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WARNING: There are unmarked spoilers on these sheets for all but the most recent comics.

Characters associated with the Silver Surfer superhero comics from Marvel Comics and their titular hero.

Remember, except where the sheet states otherwise, this is only for characters and examples from the main Marvel Universe (referred to in-universe as Earth-616).

Some Alternate Universe characters have directly interacted with the Silver Surfer in significant ways, so may also be listed here.

However, please do not list other characters or examples from shows, movies or alternate universe versions here. If you've thought of a trope that fits an alternate version of the characters, please take that example to its respective sheet.

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The Silver Surfer

    Silver Surfer 

Silver Surfer

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/annihilation_silver_surfer_vol_1_4_textless_6680.jpg

Alter Ego: Norrin Radd

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966)

Spider-Man: Why the surfboard? I mean, don't you think it's kind of, I dunno...hokey?
Silver Surfer: It is not a surfboard. It is—There is a human phrase that covers it. "Form follows function." I need no air, no food, no water. I do not need a ship to sustain me. I need only something that will carry me where I must go.
Silver Surfer: Requiem, Issue #2, written by J. Michael Straczynski

This Marvel Comics character is the Herald of Galactus the Planet Eater, imbued with the "Power Cosmic". He is silver and rides a surfboard through space. Created by Jack Kirby in 1966, the Silver Surfer has a somewhat controversial origin as he first appeared in the Fantastic Four series (during the "Galactus Trilogy") and was thus assumed to have been co-created with series writer Stan Lee. However, Lee later admitted that Kirby added the character to the story on his own. Kirby felt that a being like Galactus should have a special herald to represent him. However, the Surfer's origin was concieved by Lee (not Kirby) once the character got his own series.

In the Trilogy, the Surfer finds Earth (despite Uatu The Watcher's attempt to hide it from him) and signals Galactus to come devour the planet. The Surfer is then knocked out by the Fantastic Four, but is nursed to health by their kind ally, Alicia Masters. This causes him to decide to protect Earth and joins the heroes in opposing his master. Galactus is then forced to swear not to try to eat the Earth when his own greatest weapon is pointed at him. However, Galactus punishes the Surfer by sealing him within Earth's atmosphere, unable to return to space. The Surfer then becomes a wandering hero. He also helped to found the superhero group The Defenders.

The character proved popular enough to receive his own series (twice). In the first, it was revealed that he was originally Norrin Radd, a man from the planet Zenn-La. He became Galactus' herald in exchange for his sparing Zenn-La from being eaten. However, Galactus decided to seal away the Surfer's emotions after transforming him, to keep them from interfering with his mission, until Alicia reawakened them. In the second series, the Surfer was freed to return to space, where most of his new adventures took place.

The Surfer is still popular and occasionally shows up in other Marvel series. Despite his cosmic level of power and having a soul so pure that Mephisto, Marvel's stand-in for (the Christian version of) Satan, tried many times to corrupt him, he has become more worldly, Depending on the Writer.

A new comic series by Dan Slott launched in 2014. It involves the Surfer traveling the spaceways with an earth girl named Dawn Greenwood, whose fate becomes entwined with his.

Then there was Donny Cates's more recent miniseries with him coming out of his run using the character: Silver Surfer Black. Where Norin gets sent to the start of the universe to battle cosmic forces and the darkness within himself. Emerging alive, but now a darkened non-silver version of himself.


