Origins[]

Grom was born an Eternal^[2] of the planet Eyung.^[1]

Eons ago, the Eternals learned to control aging and eliminate natural death, and were left with endless life to wage endless war,^[2] sanctioned by the government to prevent overpopulation.^[4]

A fierce warrior, Grom claimed to have conquered a hundred worlds, won a thousand fights,^[2] and massacred entire species.^[1]

The Games[]

The Eternals later held gladiatorial spectacles called the Games,^[2] enemies to conquer becoming rare.^[4] Grom was tested and earned in combat the title of "Champion of Champions".^[2]

War on Gigantus[]

Soon after Grom's coronation,^[4] the Eternals destroyed another inhabited planet, and became aware of its neighbor Gigantus and the pacifist and life-loving Gigantians who had remained hidden in fear, and sought to invade it.^[2]

Immediately they launched an attack upon the planet. Because Gigantus was a massive planet (several hundred times bigger)^[4] with a massive population as well, the war became very costly and difficult for the Eternals to sustain, with the Gigantians growing adept to warfare.^[2]

Finally it was decided to simply obliterate the planet. The Eternals showered Gigantus with immensely powerful Reaction Bombs (nuclear warheads),^[4] causing a chain reaction that eventually resulted in the destruction of the planet.^[2]

A huge armada of Gigantians escaped the world's destruction and attacked Eyung in retaliation, using similar bombs. Underestimating the Gigantians' attack and unprepared, the Eternals' defenses fell.^[2]

The Over-Mind[]

The Eyungian Lord realized that their race faced total extinction. He summoned the Scientists Royal to use the Final Project, a discovery useless until then: as the surviving population of Eyung marched into huge "synthesizing chambers" scattered across the planet, their brain-power was harnessed and transferred into the Champion Grom for him to become the Over-Mind and avenge his people by crushing the universe.^[2]

When the process was complete, and only the Lord and the Scientists who conducted the process were left alive, the capsule containing Grom was launched into space to incubate^[2] his people's collective consciousness until the being assimilated. Protective spores around the capsule hid him until his awakening.^[2]

Eons later, Grom emerged as the Over-Mind, possessing the collective psionic power of a billion brains and carrying in his memory the command to subdue the universe. He transformed the spores into a spacecraft^[2] and fled to the nearest habitable planet: Earth.^[1]

The Gigantians created a being similar to the Over-Mind in order to destroy him as soon as he awakened.^[2] This being was accidentally killed by the Stranger who vowed to fulfill his role.^[10]

Earth[]

The Over-Mind came to New York and took control of New York City Mayor John Lindsay, making him arrest the Fantastic Four,^[11] seeing them as his most likely opponents,^[1] intending them to take control of the President and all his generals, then every ruler on Earth.^[11] Crossing them in the streets, he opposed them to test their powers. Once he had evaluated they did not represent any danger, he erased the encounter from their memories, and departed.^[12]

Finally learning about the Over-Mind and his origins by Uatu the Watcher, Reed Richards departed from the Fantastic Four to fight the Over-Mind,^[2] was captured by him and subjected to his mental control. In parallel, the New Yorkers tainted by the Over-Mind's growing power were sacking their own city.^[6]

The Fantastic Four, assisted by Doctor Doom, battled him but were unable to defeat the Over-Mind, until the arrival of the Stranger, posing as the embodiment of the collective psionic power of all the surviving Gigantians ("a billion billion brains -- and more!"). The Stranger's psionic abilities proved to be more powerful than those of the Over-Mind and he shrank the Over-Mind to microscopic stature and exiled him to "a dead and lifeless universe within a mote of dust"^[6] in a Microverse.^[13]

The Microverse[]

There, the Over-Mind was driven mad by loneliness until the demonic creature named Null the Living Darkness located him and decided to use him as a pawn in his scheme of conquest. However, when he restored the Eternal to his original power and stature, Null accidentally transported the Over-Mind to an alternate Earth other than the one upon which he had met his defeat. He decided to settle his plan on this reality, however.^[14]

