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Quote1 A Red Sword for a Red Lord... The fall of gods, and triumph for the Gorgon. Quote2
The Gorgon[src]

History

Origin[]

When he was two weeks old, Tomi Shishido spoke his first sentence. When he was three months old, he could already walk. By the time of his first birthday, he was able to read and write. At age four, he was ranked among the top five artists in modern Japan. When he was six, he attempted to commit suicide for the second time and had composed his first opera. When he was thirteen, he became aware of his condition as a mutant with the ability of turning those he makes eye contact with into stone. As a consequence, the Japanese media dubbed him the Gorgon. To cope with his deadly abilities, he learned how to fight and operate in daily life while blindfolded, in part thanks to low-level telepathic abilities. At this age, he also devised a mathematical formula that proved, without question, the existence of God.[6] This latter event seemed to deeply affect Shishido, who came to believe that, if God existed, then man could be nothing more than his slave, leading him to develop a great hatred to the sole concept of there being a God.[11]

As a teenager, the Gorgon formed a mutant death-cult called the Dawn of the White Light and subjected Japan to relentless terrorist attacks over four years. When he was eighteen, he killed his family and only real friend to get the attention of the ancient ninja clan known as the Hand and prove them that he felt no fear.[6] The former he petrified and kept in his apartment in Kobe. Soon after killing them, he was visited by the legendary Hydra agent known as the Kraken. He provided the young Gorgon with the Godkiller sword, an artifact that would grant him his destiny.[12] The Godkiller was one of two blades forged at the behest of Zeus and Amatsu-Mikaboshi when their respective pantheons of deities, the Olympians and the Amatsu-Kami, went to war. This gift gave the Gorgon the power to kill that which he hated more than anything else: Gods.[12]

Aspiring to darker and greater things than the Dawn, the Gorgon found the Hand sanctuary in rural Japan and slew all of its guards while blindfolded to demonstrate his abilities. The Gorgon went inside and pledged his allegiance to the Hand's Jōnin. When the master questioned his dedication, the Gorgon impaled himself with his own sword and begged to be resurrected with his dying breath. Impressed by his loyalty, the Hand brought the Gorgon back from death and he worked as one of their best warriors. Within a year, he became the High Priest of the Hand and ran the clan. Soon after, he forged an alliance with Hydra.[6]

Wolverine Vol 3 30 Textless

The Gorgon vs Wolverine

Wolverine[]

Falsely claiming he wished to prove himself against the warrior Wolverine, the Gorgon had the Hand kidnap the son of Ichiro Yashida, the cousin of Wolverine's dead fiancé, Mariko Yashida. Wolverine met the captors in Japan only to find that it was a trap laid out for him. He obliterated all Hand warriors until only the Gorgon remained. Wolverine was incapacitated by being impaled through the chest by the Gorgon, who in turn announced that the boy had been already executed. With Hydra leader Baron Strucker's help, the Gorgon subjected Wolverine to brainwashing and released his debilitated body in South America in order to be recovered by S.H.I.E.L.D..[13][14]

As an agent of Hydra, Wolverine ravaged a Helicarrier, being opposed by Elektra.[15] He also managed to infiltrate and steal technological blue prints from Reed Richards in the Baxter Building so they could be weaponized by Hydra[16] and destabilized the banking industry. Meanwhile, the Gorgon formed a sexual relationship with Elsbeth von Strucker, Baron Strucker's wife.[17] As Wolverine approached his next target, Daredevil, the Gorgon led his forces to confront Elektra, who was revealed to be his actual target all along. The Gorgon succeeded during the fight, and Elektra was taken to the ceremonial altar for the brainwashing ritual.[11]

In order to assassinate the President of the United States, Hydra sent Wolverine against the Xavier Institute to use the telepathic machine Cerebra to execute the murder attempt. The mission was a failure, but led the X-Man Northstar to be slain and Wolverine to fall into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody. After his failure, Baron Strucker was eliminated by the Gorgon as part of his wife's plans; as a result, the Gorgon became the new Supreme Hydra.[18] By having Hydra, the Hand and the Dawn of White Light under his command, the Gorgon assigned Elektra to lead an army of zombie super-human soldiers, including Northstar, to rage war against S.H.I.E.L.D.[6]