  • Alliterative Name: Silver Surfer.
  • Amplifier Artifact: The surfboard lets him fly farther and generally be stronger than without it, though (depending on continuity) it isn't the source of his powers. Mostly he uses it to accelerate FTL without exhausting too much of his own power.
  • Anti-Hero: While stuck on Earth in the 60s, he had these moments, often fighting with fellow heroes due to generally being pissed off at his imprisonment on Earth, as opposed to the usual mistaken-identity excuse.
  • Anti-Villain: Started off as this and arguably returned to it when he briefly became a herald of Galactus again.
  • Appropriated Appellation: The Board's name, Toomie. It comes from Dawn Greenwood mishearing Norrin using his catchphrase "To me, my Board". She thought Toomie was the Board's name, so now, that is its name.
  • Arch-Enemy: Thanos and Mephisto; at least, they come closest. Galactus is a debatable example too. All three are far, far more powerful than him though, so its not your standard Arch-Enemy situation and he rarely fights them directly or on his own, and would quickly lose if he tried.
  • Astral Projection: Usually comes into play when Surfer is facing off against Mephisto.
  • Badass Boast: Rare, but the Surfer has delivered a few over the years.
    Silver Surfer: Your ability to manipulate power is formidable. That I will admit. But I AM power.
    • Recently Surfer has become fond of more deadpan trash talk to remind people that he's one of the strongest heroes in the universe.
    Nova: Surfer! The Revengers are the enemies' big guns.
    Silver Surfer: Interesting.
    Surfer takes down the Revengers versions of Thor and Iron Man with one attack each.
    Silver Surfer: When we next have a quiet moment, Richard Rider, we can discuss the definition of the term.
  • Badass Crew: The Defenders and, on occasion, the God Squad.
  • Barrier Warrior: The Surfer can create energy shields to defend himself and his allies.
  • Berserk Button: Did not like being a Herald of Galactus so anytime Galactus summons him as his most reliable herald during a crisis is one of the few times he gets extremely angry and needs to be talked down.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: Yes, he's incorruptible, but remember his Power Cosmic? If he wanted to, he could disintegrate reality. Really, does that sound like the sort of guy you'd want mad at you?
  • Brainwashed: During Planet Hulk Surfer is weakened by a wormhole, brainwashed, and has a Restraining Bolt placed on him in order to have him fight in gladiatorial battles.
  • Bullying a Dragon: Because he looks inhuman (and possibly because he nearly let Galactus eat Earth), in the early days people kept trying to attack him, and generally insulting him. Apparently, the fact that he's a borderline Reality Warper (and EXTREMELY dangerous when angered) never occurred to them.
  • Chrome Champion: Quite possibly the Trope Codifier.
  • Color Character: Silver Surfer.
  • Conspicuous Trenchcoat: Frequently wears one of these as a disguise during his Silver Age series, much like the Thing.
  • Cool Board: It flies, is faster than light and can even be used as a weapon or shield. Plus, it is controlled via his mind. Yup, cool indeed. In his 2016 solo it becomes a kind of Non-Human Sidekick, capable of silently expressing its thoughts using the reflection of whoever is looking at it.
  • Cosmic Entity: when he became a herald of galactus, he was transformed by his Power Cosmic into a powerful being that needs not food, water, breath or sleep; rather he draws power from the cosmic energies of the universe that grants him abilities that no mere mortal can wield.
    • Physical God: Allthough he, like his master, often suffers The Worf Effect, he is (or should be) one of the most powerful characters of the Marvel Universe, if not comic books in general.
    • Reality Warping: He doesn't use them that often, though, at least compared to his other powers.
  • Cutting the Knot: This trope was responsible for finally freeing the Surfer from Earth permanently; Ben Grimm suggesting that the Surfer try leaving Earth without using his board. To the Surfer, the very thought of travelling without his board is so unthinkable that both he and Reed Richards were stunned that there was a simple solution to the exile all this time and neither of them ever realized it. To put it to the test, the Four transported the Surfer in their spacecraft off the planet with his board left back on the ground and they discovered that was indeed all they needed to do. As for the board, The Surfer simply remotely converted it to a mass of energy unaffected by the barrier and called it to him to be reassembled as the board back in space.
  • Decomposite Character: There are two unrelated version of the Silver Surfer in the Ultimate Marvel universe. On one side we have the "Silver Wings" in the Ultimate Galactus Trilogy, who work for Gah Lak Tus. They have his appearance and powers, but are largely just fight drones and do not seem to have a will of their own (so, no betrayal here). And, in Ultimate Fantastic Four, we met the Silver Searcher, with a similar personality to the Surfer, except that he used to work for the Psycho Man.
  • Depending on the Writer: Reportedly, this was one of the bigger divisions between Lee and Kirby: Kirby preferred the idea of the Surfer as a weird and inhuman Sufficiently Advanced Alien, while Lee wrote him as a deeply emotional and kindhearted sort. As Kirby was technically the Surfer's true creator, this rubbed him the wrong way.
  • Doctor Whomage: During the Slott/Allred run, he is depicted as basically the Marvel Universe version of the Doctor, complete with hero-worshipping contemporary-Earth everywoman companion.
  • Energy Absorption: To a very high degree. Goes as far as depowering people; he can also redirect it.
