Marvel Meets Mesopotamia: How Modern Comics Preserve Ancient Myths

By Louise M. Pryke

Story-telling and heroes are common to all cultures, including our own. But it was ancient Mesopotamia that gave us some of the earliest “superheroes,” including some who are now having adventures with their literary descendants.

The Avengers.

One was the hero Lugalbanda, whose kindness to animals resulted in the gift of super speed, perhaps making him the literary great-grandparent of the comic hero The Flash. But unlike classical heroes such as Theseus or Herakles, and Egyptian deities such as Horus, who have continued to be important cultural symbols in modern pop culture, Mesopotamian deities have largely fallen into obscurity.

The logo of the Horus Café in Adelaide, Australia. (https://www.facebook.com/HorusCafe/photos/a.191560244247534/1670327763037434/?type=1&theater)

An exception to this is the representation of Mesopotamian culture in science fiction, fantasy, and especially comics. Marvel and DC comics have added Mesopotamian deities, such as Inanna, goddess of love, Netherworld deities Nergal and Ereshkigal, and Gilgamesh, the heroic king of the city of Uruk.

Gilgamesh fighting the bull of heaven. (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/O.1054_color.jpg)

Despite the obvious differences in historical and cultural contexts, ancient and modern superheroes share exceptional capacities to meet unprecedented challenges, while still retaining (and often battling) their humanity. The superhero “genre” is a medium with theoretically boundless potential, a place where “anything can and does happen,” and where natural and supernatural elements are often blended.

Gilgamesh the Avenger

Gilgamesh the Marvel comic book hero was created by artist Jack Kirby – most famous for co-creating Captain America and later, with Stan Lee, the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and the Hulk. Later the character has been employed by numerous authors, notably Roy Thomas. Gilgamesh the superhero is a member of the Avengers, Marvel comics’ fictional team of superheroes now the subject of a major movie franchise, including Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk. His character has a close connection with Captain America, who assists Gilgamesh in numerous battles.

Gilgamesh and Captain America are both characters who stand apart from their own time and culture. For Captain America, this is the United States during the 1940s, and for Gilgamesh, ancient Mesopotamia. A core aspect of their personal narratives is their struggle to navigate the modern world while still engaging with traditions from the past.

Gilgamesh’s first appearance as an Avenger was in 1989 in the comic series Avengers 1, issue #300, “Inferno Squared.”

In the comic, Gilgamesh is known, rather aptly, as the “Forgotten One.” The “forgetting” of Gilgamesh the hero is also referenced in his first appearance in Marvel comics in 1976, where the character Sprite remarks that the hero “lives like an ancient myth, no longer remembered.”

In Avengers #304, “…Yearning to Breathe Free!,” Gilgamesh travels to Ellis Island with Captain America and Thor.

While the other two heroes welcome the outing and a chance to relax, Gilgamesh shows characteristic restlessness. Gilgamesh drolly comments that “a trip on the water to a new place can be refreshing, but I wouldn’t want this inaction to last for long!”

Although Thor and Gilgamesh are at odds on how to spend their leisure time, the setting of Ellis Island allows for the heroes’ thoughtful consideration of their shared past as immigrants. Like Gilgamesh, Thor is also from foreign lands, in this case the Norse kingdom of Asgard.

In the 1992 comic Captain America Annual #11, the battle against the villainous Kang sends Captain America time-travelling back to Uruk in 2700 BCE.

Captain America Annual #11. (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/2/2d/Captain_America_Annual_Vol_1_11.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101125211159)

Captain America realises that his royal companion is Gilgamesh, and accompanies the king on adventures from the legendary Epic of Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh the comic book character shares a great deal in common with his ancient namesake, including superlative strength and stamina. He wears the horns of a bull on his cap, allowing some interplay with the hero’s legendary battle with the Bull of Heaven. The comic writers show clever use of the ancient legends; some aspects of the narrative are reimagined, and at times conflated. Gilgamesh’s search for the plant of eternal youth at the bottom of the ocean is mixed with his hapless encounter with the snake who steals the magical herb.

