I am Mzee! Made inflexible by the gravity of the true soul! I am the impossible strength! 
- —Mzee[src]
History
Mzee was born in a village in Ethiopia where he lived with his family until the day they were killed by a group of Magneto's henchmen while he hid in an oil drum.[1] Some time later, he had a mystic artifact known as the "Crooked Emerald" placed in his heart, which contained the psyche of Mzee, a dead African god whose name and power he then shared.[2]
Possessing a hatred of all mutants, he became a member of Red Skull's criminal organization, the S-Men, where he helped procure the body of the recently-deceased Professor X so his leader could remove his brain and gain use of his telepathic abilities.[3] He was later part of the Skull's attack on New York, where he proved a suitable match for Thor until he was knocked unconscious by the thunder god's hammer. He escaped along with the other S-Men and the Red Skull after the tide of the battle was turned on the favor of the heroes.[4]
Mzee was killed by Magneto,[5] who had tracked down the Skull's activities[6] after the villain turned Genosha into a mutant concentration camp.[7]Attributes
Powers
Chelonian Physiology: Mzee resembles a bipedal, humanoid tortoise complete with scaly skin, a hard beak, and large shell.
"Impossible" Strength: As the Crooked Emerald within his body houses the spirit of the African Lord of Physical Will, Mzee is granted a level of superhuman strength and endurance said to be beyond anything on Earth. He possessed enough strength to toe-to-toe with Thor.[4]Weaknesses
Trivia
- While his name literally means "elder" or "old person" in Swahili, it is more likely a reference to the famous Aldabra giant tortoise who gained worldwide media attention in 2005 after befriending an orphaned hippopotamus.
- Mzee shares many similarities to the X-Men villain Juggernaut. Both are super-strong villains who are empowered by gems that house god-like beings and are said to be "unstoppable" by any force on Earth.