  • Even More Omnipotent: Whenever the Silver Surfer rebels against his creator, Galactus, Galactus just No Sells his attacks or strips him of his power. Or when any being he bequeathed with the Power Cosmic tries the same, for that matter. Galactus is able to take back their powers at will or override any actions they attempt to take.
  • Eye Beams: Sometimes the Surfer uses healing eye beams instead of Healing Hands.
  • Fad Super: It's downplayed to the point a lot of people don't even realize it, but the idea of a cosmic-powered surfboard rider has at least something to do with the fact that surfing was hugely popular during the 60s. The complete lack of surfer slang or other Surfer Dude characteristics, combined with his stories focusing on being either an outsider on earth or cosmic adventuring, helped him survive the usual fate of the Fad Super.
  • Flying Brick: A strange example since he normally flies via his surfboard and while he is super strong, he doesn't engage in fisticuffs as often as other bricks.
  • Flying Firepower: As a former herald of Galactus, Norrin Radd is nigh-omnipotent. On his own, he can fly at warp speeds and fire devastatingly powerful energy blasts. But that's only the tip of the iceberg.
  • Forgot About His Powers: The Power Cosmic allows Silver Surfer to manipulate both matter and energy, time and space, and often times he simply chooses to solve a problem by hitting it with cosmic blasts. When someone like Doctor Doom stole his powers, he froze tropical islands, drained London of its power, resurrected dinosaurs, and killed the Fantastic Four (only to resurrect them on a whim).
  • Full-Frontal Assault: Silver Surfer is always naked, although he doesn't possess any visible genitals. A planet-devouring cosmic entity probably doesn't see any need to give his servants the ability to procreate sexually. Certain artists will occasionally give him a silvery Speedo, but that's it.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: When he is pissed off.
  • A God Am I: When Cable went into this territory it was Surfer who had to beat him out of it.
  • A God I Am Not: He sometimes struggle with this trope, emphasizing how his vast power doesn't give him the right to lord over the fates of others or demand worship, despite the fact others fear him as a sort of god figure for his many acts of destruction and creation over the millennia. In essence, he's a god-like being of mortal origin who doesn't want to be seen as a deity.
  • Good Hurts Evil: Mephisto finds being in his presence painful due to his Incorruptible Pure Pureness.
  • Healing Hands: Surfer can use the Power Cosmic to heal through contact. Healing very extensive injuries on someone can leave him weakened for a while afterwards, though.
  • I Am Not The Herald Of Galactus: His defining characteristic is his determination to assert himself as something more than Galactus' slave.
  • Improbable Weapon User: You didn't think that surfboard was just for riding on, did you?
  • Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Mephisto once hurt himself by trying to take him over because he is so pure and good.
  • Intangible Man: One of his many powers is phasing through solid matter.
  • Intrigued by Humanity: In many stories he refers to Earth as his adopted home.
  • Monster Modesty: Norrin ran around in silver underwear in his earlier appearances. He has now been reduced to Nonhumans Lack Attributes although the occasional artist might slap a pair of undies on every now and then.
  • My Significance Sense Is Tingling: With his Cosmic Awareness, the Surfer can sense major events throughout the galaxy just before they happen. On a smaller scale, the power has been used to find hidden doors, detect weaknesses in beings like Gladiator, and assist in guiding the Surfer though the galaxy.
  • The Needless: He doesn't require any sort of sustenance (such as air or food) in order to live.
  • New Powers as the Plot Demands: Justified, given the undefined nature of the Power Cosmic and the various power boosts the Surfer has received over the years.
  • Nigh-Invulnerability: From punches by Class 100 character to black holes, he has survived a considerable amount of damage unharmed.
  • Nude-Colored Clothes: During the Silver Age he wore nothing but a pair of underwear that was the same color as his skin. These days, he's usually completely naked, but the underwear still shows up from time to time.
  • Perfect Pacifist People: Zenn-La was such a society when Galactus arrived.
  • Power Creep, Power Seep: Just like his master, he has fallen victim to this a lot. Especially his vast speed is often glossed over.
  • Psychic Powers: Telepathy, Empathy, Telekinesis, others.
  • Pulling Themselves Together: In the rare event that the Surfer's body is cut into pieces, he can reconstitute himself in seconds.
  • Redemption Demotion: Averted. When he went from a villain to a hero, he continued to be quite powerful.
  • Repeat Index Index: Has the Silver Surfer mentioned that he has the Power Cosmic? Because he does.
  • Scarily Competent Tracker: The Surfer's Cosmic Awareness allows him to detect powerful energy concentrations "anywhere in the cosmos." Combined with his Super-Senses and ability to teleport to any dimension he has previously visited, it is almost impossible to hide from the Surfer.
    Silver Surfer: Fools. Eyes that can track a single dust mote across the space ways will certainly have no difficulty tracing the path of a Troyjan battle cruiser.
  • Seeks Another's Resurrection: At some point after Frankie Raye's death, the Surfer came upon a young girl that resembled her in Nevada named Frances Hyatt, and imbued her with a portion of Frankie's soul in an apparent attempt to have some part of her live on. Years later an incident causes her to be united with Nova's Power Cosmic, and she has reluctantly become Supernova.
  • Shapeshifting: One of his many powers, though he rarely uses it. In the 2012 Defenders series he's introduced having spent some time as snowfall. There he's treated less like a silver coated man and more like the T-1000.
