Nam-Ek was a Kryptonian scientist obsessed with becoming immortal through the healing power of the Rondor horn but was transformed into a deformed human-Rondor.
History
Nam-Ek was born on the distant planet Krypton, some 500 years before its destruction He became a ruthless scientist devoted to the pursuit of learning all knowledge. At the time, Kryptonians would travel to the Scarlet Jungle to be healed by the Rondors, hideous, foul-smelling beasts whose horns emitted a unique radiation that healed all injuries and sicknesses in seconds. Nam-Ek killed two of the Rondors to extract a serum from their horns that he believed would make him immortal. Four people then died because no Rondors were available to cure them, so Nam-Ek was charged with murder. Facing imprisonment or execution, Nam-Ek fled from the police to the long-deserted city of Xan. [1] There Nam-Ek drank his Rondor horn extract serum, and it did grant him the desired immortality. However, it also had the terrible side-effect of transforming him into an ugly human-Rondor hybrid, with warty purple skin, a terrible stench, and a Rondor-like horn in the middle of his forehead. For 500 years, Nam-Ek lived alone in Xan and continued his scientific research, even curing the dreaded Virus X. Then, lonely and needing companionship, he tried to make contact with his fellow Kryptonians, but they drove him away. He returned to the Scarlet Jungle to sturdy the Rondors and find a way to reverse the immortality serum. However, at that moment, Krypton exploded and Nam-Ek was left to drift alone in space. [1]
Years later, Nam-Ek was found by the space pirate Amalak. Amalak had a deep-seated hatred of all things Kryptonian but found that he could not kill Nam-Ek by any means and could only imprison him. When Amalak's spaceship came near a yellow sun, Nam-Ek gained super-powers and escaped to warn Superman of Amalak's plan to unleash a plague on Earth.[2]
However, Superman mistakenly accused Nam-Ek of being the cause of the plague that had already broken out at a journalists' conference in Central City. This lead to a furious battle where Nam-Ek punched the Flash into orbit around the Earth. His attempt to help Superman having been rejected, Nam-Ek then allied with his former enemy Amalak. However, Superman was able to capture Nam-Ek and then use the healing radiation from Nam-Ek's horn to cure the Journalist's plague.[3] Superman and Supergirl then imprisoned Nam-Ek in the Phantom Zone because Superman believed him to be insane and too dangerous to leave free while possessing Kryptonian super-powers and immortality[4].
Nam-Ek subsequently escaped the Zone, when the Phantom Zoners compelled the confused Quex-Ul to create a flawed Phantom Zone Projector that blasted them free. Nam-Ek was burned to a husk by the power of Nadira, but the power of his Rondor physiology restored him just in time to be captured by Wonder Woman and be returned to the Phantom Zone.[5][6]
Nam-Ek's Human Countenance
There was a second escape for Nam-Ek when the Kryptonian wizard Thul-Kar magically caused the destruction of Htrae, which tore open the barrier separating the Zone from the material dimension. As Superman struggled to repair the damage, and to contain the super-powered Kryptonian criminals, Nam-Ek remembered his previous burning and defeat, so was content to sit with Thul-Kar and wait out the conflict.[7]
The Phantom Zone's god Aethyr merged with Mister Mxyzptlk so as to exist in the Earth's dimension and re-absorbed the Kryptonian villains--including Nam-Ek--into himself and went off into space.[7]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Nam-Ek possesses the same potential powers as an average Kryptonian. These include:
- Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Nam-Ek's super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. His biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and his bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
- Heat Vision: Nam-Ek can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. He can vary the heat and area affected.
- Super-Hearing: Nam-Ek's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, he can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency.
- Enhanced Vision: Nam-Ek's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
This umbrella ability includes the following:- Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Nam-Ek can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. He can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, he can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows him to see the aura generated by living thing.
- Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
- X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Nam-Eks can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. He can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
- Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
- Infrared Vision: Nam-Ek can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
- Flight: Nam-Ek is able to manipulate graviton particles to defy the forces of gravity and achieve flight. This ranges from hovering to moving in any posture, in any direction.
- Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of his dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Nam-Ek is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, his extends this protection against toxins and diseases.
- Superhuman Stamina: Nam-Ek is able to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. This based on his body converting yellow solar radiation directly to energy but is limited by physiological and psychological needs to eat, drink, and sleep.
- Superhuman Strength: Nam-Ek's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation interacting with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of his musculature. His strength is more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables him to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass.
- Superhuman Speed: Nam-Ek is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This extends to his perceptions and allows for feats such as catching bullets in mid-flight as well as covering vast distances in little or no time.
This also confers: - Super-Breath: Nam-Ek is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
- Longevity: Nam-Ek can live longer than regular humans, remaining at his prime as long as he was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.
- Healing: The radiation from Nam-Ek's horn appears to heal all injuries and diseases in the bodies of others in close proximity.[4]
- Regeneration: Nam-Ek is able to repair his body from almost any injury.[5] Though Superman thought that he'd killed Nam-Ek with Green Kryptonite it has never actually been proven whether Nam-Ek is resistant to Kryptonite.[8]
- Toxic Immunity: In Xan City, Nam-Ek exposed himself to all known Kryptonian diseases and they did not effect him.[1]
- Self-Sustenance: Even in the light of a red sun, Nam-Ek could survive in the vacuum of space indefinitely.[2]
Abilities
Weaknesses
- Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Nam-Ek possesses the same potential weaknesses as an average Kryptonian. These include:
Notes
- This version of Nam-Ek, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
Related
- 12 Appearances of Nam-Ek (Earth-One)
- 4 Images featuring Nam-Ek (Earth-One)
- 2 Quotations by or about Nam-Ek (Earth-One)
- Character Gallery: Nam-Ek (Earth-One)
Footnotes
  This character has been primarily an enemy of Superman in any of his various incarnations, or members of the Superman Family. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Superman Villains category." |