Tomi Shishido and James Howlett (Earth-616) from Wolverine Vol 3 31

The Gorgon's death

Their first strike against S.H.I.E.L.D. was foiled by Wolverine, who had had his mind restored.[19] In a new attempt to cause global terror, the Gorgon used Richards' studies to have A.I.M. design and build death machines for his cause of obliterating God's creation.[20] With the revelation that Elektra was actually in deep cover, Wolverine and S.H.I.E.L.D. were able to target Hydra's bases.[21] S.H.I.E.L.D. launched an attack which destroyed the Gorgon's safe-house in Manhattan, killing Elsbeth von Strucker in the process. The Gorgon was then intercepted by Wolverine before he could complete his objective. In a brutal battle, the two warriors inflicted devastating injuries upon one another. In retaliation, the Gorgon decided to murder Nick Fury.[22] Interrupted by Wolverine, the Gorgon managed to gain the upper hand and attempted to use his mutant ability to transform Wolverine into stone. Wolverine extracted his claws at the last moment, forcing the Gorgon to see his own reflection in the metallic claws. As a result, the Gorgon's power was redirected back upon himself. Once the Gorgon had been turned into stone, Wolverine shattered his body into pieces.[8]

Tomi Shishido (Earth-616) from Secret Warriors Vol 1 2

The Gorgon's Resurrection

High Council of Hydra[]

After Nick Fury discovered that Hydra had apparently been controlling S.H.I.E.L.D. from the start, Baron Strucker decided to create a High Council to rule Hydra and guide it in the coming war with Fury. He gathered long-time Hydra agent the Viper, the mysterious Madame Hydra (Contessa), the biological experiment known as the Hive, and the Kraken, secretly killed and replaced by Jake Fury.[9] Wishing to have a powerful final member for his Council, Strucker had Hydra steal the Gorgon's petrified remains from a decommissioned S.H.I.E.L.D. facility.[23] Hydra then attacked the second Twilight Dawn, the Hand's temple of resurrection, and forced a high priest to use the remaining stone fragments to resurrect the Gorgon. This act consumed the life of all the Hand members present. The ritual was successful and the Gorgon joined the new ruling Council.[9]

Following his resurrection, the Gorgon encountered Fury's Secret Warriors when Hydra took over an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility called Red Worm. He used his sword to slice off Yo Yo Rodriguez's forearms. Phobos, son of Ares and the god of fear, attempted to use his powers on the Gorgon but was ordered to retreat. Intrigued by the infant god, Gorgon made a promise to himself that one day he would kill a god.[24] Soon after, the Gorgon was present, with the rest of Hydra's ruling council, when the Secret Warriors invaded one of H.A.M.M.E.R.'s bases. Stonewall confronted the Gorgon because of what was done to Yo Yo. The Gorgon slashed at Stonewall's torso, but was then overpowered. The fight was interrupted by the Kraken, who had assumed that there must be a traitor in their midst and ordered a retreat of Hydra's forces, much to the Gorgon's disappointment.[25]

When agents of Leviathan attacked Nemesis, the Gorgon battled them to protect their base. He easily defeated the attackers through the use of his sword and his petrification abilities. As he made it to their leader and tortured him for answers, he learned that Leviathan had the Viper. The Gorgon rushed through Nemesis, but failed at preventing Leviathan to escape with Viper.[26] In Gehenna, the Gorgon caught a suspicious Madame Hydra getting ready to search for Viper, despite not being cleared psychically. Madame Hydra argued that Kraken was wasting his time searching for a possible traitor, while Leviathan may be extracting all their secrets from the Viper. The Gorgon was scanned by the re-purposed psi-agents, who determined that he was not a traitor. He then regretted letting Madame Hydra leave since she was certainly the traitor. However, the Kraken revealed that he had planted tracking devices on all of their transports and determined that Madame Hydra was in Russia, being in fact Contessa Valentina de Fontaine, a Leviathan agent.[27] At a meeting between Hydra and Leviathan, Orion requested an offer of subservience from Hydra. Strucker refused and ordered the Gorgon to kill him. However, Orion survived a stab to the shoulder as Magadan knocked him away with his hammer. From that moment on, Hydra and Leviathan were at war.[28]

