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Vital Stats - List of Races
Morlocks
Morino Morlock

An impressionistic illustration of a Morlock taking an Eloi child, from the book "Kaibutsu Gensō Gashū" by Tatsuya Morino.

Alternate Names Mi-Go (Allan and the Sundered Veil)
Sub-Men (Time Kid)
Appearances The Time Machine: An Invention
Morlock Night
The Man Who Loved Morlocks
The Time Ships
Beyond the Time Machine
Home Era(s) Mor
Morlocks

Morlocks, as they appear in the 1960s Time Machine film.

The Morlocks are a humanoid species which is descended from humans, particularly low-class underground machine operators. They exist in several future timelines, notably in Mor. They are subterranean, and prefer dark, as their eyes are sensitive to light.

In most timelines, the Morlocks eat their Eloi cousins.

The Morlocks are more technologically advanced than the Eloi, maintaining more remnants of human technology. In Mor, they live underground, using a series of wells to pump air through their tunnels. They also use the wells as ladders to reach the world above, though other methods of travel (primarily the doors of the Sphinx), are also utilized. In another timeline, they have constructed a metallic shell around the sun, which they use as their home.

History[]

This history is that of the Morlocks as seen in Mor, in the novels continuity.

Origins[]

The Morlocks are theorized to have evolved from the Old Navy workers who labored underground circa 2100, all wearing blue uniforms and living in harsh conditions. When Graham visited their domain, he already saw signs of them becoming paler and developing a separate strain of English. Much later, The Time Traveler would find evidence that the Morlocks had come from a lower class. ("When The Sleeper Wakes", "The Time Machine")

In the 33rd Century, the underground world was a massive, sprawling civilization, which was not subject to many of the oppressive laws of the world above, leading many to voluntarily live below. ("Beyond the Time Machine")

By the 40th Century, a race of 'happy servant-men' as a child native to the time described them had come into being, whose carriage and reaching dexterity suggested to The Time Traveler on a visit to this era they they were a form of proto-Morlock. The child also noted that they were not to be discussed. ("The Time Machine: A Sequel")

Springtime Era[]

By 802,701, the Morlocks were feeding on the Eloi, while still clothing and feeding them during their lives. In essence, the Eloi were used like cattle. When The Time Traveler arrived, he was very disgusted and found it difficult to see the humanity in these descendants of his. ("The Time Machine")

When The Time Traveler returned, his opinion had softened towards Morlocks after working with his companion Nebogipfel for so long. While working with the Eloi to try and encourage their humanity, he decided to descend to the Morlock Tunnels and work with them. ("The Time Ships")

Differing Directions[]

Years later, when Lara Myers encountered the Morlocks, their society had become significantly more advanced and civilized than The Time Traveler remembers. Nobipoper told Lara that they had given up on eating the Eloi, and focused on developing their technology. By the time Lara visited, they had Nanotechnology, genetically modified Giant Mantises, and other advanced technologies. This change had apparently come about after a wise man helped them realize their cannibalism was not the best way anymore. Nobipoper also told Lara of a splinter group of Morlocks who still preyed on the Eloi. ("The Wee Time Traveler")

When Time Traveler Two visited Mor, he met Kmallak, a leader of the reformed Morlocks, who no longer preyed on the Eloi. Kmallak was a kind of tribal leader, however; these Morlocks were not nearly as advanced as the ones encountered by Lara Myers. The splinter group that still eats Eloi were known as the Hirsuite Morlocks and were controlled by the Morloi. ("Beyond the Time Machine")

During one of The Time Traveler's return visits, the Morlocks stole The Time Machine and traveled back through time to the nineteenth century, intending to invade the past world. Coloniel Nalga of the Morlock Military told Edwin Hocker, upon confronting him, that the Morlocks had killed The Time Traveler and furthermore that they had decided to no longer allow the Eloi to roam free, rather keeping them in pens. The Morlock invasion of the ninteenth century failed, largely in part to the efforts of Edwin Hocker and Tafe, who had experienced a future overrun by Morlocks. ("Morlock Night")

It was possible this Morlock Military was the same rebel group in The Wee Time Traveler. More likely, however, may also be an alternate timeline in which the Morlocks went in a darker direction.

