Skrull

Revision as of 06:00, 3 July 2020

The Skrulls from Secret Invasion v1 #5.

The Skrulls are an advanced shapeshifting extraterrestrial species that feature in Marvel Comics.

History

Origin

Fantastic Four vs. the Skrulls in Fantastic Four v1 #2.

The Skrulls were a race of reptilian humanoids that were native to the world of Skrullos. (Skrull Kill Krew v1 #2) According to one account, the Skrulls were among the many races including the Kree and humans that were spawned from the inhabitants of the world that became Xorr the God-Jewel around 6 million years ago. (Thor v1 #215) During their early infancy, their world was visited by the Celestials who experimented on their kind as they had done to every other race during their travels in space. The result of these experimentations led to the creation of the gene-transforming Deviant strain, the gene-protecting Eternal strain and the gene-oblivious latent normal strain. (Silver Surfer v3 #5) According to legend, the Changing People rose up against the Unworthies with them being led by Sl'gur't who led her legions into the stronghold of the Fossil Ones in the Valley of Esul. Inside was the last of the Eternals of Skrullos who was named Kly'bn. He convinced them not to kill him stating that his death meant that they killed part of their own heritage. Instead, he urged them to take their crusade to other worlds filled with people unable to change their form whilst he as the Eternal Skrull served as their guide post. Kly'bn proclaimed his loved that Sl'gur't accepted after she became enraptured with him. Afterwards, the two ascended to became part of the pantheon of deities of the Skrull race. (Incredible Hercules v1 #120) With the other two branches eliminated, the Deviant Skrulls began the creation of an empire that began to expand into space. (Silver Surfer v3 #5) At least one of the normal Prime Skrulls managed to survive into the modern age and escaped his homeworld. (Blackwulf v1 #2) In time, the Deviant Skrulls matured into two different strains with one developing into the Dire Wraiths. (Silver Surfer v3 #5) The Wraiths were considered a deviant branch of Skrullkind that had given to practising dire, dark magicks and arcane arts until the Skrulls themselves were threatened. As a result, the Skrulls began to wage war against their deviant offspring and sought to exterminate them in their entirety. However, the Dire Wraiths used their sorcery to escape into the Dark Nebula with the Skrulls being unable to pursue. However, they were glad to be rid of the Wraithkind that had been purged from their homeworld. (Rom v1 #50)

It was said that the Skrulls had built the first intergalactic empire in the universe. (Silver Surfer v3 #27) Through force or colonization, the Skrull Empire came to occupy all the suitable worlds in their home galaxy in M-61 in Andromeda. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #19) At some point, a Skrull had sought out the Crystal of Ultimate Vision and attempted to abuse its power thus failing the test posed by it. As a result, the questing Skrull was frozen into a statue to stand as a failure in the citadel ad the Crystal placed a further punishment by genetically freezing the evolution in place for their kind. (Uncanny X-Men Annual v1 1987)

During the reign of Emperor Dorrek, the Skrull people had achieved an advanced and peaceful civilization that had travelled through many worlds. However, they had not encountered any race that had the same level of technological sophistication as themselves. Thus, the Skrulls thought to share their science with a worthy race and uplift them as a society. Their search took them to the Greater Magellanic Cloud where they found the planet Hala that was home to two native species; the humanoid Kree and the plant-based Cotati. Upon arriving on their world, the Skrulls offered their technology but only to one of Hala's races that would be judged through a trial to create a great work. Both species agreed and were transported by the Skrulls to the isolated uninhabited planetoid that was Earth's Moon to the Blue Area of the Moon. They were both given a year to achieve their task and when they returned they found the Kree had constructed an impressive city whilst the Cotati had cultivated a thriving garden. The Skrulls judged the Cotati the superior achievement for creating life in a place that was lifeless. However, the war-like Kree refused to accept defeat and in the cover of night they slaughtered the Cotati delegation on the Moon. Afterwards, they went to the unaware Skrulls and murdered the peaceful delegation including Emperor Dorrek. The Skrull craft was commandeered and taken back to Hala where the Kree reverse engineered its advanced technology. The Skrulls themselves were not aware of this development until a century later when a Kree armada had formed that without warning had attacked the Skrull homeworld. This sparked off an eternal enmity between the two races that led to the Kree-Skrull War. (Avengers v1 #133)

Many ages ago, the Skrull civilization reached a highly advanced level of technology where their scientists sought to create a machine that turned thoughts into reality. After millennia of research, they succeeded in creating a Cosmic Cube that was taken by the Skrull Emperor who used its power to rule as a god-like being. In time, the Cube began to respond to the personality of its user and developed its own that mirrored the Emperor's. The developing intelligence of the Cosmic Cube only knew the madness of the Skrull Emperor where it lashed out to twist, remake and destroy star system after star system in the Skrull empire. Its rampage saw the devastation of two thirds of the Skrull galaxy and turned the species to barbarism before it finally matured into the being known as the Shaper of Worlds. (Captain America Annual v1 #7)

Around 15 years ago, Prince De'zean had sought the location of the mystical world of Majesdane. During an attempted invasion of Earth, he encountered a pair of Majesdanian criminals that were exiled from their homeworld to the human world. They offered Majesdane homeworld's location and arranged a marriage between their daughter to the Skrull's prince's son in exchange for Earth to be spared. The Skrull's agreed and launched an attack on Majesdane leading to a state of hostilities between the two species. (Runaways v2 #8)

Secret Invasion

Infiltrating Earth in Secret Invasion v1 #1.

