Skrull
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The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in the Marvel Universe. The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #2 (January 1962) and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The Skrull civilization is organized into a highly aggressive and militaristic Empire that has been the dominant power in the Andromeda Galaxy for thousands of years. In the known Marvel Universe, only the Kree and the Shi'ar have the resources to match the Skrull Empire.
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[edit] Conception
In creating the Skrulls, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby drew upon stereotypes of extraterrestrial life common in science fiction. Skrull skin color suggested the concept of little green men, and Skrull shapeshifting and infiltration abilities recalled the then-recent horror-thriller film Invasion of the Body Snatchers.[1] The name "Skrull" also hints at the word "skull", bringing to mind images of death (in the Portuguese versions of Marvel Comics, the Skrulls are known as os caveiras - literally "the skulls"). The cover of the first issue of the Fantastic Four to feature the Skrulls is also highly evocative of the Skrulls' origins as pulp fiction alien invaders:
THEY WERE MERCILESS! THEY WERE INHUMAN! THEY HAD POWERS FAR GREATER THAN EARTHMEN! THEY WERE THE DEADLY "SKRULLS FROM OUTER SPACE!"
Though originally nothing more than stereotypical alien invaders bent on conquest, writers have over the years written Skrull characters into more complex and multifaceted roles.
[edit] Fictional species biography
Millions of years ago, the Celestials performed genetic experiments on the reptilian ancestors of the Skrulls, resulting in three branches of Skrulls that eventually warred with one another. The Deviant branch - possessing the innate ability to shapeshift - were triumphant, and after wiping out all other Skrulls began to expand their territory. The Deviant branch would later split into two more groups, being the modern Skrulls and an anomaly called the Dire Wraiths, a parasitic race that could still shapeshift and had use of magic, but were not as technologically advanced as the Skrulls (the Dire Wraiths were eventually exterminated through the efforts of Rom Spaceknight).
The modern Skrulls originate from the planet of Skrullos, and were originally a mercantile civilisation, primarily interested in free trade and willing to share their technology with all race they deemed worthy. A Skrull delegation to the planet Hala, home to the then barbaric Kree and the peaceful Cotati, held a contest between the two races to determine with whom the Skrulls would trade. The Cotati won, but the vengeful Kree massacred the Skrull delegation, took over the Skrull landing spaceship by force, and developed their own technology from it with which to begin waging war against the Skrulls. Kree aggression forces the Skrulls to become a militaristic civilisation, and the Kree-Skrull War continues for thousands of years with only brief interruptions.[2] About 100,000 years ago, the Skrull Throneworld was moved from Skrullos to the more central Tarnax IV.
The Skrull Empire eventually decides to conquer Earth, but fails to take into account the appearance of the modern superhero. As a result, the Skrulls are repeatedly drawn into conflicts with metahumans such as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers:
- An initial scouting party impersonates the Fantastic Four and attempts to have them incarcerated but are beaten through trickery.[3]
- In retaliation the Skrull Emperor Dorrek VII dispatches Kl'rt, a Skrull known as the Super-Skrull to Earth to defeat the Fantastic Four. Kl'rt possesses the powers of the entire Fantastic Four (in addition to shapeshifting and hypnotism ) and holds the team at bay until Mr. Fantastic discovers the source of his power.[4]
- The Fantastic Four travel to Tarnax IV and find the Skrull responsible for the murder of Susan and Johnny Storm's father[5]
- A princess from Xandar accidentally teleports to Earth and draws the Fantastic Four into a war between Xandar and the Skrulls. The invasion of Xandar by the Skrulls is stalled and is resolved several years later.[6]
