Nekra
Encyclopedia
Nekra is a fictional
mutant
supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
universe
.
#5 (August 1973), and was created by Steve Gerber
and Ross Andru
.
The character subsequently appears in Marvel Two-In-One #3 (May 1974), Daredevil #109-112 (May–August 1974), Spider-Woman #15-16 (June–July 1979), #50 (June 1983), West Coast Avengers #2 (October 1985), The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-2 (October–November 1985), #12 (September 1986), Web of Spider-Man #46 (January 1989), Alpha Flight #79-80 (December 1989-January 1990), Avengers Spotlight #29 (February 1990), Avengers West Coast #65 (December 1990), and the graphic novel Avengers: Death Trap, the Vault (1991). The character does not appear for several years after that, until she reappeared in Witches #1 (August 2004), and The Loners #1 (June 2007), and #4-5 (September–October 2007).
Nekra received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
#8, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #9, and the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #8 (2006).
. While she is pregnant, an exploding lab experiment bombards Gemma with radiation, causing her unborn child to mutate. Nekra is born an albino
with vampiric
features. Loathed by her parents and community, Nekra runs away into the New Mexico desert to live alone when she is fourteen years old.
She soon encounters by chance another child who has been mutated by the same explosion. Although his parents were white, he had been born dark-skinned and had developed fur and baboon
-like features, for which he had named himself Mandrill
. For six years they live by theft and scavenging, until they are attacked by a lynch mob that thought they were monsters. While filled with rage, Nekra discovers she is invulnerable to the mob's attacks. Slaying a few of their persecutors, the two escape and come to regard each other as if they were siblings.
The two later leave to Africa, as part of the Mandrill's ambitious scheme to overthrow multiple nations through Black Spectre
, a cult of personality
powered by the Mandrill's pheromonal control over women. This effort is thwarted by Shanna the She-Devil
. The two eventually escape, kidnapping Shanna's father in the process, and eventually killing him.
Their next plot is of similar means, whereby they use the Mandrill's powers to raise a cult of black women to overthrow America. They are eventually defeated on the White House
lawn by Daredevil
, the Black Widow, and Shanna. Abandoned by Mandrill, Nekra is captured by authorities.
Nekra is held captive and drugged in a S.H.I.E.L.D.
hospital, until a subliminal message from Hate-Monger
inadvertently gave her the rage necessary to break free. While in the New York sewers, Nekra encounters a cult of Kali
, whom she persuades that Nekra herself was the reincarnation of Kali. She then moves to the West Coast where she kills and replaces Adrienne Hatros, the reclusive sponsor of an emotional research clinic where Nekra hopes to overcome her own dependency upon emotions. This plot is foiled by the first Spider Woman
.
Escaping again, Nekra falls in with the voodoo-master the Black Talon
as voodoo tutor, and with the Grim Reaper
as her lover. When the Grim Reaper dies in combat, Nekra is able to briefly reanimate him as a zombie
, so lifelike that even the Grim Reaper does not realize he is dead. When Nekra's love becomes greater than her hate though, the Reaper dies again. Nekra takes his corpse with her, in hopes of reanimating him again.
Nekra then had run-ins with Spider-Man
, and then Henry Pym
. She also battled Alpha Flight
at the behest of Llan the Sorcerer
.
Nekra spends some time in the super-villain prison The Vault
. During a prison wide riot, she and Mister Hyde
have a brief romantic interlude.
Nekra finally manages to re-animate the Grim Reaper again, but this time there is a caveat: he has to kill one person every 24 hours in order to stay 'alive.' The Reaper then promptly chooses Nekra as his first victim and kills her.
Sensing the potential threat of Doctor Druid
, Daimon Hellstrom
uses his magics to reanimate Nekra, and sends her to investigate him. First she seduces Dr Druid, which negates his powers, but he manages to regain them via sacrifice. Nekra then shoots Dr. Druid in the forehead, killing him.
Nekra is one of a handful of mutants to have retained her powers in the wake of House of M
.
Nekra resurfaces and is seen donating genetic material to an M.G.H ring that had sprung up in L.A. after the death of The Pride
. She is defeated by Ricochet
, Darkhawk
, and the third Spider-Woman
. She later returns at the Loners' meeting place to get her revenge on them. Nekra easily battled and defeated all of the Loners and precedes to strangle Mickey, when she is struck from behind by a mysterious lady named "Namie".
A girl going by the alias Death Reaper makes an appearance in "Dark Reign
: Zodiac". She claims to be illegitimate daughter of Nekra. Nekra joins the Grim Reaper
's new Lethal Legion
. She is betrayed, along with the rest of the Legion by Grim Reaper, who uses them as a ploy to give Norman's Avengers better publicity. She is sent to prison and is under the impression that Grim Reaper is dead.