Earth-712 and the Squadron Supreme[]

Secretly controlled by Null, the Over-Mind met with U.S. President Kyle Richmond claiming to be the sole surviving member of his race and was welcomed with open arms.^[15] However, when directed by Null to take control of Richmond, the half-mad Over-Mind used too much power and decimated Richmond's consciousness. Since Richmond was now useless to him, Null was about to discard him but Richmond was actually rescued by Chorus, a merged consciousness of telepaths from Earth-616, one of whom had been deeply in love with the Earth-616 Kyle Richmond. Chorus repaired the 712 Richmond's mind as best they could, but doing so required them to imprint the memories that they had "felt" as their Kyle died, which caused the restored 712 Richmond to believe that he was the 616 Richmond.^[16] While keeping Richmond from remembering them, Chorus provided Richmond with a new Nighthawk costume and transported him to the side of his ailing comrade Hyperion.^[15] Meanwhile, needing a new "President Richmond" to carry out his planned conquest, Null created a bio-construct which he used as a hiding place until his evolution was complete.^[16]

Soon afterwards, the F.B.I. and the C.I.A. started arresting countless people.^[15]

Trying to confront "Richmond" and the Over-Mind, the Squadron Supreme summoned them at their orbiting "Rocket Central" headquarters. There, "Richmond" revealed the truth about the Over-Mind's origins and doings. The Over-Mind then defeated the entire Squadron and "absorbed" it to conquer the world except for Hyperion who, although seriously injured, was able to escape and go into hiding.^[15]

Within six months, the entire planet was seemingly under the control of the Over-Mind, who then started to build a fleet of nuclear missiles^[5] and spacecraft on the Moon^[15] in order to fulfill the prophecy.^[17]

From the hidden base where Hyperion was recovering, Nighthawk asked for help from some of "his" old comrades in the Defenders^[18] and the larger group then asked for aid from even more Defenders.^[15] Once all of these Defenders had been briefed on the situation and had been joined by Chorus, they attacked the Squadron on the Moon and easily overcame everyone except the Over-Mind. However, when August Masters killed "Richmond," the Over-Mind stopped the fight, seemingly lost, while Null revealed himself.^[17] Although his control over the Over-Mind had been broken when "Richmond" was killed, Null was able to drain the raw psychic energy from the Over-Mind while battling Chorus, the Defenders and the now-freed Squadron Supreme who had been joined by psycho-spiritual union into a single powerful being.^[14]

At the battle's end, after Null had been destroyed, the Over-Mind's Eternal consciousness was suppressed and the six telepaths, lacking physical bodies, took refuge inside his body which they believed was now vacant.^[14]

The Defenders[]

Now possessing a benevolent mind and a small fraction of his former mental might, the Over-Mind that was controlled by Chorus returned with the Defenders to their world, joining their ranks for some months,^[16] assisting Doctor Strange in his thoughts,^[19] and attending Nighthawk's funeral in the form of Mindy Williams.^[20]

Consecutively to this funeral, Chorus decided to give peace to each of its members. As Phillip le Guin, he was rejected by his family and friends. As Ursula Richards, she burst against her life and the ghetto she originated in, starting to tear it apart until she nearly killed some of its inhabitants inadvertently. All of them eventually had their pasts laid to rest, and learned that they could be of great help for the future, if they were to remain surrounded by love and friendship, from the Defenders who officially accepted the Over-Mind among them.^[20]

He helped locate Daimon Hellstrom^[21] and tried battling the Miracle Man, but was taken down easily. Exhausted, he linked his mind to the Hellcat and together they were able to counter the Miracle Man.^[22]

He later tried to convince the Beast to remain on the team.^[7] Growing uncomfortable himself in the team,^[1] he left^[4] after having blanked out their memories of his presence among them.^[23]

Solo Adventures[]

