Pip the Troll

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caption=Pip the Troll
Art by Jim Starlin.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Pip the Troll
real_name=Pip Gofern
species=Laxidazian
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="Strange Tales #179" (Feb 1975)
creators=Jim Starlin
alliance_color=background:#c0c0ff
alliances=Infinity Watch
partners=Adam Warlock Thanos
aliases=
powers=Teleportation, superhuman strength|

Pip the Troll is a fictional character who appears in publications of Marvel Comics. He was Prince Gofern, an alien of the Laxidazian race who enjoyed painting pictures of the night sky.

Fictional character biography

Pip became mutated into a stunted, satyr-like form during a bout of drunkenness brought on by a mutagenic hallucinogen. After his transformation, his people, also sick of his lewd behaviour, strip him of his office and rank. He stows away on a spaceship and continues his life of debauchery. Pip began his habit of dressing in a pair of maroon, ripped pants and nothing else.

Missionaries from the Universal Church of Truth visit Pip's home planet and discover the trolls are resistant to the church's conversion process. All trolls are ordered killed. Pip himself is caught after making trouble on dozens of planets, many controlled by the church. He ends up on a ship full of men and women who were to be executed. There he meets Adam Warlock, whose alternate future self the Magus would become the leader of the Church of Truth. Pip teamed up with Warlock to escape and go on adventures. Eventually the threat of the Magus was neutralized and Pip parted company with Adam on the world of Sirus X.

After getting into much more trouble, Pip decided to look for Adam again. Pip explored one of Thanos' old hideouts and discovered not Adam, but Thanos himself. He destroyed Pip's mind, but Adam was able to absorb his soul into the Soul Gem (killing his mindless body, but restoring full mental function to his soul), where he resided for some time. [Marvel Two-in-One Annual #2]

Infinity Watch

Pip, along with the green-skinned Gamora, returns to life during the Infinity Gauntlet incident by taking over bodies of three crash victims. Pip and Gamora were both shown to have significantly increased physical strength in their new bodies ("Infinity Watch" #1). Afterwards, Pip was given the Space Gem, keeping it between his toes for safekeeping. The gem gave him the ability to teleport to places he knows of. This he often used for his own ends, stealing the Fantastic Car and other objects. When forced into battle, he tends to appear directly above his adversary's head, intending to deliver a powerful blow. He has since lost the Space Gem, but his long-term exposure to it has given him the innate ability to teleport.

Pip and his friends end up setting shop on Monster Island. Pip takes too much as usual and abusing the hospitality of Mole Man. In a dispute over the sovereignty of the island, forces of the United Nations invade. Pip and the others hang back as Gamora cleans house, killing no one. The group makes bets on the fight.

Around this time, the events known as the Infinity War happen. When Warlock had control of the Infinity Gauntlet, he had forced out the good and evil sides of himself. The evil side returns as Warlock's long-term adversary, the Magus. Pip is drawn into the fight when Thanos recruits the Watch. As most of Earth's heroes do not trust Thanos, Pip and his friends were forced to battle them as well. Eventually both sides work together to take down the Magus.

Pip became deeply involved in the Infinity Crusade. He manages to be a capable 'leader' of the remnants of the Infinity Watch when various events took most of them away. Moondragon, for example, is brainwashed and taken by the Goddess, the 'good' side of Adam Warlock. She is using a Cosmic Egg, the merging of several cosmic cubes, to implement her plans, which involve brainwashing dozens of superheros. Left on Monster Island with Maxam and Drax the Destroyer, the three argue over who should lead. Pip decides to go outside the group for help and kidnaps Mister Fantastic. The leader of the Fantastic Four soon realizes what is going on and pitches in to help. This, and the kidnapping of other superheros, brings everyone together, Pip included, at Avenger's Mansion. actually spurs on the heroic efforts of the rest of the super-powered community. Pip is spurred to create a new, 'super-heroic' costume, but he fails to wash himself while changing. His body odor is so offensive the Hulk forcibly bathes him.

King of the Universe

Professor Xavier proceeds to make telepathic contact with one of the Goddess' thralls, Pip's former ally, Moondragon. Pip secretly touches Xavier and his powers make contact through the link, allowing him to know the location of the Goddess because Moondragon knows it.

Pip teleports to it, in the center of the Goddess' planet, a new form of Counter-Earth. By touching the Cosmic Egg, Pip gains access to its near-infinite powers. He turns the Goddess into salt. He manifests a throne and sits upon it, musing as to what to do with his newfound powers. He reflects on many plans for Earth, such as making superpowered beings wash his car and changing all the females, including the overweight and elderly, into shapely, twenty-something women. One of his goals is, of course, to gain revenge on the Hulk for forcibly bathing him. However, he realizes none of this will make him truly happy, and the decides on something that will: a simple birthday party thrown for him by his friends. Before he can implement this, he is subdued by the brainwashed guardian of the Egg, the female New Warriors member Silhouette. She had been hiding in a nearby container, for just this sort of situation.

Although Pip has been seen rarely since the Infinity Watch disbanded, he appears in "" and "She-Hulk".

In other media

In the "Silver Surfer" animated series, Pip the Troll (voiced by Robert Bockstael) is the close companion of Silver Surfer, whom he follows on his quest to find Surfer's treasured homeworld Zenn-La.

In the Tv series Farscape, Chiana is nicknamed Pip by John Crichton. When asked why he says that Pip is "My favorite travelling companion." Chiana shares many of his traits.

References