Nekra is seen during the riots in San Francisco with Frenzy
of the Acolytes. Both are told by Karma
to behave but Nekra tells her they were promised Utopia and they will never stop hunting mutants. They'll always be hunted, tormented and killed. She is then blasted by Ms. Marvel
. She later takes part in final battle; once again pitted against Osborn's Dark Avengers
as well as his X-Men and follows the rest of the mutants to the island of Utopia
During the Chaos War
storyline, Nekra assists a resurrected Grim Reaper in fighting the Dead Avengers. She was killed with
the Grim Reaper by the Dead Avengers.
Character (arts)
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...
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...
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
Nekra first appeared in Shanna the She-DevilShanna the She-Devil
Shanna the She-Devil is a fictional jungle adventuress in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Carole Seuling and penciler George Tuska, she made her first appearance in Shanna the She-Devil #1 Shanna the She-Devil is a fictional jungle adventuress in comic books published by...
#5 (August 1973), and was created by Steve Gerber
Steve Gerber
Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck....
and Ross Andru
Ross Andru
Ross Andru was an American comic book artist and editor. He is best known for his work on Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Flash and Metal Men....
.
The character subsequently appears in Marvel Two-In-One #3 (May 1974), Daredevil #109-112 (May–August 1974), Spider-Woman #15-16 (June–July 1979), #50 (June 1983), West Coast Avengers #2 (October 1985), The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1-2 (October–November 1985), #12 (September 1986), Web of Spider-Man #46 (January 1989), Alpha Flight #79-80 (December 1989-January 1990), Avengers Spotlight #29 (February 1990), Avengers West Coast #65 (December 1990), and the graphic novel Avengers: Death Trap, the Vault (1991). The character does not appear for several years after that, until she reappeared in Witches #1 (August 2004), and The Loners #1 (June 2007), and #4-5 (September–October 2007).
Nekra received an entry in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
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...
#8, and in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #9, and the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #8 (2006).
Fictional character biography
Decades ago, Gemma Sinclair was an African-American cleaning lady at Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
. While she is pregnant, an exploding lab experiment bombards Gemma with radiation, causing her unborn child to mutate. Nekra is born an albino
Albinism
Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...
with vampiric
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
features. Loathed by her parents and community, Nekra runs away into the New Mexico desert to live alone when she is fourteen years old.
She soon encounters by chance another child who has been mutated by the same explosion. Although his parents were white, he had been born dark-skinned and had developed fur and baboon
Baboon
Baboons are African and Arabian Old World monkeys belonging to the genus Papio, part of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. There are five species, which are some of the largest non-hominoid members of the primate order; only the mandrill and the drill are larger...
-like features, for which he had named himself Mandrill
Mandrill (comics)
Mandrill is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. His first appearance was in Shanna the She-Devil #4. He was created by writer Carole Seuling and artist Ross Andru...
. For six years they live by theft and scavenging, until they are attacked by a lynch mob that thought they were monsters. While filled with rage, Nekra discovers she is invulnerable to the mob's attacks. Slaying a few of their persecutors, the two escape and come to regard each other as if they were siblings.
The two later leave to Africa, as part of the Mandrill's ambitious scheme to overthrow multiple nations through Black Spectre
Black Spectre
Black Spectre is the name a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe which first appeared in Daredevil #108.It is also the name of a fictional supervillain who first appeared in Moon Knight #25.-Black Spectre :...
, a cult of personality
Cult of personality
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
powered by the Mandrill's pheromonal control over women. This effort is thwarted by Shanna the She-Devil
Shanna the She-Devil
Shanna the She-Devil is a fictional jungle adventuress in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Carole Seuling and penciler George Tuska, she made her first appearance in Shanna the She-Devil #1 Shanna the She-Devil is a fictional jungle adventuress in comic books published by...
. The two eventually escape, kidnapping Shanna's father in the process, and eventually killing him.
Their next plot is of similar means, whereby they use the Mandrill's powers to raise a cult of black women to overthrow America. They are eventually defeated on the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
lawn by Daredevil
Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
Daredevil is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Daredevil #1 .Living in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood...
, the Black Widow, and Shanna. Abandoned by Mandrill, Nekra is captured by authorities.
Nekra is held captive and drugged in a S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
hospital, until a subliminal message from Hate-Monger
Hate-Monger
The Hate-Monger is the name of different characters from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The original character first appeared in Fantastic Four vol...
inadvertently gave her the rage necessary to break free. While in the New York sewers, Nekra encounters a cult of Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
, whom she persuades that Nekra herself was the reincarnation of Kali. She then moves to the West Coast where she kills and replaces Adrienne Hatros, the reclusive sponsor of an emotional research clinic where Nekra hopes to overcome her own dependency upon emotions. This plot is foiled by the first Spider Woman
Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 , and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed...
.
