Who Created Gilgamesh Marvel And When Was He Introduced?

I still get a little thrill when Gilgamesh shows up on a page — there's something about that hulking, tragic, almost mythic presence that hooks me every time. If you want to see him as a main figure, the most consistent place to look is the various runs of 'The Eternals'. He’s one of the roster of immortals in Jack Kirby’s original work and pops up in later Eternals revivals, so those volumes give you the best long-form treatment of him and his backstory. Outside the Eternals books, Gilgamesh turns into more of a featured player in a few team-up and superhero titles: he shows up in multiple arcs of 'The Avengers' as a heavyweight ally and occasionally takes center stage in 'Thor' stories where the mythic angle makes him a natural fit. Marvel also drops him into solo-ish spotlight moments across anthologies and guest-appearance arcs, so you’ll find him carrying or anchoring short runs in things like anthology series or limited crossovers. If you want exact issues, bookmarking the Marvel Database or Marvel Unlimited and searching his alias 'the Forgotten One' will point you straight to issue lists and trades — that’s how I tracked down a couple of obscure Gilgamesh-centric issues that weren’t in the main Eternals collections.

I’ve always loved when comics pinch stuff from ancient myths — there’s this delicious little thrill when familiar names pop up. When I first saw Marvel’s Gilgamesh in a trade paperback, I blinked: same name, heroic vibe, but that’s where the neat overlap mostly ends. Marvel borrows the legend’s name and some mythic flavor, but the comics treat him like a superheroic figure built to fit into Marvel’s strange cosmology. Instead of a straight retelling of 'Epic of Gilgamesh', the character gets retooled with superpowers, team ups, and modern conflicts. He’s more of a nod or homage than a faithful adaptation. I like thinking of it like a cover song — familiar melody, different arrangement. If you’re curious, read the poem alongside the comic appearance. The original 'Epic of Gilgamesh' has this raw, ancient meditation on friendship, mortality, and the fear of death that comics don’t usually replicate beat-for-beat. But seeing how Marvel riffs on those big themes is its own kind of fun, and sometimes that contrast makes me appreciate the source material even more.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because I caught myself rewatching 'Eternals' on a rainy afternoon and got nostalgic about Don Lee’s take on Gilgamesh. To put it plainly: Marvel’s Gilgamesh has already shown up in the MCU—he’s one of the Eternals in the 2021 film, played with this grounded warmth that stuck with me. That appearance establishes him on-screen, so the question isn’t whether he’ll appear, but whether he’ll pop up again and where. From a storytelling perspective, I’d love to see him in more team-up settings. In the comics he’s this incredible powerhouse with a protective streak, so I can picture him showing up in Guardians-style crossovers or even the bigger Avengers-level conflicts. With the MCU leaning into multiverse stories and character crossovers, a Gilgamesh cameo or larger role feels plausible—especially if Marvel wants to explore more Eternal lore or use him as a thematic foil to heroes like Thor or Hulk. If you’re mixing him up with the famous Gilgamesh from 'Fate'—those are totally different characters from separate worlds, so don’t expect the anime version to pop into Marvel’s movies. But I’m optimistic: the MCU loves borrowing from its comics, and since Gilgamesh is already introduced, it’s really about timing and whether future scripts call for his particular vibe. I’d keep an eye on sequels, Disney+ tie-ins, and any league-style movies where his kind of brute-heart energy would shine.

If you want the core Gilgamesh experience in Marvel, start where he was properly introduced: the Jack Kirby run. Read 'The Eternals' (vol. 1) #1–19 — that’s the backbone. Kirby’s cosmic, mythic tone is exactly where Gilgamesh (the Forgotten One) feels most alive: huge-scale origin, mythic fights, and the character’s big personality moments. Those issues show him as the hulking, noble brawler and give you the Alderaan-sized lore that feeds everything later. After Kirby, I’d move to the modern retelling: Neil Gaiman’s 'The Eternals' mini-series (#1–7, 2006). Gaiman polishes the characters’ psychology and gives Gilgamesh quieter, more human beats. It’s shorter, beautifully illustrated, and acts like a perfect palate cleanser — you’ll see how a contemporary writer reframes that raw Kirby energy. Beyond those two pillars, skim his guest spots in various Marvel titles and look for collections like 'The Eternals: The Complete Collection' or an omnibus of Kirby’s run. If you like tracking down the small cameos, Marvel Unlimited and Marvel Database are lifesavers for locating every pro wrestling-sized punch he threw in other books. For me, the Kirby run plus Gaiman’s mini is the essential combo — everything else is icing or callbacks that make more sense after those reads.