- The Kree-Skrull War: The Kree Accuser Ronan wrests control of the Empire from the Supreme Intelligence and attacks the Skrulls, reigniting the Kree-Skrull War. The Avengers become involved once the Super Skrull kidnaps Captain Marvel, and in turn battle a Kree Sentry robot, three of the original Skrulls that fought the Fantastic Four, SHIELD agents, rogue Inhumans and legions of Skrulls. The Supreme Intelligence ends the immediate conflict by revealing to Avengers' ally Rick Jones tha he has vast mental potential, which is then used to freeze all combatants in place. The Supreme Intelligence then announces that while the Kree and Skrulls have reached genetic dead ends, the human race displays incredible untapped potential.[7] Despite this development there is still bad blood between the Kree and the Skrulls, and years later the cosmic being the Watcher adjudicates over a duel between champions from both races: Colonel Bel-Dann of the Kree and Warlord Raksor of the Skrulls. Unfortunately, after one year of conflict the duel is deadlocked and is ultimately abandoned with no resolution.[8]
Ironically, it is revealed years later that the conflict actually produced a Kree-Skrull hybrid - Hulkling - who is the child of one-time lovers Captain Marvel and the Skrull princess Anelle.[9]
[edit] Galactus and Zabyk's Disaster
Years later Emperor Dorrek VII's wife, Empress R'klll, stages a coup and kills him to become ruling Empress herself.[10] Empress R'klll's reign is short-lived, however, due to the arrival of the World Devourer Galactus. After his Herald Nova (Frankie Raye) annihilates the Skrull fleet, Galactus devours Tarnax IV, killing millions of Skrulls - including R'klll and the Princess Anelle.[11]
Galactus's consumption of Tarnax IV throws the entire Skrull Empire into disarray and civil war. Five warlords vie for leadership of the Empire and the ensuing conflict sparks the second Kree-Skrull War.[12]
It is during this time of civil war that the Skrulls Zabyk and Myrn detonate a genetic "hyperwave bomb" which prevents all Skrulls, everywhere in the universe, from shapeshifting, trapping them in whatever form they occupied at the time.[13] The Skrull Empire is on the verge of collapse, until the Kl'rt the Super-Skrull is rescued from the Van Allen radiation belt, where he had been trapped as a stream of dissociated particles. The Super Skrull is not affected as he is not in physical form at the time of detonation.
After reintegration, the Super Skrull joins forces with the Silver Surfer, who introduces him to S'byll, one of the five claimants to the Skrull Throne. Using Kl'rt as a template, S'byll is able to regain her shapeshifting abilities and then to restore them to all Skrulls.[14] S'byll is then soon acclaimed as the new Empress by the Skrull race, and negotiates a truce with the Kree after defeating them in a decisive battle.[15]
[edit] Setbacks
Some time later a Skrull called Paibok mounts a campaign to invade Earth, using another Skrull called Lyja as an infiltrator. The plan, however, fails, and ends with the Fantastic Four destroying the "Skrull War World", the Skrulls' largest attack ship.[16] This loss is compounded when the villain Devos the Devastator destroys the new Skrull Throneworld - which was established after Galactus devoured Tarnax IV.[17] S'byll is killed when the Throneworld is destroyed, causing the collapse of the Skrull Empire once more.
The Skrull Empire is also the first of the major interstellar empires to be invaded by the forces of Annihilus. The Annihilation Wave has laid waste to much of the Empire, with its superweapon, the Harvester of Sorrow, destroying dozens of Skrull planets.[18]
The Skrulls are now attempting to convince Hulkling to become the new Emperor,[19] although this is opposed by the Baroness S'Bak, who wishes to take power herself.
[edit] Appearance & abilities
Skrulls are green-skinned reptilian humanoids, of roughly the same height and weight as humans, with large pointed ears and corrugated chins. The Skrulls are known for their ability to shapeshift, and are able to assume virtually any form, be it organic (eg.cows[20]) or inorganic (eg. lamp[21]). As a result, the Skrulls excel at spying and infiltration. Skrulls are also able to use their shapeshifting abilities to form weapons (eg. blades and clubs) with parts of their bodies, making them dangerous hand-to-hand combatants.
