Gnork

Real Name: Gnork

Identity/Class: Cybernetically enhanced Extraterrestrial/Ogron

Occupation: Hunter, (former) Galactic Conqueror/Warlord, possibly police official, possibly Private Investigator under name of Garshak (see comments)

Affiliations: Gwunn, The Ogron people

(former, presumed deceased) Dr. Linus Leofrix, Rostow

Enemies: Gwunn (former); Dr. Linus Leofrix (presumed deceased), Rostow (presumed deceased)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Warlord of the Ogrons, possibly Garshak (See comments)

Base of Operations: Formerly The Ogron Home world, Dr. Linus Leofrix star ship, possibly the planet Megerra

First Appearance: Doctor Who Weekly #13 (January 9, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: As a normal Ogron, Gnork possessed superhuman strength and endurance, after being augmented by Dr. Leofrix, Gnork, other than having four large tubes jutting from his skull and a visible metal skull implant to differentiate himself, was able to access computerized volumes of information at an accelerated rate, directly into his mind through his prosthetics, eventually becoming far more intelligent than Leofrix himself, gaining advanced knowledge of strategy, tactics, explosives, mechanics, interstellar travel, and whatever else was in the computers learning disks.

Weaknesses: Gnork, like all Ogrons has a soft spot on the top of his skull, making that area vulnerable to attack, however, his prosthetics may have covered that weakness. Before the experiments performed upon him, Gnork had the mind of a young child, and was afraid of pain.

History: (Doctor Who Weekly #13)- Gnork and a small band of other Ogrons were out hunting when a large spaceship landed nearby, carrying the eminent (and criminal) surgeon Dr. Linus Leofrix, and his partner, Rostow, the “Greatest Pilot in the Galaxy”. Leofrix was fleeing the police forces of The Federation of Civilized Worlds, a loosely knit confederacy including Alpha Centauri, Draconia, Earth, Mars and Peladon. Leofrix was wanted, presumably for crimes against nature, due to the radical and amoral nature of his research, within the Federation. Leofrix wanted to create a master race by artificially augmenting the intelligence of other beings, and felt that the simple-minded Ogrons would make perfect subjects. As the Ogron hunting party approached the ship, they noticed the humans coming out, and planned on killing them, but Rostow shot over the Ogron’s heads to distract them, while Leofrix picked out his “prize specimen”, Gnork, shooting him down with a stun gun. As the other Ogrons fled, Leofrix and Rostow went to examine their catch, who was still conscious. Leofrix blasted him again, to ensure he’d be out long enough to work on. After dragging the massive creature aboard the vessel, Leofrix began his “Surgical Implantation Technique”, and boasted to Rostow that with one smart Ogron, he could lead an army of Ogrons to conquer the galaxy. Rostow went back to the bridge, and after an hour, he noticed that the Ogrons had returned, and they weren’t running from his laser blasts anymore, but Leofrix was unconcerned, as he’d finished his surgery. Gnork awakened, and was horrified to see what had been done to him. “What’ve you done with me? You’ve made me ugly! You’ve got to die!” but Leofrix flipped a switch, activating a pain module in the skull piece, and sent Gnork howling in pain to the ground, telling the Ogron that he could cause him more pain if he disobeyed. Gnork, cowed, agreed to serve the scientist. “No more pain if I obey you?” “See, you’re learning already!” Leofrix replies. They ordered Gnork to go out and fight the leader of his pack, Gwunn. Gnork at first refused, but Leofrix threatened him into going anyway. Gwunn taunted Gnork, calling him a “joke”, and asked why the humans let him go, Gnork replied that it was in order to fight him, and take his position as leader. Gwunn was unimpressed, and told his men to start digging a “burial pit”.

(Doctor Who Weekly #14)- Gwunn continued to taunt Gnork, “ I cut out your bones, Gnork…use your body fat for lamp oil!” However, as Gwunn gave the traditional pre-contest bow to his opponent, Gnork struck, knocking him down, and putting a sword to his throat, but didn’t deliver the killing blow. “Why you not kill Gwunn?” Gwunn asks. “Because I want you at my side later…when we kill the Earthmen!” Gnork replied. Gwunn and his men left, as Leofrix continued his experiment. “Look at him! He’s like a big kid!” Rostow observes, as Leofrix began directly downloading information into Gnork’s brain through his neural implants. Leofrix taught Gnork strategy and other endeavors, and when he felt him ready, sent him out to defeat all of the regional Ogron leaders. Gnork took Gwunn with him.

