By Ben Morse
With Skrulls invading and the Phalanx annihilating, not to mention the Shi'ar, Badoon and other assorted weirdoes lurking around every star system, the Marvel Universe seems to be lousy with aliens these days. However, just because more often then not these visitors from a distant planet seem to want ours for their own, doesn't mean they can't be cool as all get out.
Marvel.com asked some of our favorite creators and editors to beam in their favorite extra-terrestrials from around the Marvel Universe.
It's Friday, so kick back, relax and enjoy.
REGINALD HUDLIN (writer of BLACK PANTHER): My favorite alien would be Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer, because of his nobility.
My second favorite would be the Impossible Man, because he looks like he's having the most fun.
BRIAN REED (writer of MS. MARVEL): I love the Brood, and have used them a couple of times in the pages of MS. MARVEL. Yeah, they're basically just rip offs of the beasties in "Aliens," but the Brood talk, they have weapons, they perform genetic experiments on people, and they damn near destroyed the planet Earth the last time they were here! And they do all this while spreading across the universe like a virus, conquering planets and subjugating species. Oh! And sharp pointy teeth! They've got it all, those Brood.
TODD NAUCK (upcoming artist of AMERICAN DREAM): My favorite Marvel alien has to be Warlock from the New Mutants. I liked that, as a mutant from his world of war-mongering Maguses, Warlock wanted peace. I actually liked his weird speech pattern calling his teammates "self-friend" and listing synonyms for whatever
he was talking about. And he was a fun visual with all of his odd shape-shifting. I loved Art Adams' rendition of Warlock in WEB OF SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #2.
BILL ROSEMANN (Marvel editor): I love the Badoon. Why? Because their name is so fun to say. Go ahead, just try saying it now. See? Don't you already feel better?
Oh, and Rocket Raccoon rulez!
PAUL CORNELL (upcoming writer of CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13): I love Nebulon the Celestial Man. He looks like a member of KISS, but really he's a freaky multi-eyed alien thingy. And he has that [Steve] Gerber absurd ennui about him. He has a mission, but it's a complicated one, that goes at angles to our morality rather than dead against it.
JUAN DOE (cover artist of SECRET INVASION: FRONT LINE): By far my favorite extra-terrestrial from the Marvel Universe is Gladiator, from the Shi'ar Imperial Guard. Simply put, he's one of the baddest and thugged out mofo's in the universe. I'll never forget when he uprooted the Baxter building!
WELLINTON ALVES (artist of NOVA): One of my favorites is the Super-Skrull. I like how he has all the powers of the Fantastic Four. I think he's one of the most powerful guys in the galaxy since his race has always been strong and great warriors.
ANDY SCHMIDT (upcoming writer of MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS): Is it shocking that I'm going to say I like Annihilus? I love his design and the simplicity of the character. He sees all life as a threat to his own existence. Easy to use, powerful, and looks darn scary.
Here are a couple more at the top of my list:
Terrax the Tamer—just plain cool.
Infant Terrible—Keith Giffen really introduced me to this guy and the as of yet untapped potential for him.
Thanos—like Annihilus, cool design and simple.
Gladiator—of all of them, he's the one I'd want to write in his own book the most. Loads of potential just waiting for someone to claim it.
TOM RANEY (artist of ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST): I'm a big fan of ROM! I love the whole idea of him locking his humanity away inside his armor, while his body was stored back on Galador and he was busy serving the greater cause of protecting his people. The whole struggle between the Dire Wraiths and the Spaceknights was just epic to my childhood mind and it still holds a special, fun spot for me.
MARC GUGGENHEIM (writer of YOUNG X-MEN): I love me some Brood. Those guys were bad-ass back in the day.
MIKE CAREY (writer of X-MEN: LEGACY): I've always thought Ronan the Accuser was very cool. He's my kind of Kree—judgmental, emotionally unavailable
and homicidally violent. You always know where you are with someone like that: generally, inside the Cone of Judgment and looking down the wrong end of the Universal Weapon...
ALEKSI BRICLOT (cover artist of NEW AVENGERS): For two completely different reasons, the first two extraterrestrial races and characters coming into my mind are the Brood and the Inhumans, even if I'm not sure than we can consider [the latter] as ET.
[With] the Brood, it's because of their look and the frightening way that they [can] parasite other organisms. As a painter, it would be cool to paint some of these creatures, in some action scenes, with some other half-infected victims or a nest. Lots of scary images.
[With] the Inhumans, it's completely different, really more mythological and in some way poetic or symbolic. I'm thinking about the [limited series] written by Paul Jenkins and drawn by Jae Lee which was really impressive. Still as an artist I'm just thinking about all the nice graphic approaches that are possible with these characters.
RYAN PENAGOS (Marvel.com editor): Those broccoli head guys that Phoenix killed!
SKOTTIE YOUNG (upcoming writer/artist of X-MEN: DIVIDED WE STAND): I'd have to go with the Symbiotes. Who doesn't love Venom? But I like to think that there is much more to the Symbiotes that we just haven't seen yet. It would be fun to explore the different kind of people that could host these aliens.
TOM BREVOORT (Marvel Executive Editor): There are so many to choose from…
Ten-For, the Mean Machine from beyond the stars who battled Machine Man and had nothing at all to do with C.B. radio.
The nameless aliens from [DAREDEVIL v1 #28] who covet their neighbor's planet, and who turn everybody on Earth blind.
The Elan, who let their terrible infant children roam wildly around the cosmos, causing panic and terror among less advanced worlds because they simply know no better.
Numinus, the cosmic Whoopi Goldberg, who's more powerful than Galactus because she says so.
The ancient Aakon, enemies of the Kree who speak in faux-Latin style, and so sound ridiculous.
Goom, the alien criminal from Planet X, and his infant son and successor Googam. How do you tell them apart? It's easy! Goom
has tusks, whereas Googam has a big meatball for a head. Not to be confused with Groot, the giant tree-monster who also claimed to be from Planet X. Busy place, that Planet X...
And before we bid you adieu, a late coming legend responds to our "Marvel Tough Guys" question…
JOHN ROMITA JR. (upcoming artist of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN): It's either Thing or Spider-Man. Both [New Yorkers] but if I had to choose the "baddest," it's the Thing, from Brooklyn—'Nuff Said!
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 "The Brood")
 "The Impossible Man")
 "Warlock")
 "Nebulon")
 "Super-Skrull")
 "Terrax")
 "Thanos")
 "Gladiator")
 "ROM")
 "The Inhumans")
 "Symbiotes")
 "Goom")
 "Groot")