For eons, the Skrull had been aware of the existence of the planet Earth but only took an interest in it a the dawn of the world's atomic age. (Marvel: The Lost Generation v1 #12)

Under the direction of the emperor, the Skrulls dispatched trained spies and agents to conquer Earth (Fantastic Four v1 #18). An invasion force on-board a mothership were dispatched from their home galaxy and headed towards Earth where it hid in orbit. Four agents were then dispatched to the surface with the purpose of causing the humans to turn against the Fantastic Four. Their plan was foiled and the invasion fleet were convinced that the danger posed by the heroes of the world were too great thus causing them to retreat. (Fantastic Four v1 #2) This resulted in Dorrek devoting the entire resources of Throne World to the defeat of the Fantastic Four and the conquest of Earth. Part of these efforts yielded the development of the Super-Skrull program who were warriors that could be imbued with multiple superpowers in order to make powerful warriors. (Fantastic Four v1 #18) According to one account, the political hegemony of the Throne World could only be maintained by focusing on the conquest of Earth. (Fantastic Four v3 #37)

The Super-Skrull attempted to regain the favour of the Emperor and offered his hostages to Dorrek VII who instead had him imprisoned. He then intended to force Captain Mar-Vell to build a Kree Omni-Wave Projector for use by the Skrulls. (Avengers v1 #94)

At the conclusion of the Kree/Skrull War, the Skrulls were visited by the Illuminati who warned the alien shapeshifters to stay away from Earth. They were briefly captured but managed to escape though their genetic material was studied by the Skrull scientists. (New Avengers: Illuminati v2 #1)

The unity of the Skrull empire was shattered when a hungry Galactus discovered Throneworld when his Herald Nova discovered it despite their use of an cloaking device. This brought the World Devourer to the Skrull capital where despite facing an armada they were unable to defeat him. As a result, Galactus consumed the life energies of the planet and killed its inhabitants including the Empress and her daughter. (Fantastic Four v1 #257) This act brought the once proud Skrull empire into shambles leading to chaos and rebellion across the galaxy. As a result, planetary governors began to declare themselves emperor or empresses where they rallied their forces in an attempt to bring the empire under their control. Weaker worlds fell immediately whilst alliances were forged and in turn were broken on a regular basis. These chain of events saw many Skrulls killed at the hands of other Skrulls. (Avengers v1 #259) After the destruction of their homeworld, the Skrull empire devolved into a number of smaller kingdoms run from former colony worlds by those that sought power. This period saw their people engage in in-fighting among themselves instead of combating threats such as the Kree. (Captain Marvel v4 #10) The death of the royal family led to every governor declaring themselves as emperor or empress. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #19) In this time, it was noted that there arose five Skrulls that were all pretenders to the throne and claimed to be the new emperor or empress. (Silver Surfer v3 #13) One plot was orchestrated by Zabyk who led a radical organization that sought to forge a new order in the Skrull empire after the loss of Throneworld. He had met with the scientist Myrn who had been driven mentally unstable after seeing the loss of their capital. He had designed a weapon of ultimate destruction for the Skrulls that would stabilise their unstable genetic code thus locking forms and preventing them from shapeshifting in the future. This culminated in the Hyper-Wave Bomb with Zabyk believing he could avoid its effects and use the loss of their shapeshifting ability to take control of the empire. A faction of Skrulls opposed him and freed Prince Dezan from the prison colony on Kral where they gained the assistance of the Avengers. Together, they battled Zabyk who had slain Myrn after the completion of the weapon and detonated it but he himself was affected as the entire race loss their ability to change form. Prince Dezan in the meantime had sought the use of the 'weapon' in the help of bringing about peace as he opposed the war-like nature of his race. Thus, a period of time began where many Skrulls were locked in the last shape they had assumed. (Avengers Annual v1 #14) This changed when Empress S'byll of Satriani regained her shapeshifting powers and began to extend them to the rest of her race thus returning their natural ability to them once more. (Silver Surfer v3 #27)

A band of K-Class Mutant Skrulls that formed Cadre K began operating openly within the empire in order to disrupt their operations such as preventing the elimination of newborn Skrulls that had mutations. (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet v1 #1) The Corporation began to use designer Skrull organs that were given to compatible donors giving various super-criminals shapeshifting powers. (Heroes for Hire v2 #3)

On Annihilation Day, the Annihilation Wave emerged from the Negative Zone and began attacking the positive-matter universe under the direction of Annihilus with the Skrull empire being amongst its targets. They destroyed the garden world wild sanctuary planet of Aks'lo using the superweapon known as the Harvester of Sorrows whereupon the Wave made way towards the Skrull core worlds. Attempts at battling the weapon as it headed to the ancestral world of Zaragz'na failed as the warlords were concerned of their rivals attack them in their weakened state if they fought against the Annihilation Wave. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #1) The tragedy of losing their planets that struck their race meant that they Skrull species became desperate in their desire to survive and saw salvation in their faith. Thus, extremism became an option by their people who decided to conquer Earth which was seen as their last attempt at surviving though some believed this was not the message that the Skrull Empire wanted. (Secret Invasion v1 #8) The Skrulls rallied under formerly exiled princess Veranke who had followed prophecy stating that Earth was to be their new homeworld and spearheaded their invasion through sleeper agents seeded on that planet. (New Avengers v1 #40) During the Superhuman Civil War, the New Avengers discovered traces of Skrull infiltration when 'Elektra' was killed and they found the dead body reverted to the true form of a Skrull. (New Avengers v1 #31) Despite this preparation for war, not all Skrulls agreed with this view with there being factions that supported the pacifistic ideals of the martyr Anelle. The jihadist factions sought to eliminate these Skrulls for opposing their plans for conquest. As a result, the peaceful Skrulls sought to flee through an underground railroad and attempted to use the Continuum Cortex on Knowhere to scatter elsewhere in the universe. (Guardians of the Galaxy v2 #6) Skrull infiltrators were sent to Hala to prevent the Kree from interfering in the invasion of Earth but these agents were all killed. (Guardians of the Galaxy v2 #8) As tensions were high, the Skrulls openly began their invasion where their fleet began to arrive on Earth and they disseminated a virus that shutdown Stark technology whilst having their agents hit key sites around the globe. (Secret Invasion v1 #1) This led to them openly attacking the planets superhero population where they seemingly had the upper hand and defeated the Earth's protectors. (Secret Invasion v1 #3)

Infinity

A trio of Skrull Warlords from Avengers v5 #18.

