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Makkari (comics)

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Makkari
Variant to Eternals #2 (2006)
Art by John Romita, Jr.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMercury:
Red Raven Comics #1 (Aug. 1940)
Hurricane:
Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941)
Makkari:
The Eternals #1 (1976)
Created byMercury:
Martin A. Bursten (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
Hurricane:
Joe Simon (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
Makkari:
Jack Kirby (witer/artist)
In-story information
Alter egoMakkari
Team affiliationsEternals
First Line
Monster Hunters
Notable aliasesMike Khary, Frank Harper, Mark Curry, Jake Curtiss, Major Mercury, Hurricane, Mercury, Adam Clayton, Mac Curry, Michael Gray, Thoth
AbilitiesFormerly:
Immortality
Superhuman speed, strength and durability
Accelerated healing factor
Cosmic energy manipulation
Energy blasts
Flight
Illusion generation
Matter transmutation
Telekinesis
Teleportation
Currently:
Immortality
Superhuman strength and speed
Ability to communicate with the Dreaming Celestial

Makkari (/ˈmækəri/), formerly known as Hurricane and Mercury, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a member of the Eternals, a race of superhumans in the Marvel Universe. He was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby in the 1976–78 comic book series The Eternals, where the name was spelled Makarri.

Marvel Comics continuity was later retconned so that the character presented as the mythological god Mercury, introduced as a Marvel protagonist in Red Raven Comics #1 (Aug. 1940; "Mercury In the 20th Century" by artist Kirby and writer Martin A. Bursten[a] /ˈbɜːrstən/) was, in fact, Makkari.

Publication history

Originally, Makkari was a character in Jack Kirby's The Eternals. Mark Gruenwald later reintroduced Makkari as a long-running supporting character in the Quasar series.

Hurricane reappears as a member of the Monster Hunters in Marvel Universe #4,[3] in a story set in the 1950s. By the end of this three-issue story, it turns out the monsters they are hunting are actually Deviants and Hurricane is revealed to be Makkari.[4]

Makkari is featured as one of the main character in the Marvel limited series Eternals (vol. 3), written by Neil Gaiman and penciled by artist John Romita, Jr.

Fictional character biography

Makkari is the son of Verona and Mara, born in Olympia, capital city of the Eternals of Earth. He is a member of the Eternals' Technologist's Guild and is skilled at designing and building high-speed vehicles.

Makkari has involved himself in Earth's affairs more often than most Eternals. Under the name Thoth, he taught writing to the Egyptians.[5] He was taught philosophy by Plato.[6][5] He rescued Sersi from Nero's Fire.[5] He spent some time as the charioteer of Darius I of Persia.[5] He witnessed the Trojan War, the reign of Vlad the Impaler, and the Alamo.[5]

In the 1940s he worked on Earth, per Zuras' request, under the aliases "Hurricane" and "Mercury" (an example of retcon, these Golden Age characters were not originally supposed to be related), and fought Warlord Kro and Deviant Mutates alongside the Monster Hunters, a team he formed using his identity as National Security Agent Jake Curtiss. Later on, he taught Elvis Presley a few guitar tricks.[6][5]

Following the disbanding of the Monster Hunters, Makkari was convinced by Pixie to join the First Line as "Major Mercury".[7] He and First Line fought against the original Skrull invasion of Earth, and, along with Yeti and Pixie, was one of the few members of First Line to survive the conflict.[8]

Makkari accompanied Thena to New York City to help rescue Sersi and repulse the Deviant invasion. He was with the Eternals who introduced themselves to the students at City College during the Fourth Host of the Celestials.[9] He then returned to Olympia with Ikaris and Margo Damian, where he encountered Sprite.[10] He also participated in the Uni-Mind ritual.[11] Alongside Ikaris and Sersi, he battled the Hulk robot.[12] Makkari then battled Ikaris, who was under the mental influence of Dromedan.[13]

Makkari later battled Hermes of Olympus.[14] He battled Maelstrom alongside the Avengers. Makkari elected to remain while the majority of Eternals departed Earth.[15]

Makkari accompanied Ikaris on his mission to assemble the Eternals to wage war against the Deviants.[16] Makkari then encountered Lord Ghaur.[17] Makkari accompanied the other Eternals to Lemuria to battle the Deviants.[18] Makkari battled Ghaur alongside the Eternals, Thor, and the West Coast Avengers, and participated in the defeat of Ghaur.[19]

Some time later, alongside the Eternals, Makkari fought the Super-Skrull, and encountered the Silver Surfer.[20]

