Acanti
Encyclopedia
The Acanti are a race of fictional whale
-like, extraterrestrial
beings that have appeared in Uncanny X-Men
within the Marvel Comics
universe. They were created by writer Chris Claremont
and artist Dave Cockrum
. Many of them were enslaved by the Brood
empire.
, ventral, lateral, and caudal fins, as well as green eyes widely spaced on their heads. The Acanti are large space-faring creatures most closely resembling Earth's whale shark. An adult Acanti can grow to a few kilometers in length, and even an infant is large enough to swallow a 15-person spaceship with room to take in at least four more. They are sentient
creatures which communicate through psionic sounds referred to as songs. Acanti have the innate ability to fly faster than the speed of light, without technological assistance.
Upon migrating to the Milky Way
galaxy, the Brood
began to enslave the Acanti to take advantage of their natural ability to travel at speeds exceeding light. The Brood would infect individual Acanti with a disease known as the Slaver Virus, which would destroy the higher cognitive functions of their minds, making them ripe for easy control. Then, the Brood would transform the mindless husks into living starships
. The Brood succeeded in enslaving the Acanti Prophet-Singer, and when he eventually died and crashed on a planet, its body was reconstructed as the "throne city" (presumably like a capital) on the planet (referred to as "Broodworld" or "Sleazeworld") that the Brood then established as the center of their empire. Thus, the Soul remained trapped in the skull of the dead Prophet-Singer.
Salvation for the Acanti came when a new Prophetsinger was born, however, without transferring the soul to him, the Acanti were still stuck near Sleazeworld.During the X-Men
's first conflict with the Brood the X-Men had been abducted and infected by the Brood and brought to their homeworld. Carol Danvers (formerly Ms. Marvel
) became linked with a white hole and transformed into Binary. The process made her temporarily insane, and she blasted out of Lilandra's yacht, causing an explosive decompression that sucked Storm into space, where she was was found by the newborn Prophetsinger, whose mother had just been enslaved by the Brood. Storm herself was now becoming a Brood as the egg began to hatch. The Prophet-Singer saved Storm (who had destroyed the egg and critically wounded herself). Other Acanti merged Storm's consciousness with that of the Prophet-Singer while Storm's body healed in a cocoon within the Prophet-Singer.
The Acanti saved Storm, entering into a symbiotic relationship in which the Acanti healed Storm's body, purging it of the Brood embryo, and Storm's experienced mind provided a source of focus and strength for the baby Prophetsinger. The Acanti then swallowed Liliandra's yacht, masking it from Brood sensors while the crew effected repairs.
The X-Men then agreed to release the Soul from Broodworld. After a battle against the Brood, Binary succeeded in releasing the Soul from the crystalline room in which it was trapped. The foul nature of the Brood Queen and the embryos within the X-Men immediately resonated as black pools throughout the chamber. The grateful Soul purged the X-Men of the Brood embryos and transformed the Brood's Queen into inanimate crystal. The Soul united with the young Prophet-Singer, who assumed leadership of the Acanti.
Recently, however, the Brood attempted to invade Earth using a fleet of Acanti ships, though ones without external domes. It is unknown whether these were leftovers from before the X-Men freed the Prophetsinger, or whether the Brood have continued their depredations on the Acanti even afterwards. The fleet was scared away from Earth with a telepathic illusion of the Phoenix Force
and Galactus
.
#35 (Dec. 2006)
there is a huge alien creature, used by the Acheron Empire
, ruled by Thanos
, that resembles the Acanti.
uses his psychic powers to break the Brood's control. The Brood (here called "The Family") cannot stand the Acanti's song, while the X-Man Rogue
finds it beautiful.
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
-like, extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
beings that have appeared in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
within the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe. They were created by writer Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and artist Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
. Many of them were enslaved by the Brood
Brood (comics)
The Brood are a race of insectoid, parasitic, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, especially Uncanny X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 .The Brood possess wings, fanged teeth and...
empire.
Physical characteristics
The Acanti roughly resemble whales. They are a reddish brown color. They have dorsalDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
, ventral, lateral, and caudal fins, as well as green eyes widely spaced on their heads. The Acanti are large space-faring creatures most closely resembling Earth's whale shark. An adult Acanti can grow to a few kilometers in length, and even an infant is large enough to swallow a 15-person spaceship with room to take in at least four more. They are sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
creatures which communicate through psionic sounds referred to as songs. Acanti have the innate ability to fly faster than the speed of light, without technological assistance.
