Hulkling
Hulkling is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Dorrek VIII was a male Kree/Skrull hybrid who was the child of Captain Mar-Vell and the Princess Anelle as well as being the grandson of Emperor Dorrek VII and Empress R’Kill. (Young Avengers v1 #11) It was said that Anelle had become pregnant with a male hatchling and when the identity of the father was discovered then the Emperor ordered the child to be slain. However, the child’s nurse managed to take the boy to safety before the death sentence could be carried out. The offspring’s mother was later killed when Galactus devoured the Skrull Throneworld. (Young Avengers v1 #10)
He used his powers mainly in an effort to fit in with his high school classmates, particularly the class president and basketball team captain, Greg Norris. Fitting in for Teddy included using his shapeshifting to provide access to New York City high life by impersonating various superheroes and celebrities. Finally, when Greg coerced him into breaking into the ruins of Avengers Mansion, Teddy decided that some things were more important than fitting in, and rather than let Greg loot the mansion, he ended the friendship. (Young Avengers Special v1 #1)
He was approached by Iron Lad to become a member of the Young Avengers after the Vision's failsafe program indicated that he was a superpowered being with the potential of becoming a hero. (Young Avengers v1 #3)
Young Avenger
Teddy's life changed again when the shape-shifting extraterrestrial known as the Super-Skrull showed up, claiming that Teddy was a Skrull. The Super-Skrull was surprised to learn that Teddy had super strength and wondered if the rumours about the boy's father were true. The Super-Skrull followed the Young Avengers to the home of Wiccan, where Teddy's mother was waiting for him. The Super-Skrull released a device designed to turn Teddy into his true form, trying to prove to him his Skrull heritage. However, the device didn't change Teddy's physical appearance. Instead, Ms. Altman, who was also caught in the device's beam, revealed her true Skrull form. When the Super Skrull accused her of being a traitor to her race, she responded by saying that the Empress ordered her to protect Teddy. Before she could say much else, the Super-Skrull killed her and kidnapped Teddy. (Young Avengers v1 #9)
The Super-Skrull broadcasted to all Skrull worlds that he had located Dorrek VIII, though Teddy insisted that he was not a Skrull. Kl'rt insisted that was and revealed the truth about his past. He insisted that he must return to his people so that they could reunite the Skrull Empire. Kree soldiers then arrived to help Teddy, stating that the Kree looked after their own.[19] A battle then erupted between the Kree and the Skrulls, both claiming Teddy as their own. (Young Avengers v1 #11) The only solution that Teddy saw to end the battle was surrender. It was settled that Teddy would spend half an Earth-year with the Kree and the other half with the Skrull, at which time he would declare his ultimate allegiance, while also being able to make scheduled visits to Earth. It was later revealed that the "Teddy" who left with the Kree was actually the Super-Skrull disguised as him, and therefore the real Teddy stayed on Earth. (Young Avengers v1 #12)
During the Civil War, S.H.I.E.L.D. arrested the Young Avengers. However, Falcon and Captain America intercepted the S.H.I.E.L.D bus which was transporting the prisoners, and Wiccan teleported the team out of the situation, into the Secret Avengers base. (Civil War v1 #2)
Teddy played a pivotal role in Captain America's plan for the final confrontation with Iron Man's forces, impersonating Yellowjacket in order to free the imprisoned heroes of Prison 42. (Civil War v1 #6)
New Avengers
Whilst at headquarters, he along with Wiccan came to be abducted by an alien craft belonging to the Knights of the Infinite. This group consisted entirely of Kree/Skrull hybrids who believed that Teddy was prophecised king to lead them and unite the devastated Skrull and Kree empires. (New Avengers v4 #4)
Emperor Hulkling
Whilst at a club, he was approached by a disguised Kree named Bel-Dann and a Skrull named Raksor with the two requesting an audience with Hulkling. The two revealed that their two respective empires had been attacked by a long dormant power. (Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling v1 #1) The danger came from the Cotati who had conducted a purge of all animal worlds from the cosmos and had been testing their weapons on both Kree as well as Skrull worlds. To combat this foe, factions in both empires looked to form an Alliance that would unite under a ruler with these efforts being made by Bel-Dann and Raksor. (Empyre v1 #2) The two requested that he helped put an end to the bloodshed by serving as the emperor of the Alliance. They were then attacked by a Skrull fanatical group called the Children of Tarnax who stopped when they saw him summon the Star-Sword. Bel-Dann and Raksor then pleaded with Hulkling to assume the throne with him taking some time to think about the matter where he confided in his fiancé Wiccan. Ultimately, Hulkling decided to take the throne where he was informed that Bel-Dann and Raksor had been killed by the enemy. Upon becoming emperor, he made it clear that there would be an end to bloodshed and peace being offered to their defeated enemies. This stance caused unrest among the soldiers with fanatics among the Kree looking to kill Dorrek-El for his weakness. Once the mutiny was stopped, his advisors expressed their concerns that Hulkling's ties to Earth would inspire further revolts. Thus, they pushed that he end his engagement with his human boyfriend Wiccan and fully assume the mantle of emperor. Reluctantly, Emperor Dorrek-El seemingly ended his ties to Wiccan though secretly the two maintained their relationship. (Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling v1 #1) Thus, Teddy came to embrace his heritage and sought to use it to end galactic conflict that was raging across the cosmos. (Incoming v1 #1) The Alliance armada then arrived in the Sol system where they set course for Earth's Moon to confront the Cotati garden that was growing there. (Empyre v1 #1)
