N'Garai
Encyclopedia
The N'Garai are a fictional race
found in the Marvel Comics
universe
.
#96 (December 1975), and were created by Bill Mantlo
, Chris Claremont
, and Dave Cockrum
.
The N'Garai subsequently appear in The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 (March 1976), #24 (May 1976), Marvel Premiere #7 (June 1976), Marvel Team-Up #79 (March 1979), Doctor Strange #42-45 (August 1980-February 1981), The Uncanny X-Men #143 (March 1981), Ka-Zar the Savage #13 (April 1982), Uncanny X-Men #159 (July 1982), Magik #1-4 (December 1983-March 1984), Incredible Hulk #308 (June 1985), Darkhold #3-4 (December 1992-January 1993), Marvel Comics Presents #145 (December 1993), Wolverine Annual '95, X-Men Unlimited #9 (December 1995), X-Men #75 (May 1998), X-Men: Soul Killer (1999), Avengers #28-30 (May–July 2000), X-Men: Black Sun #1-5 (2000), and Free Comic Book Day 2008 X-Men (2008).
, the Hulk
, and the X-Men
. The N'Garai are ruled by Kierrok the Damned.
The N'Garai once lived on Earth, but left for another dimension roughly a million years ago and are now intent on returning to Earth. Their extensions into the physical world tend to take the form of small, stone towers. Destruction of these towers has, many times, harmed the N'Garai, though the towers sometimes regenerate over time.
One of these towers has appeared time and time again on the grounds of the X-Mansion
. Cyclops
accidentally blew open the top of the cairn in anger over Thunderbird's
death. While Cyclops and the other X-Men fought Kierrok, Storm was able to seal the tomb again later in the fight with a massive electrical discharge. In the same issue, the long-running supporting character Moira MacTaggert
was introduced, making a memorable first impression by attacking the demon with a machine gun. One of the first incursions involved a larger demon confronting Shadowcat
, who was alone in the mansion at the time. She eventually destroyed it with the jet engines of the X-Men's plane.
Further incursions have been met with resistance from, notably, Wolverine
, Marrow
, Cecilia Reyes
, Maggott
, and Nightcrawler
.
In one incident, a subset of demons had taken to kidnapping various members of Earth's dimensions, such as people from the nearby town of Salem Center
and Russian oil refinery workers. They were submitting them to various forms of dissection, suspect by Salem police as murders. Maggott was suspected of causing the murders, but he was cleared when Reyes, a doctor, saw that Wolverine, who was able to heal from his injuries, had been classically autopsied.
The fight was taken to the N'Garai dimension, where the X-Men rescued many innocent people and seemingly stopped the wave of current infections. Several of the demons had escaped to the forest around the X-Mansion. A squad involving Cecila, Marrow, and Beast
faced them down and defeated them. The X-Men and the rescued civilians returned in another location on Earth. One of the men showed signs a powerful N'Garai demon had in fact made the return trip inside of him.
Wolverine has entered the N'Garai dimension on at least two different occasions. It is difficult for him, as the creatures are hostile to Earth and the fact time passes slower there makes it easy for him to lose himself in long stretches of slaying. In both occasions, it took the presence of other X-Men to help bring him back from the brink.
In the Free Comic Book Day
X-Men special released on May 2008, the former New X-Man Pixie encountered the N'Garai in her hometown after the X-Men were temporarily disbanded. In a mine just outside the city, Pixie fought the demons alongside Cyclops
, Wolverine, Emma Frost
, Beast, Colossus
, and Nightcrawler and actually tricked the demons into causing a cave-in which sealed their gateway to Earth.
They once revealed to Satana
when they were hunting her for revenge, that their invasion of Earth in prehistoric times was repelled by her father, Marduk Kurios, who was at that time the head of Heaven's army, confirming that he was actually the biblical Lucifer.
In the graphic novel Apocalypse vs. Dracula, it is said that Apocalypse once "cut a whole tribe of N'Garai demons to pieces" with his bare hands.
Fictional 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...
found 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...
.
Publication history
The N'Garai first appeared in Uncanny X-MenUncanny 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...
#96 (December 1975), and were created by Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo
Bill Mantlo is an American comic-book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics, best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: the Eagle Award-winning Micronauts and the long-running Rom. An attorney, he also worked as a public defender...
