Erik the Red (comics)
Encyclopedia
Erik the Red is a fiction
al cover identity in the Marvel Universe
which has been used by three characters: Scott Summers (Cyclops
), Davan Shakari, a Shi'ar
agent, and Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (Magneto
). The identity is named for the Norse
colonizer of Greenland
, Erik the Red
, and all three characters assumed it as a disguise; Shakari is the character that used this identity the longest and is the one most commonly associated with it.
from the Shi'ar
Empire. This version of the character was created by Chris Claremont
and Dave Cockrum
in X-Men
#97 (1975) as a precursor to the original Phoenix Saga storyline.
The identity of Eric the Red (note the spelling) was actually first used by Cyclops
in X-Men #51 by Arnold Drake
and Jim Steranko
. Cyclops pretended to be a mutant
supervillain
to infiltrate a group of mutants led by Mesmero
and a robot
pretending to be Magneto
, who had captured the rest of the X-Men. Cyclops' Eric the Red costume included a mask and gloves that redirected his optic blasts so that they were fired from his hands.
Davan Shakari did not debut as Erik the Red until years later. D'Ken
, the power-hungry ruler of the Shi'ar appointed Davan Shakari as his observer of planet Earth, its people, and its cultures. When rebel leader, Lilandra
, attempted to flee to Earth and ally herself with Professor X
, Davan Shakari assumed the identity of Erik the Red. Cyclops wondered what the connection was between this Erik and the identity he himself had used, but an answer was never given. Presumably, Davan Shakari used the Erik the Red identity in a strategy to catch the X-Men off guard.
An early foe of Cyclops' second team of X-Men, Erik the Red used his superior Shi'ar technology to restore adulthood to Magneto, who had been de-aged to infancy by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant
and mentally dominate reserve X-Men Havok and Polaris
. After being defeated by Phoenix
and the X-Men, Erik would not appear again for years. Erik apparently died when his Spaceship exploded during a battle with Genis-Vell
and X-Treme.
The third person to take the name of Eric the Red was Magneto. He took this identity during the trial of Gambit
and has abandoned it since.
In addition to this he wore a costume that augmented his strength to higher superhuman levels, enabled him to control minds to a limited degree, and fire concussive force blasts from his hands. He had various other advantages, comprising alien technology several centuries more advanced than that found on Earth.
The first and third persons to adopt the "Erik the Red" persona were mutants. Adopting the costume disguised their identities, but did not change or augment their existing powers.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al cover identity in the Marvel 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...
which has been used by three characters: Scott Summers (Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
), Davan Shakari, a Shi'ar
Shi'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...
agent, and Erik Magnus Lehnsherr (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...
). The identity is named for the Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
colonizer of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Erik the Red
Erik the Red
Erik Thorvaldsson , known as Erik the Red , is remembered in medieval and Icelandic saga sources as having founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland. The Icelandic tradition indicates that he was born in the Jæren district of Rogaland, Norway, as the son of Thorvald Asvaldsson, he therefore...
, and all three characters assumed it as a disguise; Shakari is the character that used this identity the longest and is the one most commonly associated with it.
Fictional character biography
The second Erik the Red is Davan Shakari, an alienExtraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
from the Shi'ar
Shi'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...
Empire. This version of the character 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...
in 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...
#97 (1975) as a precursor to the original Phoenix Saga storyline.
The identity of Eric the Red (note the spelling) was actually first used by Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
in X-Men #51 by Arnold Drake
Arnold Drake
Arnold Drake was an American comic book writer and screenwriter best known for co-creating the DC Comics characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol, and the Marvel Comics characters the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others....
and Jim Steranko
Jim Steranko
James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
. Cyclops pretended to be a mutant
Mutant (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...
supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
to infiltrate a group of mutants led by Mesmero
Mesmero
Mesmero is a fictional mutant, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. The character first appeared in [Uncanny] X-Men #49.-Fictional character biography:...
and a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
pretending 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...
, who had captured the rest of the X-Men. Cyclops' Eric the Red costume included a mask and gloves that redirected his optic blasts so that they were fired from his hands.
Davan Shakari did not debut as Erik the Red until years later. 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:...
, the power-hungry ruler of the Shi'ar appointed Davan Shakari as his observer of planet Earth, its people, and its cultures. When rebel leader, Lilandra
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...
, attempted to flee to Earth and ally herself with 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....
, Davan Shakari assumed the identity of Erik the Red. Cyclops wondered what the connection was between this Erik and the identity he himself had used, but an answer was never given. Presumably, Davan Shakari used the Erik the Red identity in a strategy to catch the X-Men off guard.
An early foe of Cyclops' second team of X-Men, Erik the Red used his superior Shi'ar technology to restore adulthood to Magneto, who had been de-aged to infancy by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant
Alpha the Ultimate Mutant
Alpha the Ultimate Mutant is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Alpha the Ultimate Mutant first appeared in Defenders #15–16 , and was created by Len Wein and Sal Buscema....
and mentally dominate reserve X-Men Havok and Polaris
Polaris (comics)
Polaris is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men family of books. Created by Arnold Drake, Don Heck, Werner Roth and Jim Steranko, Polaris first appeared in The X-Men #49...
. After being defeated by 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....
and the X-Men, Erik would not appear again for years. Erik apparently died when his Spaceship exploded during a battle with Genis-Vell
Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)
Captain Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Most of these versions exist in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe.- Publication history :...
and X-Treme.
The third person to take the name of Eric the Red was Magneto. He took this identity during the trial of Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
and has abandoned it since.
Powers and abilities
Davan Shakari has the normal superhuman advantages of a member of his species. This entails enhanced strength, enhanced agility, and hollow bones.In addition to this he wore a costume that augmented his strength to higher superhuman levels, enabled him to control minds to a limited degree, and fire concussive force blasts from his hands. He had various other advantages, comprising alien technology several centuries more advanced than that found on Earth.
The first and third persons to adopt the "Erik the Red" persona were mutants. Adopting the costume disguised their identities, but did not change or augment their existing powers.
Television
- Davan Shakari, using the Erik the Red alias, appeared 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...
(mostly appearing in the Phoenix Saga episodesDark 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...
) voiced by Lawrence BayneLawrence BayneLawrence Bayne is a Canadian actor, born November 11, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has appeared in various movies and television series, both live action and animated, and also sings/writes with his band The Lawrence Bayne Issue....
. His main purpose was to capture Lilandra and the M'Kraan CrystalM'Kraan CrystalIn the fictional Marvel Comics Universe, the M'Kraan Crystal is a gigantic crystalline artifact that lies at the nexus of all realities. The Crystal contains a negative galaxy, a source of near limitless power, which pulls and traps all matter inside. The Crystal plays a prominent role in several...
for D'KenD'KenD'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:...
.
Internet Parody
- Footage of Erik the Red's appearances (specifically, the episode "Cry of the Banshee") from the X-Men TV series was used in the Juggernaut Bitch!! Internet parody, in which he was called Ketchup for his red uniform.
External links
- Erik the Red at Marvel Appendix