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Astra (comics)
Encyclopedia
Astra
Astra is a fictional characterFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in 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
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. She first appeared in [Uncanny] X-Men #107 as a member of the Shi'ar Imperium's Imperial Guard and was created by 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 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...
.
Publication history
Astra first appeared in X-MenX-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...
#107-109 (October 1977-February 1978), and was created by 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 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...
.
The character subsequently appears in X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers #2 (June 1990), Thor #446 (April 1992), Avengers West Coast #82 (May 1992), Inhumans Vol. 4 #3-4 (August–September 2000), JLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003), Thanos #12 (September 2004), and Uncanny X-Men #477 (October 2006), and #480 (January 2007).
Astra appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#6.
Fictional character biography
Little is known of the origin of the alien Guardsman known as Astra apart from that she is a founding member of the Shi'arShi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
. Alongside the Guard, she first clashed with 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...
and Starjammers
Starjammers
The Starjammers are a fictional team of space pirates from the pages of the X-Men comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Starjammers first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #107 and were created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum...
on behalf of D'Ken
D'Ken
D'Ken Neramani is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is best known for being the evil brother to both Lilandra and Cal'syee , two important characters in the X-Men franchise.-Publication history:...
and Davan Shakari
Erik the Red (comics)
Erik the Red is a fictional cover identity in the Marvel Universe which has been used by three characters: Scott Summers , Davan Shakari, a Shi'ar agent, and Erik Magnus Lehnsherr...
over the fate of the Shi'ar Empress Lilandra Neramani
Lilandra Neramani
Lilandra Neramani is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. She is the Empress of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a lifelong bond with the leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier. She and Xavier were married but their marriage was annulled after the Cassandra Nova incident. She first...
. After the battle, D'Ken was rendered comatose and Lilandra took over as Majestrix, and the Imperial Guard swore allegiance to her.
After Lilandra's exile, and when Deathbird became Empress, Astra commanded the entire Imperial Guard to fight the combined forces of the Starjammers and Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
on earth so that she could claim the power of the Phoenix Force for herself. During the battle, Astra surprised Shadowcat
Kitty Pryde
Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was created by writer-artist John Byrne....
with the ability to hit her in intangible state, since she could match her molecular density. The Guard were forced to retreat when Deathbird
Deathbird
Deathbird is a fictional character. She is a Marvel Comics supervillainess, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, she first appeared in Ms. Marvel #9....
was put in danger.
During the Kree-Shi'ar War
Operation: Galactic Storm
"Operation: Galactic Storm" was a 19-part comic book crossover storyline which ran through Marvel Comics' Avengers related titles - Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wonder Man and Quasar - between March and May 1992.The storyline, which involves the Avengers...
, Astra was amongst a small team of the Imperial Guard that defended Lilandra against the Kree team, Starforce. Astra was also present with the Imperial Guard when they defended Lilandra against an assassination attempt from the Inhumans, who were under the control of Ronan the Accuser at the time.
Astra was present during the battle with Vulcan and was one of the guardsmen who survived the battle with Vulcan.
Powers and abilities
Astra has the ability to reduce her density in order to become intangible. When immaterial, she can pass through solid objects and vice versa. She has also shown the ability to punch an 'intangible' Shadowcat, showing that she can match her molecular density.Astra can also use her power offensively by phasing her hand into her opponent and becoming partly solid. This tactic causes a physical shock to Astra's opponent, who is rendered unconscious.
Exiles
- A version of Astra appeared alongside the Imperial Guard in a story arc in Exiles.
Inspiration
Several of the members of the Imperial Guard are at least partly based on members of the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
team Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
. (Dave Cockrum, co-creator of the Guard, also had a long run as artist on the Legion.) Astra is based on LSH member Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by DC Comics. In the Post-Zero Hour continuity, she is known as Apparition, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
.
Astra (Brotherhood)
Astra (Beth Al-Reraph) is a fictional characterFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillainess in 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
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #366 and was created by Alan Davis
Alan Davis
Alan Davis is an English writer and artist of comic books, known for his work on titles such as Captain Britain, The Uncanny X-Men, ClanDestine, Excalibur, JLA: The Nail and JLA: Another Nail.-UK work:...
.
Fictional character biography
Astra is a mutantMutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
teleporter
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
who was revealed to be Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
's first true recruit from his original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. With her aid, he would acquire technology from alien civilizations, which would automatically give him advantage over the contemporary human military forces. However, she did not share Magneto’s goals - merely wanting riches, not power. The two parted ways as enemies.
She resurfaced years later, reviving Magneto (who had been mindwipe
Mindwipe
For the Transformers character, see Mindwipe .Mindwipe is a technique used in some science fiction scenarios, where the subject's memories and personality are erased and replaced by new memories and personality more useful to those who are carrying out the mindwiping, or to their area's...
d by Professor X
Professor 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....
) and creating a clone of him. Astra ordered the clone to kill Magneto, but Magneto was able to take the clone down. After the battle, the clone woke up amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
c, thinking he was the real Magneto. The clone was given the name "Joseph
Joseph (comics)
Joseph was a Marvel Comics character who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Roger Cruz, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #327 ....
" by a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, and became affiliated with 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...
.
Astra later returned and attempted to use Joseph against Magneto and the X-Men. She had Joseph attack Magneto while he was controlling the Earth's magnetosphere
Magnetosphere
A magnetosphere is formed when a stream of charged particles, such as the solar wind, interacts with and is deflected by the intrinsic magnetic field of a planet or similar body. Earth is surrounded by a magnetosphere, as are the other planets with intrinsic magnetic fields: Mercury, Jupiter,...
, which severely disrupted Earth's magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
. Joseph died repairing the damage, causing Astra to flee. Before her final exit, Astra alluded to knowing Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
since he was a child.
Astra was mentioned by Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
as having been dealt with, but her current status is unknown. She last appeared in a flashback to her early Brotherhood days, where it was revealed that she saw Nightcrawler while looking for potential recruits for the Brotherhood with Magneto.
Powers and abilities
Astra has the ability to teleport. She uses a shield and also wears gauntlets to fire energy blasts.Television
- The Imperial Guard member Astra appears in the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
episodes "The Dark Phoenix" and "Fate of the Phoenix."
External links
- Astra (disambiguation) at Marvel.com
- Astra (Imperial Guard) at Marvel.com
- http://www.marveldatabase.com/Astra_%28Imperial_Guard%29