, 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 N'Garai subsequently appear in The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #22 (March 1976), #24 (May 1976), Marvel Premiere #7 (June 1976), Marvel Team-Up #79 (March 1979), Doctor Strange #42-45 (August 1980-February 1981), The Uncanny X-Men #143 (March 1981), Ka-Zar the Savage #13 (April 1982), Uncanny X-Men #159 (July 1982), Magik #1-4 (December 1983-March 1984), Incredible Hulk #308 (June 1985), Darkhold #3-4 (December 1992-January 1993), Marvel Comics Presents #145 (December 1993), Wolverine Annual '95, X-Men Unlimited #9 (December 1995), X-Men #75 (May 1998), X-Men: Soul Killer (1999), Avengers #28-30 (May–July 2000), X-Men: Black Sun #1-5 (2000), and Free Comic Book Day 2008 X-Men (2008).
Fictional history
The N'Garai are a race of demons created by Chthon, and have come into conflict with the Midnight SonsMidnight Sons
The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional team of supernatural superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe. The team first appears in Ghost Rider The Midnight Sons is fictional...
, the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
, and 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...
. The N'Garai are ruled by Kierrok the Damned.
The N'Garai once lived on Earth, but left for another dimension roughly a million years ago and are now intent on returning to Earth. Their extensions into the physical world tend to take the form of small, stone towers. Destruction of these towers has, many times, harmed the N'Garai, though the towers sometimes regenerate over time.
One of these towers has appeared time and time again on the grounds of the X-Mansion
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
. 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...
accidentally blew open the top of the cairn in anger over Thunderbird's
Thunderbird (comics)
Thunderbird is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 ....
death. While Cyclops and the other X-Men fought Kierrok, Storm was able to seal the tomb again later in the fight with a massive electrical discharge. In the same issue, the long-running supporting character Moira MacTaggert
Moira MacTaggert
Dr. Moira Kinross MacTaggert is a fictional character appearing in X-Men stories in the Marvel Comics universe. She works as a geneticist and is an expert in mutant affairs. Olivia Williams played a minor role of Dr. Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: The Last Stand...
was introduced, making a memorable first impression by attacking the demon with a machine gun. One of the first incursions involved a larger demon confronting 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....
, who was alone in the mansion at the time. She eventually destroyed it with the jet engines of the X-Men's plane.
Further incursions have been met with resistance from, notably, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
, Marrow
Marrow (comics)
Marrow , is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is a mutant whose bones grow out of her skin and can be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor....
, Cecilia Reyes
Cecilia Reyes
Cecilia Reyes is a Marvel Comics character who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Carlos Pacheco, she first appeared in X-Men vol. 2 #65 ....
, Maggott
Maggott
Maggott , is a Marvel Comics superhero who was briefly a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #345 ....
, and 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...
.
In one incident, a subset of demons had taken to kidnapping various members of Earth's dimensions, such as people from the nearby town of Salem Center
North Salem, New York
North Salem is a town in the northeast part of Westchester County, New York, United States. The county ranks second for wealthiest counties in New York State and the seventh wealthiest county nationally...
and Russian oil refinery workers. They were submitting them to various forms of dissection, suspect by Salem police as murders. Maggott was suspected of causing the murders, but he was cleared when Reyes, a doctor, saw that Wolverine, who was able to heal from his injuries, had been classically autopsied.
The fight was taken to the N'Garai dimension, where the X-Men rescued many innocent people and seemingly stopped the wave of current infections. Several of the demons had escaped to the forest around the X-Mansion. A squad involving Cecila, Marrow, and Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
faced them down and defeated them. The X-Men and the rescued civilians returned in another location on Earth. One of the men showed signs a powerful N'Garai demon had in fact made the return trip inside of him.
Wolverine has entered the N'Garai dimension on at least two different occasions. It is difficult for him, as the creatures are hostile to Earth and the fact time passes slower there makes it easy for him to lose himself in long stretches of slaying. In both occasions, it took the presence of other X-Men to help bring him back from the brink.
In the Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers into independent comic book stores. Retailer Joe Field of in Concord, CA brainstormed the event in his "Big Picture" column in the August 2001 issue of Comics & Games Retailer...
X-Men special released on May 2008, the former New X-Man Pixie encountered the N'Garai in her hometown after the X-Men were temporarily disbanded. In a mine just outside the city, Pixie fought the demons alongside 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...
, Wolverine, Emma Frost
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost 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 Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
, Beast, Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
, and Nightcrawler and actually tricked the demons into causing a cave-in which sealed their gateway to Earth.
They once revealed to Satana
Satana (Marvel Comics)
Satana is a fictional character, a comic book half-demon appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the sister of Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan.Satana first appeared in Vampire Tales #2 in October, 1973...
when they were hunting her for revenge, that their invasion of Earth in prehistoric times was repelled by her father, Marduk Kurios, who was at that time the head of Heaven's army, confirming that he was actually the biblical Lucifer.
In the graphic novel Apocalypse vs. Dracula, it is said that Apocalypse once "cut a whole tribe of N'Garai demons to pieces" with his bare hands.