Makkari was later rescued by Quasar when he began running rampant, literally.[21] He revealed that he had traded his other Eternal abilities for greater speed and endurance. He became friends with Quasar when he enlisted Quasar to go to Lemuria to help him save Master Elo, who was tutoring Makkari in how to channel his cosmic energy into more speed.[22] He then accompanied Quasar to the Stranger's laboratory world. There, he encountered the Star-Dancer, and battled Trikon, the Whizzer, and Gorr.[23] Makkari later worked in Quasar's office under the alias "Mike Khary." He participated in a marathon to the Moon sponsored by the Runner, one of the Elders of the Universe, and nearly won; he bested Quicksilver, Captain Marvel, Whizzer, Speed Demon, Black Racer, and Super Sabre, only to lose the race in the last moments by an amnesiac, dimensions-spanning human being.[23] Makkari then became Quasar's roommate.[24] He was killed when his heart was stopped by Maelstrom,[25] but returned to life,[26] as part of an agreement struck between Eternity, Death, Infinity and Oblivion. Maelstrom later attempted to seize more power by draining the kinetic energy from Makkari, but Maelstrom was ultimately defeated by the other Eternals.[volume & issue needed] However, he soon found he had become so fast that he could no longer move in synch with the rest of the universe. [27]

In the 2006 Eternals limited series, the Eternals are the victims of memory and reality manipulation by Sprite, and have thus forgotten their true identities. Makkari believes himself to be a medicine student named Mark Curry, and is the first Eternal shown in the series. He meets Icarus, and causes his capture by the Deviants.[volume & issue needed] By issues #2 and #3, he finally begins to experience his powers of super-speed, and uses it to stop terrorists attacking a party. However, after telling him what has happened Sprite tricks Curry into opening a passageway to the long-dormant Celestial underneath San Francisco, and in doing so incapacitates Curry. During this time the Dreaming Celestial and Makkari began to talk in his dreams, firstly in the form of Sersi, and told him that it personally made him.[volume & issue needed] By the end of the series he has become the Dreaming Celestial's prophet.[volume & issue needed]

Powers and abilities

Makkari is a member of the race of superhumans known as Eternals. He possesses superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes. He can create cyclones by running in circles, and can run up walls and across water. Makkari's body eventually accumulates fatigue poisons and is susceptible to injury.

Although in most of his appearances Makkari has the typical powers of an Eternal, his obsession with speed, starting in the Quasar series, causes him to focus most of his body's Cosmic Energy into enhancing his running speed. As a result, he lost his ability to fly and many of his other powers have been weakened in the process. Makkari possesses none of the psionic powers of the average Eternal (levitation, ocular force projection, and molecular rearrangement), having purposefully readapted all his specialized cell enclaves to speed and running-related attributes. At present he can run at near light speed for extended periods, but his physical strength (while still far greater than human) has been reduced by half, and he seemingly cannot project energy or manipulate matter.

Makkari sometimes wears a protective crash helmet, though he does not truly need it. He wears synthetic stretch fabric, specially treated to resist the rigors of high velocity movement.

Makkari has great mechanical aptitude, and the ability to pilot most land and air vehicles. He has moderate experience at hand-to-hand combat; his fighting style incorporates his superhuman speed. He has finished the standard Eternal higher education, and underwent special tutoring in the applications of speed.

Notes

  1. ^ Martin A. Bursten was an author of comic books and history books, born in 1916. He is also known for his book Escape from Fear,[1] a study of the refugee problem following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ Bursten, Martin A. (1958). Escape From Fear: An Eyewitness Report of the Flight of 200,000 Hungarians and Its Aftermath. Syracuse University Press. ASIN B008RBPX7O.
  2. ^ Lehrman, Hal (March 16, 1958). "Strangers in the House" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Marvel Universe #4 (September 1998)
  4. ^ Marvel Universe #7 (December 1998)
  5. ^ a b c d e f Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special #1
  6. ^ a b Quasar #28
  7. ^ Between Marvel: The Lost Generation #4 and #5
  8. ^ Marvel: The Lost Generation #12
  9. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #5-6
  10. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #9
  11. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #11-13
  12. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #14-15
  13. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #16
  14. ^ Thor #291
  15. ^ Avengers #247-248
  16. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #3-4
  17. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #7
  18. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #10
  19. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #12
  20. ^ Silver Surfer Annual #1
  21. ^ Quasar #11
  22. ^ Quasar #12
  23. ^ a b Quasar #17
  24. ^ Quasar #19
  25. ^ Quasar #21
  26. ^ Quasar #25
  27. ^ Quasar #58

References

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