Courtesy of their advanced technology, the Skrulls have also been able to augment their abilities in certain warriors, such as the Super Skrull and Warskrulls - an elite group who with special encoding are able to emulate the powers as well as appearance of their templates.[22]
[edit] Notable Skrull planets
The Skrull empire is made up of several planets within the Andromeda Galaxy. The Kree warrior Captain Marvel once claimed that the Skrulls would trade fifty worlds to possess a certain Kree artifact, which is an indication as to the extent of their Empire.[23]
Some of the planets under Skrull control include:
- Aks'lo — paradisical vacation planet, destroyed by the Annihilation Wave[24]
- Kral — populated by Skrulls fascinated with the culture of 1930s Earth and have attempted to replicate that time period. Skrull inhabitants of Kral maintain human rather than Skrull form.
- Satriani - Sometime after the destruction of Tarnax IV the homeworld was moved to Satriani after Satriani resident S'Byll assumed the role of empress with the aid of her lover the Super Skrull and the Silver Surfer.
- Skrullos — original Skrull homeworld
- Tarnax IV — former Skrull Throneworld, consumed by Galactus[25]
- Tarnax VII — native planet of Xavin, a Super Skrull in training. Currently engaged in a war with non-Skrull planet Majesdane
- Zaragz'na — home of the Super-Skrull's son, destroyed by the Annihilation Wave[26]
[edit] Alternate versions
[edit] Ultimate Skrulls
- The Skrulls are introduced as the Chitauri, who attempt to conquer the Earth but are stopped by the Ultimates.[27] The more traditional Skrulls appear later, and identify the Chitauri as a subversive group of Skrull terrorists.[28]
- The Ultimate Super-Skrull appears in Ultimate Fantastic Four. At one point he is in fact the Skrull Emperor and also the oldest living Skrull (around one billion years old).[29]
- The Skrullian Skymaster (real name Skymax) is a member of the Squadron Supreme. While created to be an alternate version of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, it has been revealed that Skymax possesses abilities matching the Super Skrull from Earth-616.[30]
[edit] In other media
- The Skrulls appear in several episodes of the Fantastic Four animated series.
- The Chitauri appear in the animated movie Ultimate Avengers and the sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2.
- The Skrulls appear as villains in the RPG video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
- The band Ookla the Mok has a song about the Super-Skrull.
[edit] References
- ^ Released in 1956
- ^ Avengers vol. 1, #133 - 134 (March - April 1975)
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #2
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #18 (September 1963)
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #37
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #204 - 209 and later Rom vol. 1, 324
- ^ Avengers vol. 1, #89 - 97
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, Annual #18
- ^ Young Avengers vol. 1, #9 - 12
- ^ Fantastic Four #209 (August 1979)
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #257
- ^ Throughout Silver Surfer Vol. 3, #1 - 31
- ^ Avengers vol. 1, Annual #14 (1985) & Fantastic Four vol. 1, Annual #19 (1985)
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 3 #25
- ^ Silver Surfer vol. 3 #31
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #358
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #383
- ^ Annihilation: Prologue (May 2006) and Annihilation : Super-Skrull #1 - 4 (June-September 2006)
- ^ Young Avengers vol. 1, #9 - 12
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #2
- ^ Avengers Annual #14
- ^ Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #274 - 277
- ^ The Omni-Wave Projector, in Captain Marvel vol. 1, #51
- ^ Annihilation: Super-Skrull vol. 1, #1 (June 2006)
- ^ Fantastic Four vol. 1, #257
- ^ Annihilation: Super-Skrull vol. 1, #3 (August 2006)
- ^ Ultimates vol. 1 #8 - 13
- ^ Ultimate Fantastic Four vol. 1, #27 - 29
- ^ Ultimate Fantastic Four vol. 1, #27 - 29
- ^ Squadron Supreme: New World Order (1998)
