Skrulls

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The Skrulls' first appearance in Fantastic Four #2 (vol. 1, Jan. 1962). Art by Jack Kirby
The Skrulls' first appearance in Fantastic Four #2 (vol. 1, Jan. 1962). Art by Jack Kirby

The Skrulls are a race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 (vol. 1, Jan. 1962) and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.


Contents

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 (1956). The name "Skrull" hints at the word "skull", bringing to mind images of death. 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. 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.

Species Biography

Millions of years before the modern era of the Marvel universe, 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 afterward wiped out all members of the other two races until only one was left: The Skrull Eternal, Kly'bn. As they were about to attack him, he implored them to spare his life, as killing him would kill a part of their heritage. He implored them to spread across the universe, and save the other species, whom cannot change shape, from themselves. After the speech, he was revered by the Skrulls, and the Deviants' leader, Sl'gur't, fell in love with him, the two eventually becoming the gods of the Skrull pantheon. From that point, the Skrulls began to expand their territory. The Deviant branch later split into two more groups, 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 modern Skrulls originate from the planet of Skrullos, and were originally a mercantile civilization, primarily interested in free trade and willing to share their technology with all races 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 they began waging war against the Skrulls. Kree aggression forced the Skrulls to become a militaristic civilization, and the Kree-Skrull War continued for thousands of years with only brief interruptions. The Skrull Throneworld is later moved from Skrullos to the more central Tarnax IV, with their empire encompassing over fifty worlds.

The Skrull Empire eventually decides to conquer Earth, but fails to take into account the presence of the modern superhero. An initial scouting party impersonates the Fantastic Four and attempts to have them incarcerated, but is beaten through trickery. 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 he holds the team at bay until Mr. Fantastic discovers the source of his power. [6] The Fantastic Four later travel to Tarnax IV and find the Skrull responsible for the murder of Susan and Johnny Storm's father.

The largest Skrull-related conflict involving Earth has been the Kree-Skrull War. The Kree Accuser Ronan had wrested control of the Kree Empire from the Supreme Intelligence and attacked the Skrulls, reigniting hostilities. The Avengers become involved once the Super Skrull kidnaps Captain Marvel, and in turn they battle a Kree Sentry robot, three of the original Skrulls that had 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 that he has vast mental potential, which is then used to freeze all combatants in place. The Supreme Intelligence announces that, while the Kree and Skrulls have reached genetic dead ends, the human race displays incredible untapped potential. It was revealed years later that the conflict produced a Kree-Skrull hybrid, Hulkling, who is the child of one-time lovers Captain Marvel and the Skrull Princess Anelle.

Despite this development there is still bad blood between the Kree and the Skrulls, and years later the cosmic being the Watcher adjudicates 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 remains deadlocked and is ultimately abandoned with no resolution. Years later during a conflict with Xandar, Emperor Dorrek VII's wife, Empress R'klll, stages a coup and kills him to become ruling Empress. Empress R'klll's reign is short-lived, however, due to the arrival of the World Devourer Galactus. After his Herald Nova annihilates the Skrull fleet, Galactus devours Tarnax IV, killing billions of Skrulls, including R'klll and the Princess Anelle.

Galactus's consumption of Tarnax IV throws the entire Skrull Empire into disarray and civil war See Historical Civil War Images. Five warlords vie for leadership of the Empire, and the ensuing conflict sparks the second Kree-Skrull War.

Fall of the Skrull Empire

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 occupy at the time. The Skrull Empire is on the verge of collapse until 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 has not been affected by the hyperwave bomb as he was 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. S'byll is then acclaimed as the new Empress by the Skrull race, and negotiates a truce with the Kree after defeating them in a decisive battle.

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 when Lyja defects, having fallen in love with the Human Torch, and it ends with the Fantastic Four destroying the "Skrull War World", the Skrulls' largest attack ship.


Annihilation

Main article: Annihilation

The Skrull Empire is the first of the major interstellar empires to be invaded by the forces of Annihilus. The Annihilation Wave's superweapon, the Harvester of Sorrow, destroys dozens of Skrull planets. In the aftermath the Skrulls unsuccessfully attempt to convince Hulkling to become their new Emperor.


Secret Invasion

Main article: Secret Invasion

Under the leadership of newcomer Queen Veranke, the Skrulls infiltrate Earth and prepare for a major assault. Several heroes have been revealed to be Skrulls, with the whereabouts of the real heroes being as yet unknown. Besides using Skrulls that can copy the powers of any hero and/or villain, Veranke also brainwashed some Skrulls to pose as superheroes from the downed Skrull ship in the Savage Land.


Appearance and abilities

Skrulls are green-skinned reptilian humanoids 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 (e.g. cows [23]) or inorganic (e.g. lamp [24]). 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.

The Skrull have also recently gained the ability to render themselves undetectable when using their shapeshifting abilities, even from telepaths and those with superior senses.

Courtesy of their advanced technology, the Skrulls have also been able to augment their abilities in certain warriors, such as the Super Skrull and War Skrulls - an elite group who with special encoding are able to emulate the powers as well as appearance of their templates.