In the original legend, Gilgamesh finds the key to eternal youth, a heartbeat plant, and then promptly loses it to the snake. In the comic adaptation, the snake is instead an angry sea serpent, who Captain America must fight to save Gilgamesh. The Mesopotamian hero’s famous fixation on acquiring immortality is reflected in his Marvel counterpart’s choice to leave Captain America fighting the serpent in order to collect the heartbeat plant. This leads Cap to observe his ancient friend has “a few millennia” of catching up to do on the concept of team-work!

In Captain America Annual #11, Gilgamesh seeks the secret of eternal life from Utanapishtim—unaware that as a member of the Eternals, he is immortal. This storyline involves thoughtful parallels with Gilgamesh’s actions in the ancient epic. In the ancient world, Gilgamesh’s divine parenthood would eventually give him an elevated role in the afterlife—the qualities he already possessed, rather than the secret of immortality, shaped his eventual role as an underworld deity.

The comic-book connection of Gilgamesh and Captain America shows the enduring appeal of the world’s first tragic hero, with his continued capacity to find new audiences. The friendly bond between Captain America and Gilgamesh presents a modern spin on one of the world’s first epic heroic pairings. As with Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s friendship with Captain America shows him encountering a figure with similar strength and stamina, yet with different origins and culture. Fortunately for Captain America, the modern pairing does not end tragically—despite the Mesopotamian hero’s occasional disregard for his friend’s welfare.

Gilgamesh is not the only hero to be featured. Marvel’s 1974 comic, Conan the Barbarian #40, “The Fiend from the Forgotten City,” features the Mesopotamian goddess of love, Inanna.

Conan the Barbarian #40. (https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/6/6f/ConantheBarbarian40.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080811151947)

In the comic, the barbarian hero is assisted by the goddess while fighting against looters in an ancient “forgotten city.” Marvel’s Inanna holds similar powers to her mythical counterpart, including the ability to heal. It is interesting to note the prominence of the theme of “forgetting” in comic books involving Mesopotamian myths, perhaps alluding to the present day obscurity of ancient Mesopotamian culture.

Myth literacy

It’s tempting to think that Captain America’s 1992 journey back to Ancient Mesopotamia was a comment on the political context at the time, particularly the Gulf War. But Roy Thomas, creator of this comic, told me via an email that his portrayal of Gilgamesh reflected his interest in the legend from his university days, and teaching students ancient myths at a high school. Thomas used the Gilgamesh narrative, alongside Classical and Norse myth, due to his belief that knowledge of ancient myth would be useful and rewarding to his students as they prepared to go on to college.

Thomas went on to work as the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, and his understanding of story-telling and literary characters likely assisted in his development of well-known characters such as Wolverine, Ghost Rider, and Iron Fist. Thomas also used Gilgamesh as a principal character in the Topps Comics series Xena: Warrior Princess, and in an issue of the DC Comics series Arak, Son of Thunder #43, co-written with Dann Thomas.

Arak, Son of Thunder #43. (https://comicvine.gamespot.com/arak-son-of-thunder-43-keepers-of-the-dead/4000-25326/)

Thomas’ belief in the benefits of learning myths is well founded. Story-telling has been recognised since ancient times as a powerful tool for imparting wisdom. Myths teach empathy and the ability to consider problems from different perspectives.

The combination of social and analytical skills developed through engaging with mythology can also provide the foundation for a life-long love of learning. A recent study has shown that packaging stories in comics makes them more memorable, a finding with particular significance for preserving Mesopotamia’s cultural heritage.

The myth literacy of science fiction and fantasy audiences allows for the representation in these works of more obscure ancient figures. Marvel comics see virtually the entire pantheons of Greece, Rome, and Asgard represented. But beyond these more familiar ancient worlds, Marvel has also featured deities of the Mayan, Hawaiian, Celtic religions, and Australian Aboriginal divinities, and many others.

The use of Mesopotamian myth in comic books shows the continued capacity of ancient legends to find new audiences and modern relevance. In the comic multiverse, an appreciation of storytelling bridges a cultural gap of 4,000 years, making old stories new again, and hopefully preserving them for the future.