He eventually spent some time trying to help the people of Millwood, New Hampshire, a little town where its citizens were suffering from radiation^[24] and chemical poisoning by granting them an illusion of health and motivating them to keep a positive attitude, teaching them that they could do anything if they tried. The Over-Mind's illusion had a positive effect on the healing abilities of Millwood's 800 inhabitants.^[25]

When Hazmat-suited government operatives entered the town, they explained the situation and offered the Over-Mind to treat them. The Over-Mind initially refused, given the slim chance for them to be cured, and intended to return the scientists without memories of their encounter. His mind was changed by a child who recalled his own advice. Freeing the town from his illusion, the Over-Mind left, witnessing the medics and ambulances rushing in the city to save as much people as possible. While the medics were optimistic,^[25] The Over-Mind was deeply troubled by his failure,^[1] and eventually became a vagrant in New York City.^[9]

Resurfacing and Facing the Stranger[]

Years later when the Squadron Supreme were returning to Earth-616, the Over-Mind's slumbering true consciousness perceived them and awoke, easily consuming the psyches of the six telepaths in the process.^[9][10] Chorus was simply engulfed by the billion Eternal brains,^[24] and was absorbed among them.^[1]

The Over-Mind then found his spacecraft and took control of the Squadron Supreme. Using the Shape and Haywire to battle Quasar and cover his departure, he left Earth with most of the Squadron aboard.^[9]

Bringing them to the Stranger's Laboratory World,^[26] he turned the Stranger's captives into his own army, while Quasar, Hyperion, and Makkari attempted to find the Squadron. Using the Squadron as a leverage and threatening to kill them, he forced Quasar to bring the Stranger to him, setting a trap on his return.^[27]

While Hyperion, Quasar and the Whizzer were overwhelmed by the Over-Mind's army, he himself faced the Stranger, who revealed that he was not the Gigantian uni-mind but had encountered it and carried its legacy. Watchers seeking to discuss this with the Stranger started to assemble over the battle, triggering the Over-Mind's paranoia, allowing his opponent to defeat him,^[10] as his powers turned inward and drove him into a coma.^[1] The Stranger incarcerated him as an experimental subject.^[10]

He eventually escaped and returned to Earth, where he kept a low profile.^[1] He was invited to a reunion of Fantastic Four enemies where the Puppet Master tried to band them together, but rejected the proposal as all of the other invited villains did. Unknown to him, his DNA had been gathered (like the rest of them), allowing the Puppet Master to control him.^[28]

For a time, the Over-Mind was under the mental domination of the Purple Man, who used him to monitor the population of New York. More recently, he was briefly forced to work with Baron Helmut Zemo.

The Over-Mind of Earth-712 resided there for centuries, aware of his counterpart's attempt to take over his universe, until one day he befriended the Squadron's arch-enemy, the Scarlet Centurion. When he was brought back to the 20th century to combat the Nth Man, he ultimately perished from the mental backlash caused by his attack on the cosmic threat.^[29]

The Over-Mind is the sum of a billion Eternals.^[30] Uatu the Watcher considered him a universal threat, enough to break his oath a little.^[11] Although the Stranger easily defeated him in their first encounter, the Watcher stated that it was because the Over-Mind was detected before he could amass power.^[6] In their next encounter, the Over-Mind had an advantage over a fatigued Stranger and claimed he could overpower one or two, perhaps even three Watchers simultaneously.^[10]

Grom was the "ultimate physical specimen" of his species:^[4]

• Superhuman Strength: The Over-Mind's body is far superior to that of a human being, granting him superhuman strength sufficient to lift at least 10 tons.^[4] However, the Over-Mind can use his psionic powers to temporarily increase his physical strength by a factor of 7, enough to lift at least 70 tons,^[4] up to class 75.^[24] His strength is enough to knock out Power Princess with a single blow.^[15]
• Superhuman Speed^[24]
• Superhuman Stamina:^[24] He has greater endurance than humans and can recover five times faster.^[4]
• Superhuman Durability:^[24] The Over-Mind's body is highly resistant to physical injury. He was able to withstand with no effects the combined blows of the Hulk and Hyperion.^[17]
• Superhuman Agility^[24]
• Superhuman Reflexes: Grom's reflexes are fast enough to allow him to hit the Whizzer while he was moving at super-speed.^[15]
• Regeneration: His accelerated metabolism enables him to repair damaged bodily tissues approximately five times faster than a human is capable of doing.^[4]
• Immortality: The Over-Mind is virtually immortal:^[31] He is immune to the effects of aging and disease.^[4]
• Energy Manipulation: Grom was able to absorb one of Nuke's blasts, reshape it and throw it back at him.^[15]