Alexander Aaron (Earth-616) vs

Gorgon vs. Phobos

When Fury's Secret Warriors attacked Gehenna, the Gorgon finally faced off against Phobos. After an intense battle, Phobos' Grasscutter destroyed Gorgon's Godkiller. Although Phobos had apparently won the battle, the Gorgon managed to use one of the broken pieces of his blade to kill Phobos, thus fulfilling his vow to one day slay a god. After the battle, Gorgon took Grasscutter for himself as a spoil of war.[29]

Tomi Shishido (Earth-616) New Avengers Vol 2 18

Dark Wolverine

Dark Avengers[]

When Hydra made an alliance with Norman Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R., Gorgon became part of the New Dark Avengers as their Wolverine. Along with Madame Hydra he planned to kill Osborn when he became too dangerous and use the Dark Avengers to cause discord by serving as a voice of the disenfranchised. Gorgon and the other members of the Dark Avengers were defeated when their teammate Skaar revealed himself as a double-agent and summoned both the Avengers teams to take them down.[30]

Avengers World[]

Tomi Shishido (Earth-616) from Avengers World Vol 1 7 002

After sowing chaos in Madripoor, the Hand and Gorgon (appointed again as their leader) used a ritual to awaken a dormant dragon upon which head the island rested.[1] Shang-Chi tried to oppose him but failed.[2] The dragon then proceeded to fly to Hong Kong, where it encountered the resistance from the Ascendants.[31][32] Using Pym Particles, Shang Chi turned into a giant and defeated the dragon in combat. However, before that he ripped Gorgon's base away from Madripoor and threw it several miles away.[33]

All-New Wolverine[]

Gorgon was less than pleased to learn the Orphans of X made use of the Hand's resources to attack Muramasa and his people in an attempt to capture Wolverine, Honey Badger, and Daken. Upon his arrival he summarily executed, the Orphans member within the Hand as punishment, and was convinced by Muramasa to provide Laura and Gabby with transportation so they could locate down Daken (who allowed himself to be captured after implanting Megan Kinney's phone inside him to serve as a tracker) and the rest of the Orphans.[34]

The Scarlet Samurai[]

Later on, Gorgon resurrected Mariko Yashida making her one of his enforcer known as the Scarlet Samurai.[35] Gorgon then planned to kill the current leader of the Clan Yashida, Shingen Harada II a.k.a The Silver Samurai in order to replace him with Mariko which would have resulted in an abrupt takeover of the Yashida Corp by the Hand.[36]

After taking care of the Silver Samurai, Gorgon was able to acquire a fresh supply of a new designer made supplement called Regenix developed by Yashida Corp. The Regenix allowed its user to gain accelerated regeneration abilities but the drug was addictive and short lived and could cause the death of its users in case of prolonged use. Regenix also lost its effectiveness if exposed to low temperatures.

Gorgon used the Regenix for his army making his undead assassins almost unstoppable but the stock of Regenix was running low, and soon enough Old Man Logan became involved. Gorgon tasked the Scarlet Samurai to take care of Logan, and alongside the undead ninja of the Hand powered by Regenix, she was able to beat him. With Logan beaten, Gorgon then told Mariko to reveal her identity to him which horrified him.[35] Gorgon then told Mariko to kill Logan, but she hesitated, her memory of Logan slowing coming back, Logan used this opportunity to escape and swore he would kill Gorgon for what he did to her.[35]

