By Eric Drumm
The Marvel Universe has more species of aliens than a high school has cliques. From the regal Shi'ar to the scheming Skrulls, the House of Ideas ha seen more extraterrestrials than a George Lucas marathon.
However, one race of alien has produced quite a few rock stars pop up on both sides of good and evil – the Kree. This blue—and sometimes pink—skinned race of super scientists rule a sprawling empire, making them kind of like the ancient Rome of the cosmos.
To celebrate the return of their champion Captain Marvel and the release of the second issue of his self-titled mini-series by writer Brian Reed and artist Lee Weeks on December 19, we've put together a list of the top five Kree who have annexed our hearts like a nearby planetoid.
5. WRAITH
Every group has a loner, and Wraith fills that role pretty nicely for the Kree.
A ghostly nomad with a dark past, Wraith's mission of revenge took a sideline when he came into contact with the absurdly evil Phalanx. Like a hired gun riding into town, this space cowboy blasted his way through the Phalanx like they were cardboard cutouts on a shooting range.
Setting the stars on fire on his flying motorcycle, Wraith might be a Kree of few words, but only because he's usually too busy killing something.
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST editor Bill Rosemann: "He makes a poncho look bad-ass. That, my friends, is cool."
4. QUASAR
They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and for Phyla-Vell, that statement rings true.
The daughter of the legendary Captain Marvel, Phyla picked up the Quantum Bands from the fallen Wendell Vaughn during ANNIHILATION. As the new Quasar, Phyla vowed to honor all those who were threatened and protect the Kree at all costs.
Trained to be a hero from birth, Phyla had the guts to take on the Phalanx even when her Quantum energy had run out. With devoted lover Moondragon at her side, nothing will stop Phyla from saving the Kree. A hero to the bone, the new Quasar makes her father and her people proud.
QUASAR writer Christos Gage: "What really makes [Quasar] an interesting character for me is that she is just now coming into her own as a person. She's asking a lot of questions about everything, including herself, and that makes her vulnerable, but in the end will make her stronger. I think a lot of people, myself included, can relate to her journey."
3. RONAN
You can't find a more no nonsense ruler than Ronan the Accuser. Once a devoted follower of the Supreme Intelligence, Ronan took the reins of the Kree after mercy
killing his long-time mentor rather than let him become a puppet of Annihilus during ANNIHILATION.
Ronan's devotion to the Kree runs so deep that even when falsely accused of crimes he didn't commit and sentenced to a prison planet, he fought his way back to the Empire to preserve his people.
Despite his mighty hammer and battle hardened toughness, Ronan's vision for the Kree got cut temporarily short when the Phalanx started turning his people into zombies. Facing the elimination of the Kree all together, Ronan reluctantly joined with the Phalanx in order to preserve the future of the Kree Empire, but now, freed by Wraith, hungers for revenge.
Rosemann: Okay,
you tell the seven foot tall dude with the ginormous hammer that he's not cool.
2. THE SUPREME INTELLIGENCE
Imagine a hard drive that contained every single mind of everyone that ever lived. The Kree thought of that little gem and built the Supreme Intelligence!
As ruler of the Empire, Supremor, received worship for its vast
wisdom, but often made rash and deadly decisions in the name of Kree advancement. Its desperate attempts to activate evolution led to its destruction several times, and eventual succession by Ronan the Accuser.
Housed in the body of the galactic gunslinger known only as Wraith, the Supremor's essence currently lies dormant.
Rosemann: "A giant green head—with tentacles!—floating in a tank of alien goo. How is that
not cool?"
1. CAPTAIN MARVEL
You've got to be pretty special to the Marvel Universe to be the superhero bearing its name—Captain Marvel lives up to the great expectations.
A Kree military officer sent to Earth to study Terran culture, Mar-Vell clashed with his superiors' destructive intentions for our world and became Captain Marvel, one of the galaxy's greatest champions. Named the Protector of the Universe, Marv made his way across the stars inspiring others with his noble nature and heroic deeds. Tragically Stricken with cancer, Mar-Vell died in his bed surrounded by friends.
Recently, the construction of the Negative Zone prison in CIVIL WAR caused Mar-Vell to be flung forward in time, allowing him to live again. Seeing the Marvel Universe as a fractured version of what it should be, he has become determined to set things right while accepting his tragic fate.
CAPTAIN MARVEL writer Brian Reed: "Captain Marvel is great in my eyes because he came to Earth, and even though we were a bunch of backward hicks who couldn't be bothered to pronounce his name right, he still dedicated himself to protecting our world."
Be sure to check out the coolest Kree of them all in CAPTAIN MARVEL #2, on sale December 19.
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