Balor of the Evil-Eye
“Lift up my eyelid, lad, so I may see the talkative fellow who is conversing with me.”
Balor of the Evil-Eye was a member of the Fomorians and their king. He towered over trees and hills at 66.5 feet tall, his massive, misshapen form casting a terrifying shadow. His single, baleful eye, embedded in his skull, remained closed, a ring through the lid. Other Fomorians used this ring to open the eye, unleashing a poisonous, burning, and concussive beam upon whatever Balor gazed upon. Balor's gaze was reserved for his most formidable opponents and despised enemies.
History
Balor of the Evil-Eye was the king of the Fomorians, beings of unknown origin, possibly from another world. They possessed a divine essence and appeared as gods representing chaos, darkness, blight, and drought. Balor, himself, was the god of the passing year, blight, and droughts. The giant among giants was a skilled and deadly warrior, despite fighting blind. Balor had no concern for the well-being of his allies in battle.
Antiquity
The first people to come to Ireland arrived on 1 of 3 ships that left Scythia 440 years before the Great Flood and reached the western edge of the known world. The surviving vessel carried Noah's granddaughter among 50 women, but only 3 men. When the flood came, only one of the men survived. It is unknown how Balor and his Fomorians survived the flood. They may have taken refuge in the Dark Realm of the Otherworld or adapted to the long time underwater, reemerging when the flood ended.
Balor and his Fomorians were defeated by the next invasion of humans from Europe, led by Partholón, some 3 centuries later, but humanity's victory came at a cost. Partholón and his people were wiped out by a plague in a single week. Another 30 years passed before the arrival of Nemed and his people, who cleared 12 plains, built two royal forts and saw four new lakes burst from the ground. Nemed led his people to four victories against Balor and his Fomorians before the plague killed him and most of his chieftains. Balor led his Fomorians to conquer Nemed's people now that they had no leadership, leaving Conand and Morc to rule over them. Each Samhain, the humans were required to give 2/3 of their children, their wheat, and their milk to the Fomorians. Conand and all but 30 humans were killed in the inevitable uprising and Morc's swift counter-attack, with the surviving humans escaping to the sea.
Almost three centuries later, the Tuatha Dé Danann came from the north in their dark clouds, bearing four treasures. The Fomorians welcomed them and insinuated themselves into the Tuatha Dé's society, sowing unrest against the return of the humans from Greece, descendants of the surviving Nemedian settlers, and setting the two sides to war. Balor's aunt married into the Tuatha Dé, and their union produced Bres the Beautiful, a powerful and divine figure. The Fir Bolg were forced to flee Ireland again, settling on remote islands off the shores. The war for Ireland took its toll on the Tuatha, and their king, Nuada, lost a hand in battle. By the Tuatha’s rules of leadership, Nuada was deemed unfit to rule, and Bres was selected as their new king. Bres and his cousin Balor once again ruled the emerald isle for the Fomorians in secret.
It soon became clear to the Tuatha Dé Danann that Bres had no genuine interest in ruling and abused his power for personal gain. During his cousin's reign, Balor of the Evil-Eye learned of a prophecy foretelling his death at the hands of his grandson. To prevent this, he imprisoned his only daughter in a towering, impenetrable fortress to ensure she would not conceive. Believing himself invincible, Balor left to steal a magical cow of abundance from the Tuatha Dé. Throughout Bres' reign, Balor terrorized the countryside with his monstrous raids. But the cow’s owner sought vengeance by impregnating Balor's daughter. She gave birth to three sons, and Balor, in a fit of terror, ordered their drowning. Yet, one survived and grew to become Lugh the Shining One. When Nuada claimed the throne with a newly crafted hand, the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Fomorians clashed for dominance over the island. On the battlefield, Balor faced Lugh but did not recognize his voice. Fomorian servants, perched on his head and shoulders, lifted the lid of his baleful eye, aiming to obliterate Balor’s foe. But Lugh, with a swift shot from his sling, sent a rock hurtling into Balor’s eye, shattered the giant’s skull, sent the eye out of the back of Balor’s head, and released its deadly beam, which obliterated many Fomorians before dimming. Balor of the Evil-Eye fell, crushing 27 Fomorians beneath his massive form, causing the remaining forces to scatter. Nuada then handed the crown to Lugh the Shining One, who would rule Ireland until the arrival of the Gaels.
Medieval Times
In the 12th Century, Elathan, father of Bres, led the Fomor in an invasion of Avalon in the Otherworld, accompanied by a seemingly resurrected Balor of the Evil-Eye. The Tuatha Dé Danann, with Avalon’s witches and wizards, sent messengers pleading for aid. Their call was answered by Thor and the Black Knight of the Medieval era, who joined forces with the Tuatha Dé, battling the grotesque hordes of Fomorian giants. Despite their efforts, the war reached a stalemate. Understanding that Avalon was the last line of defense before the Fomorians could assault Earth again, a decision was made to seal the Otherworld off for all time. Thor and the Black Knight returned to the Earth dimension just as the chief druid closed the gates, trapping all inhabitants within.
Cold War Era
The seal on Avalon held until modern times, when Elathan, Balor, and their Fomorian army were unleashed upon New York City by Balor's wife, Cethlann. The Avengers responded, battling the horde but finding themselves in another stalemate until the modern-era Black Knight discovered the Evil Eye. Using the Eye, the Black Knight attempted to turn Balor’s destructive power against him. But Balor resisted, reclaiming the Eye, only for it to backfire, sucking his life essence into itself and trapping him once more. The Black Knight reclaimed the Eye and used it to banish the Fomorians back to the Dark Realm of the Otherworld and seal the gateway. The Eye then dissipated, scattering Balor’s life energy to the corners of the universe.
Balor’s life energy residue grew, attracting Morgan Le Fay and her son, Mordred, who traversed the universe to gather it. Once collected, they reconstructed Balor and unleashed him upon the Black Knight, Doctor Strange, and Valkyrie. The Black Knight, with his mighty sword, shattered Balor’s eye, causing his life essence to dissipate once again. Doctor Strange then invoked the power of the Primordial god Oshtur to seal Balor’s energy away for good.
Superhuman Registration Era
Luke Cage, Ghost, and several other heroes tracked the missing Thunderbolts to a hideaway belonging to one of their members, Satana. As they approached the gates, the monstrous Balor emerged, his towering form casting an ominous shadow over the heroes. He unleashed a ferocious attack, but Ghost, with their ability to phase through solid matter, slipped past the colossal giant and into the hideout's gate. This act shattered the spell that had summoned Balor and his fallen soldiers from the cosmic exile Dr. Strange had banished them to 15 years prior, sending them back into their dark imprisonment.
Aliases:
- Balor, grandson of Net
- Balor, son of Dot son or Net
- Balor Evil-Eye
- Balor of the Piercing Eye
- Balor the Smiter
- Balor the Strong Smiter
- Big Brother
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