Super-Skrull


The Super-Skrull is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appeared in Fantastic Four #18. The character has also appeared on television and in video games and novels.

Publication history

Super-Skrull first appeared in Fantastic Four #18 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Fictional character biography

The Super-Skrull is from the Skrull world of Tarnax IV, which has been destroyed by Galactus. He was a decorated soldier in the army and married a Skrull countess from the planet Zaragz'na and had two children, his beloved son named Sarnogg and a daughter named Jazinda, whom he despised. Because of his duty, he was kept away from his family and after the defeats outnumbered his victories, he was banished from Zaragz'na and wasn't allowed to see his son due to his wife.
Skrull emperor Dorrek VII devised a way to strike back against the Fantastic Four, who thwarted the Empire's invasion of Earth. Dorrek chose the warrior Kl'rt, who was given the combined abilities of the Fantastic Four. Kl'rt was stronger than the Thing; had superior flight and greater pyrokinetic ability than the Human Torch; had better control of invisibility and force fields than the Invisible Woman, and could stretch further than Mr. Fantastic. The Super-Skrull retained his shapeshifting and hypnotic abilities, and was sent to Earth to defeat the Fantastic Four and pave the way for a new Skrull Empire invasion.
During their first encounter, the Super-Skrull keeps the Fantastic Four at bay and forces them to retreat. Mr. Fantastic senses that Kl'rt's powers are augmented by an energy beam from the Skrull homeworld. Blocking the beam with a device placed on him by the Invisible Girl deprives Kl'rt of his new powers. Defeated, he is imprisoned in a crater by the Human Torch when he pursues the Invisible Girl.
The Super-Skrull returns as the Invincible Man after the Skrulls restored his powers to fight the Fantastic Four. He breaks out of his prison, travels to New York and kidnaps Johnny and Sue Storm's jailed father Franklin Storm. The Fantastic Four recognize his deception and return him in exchange for Storm. Storm dies when a bomb placed on him by a Skrull explodes, but he saves the Four. The Super-Skrull was among the villains summoned by Doctor Doom to attack Reed and Sue at their wedding, but Mister Fantastic used a machine to remove the villain's memories. Repeatedly sent back to Earth, he battles Thor, and Captain Marvel. The Super-Skrull is the Empire's agent on Earth during the Kree-Skrull War; he temporarily disbands the Avengers and kidnaps Mar-Vell, the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. With the war ending in a truce, the disgraced Super-Skrull sides with Thanos and aids Thanos in his quest for the Cosmic Cube. The Super-Skrull, attempting to capture Rick Jones for Thanos, fights Mar-Vell and the Thing; Mar-Vell defeats him and Thanos. After a skirmish with Spider-Man, the Human Torch and Ms. Marvel, Kl'rt is trapped in the Van Allen radiation belt.
A Canadian research team accidentally pulls Kl'rt back from deep space. He kills the group except for the physicist superhero, Sasquatch. Kl'rt discovers that the radiation belt has given him cancer. Sasquatch is initially defeated by the Super-Skrull but tricks him, converting him into a stream of dissociated particles and sending him back into deep space. The Super-Skrull, later freed by the Silver Surfer, discovers that his cancer is in remission.
Kl'rt is freed from the Van Allen belt and cured of cancer by the sorcerer Master Khan, and used against hero Iron Fist. Khan brainwashes the Super-Skrull into believing that he is Bobby Wright, a twelve-year-old boy who acquires superhuman powers and a terminal disease from exposure to an alien spore. "Bobby" uses his powers to assume the identity of adult superhuman Captain Hero and ingratiate himself with Iron Fist and his crime-fighting partner, Power Man. Captain Hero's misuse of powers leaves Iron Fist apparently dead and triggers his disintegration.
The Super-Skrull's imprisonment shielded him from the effects of Zabyk's Disaster, when the Skrulls lost their shape-shifting ability. When the Empire falls into disarray, Kl'rt goes into hiding on Earth and later attacks the Fantastic Four.
He escapes his imprisonment and resumes contact with the Skrull Empire. The Super-Skrull seeks to take Young Avengers member Hulkling into protective custody because he has Skrullian heritage on his mother's side as the son of Princess Anelle. He impersonates the willing Hulkling and returns to space able to spy on the Skrulls and the Kree, who also have a stake in Hulkling's mixed parentage since he is the son of Kree hero Mar-Vell.
During the Annihilation War, Kl'rt tries to stop the destructive wave before it reaches the Skrull world, where his son was. After he is nearly overwhelmed by the forces of Annihilus, he sacrifices himself by destroying the warship Harvester of Sorrow, however unable to save his son. Kl'rt meets Praxagora, a Negative Zone android who becomes his lover. His body is later recovered and revived.
Kl'rt joins Ronan the Accuser and Zak-Del to reclaim the Kree home world from a Phalanx invasion. In defeating the Phalanx their leader, Ultron, causes Praxagora's death.
During the Skrulls' Secret Invasion of Earth, Super-Skrull aids Nova against the Skrulls. After an unexplained capture, Kl'rt is seen as a prisoner on The Raft.
During the "Infinity" storyline, Super-Skrull is a member of the Galactic Council. To repay the Avengers' efforts in the war and attain glory, Kl'rt accompanies Alliance forces to Earth to free it from occupation by Thanos and they liberate the Peak. After his victory in the war against the Builders, Kl'rt is crowned emperor of a reborn Skrull Empire as the alien race is settled on the planet Tarnax II.
During the "Return to Planet Hulk" story arc, Super-Skrull arrived on the restored planet Sakaar. While Amadeus Cho's Hulk form was fighting the Warlord, Super-Skrull unearthed the Time stone and plans to use it to restore the Skrull Empire to its former glory.
During the "Infinity Wars" storyline, Doctor Strange took the Time stone from the Skrull sorcerer Mt'nox and used it to loop through time, creating multiple versions of himself to defeat Kl'rt.

Powers and abilities

Kl'rt can shapeshift but, thanks to his re-engineering by Skrull scientists, he has versions of the Fantastic Four's superpowers. These include greater malleability; superhuman strength, stamina and durability; flight, heat manipulation and energy projection ; invisibility and the creation of invisible force fields. He has developed his expertise over time. The Super-Skrull also has a unique power: the ability to control the minds of others or paralyze them by emitting hypnotic force from his eyes.
He is an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, expert in armed and unarmed combat and highly trained in the martial applications of his powers. A tactician, the Super-Skrull has detailed knowledge of technology which is centuries ahead of Marvel Earth science. He is a competent starship pilot and a talented impersonator.

Other Super-Skrulls

Kl'rt is not the only Super-Skrull serving the Skrull Empire. They are immune to detection by Wolverine's senses, Doctor Strange's magic, Spider-Man's spider-sense, Professor X's telepathy, and Iron Man's technology due to the effects of the Skrull infiltration ritual. They are not immune to Hood's magic at the time when they were derived from Dormammu. Known Super-Skrulls include:
; Chrell
; Criti Noll
; Godkiller
; Khn'nr
; Pagon
; Rl'nnd
; Siri
; Veranke
; Xavin
; X'iv
; Unnamed Super-Skrulls

Other versions

In addition to his mainstream incarnation, Super-Skrull has appeared in other fictional universes:
; Earth-6309
; Heroes Reborn
; Marvel Zombies
; Professor W's X-Men
; Squadron Supreme
; Ultimate Marvel
; Venomized

In other media

Television

Super-Skrull is a playable character in the Marvel HeroClix Clobbern Time, Supernova and Galactic Guardians sets.