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Makkari (comics)

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Makkari
Textless variant cover of Eternals #2 (September 2006).
Art by John Romita Jr.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAs Mercury:
Red Raven Comics #1 (August 1940)

As Hurricane:
Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941)

As Makkari:
The Eternals #5 (November 1976)
Created byMartin A. Bursten
Jack Kirby
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, first appearing in the 1976–78 comic book series The Eternals, where the name was spelled Makarri. They were also a member of the First Line and Monster Hunters.

In 2019, it was announced that Lauren Ridloff would be playing a deaf version of Makkari in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, debuting in The Eternals (2020).

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 (September 1998),[1] 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.[2]

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 (August 1940), was, in fact, Makkari.[citation needed]

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

Fictional character biography

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

Makkari has been more involved in Earth's affairs than the majority of the Eternals. Under the name Thoth, they taught writing to the Egyptians.[3] They themselves were taught philosophy by Plato,[4][3] and later rescued Sersi from Nero's Fire.[3] They later spent some time as the charioteer of Darius I of Persia,[3] and witnessed the Trojan War, the reign of Vlad the Impaler, and the Alamo.[3]

In the 1940s, they 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 they formed using the identity as National Security Agent Curtiss. Later on, they taught Elvis Presley a few guitar tricks.[4][3]

Following the disbanding of the Monster Hunters, Makkari was convinced by Pixie to join the First Line as "Major Mercury".[5] Alongside First Line they 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.[6]

Makkari accompanied Thena to New York City to help rescue Sersi and repulse the Deviant invasion. They were with the Eternals who introduced themselves to the students at City College during the Fourth Host of the Celestials.[7] They then returned to Olympia with Ikaris and Margo Damian, where they encountered Sprite.[8] They also participated in the Uni-Mind ritual.[9] Alongside Ikaris and Sersi, they battled the Hulk robot.[10] Makkari then battled Ikaris, who was under the mental influence of Dromedan.[11]

Makkari later battled Hermes of Olympus.[12] He battled Maelstrom alongside the Avengers. Makkari elected to remain while the majority of Eternals departed Earth.[13]

Makkari accompanied Ikaris on his mission to assemble the Eternals to wage war against the Deviants.[14] Makkari then encountered Lord Ghaur.[15] Makkari accompanied the other Eternals to Lemuria to battle the Deviants.[16] Makkari battled Ghaur alongside the Eternals, Thor, and the West Coast Avengers, and participated in the defeat of Ghaur.[17]

Some time later, alongside the Eternals, Makkari fought the Super-Skrull, and encountered the Silver Surfer.[18]

Makkari was later rescued by Quasar when they began running rampant, literally.[19] Makkari revealed that they had traded their other Eternal abilities for greater speed and endurance. They became friends with Quasar when they enlisted Quasar to go to Lemuria to help him save Master Elo, who was tutoring Makkari in how to channel their cosmic energy into more speed.[20] They then accompanied Quasar to the Stranger's laboratory world. There, they encountered the Star-Dancer, and battled Trikon, the Whizzer, and Gorr.[21] Makkari later worked in Quasar's office under the alias "Mike Khary." They participated in a marathon to the Moon sponsored by the Runner, one of the Elders of the Universe, and nearly won; they 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.[21] Makkari then became Quasar's roommate.[22] They were killed when their heart was stopped by Maelstrom,[23] but returned to life,[24] 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, they soon found they had become so fast that they could no longer move in synch with the rest of the universe.[25]

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 themselves to be a medicine student named "Curry", and is the first Eternal shown in the series. Upon meeting Ikaris, they are captured by the Deviants.[volume & issue needed] By issues #2 and #3, they finally begin to experience their powers of super-speed, and use them to stop terrorists attacking a party. However, after telling them 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 their dreams, firstly in the form of Sersi, and told them that it personally made them.[volume & issue needed] By the end of the series they have become the Dreaming Celestial's prophet.[volume & issue needed]

Powers and abilities

Makkari is a member of the race of superhumans known as Eternals. They possess superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes. They 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 their appearances Makkari has the typical powers of an Eternal, their obsession with speed, starting in the Quasar series, causes them to focus most of his body's Cosmic Energy into enhancing their running speed. As a result, they lost their ability to fly and many of their 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 their specialized cell enclaves to speed and running-related attributes. At present, they can run at near light speed for extended periods, but their physical strength (while still far greater than human) and hearing capability have been reduced by half, and they seemingly cannot project energy or manipulate matter.

Makkari sometimes wears a protective crash helmet to protect their hearing. They also wear synthetic stretch fabric, specially treated to resist the rigors of high-velocity movement.

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

In other media

Television

Film

Citations

  1. ^ Marvel Universe #4 (September 1998)
  2. ^ Marvel Universe #7 (December 1998)
  3. ^ a b c d e f Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special #1
  4. ^ a b Quasar #28
  5. ^ Between Marvel: The Lost Generation #4 and #5
  6. ^ Marvel: The Lost Generation #12
  7. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #5-6
  8. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #9
  9. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #11-13
  10. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #14-15
  11. ^ Eternals Vol. 1 #16
  12. ^ Thor #291
  13. ^ Avengers #247-248
  14. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #3-4
  15. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #7
  16. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #10
  17. ^ Eternals Vol. 2 #12
  18. ^ Silver Surfer Annual #1
  19. ^ Quasar #11
  20. ^ Quasar #12
  21. ^ a b Quasar #17
  22. ^ Quasar #19
  23. ^ Quasar #21
  24. ^ Quasar #25
  25. ^ Quasar #58
  26. ^ "Voice Of Curry - Eternals". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 22, 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  27. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Ramos, Dino-Ray (July 21, 2019). "'The Eternals' Details Unveiled At Marvel's Comic-Con Panel, Angelina Jolie Surprises Hall H; Pic To Open November 2020". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |2= (help)

References