During the Builder Crisis, the ancient race cut a path through Regional Skrull Territories as they were on a path towards Earth. (Infinity v1 #1) This great threat caused the fractured warlords divided in the civil war to unify under the command of Kl’rt whilst one of their number sacrificed themselves to delay the enemy. The Skrulls then joined the Galactic Council in offering a greater resistance against the Builders. (Avengers v5 #18)

In the aftermath of the Builder War, the Skrull empire was reborn on Tarnax II under the banner of Emperor Kl'rt who was crowned the new leader of his people. (Infinity v1 #6) The Super-Skrull went to the restored planet of Sakaar in order to claim the Time Stone as he intended to use the Infinity Stones to restore the Skrull empire to its height. (Infinity Countdown Prime v1 #1) He took the gem with him to Tarnax II to be studied by the magician Mt'nox in finding a means of amplifying its powers in order to return the empire to its height. (Doctor Strange v5 #3) Factions in the Skrull empire looked towards making a renewed invasion of Earth into make it into their new Throneworld. Thus, they dispatched a family of Skrulls as part of the infiltration mission and sabotaging anti-Skrull tech detection systems where they disguised themselves as the Warner family. (Meet the Skrulls v1 #1) Around this time, the Skrulls pulled out of the Pan-Worlds Jurisdiction Treaty which meant that the Nova Corps was no longer allowed to operate in the Andromeda galaxy whilst they targeted subversive elements in their civilization leading to the destruction of the Kral system. (Guardians of the Galaxy Annual v5 #1)

Overview

Skrulls in Occupy Avengers v1 #7.

In appearance, the Skrulls were a race of green-skinned humanoids with distinctive features such as long ears. They were a species of natural shapeshifters allowing them to alter their forms to resemble other species or objects or even distort it such as by extending their limbs or shrinking their size. (Fantastic Four v1 #2) Though capable shape-shifters, they could only change form but not size as their mass remained a relative constant at all times. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #376) Though in one instance, a Skrull was able to take the form of a small fly. (Fantastic Four: Unplugged v1 #4) These abilities were derived from their unstable molecular structure that was came from their Deviant genetic code. (Avengers Annual v1 #14) They were regarded as the most accomplish and sophisticated metamorphs in known space with them able to duplicate a person’s appearance down to the micro-molecular level. (X-Men v2 #95) As shapeshifters, changing genders was no different than changing their hair colour. (Runaways v2 #8) They were able to maintain their form but if they were killed then they reverted to their true appearance. (Mighty Avengers v1 #16) Their reptilian ancestors were noted to be able to shed their skin. (Silver Surfer v3 #26) A combination of reptilian genes and the power to change shape allowed the Skrulls to regenerate lost limbs. (Silver Surfer v3 #27) Certain Skrulls were born as evolutionary throwbacks that did not possess the power to change shape with such members of their kind typically not allowed to reach maturity unless they were of the royal family. (Incredible Hulk v1 #419) The Deviant Mutates on Monster Isle were noted for having a striking similarity to the Skrullian mind structure. (Fantastic Four v1 #348) Skrull organs were noted for being aggressive in nature that had the ability to transmorph. These could be transplanted to other species giving those individuals shape-shifting abilities. (Heroes for Hire v2 #3) Adrenaline could be taken from Skrulls and combined between the unstable and normal variants to create an evolutionary formula that advanced evolution without the side effects of unstable mutations. (Blackwulf v1 #4) Skrull biology was vulnerable to radiation that could cause them to suffer from forms of super-leukaemia though their science had a cure for the condition. (Alpha Flight v1 #10) Some of their kind were born with mutations with these being labelled as K-Class. (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet v1 #1)

Whilst normal Skrulls were able to change their appearance of their natural form to that of another one, they were unable to duplicate the special abilities of a super powered person. Thus, they developed a special encoding form of technology that granted powers to an elite group of soldiers called the Warskrulls who had the gift to emulate the powers as well as the forms of their enemies. (Uncanny X-Men #274-277 March-June 1991)

Oval lobes protruding on the forehead were marks of mutation that publically indicated a Skrull was a lower-caste deviant. According to their species standards, such individuals were genetically unclean and traditionally slaughtered at birth. This changed in later years as such deviant-Skrulls were deemed to hold military value and were allowed to live. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #376)

As a species, the Skrulls were characterised by their brutal drive. (Thanos v1 #2) They were a proud people who considered their heritage as warriors and conquerors to be second to none. Though preferring indirect means of attack, they were equally capable in fighting with brute force when it was required. (X-Men v2 #95) Their people honoured their Skrull-brothers that died in battle by taking up the fallen individuals weapon. (Avengers: The Initiative v1 #15) Skrulls were noted for having concepts such as honor. (She-Hulk v2 #33) Typically, Skrulls prefer to accomplish their goals through guile and subterfuge. They considered no subtlety and even less honour to be achieved in direct confrontations. (X-Men v2 #95) Kly'bn D'rhk was a song sung by the Skrulls. (Runaways v1 #14)

In Skrull society, it was the father’s responsibility for rendering judgement on their offspring’s worthiness to live. (She-Hulk v2 #33) It was noted that the Skrulls arranged marriages between their kind in order to produce superior warriors through breeding programs. (Meet the Skrulls v1 #1) Their society had Priests of the Sciences that were charged with scientific development whilst telepathic Priests of the Mind could delve into the thoughts of people and be used during interrogations. (New Avengers v1 #44) Special hatchwardens were present within Skrull society who were tasked with watching over the hatching cycles in order to cull undesirable children to ensure genetic purity. Any mutations present among the children were eliminated with the Purifiers being dispatched for the task. (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet v1 #1) A chief body for law was the High Court that was the supreme judicial centre for the great Skrull empire that contained a gallery of spectators along with the Jury of Six that listened to the judges deliberations. From there, the high judicator listened to the charges placed against enemies of the Skrull empire. Such trials were allowed as their proud race followed the rules of the Convention of Fornax even though they believed them to be ridiculous. A chief official in the court was the Executioner that were armed with powerful weapons used to eliminate prisoners. (Fantastic Four v1 #206)

The Skrull Empire and government was rule by a member of their kind who held the title of Emperor or Empress who had absolute power. Below them were a number of governors each of which ruled a planet within the Empire. Below them were the nobility and lastly there were the commoners who were subservient to the nobles.