  • Shout-Out:
    • A musical one, no less - he's the alien in the Joe Satriani album title and song Surfing With The Alien.
    • Ron Marz returned the favor by naming the planet Shalla-Bal relocated to "Planet Satriani."
  • Silver Has Mystic Powers: Subverted by the Silver Surfer. He does look shiny and can easily survive in the vacuum of space or walk across stars, but this isn't anything inherent to his outer shell, instead coming from the Power Cosmic bestowed on him by his former master Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds has had many other servants with identical abilities to the Surfer, but most of them weren't even silvery.
  • Sky Surfing: Space-surfing, natch.
  • Space Is an Ocean: And he rides the waves.
  • Speed Blitz: The Surfer once disabled six Ergon starships in a matter of seconds in order to protect the Impossible Man.
  • Status Quo Is God: After many decades being on his own, during the events of Annihilation, he returns to being Galactus' herald.
    • After a recent Thor storyline, the Surfer at the request of Galactus is now stationed on Earth... again.
  • Story-Breaker Power: He's extremely difficult to harm and strong enough to destroy planets. Consequently he doesn't show up a whole lot.
  • Sufficiently Advanced Aliens: Zenn-Lavians are a highly advanced society. Advanced enough to combine mysticism and technology to remove and replace another planet's culture with their own as a form of colonization.
  • Summon to Hand: Along with his catch phrase "To me, my board!"
  • Superheroes in Space: Once his exhile on Earth was lifted, he took to superheroing in space.
  • Superpower Lottery: The Silver Surfer hit the jackpot. He is easily one of the most powerful of all mainstream superheroes; to reiterate, he possesses Class 100 Super-Strengthnote , faster-than-light Super-Speed, energy blasts, Energy Absorption, Nigh-Invulnerability, Psychic Powers, and even a degree of Reality Warping, not to mention Cosmic Awareneness, which basically lets him sense absolutely any kind of energy, anywhere, and he needs neither food, drink, nor air to live (he doesn't even need the board to fly; it just lets him fly longer without wasting energy; that and Rule of Cool). Doctor Doom has used his powers to Take Over the World, defeating every single other Earth-bound Marvel hero who got in his way in the process. Of course, he was the puppet of Galactus for years and was trapped on Earth for some time after he rebelled, and afterward racked up many enemies who are even more powerful than him, so it all evens out.
  • Super-Senses: In Incredible Hulk #415, the Surfer could "detect the whistling of a meteorite a thousand light years away." Using his "far ranging vision", the Surfer could see Thanos from "more than a light year away" in Infinity Gauntlet #3.
  • Super-Speed: The Surfer searched the entire surface of the Earth in seconds in Silver Surfer Annual #5. In space he regular travels many times faster than the speed of light, too.
  • Super-Strength: Even though he rarely uses his fists to fight, he is extremely strong and can additionally amp himself with the Power Cosmic. He once for example took down the Super Skrull with a single punch. And in Planet Hulk, while in a weakened state, he utterly dominated the fight against Hulk (who was also weakened, granted) and his entire Warbound with nothing more than his physical strength.
  • Swiss-Army Superpower: The Power Cosmic, which allows him to do... pretty much anything, really.
  • Thinking Up Portals: Surfer can open portals to teleport himself all over the galaxy.
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill: Sometimes, though especially after Annihilation, he has become more ruthless and discounted this.
  • Time Travel: On pure speed alone, mind you.
  • Unbuilt Trope: Surfer's one of the earliest and most iconic examples of a Fad Super, having been created partly due to the fact that surfing was very popular in the 1960s. But this is downplayed to the point of being very easy to miss. The complete lack of surfer slang or other Surfer Dude characteristics, combined with his stories focusing on being either an outsider on earth or cosmic adventuring, make him seem very different from the majority of the trope's later examples (and also probably helped to give him more staying power than most). It's also played with a good deal: he's an alien who never knew anything about surfing (the Human Torch gave him that name) and the board is actually just an extension of himself he uses to fly through space and not technically a surfboard. Even now, it's still rare for a Fad Super to be (initially) unaware of what they were created to cash in on, only seeming like they're following a trend due to coincidence.
  • Willfully Weak: He often doesn't want to fight at his best because he is peaceful at heart.
  • The Worf Effect: Like Galactus, a lot of his cameo/guest appearances often come down to this. Although he doesn't always lose, simply being able to smack around the Silver Surfer is enough to establish a threat. In particular, The Infinity Gauntlet starts off with him crashing defeated through the roof of the Sanctum Sanctorum after encountering Thanos with the full might of Infinity Gauntlet.
  • Worthy Opponent:
    • Thor, with whom he has clashed several times and still maintains a respectful relationship.
    • In the Darkseid/Galactus crossover, Surfer was so impressed by Orion's courage, he managed to delay the Black Racer long enough to allow Mother Box to prevent him from dying. In exchange, Orion saluted Silver Surfer and left, returning the compliment.
  • Wowing Cthulhu: Silver Surfer's Superhero Origin involves a civilian named Norrin Radd impressing Galactus, a Planet Eater, with his devotion to his home planet, Zen-Laa. Galactus spares Radd's planet in exchange for him becoming Galactus's herald.