Rostow wondered what should happen if Gnork was to be killed in battle, but Leofrix didn’t care. “Then we catch another and start again! A few dead Ogrons doesn’t make any difference to me!” Gnork was gone for about five days, instead of the estimated seven it should have taken. When Leofrix questioned him, Gnork revealed that he hadn’t left, he’d been sneaking back aboard the ship, downloading more information. “In fact, I don’t need you anymore! I’ve outstripped your dull human brain!” Leofrix threatened Gnork with the pain module, but Gnork countered by having Gwunn produce a small detonator, wired to the ship. “Your computer told me where to find the explosives too!” Gnork gloats, as Gwunn asks if he can kill the humans yet. After taking the pain module from Leofrix, he crushed it in his hand, destroying Leofrix’s hold on him, and takes the detonator from Gwunn, who was disappointed, he wanted to see the ship “go bang”, but Gnork had need of the ship now. “What are you going to do, Gnork?” Leofrix asks. “Take your ship, Leofrix…and with the brain you’ve given me I can conquer the galaxy!” Gnork is not completely ungrateful, though, as he leaves Leofrix and Rostow in the hands of “His best friend” Gwunn.

Comments: Created by: Steve Moore, Steve Dillon, Paul Vyse and possibly expanded on by Terrance Dicks

An extremely similar character by the name of Garshak appeared in two of the Virgin New Adventures novels, Shakedown (a Doctor Who NA) and Mean Streets (a Benny NA), both by author Terrance Dicks. Garshak was an Ogron who had been cybernetically enhanced by a (unnamed) mad scientist who was experimenting on Ogrons in order to make them more intelligent. Garshak killed the scientist, stole his ship, and left his world, eventually becoming a corrupt police chief on the planet Megerra. When he was fired from his post, Garshak became a private investigator, a good one, and found that he actually enjoyed helping people. It’s possible that this might have been Gnork under a new name, or it is also possible that he was another Ogron victim of some twisted scientist, as Ogrons, with their hardiness and limited mental capacity, make good test subjects. This second theory seems more likely, plus Garshak had no obvious implants, (of course, Gnork could have updated or streamlined his). Whatever the case, the character of Garshak was almost certainly based on Gnork, even if they’re not the same person. The Ogrons are, in a way, a likable race, they are a very child-like (mean-little-kids, admittedly, but child-like none-the-less) people. After being relegated to the roles of mercenaries and glorified “guard dogs” for so long, by everyone from Daleks to mad scientists to the Master, it’s nice to see a few of them take control for themselves.

I assume Leofrix and Rostow were killed, as Gwunn kept asking when he could kill the humans, and when Gnork left he said “Now!” But they could have survived, by somehow tricking the Ogrons into sparing them. This is one of my favorite Doctor Who comic stories, if not my favorite.

Profile by Darc_Light and Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:  Gnork is not be confused with:

Dr. Linus Leofrix is not be confused with:

The Federation of Civilized Worlds is not to be confused with:

Dr. Linus Leofrix was a mad surgeon who thought that he could create a superior race through technology, and was quite willing to kidnap people as unwilling test subjects. His right eye was cybernetic. Gwunn presumably killed him. The Time Lord known as the Doctor claimed to have met Leofrix in 2723 on the planet Ricarus, and warned him against dealing with Ogrons, but Leofrix called him “A Crackpot”, and went anyway. This guy was clearly insane, a typical mad scientist.

Rostow was supposedly the greatest pilot in the galaxy, though he wasn’t very intelligent, Leofrix stated he should have performed his brain enhancements on him. Gwunn apparently killed Rostow.

Gwunn was the Ogron pack leader, basically a tribal chief, and was known as the fiercest of his pack. A one-eyed, rather vicious Ogron, he joined forces with Gnork to defeat the humans, and apparently killed them after Gnork left to conquer the galaxy.

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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