Zarrko

Zarrko, the Tomorrow Manis asupervillainappearing inAmerican comic bookspublished byMarvel Comics.The character is most commonly associated withThor.

Zarrko, the Tomorrow Man
Zarrko as depicted inJourney into Mystery#101 (February 1964). Art by Jack Kirby.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Journey into Mystery#86 (November 1962)
Created by	Stan Lee(Writer) Jack Kirby(Artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Artur Zarrko
Notable aliases	Boris The Tomorrow Man
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Advanced scientific and technological skills

Publication history

Zarrko was created byStan LeeandJack Kirby,and first appeared inJourney into Mystery#86 (November, 1962).

Fictional character biography

Zarrko is an evilscientistfrom the future, born in Old New York of the peaceful 23rd century of an alternate future. Zarrko was once acivil servant,but built atime machineto travel through time and gather weapons. Zarrko stole an experimental cobalt bomb, but came into conflict withThor,and was eventually defeated and rendered amnesiac.

Lokieventually restored Zarrko's memories, leading him to return to the 20th century with a giant mining robot and coerce Thor into helping him in exchange for not attacking further. When Zarrko and Thor return to the 30th century, the latter works with the ruling World Council to defeat the former.

Zarrko later clashed withKangwhen he tried to conquer Zarrko's 23rd century. Zarrko enlisted the aid ofSpider-ManandIron Man,as Kang had captured the other Avengers, to get inside Kang's base. Zarrko then sent three devices to the Present to de-evolve that era to pre-industrial times, except for an area containing an American missile base, from which he planned to steal nuclear weapons and rule the 23rd Century, but this was stopped by Spider-Man and theHuman Torch.Spider-Man then returned to the 23rd century with theInhumansand defeated the two villains.

Zarrko later conquered an Earth in the 50th century, where he encountered the Time-Twisters. He used his Servitor robot to enlist the aid of Thor and theWarriors Threeto defeat the Time-Twisters. He journeyed with them to the "end of time" to thwart the Time-Twisters's birth, but when he returned to the 50th Century he found himself deposed as ruler.

Sometime later, Zarrko travelled to 2591 and tricked Dargo, the Thor of that era, into accompanying him to the 20th Century to battle the secondThorandBeta Ray Bill.Zarrko sought to use the energy unleashed by their hammers in the clash to activate the radical Time Stabilizer device to use to collapse all the timelines into one. However, he has left adrift in the time-stream.

In one of the last story arcs of Thor vs Zarrko, Zarrko's plot was revealed to be a plan to save humanity. In his future, Thor had separated from his human self, Jake Olson, and lost his ability to understand humanity. Because of this, Thor became more and more oppressive and imposing, and believed that ruling humanity was the only just thing to do. Zarrko knew that in his future, Thor would become a tyrant, so he had to travel back in time and stop him before the Odin Force made him invincible and near-omnipotent.

When the Governments of Earth launched a massive assault onAsgard,Zarrko was seen trying to escape with histime machine,only to be stopped byThialfi.

Zarrko's attemptedtime travelwas instrumental for Thor to create for himself a new future in which he would never be the tyrant he would have been without his human self.

Zarrko later returned disguised as Boris, a manservant toKristoff Vernard,the heir ofDoctor Doom,who had become a member of theFantastic Fourfollowing the "death" ofMister Fantastic.He was soon exposed but used his time machine to cause chaos in the building by bringing in various heroes and villains from the past and the future to fight it out. He later escaped, deciding that all he wanted was a quiet place and plenty of food.

InMarvel Now!,Zarrko appears as a prisoner inS.H.I.E.L.D.custody after trying to steal nuclear materials in their possession. When the space-time continuum is broken duringAge of Ultron,S.H.I.E.L.D. enlists Zarrko to combat timestream-related threats.

Skills and abilities

Artur Zarrko is a genius with advanced studies in variousapplied sciencesof his futuristic time period.

Equipment

Zarrko has designed numerous devices, such as force field projectors, radiation guns, the Servitor (a giant robot with extraordinary strength that can discharge concussive blasts and release time missiles containing "chronal energy" which allegedly reverses the flow of time), the time-scope (a device able to peer through different timelines), the RTS (a power-absorbing device), a mining robot, and the Time Cube (a time machine).

Other versions

What If?

In an issue ofWhat If?that asked the question "What If Jane Foster Found the Hammer of Thor," Zarrko is among the villains that fight Jane Foster's form of Thordis.

In other media

Zarrko appears in "The Mighty Thor" segment ofThe Marvel Super Heroes,voiced byRod Coneybeare.This version is from the 30th century.