Nobility consisted of the blood born with princesses make their ranks and it deemed that it was not possible to imprison one of their number. (New Avengers v1 #40) Skrull warriors were loyal to the Throne as held by their leaders with it holding a more secret element embodied by black ops forces with this being called the Dark Throne. (Venom: First Host v1 #3) A leading body was the Skrullian High Command that operated the military and advised the emperor. (Fantastic Four v1 #358) Sci-Ops was a division within the empire that handled scientific developments. (Deadpool v2 #2) Prelates were officials that were responsible for entire quadrants of space. (Fantastic Four v1 #262) When conquering planets, the empire was known to install governors to head over territory as this tended to smooth transition to Skrull rule. (Thunderbolts v1 #124) Another branch of their empire was the Skrull Homeland Intelligence Earth Logistics Division that had a monitoring corps which watched for activities from the planet Earth. (Unbeatable Squirrel Girl v2 #40)

Though shapeshifters, acting for entertainment purposes could not be grasped by Skrulls who used their talents primarily to wage war. Thus, entertainment in the form of television became something of a forbidden interest to their race. This manifested in them developing colonies that served as cultural laboratories based on certain periods from Earth's television whose signals were intercepted by the Skrulls in space though it took decades due to time delay for the transmissions to be received. (U.S.Avengers v1 #12) Songs mostly consisted of war chants that were used to stir troops into a frenzy for battle with these being hours long. (Venom: First Host v1 #4) Skrulls in love with the culture of an enemy race such as those from the colony of Kral were seen as subversives and were often targeted for looting or killing. (Guardians of the Galaxy Annual v5 #1)

The Skrull race had a number of religious beliefs and mythologies. According to their teachings, their gods consisted of the last of the Skrull Eternals called Kly'bn who was being hunted by the Deviant Skrull armies led by Sl'gur't. As they approached him, he gave a patriotic speech telling them that he represented a part of their heritage and by killing him, they would lose what it meant to be Skrull. He stated that by being constant and unchanging, it was his destiny to bring the about the destiny of the Skrull race by transforming other worlds according to their truths which the Deviant Skrulls accepted. Sl'gur't fell in love with him and he took her as his bride whereupon they ascended into the Skrull pantheon of gods. As the Skrull conquered other races, those species gods became servants of Kly'bn and Sl'gur't who's power grew with each defeated people's pantheon.

After their ascension into their heavenly dimension, the two were worshipped for millions of years by the Skrulls where they were known to have been the emperor along with the empress of the Skrull pantheon. It was also said that the two wrote the holy text called the Book of World which included the prophecy that stated the Skrull homeworld would be destroyed and that a new home awaited them on Earth. This led to a justification for an invasion and holy war for the planet as the Skrulls believed the planet to be rightfully theirs to rule.

Within their pantheon, they had a number deities that included:

• Sl'gur't : a Skrull war-god with temples and statues made towards her. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #24)
• Zorr'kiri : the goddess of love who was a deity that was missing similar to others around the cosmos due to Gorr the God Butcher. (Thor: God of Thunder v1 #3)

A central religious text of their people was the Book of Worlds that had prophecies spoken of the future. (Secret Invasion v1 #1) A figure within Skrull beliefs was the Talisman who was a figure a step below their gods. They were a representation of their deities whose presence was required in a conquest or invasion to gain the gods blessings. All Skrulls could sense the presence of the Talisman no matter how far away and could feel the righteousness of their cause by their presence. The importance of such a figure meant that Skrulls kept them away from the main area of any fighting to protect the Talisman as their loss would be a devastating blow for their morale as it meant their gods had abandoned them. (She-Hulk v2 #31) A realm of perdition that existed within Skrull beliefs was a place known as the Shapeless Wastes. (Deadpool vs. Thanos v1 #3)

Skrulls were noted for being a devious race that only took the direct route when all else failed. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #19) It was said that though they had acquired certain mammalian characteristics that they were reptiles at heart and did not care what other races thought of them. (Silver Surfer v3 #27) As a warrior race, the concept of mercy was an alien emotion to them. (Rom v1 #50) Skrulls were noted to be a paranoid people and one who were said to be dogmatic in their view towards security. (Secret Invasion: Inhumans v1 #4) Traditionally, warlords among the Skrulls were known to hold little regard for scientists and thus ignored those members of their kind. (Captain Marvel v4 #10) It was said that they did not simply conquer other races but consumed them with them even dominating their respective pantheons to became part of vanquished idols to the Skrull gods. (Incredible Hercules v1 #118) A group of rogue Mutant Skrulls consisting of-Class mutations gathered together to form a group called Cadre K who opposed the empire. (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet v1 #1) An extreme religious sect that existed in their society was the Dard'van. (Secret Invasion Who Do You Trust? v1 #1) A holiday celebrated by the species was Vaxa Ha-Kax called Enlightenment Day that involved a ceremony known as conversion. This was religious in nature whereby full body baptism was performed. (What If? Secret Invasion v1 #1)

Under the Convention of Fornax, the Skrulls were forbidden from torturing Kree captives. (Avengers v1 #94)

There were a number of different languages and dialects used by the species. This included the Sfosogf dialect that was part of their language. (New Avengers: Illuminati v2 #1) One was the Irdu dialect that was of the Skrull Thort language. (New Avengers v1 #40) Frti was one dialect used by the Skrulls. (Incredible Hercules v1 #120) A further dialect was that of Tligi that was used by their race. (Mighty Avengers v1 #12) Another language used by their people was the Forgotten Tongue where the word Alkss meant Strength from Wisdom. (Meet the Skrulls v1 #2_

Certain skilled female warriors were referred to by the title of Warbride. (Venom: First Host v1 #3) Skrull commandos were able to resist any form of torture and were answerable to the emperor alone. (Fantastic Four v1 #348) In the past, pure Skrulls were incapable of copying Mutant powers without the use of mechanics that were easy to detect. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #376) Among their kind were a premier warrior class known as the Warskrulls that were able to manifest a whole catalogue of super-powers. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #468) Warskrulls were able to naturally duplicate both the appearance of their archetype and the full range of their abilities. The genetic strain was noted to be difficult to cultivate with the primal genetic coding difficult to re-sequence and could have unforeseen as well as undependable consequences. (X-Men v2 #95) They later developed the Super-Skrull warriors that had the means of duplicating the powers of super-powered beings allowing them to either have a mix of several different individuals or a single person that were hyper-developed. (New Avengers v1 #40)

Their currency consisted of golden Z'laks. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #1)

