Krakoa

Revision as of 13:39, 4 December 2019

Krakoa in Wolverine and the X-Men v1 #2.

Krakoa is a comic character that features in Marvel Comics.

Biogaphy

Origin

Krakoa was a sentient island, created by the radiation-based mutation and combination of organisms on the isle. When active, the creature resembled a giant, green insectoid humanoid, composed of plants, mosses, molds, and other organic materials.

According to one account, originally Krakoa was part of a greater island that existed long ago that was known as Okkara. This was until a war erupted over the planet with an enemy wielding a twilight sword that tore the lands asunder. This led to the birth of Krakoa and its twin Arakko with a chasm separating the two from which sprang wicked creatures that sought to claim. It was then that a Mutant warrior namely Apocalypse stood against this threat where he used his mighty powers to force the island of Arakko into the chasm thus sealing it there. He then set forth his first Horsemen of Apocalypse there as sentinels to guard it to prevent the chasm from ever being open again. Thus, only Krakoa came to exist in the world and felt only half-complete as it was separated from its twin. (Powers of X v1 #4)

In 1945, the island was angry and in pain as a result of the detonation of the atomic bomb on it. During this time, Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos were on a plane that crashed on the isle where they came to be stranded. The squad were unaware that the island was alive with some of their number becoming infected by moss that attempted to consume their bodies. During this time, Fury was exploring the island and managed to come upon the beating core of Krakoa who revealed its true nature and anger. Nick Fury managed to convince the island to let them go with Krakoa cleaning up any trace of radiation and allowing them to stay on it until rescue arrived whereupon the Howling Commandos kept their discovery of the living island a secret. (Journey into Mystery: The Birth of Krakoa v1 #1)

The creature fed on mutant life energy, and captured the original X-Men, excluding Cyclops, who escaped to tell Professor X what had happened. Xavier formed a new group of X-Men to save the originals and destroy Krakoa- they succeeded when Polaris used her powers to propel the island into space.

Krakoa was originally a very small island in the Pacific Ocean that was located close to where some nuclear bombing tests were done. The radiation somehow turned the island's ecosystem into a hive-mind entity.

In Giant-Size X-Men #1, The X-Men (then consisting of Cyclops, Angel, Havok, Iceman, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), and Polaris) came to the island after Cerebro detected an unknown mutant there, and were captured by Krakoa, who used them as food sources. Cyclops was the only one able to flee, but doesn't remember what happened. Professor X decides to recruit international mutants to save his X-Men (namely Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Sunfire, Thunderbird, Banshee, and Wolverine) and sends them to Krakoa. Cyclops' group of mutants pair off and after each pair encounter and defeat various aspects of the island, the new X-Men team finds the original X-Men, who are weakened from being fed upon by Krakoa for so long. At this point, it is revealed that it was the island itself that Cerebro had registered as a mutant, and it let Cyclops escape so that he would return with a rescue party that Krakoa would use as more food sources. Krakoa battles the new and old X-Men by forming a giant humanoid body out of its terrain. With a combination of psi interference by Professor X and energy blasts from Cyclops and Havok, Storm is able to supercharge Polaris' magnetic powers with bolts of lightning. Polaris interacts with the Earth's core and creates a magnetic pulse so strong that she is able to launch Krakoa into outer space. The X-Men - now counting thirteen members - are all saved.[2]

Aftermath

Later a "son of Krakoa" appeared. It was the result of a spore that was released from Krakoa as it was shot into space. Nightcrawler eventually defeated this "Vega-Superior" by tricking him into drowning himself.[3]

Krakoa was apparently found and captured for study by the cosmic entity known as The Stranger, as seen when Quasar visited one of his 'laboratory worlds'.[4] Krakoa was eventually freed as well as many of the specimens.[5]

The 2006 X-Men: Deadly Genesis storyline features a major retcon in which it is revealed that many of the elements in Giant-Size X-Men #1 were in fact deceptions and delusions created by Professor X to hide the major part of the story.[6] Another team of young mutants, composed of Petra, Darwin, Sway, and the third Summers brother Kid Vulcan, from a parallel X-Mansion led by Moira MacTaggert, were sent to help the original X-Men. They managed to save Cyclops and returned him to Professor X. However Krakoa, no more intelligent than an animal, killed Petra and Sway and left Darwin and Kid Vulcan almost dead. Xavier had erased all records of the real events in Cyclops' mind, and altered the mutants' minds to cast the illusion of a speaking, sapient Krakoa.[7]

During the X-Men: Manifest Destiny storyline, Sunspot's business partner tells the Young X-Men that his workers went missing on an uncharted island. This island turns out to be an offshoot of Krakoa.[volume & issue needed]

Material from Krakoa was used to create his grandchild who was grown in an artificial super garden by Dr. Frankenstein of the Hellfire Club. Across his development, he was beaten and abused in order to instil only hate as well as rage in him. He was then deployed to attack the Jean Grey School of Higher Learning as part of Kade Kilgore’s war against the X-Men. During the attack, Quentin Quire came to open a telepathic dialogue with Krakoa and came to learn he never wanted to attack the X-Men as he had been forced to do so by the Hellfire Club. Instead, he was repentant over his actions and asked to join them thus stopping the attack with him becoming part of the school. (Wolverine and the X-Men v1 #3)

Not soon after the school began having money difficulties, it is Krakoa who solves the school's problems by growing great quantities of diamonds on the trees he produces.[10]

Krakoa's school grounds Bamfs and Doop were able to prevent Swarm from invading the Jean Grey School.[11]

During the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline, Mister Sinister uses a clone of Krakoa to fight the Phoenix Five (consisting of Phoenix Force-powered Cyclops, Colossus, Emma Frost, Magik, and Namor).[12]

Krakoa survived, and was found by the Stranger. He took Krakoa and studied it on his laboratory-world, keeping it in the same environment as Ego-Prime.