In the aftermath, he continued his duties as Emperor, Star-Marshal and First Sword of the Kree-Skrull Alliance. One of the meetings was with the Shi'ar Vice-Chancellor who congratulated the Emperor and his husband the court wizard with him offering a stay at the luxurious beaches at Little Chandilar. During the honeymoon, the planet came under attack from Symbiotes dispatched by their master Knull who had the creatures take over Kree and Skrull warriors that were sent to kill their emperor. Hulkling with his husband and bodyguard Lauri-Ell then worked to save the occupants of the planet from Symbiote Dragons. Using Billy's magic, they were able to remove the Symbiotes from the captive hosts and helped evacuate the planet with a Kree/Skrull Alliance fleet present to take them to safety. (King in Black: Wiccan and Hulkling v1 #1)
He was on Throneworld II on the sacred ruined world of Hala when it came under attack from the Progenitors. Emperor Hulkling called an evacuation whilst he and Wiccan battled the giant invaders. The pair were later joined by one team of the Guardians of the Galaxy where together they managed to defeat the Progenitors who were warned against committing another attack in the future. (Guardians of the Galaxy v6 #13)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Teddy appeared as a young blonde haired white human teenager who was able to change into a larger green-skinned form where he took the name Hulkling though he had no connection to the Hulk. (Young Avengers v1 #3)
He was a fan of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice book series, as well as its TV series adaptation Game of Thrones, and Tyrion Lannister is his favorite character. (Young Avengers v2 #3)
Teddy Altman was the biological son of the Kree warrior Mar-Vell and the Skrull Princess Anelle. Hulkling never came to know his parents as he was only a child when he was sent away with both his parents having died in that time. (Young Avengers v1 #11)
His 'mother' had assumed the guise of a human where she went by the name of Mrs. Altman with her being given orders by the empress to protect her charge. (Young Avengers v1 #9) As a child, his adoptive mother who was the nurse that raised him taught him that it took bravery to be kind and that a good king found a way to make peace rather than war. (Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
Initially, Hulkling believed he was a Mutant and was unaware of the fact that he was part Skrull. (Young Avengers v1 #9) As such, he was a shapeshiter allowing him to alter his form though it took practice for him to make use of his ability in his role as a superhero. (Young Avengers v1 #4) Subconsciously, he was able to the biomass of his body to shift vital organs to prevent damage to them. (Civil War: Young Avengers and Runaways v1 #4) In his Hulkling form, he was noted to possess super-strength as one of his powers. (Young Avengers v1 #3) His physiology prevented him from falling under the sway of pheromone-based powers. (Dark Reign: Young Avengers v1 #5)
After meeting the Knights of the Infinite, he came to acquire the star-sword Excelsior that was forged from the two ancestral mystical swords of the ancient Dorrek Supreme's parents. (New Avengers v4 #4) The blade was said to be magic and capable of always returning to him if he willed it. (Empyre v1 #3)
Dorrek had some alliance scouts scavenge the detonation site of the Nega Bomb that devastated Shi'ar space decades prior. When they came back with the slagged remains of his fathers Nega Bands used to build the device. He had their remains fashioned into a pair of engagement rings which he would share with his husband Wiccan. When the two choose to initiate the warping function, the rings enable their wearers to swap places between the wielders current destination. Allowing one to take the place of the other rings bearer and vice versa. (Last Annihilation: Wiccan & Hulkling v1 #1)
It was said that he was the first royal hybrid to had been born in a thousand years. (New Avengers v4 #4)
Notes
- Hulkling was created by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung where he made his first appearance in Young Avengers v1 #1 (April, 2005).
- Editor Tom Brevoort noted that, "Originally, Allan pitched Hulkling as a female character using her shape-changing abilities to pose as a man. I suspect this was as close as Allan felt he could get to depicting an openly gay relationship in a Marvel comic. But as we got underway... he started to have second thoughts and approached me about maintaining Hulkling and Wiccan as two involved male characters."
- For Empyre, writer Al Ewing noted in an interview on Newsarama that, “Hulkling became Emperor to save lives. By taking on the role, he was able to end the ongoing hot-and-cold war between the Kree and Skrulls, as well as call a halt to the smaller Kree Civil War. So by becoming Emperor, he's already saved millions of lives - but now, he's got a difficult job to do, and various hard decisions to make. All I can say for now is that he believes he's acting for the best of reasons - we're not turning Teddy into a moustache-twirling, cackling villain.”
Alternate Versions
In other media
Video games
- In Marvel Future Fight, Hulkling appeared as a playable character in the mobile video game.
- In Marvel Avengers Academy, Hulkling appeared as a recruitable character in the Young Avengers event of the mobile video game.
Appearances
- Young Avengers v1: (2005)
- Young Avengers v2:
- New Avengers v4:
- Death Head: (2019)
- Incoming v1: (2019)
- Empyre v1: (2020)
- Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling v1: (2020)
- Captain Marvel v10:
- King in Black: Wiccan and Hulkling v1: (2021)
- Guardians of the Galaxy v6: (2021)
External Links
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