Super-Skrull
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The Super-Skrull is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is primarily used as an enemy of the Fantastic Four, although has been depicted as an anti-hero in subsequent story lines. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four (Vol.1)#18 (September, 1963).
Character biography
Kl'rt, more widely known as Super-Skrull, is an extraterrestrial from planet Tarnax IV (now destroyed), in the Tarnax Solar system in the Andromeda Galaxy. He is a member of the Skrulls, a race of space-faring alien conquerors with technology centuries (if not eons) ahead of conventional Earth science. He was created (or augmented) by the Skrull Emperor Dorrek to avenge the Skrull Empire's defeat at the hands of the Fantastic Four, who had thwarted its attempt to invade the Earth.Thanks to his prowess as a warrior, he was selected by the Emperor and artificially bestowed with replicas of the Fantastic Four's superhuman abilities, though at even more powerful levels: immense strength and an impervious rock-like shell which he could materialize on any part of his body (similar to Ben Grimm), pyrokinesis, flight, and spontaneous immolation (similar to Johnny Storm), invisibility and energiakinesis (similar to Susan Richards), and a stretchy elastic rubbery consistency (similar to Reed Richards). He also retained his innate Skrullian shapeshifting abilities. These abilities proved to be insufficient for defeating the Fantastic Four; nevertheless, he confronted them and other Earth superheroes on multiple occasions.
Several years later, Kl'rt developed cancer. Maddened with pain, he attacked the Canadian physicist superhero Sasquatch, who converted him into a stream of dissociated particles and transmitted him into Earth's van Allen belts. Peculiarly, when he was subsequently freed by the Silver Surfer, the cancer had vanished. This was caused by a "chronal anomaly" in the van Allen belt, which regressed the pattern of Kl'rt's body to a time before he had been exposed to Skrull carcinogens.
More importantly, his imprisonment in the van Allen belt had shielded Kl'rt from the effects of Zabyk's Disaster, in which all Skrulls everywhere lost their shapeshifting abilities. He joined forces with S'Byll, a claimant to the Skrull Throne, and she was able to use him as a template to restore her own abilities, and to restore the abilities of others. S'Byll became the Empress of the Skrull Empire shortly thereafter, and Kl'rt was lauded as the savior of Skrull society. The empire subsequently fell into a disarray, however, and Kl'rt went into hiding on Earth under the guise of movie special effects guru Lon Zelig, awaiting contact from his Empress. Seeing a chance to make contact himself, he shed his disguise to attack the Fantastic Four, only to be captured and imprisoned by SHIELD, then transferred to the newly-constructed superhuman prison, the Vault, in the Negative Zone.
Most recently, Kl'rt has escaped his imprisonment and renewed contact with the Skrull Empire. He now seeks to take the Young Avengers's Hulkling into protective custody due to his Skrullian heritage on his mother's side. In Young Avengers #10, he was shot, but despite the claim that he would "never be a threat to anyone again," he survived. Later in the story arc, in Young Avengers #12, Hulkling and Kl'rt hatched a scheme in which the Kree and the Skrulls would agree to allow Hulkling to spend six Earth months on the Kree homeworld and six months on the Skrull homeworld (including regularly scheduled visits to Earth), after which Hulkling would choose his allegiance. What the Kree and Skrulls failed to realize is that Hulkling and Kl'rt used their shapeshifting abilities to impersonate one another, allowing Hulkling to remain on Earth while Kl'rt, masquerading as Hulkling, spied on both races.
In the Annihilation: Super-Skrull mini-series, Kl'rt attempts to stop the destructive wave before it reaches the Skrull home world. Failing in this mission, he sacrifices himself while destroying the Harvester of Sorrows, the enormous organic ship that destroyed his home and wreaked havoc throughout the universe.
Alternate versions
Ultimate Super-Skrull
Ultimate Super-Skrull made his debut in Ultimate Fantastic Four #27, appearing just as the Fantastic Four prevented the event that caused their powers to occur, saying "No! I'm too late!" His name was also on a coffin in South America in the beginning of the issue. In the next issue, it seems to show that the Super-Skrull is actually the Skrull Emperor, the oldest living Skrull, (around a billion years old). He wears an "anti-assassination suit" which gives him the superpowers of anyone in a 1000 mile radius. As the Fantastic Four changed history, the reader learns that the powerless FF teleported to a Skrull world and made first contact. The Skrull helped them create a Utopia, in the process giving everyone superpowers. It is then shown that the Skrull plan to take over the world, and that the people's superpowers will burn out, killing them. In issue #29, when all superheroes died from the Skrull, Ben, the last living human, defeated the now powerless Super-Skrull. He took the suit and was the one saying "No! I'm too late!" As the only place he could travel to was South America 500 years ago after the Skrulls destroyed the time machine, he was also in the coffin in the beginning of issue #27.The Skrullian Skymaster
In the Squadron Supreme mini-series, it was revealed that one of the founding members of that alternate Earth's premier team was himself a Skrull, named Skymax, who had come into contact with astronaut Joseph Ledger, known better as Doctor Spectrum. In gratitude for being saved from drifting aimlessly through space, the Skrull gave Ledger the power prism giving him his powers. Upon arriving on Earth, the alien joined Spectrum and other superheroes to form the Squadron. Shortly after the team was founded, the Skrull mentioned that he was constructing a new ship to transport him back to his homeworld.In the Squadron Supreme's second graphic novel, New World Order, it was revealed that in fact he never was able to leave Earth and instead spent several years living under a covert identity in order to assimilate into humanity. At the request of his former teammates, he rejoined the Squadron (which had returned from Marvel Earth after an extended absence) to combat the new dictatorship which had taken control of the world.
During this tale, it was revealed that this Skrull has the same abilities as Kl'rt from Earth-616, making him in fact the Super-Skrull of Earth-Squadron. (In reality, the Skrullian Skymaster is the equivalent of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, a prominent member of DC Comics' Justice League of America. As the Squadron Supreme is a parody/homage of the JLA, it stood out that there was no equal for the Martian Manhunter; even later members of the JLA, such as Zatanna, had Squadron Supreme parallels--Arcanna, in her case. The Skrullian Skymaster was mentioned in passing at first in order to create this parallel.)
Powers and abilities
The Super-Skrull has replicas of the Fantastic Four's superhuman abilities at the levels they possessed when they began their careers. Therefore, he is able to lift 10 to 15 tons. The Thing is currently capable of lifting far more. He also has the abilities of flight, pyrokinesis, invisibility, the ability to make his body stretch with elastic plasticity, and the ability to erect an invisible force field around himself, but again only at the level of the young Fantastic Four. If he is in the favor of the current Skrull ruler, a satellite can beam him cosmic power that lets him amplify his abilities beyond the Fantastic Four's current limits.By combining the powers of The Thing and The Human Torch in his hands he can punch with the force and power that mimics that of Iron Fist.
He also has the Skrull's racial ability to shape-shift and the unique power of hypnosis.
Aside from this, the Super-Skrull is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant extensively trained in warfare by the Skrull Empire. He also has knowledge of technology centuries ahead of conventional Earth science. However, it is worth noting that despite his extensive knowledge and high intelligence, he is neither a scientist nor a technological genius – he simply comes from a far more advanced culture.
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