Ego the Living Planet

Ego once told Thor that his existence was the result of a scientist merging with a planet when that planet's sun went nova.[6]

Ego began absorbing space vessels and even planets to survive, and planned to produce armies of Anti-bodies to conquer worlds across the universe. This behavior attracted the attention of the Rigellian Colonizers, who feared that the nearby Ego would consume their home world. They recruited the Thunder God, Thor, to defeat Ego. Accompanied by a Rigellian Recorder, Thor encountered Ego and stunned him with a powerful storm. Feeling humiliated by his defeat, Ego vowed never to leave the Black Galaxy and renounced his plans of conquest.[7] Several months later, a weakened Galactus invaded Ego's space and sought to replenish his energy by consuming Ego. Thor aided Ego in battling Galactus and drove Galactus off. In gratitude, Ego allowed its surface to become the new home of the Wanderers; a group of various alien races whose planets had been the very first to be devoured by Galactus billions of years ago.[8]

The Rigellian Tana Nile took a sample of Ego's form, in the hope that this could be used to fertilize sterile worlds being considered for habitation.[9] However, this act drives Ego insane, and it soon gives in to its primordial urges and absorbs the Wanderers, which causes Thor to side with a returning Galactus. Assisted by ally, Hercules and Galactus's herald, Firelord, Thor holds Ego off until Galactus attaches a massive starship engine to Ego's south pole, which drives the planet constantly through space and thereby prevents it from being a threat to other planets and populated sections of the universe.[10]

Years later, Ego gains control of the engine and tracks Galactus to Earth, seeking vengeance. Unable to locate him, Ego attacks Earth. He causes massive destruction, which is later undone by a reality-altering mutant. The Fantastic Four attempted to defeat Ego by removing the power cell from one of the attached propulsion engines, which the Thing attempts to throw into Ego's "brain". In response, an angered Ego attempts to counter with his remaining engines but, with one engine now deactivated, the other propels the now-out-of-control planet into the Sun, its gravitational pull breaking apart Ego's substance.[11]

Ego, however, slowly reforms from a few surviving particles and repairs the propulsion unit. Ego then digests a number of Dire Wraiths to replenish its energy reserves, and battles the Spaceknight Rom.[12]

Ego later joins the Elders of the Universe in a plan to destroy Galactus. Ego is sidelined before the confrontation when he is defeated by the Silver Surfer.[13] Ego subsequently captures the Silver Surfer and attempts to consume his energies.[14]

Ego attacks a Korbinite fleet and fights the hero, Beta Ray Bill. Ego reveals to Bill that Galactus's propulsion unit is driving Ego mad, and the fleet subsequently destroys the propulsion unit.[15] A sentient bio-verse, initially described as "Super-Ego", then begins to consume Ego, but Ego eventually escapes.[16]

Driven mad by the Supreme Intelligence, Ego lashes out at other planets, destroying them while trying to 'awaken' others like itself, until it is defeated in a battle with Professor X, the Silver Surfer and Cadre K.[17] Ego is subsequently captured and sent to Earth as an "infant" in spore form.[18] As Ego grows, it begins to consume the Earth, with the Supreme Intelligence intending to allow it to grow so that the Kree can take control of Ego and use it as a weapon against the rest of the universe. Quasar absorbs it to prevent this.[19]

When Quasar dies during the Annihilation war,[20] Ego was released back into the Universe, only to be approached by the Worldmind to join the new Nova Corps.[21] Ego supplants Worldmind and brainwashes the Corps. Nova manages to defeat Ego and free Worldmind by lobotomizing the Living Planet.[22] When Ego resurfaces his personality on his body, Nova stargates Mindless Ones into Ego's brain, causing pain to the Living Planet and forcing him to stargate away.[23]

Ego learns he was one of two sentient bodies created by the Stranger for a science experiment, and that his brother Alter-Ego has been held in captivity by the Collector since birth. While Ego seeks a similar entity to itself, the Stranger has arranged for Alter-Ego to hate Ego, intending to learn through their battle if freedom or captivity breeds a stronger will. Alter-Ego is wounded and loses mass when Ego is forced to attack it in self-defense, but Thor intervenes before Ego can strike a killing blow. The remaining fragments of Alter-Ego become a moon of Ego, and the two begin to travel together as a family.[24]

