Cotati (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Cotati are a fictional alien race in the Marvel Universe
. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotait were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a semi-human face featuring two eyes above what looked like a mouth. The Cotati later allowed evolution to strip them of their mobility while they concentrated their efforts on developing their telepathy. As a result, their legs, torso and head merged into a single trunk-like body which was rooted firmly to the ground, and their faces became incresingly less evident until eventually no trace of any facial features remained. Most Cotati now look like simple, unremarkable trees although some have more distinctive appearances which include faces.
The Cotati originated on Hala in the Pama star system in the Large Magellanic Cloud
, the same planet as the warlike humanoid Kree
race. Despite their aggressive nature, the Kree ignored the Cotati because they believed that all plants were beneath their notice. Approximately one million Earth years ago, Hala was visited by a starship from the Skrull
empire (at that time, the Skrulls were a benevolent race). The Skrulls wished to include Hala in their empire and offered its inhabitants their knowledge and technology in exchange for their loyalty and Hala's resources. To avoid any dissention regarding which of the two races would represent Hala to them, the Skrulls proposed a test of worthiness in which equal numbers of Kree and Cotati would be taken to different uninhabited worlds and left there with complete supplies for one year. At the end of that period, whichever group had done the most with themselves would be adjudged the most worthy. Both races agreed to these terms and the Skrulls transported 17 Cotati to a barren moon in an unspecified solar system. The Skrulls then transported 17 Kree to Earth's Moon
and provided them with an artificial atmosphere
and rudimentary technology
. The Kree used their time to build a gargantuan city. The Skrulls who came to retrieve the Kree were extremely impressed and the Kree felt confident that they would be victorious. However, upon returning to Hala, the Kree contestants were informed by their fellows that the other Skrulls (those who had retrieved the Cotati) were more impressed by their transformation of their barren moon into a park full of plantlife. Enraged, the Kree decided to try to win by destroying their competitors and quickly exterminated all of the Cotati. When the Kree informed the Skrulls of how they had solved the problem of Hala's representation to them and the outraged Skrulls reacted by promising to reject Hala forever, the Kree slaughtered the Skrull delegation as well and seized their starship and all of its tremendously advanced technology, which they would use to arm for war against the Skrulls.
While the fascistic Kree battled the Skrulls for millennia, radically warping a once-benevolent society into an ultra-militaristic state, on their own homeworld their act of genocide
against the Cotati was not as complete as they had thought: a new generation of Cotati had sprung forth from seed pods dropped by the previous generation as they died. Unnoticed by the Kree, these new Cotati went into hiding and allowed themselves to evolve into an immobile species with greater telepathic abilities. Centuries later, the Cotati made contact with a small number of Kree who were members of a secretive pacifist sect and formed an alliance with them. A century later, these pacifist Kree were known as the Priests of Pama and their temples contained secret cellars in which the now even more evolved Cotati were safely hidden and kept alive. However, when the Kree Supreme Intelligence exiled the Priests to a barren prison planet, the Cotati aided them by influencing a cosmic menace known as the Star-Stalker to choose that planet as his next meal. The Priests discovered a means of countering the threat and forced it to flee, as the Cotati had been confident they would do. The Priests begged an audience with the Supreme Intelligence to warn it of the Star-Stalker but the Supreme Intelligence suspected that they had created a fictious threat so that they would be brought back to the safety of Hala, something it refused to ever allow. The Priests then proposed that they be allowed to protect the inhabited worlds of the cosmos by sending teams of two to those worlds to remain there like Sentries
until needed. Since this plan would keep the dissidents away from Hala while terminating the cost of their upkeep on the prison planet, the Supreme Intelligence accepted this proposal and the Priests of Pama were freed to leave. Unbeknownest to anyone, each pair of Priests took with them a group of plants who were actually Cotati.
Almost all Cotati were smuggled away from Hala to settle in temples created and maintained by the Priests of Pama on out-of-the-way planets. Those few on Earth have played a role in the lives of various superhero
es, including the Avengers
and the Silver Surfer
.
The artificial environment created for the competition between the Kree and the Cotati still stands; today it is known as the Blue Area of the Moon, and is the location of the dwelling of Uatu
the Watcher
; it was for several years also the location of the Inhumans
' city of Attilan
. The Blue Area is also the site of the first recorded "death" of the Phoenix
during the now-classic Dark Phoenix Saga
.
The eldest of Earth's Cotati resurrected and took possession of the Swordsman
's body so as to mate with Mantis
and father the Celestial Messiah.
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...
. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotait were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a semi-human face featuring two eyes above what looked like a mouth. The Cotati later allowed evolution to strip them of their mobility while they concentrated their efforts on developing their telepathy. As a result, their legs, torso and head merged into a single trunk-like body which was rooted firmly to the ground, and their faces became incresingly less evident until eventually no trace of any facial features remained. Most Cotati now look like simple, unremarkable trees although some have more distinctive appearances which include faces.
The Cotati originated on Hala in the Pama star system in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby irregular galaxy, and is a satellite of the Milky Way. At a distance of slightly less than 50 kiloparsecs , the LMC is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way, with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal and Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy lying closer to the center...
