Xemnu the Titan
AKA: The Hulk, Richmond Wagner, Amos Moses
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery 62
Didja Know: Xemnu was known as The Hulk long before Bruce Banner made that name famous.
What's His Problem? Xemnu was an alien criminal stranded on Earth who hypnotically enslaved humanity until a guy named Joe Harper used a mirror to trick Xemnu into disintegrating himself (Fin Fang Foom fell for a similar trick back then -- giant monsters can be so gullible). The now-gaseous Xemnu drifted back to his home planet only to find its populace destroyed by a disaster in his absence. Mad with grief and loneliness, Xemnu returned to Earth years later and has since embarked on a series of ever-weirder schemes to repopulate his world with humans -- whether they like it or not!
Powers: Originally a twenty-foot colossus, Xemnu has assumed a more modest eleven-foot height since recreating his body. He has immense superhuman strength and durability on a par with his namesake, the Hulk, and is a brilliant scientist with particular expertise in genetics. His mental powers include: telepathy; hypnosis; mental possession of other bodies, which he can then psionically restructure to resemble his own form; imposition of mental blocks on others; psionic force bolts; animation and restructuring of inanimate objects; and the creation of "atmos-spheres", protective bubbles of psionic energy in which he can fly.
Favorite Quote: "Now you will become the Bride of Xemnu!" Sensational She-Hulk 7. A lovesick Xemnu subjects Shulkie to one of the worst pick-up lines in history.
Heroes He Keeps Running Into: The Titan's most persistent foes are the Defenders, particularly the Hulk. Xemnu's also had his fur ruffled by Wonder Man, the Thing, She-Hulk, and the space-truckers U.S. Archer and Razorback.
People Who Think He's Not So Bad: She-Hulk felt so sorry for the lonely Xemnu that, instead of trying to lock him up, she remanded him to the custody of Enilwen -- a giant alien teddy bear collector who's probably still cuddling the indignant Xemnu to this day. Xemnu also has a loyal TV following; shortly after first returning to Earth, he posed as a children's television entertainer (people assumed he was just a guy in a silly suit) and gradually brainwashed thousands of kids into becoming his devoted worshippers. He planned to lure them into a rocket bound for his homeworld like some cosmic Pied Piper, but the Defenders stopped him in time. Sorta confirms your worst fears about Barney, doesn't it?
Most Despicable Act: Xemnu's despicable deeds are numerous. During his first visit to Earth, he compelled humanity to build a starship whose lift-off would have destroyed the planet if he'd had a chance to activate it. He's since killed two astronauts and a small-town mayor; attempted to kidnap the entire town of Plucketville; tried to turn U.S. Archer's unborn son into an infant Xemnu; tried to turn She-Hulk into the "She-Xemnu"; attacked the Hulk with clones of other giant alien monsters; and twice attempted to mentally manipulate the American public via bad television programs. Evil, thy name is Xemnu.
Special Thanks To: Jeanne the editor here. I'd like to thank T.C. at Good Guys, Bad Guys Comics and Collectibles in San Diego. He loaned me the store copy of the ultra-rare Journey Into Mystery 62, Xemnu's first appearance, for some of the images on this page.
by Sean McQuaid
