Wraith (Kree)
Wraith is a male extraterrestrial comic character who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Zak-Del was a male blue Kree who was the son of the brilliant scientist named Sim-Del and his wife. His father had developed a power source that could have brought light to an entire galaxy. However, the merchant houses in the empire opposed this and sought to ban his research. As a result, Sim-Del and his family relocated to a barren planetoid in the Bennazar Rift where he used the power source to turn the world into a paradise for himself along with his family. Sim-Del sought to share his knowledge with the rest of the universe but a faction within the Kree empire decided to terminate him where they sent a death squad to eliminate him. Sim-Del and his wife managed to hide their son Zak-Del before they were killed with the boy witnessing his parents demise. He was on a ship that fell into a wormhole to the Exoteric Latitude that was the space of the Nameless. (Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith v1 #2)
Strapped into an energy-draining device, he endured prolonged interrogation by his captors but refused to speak or acknowledge them. Despite their efforts to inflict pain, his symbiotic Exolon swarm absorbed much of the torment, rendering him stoic and nearly unresponsive. Later in the issue, Zak-Del broke free from his restraints when his Exolon parasites were unleashed, slaughtering Phalanx troops in brutal fashion. His movements were deliberate and efficient, and the Exolon swarm devoured the souls of those they struck down. Once loose, Wraith silently stalked the Phalanx stronghold, leaving corpses in his wake as he searched for answers tied to his past. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #1) Zak-Del continued his path through Phalanx-controlled territory. He demonstrated an ability to instill fear in his enemies through the supernatural aura of the Exolon, which caused panic even among otherwise unflinching foes. During his wanderings, he encountered a band of Kree rebels, including the warrior Ra-Venn, who were startled by both his lethality and the otherworldly nature of his powers. Though initially mistrusted, Wraith proved himself in battle when he single-handedly dismantled Phalanx patrols, combining fluid swordsmanship with the Exolon swarm’s draining attacks. His actions were quiet but decisive, leaving even his temporary allies unsettled by his eerie composure and the lifeless husks left behind after combat. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #2)
Captured again briefly by the Phalanx, he was brought before Ronan the Accuser, who at that point was compromised by Phalanx control. During this confrontation, Wraith fought against overwhelming odds, fending off Phalanx-controlled Kree soldiers and showcasing his ability to withstand attacks that would kill most warriors. He employed both his physical combat training and the Exolon’s unnatural resilience, sustaining wounds that quickly closed or failed to incapacitate him. His determination to find the one who had murdered his father remained his driving goal, and it guided his every move even amid the chaos. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #3) Wraith confronted the High Lord of the Phalanx and pushed his abilities to their limits. He carved through hordes of Phalanx with his blade, while the Exolon swarm multiplied the terror and destruction around him. Wraith’s relentlessness forced the Phalanx to retreat, and in the process, he freed Ronan from their control, delivering a blow to their dominance over Kree space. By the end of this conflict, Wraith stood as both an ally and an enigma to the Kree resistance. His refusal to embrace their cause fully, coupled with his fixation on hunting the Exolon priest, marked him as a dangerous, unpredictable figure. Nevertheless, his actions shifted the balance of the battle in favor of those resisting the Phalanx. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #4)
He was among those to respond to the call by Starfox for warriors to hunt down and kill Gamora as she was believed to hold the mental patterns of Thanos waiting to take over her body. (Guardians of the Galaxy v5 #2) Wraith agreed to help them in the hunt for Gamora to kill her where in exchange Starfox had agreed to share knowledge about the Exolon god Knull so that Zak-Del could slay the creature to free himself from his curse. (Guardians of the Galaxy v5 #3) The information given told him that there were still secrets contained in his father Sim-Del's research. Thus, he returned to Marxhotz to the Kree Black Site prison facility on the planetoid near the Bennazar Rift to reach his fathers old laboratory. He then used his teleporter to transport to Klyntar that was the Planet of the Symbiotes which was actually a prison designed to hold Knull. However, by this point, the entity had freed himself with Zak-Del being