Comments on: Thursday WHO’S WHO: Zyklon

By: SomeGuy

SomeGuy — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 05:18:14 +0000

Why did no one feel like mentioning that MARVEL’s Zyklon is actually Heinrich Himmler’s damned soul given bodily form to beat up the West Coast Avengers?

By: Peter Raif

Peter Raif — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 04:51:52 +0000

Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.

By: Quietus

Quietus — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:11:40 +0000

Er, people, there’s a Marvel character named “Holocaust.” Just be glad that Zyklon isn’t as necessarily offensive and specific as, say, “Final Solution” or “Pogrom.”

I mean should Tokyo people get mad at a villain named “Sarin”? An evil poison gas is an evil poison gas.

By: Dierna

Dierna — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:02:57 +0000

Trivia: Zyklon B is a pestacide that the U.S used in the 1920′s to disinfect the freight trains and clothes of Mexican immigrants entering the US. fun!

In Germany however it was initially used as a delousing agent in the camps before it was used in the gas chambers.

There’s also 2 Norwegien metal bands, Zyklon and Zyklon B. *lol*

And yes it just means Cyclone.

By: Dan Coyle

Dan Coyle — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:35:50 +0000

This reminds me of Invaders Classic Vol. 2, where the Invaders briefly stop in Warsaw and it’s revealed their time there inspired the uprising.

Whoaaaaaa…..

By: suedenim

suedenim — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:08:33 +0000

Thomas didn’t invent Nuclear; Nuclear was from some Wonder Woman story. I think.

Hey, you’re right!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_(comics)

I just read that issue of All-Star Squadron, and didn’t realize the character had existed before. In the sort of thing only Roy Thomas would know about or use, apparently his first appearance in 1950 referred to an unchronicled early adventure, which turned out to be All-Star Squadron #16.

By: Ghoast

Ghoast — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:40:30 +0000

Yeh, not the best choice there, but not terrible… especially compared to their original idea for a Nazi supervillain which would be called Jew Slayer.

By: Dane

Dane — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:16:11 +0000

Wait, what’s the problem here again? Under a Nazi context, this is a GREAT name for a supervillain.

By: Zenrage

Zenrage — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:30:53 +0000

@ Josh R

I would have gone a different route entirely. I would have him committing crimes against the Jewish and capitalist icons while wearing some really offensive t-shirt like “Zyklon Kills Jews Dead” or a Swastika with a smiley face in it. Then I would have him use that money to fund an ongoing propaganda and recruitment drive: tossing out fliers to kids at school, talking to people in welfare lines, even having the chutzpah to run up to superheros and try to get them to join his “noble crusade” by referring to them as the new master race. Tell me Luthor wouldn’t cream his pants at the thought of a Nazi running up to Superman and publicly announcing and honoring him as a socialist and a true member of a master race.

He’s always got a smile on his face because he always thinks he’s working towards a better world and the “rest of the world will see things his way sooner or later.”

By: NCallahan

NCallahan — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:46:18 +0000

Man, I’m just impressed they managed to name a Nazi speedster anything besides ‘Blitz’.

By: Josh R

Josh R — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:52:24 +0000

I would totally name a Nazi villain Zyklon, and give him poison gas powers. I would have him committing horrible crimes in an effort to restore the third reich. Then the heroes would track him down and give him such an epic beating that his great grandparents would feel it. Then they would heal him and restore him to full health just so they could beat 9 kinds of crap out of him again.

By: Mark Temporis

Mark Temporis — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 02:22:14 +0000

Really, when you have to name new Nazi badguys, it’s a pretty obvious one. Really, the first place you go to is codenames for directives and poison gas. It’s not quite as bad as, say “Auschwitz Overlord” or something.

By: Jim Smith

Jim Smith — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:10:51 +0000

Note that Roy Thomas went on to create another supervillain named Zyklon at Marvel.

By: Matthew E

Matthew E — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:06:03 +0000

FWIW, Roy Thomas gave a lot of characters “anachronistic” names that would take on some additional meaning sometime after 1942 – kind of a running bit. Other characters were a (not at all suicidal) flying Japanese guy who went by “Kamikaze,” and an American “magnetism” villain by the name of “Nuclear” – nothing to do with atomic energy as such, but attraction/repulsion, etc.

Thomas didn’t invent Nuclear; Nuclear was from some Wonder Woman story. I think.

By: Cookie McCool

Cookie McCool — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:01:07 +0000

Back-up Zyklon B, that is wrong. Extra funny, but man, wrong!