Super-Skrull | |
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Cover of Annihilation: Super-Skrull #4. Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto. |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | Fantastic Four #18 (Sep. 1963) |
Created by | Stan Lee & Jack Kirby |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Kl'rt |
Species | Skrull |
Place of origin | Tarnax IV |
Team affiliations | Secret Defenders United Front |
Notable aliases | Invincible Man, Dr. Franklin Storm, Carol Danvers, the Thing, Captain Hero, Bobby Wright, Daniel Rand/Iron Fist |
Abilities | Superhuman strength Body elasticity Pyrokinesis Flight Invisibility Shapeshifting Hypnosis Hand to hand combat master |
The Super-Skrull (Kl'rt) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #18 (Sept. 1963) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Contents |
Fictional character biography
Kl'rt - more commonly known as the Super-Skrull - hails from the Skrull capital world of Tarnax IV (in the Tarnax System in the Andromeda Galaxy) which has since been destroyed by Galactus. The Skrull Emperor Dorrek VII wanted revenge against the Fantastic Four, who thwarted the Empire's attempt to invade Earth. Dorrek handpicked the warrior Kl'rt, who was artificially augmented and given the combined abilities of the Fantastic Four. Kl'rt's power levels, however, exceeded the originals -stronger than Ben Grimm; superior flight and greater pyrokinetic ability than the Human Torch; better control of invisibility and telekinesis than Susan Richards; and an ability to stretch beyond that of Mr. Fantastic. The newly-named "Super-Skrull" also retained his innate Skrull shapeshifting abilities and strong hypnotic skills. He was then dispatched to Earth to defeat the Fantastic Four and pave the way for a renewed invasion by the Skrull Empire.
During their first encounter, the Super-Skrull keeps the Fantastic Four at bay with his superior powers. However, Mr. Fantastic correctly guesses that Kl'rt's powers are augmented by an energy beam directed from the Skrull home world. Blocking the beam deprives Kl'rt of his new powers and he is quickly defeated, returning to the Skrull home world in shame.[1] He returns to Earth in the guise of the Invincible Man, to fight the Fantastic Four. He returned to the Skrull home world in exchange for Johnny Storm and Sue Storm's father, Franklin Storm.[2] The Super-Skrull was also among the villains summoned by Doctor Doom to attack Reed and Sue at their wedding.[3] He is sent back to Earth time and again, and battles other heroes such as Thor,[4] and Captain Marvel.[5] The Super-Skrull also acts as the Empire's agent on Earth during the Kree-Skrull War, and manages to temporarily disband the superhero team the Avengers and kidnap Mar-Vell and the Avenger siblings the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.[6] With the war ending in a truce, the disgraced Super Skrull later sides with the Titan Thanos and alongside Skragg aids Thanos in his quest for the Cosmic Cube. The Super-Skrull attempts to capture Rick Jones for Thanos, but winds up fighting Mar-Vell and the Thing. The hero Mar-Vell, however, defeats both the Super-Skrull and eventually Thanos.[7] After a skirmish with Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and Ms. Marvel, Kl'rt becomes trapped in the Van Allen radiation belt.[8]
Years later a Canadian research team accidentally pulls Kl'rt back from deep space, and he promptly slaughters the entire group, with the exception of physicist superhero Sasquatch. Kl'rt also discovers that the time in the radiation belt has given him cancer. Sasquatch is initially defeated by the Super-Skrull, but eventually manages to trick him, converting the Super-Skrull into a stream of dissociated particles and transmitting him back into deep space.[9] The Super-Skrull is later freed by the Silver Surfer, and discovers that his cancer has gone into remission. This is apparently caused by a "chronal anomaly" in the area of space Kl'rt occupied, which reverted his cellular makeup to a healthy, pre-cancerous state.[10]
Free again
At some point during Kl'rt's imprisonment in the Van Allen belt, he is magically freed and cured of cancer by the sorcerer Master Khan,[11] and used against the hero Iron Fist. Khan brainwashes the Super-Skrull into believing that he is a twelve-year-old human boy named Bobby Wright, who gains both superhuman powers and a terminal disease from exposure to an alien spore. As "Bobby", he uses his powers to assume an adult superhuman identity - Captain Hero - and ingratiate himself with Iron Fist and his crime fighting partner, Power Man. A misuse of powers by Captain Hero apparently leaves Iron Fist dead (later revealed to be doppelganger), followed by what appears to be the disintegration of Captain Hero (with Khan thinking Iron Fist dead the Super-Skrull actually returns to disembodiment in the Van Allen belt).[12]