Allies

    Alicia Masters 

Alicia Masters

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alicia_masters_earth_616_from_fantastic_four_vol_6_1_001.jpg

Alter Ego: Alicia Reiss Grimm, nee Masters

Notable Aliases: Alicia Clay

First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #8 (November 1962)

Ben Grimm's Love Interest and confidant, Alicia Masters is a blind sculptor capable of creating incredibly lifelike representations of real people by touch and memory alone. Also happens to be the Puppet-Master's daughter.


See: The Thing.

    Nova 

Nova (Frankie Raye)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/frankie_raye_earth_616_from_fearless_defenders_vol_1_12_001.jpg

Just a 14 year old girl when she was accidentally exposed to the chemicals that gave her fire-based powers, Frankie Raye had her memories hypnotically repressed by her stepfather, Professor Phineas Horton. In addition, Professor Horton gave his stepdaughter a severe fear of fire to prevent her from subconsciously activating her powers. With no memory of her accident, Frankie grew up to be an interpreter for the United Nations. After meeting Johnny Storm in a singles bar, the two start dating until her memories begin to resurface after Johnny uses his own fire-based powers in front of her. Eventually Frankie learns the truth about her past with the help of Reed Richards, which allows her to begin training alongside him and the rest of the Fantastic Four once she overcame her stepfather's hypnotic manipulations.
Working with the Fantastic Four, Frankie used the name Human Torch along with her boyfriend. Though their relationship was strained by the revelation of her fire-based powers, Frankie and Johnny grew closer until the unexpected arrival of Terrax. Curious about the newcomer, Frankie does some research and learns about the Silver Surfer and the sacrifice he made to save his homeworld. With Galactus starving, Frankie volunteered to become his Herald if the Devourer spared the Earth. Agreeing, Galactus transforms Frankie into his newest Herald: Nova.


