Xemnu the Living Titan, also known as Xemnu the Living Hulk, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Xemnu is an alien who has attempted to conquer Earth several times. The character first appeared in the story "I Was a Slave of the Living Hulk!" in Journey into Mystery #62, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.[79]
Xemnu first appeared when his starship crash-landed on Earth after running out of fuel.[80] When revived by the human Joe Harper, Xemnu reveals that he was a criminal who had been exiled into space for crimes against the rest of the universe, and had escaped a prison planet and fled to Earth.[80] Xemnu then used telepathy to dominate Harper's mind and then the minds of every other human on Earth.[80] He forced them to build him a new starship so that he could return home.[80] As he departs, he releases Harper from his telepathic domination. Harper sabotages the ship's electrical systems, shocking Xemnu into a coma-like state. As the alien flew off, his mind control faded, and his former servants forgot that he had ever existed. Xemnu used telekinesis to direct an asteroid to strike his ship so that it would be knocked onto a course back to Earth. After crashing down on Earth a second time, the weakened Xemnu was taken into a circus sideshow. As he took control of the town where the circus was located, Joe Harper followed Xemnu's trail and confronts the alien. Xemnu attempts to disintegrate Harper, but Harper used a mirror to reflect the alien's psychic power back at it, and Xemnu's body was destroyed.[80]
Xemnu then traveled through space in a non-corporeal form, and over the years learned that his home planet had been wiped out by a plague. He returned to Earth, possessing the body of an astronaut named Richmond Wagner to gain a physical form. When the space shuttle arrived on Earth, Xemnu used his human host's popularity and his own telepathy to become the host of a children's television series. He used his mental power to place Earth's children under his thrall, planning to abduct them to repopulate his home world, only to be detected by Doctor Strange. Strange and his ally Namor the Sub-Mariner were defeated by the alien, but Xemnu was in turn beaten by the Hulk.[81]
Xemnu then took possession of Amos Moses, the mayor of a small town named Plucketville, in an attempt to kidnap the townspeople of Plucketville to repopulate his home planet. The newly formed Defenders (Doctor Strange, the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner and the Valkyrie) fought him, thus preventing him from using the townspeople to construct another starship.[82]
Xemnu continued his vendetta against the Hulk via a series of five clones created from samples of five other "classic Marvel" alien monsters[83] sent to attack the Hulk, and battled the Hulk himself; however, he was defeated when the dam containing his hideout burst.[84]
Xemnu later used Amos Moses' body in an attempt to once again take control of the Earth via television-transmitted hypnosis. Xemnu took mental control of the Los Angeles-based hero Wonder Man using him to attack his ally, the Thing. The heroes eventually defeated Xemnu, and he fled in a starship.[85]
Later, deep in space, Xemnu infiltrates the spacecraft-haulage craft owned by Ulysses Solomon Archer. He takes over the enclosed area of the Star Stop Diner and confronts a pregnant woman known as Mary McGrill. He plans to genetically alter her child to make it one of his own race. He is opposed by Razorback, Archer, the She-Hulk and everyone else at the diner, but they are easily knocked out by his psychic powers.[86] The She-Hulk awakens ahead of the others and finds that Xemnu is attempting to turn her into a "She-Xemnu." Ultimately, Xemnu is defeated and given over to a powerful humanoid alien named Big Enilwen. This childlike being believes that Xemnu is simply a teddy bear to play with.[87]
Xemnu convinces Enilwen to free his teddy bear population to 'the wild'. He returns to confront the She-Hulk again, this time to sell her into slavery. This time he is defeated by a large monkey wrench to the head wielded by the She-Hulk's friend Louise Mason.[88]
Xemnu reappeared as one of the Space Phantom's kidnapped bodies in Beyond!.[89] He appeared in Annihilation: Conquest as one of the Phalanx select.[90]
Xemnu later returned to Earth and fought the Red Hulk after Woodgod's defeat. During that time, the Impossible Man uses his magic to combine the Hulk and the Red Hulk into the Compound Hulk, which fights Xemnu's minion Kluh (a smart version of the Grey Hulk) and overpowers it.[91]
Xemnu later appeared on Monster Isle when Shadowcat and Magik appeared to look for a mutant girl named Bo. Xemnu was among the monsters that attacked the three until Magik teleported herself, Shadowcat, and Bo to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.[3]
Xemnu later appears alongside Rocket Raccoon.[92]
During the "Monsters Unleashed" storyline, Xemnu is among the monsters seen falling from the sky near San Diego.[93]
Xenmu appeared again, currently living on Monster Isle. He allied himself with Roxxon CEO Dario Agger / the Minotaur to ruin the Hulk's reputation and received cybernetic implants. After the Minotaur discovered that Xemnu is transforming others into Xemnu/human hybrid minions, Xemnu attacked and deformed him.[94]
Xemnu later turned up alive on Monster Isle where he mind-controlled its population only to be defeated by Goom, Rorgg, Strong Guy, and Jamie Madrox.[95]
