D'Ken
D'Ken is a male extraterrestrial comic supervillain who features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
D'Ken Neramani
D'Ken inherited the throne of the interstellar Shi'ar Empire after his older sister, Deathbird, was exiled for murdering their mother and an unnamed younger sister. The Shi'ar's first known contact with Terrans is during D'Ken's reign. On Earth for an unknown reason, a Shi'ar scout ship encounters the private plane of Chris Summers (later known as Corsair). Also aboard are a pregnant Katherine Anne Summers and their children, future X-Men members Cyclops and Havok. The Shi'ar ship attacks the plane and kidnaps Corsair and Katherine. Their two sons are forced to share an escape parachute. Unfortunately, both parties come to believe the other has died.
The unborn child of Katherine Summers was believed to had been killed by Christopher Summers but the boys near-lifeless body was later taken to an incubation-accelerator where he was matured to be a servant in Shi'ar society. (X-Men: Deadly Genesis v1 #6) DNA samples were later taken from Katherine Ann in order to gestate a Shi'ar/human hybrid as part of a eugenics program tasked with advancing the deteriorating evolution of the Shi'ar race. The resultant child that was born from this came to be known as Adam X. (X-Men Legends v1 #2)
Brought to the Shi'ar Empire, D'Ken initially imprisons Corsair and takes Katherine to his royal bedchambers where he attempts to rape Katherine. As Corsair makes an unsuccessful attempt to escape from his holding pen, D'Ken punishes him by making Corsair watch as D'Ken stabs and kills Katherine. D'Ken then rips their unborn child from her womb. Corsair is made a slave while D'Ken keeps the infant alive with Shi'ar technology that also accelerates his growth. The third Summers' son, Vulcan is raised a slave and is sent back to Earth to be a servant to Erik the Red. Vulcan is able to escape and find refuge with Moira MacTaggert.
Some time later, D'Ken came to discover the existence of the M'Kraan Crystal that was an ancient force and the deadliest weapon in history. Upon learning of this, he desired to possess it for himself with his sister Lilandra opposing his plans in council. In response, he would have his sister arrested where afterwards word would claim that she had attempted to kill the emperor and lay claim to the throne. Lilandra by this point had been a grand admiral in the Imperial Fleet which became divided her and D'Ken. This chain of events led to a civil war erupting within the empire with a final battle being waged over one world. Lilandra came to be held on-board the imperial flagship that was en-route for a ceremonial execution which D'Ken want to personally witness to enjoy his moment of triumph. However, his sister managed to escape where she sabotaged the flagship before departing on a scoutbug. (X-Men v1 #107)
Afterwards, telepathic spies notified D'Ken of the telepathic rapport formed between Lilandra and the human Mutant Charles Xavier following the defeat of the Z'Nox. To prevent them from allying, the emperor contacted his Earth-based agent Davan Shakari also known as Eric the Red who was ordered to either eliminate Xavier or prevent him from meeting Lilandra. (X-Men v1 #107)
Meanwhile, D'Ken seeks to expand the Shi'ar Empire and gain more power through finding and using the legendary M'Kraan Crystal. Ignoring others' concerns, he eventually located the Crystal, which is placed on an abandoned planet known only as The World. D'Ken's sister Lilandra Neramani opposes him, due to knowing that the Crystal was nicknamed "The End of All That Is" for a reason. She attempts a coup but is marked a traitor. While fleeing D'Ken's forces, Lilandra accidentally becomes psychically linked with Charles Xavier following his mental defeat of a Z'Nox invasion. Lilandra makes her way to Earth and allies herself with the X-Men. D'Ken's forces capture Lilandra and return with her, via Stargate, to The World to witness D'Ken's attempt to use the Crystal's power. The X-Men quickly pursue.
Rise and Fall of the Shi'ar Empire
In reality, he was not killed but instead rendered in a coma for years and left confined in bed as the synapses in his brain were severed from contact with the M'Kraan Crystal. For years, telepaths dispatched by the Secret Order were sent to attempt to repair the former Emperor's mind but were driven insane as a result. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #483)
To defeat his sister, he orchestrated a trap at the wedding of Deathbird to Vulcan where he intended to sacrifice Xavier to the M'Kraan Crystal. They fell for the trap with heavy fighting between D'Ken's forces and those of Lilandra. During the fighting, Lilandra was captured and D'Ken sought to torture her but he was struck from behind by the newly married Vulcan. Vulcan then proceeded to kill D'Ken as revenge for his actions in killing his mother with his body reduced to a skeleton. In the aftermath, Gabriel Summers status as Deathbird's husband meant that he claimed his crown whereupon he decreed that he was now Emperor Vulcan of the Shi'ar Imperium. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #485)
Overview
Personality and attributes
It was said that he dreamed of imperial glory but that he was ultimately a madman. (X-Men v1 #107)
D'Ken was a member of the ruling imperial family of the Shi'ar where he had a younger sister named Lilandra Neramani. (X-Men v1 #107)
Through a eugenics program, he came to genetically possess a son named Adam Neramani who was born with his Shi'ar DNA mixed with those of a human namely Katherine Ann Summers. As a result, biologically this meant that he was related to the Summers family. (X-Men Legends v1 #2)
Powers and abilities
D'Ken was a member of the extraterrestrial race that were the Shi'ar and had all the traits inherent of the species. (X-Men v1 #107)
He was noted to had ordered a eugenics program designed to advance the deteriorating evolution of the Shi'ar race. To accomplish this, cell samples were culled from other species that were melded onto Shi'ar DNA that belonged to D'Ken himself. (X-Men Legends v1 #2)
At some point, he came to learn of the existence of the M'Kraan Crystal and that it was a gateway to incredible power. The doorway opened once every million years when the nine death-stars enter a certain alignment. It was then that within the crystal one could find absolute power. (X-Men v1 #107) The power of the crystal gave him the capacity to destroy the entire universe. (X-Men v1 #108)
As emperor, he commanded an oath of loyalty from the ranks of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. (X-Men v1 #107)
He maintained a cadre of telepathic spies that informed him of events across the cosmos. (X-Men v1 #107)
Within the Shi'ar empire, there existed a group of D'Ken loyalists known as the Secret Order that looked to bring him back into power. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #483)
Notes
- D'Ken was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum where he made his first appearance in Uncanny X-Men v1 #97 (February, 1976).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In X-Men, D'Ken appeared in the 1990s animated television series as the main antagonist in the Phoenix Saga adaptation.
Appearances
- Uncanny X-Men v1: (1976)
- X-Men Legends v1: (2021)
External Links
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