Dr. Gildo Gaia is the creator of the Mythos Cyborgs, this incarnation being specific to Tsuguo Okazaki's alternate universe sequel manga Cyborg 009 BGOOParts Delete. In some sense, he is a continuation of the original Dr. Gaia character, though with new settings unique to this storyline.
One such setting is his alternate identity of Zeus, and the unusual abilities he has.
Appearance[]
This Gaia is a bit taller than his classic appearance, and drawn in a more updated, somewhat realistic style. He continues to have the long beard as before, as well as his sunglasses.
In the present day, Gaia's deteriorating body is shown to have some type of cybernetic devices covering his eyes.
As Zeus, he has a tall, muscular cyborg form with light, curly hair and a beard, with pitch black eyes. When possessing an individual, he is able to shape-shift their appearance to either his original self or Zeus, or any other form he would like.
Personality[]
As with his original self, Gaia is a manipulative and cold individual who sees his Mythos Cyborgs as tools for a war. Besides having preyed upon the poor citizens of Greece, he was able to successfully convince his very assistant to let him remodel her into being his "Hera", with the promise that they would eventually be husband and wife to rule his pantheon of Gods.
To continue his success with his "Zeus System", Gaia possessed a man named Ricardo Brown and had him continue the work he had done with keeping his creations in stasis, rebuilding them to be stronger than before. This came with Ricardo neglecting his family and becoming a crueler individual, with them not knowing the truth of what Gaia was doing.
He is determined to win at any cost and have the 00 Cyborgs go extinct, once he learns they have appeared with the intent to defeat his creations for good. This comes with him being able to expertly revive the Mythos Cyborgs if they are killed or damaged, although treating them more and more like toys to their anger.
Relationships[]
Hera[]
She was once Gaia's assistant at Black Ghost, Renata Novak, who he played upon the feelings of and convinced her that she could be the Queen of his cyborgs. However, when Magma was being destroyed, Gaia ordered her to rescue the rest of her team but showed no regard for her being wounded and left her forgotten, although she managed to survive in a sense by storing her consciousness within Atlas.
In the present day, Hera emerges and also possesses a Brown family member; first with Riko, and then later Hitomi. She is supportive of Gaia's master plan at first, as well as the ultimate battle between the Mythos and 00 Cyborgs, but questions and debates her superior more and more. It is ultimately Hera who has the upper hand in returning Gaia to his original body after his defeat, and making sure that they both die together.
Abilities[]
As with Hera, Gaia appears to have acquired the ability to possess another human in order to do his bidding. While possessing the human, he is able to shape-shift and warp their appearance to whatever other form he desires, or creating a strange half-and-half hybrid form.
His greatest technology is his "Zeus System" of revival pods that he uses to restore the Mythos Cyborgs' health and to repair any other damages. He also has a separate cyborg body that he has constructed, of his ideal Zeus form, though it has been suffering from mechanical issues early in the story and needs to be at full power in order for him to possess it.
Once Gaia has become Zeus, he can be seen to wield a lightning rod that he can unleash super destructive bolts from, with the ability to utterly destroy his own creations. He shows a further twist through battle with his Chimera form, in which he had absorbed the abilities and appearances of his fallen Mythos Cyborgs and combined them all into one monstrous self that he challenges 009 with.
History[]
After the coup d'etat of the long-running Greek civil war, Dr. Gaia and Dr. Uranus presented a number of impoverished Greek citizens with the offer to become "Gods" and take revenge on those who had oppressed them. This unfortunately, came with Gaia's ultimate intent for them to be his destructive tools against the 00 Cyborgs for betraying Black Ghost.
After the destruction of Magma Island, Gaia would retreat into a secret undersea laboratory and set on rebuilding and strengthening his cyborgs, along with working on his ultimate "Zeus" body. At some point over the decades, he would even abandon his own dying and aging body, leaving it in a cryosleep pod as he sought out a new body to continue doing his work. It was then that he would encounter Ricardo Brown, who had been exploring the bottom of the Aegean Sea, and wound up possessing him.
The Mythos Cyborgs would finally wake up, with the presence of the 00 Cyborgs providing an opportunity for Gaia to have his long-awaited rematch. But after various grueling and torturous fights, the Mythos Cyborgs would show some form of rebellion, destroying the Zeus System pods so that they would stay dead in whatever happened afterwards and for a more final outcome to the battle. Indeed, as the ultimate battle raged on, Gaia/Zeus would ultimately waste his own creations out of his hunger for power, seeing no more use in them if they were willing to rebel, and proving himself to be the most powerful boss the 00 Cyborgs would have to face in the form of not only Zeus, but a Chimera as well.
After Gaia was defeated by 009, Hera would ensure that Ricardo Brown would be safe while returning Gaia's consciousness to his original body, convincing him to let go (while she released her own hold on Hitomi). The two would pass away in Gaia's laboratory, with Gaia muttering her name in his last words.
Trivia[]
- As with other characters of the original Mythos arc, Okazaki's usage of Gaia here attempts to come up with an explanation of not only what his fate was after the sinking of Magma, but how he could still be operating in the modern day with 50 years having passed. As with Hera, there is some supernatural angle along with the more science-fiction abilities.
- While there was no Zeus in the original 009 manga, the general bearded, black-eyed god appearance does resemble the design Ishinomori briefly used for Poseidon, and such a Zeus statue was also once seen in some 1970s Mythos-themed artwork.