Escaping again, Nekra falls in with the voodoo-master the Black Talon
Black Talon (comics)
The Black Talon is the name of a number of fictional characters, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Black Talon :The first Black Talon was Pascal Horta, a painter who lost his hand in an auto-accident. Undergoing experimental surgery, he was given the hand of an African-American serial...
as voodoo tutor, and with the Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper (comics)
Grim Reaper is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Avengers #52 May , by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.-Fictional character biography:...
as her lover. When the Grim Reaper dies in combat, Nekra is able to briefly reanimate him as a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
, so lifelike that even the Grim Reaper does not realize he is dead. When Nekra's love becomes greater than her hate though, the Reaper dies again. Nekra takes his corpse with her, in hopes of reanimating him again.
Nekra then had run-ins with Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and then Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
. She also battled Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
at the behest of Llan the Sorcerer
Llan the Sorcerer
Llan the Sorcerer, a fictional character in the Marvel Universe, is an ancient evil who was an enemy of Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Nekra spends some time in the super-villain prison The Vault
Vault (comics)
The Vault is the widely used nickname of a fictional defunct prison facility for technological-based superhuman criminals in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. The prison's full official name is the United States Maximum Security Installation for the Incarceration of Superhuman Criminals.It first...
. During a prison wide riot, she and Mister Hyde
Mister Hyde (comics)
Mister Hyde is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain. His first appearance was in Journey into Mystery #99, 1963.-Publication history:...
have a brief romantic interlude.
Nekra finally manages to re-animate the Grim Reaper again, but this time there is a caveat: he has to kill one person every 24 hours in order to stay 'alive.' The Reaper then promptly chooses Nekra as his first victim and kills her.
Sensing the potential threat of Doctor Druid
Doctor Druid
Doctor Druid, also known as Doctor Droom and Druid, is a fictional character, a supernatural monster-hunter in the Marvel Comics universe....
, Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:He first appeared in Ghost Rider Daimon Hellstrom, also known as the Son of Satan and Hellstorm, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics...
uses his magics to reanimate Nekra, and sends her to investigate him. First she seduces Dr Druid, which negates his powers, but he manages to regain them via sacrifice. Nekra then shoots Dr. Druid in the forehead, killing him.
Nekra is one of a handful of mutants to have retained her powers in the wake of House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
.
Nekra resurfaces and is seen donating genetic material to an M.G.H ring that had sprung up in L.A. after the death of The Pride
Pride (comics)
The Pride are a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team, a criminal organization that controlled the Los Angeles area of the Marvel Universe. As they are the parents and the initial and more prominent foes the Runaways have faced, they are perhaps the team's greatest enemy to date...
. She is defeated by Ricochet
Ricochet (comics)
Ricochet was an alternate identity used by the fictional superhero Spider-Man, and later adopted by college student Johnny Gallo, who appeared in the Marvel Comics series, Slingers.-Ricochet :...
, Darkhawk
Darkhawk
Darkhawk is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in his own self-titled series, Darkhawk #1...
, and the third Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character who is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the third character to be called Spider-Woman and the second to receive her own ongoing series.-Publication history:...
. She later returns at the Loners' meeting place to get her revenge on them. Nekra easily battled and defeated all of the Loners and precedes to strangle Mickey, when she is struck from behind by a mysterious lady named "Namie".
A girl going by the alias Death Reaper makes an appearance in "Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
: Zodiac". She claims to be illegitimate daughter of Nekra. Nekra joins the Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper (comics)
Grim Reaper is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in The Avengers #52 May , by Roy Thomas and John Buscema.-Fictional character biography:...
's new Lethal Legion
Lethal Legion
The Lethal Legion is the name of five teams of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The first version of the Legion appears in The Avengers #78 ; the second version in Avengers #164 ; the third version in West Coast Avengers vol. 2, #1 ; the fourth Avengers...
. She is betrayed, along with the rest of the Legion by Grim Reaper, who uses them as a ploy to give Norman's Avengers better publicity. She is sent to prison and is under the impression that Grim Reaper is dead.
Nekra is seen during the riots in San Francisco with Frenzy
Joanna Cargill
Joanna Cargill, also known as Frenzy, is a fictional character, a mutant superhuman in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of supervillain groups, including the Alliance of Evil and the Acolytes, as well as the superhero team the X-Men....
of the Acolytes. Both are told by Karma
Karma (comics)
Karma is a fictional superheroine from Marvel Comics created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.Karma is a mutant endowed with the ability to seize control of another's mind, though she has sometimes been depicted with other more extensive psionic abilities...
to behave but Nekra tells her they were promised Utopia and they will never stop hunting mutants. They'll always be hunted, tormented and killed. She is then blasted by Ms. Marvel
Moonstone (comics)
Moonstone is a fictional character, both a supervillain and superheroine in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
. She later takes part in final battle; once again pitted against Osborn's Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers
Dark Avengers was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is part of a series of titles that have featured various iterations of the superhero team the Avengers...
as well as his X-Men and follows the rest of the mutants to the island of Utopia
During the Chaos War
Chaos War (comics)
"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a...
storyline, Nekra assists a resurrected Grim Reaper in fighting the Dead Avengers. She was killed with
the Grim Reaper by the Dead Avengers.