacy#1, p5, splash page (Zgreb on Earth circa 1,000,000 B.C.)
Marvel Legacy#1, p38, pan1 (Zgreb sealed in cave)


Appearances:
Marvel Legacy#1 (November, 2017) - Jason Aaron (writer),
Esad Ribic, Steve McNiven, Chris Samnee, Russell Dauterman, Alex Maleev, Ed McGuinness, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Pepe Larraz, Jim Cheung, Daniel Acuna, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Mike Deodato, Jr., David Marquez (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Free Comic Book Day 2018: Avengers/Captain America (May, 2018) - "A Million Years in the Making" story - Jason Aaron (writer), Sara Pichelli (pencils, inks), Elisabetta D'Amico (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VII#1 (July, 2018) - Jason Aaron (writer), Ed McGuinness (pencils), Mark Morales (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VII#3 (August, 2018) - Jason Aaron (writer), Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness (pencils), Juan Vlaso, Mark Morales, Jay Leisten (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VII#4 (September, 2018) - Jason Aaron (writer), Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness (pencils), Juan Vlasco, Mark Morales (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VII#5 (September, 2018) - Jason Aaron (writer), Paco Medina, Ed McGuinness (pencils), Juan Vlasco, Mark Morales, Karl Story (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)


First Posted: 12/20/2019
Last updated: 12/20/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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