Giganta
| Giganta | |
|---|---|
 Giganta in Wonder Woman #175. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Wonder Woman vol. 1 #9 (Summer 1944) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Doris Zuel |
| Team affiliations | Secret Society of Super Villains, Villainy Inc. |
| Abilities | Can grow in size Strength grows in proportion with her size |
Giganta (Real name Doris Zuel) is a powerful DC Comics supervillainess with the ability to grow into a towering, incredibly strong giantess. She has appeared in comics and in TV adaptations. Her origin and powers have varied in different versions. (She should not be confused with Garganta, a similar though more benign character in the AC Comics universe.)
Golden Age (comics)
The original version of Giganta was a foe of the Golden Age Wonder Woman, first appearing in Wonder Woman Vol. 1 #9 where the ape Giganta is artificially evolved into a large red-headed human woman by Professor Zool. After some complicated adventures she is eventually subdued by Wonder Woman and taken to Paradise Island for rehabilitation. It is there that she joins a rebellion of prisoners in issue #28 who call themselves Villainy Inc.
Giganta is not seen again until issue #163 where her origin is revamped to include Doctor Psycho and she becomes even larger (though not yet a giant) and blonde. [1]
Modern Age (comics)
In the current DC universe, Dr. Zuel first appeared in Wonder Woman (vol 2) #127 (Nov 1997), during a period when Wonder Woman was in a coma, and being kept at the experimental medical facility where Dr Zuel worked. Suffering from a fatal blood disease, she planned, much like her pre-Crisis self, to transfer her life-essence into the Amazon's body. They were discovered by the second Wonder Girl halfway through the experiment, and both women were declared dead. Subsequently her assistant, Branson, discovered Zuel's essence had been stored in the transference machine's buffer module, and put her in the body of one of the test animals, a gorilla named Giganta.
Desperate to return her mind to a human body, Zuel/Giganta abducted a comatose, beautiful red-haired 'strong woman' named Olga from a traveling circus. She apparently succeeded in transferring her mind into Olga's body, and most likely, Olga's mind into the body of the gorilla (although the fate of Olga, the gorilla, and Zuel's original body have never been revealed).
Giganta now posesses the ability to grow to gigantic size, like the animated Superfriends version. The origin of this new form and powers was not revealed in vol. 2 of Wonder Woman, but according to issue #1 of vol. 3 Olga already possessed this power when Zuel stole her body.
Cheetah and Giganta in a battle with Donna Troy in Wonder Woman (3rd series) #1.
Other media
Super Friends TV series
Giganta was first seen outside comics as a member of the Legion of Doom in the 1970s animated TV series Super Friends. In the TV series, she has the ability to grow to giant size (with accompanying superhuman strength) simply by willing it. She typically dresses in a leopard skin two-piece loin cloth, presumably treating them so that they grow with her when she uses her powers to achieve her gigantic stature. She wears large, bangle-like bracelets and anklets, and always goes barefoot. Her muscular body is a side effect of her powers.
In the Challenge of the Super Friends TV series, Giganta was a normal woman who was hiking through a forest when she witnessed Apache Chief using magic dust. The latter used it to grow larger so he could fight off a grizzly bear. Giganta stole the dust and used it on herself, gaining the ability to transform into a powerful, 50 foot tall giantess. She didn't hesitate to use this new found power for evil.
Giganta was voiced by Ruth Forman.
Legend of the Superheroes
Giganta also appeared in Legends of the Superheroes played by Aleshia Brevard.
In keeping with the show's decidedly low budget, she doesn't grow to colossal size here, just bends a prop "steel" bar around Riddler's neck for a cheap "superstrength" effect.
She returns in "The Roast" and is interviewed by "Rhoda Rooter" (who is an imperssion of gossip host Rona Barrett). Rooter interviews Giganta and the Atom about their new love affair.
Justice League TV series
Giganta also appeared in the Justice League animated series in an episode featuring the Secret Society of Super Villains, with an origin somewhat similar to that in the comics. In this version, she was a small female ape transformed by Grodd into a human woman who can grow to giant proportions. In "Secret Society", Giganta helped Shade escape from the Justice League. During her first confrontation with the Justice League she defeated Wonder Woman and even toppled the man of Steel. Later at Gotham field, Superman almost defeated her but she manipulated him by asking "Wouldn't hit a woman, would you?", fortunately Wonder Woman had no problem delivering the final blow. She has then become Grodd's devout follower and has, in Justice League Unlimited, become a member of the modern day Legion of Doom. While on a mission for Grodd as a backup, she ended up comatose after the Martian Manhunter tried to read her mind. However, in the recent episode "The Great Brain Robbery", Giganta is seen among the rest of the Legion, apparently fully recovered. When the Legion became divided between Luthor and Grodd, she sided with Luthor, angry with Grodd for shutting off her mind. At the end of the series, Giganta sacrifices a few seconds of her alloted five minute head start reward (for helping the League) and plants a fast kiss on the Flash. She is voiced by Jennifer Hale.