Fire People
Encyclopedia
The Fire People were a fictional race from Malibu Comics
' Ultraverse
. They first appeared in Ultraforce
#1, but were also involved in the creation of the Freex
.
The Fire People are an ancient hominid species which evolved alongside Homo Sapiens. The Fire people had apparently developed advanced scientific devices such as molecular nanotechnology
and anti-gravity
long before humans invented writing
or the wheel
. One of the Fire People, named Prometheus
, was born with superhuman
powers and developed "biological mechanickery" (nanotech) designed to share his genetic gifts with others.
An immortal
Human who would later call himself Rex Mundi
(King of the World) had long-term plans to conquer and rule the Earth, but saw the advanced and powerful Fire People as a threat to his plans. He stirred up the primitive but far more numerous humans to attack the Fire People, driving their few survivors into underground tunnels.
Prometheus, who had survived the assault, dreamt of his people taking back the "world of air". Toward this end, he used his own genes, and those of the few other super-powered Fire People, to create nanotech "wetware" that could be used to produce Champions to someday free their people.
However, tens of thousands of years passed, and isolation and inbreeding
took their toll on the Fire People. Their culture changed to the point where most no longer believed there ever had been an Air World; and more and more were born in monstrous, deformed shapes. The vast technology of their ancestors was mostly forgotten, and what little they retained was merely copied by rote.
Some, however, still believed in the Air World and the legend of the Someday Champions. A few managed to secretly contact surface dwellers, creating a secret society of humans and smuggling out to them the "wetware" invented by Prometheus. This wetware would be used by a nurse to empower a group of newborn human infants; the children would grow up to form the Freex
, and the nurse would become the mysterious Contrary
.
The entire society of the Fire People changed when Atalon
discovered the surface world and tried to take it back. After the great struggle against Ultraforce
, the Fire People now had their own land, and once more all had the opportunity to see the sky.
. Some of the Fire People, such as Atalon, possess the potential for other superhuman powers as well.
The Fire People still possess the remnants of their ancestor's advanced technology, but they have lost the innovation to create their own.
Profile of the Fire People at Marvel Appendix
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
' Ultraverse
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse was the name given to a comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics. The Ultraverse was a shared universe in which a variety of characters — known within the comics as "Ultras" — acquired super-human abilities.-History:...
. They first appeared in Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
#1, but were also involved in the creation of the Freex
Freex
Freex was a short-lived comic book series from Malibu Comics. Created By Gerard Jones and Ben Herrera, it concerned a team of teenage superheroes in the Ultraverse.Its roster over the series consisted of Anything ,...
.
The Fire People are an ancient hominid species which evolved alongside Homo Sapiens. The Fire people had apparently developed advanced scientific devices such as molecular nanotechnology
Molecular nanotechnology
Molecular nanotechnology is a technology based on the ability to build structures to complex, atomic specifications by means of mechanosynthesis. This is distinct from nanoscale materials...
and anti-gravity
Anti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
long before humans invented writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
or the wheel
Wheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
. One of the Fire People, named Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
, was born with superhuman
Superhuman
Superhuman can mean an improved human, for example, by genetic modification, cybernetic implants, or as what humans might evolve into, in the near or distant future...
powers and developed "biological mechanickery" (nanotech) designed to share his genetic gifts with others.
An immortal
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
Human who would later call himself Rex Mundi
Rex Mundi (Malibu Comics)
Rex Mundi is a fictional immortal character from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint. He has played important behind-the-scenes roles in most of the Ultraverse's major events, beginning with the downfall of the Fire People...
(King of the World) had long-term plans to conquer and rule the Earth, but saw the advanced and powerful Fire People as a threat to his plans. He stirred up the primitive but far more numerous humans to attack the Fire People, driving their few survivors into underground tunnels.
Prometheus, who had survived the assault, dreamt of his people taking back the "world of air". Toward this end, he used his own genes, and those of the few other super-powered Fire People, to create nanotech "wetware" that could be used to produce Champions to someday free their people.
However, tens of thousands of years passed, and isolation and inbreeding
Inbreeding
Inbreeding is the reproduction from the mating of two genetically related parents. Inbreeding results in increased homozygosity, which can increase the chances of offspring being affected by recessive or deleterious traits. This generally leads to a decreased fitness of a population, which is...
took their toll on the Fire People. Their culture changed to the point where most no longer believed there ever had been an Air World; and more and more were born in monstrous, deformed shapes. The vast technology of their ancestors was mostly forgotten, and what little they retained was merely copied by rote.
Some, however, still believed in the Air World and the legend of the Someday Champions. A few managed to secretly contact surface dwellers, creating a secret society of humans and smuggling out to them the "wetware" invented by Prometheus. This wetware would be used by a nurse to empower a group of newborn human infants; the children would grow up to form the Freex
Freex
Freex was a short-lived comic book series from Malibu Comics. Created By Gerard Jones and Ben Herrera, it concerned a team of teenage superheroes in the Ultraverse.Its roster over the series consisted of Anything ,...
, and the nurse would become the mysterious Contrary
Contrary (comics)
Contrary was a character from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. She was created by Gerard Jones and Martin Egeland and first appeared in the series Freex, though she was better known as the founder of Ultraforce....
.
The entire society of the Fire People changed when Atalon
Atalon
Atalon is a fictional character, a supervillain from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. He was primarily a foe of Ultraforce. Atalon first appeared in Ultraforce #0 and was created by Gerard Jones and George Pérez....
discovered the surface world and tried to take it back. After the great struggle against Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
, the Fire People now had their own land, and once more all had the opportunity to see the sky.
Powers and abilities
The Fire People are stronger, longer lived and more durable than Humans, require less oxygen, and are immune to high levels of ionizing radiationIonizing radiation
Ionizing radiation is radiation composed of particles that individually have sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, which are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons...
. Some of the Fire People, such as Atalon, possess the potential for other superhuman powers as well.
The Fire People still possess the remnants of their ancestor's advanced technology, but they have lost the innovation to create their own.
Profile of the Fire People at Marvel Appendix