Kl'rt's imprisonment in space also had another beneficial effect: it shielded him from the effects of Zabyk's Disaster, in which all Skrulls lost their shapeshifting abilities.[13] Kl'rt later joins forces with S'Byll, a claimant to the Skrull Throne, and she is able to use him as a genetic template to restore the shape-shifting abilities of the Skrulls.[volume & issue needed] S'Byll becomes the Empress of the Skrull Empire shortly thereafter, and Kl'rt is lauded as the savior of Skrull society.[volume & issue needed] When the Empire subsequently falls into disarray, Kl'rt goes into hiding on Earth and later attacks the Fantastic Four. After a brutal battle, the Super-Skrull is captured and imprisoned by S.H.I.E.L.D. in the superhuman prison, the Vault.[volume & issue needed]
Kl'rt later escapes imprisonment and renews contact with the Skrull Empire. He then seeks to take Young Avengers member Hulkling into protective custody due to his Skrullian heritage on his mother's side (as the son of the deceased Princess Anelle). The Super-Skrull impersonates a willing Hulkling (who wishes to stay on Earth) and returns to space, able to spy on both the Skrulls and the Kree, who also have a stake in Hulkling's mixed parentage, given that Hulkling is also the son of Kree hero Mar-Vell.[14]
Annihilation
In the Annihilation: Super-Skrull mini-series, Kl'rt attempts to stop the destructive wave before it reaches the Skrull home world. After nearly being overwhelmed by the forces of Annihilus, he sacrifices himself by destroying the Harvester of Sorrow — the enormous organic warship that destroys hundreds of Skrull worlds. He also meets an N-Zone android named Praxagora, who becomes his lover. Kl'rt's body is later recovered and mysteriously revived. He later teams with Ronan the Accuser to reclaim the Kree home world from an invading race called the Phalanx. After resisting an attempt by the Phalanx to control him, Kl'rt engages in a war with all Phalanx-controlled Kree.[15] In course of defeating the Phalanx, their leader Ultron, took control of Praxagora and through her, the 15,000 Kree sentries meant to destroy Hala. As Ultron left her body, he set her internal fusion core to overload. Kl'rt barely got a forcefield around himself, Ronan, the Wraith and Ra-Venn.[16]
Secret Invasion
The character aids the hero Nova against the Skrulls, who are en route to Earth to invade the planet.[17] Several other versions of the Super-Skrull, with differing powers such as Criti Noll (a Skrull with the combined powers of characters the Black Panther, Quicksilver and the Vision) accompany the fleet to Earth.[18]
Powers and abilities
Thanks to bionic re-engineering by Skrull scientists, the Super-Skrull has a version of the Fantastic Four's superhuman abilities at the levels the team possessed when first receiving their powers. These powers include a heightened degree of physical malleability (a trait common to all Skrulls); superhuman strength, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes; the ability to envelop himself in fiery plasma and to utilize this heat energy for various effects, including flight, formation of fiery shapes, and energy release in the form of heat blasts, "nova flame bursts", and concussive force blasts, the ability to control ambient heat energy in his immediate environment allowing him to take control of flames not of his own generation and to absorb heat from outside sources; and the ability to render himself and others invisible and the creation of invisible force fields. If the current Skrull ruler permits, a satellite can send a broadcast augmentation energy beam that amplifies the Super-Skrull's abilities beyond the Fantastic Four's current levels. Kl'rt possesses the Skrull's innate racial ability to shape-shift, as well as the unique ability to project a potent hypnotic force from his eyes.
The Super-Skrull is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, and is an expert in all forms of armed and unarmed combat known to the Skrulls, and is highly trained in the combat uses of his superhuman powers. He was extensively trained in warfare by the Skrull Empire, and is a graduate of the Skrullian military academy. The Super-Skrull has detailed knowledge of and access to technology centuries ahead of conventional Earth science. He is a trained starship pilot, and is also a skilled impersonator.
Other Super-Skrulls
Kl'rt is not the only Super-Skrull serving the Skrull Empire. Here is a list of other Super-Skrulls:
- Criti Noll - A Skrull who not only possesses the powers of Henry Pym, he also possesses Black Panther's quick reflexes, Quicksilver's super-speed, and Vision's density and mass control.[citation needed]
- Godkiller[19] - A specially-bred female Super-Skrull that has the powers of Battleaxe, Thundra, Titania, and Volcana. She was also genetically-modified to wield Beta Ray Bill's hammer Stormbreaker.