Technology

For an unknown number of years, they made use of a special salve called the Lacaroo for the child birthing process that reduced complications. (Fantastic Four v1 #378) It was said that the Skrulls were much more advanced in the field of cryogenics than mankind. (Fantastic Four v1 #358) Skrulls had the technology to create clones of living beings that had the memories of the original. (New Avengers v1 #40) Skrulls were able to bionically re-engineer members of their race to give them advanced abilities though this was cost prohibitive. (Fantastic Four v1 #358) They had also developed new genetic enhancements that allowed them to copy a member of another species and completely avoid detection by scientific or mystical means so long as the Skrull maintained that form and its thoughts allowing them to create perfect sleeper agents. (New Avengers v1 #40) They used inhibitor masks against prisoners of their own race which prevented them from changing shape. (Avengers Annual v1 #14) They were able to use slave darts that could be placed on even gigantic creatures in order to place them under the control of the Skrulls through their technology. (Fantastic Four v1 #347) Skrulls were quite skilled and knowledgeable of the art of cryogenics. (Fantastic Four v1 #358) A Genesis Matrix was a Skrull machine that was able to create clones instantaneously and even introduce new genetic material into their makeup. (Deadpool v2 #2) They developed a kind of suicide capsule that saw the person die but the Skrull cells within them left their bodies to merge into a short-lived large shapeless mass that attacked anything around them. This was considered an act of desperation with the more Skrulls taking part in the measure leading to an even larger organism forming as a result. (Thunderbolts v1 #125)

The controls on Skrull spacecraft were noted for being similar to those on Kree ships. (Thunderbolts v1 #124) Their science had also constructed the starship based oscilloscope that was designed to track down the radiation factor built into Kree battle suits. A miniature version of this Kree-detecting device was used for individuals when they began searching for the Kree. (Captain Marvel v1 #2) Skrulls used something like fibre optics as a back-up communications and datalink conduit. (Avengers Annual v1 #14) Hyperspace radios were used to communicate or listen to transmissions from their empire with such devices capable of being small enough to fit on a hand. (Unbeatable Squirrel Girl v2 #40) They had also created a repository of knowledge of their greatest leaders, empresses, tacticians and scientists with this being a cybernetic construct known as the Intelligentsia. This was a feminine being that was designed as the Skrull equivalent to the Kree Supreme Intelligence. (Captain Marvel v4 #10)

They made use of bindings that morphed their appearance to wrap themselves around a target. They were created for Skrulls to apprehend others of their kind and thus were engineered to adapt instantly to whatever form a shapeshifter might take to escape the bindings. An attempt to smash them led to them hardening or an attempt to burn them could see them freezing themselves. (Captain America v3 #5) In terms of weaponry, the Skrulls had a wide range of armaments at their disposal. Maser guns were one such weapon used by the Skrulls. (Captain Marvel v1 #2) Heat rays were known to be capable of disintegrating most targets. (Marvel Premiere v1 #35) Skrull Nulltron Bombs unleashed a kind of radiation that instantaneously polarised the molecular structure of all within range of it thus short circuiting the life functions of beings within its radius. (Incredible Hulk v1 #191)

The Skrull civilisation had developed advanced teleportation systems that allowed them from one site to another instantaneously. (Sensational She-Hulk v1 #44) These transport rays were powerful enough to travel across intergalactic distances with them able to go between far off worlds. (Fantastic Four v1 #32)

One type of automaton was the Inorganic Technotroid that were an incubated defense robot that was created to defend the Skrull rulers. These machines were hatched from an egg where they imprinted on the individual near them and became loyal to that person. (Fantastic Four v1 #349) They also utilised humanoid experimental android scouts such as the 7NH54 prototypes that were noted for their strength and ability to discharge powerful energy blasts. (Skrulls! v1 #1)

During military engagements, Skrulls used Detainee Transport Vehicles (D.T.V.s) which were used for herding purposes. When targeting a planet, they thinned the civilian herds where they took the best and brightest to a relocation facility for processing. Processing was a term used to determine how best that the civilians could be used to benefit the Skrull race. (She-Hulk v2 #32) A smaller type of assault craft were Striker-ships that could be operated by a lone pilot. (Venom: First Host v1 #3) The Skrull Empire maintained devastating Destructor class cruisers that were war worlds whose surfaces resembled lifeless asteroids that hid their true nature as interstellar vessels with untold potential for destruction. (Fantastic Four v1 #358) Skrull starships included the construction of warsaucers. (Untold Legend of Captain Marvel v1 #1) They possessed stealth cruisers that were able to enter into systems undetected and engage in covert operations. (Fantastic Four v1 #358) One type of craft were V'rukk class attack ships that were small atmospheric capable craft. (Nova v4 #16) Skrull motherships were noted to be massive with them being the size of a city. (Fantastic Four v1 #2)

Certain saucer ships used by the Skrulls were equipped with anti-detection shields in order to prevent their discovery by other races. (Marvel Premiere v1 #35) They made use of high-energy capacitor crystals that were known as Power Stones with charging stations used to power them. (Avengers Annual v1 #14) Skrulls made use of cosmic generators that were devices that supplied power to entire planets. (Fantastic Four v1 #18)

A powerful superweapon developed by their race was the Hyper-Wave Bomb that drew upon interdimensional energy. It could penetrate the core of the Skrull's unstable molecular structure thus stabilizing their Deviant genetic code. (Avengers Annual v1 #14) Another weapon was a programable plague agent that could be used to target an entire race with the shared DNA. This weapon had no cure or immunity with it being contagious allowing it to infect an entire race and bring about their extinction. (Venom: First Host v1 #3)

Members

The Skrull Empire in Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #1.

