Is Devil Dinosaur in the MC2?

 

Here’s a fun idea I’ve been chewing over for a while now: What characters could exist in the MC2, but where never seen, referenced or perhaps simply weren’t introduced into Marvel Comics until afterwards? I’ve previously produced a post pondering this proposal when I looked at one of the members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to see if Groot could potentially exist in the MC2. For today, I wanted to take a bite out of another character I’m fond of, to see if Devil Dinosaur could exist in the MC2?

First, we must consider some rules, ironic though it may seem for a thought experiment such as this. Usually the MC2’s point of divergence, ‘cut off point’ or ‘branching point,’ is comics published after 1998, when the MC2 imprint began publication. There have been exceptions to this, with some characters who were created after this point appearing in the MC2, such as Anya Corazón aka Araña. With regards to Devil Dinosaur, we have a very different issue to consider.

 

Created by the king of comics himself, Jack Kirby, Devil first appeared in Devil Dinosaur #1 from 1978. Devil is a mutant tyrannosaurus-like theropod dinosaur of the species known as ‘Devil-Beasts’ (Fallen Angels #4). While Mr Kirby’s intent was for Devil and his ‘Small-Folk’ hominid companion Moon Boy to hail from the distant past of the Main Marvel Universe or Earth-616, it’s now firmly established that they originate from an alternate Earth known as ‘Dinosaur World’, which is officially and in-universe designated as Earth-78411 (The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (vol. 1) #3, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #7, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update ’89 #2, The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #8,Marvel Monsters: From the Files of Ulysses Bloodstone (and the Monster Hunters) and so on). With all that information as support, it’s safe to say Devil Dinosaur is not native to the 616 Universe. So, does that rule him out of the MC2 Universe also?

 

Fortunately, Devil has traversed the multiverse on multiple occasions, in addition to interacting with visitors to his world from the 616 including Godzilla via Doctor Doom’s Time Platform (Godzilla #21-#22). Devil and Moon Boy have also encountered various others including a Skrull (Devil Dinosaur Spring Fling #1),Lockheed (and nearly Shadowcat) of Excalibur (Marvel Comics Present #174), Ghost Rider and Howard the Duck (Ghost Rider (vol. 3) #81-#83), Wolverine, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Ka-Zar (Wolverine: Global Jeopardy #1) and the Fallen Angels group which included members of the New Mutants team (Fallen Angels #4-#8).

 

One significant story came in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man Annual ’98 (aka ‘Annual #31’) written by none other than Spider-Girl co-creator Tom Defalco. This story saw the duo of Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur stranded once again on Earth-616 and this time under the hypnotic influence of the Ringmaster of Crime. After Spider-Man liberated the pair, he suggested their relocation to the Savage Land where they were settled soon after.

 

Not only is this story written by MC2 alumni Tom Defalco, but it was also published in 1998 making it a likely inclusion into our hypothetical pre-MC2-publication cut off point. So, could Devil Dinosaur reside in the MC2? Yes, it is possible Devil and Moon Boy remain secluded in the remote Savage Land of Antarctica. Considering no published MC2 stories have visited the Savage Land, I’d like to think Devil and his friend are still out there…

 

Until we get Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season 3, I remain

 

frogoat

Attack of the 50 Foot Spider-Girl

 

Tis the season for all manner of monsters, so for today’s post we will be taking a look at one monstrous transformation in the MC2: the Attack of the 50 Foot Spider-Girl from Spider-Girl #90. Who knows, maybe we will have some fun with this?

 

As I mentioned and as the cover to Spider-Girl #90 depicts, May ‘Mayday’ Parker transforms into a giant monstrous spider-creature…or so it seems. After an encounter with the villain Misery, May unknowingly finds herself trapped in a nightmare in which she changes into various forms reflecting her subconscious fears. After apparently confronting Misery, Spider-Girl is overpowered and begins to change into a giant humanoid spider creature. She is then attacked by helicopters who shooter her down. Turning back to normal, May soon begins to shrink to miniscule size. Eventually, after a pep talk from the spirit of her namesake great-aunt, May realizes she is still trapped within her nightmare and busts out of Misery’s Grief Machine and stops her with a single punch, for real this time.

 

The cover of Spider-Girl #90 proclaiming ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Spider-Girl’ is a homage to the 1958 science fiction horror movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, complete with similar pose. Additionally, the aircraft shooting down a giant hairy monster is a nod to the classic 1933 movie King Kong and may also be influenced by various Godzilla films. Furthermore, monstrous transformations in pop culture are often used as metaphors for a person’s feeling of alienation, self-destructive behaviour, and loss of humanity. 

 

Let’s dive even deeper here, because Mayday’s father Peter has not only sprouted extra limbs before but has also been transformed into a Man-Spider by the Savage Land denizen Brainchild in 1982’s Marvel Fanfare #2 and later underwent a second Man-Spider ‘Spider-Morphosis’ thanks to the machinations of the Plantman in 1998’s Amazing Spider-Man #437 (the latter of which is also written by Tom Defalco, coincidentally).

 

 

This is a fun little story that looks at some of Mayday’s fears and worries. It is not the last time May would think of herself as a monstrous spider-creature, either. Nor her last encounter with her great-Aunt May for that matter! I look forward to covering more of these ‘transformations’ in a later post someday but for now, that is all I’ve got!

 

Until I mess with the Plantman and get all bug-eyed and hairy, I remain

 

frogoat