Not long after, the Silver Samurai revealed he survived Gorgon's previous attack and teamed up with Logan to stop him. The duo was able to defeat Gorgon's army and free Mariko from his control, seeing no other way Gorgon escaped to Madripoor where a rogue shipment of Regenix just arrived to the Island.[37] Gorgon intended to use the Regenix to conquer Madripoor but Logan and the Scarlet Samurai tracked him to Madripoor where they destroyed the last batch of Regenix before facing him.[38] Gorgon was able to stab Logan through the chest with a sword but the old man also managed to severely wounded him with his claws. Weakened and still bleeding from Logan's attack, Gorgon was then confronted by Mariko who defeated him but as she was about to kill him, he was saved by his ninja army and was able to escape.[39]

House of X[]

Tomi Shishido (Earth-616) from X-Men Vol 5 4 003

Gorgon was eventually welcomed to the new mutant island of Krakoa, created by Xavier, Magneto, and Moira X. He entered through the teleportation gateway alongside other villainous and fractious mutants, who had been invited to join the nation in order to heal mutantdom and start over as a whole species together.[40][41]

Gorgon accepted Xavier's offer and joined Krakoa,[40] and assumed the responsibility of defending the state in times of conflict or war as one of the Great Captains of Krakoa, also acting as the bodyguard for the Quiet Council.[42]

X of Swords[]

After Omniversal Majestrix Saturnyne organized a tournament between the mutants of Krakoa and the First Horsemen of Apocalypse, Gorgon joined the Swordbearers of Krakoa as a representative of Krakoa,[43] wielding his swords Godkiller and Grasscutter.[44] Gorgon took part in several contests;[45] the final contest he participated in pitted him against the White Sword and his One Hundred Champions. Gorgon was able to kill thirteen of the champions, awarding Krakoa a point for each slain champion, before he was killed by the White Sword. His sacrifice allowed Krakoa, which had been losing handily, to even the score with Arakko, setting them up for final victory.[10]

Attributes

Power Grid[50]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: Several Forms of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Single Type: Medium Range:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Regenerative:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Speed of Sound:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Genius

Powers

Gorgon possesses a variety of superhuman abilities, some of which were due to natural genetic mutation and some of which were mystically bestowed upon him after his resurrection by the Hand.[46][47][48]

  • Mutant Powers
    • Rock Transmutation: Gorgon's primary mutant ability is the power to transform anyone that made direct eye contact with him into stone, similar to the Gorgon, Medusa, from ancient Greek Mythology.[46][47][48]
    • Telepathy: Gorgon possesses a moderate form of telepathy, the limits of which are unknown. However, he is able to mentally communicate with individuals, as he did with Elektra. Gorgon used his telepathy to mentally "see" everything around him, even when he was blindfolded. He typically uses his telepathy during combat situations, enabling him to predict an opponent's offense and strategy.[46][47][48]
    • Emotion Perception: He has the ability to sense other people's emotions psionically.[46][47][48]
    • Genius Level Intellect: Shishido is also a polymath genius, demonstrating extreme levels of advancement and expertise in a variety of fields throughout his life. He can process and analyze multiple information streams quickly, eidetic memory (meaning that he never forgets anything and has perfect recall), speed reads, and high deductive/reasoning skills.[46][47][48]
  • Post-Resurrection Powers
    • Superhuman Strength: Physical strength was enhanced to low superhuman levels. At his peak, able to lift roughly 1 ton.[46][47][48] He was stated to possess "Class-2 Superhuman Strength".[13]
    • Superhuman Speed: Gorgon is capable of running and moving at speeds (possibly within the range of 111-115 mph) superior to that of the finest human athlete. He demonstrated bursts of speed that, at least over short distances, made him too fast for Wolverine to see, even with his heightened sense of sight and hearing.[46][47][48]
    • Superhuman Stamina: Gorgon's advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. The full limits of his stamina aren't known, but he can physically exert himself for at least 24 hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood began to impair him.[46][47][48]
    • Superhuman Durability: Gorgon's skin, bone, and muscle tissues are augmented to levels that are considerably stronger and harder than human and the tissues are impervious to injury to an extraordinary extent.[46][47][48]
    • Regeneration: Gorgon posseses an accelerated healing factor that allows him to rapidly regenerate damaged or destroyed bodily tissues. The full extent of his healing powers are unknown. He has shown the ability to regenerate damaged/missing organs. He may be immune to all diseases, infections, poisons, nerve-toxins of any kind and completely resistant to diseases like anthrax, smallpox and HIV.[46][47][48]
    • Superhuman Agility: Gorgon's ability, balance, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural limits of even the finest human athlete.[46][47][48]
    • Superhuman Reflexes: Gorgon's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete. Gorgon demonstrated sufficient reflexes to enable him to deflect oncoming bullets with his sword with surprising ease and casualness.[46][47][48]