I get a kick out of how Marvel takes something ancient and makes it cosmic. In the comics, Gilgamesh is basically Marvel's riff on the Sumerian king-hero, pulled into the whole Celestials/Eternals tapestry. Jack Kirby’s 'Eternals' introduced him as one of those long-lived, super-strong Eternals — immortals created or uplifted during the Celestials' experiments on early Earth. He shows up in mythic eras, gets worshipped as a hero or god in places like ancient Mesopotamia, and carries that mythic-warrior vibe through modern stories. He’s often portrayed as a powerhouse: huge strength, endurance, and typical Eternal-level longevity. Over the years writers have leaned into his role as a wandering champion — sometimes noble and protective, sometimes isolated and a little tragic — which is why older comics nicknamed him things like 'The Forgotten One' at points. If you like myth mixed with cosmic sci-fi, he’s an awesome bridge character, and I love spotting where the writers let Gilgamesh’s ancient legend bleed into modern superhero plots.

Crazy debate to have over coffee: comic-book Gilgamesh vs. Thor is one of those matchups that changes depending on which issue or movie you pull up. I’ve spent afternoons digging through old issues and watching the 'Eternals' scenes to get a feel for how writers treat him. In the comics Gilgamesh (often called the Forgotten One) is basically a walking wrecking ball — ridiculous strength, tough durability, long-lived Eternal regeneration, and a ton of hand-to-hand combat experience. He’s been portrayed as able to trade blows with gods and heavy-hitters, and there are spots where he holds his own against Thor in straight fights. But Thor brings more to the table than just brute force. The Asgardian has not only raw strength and durability but also the lightning, flight, mystical enhancements from Mjolnir/Stormbreaker, and storylines that give him cosmic power-ups (think Odinforce, Rune King, etc.). So in a bare-fist slugfest Gilgamesh could definitely match or even outmuscle Thor at times, yet Thor’s wider toolkit and higher narrative ceiling usually tip the scale in his favor. I like to imagine them smiling, trading blows, then cracking open a lager afterward.

There’s something theatrical about how Gilgamesh is written in Marvel comics — writers love to lean into both the mythic and the very human at the same time. I usually see him drawn as a hulking, kingly presence: proud, blunt, and built to smash problems rather than overthink them. But just beneath the bravado there’s almost always this melancholy thread — a loneliness from long life, a sense of being an out-of-time ruler who remembers empires and lost friends. When writers want pathos they echo the tone of the old Near Eastern epic, especially the 'Epic of Gilgamesh', and layer in superhero beats: tragic backstory, quests, and loyalty tests. In contrast, when the script calls for action or comic relief, he becomes boisterous and very physical, using his stature and blunt speech to dominate scenes. What I like most is the flexibility: some creators play him as noble and tragic, others as gruff and almost boyish in his attachments to teammates. The visuals — broad shoulders, armor, sometimes crown-like headgear — reinforce that personality. If you’re tracking how different writers treat him, watch for what aspect they privilege: honor, hubris, loneliness, or sheer heroic impulse; that choice tells you what kind of story they want to tell and how sympathetic they’ll make him feel.

I've got a soft spot for those classic Kirby introductions, and Gilgamesh's comic debut is one of my favorites to bring up when people ask about mythic characters in superhero comics. Gilgamesh first appeared in 'The Eternals' #1, cover-dated May 1976, created by Jack Kirby. In Kirby's run he was presented as one of the Eternals — a hulking, heroic figure inspired by the ancient Sumerian king of legend — and he carried the sort of mythic weight Kirby loved to give his characters. The issue sets up the whole Eternal mythos and Gilgamesh shows up pretty early as a powerful, sometimes lonely warrior with ties to humanity's deep past. If you want to see how the character evolved, track down some of the later Eternals stories and modern reinterpretations; the 1976 run is where he begins, but writers over the decades have added quirks, guest appearances, and different names (he's sometimes called the Forgotten One). I still enjoy flipping through that first issue with a coffee — it’s pure Kirby energy and a great intro to Marvel's take on mythic heroes.