Ursa Major (comics)
Encyclopedia
Ursa Major is a fictional character
, a mutant
in the Marvel Comics
universe
, and a former member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers
. His first appearance was in Incredible Hulk #258.
, Mikhail Ursus was one of the first known mutants born in the Soviet Union
in the 20th Century to survive past childhood. Up until the time of his birth, the Soviet government had killed all mutants at the first manifestation of their superhuman powers. In Mikhail's case this was at a young age and he was abandoned in the mountains, growing up amongst the animals of the forest and presumably using his shape-changing power to survive.
Due to the efforts of scientist Piotr Phobos, the government was made to see the potential value of superhumans serving the state and Phobos soon opened a private school to train mutants. Mikhail Ursus was among the first of the many mutants trained by Professor Phobos
. Unknown to both his students and the Soviet government, Phobos had built a device to siphon off energy from his students to give himself artificial powers of his own. The process tended to kill the subjects after a time, and Phobos explained their deaths as training casualties. When the second Red Guardian
discovered Phobos's scheme, he managed to overpower her and went into hiding, but not before giving two of his students, Darkstar
and Vanguard, graduation 'gifts' through which he could continue to siphon their power.
Following certain field work, Mikhail, Darkstar and Vanguard (the three best-trained students of Phobos's school) were reunited and organized by the government into the elite Soviet Super-Soldiers
, a team of Soviet government agents. Ursus was given the code name Ursa Major (though he is also known as 'Major Ursus'). The first mission of the Soviet Super-Soldiers was to investigate the contained radioactive area of Khystym known as the Forbidden Zone and to stop the Presence
. There they encountered the Hulk
, and discovered that their former teacher Professor Phobos was engaged in a project to radioactively contaminate all of the Soviet Union in order to foster the birth of more mutants whose powers he could eventually siphon. The Soviet Super-Soldiers, aided by the Hulk, thwarted Phobos's plan and brought him before the government to stand trial.
Although the Super-Soldiers resolved to remain together as a team, they vowed to never again unquestioningly serve the state. They have subsequently undertaken one government mission, but generally act independently. They were based in a scientific fortress in the region of Khystym.
Ursa Major later battled the Red Ghost
alongside the Soviet Super-Soldiers. With the Soviet Super-Soldiers, he was dispatched to capture Magneto
, and battled the X-Men
and the Avengers
. With Vanguard and Darkstar, Ursa Major later attempted to defect to the United States, but they were beaten comatose by the Supreme Soviets
.
Later, Ursa Major followed Vanguard into the employ of General Tskarov, a communist sympathizer who wanted to undermine American business along the East coast. They only agreed, however, in order to find the missing Darkstar, who (as Ursa later discovered) was in fact being experimented on in Tskarov's own laboratory. Ursa, Darkstar, and Vanguard then joined the Black Widow and Daredevil
in defeating Tskarov.
Ursa Major is one of the few mutants in the world to retain their powers after Decimation
. Ursa Major returns as part of the Winter Guard, helping them and War Machine
fight off a Skrull attempt to steal Russian nuclear bombs. Despite orders to the contrary, the entire Guard assists War Machine in killing or driving off the invaders.
He was later seen in a Russian gulag, forced to battle Bucky Barnes, who had been surrendered to the Russian government for alleged crimes as the Winter Soldier, convicted in absentia. When asked by the prison warden why Ursa Major had been incarcerated, Colonel Rostov replied "it's not too difficult to find treason or corruption charges on any government agent."
ability to transform himself into a large anthrophomorphic bear
. While in this form, Ursa Major retains his human intelligence, personality and ability to speak, though his personality does become more feral and he begins to lose control over his human intelligence if he remains in his transformed state for several hours consecutively. Ursa Major was trained by the Soviet Military, and trained in the use of his powers by Professor Phobos
, being a graduate of Professor Phobos's mutant training school.
While transformed, Ursa Major possesses superhuman strength, stamina and resistance to physical injury to a much greater degree than an actual bear of similar size possesses. His strength is sufficient enough to allow him to engage in a one-on-one battle with The Hulk and survive. His senses are also heightened to a superhuman degree, particularly his sense of smell that he can use to track a target by scent. Also, like a real bear, Ursa Major possesses non-retractable claws. These claws are relatively blunt, as they are with an actual bear, but can be used as effective weapons when coupled with his great strength.
.
human clone vats. He attacks the Earth-616
Machine Man
and tries to bite his head off. Machine Man extrudes spikes from his head, killing Ursa.
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...
, 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...
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...
, and a former member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers
Soviet Super-Soldiers
The Soviet Super-Soldiers are a fictional super team in the Marvel Comics universe.-History:The Soviet Super-Soldiers were a superteam that was brought together by the Soviet government of Russia to be the counterpart of American teams like the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Professor Phobos founded...
. His first appearance was in Incredible Hulk #258.
Fictional character biography
Born in BlagoveshchenskBlagoveshchensk
Blagoveshchensk is a city and the administrative center of Amur Oblast, Russia. Population: -Early history of the region:The early residents of both sides of the Amur in the region of today's Blagoveshchensk were the Daurs and Duchers...
, Mikhail Ursus was one of the first known mutants born in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the 20th Century to survive past childhood. Up until the time of his birth, the Soviet government had killed all mutants at the first manifestation of their superhuman powers. In Mikhail's case this was at a young age and he was abandoned in the mountains, growing up amongst the animals of the forest and presumably using his shape-changing power to survive.