Abilities

Genius Intelligence: Gorgon is a certified genius, possessing superhuman intellect in multiple artistic and scientific areas. His great intellect enables him to quickly learn and master multiple forms of martial arts. He is a formidable combatant, a master of multiple martial art techniques and is also a master swordsman, even before his resurrection.[46]

Weaknesses

Gorgon is not immune to his own powers. Should he see his own eyes in a reflection he will turn to stone.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Sunglasses: Gorgon always wore a pair of dark sunglasses that completely obscured his eyes, enabling people to look at him without being turned to stone as the glasses blocked this ability. Whether the sunglasses were composed of some special material or were simply a pair of ordinary sunglasses is unknown.

Oriental Mask: After his resurrection, Gorgon has taken to wearing a ceremonial mask that enables him better control over his petrifying gaze. It is currently unknown what special properties allow this effect. He seems capable of viewing his opponents without turning them to stone.

Weapons

Swords: Gorgon almost always carried and used a Japanese katana in combat situations. While he had access to the advanced technology of the Hand, Hydra, and Dawn of the White Light, he preferred close quarter combat.

Transportation

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Avengers World #1
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Avengers World #3
  3. 3.0 3.1 Captain America: Steve Rogers #14
  4. New Avengers (Vol. 2) #18
  5. 5.0 5.1 Secret Warriors #22
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Wolverine (Vol. 3) #26
  7. X of Swords Handbook #1
  8. 8.0 8.1 Wolverine (Vol. 3) #31
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Secret Warriors #2
  10. 10.0 10.1 Cable (Vol. 4) #6
  11. 11.0 11.1 Wolverine (Vol. 3) #24
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Secret Warriors #11
  13. 13.0 13.1 Wolverine (Vol. 3) #20
  14. Wolverine (Vol. 2) #22
  15. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #21
  16. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #22
  17. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #23
  18. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #25
  19. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #27
  20. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #28
  21. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #29
  22. Wolverine (Vol. 3) #30
  23. Secret Warriors #1
  24. Secret Warriors #3
  25. Secret Warriors #56
  26. Secret Warriors #1112
  27. Secret Warriors #1314
  28. Secret Warriors #16
  29. Secret Warriors #2122
  30. New Avengers (Vol. 2) #1823
  31. Avengers World #7
  32. Avengers World #13
  33. Avengers World #14
  34. All-New Wolverine #29
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 Old Man Logan (Vol. 2) #32
  36. Old Man Logan (Vol. 2) #31
  37. Old Man Logan (Vol. 2) #33
  38. Old Man Logan (Vol. 2) #34
  39. Old Man Logan (Vol. 2) #35
  40. 40.0 40.1 House of X #5
  41. Powers of X #5
  42. House of X #6
  43. X of Swords: Creation #1
  44. X-Men (Vol. 5) #13
  45. X-Force (Vol. 6) #14
  46. 46.00 46.01 46.02 46.03 46.04 46.05 46.06 46.07 46.08 46.09 46.10 46.11 46.12 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5
  47. 47.00 47.01 47.02 47.03 47.04 47.05 47.06 47.07 47.08 47.09 47.10 47.11 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4
  48. 48.00 48.01 48.02 48.03 48.04 48.05 48.06 48.07 48.08 48.09 48.10 48.11 Heroic Age: X-Men #1
  49. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4
  50. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 4
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