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Legion of Doom Team Member


Giganta 3

Giganta was a supervillain who had the ability to grow into a 50-foot giant.

She was a member of the Legion of Doom.

History[]

Earth 1956[]

Giganta (WW 163)

Giganta the Gorilla
Wonder Woman, #163 (July 1966).

Giganta - Earth-One Transformation (WW 163)

Giganta the Gorilla transforming into a woman
Wonder Woman, #163 (July 1966).

Giganta Recalling her Transformation (SuperFriends 30)

Giganta recalling her transformation
SuperFriends, #30 (March, 1980).

Giganta was originally as a captured Gorilla from Africa in a zoo. She first met Wonder Woman on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Nurse, Lt. Diana Prince and Steve Trevor were enjoying the sites at a local zoo. As they approach the female Gorilla cage, Professor Psycho who is lurking nearby, hypnotizes Giganta the Gorilla into falling in love with Steve Trevor. It breaks free from its cage and grabs Steve. Diana changes into Wonder Woman, but is overcome by her powerful foe. If it wasn’t for her magic lasso, she would have been defeated. As the gorilla is subdued, Professor Zool appears and asks that the gorilla be turned over to him for 'evolutionary (ape into human) experimentation' because of her human-like tendencies. He is however, denied his request by the Zoo Keeper, who takes the gorilla and locks it another cage for the evening. Prof. Psycho decides to capitalize on the apes evening containment by breaking Giganta out of the zoo and delivering her to Professor Zool’s lab. Professor Psycho knows Professor Zool has been unsuccessful and that he can help make the experiment successful as he will project his 'brain-waves' toward the gorilla while she is in the evolution machine. Through his psychic connection, he tells the gorilla that she will become a beautiful woman who only thinks of Steve Trevor, and that she must eliminate the Amazon Wonder Woman who stands in her way. The experiment is a success and the gorilla is now a large, powerful and beautiful woman. Professor Psycho then arranges for Giganta to find Steve and Wonder Woman again. Giganta seeks to eliminate Wonder Woman so that she can have Steve for herself. Wonder Woman again triumphs over Giganta and takes her to Paradise Island for rehabilitation.[1]

Less than a year later, a millionaire known as the 'Collector' offers to buy Wonder Woman's magic lasso. When she refuses the offer, the Collector hires Giganta, (the now) Doctor Psycho, and Paula Von Gunta to steal the lasso for him. Giganta and Doctor Psycho fail, but Paula gets the lasso and Wonder Woman as a prisoner. Paula brings her prizes to the Collector. Wonder Woman manages to escape and rounds up the crooks.[2]

Horseback Riding
Young Giganta

Sometime later, Giganta, while still a young woman, went horseback riding in a forest. She comes across a Young Apache Chief using what appeared to be "magic powder." The old Chief claims that this powder would amplify one's thoughts. She sees Young Apache Chief being sprinkled with the "magic powder" on his head by Old Chief to increase his size and strength to stop a grizzly bear that was attacking them. Young Apache Chief, without resorting to violence, simply picks up the bear and put it in another part of the mountains. After seeing what the "magic powder" could do, she decides to kill them so she can have the powder for herself to become famous. She pushes a boulder off the mountain, and Young Apache Chief catches the boulder. She then used her rope to lasso the pouch around the Old Chief’s waist, and steals the pouch. The Old Chief warns her not to use the "magic powder," because her thoughts are evil, but she sprinkles the "magic powder" on her head and grows, and her evil thoughts are amplified. In her new found glory, she looks over at Young Apache Chief and says: "The Medicine Man was right, Apache Chief! Your 50-Feet of Good are now matched by 50-Feet of Evil!"[3]

Many years later, and a confirmed member of the villainous group known as the Legion of Doom, she and Gorilla Grodd capture Gleek and make an evil robot of him. They use this evil robot to attack a meeting of all the SuperFriends. However the Superfriends reveal the meeting was a trick as they suspected an attempt would be made if they were all together. They are then able capture the two villains.[4]

She was present when the Legion of Doom got back together for a grand scheme to destroy the SuperFriends. The plan is thwarted the Legion is defeated.[5]

Scoobyverse[]

This section has not yet been written.

