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You may be looking for King Solomon, one of the Immortal Elders.
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Legion of Doom Team Member


8 Sol

Mickey Morton as Solomon Grundy in his 1979, live action appearance.

Grundy

Solomon Grundy was a zombie supervillain. He was named after the classic nursery rhyme.

He was a member of the Legion of Doom, and his strength was close to that of Superman's.

The Earth-1A Version[]

Grundy was originally an ordinary male named Cyrus Gold who lived many decades ago (not clearly explained in the SuperFriends Universe), who apparently died or who's body was disposed of in a swamp. He was mysteriously revived (time-frame is undetermined) as a large zombie-like creature and knew intuitively that a Monolith deep within the Earth brought him back to life.[5]

Halloween is also known as Grundy’s Night, in memory of his death. He is said to rise from the swamp and attack Gotham City in revenge.

Background Information[]

In the parallel universe of Earth-Two, in the mid 19th century lived a corrupt sociopath named Cyrus Gold. His psychotic tendencies made him a natural businessman, whose legacy and wealth preceded him, but he accumulated many enemies, even those within his immediate family.[6] Eventually, his cruelty caught up with him and Cyrus Gold was murdered. His body is disposed of in Slaughter Swamp, outside of Gotham City. Fifty years later, the corpse is reanimated as a huge shambling figure (composed partly of the swamp matter that has accumulated around the body over the decades) with almost no memory of its past life. Gold murders two escaped criminals who are hiding out in the marsh and steals their clothes. He shows up in a hobo camp and, when asked about his name, one of the few things he can recall is that he was "born on a Monday". One of the men at the camp mentions the nursery rhyme character Solomon Grundy (who was born on a Monday), and Gold adopts the moniker.

Strong, vicious, and nearly mindless, Solomon Grundy falls into a life of crime—or perhaps returns to one, as his scattered residual memories may indicate—attracting the attention of the Justice Society hero, the Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Grundy proves to be a difficult opponent, unkillable (since he is already dead) and with an inherent resistance to Scott's powers (which cannot affect wood, a substance of which Grundy's reassembled body is now largely composed). Their first fight ended when, engaging in fisticuffs with the monster because of the ineffectiveness of his ring, Grundy is hurled under a train by Green Lantern.[7]

Over the next few years, Grundy joins in the Injustice Gang and battles the Justice Society and the All-Star Squadron.[8]

On a joy-ride between dimensions, an alien boy called A-Rym and his symbiotic pet, Teppy, are separated and flung into the parallel worlds of Earth-One and Earth-Two. They must be re-united, or both will die. The separation changes both into rampaging, monstrous menaces. Even though A-Rym is a child, he and his pet tower over humans. The Justice League and Justice Society combine forces to deal with the unfolding terror before them. As A-Rym battles the JSA, finds an ally in the macabre Solomon Grundy. The combined forces of the JLA and JSA heroes struggle to contain the beast. Only with the power of the two Green Lanterns are they able to contain him. They imprison him in an impenetrable bubble in Slaughter Swamp on Earth Two, the place of his re-birth.[9]

After five grueling years, Grundy finally freed himself by beating mercilessly on the dome. Before he was imprisoned, he overheard both Green Lanterns discussing the parallel worlds (of Earth-One and Earth-Two). He wonders if there is another version of himself on this ‘other’ earth – someone he can call a friend. As he walks through the swamp he vows to find a way to this other earth, and then he slowly submerges himself in the swamp. He emerges on the parallel-earth of Earth-One. He soon finds himself in Metropolis up against one of Earth-One’s mightiest heroes, Superman! After a lengthy battle, Superman realizes that he cannot defeat this foe. So he devises a plan to impersonate an Earth-One version of Grundy. Without questioning the appearance of the new Grundy, he follows him. Grundy/Superman flies the two of them to the moon and then leaves him there.[10]

The Fiddler (aka Isaac Bowin), member of the Injustice Gang, is a master hypnotist who can focus his abilities through his violin. After pitting Wildcat and Hawkman against each other, he summons Solomon Grundy to finish them off. Fortunately, Power Girl and Superman arrive just in time to deal with Grundy. Together they hoist him up and take him to a volcano out in the Pacific and drop him in.[11]

Meanwhile, back on Earth-One, a white zombie-like creature comes out of the sewer in Metropolis. Apparently, a super-villain named the Parasite[12] used an enhanced crystal to metabolically hasten the growth of residual cells left over from the real Grundy's visit to Metropolis when he fought Superman. This new threat, was a more bestial version an during a clash with Superman, it was determined his might was too much a match for the Man of Steel, so Superman flies the monster to an alien world inhospitable to all except the hardiest life. There, under the planet's reduced gravity, the Earth-One Grundy was appeased when Superman gave him a cape to wear as the zombie propelled himself through the air mimicking his one-time adversary.[13]

This version repeatedly plagued Superman until an encounter where multiple Grundys were spawned. Superman and the Swamp Thing both encountered the clones. Soon, Superman obtained a compound from S.T.A.R. Labs which caused the Grundys to become inert, in effect killing the seemingly unkillable man-things. Swamp Thing attempted to cry out for Superman to stop, but Swamp Thing was unable to express this, due to a lack of vocal cords.[14]

Meanwhile, the original Solomon Grundy from Earth-Two continued to exist.


Powers[]


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 first version (Earth-Two version), first appeared in All-American Comics, Vol. 1 #61 (October 1944) and was created by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman.
  • The Earth-One version first appears in Superman, Vol 1 #319 (January, 1978)[15] and was created by Martin Pasko and Curt Swan.
  • The version of Solomon Grundy that appears on Hanna Barbera’s Challenge of the Super Friends speaks English with a Southern accent, and is arguably one of the more "intelligent" versions of the character as he is able to carry on a conversation and devise plans of his own.


External Links[]

Appearances in Other Media[]

Coming Soon!


References[]

  1. This name comes from the comics, his name was never revealed in the SuperFriends universe.
  2. In his original continuity, he was formerly a human named Cyrus Gold, until he was murdered and his body was transformed into a Zombie.
  3. Jimmy Weldon did Solomon Grundy's voice in the Superfriends series.
  4. Fred Tatasciore provided the voice of Solomon Grundy in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!.
  5. Explained in the 1978 Season 3 episode: Monolith of Evil.
  6. See retconned story-line from Solomon Grundy, #1 & #2 (May, 2009 - June, 2009). In these stories we learn that Cyrus' father buried him alive in a grave every year on his birthday, supposedly to make him grow into a stronger man. This obviously contributed to his psychopathic, criminal behavior.
  7. As revealed in All-American Comics, #61 (October 1944).
  8. Here are a few accounts of those adventures: All-Star Squadron, #1 – #3 (Sept. – Nov. 1981); All-Star Comics, #33 (February, 1947); Showcase, #55 (April, 1965).
  9. As revealed in Justice League of America, #91 & #92 (Aug. – Sept. 1971).
  10. As revealed in Superman, #301 (July, 1976).
  11. As revealed in All-Star Comics, #63 (Nov. - Dec. 1976).
  12. Go to DC Database for more on the criminal known as Parasite.
  13. As revealed in Superman, #319 & #320 (Jan. – Feb. 1978).
  14. As revealed in DC Comics Presents, #8 (April, 1979) which can be found at the DC Database.
  15. Go to DC Database for more on Superman, Vol 1 #319 (January, 1978).
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