Villain With A Corset

Can YOU

Name This Marvel Villain??

One of Marvel's oldest menaces, you'd have to go all the way back to the early 1960s to find the first appearances of our mystery villain. And part of that mystery was the name he got for cover shock value:

Within the pages of the book, however, this brute would become more comfortable with another name which described not only his stature but also how he regarded himself:

Xemnu, the Titan was originally found by a scientist who thought the monster would be able to teach mankind about the stars. But with the brute's malevolence, combined with his awesome power of hypnosis, the human race almost met destruction.

With his return to Earth, Xemnu became obsessed with repopulating his dead world with Earth's children. Using the astronauts he'd found to gain access to television cameras, Xemnu began a covert operation to slowly reach out with his powers and bring the children he needed under his sway:

"Thunderbolt" Ross's colorful remarks notwithstanding, Xemnu eventually commandeered a launch pad and summoned his enthralled subjects to join him. But, thanks to Jim Wilson, Dr. Strange had become involved in the situation, and moved to stop Xemnu.

Fortunately, Strange had thought to do some summoning of his own, and the Sub-Mariner arrived to make short work of the Titan's escape craft. But stopping Xemnu himself would be another matter:

Of course, if the Defenders are on the scene, the time had to come when, yes, "Hulk" meets Hulk!

Xemnu's comment about the "real" Hulk was in reference to Strange, who had assumed the guise of the Hulk in order to learn more of Xemnu's plans--but I'd also like to think of it as a wink from writer Roy Thomas, who might have been referring to those old Journey Into Mystery appearances.

Xemnu is a tough customer--and with a "mento-blast" that's already felled both Strange and Namor, it's logical to conclude that it would have a powerful effect on a simple-minded creature like the Hulk. But a little rage goes a long way:

To escape the Hulk's pummelling, Xemnu reverts back to his trademark mist and escapes. He pops up a lot in subsequent appearances, mostly battling the Hulk (as well as the Defenders) but also branching out to other characters, still thumbing for a ride home.