• Dorrek VII :
• R'Klll :
• Anelle :
• Morrat :
• Veranke :
• S'Byll : a female Skrull who after the death of the death of the empress was among the five pretenders to the throne of the empire. (Silver Surfer v3 #13)
• Sl'gur't : a Deviant female who headed the Changing People long ago in purging Skrullos of the normal breed Skrulls with her later falling in love with the Eternal Kly'bn becoming his wife and a goddess in her peoples pantheon. Her name in Frti dialect translated to meant "Infinite Names". (Incredible Hercules v1 #120)
• Kly'bn : an Eternal male who had been given his name by the Space Gods and the last of their number on Skrullos after the others were murdered by the Changing People. He convinced them to accept him as their god and he became the husband of Sl'gur't with the two ascending to the Skrull pantheon of deities. (Incredible Hercules v1 #120)
• Dorrek : a peaceful male who ruled his kind as Emperor when they were a pacifistic race looking for worthy recipients for their technology with him being part of the delegation to Hala to decide if the Kree or Cotati would be worthy of their science. Dorrek was ultimately killed by the Kree representatives led by Morag on Earth's Moon who stole the Skrull technology to develop create their empire. (Avengers v1 #133)
• Dezan : a prince and younger brother to Emperor Dorrek VII who was imprisoned for his peaceful nature and had a steel mask fixed to his face. (Avengers Annual v1 #14)
• Dro'ge : male Royal Priest of the Sciences. (New Avengers v1 #40)
• Talos : male member of the royal family whose niece became the empress, he was born without the power to shapeshift with him being a fierce warrior known as Talos the Untamed but during the Kree-Skrull War he was captured by the enemy leading to his shame with him being the disgrace as Talos the Tamed. (Incredible Hulk v1 #419)
• Nogor : male Skrull who operated as the Talisman of their faith and sanctified conquests of worlds. (She-Hulk v2 #31)
• De'lila : a female member of a malcontent rebel cadre who sought the assassination of the emperor. (Fantastic Four v1 #348)
• Ethan Edwards : male son of the scientist that created the Super-Skrull but when their world was being devoured by Galactus he empowered his son with even greater abilities and sent the child to Earth where he was unaware of his heritage with him raised by humans to become a superhero. (Marvel Knights: Spider-Man v1 #16)
• Jazinda :
• Criti Noll : an infiltrator that took on the identity of Hank Pym for the Skrull invasion of Earth but repeatedly took on the targets personality causing them to rebel after questioning the attack on the planet with Criti being killed only for a new clone to replace them. (Mighty Avengers v1 #17)
• Xavin :
• Lyja :
• Paibok :
• M'lanz :
• Z’Reg : a male Skrull dispatched to infiltrate the Avengers but the team had been disbanded after their mansion was destroyed leading to him remaining behind but deciding to abandon communication with his superiors as he had grown to like the planet Earth and its people. After a while, he decided to operate as a superhero and took the name Crusader as he worked alongside Freedom Ring when he first decided to operate as a hero. (Marvel Team-Up v3 #23)
• Dm’yr : a male Skrull who was originally a general until the civil war whereupon he became one of the rival warlords. During the Builder Crisis, he sacrificed himself along with his forces against the Builders in order to delay their foe thus giving the greater Skrull forces time to ally with the Galactic Council against their common enemy. (Avengers v5 #18)
• Hagar :
• Jaketch :
• R'Kin :
• S'ybak : a female Baroness and warlord who controlled one of the factions in Skrull space. (Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1 #1)
• Raze : a male Skrull who was among the rare few members of his kind that were born with the ability to shapeshift leading to him being considered a freak where he eventually became a bounty hunter that had taken this path for half of his life. (Silver Surfer v3 #89)
• Klobok : (Annihilator v1 #1)
• Flaw : (Uncanny X-Men v1 #468)
• Kylor : He was noted as being the five pretenders to the throne of the new emperor where he was killed after being betrayed by his spy into Nenora who led him into a false ambush against a Kree fleet. (Silver Surfer v3 #13)
• Raksor :
• K'rtem : a male warrior who trained in the same group as Z'Reg where he gave his friend his scar as a badge of honour. Once his training was complete, he was assigned to a special squad for a mission on behalf of the empress that was the invasion of Earth. During the battle, he fought Z'Reg in the guise of the Crusader and was killed by his former comrade. (Avengers: The Initiative v1 #15)
• Hokk Algol : a male Skrull Major who headed the Sixth Legion and was attached to the War-Crimes Tribunal Mission. (Force Works v1 #13)
• Krimonn : a male Skrull who was ambitious and sought power with him wanting to claim the throne of the Emperor for himself. He was defeated and sentenced to be transformed into a power Prism that was banished into space where he remained trapped in the hands of a cosmic being before arriving on Earth to empower Doctor Spectrum. (Iron Man v1 #65)
• Zirksu : a male Skrull who operated as an advanced agent and spy on Earth where he battled the 3-D Man. (Marvel Premiere v1 #37)
• Velmax : a male Skrull that was part of a scouting unit on Earth in 1947 when their ship was damaged and forced to crash after a clash with a U.S. Airforce jet. (Marvel: The Lost Generation v1 #4) He later joined the superhero team known as the First Line and took on the identity of Effigy. (Marvel: The Lost Generation v1 #2)
• Sensational Hydra : a male Skrull who along with his cohorts wanted revenge against Earth's superheroes and took on the identity of a high ranking Hydra commander in order to replace Captain America so that he could cause fear and paranoia at a Skrull infiltration of the planet. (Captain America v3 #7)
• Raze :
• G'illian Blax'zthor :

Notes

• The Skrulls were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where they made their first appearance in Fantastic Four v1 #2 (January, 1962).
• In Silver Surfer Annual v1 #1 (1988), it was established that the Skrulls encountered in the Marvel universe were in fact the Deviant branch of their species.
• A retcon later made the Skrulls as the aliens that feature in Amazing Adult Fantasy v1 #7 (December, 1961).
• The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe v1 #10 (1983) stated that it was about 100,000 years ago that the Skrull capital was relocated to Tarnax IV which was renamed Throneworld where the Skrull Empire was controlled by an Emperor and each of the 978 worlds was controlled by a Governor.
• It was also said in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe v1 #10 (1983) that they were reptilians with mammalian characteristics including hair and mammary glands among the females. Newborns were hatched from eggs but were nursed by their mothers with the species having a lifespan of 210 Earth years.
• In Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe v4 #14 (2005), noted that the Skrulls evolved on the planet Skrullos in the Dox System in the Andromeda/M-31 Galaxy with them being experimented on to create the immortal Eternals, shapeshifting Deviants and the Latents that had benign mutation.
• According to Skrulls! v1 #1 (2008), first contact with the Kree and Cotati was dated ten million years ago.
• In Skrulls! v1 #1 (2008), after the Crystal of Ultimate Vision froze their evolution, the Skrulls were only able to move forward through artificial genetic manipulation.

