El Gusano Grande (lit. The Big Worm) was the disguise of Gibby Norton, who wanted to impress Velma Dinkley by sabotaging the other racers at the Enduro-Slam 5000 and winning the race.
Physical appearance[]
El Gusano Grande is a segmented, sand-burrowing worm resembling an earthworm, but much more colossal in size. Like a regular earthworm, it had pinkish skin but several lighter bands around its body. It also no eyes, only having a mouth with several rows of black, fang-like teeth and purple jaws. Inside the disguise is a hollow, skeletal frame covered by a fabric-like skin.
Personality[]
El Gusano Grande was a hostile monster that damaged and destroyed the vehicles of many racers in the Enduro-Slam 5000. Acting as a predator, it chased several vehicles, letting out a high-pitched shriek. However, as Norton did not want to harm any people, the monster did not directly attack the racers themselves, only chasing their vehicles and damaging property.
Powers and abilities[]
- Burrowing: The worm was capable of burrowing and tunnelling through sand, also leaping above the surface and burrowing back down. However, it could not burrow through solid rock. This ability is not explained.
- Movement speed: Being controlled by Gibby Norton's dune buggy, the worm was capable of moving at roughly the same speed as a racecar.
- Teeth: El Gusano Grande had an array of black teeth, made of black glass, that could pierce through rubber and solid metal. The monster's biting ability is not explained.
History[]
What's New, Scooby-Doo?[]
Season two[]
El Gusano Grande was the disguise of racer Gibby Norton, who wanted to impress Velma by sabotaging the other racers at the Enduro-Slam 5000 and winning the race. The worm disguise covered Norton's dune buggy, which allowed it to move at roughly the same speed as a vehicle. He created the worm's teeth out of black glass and attacked racer Lupe Chesares shortly before the race. Wor-El formed a cult, the Wormians, which worshipped El Gusano Grande and condemned the off-road vehicles in the race.
Once the race began, El Gusano Grande attacked the racers, cutting across the race course and creating a gaping gorge blocking the race course. It later destroyed a gas station at the race's halfway point, preventing racers from refuelling. Lastly, it damaged the monster truck of racer Burr Batson, causing him to crash the vehicle in Diablo Gulch and obstructing the race course.
Gibby Norton is revealed as the culprit.
Mystery Inc. created a large net trap to capture the monster, but the Wormians intervened and freed the monster. So, Fred used a vehicle manoeuvre with the Mystery Machine to slash the monster in two, destroying the costume. Mystery Inc. found Gibby Norton inside the worm's front half, exposing him for his crimes and handing him to authorities. Because the gulch remained blocked by monster truck, the other racers were forced to finish the race on foot.
Appearances[]
- What's New, Scooby-Doo?
- 203. The Fast and the Wormious (no lines)
Notes/trivia[]
- The monster seems to have been inspired by the sandworm, a fictional creature in the Dune novels by Frank Herbert.
- It may have also been inspired by several related cryptids in folklore, such as the Mongolian death worm alleged to exist in the Gobi Desert.