Immortal Man

Immortal Man is a superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He first appeared in Strange Adventures Volume 1 #177 (June 1965).[1] Multiple versions of his origin connect him to the villain Vandal Savage, with both gaining immortality by encountering a strange meteorite during prehistoric times. Immortal Man was also a founding member of The Forgotten Heroes.

Immortal Man
Immortal Man, from Who's Who In The DC Universe
Publication information
PublisherNational Comics / DC Comics
First appearanceStrange Adventures #177 (June 1965)
In-story information
Team affiliationsForgotten Heroes
Council of Immortals
Immortal Men
AbilitiesOriginal:
Reincarnation
Telekinesis (flight, strength)
Limited pyrokinesis
Limited hypnosis
DC Rebirth:
Invulnerability
Immortality
Sharing immortality

Traditionally, the Immortal Man has a unique form of reincarnation. If he is ever killed, he materializes in a new body somewhere else on Earth, clothed and with a jeweled amulet granting him power and allowing him to remember his previous lives.[2]

Publication history

Immortal Man first appeared in Strange Adventures (Volume 1), one of the flagship science fiction anthology series of National Comics (now DC Comics) during the Silver Age of Comics. Published in issue #177 in June 1965, the 8-page story "I lived a Hundred Lives" was drawn by Jack Sparling. It is not clear who created him or if Sparling wrote the story as well. The story introduces the hero as a member of an ancient race of prehistoric superhumans who is given a magical amulet by the tribal chief so he may continue fighting evil for eternity by repeatedly reincarnating and recalling his past lives. Immortal Man was brought back to life in Strange Adventures #185 (1966) in a 16-page tale, with his reincarnation now explained as materializing in a new, clothed body soon after the death of his previous form. He then appeared again in Strange Adventures #190 (1966) and #198 (1967).[3] Jack Sparling drew all four adventures, and Dave Wood wrote at least two of them (#185 and #190). Immortal Man featured on the covers of all four issues of Strange Adventures in which he appeared. In these four stories, the amulet also grants him the powers of telekinesis (granting flight and strength), pyrokinesis, and hypnosis.

After 1967, the Immortal Man did not appear again until 17 years later in Action Comics #552 – #553 (February – March 1984), fighting alongside the Forgotten Heroes team in a story by Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane. This story gave the Immortal Man a new origin, one that connected him to the villain Vandal Savage. The story also removed his superhuman abilities beyond reincarnation, along with the idea that he belonged to a race of superhumans in his original life. A follow-up story appeared in DC Comics Presents #77 – 78 (January – February 1985) by Marv Wolfman, Curt Swan and Dave Hunt, the epilogue of which directly linked into DC Comics major cross-over event Crisis on Infinite Earths, also written by Wolfman. In this crossover event, the Immortal Man sacrifices his immortal energies to help save Earth from destruction, seemingly bringing his life to an end at last.

Following his apparent death, the character appeared again in Animal Man #23 (May 1990) when the hero traveled through time and encountered a younger Immortal Man from before his death. In The Flash vol 2 #48 – 50 (March – May 1991), written by William Messner-Loebs with art by Greg Laroque and Jose Marzan Jr., a young girl named Steffi Jones was introduced as "the Immortal One." Inheriting the Immortal Man's memories and power of flight, she claims she is a new person rather than a continuation of the person who came before, then seemingly dies in an explosion, leaving her true nature unclear. The Immortal Man returned alive and well eight years later in Resurrection Man #25 – 27 (June – August 1999) by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The storyline connected him to the hero Mitch Shelley and indicated he was not Steffi Jones. He dies at the end of the same storyline, and the circumstances imply he may not be able to reincarnate again.

Following the DC Rebirth relaunch event in 2016, the character appears in the series The Immortal Men, now simply called Klarn, one of five beings who make up the Council of Immortals. His reincarnation ability and other powers are now gone, and he is simply ageless and invincible to injury like Vandal Savage.