- Rl'nnd - A Skrull who possesses the powers of Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine.[20],[21]
- Xavin - A "Super-Skrull in training." She/he has the powers of the Fantastic Four but can only use one at a time. She/he is currently a member of the Runaways.[citation needed]
- X'iv - A Skrull who possesses the powers and abilities of Daredevil, Elektra, and Cloak and Dagger.[citation needed]
During Secret Invasion, at least a few dozen[22],[23],[24] Super-Skrull soldiers appear possessing the powers of multiple heroes which differ from soldier to soldier. For example:
- In New Avengers: Illuminati #5, a Super-Skrull that was posing as Black Bolt not only had the powers of Black Bolt, it also had the powers of Illuminati members Doctor Strange, Mister Fantastic, Namor, and Professor X. However, this Illuminati-Skrull's stretching ability was not equal to that of Mr. Fantastic. Otherwise, he would not have been impaled on the rubble. Though it may be that he couldn’t use his abilities as a reflex, or all at once.
- In New Avengers #39, a Super-Skrull that was posing as Daredevil (though the Skrulls are unaware of Daredevil's current activity) has the powers of Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and any one of the pyrokinetic members of the X-Men.
- In an issue of Captain Britain and MI:13[volume & issue needed], there's a Skrull who possesses the vampiric powers of Michael Morbius. In the same issue, there is a Super-Skrull with all the powers of the original Avengers, and one with the powers of the Champions (Hercules, Ghost Rider, Angel, Iceman and Black Widow). There is also a Squadron Supreme-Skrull with the powers of Whizzer and Hyperion.
- A Super-Skrull in Secret Invasion: The Amazing Spider-Man #1-3 who appeared to fight Spider-Man (but ended up fighting Jackpot) possesses the powers of Hydro-Man, Venom, Rhino, Electro, Lizard and Sandman. It's amalgam form was shown to have Rhino's head, Venom's body, and Lizard's tail.
- In Avengers: The Initiative #14, a Super-Skrull posing as Magnitude has the powers of Banshee, Havok, Polaris, and Sunfire. In Avengers: The Initiative #15, a Super-Skrull posing as Blacksmith had the resemblance of Beta Ray Bill and wielded a copy of Captain America's shield. In Avengers: The Initiative #18, a Super-Skrull that posed as Equinox has the abilities of Spider-Man, Iceman, and the Human Torch.
- In Ms. Marvel Vol. 2 #28, Ms. Marvel fought a Super-Skrull that had the appearance of Hulk's gladiator look from World War Hulk and had Cyclops' optic blasts. In the same issue, there was a Super-Skrull who had the powers of Henry Pym's Giant-Man alias. Later, at the Raft in issue #30, she encountered a Super-Skrull that could take on the abilities of any superhero in the Marvel universe. This Skrull was so powerful, even the others Skrulls were afraid of it.
- In New Warriors Vol. 4 #14, there was a Super-Skrull who had the powers of the Ani-Men. In New Warriors Vol. 4 #15, there was a Skrull who possessed the powers of the original X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Jean Grey) and a Skrull that possessed the powers of the New Warriors founders (Firestar, Justice, Namorita, Night Thrasher, Nova, and Speedball).
- An army of Super-Skrulls that attack New York and later a much larger army battle the human resistance in Secret Invasion. Some of these Skrulls are modeled after Doctor Octopus, Thor, Venom, Magneto, and Galactus.
- In Secret Invasion: X-Men, there were various X-Skrulls that attacked San Francisco. In issue one, there was one who had the powers of Cyclops, one who had the powers of Wolverine, and one who had the powers of Sunspot.
- In Black Panther Vol. 4 #40, there was a Luke Cage-skinned Super-Skrull with Wolverine's claws, Iron Fist's "iron fist" move, Bullseye's aim, and the fighting styles of Captain America, Moon Knight, Shang-Chi, Daredevil, Elektra, and Black Panther. There was also an Asgardian Super-Skrull with Loki's powers and wielding copies of both Thor's Mjolnir and Beta Ray Bill's Stormbreaker, and a powerhouse Super-Skrull with the combined strengths of Hulk, Juggernaut, and Thing.
- In Thunderbolts #123, Songbird fought a Skrull that not only had her powers, but also the powers of Erik Josten.