The Morlocks were also known to have built a fleet of Time Machines and launched an invasion of their future, so that they could conquer the Crab monsters and use them as food - the Morlocks could reclaim the surface of that future world, as it was constantly twilight. They returned briefly to Mor after establishing a beachhead in the future, to wipe out the Eloi so as they couldn't advance and destroy the Morlocks in the far future. ("On the Surface")

This story is likely the same timeline, or at least a similar one, to that in Morlock Night, as we see militaristic Morlocks who have taken over their world and mastered Time Travel.

Morlocks of the Sphere[]

In Timeline C, Mor never developed in the same way, but a different sort of Morlock arose.

Over thousands of years, Humans used massive fleets of spacecraft to mine the sun for materials, finally using material from the sun to construct a massive sphere around the star. The sphere is completely solar-powered and self-building, and it became the new primary habitat for Humanity.

Meanwhile, humans had been genetically altering themselves for millenia, finally arriving at a form extremely similar to that of the Morlocks of Mor by coincidence. These Morlocks reproduced unnaturally, by the shaping of a clay-like substance into babies. The mechanism for this is unknown.

They devoted themselves to the pursuit of science and knowledge. The Earth was used only as a nursery for Morlock children. Inside the Sphere, the inner layers, closest to the sun, housed billions of humans of various sorts, some resembling Homo Sapiens, while others resembled Neanderthals or other shapes.

When The Time Traveler arrived in this era, he mistook these for the Morlocks he knew and attacked them, severely injuring several children before he was apprehended. He was then questioned by Nebogipfel, who later became his companion. ("The Time Ships")

In Other Continuities[]

1960 film[]

Time Traveler 1960

Separate Continuity!

This article or section covers a subject that is part of the 1960 Film Continuity and should not be considered part of the Novel Continuity or any other.

Origins[]

The humans originally fled underground to avoid bombardment due to wars. Eventually, the surface became uninhabitable, and all of humanity lived underground. After enough time had passed, however, a group decided to risk living on the surface, despite all the radiation that might be there. Those became the Eloi, while the ones who stayed below became the Morlocks. For many centuries, once the Eloi had relocated to the surface, the ones below would call them inside by use of a siren, to avoid further bombardments. Eventually, this became a ritual, and the Morlocks eventually began to eat the Eloi, using the siren to summon their prey. ("1960 Film")

George's Visit[]

When George, a visitor from the past, encountered the Morlocks, he began to teach the Eloi how to fight. He rescued Weena from their clutches and incited the Eloi to rebellion. In the climax of that event, the underground Morlock habitats were destroyed, and the Time Traveler escaped into the past, soon to return and help the Eloi build a new world. ("1960 Film")

1978 film[]

Classics Illustrated sphinx

Separate Continuity!

This article or section covers a subject that is part of an original continuity, and should not be considered part of the Novel Continuity or any other.

After a gravitational bomb invented by Neil Perry was used in warfare, the results made almost all of Earth's surface uninhabitable, forcing half of humanity into hiding underground and eventually evolving into Morlocks while the rest stayed above and evolved into the Eloi. At night, the Morlocks come to the Eloi to kidnap them as food source, using dagger-like electric weapons to stun resisting Eloi. While their blades emit a certain glow green, the Morlocks' eyes are still affected by strong light such as from Perry's matches. The Morlocks in this continuity resemble pale, bald men with glowing eyes, wearing blue overalls, presumably descending from technicians. Having travelled to the future to learn if his bomb would be as dangerous as he feared, Perry fights the Morlocks to save Weena's brother and then returns home to warn his superiors about the effects of the bomb and prevent its use. However, his superiors do not listen and would rather exploit his time machine for profit, resulting in the future being unchanged, so Perry returns to the Eloi in hope to change their lives there. ("1978 movie")

2002 film[]

2002 Time Traveler

Separate Continuity!