Fictional character biography

Silver Age

When he is introduced to readers, Immortal Man is reborn as a boy in modern times and has trouble remembering his origins. Found outside an orphanage, his caretaker finds a jeweled amulet around his neck and decides to keep it safe until the boy is older. Without it, the boy has no access to his power or previous life memories. Wanting freedom and confused by his expert level knowledge in a variety of fields (such as bullfighting, Japanese Samurai culture, and culinary arts) he runs away. After a few years, the now adult orphan returns to the orphanage to investigate his past and is finally given his old jewel amulet. Examining it, his powers and memories are restored. He recalls belonging to a "strange, ancient race" of cavemen who possessed superpowers. Thanks to a magical amulet given to him by the tribe chief, he alone can protect people from evil throughout eternity by constantly reincarnating in different forms, sometimes older, sometimes younger. Over the millennia, the Immortal Man has been a Babylonian, an Egyptian, a Greek, a Roman, a Carthaginian, an Arab, a European knight, a Mongol, and many others.[4]

The next day after learning his true identity, a burst reservoir threatens the town and the nameless Immortal Man acts to help protect the citizens. He saves many but dies when a school boiler explodes near him. A journal where he recorded his discovery of his origins is later found.[5]

In his second story, it is revealed that following his death from the exploding boiler, the Immortal Man materializes as a clothed adult in an African jungle, the amulet around his neck. Unlike before, he immediately has access to his powers and full memories, and it is revealed that this is normally how his unique reincarnation works. After months of living as a "Jungle Man," he meets a pair of explorers and treasure hunters, Helen Phelps and her brother Rodney. The Immortal Man tries to protect them from a criminal named Karat who then uses a mystical artifact to bring a mythical beast to life. The Immortal Man then sacrifices his life to protect the Phelps siblings from the beast. A month later, the Immortal Man materializes in a new body in England, wearing a suit and his amulet. Assuming the name "Mark King," he meets the Phelps siblings again and chases down Karat. Helen is drawn to King and realizes he is the Jungle Man, having the same powers, personality traits, and amulet. The Immortal Man protects them from Karat but is killed in the process.[6]

Reborn again in America, the Immortal Man assumes the identity of "Jason Kirk" and coincidentally meets Helen Phelps again months later. She suspects his identity but he then dies again, saving people from great monsters.[7] Months later, Helen Phelps tracks down the Immortal Man in his new identity Anton Carver. Realizing he loves her, the Immortal Man reveals his identity when Helen confronts him and the two become engaged. When a dangerous dimensional rift threatens Earth, the Immortal Man asks Helen if he should risk himself again. Refusing to be selfish, she says yes and he sacrifices his life to close the rift. Helen hopes they will meet again.[8]

Revised Origin and the Forgotten Heroes

Reintroduced in 1984, the Immortal Man no longer has super powers beyond his unique reincarnation and is given a revised origin (with further detail added in History of the DC Universe, The Flash Vol. 2 #48, and Resurrection Man #25-27). He reincarnation power is now also said to work instantaneously rather than taking several weeks for him to reappear in a new body.

In the revised origin, the Immortal Man is born roughly 50,000 years ago as Klarn,[9] leader of the Bear Tribe.[10] Klarn is a mortal enemy of Vandar Adg of the Wolf Clan, the two repeatedly battling and causing deaths in each other's clans. During one battle, a radioactive meteorite crashes nearby. Exposure to it makes Vandar immortal and invulnerable to injury while evolving his mind. After Vandar leaves, Klarn frees a glowing jewel from the meteorite and fashions it into an amulet. He later realizes it gives him a unique form of reincarnation.[11] Throughout history, he fights to protect people from threats and repeatedly interferes with the schemes of Vandar Adg, who adopts the name Vandal Savage.

By the 1980s, the Immortal Man is living in the body of a middle-aged man of apparent European descent and has amassed much wealth and high-tech resources. Realizing the immortal villain Vandal Savage has a means to corrupt Superman and turn him into a living weapon, the Immortal Man attempts to contact the Justice League but the team is away on a mission. Rather than wait, he decides to deal with the threat of a rogue Superman, and the mystery behind several strange golden pyramids, by creating a team of "Forgotten Heroes," recruiting retired and semi-retired adventurers including: the Sea Devils, Cave Carson, Animal Man, Congo Bill, the time traveler Rip Hunter, Dolphin, and Rick Flag of the Suicide Squad.[12] In the end, the heroes are triumphant and Superman recovers.