House of X

It eventually re-established itself in its island form where it resided near Australia and came to be the base of a new Mutant home nation. (House of X v1 #1) To aid the newly formed government, the Quiet Council of Krakoa was established by key Mutant leaders. Charles Xavier made an open invitation for all Mutants to gather on the living island that was to be their home and made steps at creating a miracle drug that could be used as leverage to gain support from the international community. (Powers of X v1 #5) During this time, Xavier dispatched Domino to investigate a series of shell companies tied with anti-Mutant activities. (X-Force v6 #2)

An assassination attempt was made against Xavier with 33 Mutants being killed including Professor X himself. Krakoa's resurrection protocols were active during this time with the inhabitants of the island waiting for his return. The assassination, however, put the island on full alert and the X-Men began to investigate the human forces that ordered the attack. (X-Force v6 #2) Krakoa's transportation was later hijacked by the radical ecoterrorist group called the Hordeculture who sought to either subvert the island to their will or destroy it. Thus, they disrupted transportation into the Savage Land and took the flowers of Krakoa that were growing at a site there. The X-Men intervened and forced the Hordeculture to depart though they stated that they could at any time disrupt the transportation network. (X-Men v5 #3)

Overview

Personality and attributes

It was believed once that Krakoa was sentient but it was in reality a collection of impulses. (X-Men: Deadly Genesis v1 #6)

Powers and abilities

It was a living island, an intelligent ecosystem able to command all the living things native to its island body, and even its terrain.

In its original depiction, Krakoa was an immensely powerful being. It could manipulate its flora and fauna at will and possessed incredible psi powers, rivaling those of Professor X. Indeed, it was capable of subtly manipulating his mind from a great distance to prevent him contacting experienced heroes for help. After the revelation of the events surrounding Vulcan, it was revealed that Krakoa's intelligence was much more limited amounting to nothing more than survival instinct.

The current incarnation of Krakoa appearing in Wolverine and the X-Men appears to be much more intelligent than his predecessor and possesses all of its powers as well.

Upon being remodelled as the homeland of the Mutant nation, Krakoa came to be the producer of a unique substance known as the Flowers of Krakoa. This allowed it to produce a variety of drugs that were tailor made to provide effects to humans with these being in synthesized pills. Drug L was able to extend the human lifespan by five years whilst Drug I' was a superdrug that produced adaptive universal antibiotics and Drug M cured all diseases of the human mind. The Flowers could also be used to grow specific infrastructure such as Gateways that linked two such locations together or form a Habitat that was a self-sustaining environmental biome that was an interconnected part of Krakoa's consciousness or form a No Place that was a non-naturally occurring flower that made a habitat that existed outside the collective consciousness of Krakoa making it a kind of tumour. Krakoa was very protective of its kind and thus only allowed select individuals access through a gateway with these being Mutants. Non-Mutants needed to be accompanied by a willing Mutant in order to make use of a Gateway. (House of X v1 #1)

Locations on Krakoa came to include:

• House of X : (House of X v1 #1)
• House of M : (House of X v1 #1)
• Arbor Magna : (House of X v1 #1)
• Arena : (House of X v1 #1)
• Akademos Habitat : (House of X v1 #1)
• Transit : (House of X v1 #1)
• The Oracle : (House of X v1 #1)
• The Grove : (House of X v1 #1)
• The Cradle : (House of X v1 #1)
• The Reservoir : (House of X v1 #1)
• The Wild Hunt : (House of X v1 #1)
• Carousel : (House of X v1 #1)

The basis for a collective Mutant language was formed through the island with this being called Krakoan. It was telepathically imprinted in the cerebral cortex of the inhabitants that came to live on Krakoa's surface. (House of X v1 #1)

Notes

• Krakoa was created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum where she made her First Appearance in Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1 (May, 1975).
• Keith Giffen later spoofed the character as Kooey Kooey Kooey in DC Comics.
• John Byrne similarly spoofed it as Spragg The Living Hill in Sensational She-Hulk.
• Its name was derived from the real Indonesian volcano island Krakatoa.

Alternate Timelines

In one divergent reality, the original X-Men broke up before they investigated Krakoa, and Krakoa used the energy of Xavier's new team to attack New York City- the creature was destroyed by the Avengers, who then discovered the ghastly fate of the mutant heroes.

In other media

Television

• In The Super Hero Squad Show, Krakoa was mentioned in animated television series in the episode "Support Your Local Sky-Father". The Mayor of Super Hero City mentioned to Invisible Woman about an island bought by Super Hero City that was evil until the X-Men shot it into space.

Video games

• In X-Men: Battle of the Atom, Krakoa appeared on a card in the iOS video card game.

Appearances

• Giant-Size X-Men v1:
• X-Men: Deadly Genesis v1:
• Wolverine and the X-Men v1:
• Journey into Mystery: The Birth of Krakoa v1:
• House of X v1:
• Power of X v1:
• X-Men v5:
• Excalibur:
• Fallen Angels v2:
• X-Force v6:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry

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