Talos the Untamed
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| Talos the Untamed | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Incredible Hulk #418 (June 1994) |
| Created by | Peter David (writer) Gary Frank (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Skrull |
| Place of origin | Earth-616 |
| Notable aliases | Talos the Untamed Jonathan Richards |
Talos the Untamed is a fictional alien appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a well known member of the Skrulls due to not being able to shape shift. Despite this, he has become a notable adversary to various characters, both good and bad, throughout the Marvel Universe.
Ben Mendelsohn portrays Talos in the 2019 film Captain Marvel set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Publication history
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2019) |
The character was created by Peter David and Gary Frank and first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #418 (June 1994). His story did not get told until Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files (August 2006).
Fictional character biography
Talos, considered a Mutant by his people, is a Skrull that was born without the ability to shape shift. He made up for it by becoming one of the most feared Skrulls on his planet earning the title Talos the Untamed due to his savage and sinister nature. However, after getting captured by the Kree, he refused to commit suicide in the hopes of gaining glory for his survival. Instead, he was ridiculed and renamed the more humiliating "Talos the Tamed."[1]
Talos soon found himself at the wedding of Rick Jones and Marlo Chandler, courtesy of the Impossible Man.[2] He found himself confronted by the Hulk and tried to get him to fight him in an attempt to reclaim glory from his people. When the Hulk found out what he was up to, he ceased fighting him. Talos left in frustration, but the Skrulls found his attempt to battle him impressive.[3]
Talos was called to the planet Godthab Omega by Glorian where he ended up battling Devos the Devastator.[4] They were both captured and imprisoned when the planet suddenly came under attack by the Annihilation Wave allowing the two to escape.[5] Talos soon ran into Ronan the Accuser, whom he hated for being a Kree, but was forced to head his warning about leaving the planet.[6] He was once again humiliated, this time by his own people, when Queen Veranke refused to allow him to be a part of the Secret Invasion due to him not having the ability to shape shift.[7]
Talos became a member of the United Front to fight the Annihilation Wave.[8]
Talos next showed up at Howard the Duck's private investigations in make up and a beard as Jonathan Richards. He tasks the duck with finding a necklace that was stolen by the Black Cat.[9] When Howard finally retrieves it, Talos abandons his disguise to reveal that the necklace contains the Abundant Gems, less powerful versions of the Infinity Gems that can still make one "marginally" powerful, which he plans to use to gain favor with the Skrulls again. He was defeated by Howard and his friend Tara Tam, and apprehended by the Fantastic Four.[10]
Powers and abilities
Unlike his Skrull brethren, Talos is incapable of shape shifting and has been branded as having a genetic defect by his people.[7] To make up for this, he has been granted superhuman strength and durability and can hold his own against the likes of the Hulk. He possesses a cybernetic eye after losing his real one in combat.[11]
In other media
Ben Mendelsohn appears as Talos in the 2019 film Captain Marvel.[12] Talos is the shape-shifting leader of the Skrull invasion of Earth, who is working undercover within S.H.I.E.L.D. as Nick Fury's boss.[13] Mendelsohn described Talos' human persona as "buttoned up" and his natural Skrull persona as "more laid back, a bit tougher, [and] a little bit nastier." Mendelsohn elaborated, "The thing is, when you're Skrullin', there's a kind of take-no-prisoners vibe about it, which is more relaxed. [As a human] This guy’s got to follow protocol because it's S.H.I.E.L.D." When portraying Talos, Mendelsohn uses his native Australian accent, and an American accent when he is in his S.H.I.E.L.D. disguise, which Mendelsohn compared to that of American politician Donald Rumsfeld. Mendelsohn noted there was "a very lengthy discussion" regarding the accent for the Skrulls, adding "There's a certain kind of earthy correctness to an Australian delivery". It took Mendelson a "couple of hours" to have his makeup and prosthetics applied to portray Talos.[13] Executive producer Johnathan Schwartz added that "it's sort of fun to show off both the Skrull's powers and Ben's range as an actor because he's very different in all of those parts."[14]
Polygon noted that one of the big motifs in the film is the way that war can corrupt people on every side of it, and that a lot of Talos' character arc has to do with this.[15]
Den of Geek! considered Ben Mendelsohn's portrayal of lead Skrull Talos a highlight of the film.[16]
Bustle considered that the film not following the comics precisely, allows Talos to become a far more fearful foe.[17]
Wired noted that the film turns General Talos into a character to be fought for, rather than fought against, allowing the film to show the universe through his eyes.[18]
References
- ^ Annihilation: The Nova Corps Files (August 2006)
- ^ The Incredible Hulk #418 (June 1994)
- ^ The Incredible Hulk #419 (July 1994)
- ^ Annihilation: Ronan #2 (July 2006)
- ^ Annihilation: Ronan #3 (August 2006)
- ^ Annihilation: Ronan #4 (September 2006)
- ^ a b Skrulls! (September 2008)
- ^ Annihilation: #1
- ^ Howard the Duck Vol. 5 #1 (May 2015)
- ^ Howard the Duck Vol. 5 #3-5 (July–October 2015)
- ^ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #11
- ^ Coggan, Devan (September 5, 2018). "See 10 Exclusive Images From Captain Marvel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Coggan, Devan (September 7, 2018). "Ben Mendelsohn thinks the evil Skrulls in Captain Marvel are just 'misunderstood'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Nemiroff, Perri (January 8, 2019). "'Captain Marvel': 28 Things to Know About the Marvel Cinematic Universe Prequel". Collider. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Han, Karen (9 March 2019). "10 questions we have about Captain Marvel". Polygon.
- ^ "Ben Mendelsohn Talks Captain Marvel Skrull Reveal". Den of Geek.
- ^ Tenreyro, Tatiana. "Captain Marvel's Movie Foe Doesn't Even Appear In Any Of Her Comics". Bustle.
- ^ Levin, Elana (10 March 2019). "'Captain Marvel' Has a Very Important Message About Skrulls" – via www.wired.com.
External links
- Talos the Untamed on the Marvel Wiki
- Talos the Tamer at The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
{{Captain Marvel}} may refer to:
- {{Shazam}} - the original mythological superhero from Fawcett and DC Comics
- {{Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)}} - later cosmic superhero from Marvel Comics
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