, the same planet as the warlike humanoid Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
race. Despite their aggressive nature, the Kree ignored the Cotati because they believed that all plants were beneath their notice. Approximately one million Earth years ago, Hala was visited by a starship from the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
empire (at that time, the Skrulls were a benevolent race). The Skrulls wished to include Hala in their empire and offered its inhabitants their knowledge and technology in exchange for their loyalty and Hala's resources. To avoid any dissention regarding which of the two races would represent Hala to them, the Skrulls proposed a test of worthiness in which equal numbers of Kree and Cotati would be taken to different uninhabited worlds and left there with complete supplies for one year. At the end of that period, whichever group had done the most with themselves would be adjudged the most worthy. Both races agreed to these terms and the Skrulls transported 17 Cotati to a barren moon in an unspecified solar system. The Skrulls then transported 17 Kree to Earth's Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and provided them with an artificial atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
and rudimentary technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. The Kree used their time to build a gargantuan city. The Skrulls who came to retrieve the Kree were extremely impressed and the Kree felt confident that they would be victorious. However, upon returning to Hala, the Kree contestants were informed by their fellows that the other Skrulls (those who had retrieved the Cotati) were more impressed by their transformation of their barren moon into a park full of plantlife. Enraged, the Kree decided to try to win by destroying their competitors and quickly exterminated all of the Cotati. When the Kree informed the Skrulls of how they had solved the problem of Hala's representation to them and the outraged Skrulls reacted by promising to reject Hala forever, the Kree slaughtered the Skrull delegation as well and seized their starship and all of its tremendously advanced technology, which they would use to arm for war against the Skrulls.
While the fascistic Kree battled the Skrulls for millennia, radically warping a once-benevolent society into an ultra-militaristic state, on their own homeworld their act of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
against the Cotati was not as complete as they had thought: a new generation of Cotati had sprung forth from seed pods dropped by the previous generation as they died. Unnoticed by the Kree, these new Cotati went into hiding and allowed themselves to evolve into an immobile species with greater telepathic abilities. Centuries later, the Cotati made contact with a small number of Kree who were members of a secretive pacifist sect and formed an alliance with them. A century later, these pacifist Kree were known as the Priests of Pama and their temples contained secret cellars in which the now even more evolved Cotati were safely hidden and kept alive. However, when the Kree Supreme Intelligence exiled the Priests to a barren prison planet, the Cotati aided them by influencing a cosmic menace known as the Star-Stalker to choose that planet as his next meal. The Priests discovered a means of countering the threat and forced it to flee, as the Cotati had been confident they would do. The Priests begged an audience with the Supreme Intelligence to warn it of the Star-Stalker but the Supreme Intelligence suspected that they had created a fictious threat so that they would be brought back to the safety of Hala, something it refused to ever allow. The Priests then proposed that they be allowed to protect the inhabited worlds of the cosmos by sending teams of two to those worlds to remain there like Sentries
Sentry (Kree)
Sentry-459 is a fictional character that appears in the . It is one of series of giant humanoid robots built by the alien race the Kree. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #64 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
until needed. Since this plan would keep the dissidents away from Hala while terminating the cost of their upkeep on the prison planet, the Supreme Intelligence accepted this proposal and the Priests of Pama were freed to leave. Unbeknownest to anyone, each pair of Priests took with them a group of plants who were actually Cotati.
Almost all Cotati were smuggled away from Hala to settle in temples created and maintained by the Priests of Pama on out-of-the-way planets. Those few on Earth have played a role in the lives of various superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es, including the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
and the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
.
The artificial environment created for the competition between the Kree and the Cotati still stands; today it is known as the Blue Area of the Moon, and is the location of the dwelling of Uatu
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
the Watcher
Watcher (comics)
The Watchers are a fictional race of extraterrestrials that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the first Watcher - named Uatu - appears in Fantastic Four #13 .-Fictional history:...
; it was for several years also the location of the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
' city of Attilan
Attilan
Attilan is a fictional city in the that houses the Inhumans. It first appeared in Fantastic Four #47 . It has also been known as the Great Refuge and New Attilan.-Fictional history:...
. The Blue Area is also the site of the first recorded "death" of the Phoenix
Phoenix (comics)
The Phoenix Force is an entity in the Marvel Comics fictional universe which has bonded with other characters, who often used the alias Phoenix....
during the now-classic Dark Phoenix Saga
Dark Phoenix Saga
"The Dark Phoenix Saga" is an extended X-Men storyline in the fictional , focusing on Jean Grey and the Phoenix Force, and ending in Grey's apparent death...
.
The eldest of Earth's Cotati resurrected and took possession of the Swordsman
Swordsman (comics)
Swordsman is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Avengers Vol.1 #19 and was created by Stan Lee and Don Heck. The Swordsman was introduced as an enemy of Hawkeye and the Avengers...
's body so as to mate with Mantis
Mantis (Marvel Comics)
Mantis is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Universe, and former member of the Avengers.-Publication history:Mantis first appeared in Avengers #112 , drawn by Don Heck...
and father the Celestial Messiah.