- In Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1, a Skrull taking on the form of Toros had the abilities of Karnak. In Secret Invasion: Inhumans #2, there was a Skrull who possessed Ghost Rider's powers, a Skrull that looks like an amalgam of Captain America and Spider-Man, a Skrull that had the powers of Colossus, Cyclops, and Wolverine, a Skrull that has the powers of Ant-Man, and a Skrull who has the powers of Medusa and Mister Fantastic.
- A batch of Super-Skrulls was produced using Deadpool's DNA at the Skrull Sci-Ops center. These were pitted against another group of Super-Skrulls in training exercises. The Deadpool Skrulls were victorious, slaughtering their opposition. A supervisor intervenes with Deadpool's training after realizing that Deadpool's traits have made them insane.[citation needed]
Other versions
In addition to his mainstream incarnation, Super-Skrull has had been depicted in other fictional universes:
Earth-6309
In the "Earth-6309" reality, Kl'rt is the Skrull Lord of Colony UK7 and a Captain Britain Corps member.[25]
Squadron Supreme
The Skrullian Skymaster (real name Skymax), a member of the superhero team the Squadron Supreme, possesses the same powers as the Super-Skrull.[26]
Ultimate Super-Skrull
In the Ultimate Marvel universe, the Super-Skrull is the Skrull Emperor and also the oldest living Skrull.[volume & issue needed]
Heroes Reborn
In this alternate universe, the character tricks villain Doctor Doom into capturing the Silver Surfer, and finally steals the power of cosmic deity Galactus.[27]
Marvel Zombies
The Super-Skrull appears as one of the villains infected with the zombie plague facing zombie superheroes who defeated Galactus.[28]
In other media
Television
- Super-Skrull appeared in the 1960s Fantastic Four cartoon.
- Super-Skrull appeared in the 1994 Fantastic Four series voiced by Neil Ross and later voiced by Jess Harnell.
- Super-Skrull appeared in Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes voiced by Mark Oliver.
- Super-Skrull appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "If This Be My Thanos" voiced by Charlie Adler.[29] He leads the Skrulls in searching Super Hero City for a Skrull con-man who was posing as Thanos.
Video games
- Super-Skrull appears in the 1997 PlayStation game Fantastic Four.
- Super-Skrull appeared as a boss/potential guide in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance alongside Paibok. A simulation disk has Ms. Marvel fight Super-Skrull.
- Super-Skrull appeared as a boss in the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game.
Novels
Super Skrull makes an appearance in several of the Marvel Comics line of novels. He appeared in a short story in the Ultimate Super-Villains: New Stories Featuring Marvel's Deadliest Villains by Stan Lee. He is also secretly a main villain in the X-Men/Avengers trilogy "Gamma Quest". For much of the story, he remains either anonymous or disguised as Wolverine, only revealing himself in the final third of the saga.
References
- ^ Fantastic Four #18 (Sep. 1963)
- ^ Fantastic Four #32
- ^ Fantastic four Annual #3
- ^ Thor #142 (Jul. 1967)
- ^ Captain Marvel #2 - 3 (Jun. - Jul. 1968)
- ^ Avengers #89 - 97 (Jun. 1971 - Mar. 1972)
- ^ Captain Marvel #25 - 33 (Nov. 1970 - Apr. 1971)
- ^ Marvel Team-Up #62 (Oct. 1977)
- ^ Alpha Flight #9 - 10 (Apr. - May 1984)
- ^ Silver Surfer #25 - 31 (Jul. - Dec. (last two issues in one month) 1989)
- ^ revealed in Namor the Sub-Mariner #25
- ^ Namor the Sub-Mariner #15 - 18 (Jun. - Sep. 1991)
- ^ Avengers Annual #14 (1985)
- ^ Young Avengers #9 - 12 (2005)
- ^ Annihilation: Conquest: Wraith #1 (Jul. 2007)
- ^ Annihilation: Conquest #6
- ^ Nova vol. 4, #16 (Oct. 2008)
- ^ Secret Invasion #1 - 8 (Apr. - Dec. 2008)
- ^ Secret Invasion: Thor #2
- ^ Ms. Marvel volume 2 #25
- ^ Ms. Marvel volume 2 #26
- ^ Ms. Marvel volume 2 #28
- ^ Ms. Marvel volume 2 #29
- ^ Ms. Marvel volume 2 #30
- ^ Excalibur #49
- ^ Squadron Supreme: New World Order (1998)
- ^ Fantastic Four: Heroes Reborn vol. 2, #1 - 13
- ^ Marvel Zombies #5 of 5 (July, 2006)
- ^ Comics Continuum
External links
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