Due to the efforts of scientist Piotr Phobos, the government was made to see the potential value of superhumans serving the state and Phobos soon opened a private school to train mutants. Mikhail Ursus was among the first of the many mutants trained by Professor Phobos
Professor Phobos
Professor Phobos is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Professor Phobos first appeared in Incredible Hulk #258-259 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema...
. Unknown to both his students and the Soviet government, Phobos had built a device to siphon off energy from his students to give himself artificial powers of his own. The process tended to kill the subjects after a time, and Phobos explained their deaths as training casualties. When the second Red Guardian
Starlight (comics)
Starlight is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. Created by Steve Gerber and Sal Buscema, she first appeared in Defenders # 35 .-Fictional character biography:Tania Belinsky was born in Leningrad, in the former Soviet Union...
discovered Phobos's scheme, he managed to overpower her and went into hiding, but not before giving two of his students, Darkstar
Darkstar (comics)
Darkstar is a fictional character, a mutant superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of various super-teams in her career, including X-Corporation and Champions of Los Angeles.-Fictional character biography:...
and Vanguard, graduation 'gifts' through which he could continue to siphon their power.
Following certain field work, Mikhail, Darkstar and Vanguard (the three best-trained students of Phobos's school) were reunited and organized by the government into the elite Soviet Super-Soldiers
Soviet Super-Soldiers
The Soviet Super-Soldiers are a fictional super team in the Marvel Comics universe.-History:The Soviet Super-Soldiers were a superteam that was brought together by the Soviet government of Russia to be the counterpart of American teams like the Avengers and Fantastic Four. Professor Phobos founded...
, a team of Soviet government agents. Ursus was given the code name Ursa Major (though he is also known as 'Major Ursus'). The first mission of the Soviet Super-Soldiers was to investigate the contained radioactive area of Khystym known as the Forbidden Zone and to stop the Presence
Presence (Marvel Comics)
Sergei Krylov is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Fictional character biography:As a younger man, Sergei was a Russian nuclear physicist born in Minsk, U.S.S.R...
. There they encountered 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 discovered that their former teacher Professor Phobos was engaged in a project to radioactively contaminate all of the Soviet Union in order to foster the birth of more mutants whose powers he could eventually siphon. The Soviet Super-Soldiers, aided by the Hulk, thwarted Phobos's plan and brought him before the government to stand trial.
Although the Super-Soldiers resolved to remain together as a team, they vowed to never again unquestioningly serve the state. They have subsequently undertaken one government mission, but generally act independently. They were based in a scientific fortress in the region of Khystym.
Ursa Major later battled the Red Ghost
Red Ghost
The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes are a group of Marvel Comics supervillains, who started their career fighting the Fantastic Four, before confronting other Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man...
alongside the Soviet Super-Soldiers. With the Soviet Super-Soldiers, he was dispatched to capture 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...
, and battled 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...
and 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...
. With Vanguard and Darkstar, Ursa Major later attempted to defect to the United States, but they were beaten comatose by the Supreme Soviets
Supreme Soviets
-Fictional team history:The Supreme Soviets is a fictional team of Russian superheroes in the Marvel Universe. This team of costumed champions operated under the supervision of the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics...
.
Later, Ursa Major followed Vanguard into the employ of General Tskarov, a communist sympathizer who wanted to undermine American business along the East coast. They only agreed, however, in order to find the missing Darkstar, who (as Ursa later discovered) was in fact being experimented on in Tskarov's own laboratory. Ursa, Darkstar, and Vanguard then joined the Black Widow and 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...
in defeating Tskarov.
Ursa Major is one of the few mutants in the world to retain their powers after Decimation
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
. Ursa Major returns as part of the Winter Guard, helping them and War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
fight off a Skrull attempt to steal Russian nuclear bombs. Despite orders to the contrary, the entire Guard assists War Machine in killing or driving off the invaders.
He was later seen in a Russian gulag, forced to battle Bucky Barnes, who had been surrendered to the Russian government for alleged crimes as the Winter Soldier, convicted in absentia. When asked by the prison warden why Ursa Major had been incarcerated, Colonel Rostov replied "it's not too difficult to find treason or corruption charges on any government agent."
Powers and abilities
Ursa Major has the mutantMutant (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...
ability to transform himself into a large anthrophomorphic bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
. While in this form, Ursa Major retains his human intelligence, personality and ability to speak, though his personality does become more feral and he begins to lose control over his human intelligence if he remains in his transformed state for several hours consecutively. Ursa Major was trained by the Soviet Military, and trained in the use of his powers by Professor Phobos
Professor Phobos
Professor Phobos is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Professor Phobos first appeared in Incredible Hulk #258-259 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema...
, being a graduate of Professor Phobos's mutant training school.
While transformed, Ursa Major possesses superhuman strength, stamina and resistance to physical injury to a much greater degree than an actual bear of similar size possesses. His strength is sufficient enough to allow him to engage in a one-on-one battle with The Hulk and survive. His senses are also heightened to a superhuman degree, particularly his sense of smell that he can use to track a target by scent. Also, like a real bear, Ursa Major possesses non-retractable claws. These claws are relatively blunt, as they are with an actual bear, but can be used as effective weapons when coupled with his great strength.
Civil War: House of M
Ursa Major is seen as a member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers in the House of MHouse 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...
.
Marvel Zombies
Ursa works as a guard for the Kingpin'sKingpin (comics)
The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
human clone vats. He attacks the Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
Machine Man
Machine Man
Machine Man is a fictional character, an android superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 , a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous Stanley Kubrick film and Arthur C. Clarke novel...
and tries to bite his head off. Machine Man extrudes spikes from his head, killing Ursa.