History
According to myth, the Acanti are an ancient species which peacefully wandered through space, benevolent and compassionate by nature. The Acanti were led by one individual known as the Prophet-Singer. The Prophet-Singer was the repository of the Acanti's racial Soul, a collective semi-mystical force that linked and motivated the Acanti species. As death approached, the Acanti typically hurled themselves into stars. The Prophet-Singer of each generation would also do so, releasing the Soul to join the body of the next Prophet-Singer.Upon migrating to the Milky Way
Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
galaxy, the Brood
Brood (comics)
The Brood are a race of insectoid, parasitic, extraterrestrial beings that appear in the comic books published by Marvel Comics, especially Uncanny X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, they first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #155 .The Brood possess wings, fanged teeth and...
began to enslave the Acanti to take advantage of their natural ability to travel at speeds exceeding light. The Brood would infect individual Acanti with a disease known as the Slaver Virus, which would destroy the higher cognitive functions of their minds, making them ripe for easy control. Then, the Brood would transform the mindless husks into living starships
Bioship
A bioship is a type of spacecraft or starship described in science fiction. Bioships differ from other types of spacecraft in that they are composed, either predominantly or totally, of biological components, rather than being constructed from manufactured materials...
. The Brood succeeded in enslaving the Acanti Prophet-Singer, and when he eventually died and crashed on a planet, its body was reconstructed as the "throne city" (presumably like a capital) on the planet (referred to as "Broodworld" or "Sleazeworld") that the Brood then established as the center of their empire. Thus, the Soul remained trapped in the skull of the dead Prophet-Singer.
Salvation for the Acanti came when a new Prophetsinger was born, however, without transferring the soul to him, the Acanti were still stuck near Sleazeworld.During the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
's first conflict with the Brood the X-Men had been abducted and infected by the Brood and brought to their homeworld. Carol Danvers (formerly Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel
Ms. Marvel is the name of a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and designed by artist Gene Colan, the non-powered Carol Danvers debuted as a member of the United States Air Force in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 and as Ms. Marvel—a...
) became linked with a white hole and transformed into Binary. The process made her temporarily insane, and she blasted out of Lilandra's yacht, causing an explosive decompression that sucked Storm into space, where she was was found by the newborn Prophetsinger, whose mother had just been enslaved by the Brood. Storm herself was now becoming a Brood as the egg began to hatch. The Prophet-Singer saved Storm (who had destroyed the egg and critically wounded herself). Other Acanti merged Storm's consciousness with that of the Prophet-Singer while Storm's body healed in a cocoon within the Prophet-Singer.
The Acanti saved Storm, entering into a symbiotic relationship in which the Acanti healed Storm's body, purging it of the Brood embryo, and Storm's experienced mind provided a source of focus and strength for the baby Prophetsinger. The Acanti then swallowed Liliandra's yacht, masking it from Brood sensors while the crew effected repairs.
The X-Men then agreed to release the Soul from Broodworld. After a battle against the Brood, Binary succeeded in releasing the Soul from the crystalline room in which it was trapped. The foul nature of the Brood Queen and the embryos within the X-Men immediately resonated as black pools throughout the chamber. The grateful Soul purged the X-Men of the Brood embryos and transformed the Brood's Queen into inanimate crystal. The Soul united with the young Prophet-Singer, who assumed leadership of the Acanti.
Recently, however, the Brood attempted to invade Earth using a fleet of Acanti ships, though ones without external domes. It is unknown whether these were leftovers from before the X-Men freed the Prophetsinger, or whether the Brood have continued their depredations on the Acanti even afterwards. The fleet was scared away from Earth with a telepathic illusion of the Phoenix Force
Phoenix Force
Phoenix Force is a series of action-adventure novels first published in 1982 by American Gold Eagle publishers. It is a spin-off of the Executioner series created by Don Pendleton....
and Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
.
Ultimate Marvel Universe
Although not named, in the Ultimate Fantastic FourUltimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
#35 (Dec. 2006)
there is a huge alien creature, used by the Acheron Empire
Acheron Empire
The term Acheron Empire is a fictional lost or fallen kingdom, found within the world of Robert E.Howard 's Hyborian Age used as a backdrop for many Conan stories, and it seems to be based in a historical civilization, in this case the Roman Empire...
, ruled by Thanos
Thanos
Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....
, that resembles the Acanti.
Other media
An Acanti appears in the X-Men Animated Series episode "Love in Vain". Enslaved by the Brood to be their vessel, it is freed when Professor XProfessor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
uses his psychic powers to break the Brood's control. The Brood (here called "The Family") cannot stand the Acanti's song, while the X-Man Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
finds it beautiful.