Issue 99 - Ego the Living Planet

Capes On the Couch - Where Comics Get Counseling

We travel to the Black Galaxy to examine our largest character yet - EGO THE LIVING PLANET! Strap in for a wild ride - this one goes deep into Ego's core!

SHOW NOTES:

• Intro
• • New patrons - Mayor Jeanine & Local Official Travis
  • A few days left to vote
• Background (05:25)

• • Ego the Living Planet created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Thor #132 (Sept. 1966)
  • A scientist named Egros tried in vain to save his planet and people from the Stranger, but when the planet exploded, Egros was merged with all of his people and the planet to create Ego, the Living Planet #becausecomics
  • Began destroying ships that approached his area, until he was fought and defeated by Thor
  • Later allied with Thor against Galactus, who wished to consume him - allowed a group called the Wanderers, who were homeless after Galactus destroyed their planet, to live on his surface - later consumed all the Wanderers after going mad due to experiments on him by a Rigellian scientist
  • Heads to Earth seeking vengeance - defeated by the Fantastic Four, who use his rockets to propel him into the sun, where he disintegrates
  • Reforms from a few particles - eventually goes mad again and attacks worlds, looking for similar planets - defeated by Professor X and other mutants
  • Captured by the Kree and sent to Earth in spore form, in an attempt to weaponize him against the Earth - absorbed by Quasar
  • Upon Quasar’s death, Ego was released back into the universe
  • Learned he had a brother, Alter-Ego, who had been imprisoned since his creation, and seeks him out - Alter Ego attacks him, and Ego defeats him in self defense - the Elemental Zephyr recreates a smaller version of Alter-Ego, who now orbits Ego as a moon
  • Eternity War - given a body by Galactus the Lifebringer, and joins the Eternity Watch to help save Eternity from imprisonment by the First Firmament
• Issues (09:23)
  • Befitting his name, superiority complex
  • Loneliness over being one of the only of his kind (19:45)
  • Difficulty of logistically interacting with anyone (28:10)
• Break (37:07)
  • Plugs for Cast Junkie, Last Sons of Krypton, and Al Ewing
• Treatment (39:20)
  • In-universe - Focus on other planetary characters to get Ego’s worldview to change
  • Out of universe - Discussion of psychotherapy (44:33)
• Skit (52:01)
• Ending (56:38)
  • Recommended reading: older Thor books - 132-133, 155-161, 226-228
  • Next episodes: 100th episode awards special!!!
  • Plugs for social

References:

• Olaf Stapledon - Doc (41:45)
• Last and First Men - Doc (41:50)
• Star Maker - Doc (42:33)
• Thanos episode - Doc (44:10)
• Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | Tim Urban - Anthony (58:45)

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