Gibborim (comics)

The Gibborim are a fictional group of six-fingered giants who have the goal of wiping the Earth clean of humanity. They first appeared in the pages of the comic book series Runaways, published by Marvel Comics.

Fictional character biography

To obtain their goal the Gibborim enlisted six couples in the Los Angeles area to carry out their plans. These twelve individuals formed the core of a secret criminal organization known as the Pride.

Annually the Pride would get together and ritually murder a young girl in what they referred to as "The Rite of Blood." The victim's soul would then be fed to the Gibborim in "The Rite of Thunder." These ceremonies were to be performed every year. Eventually, the result was to be the annihilation of humanity with the Gibborim promising six surviving positions to those among the Pride who served them best.

Seventeen years in, the Rite of Thunder was interrupted by the children of the Pride. In response, the Gibborim presumably killed all the members of the Pride.

Following the destruction of The Pride's undersea lair, The Gibborim sought refuge in a limbo-type dimension, where a time-displaced Geoffrey Wilder contacted them upon being placed in present day. They ask him to bring him a sacrificial soul in order for them to raise Alex and Mrs. Wilder from the dead, however this plan is foiled by the Runaways (although Gertrude is killed in the battle). Later, Chase Stein would contact them, striking a deal to raise his late girlfriend, Gertrude Yorkes, from the dead in exchange for an innocent soul. Chase first considered sacrificing Lotus, a young woman who used to play MMORPGs with Alex and was indirectly responsible for Gert's death. After finding out that the soul must be innocent, however, Chase spared Lotus (deciding that she is "guilty as they come") and attempted to offer himself (after realizing that he can't bring himself to kill another person), but ultimately failed, since the soul had to be unwilling. The Giborrim had been counting on Chase to feed them. When the other Runaways enter the Giborim's dimension to stop Chase from sacrificing himself, they tried to devour an unconscious Nico, ignoring Chase's protests. Nico is rescued by Molly and Victor and since they were without souls to nourish them, the Giborrim faded away to a dimension of nothingness: merely white space.