Powers and Abilities[]

Superpowers[]

Abilities[]


Legion of Doom Team Members[]

Members of the Legion of Doom

Core Members:
Lex LuthorBrainiacBlack MantaCheetahSinestroGorilla GroddCaptain ColdScarecrow
ToymanSolomon Grundy • The RiddlerGigantaBizarro

Expanded Team:
Doctor Natas


Episode Appearances[]


Notes[]

  • The character's first incarnation (Golden Age / Earth-Two version), was created by Wonder Woman's creator William Moulton Marston and first appeared in Wonder Woman, #9 (June, 1944).[6]
  • The character's second incarnation (Silver Age / Earth-One version) was revealed in Wonder Woman, #163 (July 1966). This incarnation was created by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.
  • Marston presents her as a brutish strongwoman with no super powers other than unusual strength. It wasn't until Hanna-Barbera's third season of the SuperFriends, Challenge of the Super Friends (1978) that Giganta's size-changing ability was introduced (with accompanying superhuman strength). She retained this ability in her re-introduction in the nineties comics.
  • Her appearance on the SuperFriends marks the first time Giganta was seen outside comics. In the series, she was portrayed as a powerful member of the Legion of Doom.
  • In the comics she is portrayed as the enemy of Wonder Woman, in the SuperFriends continuity, she is portrayed as the enemy of Apache Chief. On the "Challenge of the Superfriends" DVD set, her bio calls her an enemy of both Wonder Woman and Apache Chief.
  • Giganta also appeared in both episodes of NBC's Legends of the Superheroes (1979) played by Aleshia Brevard. Because of the show's decidedly low budget, in the first episode, "The Challenge" (January 18, 1979), she doesn't demonstrate any ability to grow in size, and instead bends a prop steel bar around Riddler's neck for a "superstrength" effect. She returns in "The Roast" (January 25, 1979) and is interviewed by "Rhoda Rooter" (who is an impression of gossip host Rona Barrett). Rooter interviews Giganta and the Atom about their recent engagement.
  • Giganta is the 2nd female giant in the series after Amy Zahn.
  • The Earth-1A version (Super Friends #30) of Giganta was originally tied to Earth-One due to inconstancies with Golden Age (Earth-Two) history. In this SuperFriends issue, Giganta is presented with red hair like her Golden Age counterpart as opposed to her Silver Age counterpart who had blonde hair.
  • Eventually the Silver Age appearances of Giganta were retconned in Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium (November, 2005) to Earth-Forty.


External Links[]

Chsfgianta


References[]

  1. As revealed in Wonder Woman, #163 (July 1966). This origin story is revamped from Giganta’s Golden Age / Earth-Two origin revealed in Wonder Woman, #9 (June, 1944). It includes an additional member of Wonder Woman's rogues' gallery, Doctor Psycho. Giganta is shown to be sporting an update to her look, giving her waist-length blond hair and an even larger physical stature. E. Nelson Bridwell tried to tie into this Earth-One origin by revealing it in the SuperFriends Comic issue #30 (March, 1980). This origin is also hinted at in the NBC TV Special, the Legends of the Superheroes episode The Challenge (1979).
  2. As revealed in Wonder Woman, #168 (February 1967).
  3. As depicted on the Superfriends Season 3 episode: "History of Doom" (December 23, 1978).
  4. As revealed in the SuperFriends short episode: "Two Gleeks Are Deadlier Than One" (September 17, 1983).
  5. As revealed in the SuperFriends short episode: "Revenge of Doom" (October 1, 1983).
  6. Go to DC Database for more on Wonder Woman, #9 (June, 1944).
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