Krakoa

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

Krakoa is a comic character who features in Marvel Comics.

Biogaphy

Origin

Krakoa was a living community intelligence that took the form of a living island on Earth. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1) 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)

Later on, an early atomic test was known to had been conducted on the isle with this mistakenly being believed to had created Krakoa in the first place. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

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.

Within space, the living island was found by the cosmic being known as the Stranger and taken as an object of interest to be studied on his laboratory-world. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

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

One of the spores of the departing Krakoa came to fall back to Earth where it developed into a child that took the name of Vega-Superior. Taking root on an island, Vega-Superior began to take control of it and terrorised the primitive human inhabitants. He came to feed on human essences in an effort to build his strength so that he could take revenge against the X-Men on behalf of his sire. In addition, Vega-Superior sought to expand to the rest of the planet and commit genocide on the human. Part of this plot involved using genetic constructs based on the X-Men that was memorised by his 'father' who had copied them during his fight against the team of Mutants. These were being grown to be Vega-Superor's Vega-Men born of natural elements on the island. At this time, Nightcrawler became stranded on the island and was forced to battle Vega-Superior where the X-Man managed to trick the Son of Krakoa into the water where he drowned and died as a result. (Excalibur v1 #31)

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)

After the opening of the External Gate, an expedition was sent where the Summoner went alongside Banshee and Unus the Untouchable to make contact with Arrako. They returned with Banshee being critically wounded whilst Unus had been captured with the Summoner explaining the events that happened in their journey. Upon the gathering of the Quiet Council, they claimed that they were displeased with Apocalypse taking his own actions at forming the gateway without consulting them. In fact, the danger posed from beyond the gate made them consider destroying it in order to safeguard Krakoa. A vote was held with the majority seemingly agreeing with the decision but then Krakoa intervened in the discussion where he wanted the gateway to remain open. This was because he wanted to re-unite with Arakko and become whole again with this aligning with Apocalypse's intentions. Thus, the Quiet Council were forced to accept he continued use of the External Gate but warned Apocalypse that he would not have their support in his current plans. Thus, Apocalypse gathered volunteers amongst the Krakoans to launch a mission to save Arrako where they met with the Horsemen who then turned on their father En Sabah Nur leading to him being critically wounded. (X of Swords: Creation v1 #1) In addition, Rictor was poisoned by Pestilence and Rockslide's body was destroyed by the Summoner with the X-Men rushing back to Krakoa to heal or resurrect their fallen. However, it was discovered that the multiversal nature of Otherworld had impacted the Resurrection Protocols causing that overwrote Rockslide's mental stored patterns. Thus, Santo was killed and a new entity came to inhabit his body with the corrupted files briefly shutting down the Resurrection Protocols. Meanwhile, Saturnyne destroyed the External Gate to prevent unauthorised entry into Otherworld until the time of the coming tournament with the Krakoans looking to find the champions that would wield the ten swords in the coming battle. (X-Factor v4 #4)

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Krakoa was a living being that took the form of an island atoll. It was known as "The Island That Walks Like a Man". (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

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

The island was known to trick people on its surface so that it could feed on them. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

One of his offspring came to take the name of Vega-Superior. (Excalibur v1 #31)

Powers and abilities

It was a living Mutant island with Krakoa being a colony intelligence able to command all the living things native to its island body, and even its terrain. This included causing vines to grab onto its prey or cause landslides to change direction to bury enemies. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

The community intelligence was capable of waging a mental combat with powerful telepaths where Krakoa rivalled Professor X himself. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

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.

Those that fell prey to Krakoa were captured and gradually fed on by the living island where it took nourishment from Mutant energy. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

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.

At times, Krakoa was capable of moulding a physical avatar of itself that it could use to battle enemies. (Giant-Size X-Men v1 #1)

The living island was able to memorise the genetic codes of those that resided on him. (Excalibur v1 #31)

Krakoa was able to reproduce through spores that developed into his offspring who inherited their sire's genetic memories. (Excalibur v1 #31)

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 it made its 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: (1975)
• Excalibur v1:
• Quasar 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:
• X of Swords: Creation v1: (2020)

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry

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