SOLOMON GRUNDY

Real Name: None

Class: Plant elemental

Occupation: None

Group Affiliation: The Society, Injustice Society, formerly Injustice Society of the World

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Slaughter Swamp, Gotham City, 1940s era to present

First Appearance: All-American Comics I #61 (October, 1944)

Powers: Grundy possessed superhuman strength and invulnerability. He didn't need any form of sustenance, such as food or air, to survive, and he didn't physically age. Grundy could absorb certain forms of energy, such as radiation and magic. Each time Grundy died he was invariably resurrected. Each resurrection altered Grundy's mental and physical state. These various forms of Grundy reflected different aspects of Cyrus Gold's personality. Grundy's most common form was savagely brutal yet mentally childlike.

History: Cyrus Gold was murdered in Slaughter Swamp at the turn of the century. His body moldered for almost fifty years; eventually an imperfect plant elemental was formed from his corpse. The elemental stumbled upon a hobo camp, and the hobos named him Solomon Grundy because the only thing the elemental knew was that he was born on a Monday. The hobos convinced Grundy to help them commit robberies, but these were foiled by Green Lantern. Grundy escaped, and in a berserker murder spree he killed eleven people. Green Lantern put an end to Grundy by throwing him under an oncoming train.

Grundy returned to life and fought Green Lantern and the JSA many times over the years.

(All-Star Squadron #1-3) -

(JSA #53, fb, BTS)- <1967> Grundy and the gang battled Wildcat, claiming one of his nine lives.

(Batman: The Long Halloween #2) - Grundy took to living in Gotham City’s sewers. He was disturbed by hitman Mickey Sullivan, who fled to the sewers to escape Batman. Grundy went berserk and attacked Batman, who had followed Sullivan. After a brief fight Grundy slunk away. Batman felt pity for the man-monster, and later brought a turkey dinner down to the sewer on Thanksgiving for Grundy to enjoy.

(Batman: The Long Halloween #12) - Grundy encountered Harvey Dent, who was hiding in Gotham’s sewers after being disfigured by Sal Maroni. By reciting the “Solomon Grundy” nursery rhyme Dent befriended the monster.

(Batman: The Long Halloween #13) - Harvey Dent assembled a crew including Grundy, Joker, Mad Hatter I, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and Catwoman to kill gangster Carmine “The Roman” Falcone. Batman defeated Dent’s lackeys but couldn’t stop Dent from personally killing The Roman.

(JLA: Year One #2) - Vandal Savage gained control over Grundy. Savage dispatched Grundy, Eclipso, Clayface II and Thorn to kill the fledgling Justice League of America. In-fighting led to the villain team's defeat.

(Day of Judgment #1, Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #4) - Grundy was resurrected by Asmodel, and this version of Grundy was somewhat intelligent and very evil. Asmodel instructed him to kill the Marvel Family, so he went to Blue Valley High to engage them in combat. He was defeated through the combined efforts of the Marvel Family, Star-Spangled Kid II and S.T.R.I.P.E.

(Starman II #70, 71) -

(JSA #29) - Grundy was Jokerized and in this maniac state he beheaded the Statue of Liberty and defaced it with spray paint. Grundy attacked JSA hq, finding only J.J.Thunder and Star-Spangled Kid II present. He attacked the Kid and told her he looked forward to killing her like he killed her predecessor, but Thunder summoned his Thunderbolt and it destroyed Grundy, burning him from the inside out.

(JSA #33) - The Ultra-Humanite used Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt to conquer the world, and imprisoned Grundy and virtually every other superhuman on Earth in stasis tubes. Grundy and the other captives were freed when the JSA defeated Ultra-Humanite.

(Green Arrow III #17, 18) - Grudy made the abandoned Arrowcave his new home. When Green Arrow and Arsenal visited their old hq Grundy was infuriated at the intrusion and attacked them. After an intense fight Green Arrow managed to strangle Grundy with his bowstring.

(JSA All-Stars #1) - Solomon Grundy joined the Injustice Society. Under orders from the Injustice Society’s new leader Legacy (Wizard) they broke Icicle II out of D.E.O. custody and fought the JSA. Using some of Legacy’s arcane devices the Injustice Society transported the founding members of the JSA to a prison in a pocket dimension, then Legacy teleported the Injustice Society to safety.

(JSA #65) - Grundy ran amok in Central Park, fighting the JSA. He was incensed that they’d causeed him to diein the past, and intended to kill them all, but he was stopped by Sand, who tookhimout with a localized earthquake.

(JSA #68 (BTS)) - Solomon Grundy spent all day battling Stargirl.

(Superman / Batman #3) - Grundy, under the thrall of Gorilla Grodd, was among the number of supervillains that attempted to collect the billion dollar bounty President Luthor placed on Superman’s head but failed.

(Flash II #209) - Grundy was defeated by the JSA and wrapped up in chains by Green Lantern.

(Supergirl V #1) - Grundy went berserk and engaged in a battle with the JSA. They were having a hard time handling him until Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) showed up and knocked him out with a single blow.

(Villains United: Infinite Crisis Special #1) - The Society planned a worldwide prison break to free every incarcerated supervillain, and Solomon Grundy and Hellhound were two Society agents sent to threaten a warden to open the cell doors of his prison on an appointed date. Hellhound told the warden he'd release Grundy in his house if he refused. After the prison breaks Grundy and the escaped villains massed in Metropolis. They were confronted by an army of virtually every hero on Earth, and the heroes and villains engaged in an epic battle.

Comments: Created by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman.

In the pre-Crisis DCU, Solomon Grundy lived on Earth-2.

Solomon Grundy received profiles in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #21, Who's Who in the DC Universe #5 and JSA Secret Files #2. Grundy received a profile in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #11 under the Injustice Society of the World entry.

Bizarro-Superman wrote and illustrated a comic book titled “Solomon Grundy Bored on a Monday” featuring Solomon Grundy in Bizarro Comics #1.

Batgirl: Year One #9 showed Batgirl fighting mock-ups of several villains, including Solomon Grundy, in a shooting gallery located in the Batcave.

A statue of Grundy was seen in the JSA Museum in JLA / JSA: Virtue and Vice.

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