Kymellian

Kymellian
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Power Pack #1 (August 1984)

The Kymellians are a fictional extraterrestrial race that have appeared in many Marvel Comics. They were introduced in Power Pack #1 (August 1984).

Fictional biography

The Kymellians resemble anthropomorphic horses. Centuries ago, the Kymellians experimented with a formula to generate energy from anti-matter, but destroyed their home planet, Kymellia. Many Kymellians survived, and created a new home: a huge artificial world named Kymellia II.

Kymellians have the latent potential of superpowers. These include abilities they consider 'lesser' such as teleportation and healing, and other, 'major' ones. Mastering the major powers is very rare among them, and the Kymellians call those among them who succeed "Sorcerers".

A Kymellian named Aelfyre Whitemane (nicknamed "Whitey") and his "smartship" (a sentient starship, one of many used by Kymellians), called Friday after the character in Robinson Crusoe (after Aelfyre's interest in human literature), were studying Earth when a human scientist, Dr. James Power, was about to commit the same mistake that destroyed Kymellia. Whitey tries to ask his people for permission to interfere and save the Earth, but his message is intercepted by the Kymellians' enemies, the Zn'rx (anglicized "Snarks"), and they kidnap Dr. Power and his wife to gain the anti-matter formula. Whitey is mortally wounded in the process. Whitey rescues Power's four children, and grants them the powers he had mastered as a Kymellian Sorcerer: control over gravity and the abilities to fly, to change his molecular density, and to convert matter into energy. With this final act, Whitey perishes.[1] The children use their new powers to save the world and their parents, and become the superhero group Power Pack.[2]

Months later, Power Pack (with Kofi Whitemane and Franklin Richards) travel to Kymellia II, where they learn that most Kymellians thought poorly of Whitey's decision, and that their culture was under the influence of a ruthless Kymellian Technocrat. The Pack even had to fight the Kymellian champions, Force Four, a team of four Kymellian Sorcerers: Firemane, who had fire powers; Ghostmare, who could become intangible; Team Leader, who could invent anything, and Thunderhoof, who had super strength. (Force Four was a homage to the Fantastic Four, even having pig Latin versions of their real names.) The Pack defeated them, and then saved the Kymellians from the Snarks with Kofi's help. During these events, Ghostmare became The Matriarch, the Kymellians' spiritual leader, and established a new planet, Kymellia III. The Technocrat later tried to regain control of his race; but failed, and the Kymellians continue peacefully on Kymellia III.

The Inhumans and the Kree later form an alliance with the Kymellians and even perform the operation that would enable them to survive the Terrigen Mist. These Kymellians alongside the Badoons, the Centaurians, and the Dire Wraiths join with the Inhumans to form the Universal Inhumans. The Kymellians' procedure involves them consuming the nectar that blooms from the Antigen Tree (a mutagenic substance).[3]

Known Kymellians

Other versions

Heroes Reborn/Counter-Earth

In the "Heroes Reborn" reality created by Franklin Richards as a haven for several of Earth's superheroes, a Kymellian ship crashed on that reality's Earth at some point, but its pilot died in the crash. Human scientists mined the ship for technology and the pilot's DNA for experimentation. In the latter case, Kymellian DNA was bonded to an unwilling teenage test subject who not only developed teleportation abilities (similar to Kofi's), but also gained the ability to assume a Kymellian form, all before escaping from his captors. The teen, born Elric Freeman, took the name Elric Whitemane in honor of his new Kymellian heritage (intimating that the unnamed Kymellian pilot was that reality's Aelfyre Whitemane), and combining his horse-like alternate form with his love of stories of the American Old West, assumed a cowboy-like costumed identity as Kid Colt to fight oppression on the rapidly deteriorating Earth counterpart. Currently, this Earth has been shifted into the "prime" Marvel reality (Earth-616) as the latest planet to be dubbed Counter-Earth, and Kid Colt is a member of that world's premiere team of young superheroes, the Young Allies.

References

  1. ↑ Power Pack #1 (August 1984)
  2. ↑ Power Pack #2-4 (September-November 1984)
  3. ↑ Fantastic Four #577

External links