Months after this adventure, Superman and the Immortal Man's Forgotten Heroes fight and defeat Vandal Savage's new team of "Forgotten Villains." Although the heroes win, the Immortal Man is killed while saving Dolphin from an attack by The Faceless Hunter From Saturn. One the battle is finished, the Immortal Man appears again, now as a young man who appears to be of Asian heritage.[13]

During these 1980s stories, the Immortal Man's other powers do not play a major role. In the 1985-1986 crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, the multiverse is threatened and all reality is in peril. During the final battles, Immortal Man sacrifices his immortal energies to help save the world, and is seemingly unable to return.[14]

Post-Crisis

In post-Crisis continuity, the meteorite that gave Vandar Adg and Klarn their immortality is revealed to be an artifact of microscopic, nanite-like technology referred to as "tektites." These tektites infected the two men to different degrees, granting them their unique abilities (and Immortal Man's amulet apparently maintains his "tektite field"). The meteorite was hurled through time by unknown agents, landing in what would become the Ardennes Forest 1.93 million years ago, during the Pleistocene Era.[15][16]

Some time after the Immortal Man's sacrifice during the Crisis, an adolescent girl named Steffi Jones suddenly gains the Immortal Man's memories, as well as the power of flight. She helps the Flash against Vandal Savage and the speedster hero asks if she is the Immortal Man ina new body. Steffi says she doesn't think so; while she has Immortal Man's memories and instincts (but not his amulet), she believes she is a new person and refers to herself as "The Immortal One." No mention is made of Stefi's parents or if she was a child found and adopted, so it is also unclear if she was already alive before the Crisis, in which case she could not be Immortal Man. After Savage's plan is defeated, Steffi confronts him and the two are caught in an explosion that seemingly destroys them.[17] Savage later turns up alive and continues battling Earth's superheroes. Steffi Jones is never seen again, making it unclear if she died in the blast or was reborn in a new body afterward or was indeed the original Immortal Man after all.

Years later, the amnesiac hero Mitch Shelley begins operating as the Resurrection Man. The Forgotten Heroes encounter him and believe he is the Immortal Man with altered powers. They talk about an adventure they shared with Immortal Man soon before the Crisis, during which the hero was in the form of a middle-aged man black hair and white temples. Encountering Vandal Savage, the villain admits he Mitch Shelley in indeed another immortal empowered by tektite technology and that they have fought many times over the centuries. But he reveals Mitch Shelley is a person entirely separate from the Immortal Man, and to prove it he reveals the real Immortal Man has been his prisoner since soon after the Crisis. The Immortal Man still has the appearance he had before the Crisis, indicating he did not reincarnate as Steffi Jones afterward.[18] Resurrection Man, Vandal Savage, and the Immortal Man then join forces against a creature that emerges along with a second tektite meteorite. This creature, a "Warp Child," alters time and erases many of the world's heroes from reality. The Immortal Man melds his tektite field with the creature's own, overloading it and destroying them both while restoring history in the process.[19]

DC Rebirth

Following the DC Rebirth 2016 relaunch of DC Comics, a new version of Immortal Man is introduced. In the new history, Klarn Arg is born in the 47th millennium BCE, a member of the Bear Clan with four siblings. One night, a radioactive meteorite strikes Earth and the four siblings investigate alongside Vandar Adg and the Wolf Clan. The five primitive humans are bathed in strange radiation and that evolves them and makes them immortal. The five form a Council of Immortals and decide to help humanity but debate the best method to do so. Three methods debated are through knowledge, through harmony, or through expression. Klarn believes in saving humanity through firm and direct action, while his sister Kyra argues humanity rises through conquest.

Over time, the Council of Immortals gain many followers. The five find they can also share immortality with those they feel are worthy, allowing some followers to remain with them for centuries. They each influence humanity but agree not to interfere with each other.[20]

Other versions

In Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #1, Superman moves briefly through Earth-20, where alternate versions of a number of DC Comics older heroes exist as the Society of Super-Heroes led by Doc Fate and including a version of Immortal Man.[21] Writer Grant Morrison described this particular parallel Earth as having the style of a "1940s retro thing," explaining why Doc Fate, the Immortal Man and their allies are drawn in the style of 1930s and 40s pulp magazine heroes.[22]

In The Multiversity – The Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors from the Counter-World #1 (2014), it is revealed that this version of Immortal Man is actually Anthro, who in DC Comics is often cited to be one of the first true homo sapiens on Earth. On Earth-20, Anthro was exposed to the same meteorite that bestowed Vandal Savage's immortality. He and Doc Fate's Society of Super-Heroes are Earth-20's last defense against an invasion by Earth-40, an evil counterpart to Earth-20 where Vandal Savage and Lady Shiva lead an army of villains.