Alternate Versions

• In Squadron Supreme New World Order v1 #1 (1998), the Skrulls were shown to exist in the alternate universe designated as Earth-712. On this universe, they were involved in a war against the Kree that had lasted for millennia and in an effort to break the stalemate they developed the technology to imbue their soldiers with powers to turn them into an army of Super-Skrulls. However, before they could use the process in large numbers, the World Devourer Galactus arrived and destroyed their homeworld leading to the survivors being scattered across space. Only a single Skrull had went through the Super-Skrull process who was known as Skymax the Skrullian Skymaster who managed to escape the destruction but became marooned on Earth where he passed the Power Prism to a Human who became Doctor Spectrum.
• In Spider-Girl v1 #46 (2002), the Skrulls were shown to inhabit an alternate reality that was designated as Earth-982. Apox, the Omega-Skrull was a warrior of the empire that was artificially enhanced with cosmic powers through the use of cybernetics turning him into what he deemed to be a living god and shatterer of worlds. He travelled to Earth in order to get revenge against the Fantastic Four and the planet’s superheroes for the defeats of the Skrull empire but was defeated by Spider-Girl. It was also shown that Lyja had married Johnny Storm with the pair having a Skrull/Human hybrid son named Torus Storm.
• In Exiles v1 #8-#10 (2002), the Skrulls were shown to inhabit an alternate reality that was designated as Earth-5692. It was shown that during the Kree-Skrull War that they decided to establish a military base on Earth and conquered the world during its Industrial Revolution leading to humanity being added into the Skrull Empire. In the span of decades, humans were forced from their cities as the Skrulls established their colonies with mankind being an unseen class living on the outskirts of settlements with them lacking any form of technology. This was the status quo for the next century though a change occurred around five years ago when superhumans began to manifest among humans. At first, the Skrulls destroyed them before the chance of rebellion could occur but as their numbers began to grow the Skrulls became fascinated at these beings. Thus, they established the Games where they pitted these superhuman beings against one another for entertainment. At one point, the Skrulls considered using humans against the Kree and turned to create a genetically engineered human warrior with varying degrees of success but the project was abandoned as they found humans were too willful and thus could not be trusted with one of the products of these experiments being the Captain who served as a champion in the arena. Earth was later targeted by Galactus for consumption leading to the Skrulls abandoning it and leaving its human populace at the mercy of the World Devourer.
• In Ultimate Fantastic Four v1 #27 (2006), the Skrulls were shown to exist in the alternate universe designated as Earth-1610. People at times referred to them as the Chitauri but they found the term highly offensive and politically incorrect. Through their science unlocked latent super-genes in human biology with them giving a Skrull pill that gave incredible super-powers which also helped cure disease, aging and poverty. However, the super-drug had a secondary effect that eventually killed the user after a set of time which was why the Skrulls did not use it for themselves. Their leader was the billion year old Super-Skrull who wore an anti-assassination suit exo-skeleton to protect him from attacks by mimicking the superpowers of anyone in a thousand mile radius. It was claimed that they were the most benevolent race in the universe though in reality this was a trick as they appeared as a peaceful species that elevated lower technology worlds but in reality they covertly conquered such planets into their empire after their super-drug ravaged the population. After a teleportation incident, mankind inadvertently discovered the Skrulls who made peaceful contact with this Earth and shared their technology under the global administration of President Thor. However, the Skrulls instituted their plan with their Skrull pill wiping out the entire population except for Ben Grimm who did not take the drug and had been turned back into a human. He attacked the Super-Skrull and stole his exo-skeleton whereupon he used a time platform to go back in time to prevent the event that led to the first contact with the Skrulls thus averting this timeline but at the cost of his life.
• In What If: Secret Invasion v1 (2010), an alternate version of the event saw the Skrulls conquering Earth and attempting to convert humanity into their kind where they were opposed by the Avengers Alliance of Freedom.
• In Marvel 2-In-One v1 #4 (2018), an alternate version of Earth was shown whose inhabitants faced a Skrull invasion. This was a mass exodus from their homeworld before it was destroyed where they managed to replace almost a million people on Earth before they were discovered leading to a battle with the worlds superheroes. After the invaders were defeated, S.H.I.E.L.D. unified the superhuman community that sought to protect their world from more Skrull infiltrators.

