Tomazooma

Background

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Powers and Abilities

The Tomazooma robot was huge. It looked anywhere from 18’ to 50’ depending on the panel. It could throw loaded train cars like toys and withstand the Thing’s blows.

The Living Totem also :

• Belched knockout vapours.
• Sheathed itself in negative energy, repelling projectiles back to their source.
• Shot twin electro-beams from its eyes.
• Later shot similar energies from its back to dislodge the Thing.

The power source for the Tomazooma robot was later adapted as the weapon called the null-bands. The null-bands have been erroneously called “nega-bands” on a few occasions.

History

In the Marvel Universe, many of the mythological figures known to the native cultures in North America are members of an extradimensional species of gods called the Manidoog. Tomazooma is one such figure, his divine portfolio being kinship and storytelling.

Howbeit, he appears to be one of the more obscure Manidoogs among those known to Earth folks. It seems that only one American culture, the Keewazi, have him as an active presence in their myths. Since the Keewazi call Tomazooma “the death that walks”, one assumes that he’s not a pleasant god despite its benign-sounding portfolio.

(To be clear, both Tomazooma and the Keewazi were completely made up by the Man and the King).

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OMG Communists

Learning of the Keewazi legends, the ruthless Communist-backed Red Star Oil company used those to frighten the Keewazi away from the oil on their land so they could steal it. Red Star Oil built a powerful robot in the likeness of traditional representations of the god, and unleashed it on the reservation.

(One may consider retconning the Red Star Oil as the Roxxon Oil Company. Since a nefarious Soviet-backed Big Oil company sneaking on US soil to pump oil there during the Cold War is hard on the suspension of disbelief. 2012 Marvel sourcebooks present Red Star Oil as a “Russian-funded company”.)

Keewazi adventurer Wyatt Wingfoot survived an encounter with the Tomazooma robot. He warned his friends the Fantastic Four. The Four came in just as the robot was attacking the Keewazi oil rig, but where swatted away.

The Keewazi joined the attack, but their weapons were useless.

Reed Richards had Wyatt Wingfoot load him into a bazooka. Then shoot him at the vapours-dispensing mouth of the Tomazooma robot. Once inside Mister Fantastic short-circuited the robot, making it explode.

Aftermaths

Some Keewazi locals and FF members then had a vision of a strange-looking, gigantic shape fading away in the sky. According to the aged Keewazi chief, this mysterious apparition was the actual Tomazooma. He had come to destroy the impostor but left when the FF preempted him.

The power source of the mighty Tomazooma robot was soon retrieved from the wreck by a rogue member of the Cat People, the Cougar. He weaponized it in a scheme to steal the power of the Thing.

The Tomazooma wreck was reportedly used as interior decoration at a Bar With No Name for a while. It was later seen as part of the Reanimator’s army of old robots. The repairs were apparently incomplete, though, as the Tomazooma robot was swiftly defeated by Wolverine and Nova.

Description

See illustration.

Personality

A giant robot/monster that spouts grandiose Stan Lee threats.

Quotes

“Who dares approach the living presence of… Tomazooma, the totem that walks ? My sleep of ages now is ended ! Those who created me must die ! So speaks Tomazooma !”

“None can flee the living totem ! To see Tomazooma is to die ! Only the fool seeks refuge in flight when there can be no flight… no flight from the vapours of the living totem !”

DC Universe History

A forgotten foe of the Challengers of the Unknown, obviously.

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Fantastic Four vol. 1 #80.

Helper(s): Jobe, Bil, Alan Wilkinson, Darci.