For her tropes, see her entry on the Marvel Comics: Heralds of Galactus page.

    The Defenders 

The Defenders

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8094886_defenders_vol_6_1_lim_variant.jpg

The Defenders are a super-group in the Marvel Universe led by Doctor Strange. The team that wasn't a team, often fights against supernatural and magic-based opponents. Protecting humanity from the impossible!


For their tropes, see The Defenders.

    Jack of Hearts 

Jack of Hearts

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1781632_023fy.jpg

Alter Ego: Jonathan "Jack" Hart

Team Affiliations: The Avengers

First Appearance: Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 (March, 1976)

The son of the scientist Philip Hart who created an energy source called "zero fluid" and Marie, an alien humanoid woman of the Contraxian race.


For his tropes, see his entry on The Avengers page.

    Genis-Vell 

Genis-Vell

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2784724_captain_marvel__54___page_23.jpg

Alter Ego: Genis-Vell

Notable Aliases: Legacy, Captain Marvel, "Genny", "Star Face", Sparky, Space-Face

First Appearance: Silver Surfer Annual #6 (October, 1993) note ; Captain Marvel (Vol. 3) #4 (March, 1996) note  New Thunderbolts #6 (May, 2005) note 

Cloned from the DNA of the Kree warrior Mar-Vell, Genis-Vell was implanted with false memories making him believe he was instead Starfox's son. He was then artificially aged so that he'd be ready to face Mar-Vell's enemies. He inherited the title of Captain Marvel, but succumbed to the madness of Cosmic Awareness as he became nearly omnipotent and sought to "fix" the universe. He redeemed himself afterwards and became part of the Thunderbolts, where he took the title of Photon and was killed by Baron Zemo. He'll make his return in Last of the Marvels.


For Genis-Vell's tropes, see his entry on the Marvel Comics: Marvels page.

    Infinity Watch 

Infinity Watch

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2555187_infinity.jpg

The Infinity Watch is a team assembled by Adam Warlock to safeguard the six Infinity Gems.


For their tropes, see their entry on the Marvel Comics: Heroic Organizations page.

Enemies

    Super-Skrull 

Super-Skrull


For the Super-Skrull's tropes, see his entry on the Marvel Comics: Skrulls page.

    Midnight Sun 

Midnight Sun

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1271425_midnight.jpg

M'Nai, better known as Midnight Sun, is the adoptive brother of Earth's hero Shang-Chi - and, like his brother, he's an extremely skilled martial artist. M'Nai remained loyal to their villainous father after Shang-Chi rebelled, and eventually died while confronting Shang-Chi. The Kree resurrected and empowered him, initially setting him against the Silver Surfer. After their last battle the Silver Surfer and Midnight Sun parted on amicable terms.


For Midnight Sun's tropes, see his entry on the Shang-Chi page.

    Thanos 

Thanos

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thanosnew.png

Alter Ego: Thanos

Notable Aliases: The Mad Titan

First Appearance: The Invincible Iron Man #55 (February, 1973)

"I am Thanos of Titan. I have conquered worlds. I have bent reality around my will. Men cower at the mere mention of my name. And now... now you have imprisoned me... mocked me... disrespected me. And here you stand, ready to take advantage to my condition. Ready to finish me. Well, if I am to fall, I will die showing you all that Thanos will not be disrespected. Thanos is still a conqueror. Thanos is still a warrior. Thanos is still a god. And you will either bow or be broken."
Thanos, Thanos vol. 2, #6

For Thanos's tropes, see his page.

    Mephisto 

Mephisto

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cd973ec0_c4be_491a_82bd_6c9a2baed30f.jpeg
"Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste... No? Not even a smile? A chortle? Ooh, tough crowd."

Mephisto is a Marvel Universe character created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema. He first appeared in The Silver Surfer #3 (Dec. 1968). Based on Mephistopheles – a demon character from the Faust legend, who often went by Mephisto as a nickname.

An embodiment of ultimate evil, powerful Hell Lord and Marvel's most common stand in for Satan. He has antagonized just about every hero (from Ghost Rider to Doctor Strange), but tends to single out those who are especially noble like the Silver Surfer and Thor. As can be expected, many of the traditional tropes associated with Satan are part of him.