In other media

Television

• In Fantastic Four, the Skrulls first appeared in the 1967 animated television series where they appeared in the episode "Invasion of the Super Skrulls". They were an advanced civilization of green skinned beings led by the Skrull Emperor who had longed to conquer Earth but were stopped by the Fantastic Four. Marshall Drom was responsible for the creation of the Super-Skrull who was used in a plan to eliminate the Fantastic Four but the enhanced Skrull warrior was defeated.
• In X-Men, the Skrulls appeared in cameo scenes in the 1990 animated series. In "Mojovision", a Skrull was seen in the audience and in the "Dark Phoenix Saga" the Skrull Empress was consulted by Majestrix Lilandra Neramani about the X-Men's Arnin Haelar rite of challenge.
• In Silver Surfer, Skrulls appeared in the animated series where they were green skinned reptilians with three fingers and the capacity to change their shape allowing them to mimic inanimate structures like stone pillars to changing their skin to stone to becoming dragonic caterpillar creatures. In this continuity, its revealed that only a set number of planets are suitable to handle Skrull reproduction. The young hatchlings appear as small near velociraptor style light green skinned creatures with an animalistic behavior. Its revealed that these young hatchlings are watched over by their elders known as Caretakers until they gain sentience and are capable of actual thought at which point they are taken to the Hive Mother who witnessed the hatching of the hundreds of eggs on their hive world. The Hive Mother was vital to the Skrulls as it was she who laid the eyes for the next generation of Skrulls to be born. Without her, the Skrulls would have no future which was why there was always a Royal Egg ready to hatch in case of such a situation. The government of the Skrulls is referred to as the Confederation which differs to their comic counterparts. One of the high ranking members of this state appear to hold the title of Prime Minister though ultimate power was in the hands of the Hive Mother who was capable of removing the Prime Minister from their post. At one point, it was customary for the Hive Mother to witness the hatching of the young born until the Cabal took power which eliminated the Hive Mother. These Skrull dissidents were intent on keeping their power which was solidified in an Admiral and the Prime Ministers hands. The Caretaker was charged with looking after the next generation of Skrulls and ensuring that the young reach sentience. Because of this, he was seen as a father to most of the Confederation. Shocktroopers of the Skrull military wore white silvery suits in combat situations. On a primary hive world, the Skrulls were known to deploy powerful pulsar mines in order to protect the planet. The Skrulls believed themselves to be experts at "persuasion" thanks to their ruthless nature. The Skrull Confederacy was at war with the Kree for many years with neither side gaining the advantage. It was noted that they were one of the most brutal species that inhabited the stars with them earning many enemies. A delegation was sent with a single ambassador from both sides meeting on the planet Zenn-La in order to create a lasting peace. Ironically, these ambassadors would work together to defend the planet against the threat of Galactus which resulted in their deaths and the continuation of the war between the two races. The Skrull Hive Mother had grown increasingly angry with her subjects ver the lack of victory against the Kree species. This prompted in her near move to remove the Admiral and Prime Minister from their positions as well as destroy their nests. As such, a coup resulted with the Cabal eliminating the Hive Mother and attempting to maintain their control over the Confederation. In order to maintain power, the Cabal maintained the illusion that the Hive Mother was still alive though this was a lie only known to a few such as the Caretaker. This was dangerous for the Skrull as it was the Hive Mother that maintained the species with no new generation of eggs being born without a replacement who was still in her egg. The Caretaker and the elders were reluctant to hatch the Royal Egg as they feared that the usurpers would either kill her, make her into their puppet or do something much worse. With the aid of Nova and the Silver Surfer, the Caretaker was able to ensure the new Royal Egg was transported to another world where it would be safe. The Silver Surfer deposited on a planet with a caretaker to watch over it in the hopes that the new Hive Mother will grow to be respectful of life and peaceful so that she would change the nature of the Skrull Confederation when she took power.
• In Avengers Assemble, the episode "Mojo's World" showed a number of Skrulls watching the gladiatorial games that were broadcasted from Mojo's starship.
• In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., the episode "Deathlok" had the Skrulls with a large role. During the episode, its revealed that in one possible future the Skrulls managed to sear the surface of Earth which destroyed humanity and allowed them to terraform the planet as a colony. The remnants of humanity managed to dispatch the cyborg Deathlok back in time to prevent this where he tracked the incident to a town where the Hulk and his allies were touring. It was revealed that the entire town were actually Skrulls following the Super-Skrull who was attempting to accomplish his peoples plans in conquering the planet due to its strategic value. The town itself was later shown to be built on top of a Skrull starship that was hiding underground with Deathlok and the Hulks defeating the alien shapeshifters to prevent their plan from succeeding.

Films

• In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Skrulls made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting:
  • In Captain Marvel, the Skrulls made their first appearance in the setting of the live-action film. They were a green-skinned humanoid race of shapeshifters who were able to take on the form of others even down to their genetic make-up. Long ago, their homeworld was destroyed by the Kree turning them into interstellar refugees who were desperate in finding a safe refuge for themselves whilst attempting to avoid the Kree Starforce. During the Kree/Skrull War, Mar-Vell came to see how his race had persecuted the Skrulls and in the guise of Dr. Wendy Lawson on Earth she attempted to construct a light-speed engine as a means of bringing peace by allowing the Skrulls to find a home that was out of the reach of the Kree. Skrull General Talos was in charge of the mission of finding the engine and finding his lost family so that they could be taken to safety.
  • In Spider-Man: Far From Home, the Skrulls were shown in the post-credit sequence of the live-action film. It was revealed Talos and his wife Soren impersonated Nick Fury and Maria Hill on Earth whilst the while the real Fury was relaxing onboard a Skrull spaceship.

Video games

• In Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer video game, the adaptation showed that Skrulls had arrived on Earth at some point where they established a mining facility underground beneath a volcano. Cosmic radiation was detected at the time leading to Reed Richards along with his team mates investigating the site. During the time, they encountered multiple Skrulls leading to a confrontation with the Super-Skrull who had been imbued with the powers of the entire Fantastic Four. He revealed that his people's mining would shortly come to an end and that mankind would soon become extinct. The Skrulls would be defeated as the volcano became unstable but Sue Richards created a forcefield that encased them as the explosive volcano ejected them from it allowing them to escape.
• In Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Nick Fury sends the Avengers on a mission to the Skrull Homeworld when it was being attacked by Galactus with the mission to recover some of his technology for use against the Odinforce empowered Doctor Doom who had taken over Earth. Their arrival sees them combating Skrull Deviants and Commandos alongside robotic Punishers.
• In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, the Skrulls were referenced in dialogue in the fighting video game with the Super-Skrull a playable character.
• In Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth, the Skrulls appeared as antagonists in the 2015 Wii video game where they had conducted their Secret Invasion of Earth with numerous members of their kind taking the form of various characters on Earth.
• In Marvel: War of Heroes, Skrulls appeared as a playable card in the video game. It was mentioned that they were created by the Celestials with their homeworld of Skrullos being devoured by Galactus causing them to divide into factions as well as battled Earth along with the Kree.
• In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, the Skrulls were only referenced in dialogue or in character backstories in the Facebook video game.
• In Marvel Heroes, the Skrulls appeared as antagonists in the MMORPG and were part of the Secret Invasion story.

Appearances

• Fantastic Four v1:
• Avengers v1:
• Silver Surfer:
• Sensational She-Hulk v1:
• New Avengers v1:
• Mighty Avengers v1:
• Annihilation v1:
• Annihilation: Super-Skrull v1:
• Secret Invasion v1: #1-8
• Secret Invasion: Inhumans v1:
• Deadpool v2:
• Thunderbolts v1:
• She-Hulk:
• Avengers: The Initiative v1:
• What If? Secret Invasion v1: #1
• Infinity v1:
• Guardians of the Galaxy:
• Occupy Avengers v1:
• Unbeatable Squirrel Girl v2:
• Venom: First Host v1:
• Doctor Strange:
• Meet the Skrulls v1:
• Guardians of the Galaxy Annual v5:
• Incoming v1:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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