This article or section covers a subject that is part of the 2002 Film Continuity and should not be considered part of the Novel Continuity or any other.

Origins[]

Über-Morlock

The Über-Morlock.

Humans had to flee underground, following a disaster involving the mining of the Moon. Shattered pieces of the moon were raining down on the Earth, necessitating the move underground. Later, some of the people had returned to the surface, becoming the Eloi. ("2002 film")

Castes[]

These Morlocks are controlled very intelligently by the Über-Morlock, and bred into castes. So far there are three known castes: Hunter Morlocks, Warrior Morlocks and the Über-Morlock himself. ("2002 film")

Time Kid[]

Classics Illustrated sphinx

Separate Continuity!

This article or section covers a subject that is part of an original continuity, and should not be considered part of the Novel Continuity or any other.

In Time Kid, the Morlocks are referred to as Sub-Men. They do not eat the Luman, but rather gather them and use their telepathic brains to provide electrical energy. ("Time Kid")

Morlocks[]

Classics Illustrated sphinx

Separate Continuity!

This article or section covers a subject that is part of an original continuity, and should not be considered part of the Novel Continuity or any other.

Origins[]

Danny wichitaw

Danny Wichita, the first Morlock.

In a Time Loop, the Morlocks were created when Danny Wichita, a cancer patient, was injected with Morlock DNA procured from the future, in an attempt to save him. He became a Morlock hybrid himself, and, through some unknown mechanism, propagated Morlocks, who ate human flesh. It seems that this occurred through some sort of virus, transforming people into Morlocks. ("Morlocks")

2080[]

By 2080, the year visited by the time portal invented by James Radnor, the Morlocks had totally overrun human civilization and eroded much of the evidence of it. ("Morlocks")

In Pathfinder[]

Classics Illustrated sphinx

Separate Continuity!

This article or section covers a subject that is part of an original continuity, and should not be considered part of the Novel Continuity or any other.

Description taken from the Pathfinder Bestiary:
Morlock

A Morlock, as it appears in the game's "Bestiary".

Skin pale as a slug's belly, eyes huge and bulging, this thing crawls down the wall like a spider, but its shape is hideously humanoid.
Degenerate humans long lost from the world of light, morlocks have regressed through years of subterranean dwelling into ravenous, barely thinking beasts of the endless night. They no longer remember the civilized lives their ancestors led, although many morlock tribes still dwell in the shattered ruins of their ancient homes. Ironically, in many cases morlocks worship the statues left behind by these ancestors as their gods. Morlock priests of such ancestor worship have access to the domains of Darkness, Earth, Madness, and Strength. A typical morlock stands just over 5 feet tall and weighs roughly 150 pounds.
Morlocks move about on two legs at times, but often drop down to a creepy four-limbed shuffle when speed or stealth is necessary. Their wiry, often emaciated frames mask the strength of their limbs and their swift reactions.
Morlocks typically give birth to broods of three to four babies at a time, ravenous creatures born with a full set of teeth and a cannibalistic predisposition. The first few weeks of a brood's life must be carefully mothered to prevent attrition—it usually takes that long for the morlock young to overcome their natural inclination to feed on whatever is closest. Morlocks mature quickly, achieving adulthood after only 5 years of life. A typical morlock can live to a ripe old age of 60—although the majority of their kind die far sooner than that due to violence. ("Pathfinder")

Other Info[]

Notable Morlocks[]

Morlocks Gallery[]

Novels[]

TV and Movies[]

Other[]

Intelligent Races
of the Time Machine universe
Prime Timeline HumansNeanderthalsMartiansHumanoid MartiansEloiMorlocksMorloiGrey MenCrab monstersButterfly creatures
Other Timelines WatchersUniversal Constructors
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