As the merger of a billion Eternal brains, the Over-Mind possessed the following powers:

• Psionics
  • Telepathy: The Over-Mind was able to scan others' minds.^[27]
  • Mind Control: The Over-Mind proved himself to be able to mentally control others with great ease.^[2][6][5] This mind control suffers from a few limitations.^[24] The people controlled by the Over-Mind rarely realized it, feeling that they themselves in control.^[1]
  • Precognition: He also appeared to possess a certain degree of precognitive abilities.^[4]
  • Telekinesis: The Over-Mind also possessed a limited telekinetic ability in which he can use to levitate objects within 50 feet of him. The weight of these objects must not exceed the weight he can lift physically (without psionic augmentation).^[4]
    • Psychokinetics Blasts: He could also project his telekinesis in the form of blasts of concussive force. These blasts are equal to approximately 20 pounds of TNT at a range of 15 feet, and can severely deform a steel plate 1 inch thick or kill a human at a maximum range of 10 feet.^[4] A single blast was enough to defeat Tom Thumb, Cap'n Hawk and the Amphibian.^[15] Hyperion stated that his blasts were powerful enough to almost kill both him and the Hulk.^[17]
  • Psionic Energy Channeling: He could also channel his telekinetic energy to temporarily increase his own physical strength, though he can only do this for a brief period of time, and that incapacitates his power to use other abilities at the same time.^[4]

It is unknown how long he can maintain his psionic powers before fatigue takes over.^[4]

Self-Propelled Flight: The Over-Mind has proved himself able to fly or levitate on some occasions,^[9] and to be unable to do so on others.^[19]

Formerly[]

While possessed by Chorus, the Over-Mind's powers were shifted:

• Psionics: The Over-Mind possessed the combined psionic powers of six moderately powerful human telepaths.^[4] As a result, he possessed many abilities:
  • Telepathy: He was able to read the thoughts of others, project his thoughts into the minds of others, and communicate telepathically with others across an undetermined radius.^[4]
    • Illusions: He could project three-dimensional opaque illusions within his field of view and, providing it is a single image, for an unknown time and the number of people affected.^[4]

• Gestalt Personality: As a group intelligence made up of six once-separated consciousnesses, the Over-Mind had a gestalt personality greater than the sum of its parts. Through concentration, he could allow one of his six component personalities to temporary manifest itself as dominant. When doing so, he usually created an illusion of the physical image of the manifest group member.^[4]

The Over-Mind is an exceptional combatant, having mastered all of the hand to hand combat styles of his race. His extended lifespan, coupled with his psionics, have made him an excellent strategist and tactician.^[32]

• Magic Susceptibility^[24]
• Mind Control Limitations: His mind control power suffers from limitations toward superior intellects and powers and toward any race^[24] like the Eternals.^[1] His mind control proved ineffective on Quasar and on Eternals Hyperion and Makkari.^[26] This immunity, however, didn't protect Quasar from mind-scanning.^[27]
• Mentally Unstable: He has suffered mental breakdowns on two occasions, rendering him vulnerable.^[24]

• An armor and helmet.
• The Tablet of The Eternals, which instructed him on the modus operandi of how to avenge the Eternals.^[12]

A spacecraft.^{[12][9][26][24]}

Uatu the Watcher's trial by his peers was attributed to, among other reasons, his intervention towards Reed Richards to inform him of the Over-Mind's threat.^[3]