Known Skrulls

  • Anelle - Anelle was a Skrull princess, the only child of Emperor Dorrek VII and Empress R´Kill, heir to the Skrull Empire and the mother of Hulkling (Dorrek VIII).
  • Cadre K - A group of mutant Skrulls who have powers unlike other Skrulls. They oppose the killing of their kind by the Empire in the name of racial purity.
  • Ch'gra - A Delegate in Queen Veranke's court.
  • Chrell - Skrull Commander entrusted by Queen Veranke to train her army and slay Hulkling.
  • Criti Noll - One of the Skrulls who posed as Henry Pym during the Secret Invasion. He not only has the abilities matching Henry Pym, he also has the powers of Black Panther, Quicksilver and Vision. He was killed by the Skrull Empire after doubting the invasion plans.
  • Dalx - Skrull diplomat and cultural ataché.
  • De'Lila - A Skrull who sought the Inorganic Technodrone.
  • Dezan - The brother of Dorek VII. He was long imprisoned due to his pacifist nature branding him a traitor to the Skrull Empire.
  • Dorrek I - A Skrull King who reigned during the Skrull's first encounter with the Kree.
  • Dorrek VII - Former King of the Skrulls, died in the destruction of Tarnax IV.
  • Dorekk VIII - A Kree/Skrull hybrid, the son of Anelle and the Kree Captain Mar-Vell. He is also known as the Hulkling.
  • Dro'ge - Royal Priest of the Sciences. A Skrull scientist that experimentes on the Illuminati and discovers the advancements that allowed the Empire to infiltrate Earth in a massive scale.
  • Ethan Edwards - A Skrull who is a Marvel Comics pastiche of Superman.
  • Fremn -
  • Grrix - The Skrull Ambassador at S.W.O.R.D.
  • H'kurrek - Fanatical Skrull's leader, commanding the part of the Secret Invasion directed against X-Men.
  • Jazinda - A Skrull bounty hunter and the daughter of Kl'rt the Super-Skrull.
  • John the Skrull - The last surviving member of the Skrull "Beatles". A member of MI: 13.[28]
  • Khn'nr - A Skrull who posed as the original Captain Marvel. He turned against the other Skrulls.
  • Kl'rt - A Skrull who has the powers of the Fantastic Four and became the Super-Skrull.
  • Kly'bn - The last surviving Skrull Eternal who became a Skrull God.
  • Korya - A female Skrull that is the female lover of Yeti.
  • Lyja - A Skrull who infiltrated the Fantastic Four and married Johnny Storm while impersonating Alicia Masters.
  • Morrat - A Skrull that is responsible for the death of Franklin Storm.
  • Pagon - A Skrull who posed as Elektra after Siri's demise. Killed by Echo as part of a suicide mission.
  • Paibok - The Power Skrull.
  • Pit'o Nilli - A Skrull who posed as the Captain America that came from a downed ship in the Savage Land. Killed by Shanna the She-Devil after being hit by a poisonous dart that has a huge effect on Skrulls.
  • Prime Skrull - Only surviving member of the original non-Deviant Skrull race.
  • R'Kill - Wife of Dorrek VII. She killed her husband and took over in his place. She was killed when Galactus consumed Tarnak IV.
  • Rl'nnd - Son of Rm'twr. Rl'nnd is an undercover X-Skrull agent participating in the Secret Invasion. He has displayed the combined powers of several X-Men.
  • Rm'twr - Father of Rl'nnd. He was killed by Ms. Marvel
  • Siri - A Skrull who impersonated Elektra. She was killed by the real Elektra.
  • Skrull-X - A Skrullian robot who can mimic the powers of the X-Men similar to Mimic.
  • S'byll - A Skrull Empress.
  • Sl'gur't - A Skrull Deviant who became a Skrull God and mate to Kly'bn.
  • Talos - A Skrull who cannot shapeshift.
  • Titannus - A Skrull who cannot shapeshift, but has been bio-engineered to possess immense strength and regeneration ability.
  • Velmax - Founder of the super team First Line posing as a human hero Effigy with shape-shifting powers.
  • Veranke - The current Skrull Queen. She posed as Spider-Woman.
  • Wor'il - Delegate in Dorrek's War Council.
  • Xavin - A Super-Skrull in-training and member of teenage super powered group Runaways.
  • X'iv - A Super-Skrull assassin.
  • Zedrao - A high-ranking Skrull general, notable for being on good terms with Earth's metahumans. Gave the dying Mar-Vell the highest honor in the Skrull military for being a worthy rival.
  • Z'Reg - A Skrull who deserted his kind. He is currently a member of the Initiative as the second Crusader.


Other versions

Squadron Supreme

The Skrullian Skymaster (real name Skymax) is a member of the Squadron Supreme and possesses abilities matching the Super Skrull from Earth-616. [29]


Ultimate Skrulls

The Skrulls are first introduced as the Chitauri, who finance the Nazi regime in an attempt to conquer the Earth. The more traditional Skrulls appear later (led by the billion year old Skrull Emperor), and the Chitauri are identified as a subversive group of Skrull terrorists.


All Ages Power Pack

The Skrulls are introduced within the Skrulls versus Power Pack miniseries; where the Skrulls has replaced the Power siblings after the superpowered siblings have been captured by intergalactic bounty hunters and sent to Patchworld, in which the Pack are standing trial of being accused as thieves by the Skrull race.

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Retrieved from "http://superherouniverse.articlenews.us/wiki/Skrulls"
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