captured by the Symbiote god who revealed that the Exolon's were simply waste products of Knull's old experiments that had bonded to Wraith in the Exoteric Latitute. Knull then decided to strip the parasites from his body and left Zak-Del to die in the void but he then encountered a god of light that was the Symbiote god's opposite. The entity gifted Wraith with a brief amount of life allowing him to teleport to Earth where he gave a warning to Eddie Brock before his atoms distintegrated away. (Web of Venom: Wraith v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Zak-Del was depicted as a pale-skinned Kree male with a gaunt, almost deathlike visage. His most distinguishing feature was the infestation of the Exolon parasites, which gave his eyes a hollow, glowing quality and lent his skin an otherworldly pallor. He dressed in dark, tattered armor adorned with Kree-influenced design, but modified into a far more sinister, spectral aesthetic. A long cape and his curved blade completed his appearance, making him look less like a soldier and more like an avenging wraith stalking his prey. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #1) He came to be known as the Pale One, the Gray Rider and as the Wind That Talks. (Web of Venom: Wraith v1 #1)
Personality-wise, Zak-Del was portrayed as a grim, stoic figure who rarely spoke and showed little emotion. His long years of torment and his bond with the Exolon swarm stripped him of much of his former self, leaving him with an almost spectral detachment from those around him. Despite this cold exterior, he was unwaveringly determined in his personal mission to confront the Exolon priest responsible for his father’s death and his own transformation. His demeanor was intimidating to allies and enemies alike, as his silence and aura of dread made him seem inhuman and otherworldly. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #2)
One of his goals was freeing himself from the curse of the Exolons by slaying their god which he learnt was a being known as Knull. (Guardians of the Galaxy v5 #3)
Powers and abilities
Whilst originally a Kree, Zak-Del lived in symbiosis with the alien Exolon parasites that covered his body and fed off his soul. In exchange, they afforded him strength and immortality with him being able to summon them into battle. In addition, the sight of his exposed soul inspired fear in anything including mechanical beings. (Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith v1 #3) He did not register on sensors as being a living being. (Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith v1 #1) The Exolons were waste products created by Knull during his experiments in forging the Symbiotes. (Web of Venom: Wraith v1 #1)
Physiologically, Zak-Del was a Kree, but his natural traits had been drastically altered by his symbiosis with the Exolon. While the Kree already possessed enhanced strength, durability, and stamina compared to humans, the Exolon infestation gave him functional immortality, immunity to pain, and regenerative endurance. The Exolon parasites not only allowed him to survive grievous injuries but also to unleash swarms that drained the souls of his enemies, leaving them as lifeless husks. This combination of Kree physiology and Exolon abilities made him a nearly unstoppable combatant who could instill fear and devastation in any battlefield he entered. (Annihilation: Conquest – Wraith v1 #1)
He was armed with a polymorphic weapon that could change into a variety of forms including a pistol, whip or a blade and even tools such as binoculars. (Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith v1 #1)
Notes
- Wraith was created by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Kyle Hotz where he made his first appearance in Annihilation: Conquest Prologue v1 #1 (August, 2007).
In other media
Television
- In Guardians of the Galaxy, Wraith appeared in the animated television series episode "Fox on the Run" where he was voiced by actor Jeff Bennett. Gamora sought out his father in order to capture him for Ronan the Accuser to steal his invention but rather than be taken Zak-Del's parent decided to throw himself along with his invention into the nearest black hole. As a result, Wraith sought to get revenge against Gamora and later became armed with a morphing weapon. He was among the participants in the Grandmasters trials for Gamora on the space station Conjunction but was defeated by her. Afterwards, Wraith, Jarhead and an Elemental Beast confronted Ronan the Accuser and Nebula in order to take their revenge on him as Gamora was acting on her behalf.
Video games
- In Marvel: War of Heroes, Wraith appeared as multiple playable cards in the video game.
Appearances
- Annihilation: Conquest Prologue v1: (2007)
- Annihilation: Conquest - Wraith v1:
- Guardians of the Galaxy v5:
- Web of Venom: Wraith v1: (2020)
External Links
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