When Ego is infested by large insect-like creatures he hires Rocket Raccoon to eradicate them.[25]

Galactus, changed into the Life-Bringer by the Ultimates, encounters Ego after regaining his strength after a battle with the new universal construct Lagos. Ego attacks Galactus as he journeys to his inner brain at the center of the planet, however loses control of his constructs, which realize that Galactus is not a threat. Ego then reveals that before his creation by the Stranger, his consciousness was that of a man named Egros, similar to Galactus' former self Galan. After formally meeting one another and putting aside their past animosities, Galactus uses his Life-Bringer abilities to form a body for the rest of Ego, who now calls himself Ego-Prime. Ego-Prime then joins Eternity Watch, a group Galactus has put together to deal with the First Firmament, the first iteration of all that is, who had chained Eternity.[26]

In the Amalgam Comics published jointly by Marvel Comics and DC Comics, Oa the Living Planet, an amalgamation version of Ego and DC's Planet Oa, was featured under the Amalgam Comics imprint in Iron Lantern #1, where he is the source of power for the Green Lantern Corps.[31] Another version of Ego in the Amalgam universe appeared in Thorion of the New Asgods as Ego-Mass, an amalgamation of Ego and the Source Wall.

Ego appears in Exiles #53 (December 2004). Set in the universe of Earth-4162, Ego implants the Seeds of Awareness in the Earth in an attempt to create another living planet. The Fantastic Four of this universe, along with the Exiles, are able to convince the now sentient Earth to oppose Ego. Blink kills Ego by teleporting a mining drill into the Living Planet's brain.[32]

Ego appears in Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #12 (June 2007), a series created for younger readers. In this story, Ego causes natural disasters on Earth when he arrives to woo Giant Girl.

In Marvel Zombies 2, Ego is one of the last few survivors of a reality-spanning zombie rampage. However, he is found and eaten.[33]

When Galactus the World Butcher was bonded to All-Black the Necrosword, Ego arrived and suddenly the Necrosword left Galactus and bonded to Ego, becoming Ego the Necroplanet and with its power he ate Galactus whole. And while eating Cosmic Sharks, he was approached by an Asgardian worm who challenged Ego to fight, but Ego quickly laughed out loud of the fact that a worm thought that it could defeat him, but then Ego got completely destroyed by the worm after the worm (King Loki in disguise) whispered word of madness for the ensuing millennia.[34]

• Ego the Living Planet appears in the Fantastic Four episode "To Battle the Living Planet", voiced by Kay E. Kuter.
• Ego the Living Planet appears in Silver Surfer, voiced by Roy Lewis.
• Ego the Living Planet makes a cameo in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "World War Witch".
• Ego the Living Planet appears in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.[35] This version is controlled by Little Ego, a smaller version of its outer self that requires its connection to the host planet to survive. The Hulk and A-Bomb also took control of the host planet, causing it to take on their respective heads' appearances. Ego appears in the episode "All About Ego", the two-part episode "Planet Hulk", and "Planet Monster" Pt. 2.

Kurt Russell as Ego in the 2017 film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Ego appears in the live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, portrayed by Kurt Russell.[36] This iteration is portrayed as being Peter Quill's biological father and claims to be a Celestial. After finding his son, he explains that he came into existence millions of years ago and learned to use his cosmic powers to manipulate matter and form an entire planet around himself as well as utilize many resources and a human body to interact with other sentient beings. After becoming bored of immortality and disappointed with a universe full of inferior life, Ego decided to remake all worlds in the universe into extensions of himself, a plan that required planted seedlings and the power of another Celestial to activate them. To achieve this, Ego mates with various species until a suitable offspring would be conceived to help put his plan into action. While Quill was the only one capable of helping him, the former rebelled against Ego after learning the latter had killed his mother. In the end, Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy destroy Ego and foil his plan.

• Ego the Living Planet appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes.[37]
• Ego the Living Planet appears in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2,[38] with the MCU version being a playable character via the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 DLC. While the heroes are planning to bring Knowhere to Chronopolis, Kang the Conqueror interferes by creating a portal for Ego to come through. However, Ego seeks to make Kang and the heroes pay for their insolence and incompetence respectively. Eventually, the portal that brought Ego to Chronopolis is closed, stopping the living planet.

American stoner metal band Monster Magnet recorded a song called "Ego, the Living Planet" on the album Dopes to Infinity.