Wendigo (comics)

Superherobox|

caption=Cover to "Uncanny X-Men" #140
John Byrne, artist
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Wendigo
real_name=not applicable (curse of woods or Northern Canada)
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Incredible Hulk" #162 (April, 1973)
creators= Steve Englehart
Herb Trimpe
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=Weapon P.R.I.M.E.
aliases=various names in Native Canadian folklore
powers=
*Superhuman strength, durability, endurance, and regenerative healing factor
*Hardened talons|

Wen-Di-Go (or more commonly: Wendigo) is a monster in the fictional Marvel Comics universe. He is based on the mythical creature of the same name. The Wendigo first appeared in the "Incredible Hulk" #162.

Fictional character biography

Several people have been afflicted with the curse of the Wendigo, including Paul Cartier, Georges Baptiste, Francois Lartigue, Lorenzo, Mauvais and several others.

The curse is regional to the woods of Northern Canada and takes place, under the right conditions, when a person in the forests of Canada feeds on human flesh. Such a person transforms into a superhumanly strong, nearly indestructible, fur-covered monster: the Wendigo. He or she then roams the woods eating human beings. The Wendigo has frequently fought the Hulk, Wolverine, and Alpha Flight. One Wendigo battled the Werewolf by Night in an issue of "Marvel Comics Presents". Its most frequent appearances were in the limited series "Sabretooth: Open Season" #1-4 where Sabretooth was hired to kill a Wendigo creature, ultimately succeeding. A few years later, a new Wendigo emerges, leading to a fight with Wolverine and She-Hulk. ["She-Hulk" vol.4, #16] A local Canadian super-hero, Talisman, arrives and claims to have a magical cure for the Wendigo's condition, but S.H.I.E.L.D. agents won't let her pass until they finally confirm her identity. After a long battle, the Wendigo is defeated by a combined attack from his two opponents, and placed into SHIELD custody.

Paul Cartier became the Wendigo in "Hulk" #162 and was cured in "Hulk" #181; Georges Baptiste became the Wendigo in "Hulk" #181 and was cured in "X-Men" #140; another person became the Wendigo in "Hulk" #272.

In "King Size Hulk" #1, it is revealed that a pack of Wendigo exist in the Bering Strait after Red Hulk kills one and the others come to claim the body and eat it.

Powers and abilities

The Wendigo possesses a variety of superhuman physical abilities as a result of a mystical curse. The curse causes anyone that ingests the flesh of another human, while within the Canadian wilderness, to transform into the Wendigo.

The Wendigo possesses superhuman physical strength of an unknown limit. It is known that the Wendigo possesses sufficient strength to go toe-to-toe with the Incredible Hulk.

Aside from its vast strength, the tissues of the Wendigo's body are considerably stronger than those of a human being. A Wendigo's body can resist high caliber machine gun shells without sustaining injury. If a Wendigo is injured, it can recover from the physical trauma with tremendous speed and efficiency, giving rise to the quote "strike him down and he shall only rise again". The dense fur covering the Wendigo's body grants it immunity to the harsh conditions of the extreme cold weather common in the areas in which the Wendigo has appeared. The Wendigo can be rendered unconscious by sufficient force, such as severe physical injury and trauma, but it has even been able to regenerate from being completely disemboweled, including having its heart removed from its body. ["She-Hulk" vol.4, #16] However, consumption of a removed heart will confer all powers and even the form of the Wendigo on whomever consumes it. It is not known what effect psionic attacks would have on or against a Wendigo.

Despite the Wendigo's great size, it can run at speeds greater than that of an Olympic level athlete. The enhanced musculature of the Wendigo generates less lactic acid than the muscles of a human being, granting it superhuman levels of stamina.

The Wendigo's fingers and toes are tipped with razor sharp, retractable claws that are capable of piercing even the Hulk's skin, a feat usually reserved for adamantium, due to a combination of the toughness of the claws and the Wendigo's massive physical strength.

Even though each Wendigo was once a human being, in most cases very little is left of the person it once was. It possesses little intelligence and, with the exception of brief and rare instances, is unable to remember things about its former life. It also lacks the ability to speak anything other than its own name, which it often will yell and repeat during its attacks. Sorcerers such as Mauvais and Lorenzo have been able to avoid this aspect of the curse, using magic to gain the power of the Wendigo while keeping their intelligence and the power of speech.

Other Wendigo

In "Amazing Spider-Man" #277, a creature called Wendigo appears. This Wendigo seemed to be a ghost-like being whose very presence in New York caused a blizzard to strike. Though the creature only makes its appearance at the end of the comic, the story makes it obvious that it is stalking Spider-Man the entire time he was chasing a group of kidnappers. This Wendigo seemed to be able to change size and become invisible; it was also draconic in appearance and pale green in color.

In "Spider-Man" issues #8-12 (the "Perceptions" story arc), a Wendigo creature is blamed in the deaths of several children near Hope, British Columbia. Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, is sent to take pictures during the media frenzy that follows. Wolverine, having previous experience with Wendigo creatures and having concern for the creature's welfare, comes to the town and contacts Peter Parker directly, seeking Spider-Man's assistance. Together Spider-Man and Wolverine are able to determine the real cause of death among the children. The Wendigo in "Perceptions" has an appearance very similar to other incarnations of the Wendigo, yet seems to be a different manifestation. For example, this Wendigo suffers a significant wound from a hunter's bullet, and sustains injury when struck by a car; this version of Wendigo is more vulnerable to harm than those that battled the Hulk. Additionally, when the Wendigo comes across the corpse of a child, the creature attempts to return the body to town instead of consuming it. ["Spider-Man" #8] .

Other versions

Earth X

In the Earth X continuity (which is non-canonical), there appears a unique twist on the classic Wendigo. This variation of Wendigo is unlike the previous; while the Wendigo curse afflicts only one person at a time, an army of Wendigo is formed in this continuity, due to the curse afflicting Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, after he chooses to eat one of his own duplicated bodies in response to the strict rationing of food that came with the declining animal population.

MC2

The Wendigo makes another appearance in the MC2 imprint of Marvel Comics, an alternate future featuring, among others, the children of existing Marvel superheroes. In an issue of "Wild Thing", the Hulk, Doctor Strange, Wolverine, and Wolverine's daughter Wild Thing encounter a large number of Wendigos, which turn out to be a lost cub scout troop that had eaten its scoutmaster. Doctor Strange is able to remove the curse from the children and remove their memory of the events.

In other media

Animation

* Wendigo appeared in "The Incredible Hulk" episode "And the Wind Cries...Wendigo!" voiced by Leeza Miller McGee. In this show, the Wendigo is a curse placed upon an Indian. When the Wendigo captured Betty Ross, Hulk and General Thunderbolt Ross had to work together to save her.

Video games

* The Wendigo appears in the "X-Men" arcade game as the boss of Stage 3. He returns in Stage 7, as the second boss of five after Blob and before the White Queen, on Magneto's base in Asteroid M.
* It also appears as an early boss in the video game "". Among the game's unlockable cut scenes is a humorous out-of-continuity moment involving the Wendigo entering a recording studio (and having trouble due to its size) and delivering its sole line ("WEN-DI-GO!") into the microphone.

References