Powers and abilities

Original Version

Empowered by a jewel he took from a meteorite (first said to be radioactive, later revised to be composed of microscopic technology called "tektites"), the Immortal Man possesses a reincarnation ability; if he dies, he soon materializes in a new body elsewhere on Earth, appearing from nowhere without having to be literally born again (as is usually the case with traditional reincarnation). His different bodies vary in age, physicality, and apparent nationality, but the basic personality remains the same. Although Immortal Man retains his learned skills and some of his knowledge from previous lives, he sometimes has trouble remembering things at first, and the problem worsens if he does not have his amulet. The amulet seems to stabilize his power and knowledge (later comics say it does this by maintaining a "tektite field"). Due to his many lives across thousands of years, the Immortal Man is an excellent tactician, skilled in various forms of combat and survival, and is knowledgeable in many fields of study.

In his four original 1960s stories, the Immortal Man's amulet also grants him psionic abilities. With his limited pyrokinetic abilities, he can create and control flame around him. His limited telepathic abilities allow him to hypnotize weak minds and commune with animals. His telekinesis allows him to fly and reinforce his own physical abilities, giving him the effect of superhuman strength. None of these powers appear again after his reintroduction in 1984, though Steffi Jones (who either inherits his power or is the Immortal Man in a new form) has the power of flight.

During the series Resurrection Man, it was said the Immortal Man, Vandal Savage, and Mitch Shelley could all sense each other's presence due to their tektites reacting to each other.

DC Rebirth Version

Since DC Rebirth, Klarn does not repeatedly die and return in a different form. Instead, he is both ageless and invulnerable to harm following his contact with the radioactive meteorite. He can share his immortality but not his invulnerability to harm, meaning those he bestows with power are untouched by age or disease (the traditional definition of immortality) but can still be killed by physical damage or similar factors.

In other media

In the shared Arrowverse of the CW network's DCTV shows, elements of Immortal Man's story are given to Hawkman and Hawkgirl as well as Rip Hunter, all of whom are sworn enemies of Vandal Savage.

References
  1. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  2. Strange Adventures #177 (June 1965). Strange Adventures #185 (February 1966).
  3. Wells, John (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965-1969. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 36. ISBN 978-1605490557.
  4. all shown in flashbacks in various issues mentioned here – and a hippie with excellent taste for music by The Electric Prunes in Animal Man #23 (May 1990)
  5. "I Lived a Hundred Lives" in Strange Adventures #177 (June 1965).
  6. Strange Adventures #185 (1966)
  7. "Immortal Man" in Strange Adventures #190 (July 1966)
  8. "The Apes with Bizarre Powers" in Strange Adventures" #198 (March 1967)
  9. "Persistence of Vision" in The Flash vol 2 #48 (March 1991)
  10. "History of the DC Universe" Book 1 (1986)
  11. "The World at Time's End" in Action Comics #553 (March 1984)
  12. note: accidentally called Rick Flagg in Action Comics #552
  13. "Triad of Terror" in DC Comics Presents #77 (January 1985) and "The Triad" in DC Comics Presents #78 (February 1985)
  14. "Death at the Dawn of Time" in Crisis on Infinite Earths #10 (January 1986)
  15. note: Dan Abnett mistakenly describes it as the Pliocene, – the Pliocene ended about 2.6 million years ago
  16. "Millenium Then" in Resurrection Man #25 (June 1999)
  17. The Flash vol 2 #48-50 (1991).
  18. "Millenium Now" Resurrection Man #26 (July 1999)
  19. Resurrection Man #27 (1999).
  20. The Immortal Men #1-4.
  21. Final Crisis: Secret Files #1 (2009)
  22. Interview with Grant Morrison – "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2014-10-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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