His origins are unclear; Mephisto claims to have been created, along with many other demons, by the supreme being whose suicide resulted in the creation of the Marvel universe as well as the Infinity Gems. He also claimed that his total evil nature is because the supreme being did not choose to make him good as that being had no concept of it.


For Mephisto's tropes, see his entry on the Marvel Comics: Demons page.

    Morg the Executioner 

Morg the Executioner

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/92091_151866_morg.jpg

A heartless, brutal court executioner from the planet Caraner, Morg was selected to be a Herald after showing no fear when Galactus came to consume his planet. Lacking the conscience of his predecessors, Morg willingly led the hungry Galactus to inhabited planets, including the planet Bastion, where Morg augmented his portion of the Power Cosmic with mystical energy from the Well of Life. Angered, the Silver Surfer and several former Heralds confront Morg for his actions but cannot defeat him. Desperate, the Surfer convinces Galactus that Morg is too dangerous, so the Devourer agrees to enter the fray. While the Surfer is away, Morg kills Nova and wounds Firelord, Terrax, and Air-Walker. Angered by the loss of Nova, Galactus strips Morg of the Power Cosmic and takes Firelord and Air-Walker as his temporary Heralds.
Secretly resurrected by Galactus, Morg is sent to confront Terrax, who stole the executioner's axe, only to be captured by the living machine known as Tyrant. Unable to free his Herald, Galactus leaves Morg in the hands of Tyrant, who siphons away part of the Power Cosmic. Finally escaping from Tyrant on his own, Morg returns to his master's side and becomes one of Galactus's more loyal Heralds. Some time later, Tyrant returns and attacks Galactus. Faced with the prospect of losing his master, Morg confronted the insane Tyrant with the Ultimate Nullifier aboard Galactus's ship. Melting Tyrant's body before attempting to escape, Morg is caught in the blast as the nullifier detonates and left severely wounded. Believing his master dead, Morg heals only to be defeated and, later, dissected by the forces of Annihilus during Annihilation.


For Morg's tropes, see his entry on the Marvel Comics: Heralds of Galactus page.

    Tyrant 

Tyrant

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/83619_145419_tyrant.jpg

While not an official herald, Tyrant was the first creation of Galactus that was imbued with the Power Cosmic.


  • A God Am I: What he thinks after he gained his masters' power.
  • Big Bad: The main villain of Cosmic Powers and Silver Surfer Rebirth.
  • Cyborg
  • De-power: Used to be as big and powerful as Galactus before turning on him. However, even after being depowered he is still a big threat to the herald-tier characters.
  • Evil Is Bigger: Not only Tyrant towers over Silver Surfer, he is even bigger than Thanos.
  • Eye Beams: His eye beams are powerful enough to counter Gladiator's Heat Vision.
  • Galactic Conqueror: Could easily be the poster child for it. He often boasts of enslaving entire galaxies and carving an empire from the stars, even though it was never showed him actually ruling planets.
  • Humanoid Abomination: A grotesque god-like cyborg who feeds on the energy of superheroes and villains and can defeat a whole squad of cosmic heavy hitters.
  • Killed Off for Real: Tyrant finally met his end when Morg blasted him with the Ultimate Nullifier.
    • Averted. He's back fine and dandy in Silver Surfer Rebirth.
  • The Juggernaut: Virtually unstoppable for the cosmic heroes. Thanos was the only one capable of taking on Tyrant in a one on one fight, and the fight ended in a stalemate.
  • Mechanical Monster: Tyrant is a nightmarish 10 feet tall cyborg.
  • Robot Hair: Has a large mane of hair-like cables on his head.
  • Robot Master: Commands an army of Mecha-Mooks to enact his conquests.
  • Person of Mass Destruction: During his prime, his fight with Galactus destroyed multiple galaxies before being depowered.
  • Psycho Prototype: One of the first prototypes of his master, and definitely insane.
  • Satanic Archetype: He as been described as the Devil to Galactus' God.
  • Technopathy: His main ability, he is extremely adept at technology.
  • The Worf Effect: Easily defeated Silver Surfer, Gladiator, Beta Ray Bill and Terrax together soon after his debut.
  • Time Abyss: He's almost as old as Galactus.


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