JAKAR

Real Name: presumably Jakar

Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Jakar's dimension, unnamed race)

Occupation: ...World re-populator?

Group Membership: Prisoners of the Stranger's Laboratory World

Affiliations: Batroc and Batroc's Brigade (former pawns/agents); Persephone (agent)

Enemies: Batroc, Captain America, Falcon, Ganymede, Jack of Hearts, Quasar, Silver Surfer, Stranger, Tyrant

Known Relatives: Kari-Le (wife)

Aliases: Stranger imposter

Base of Operations: Currently unknown; formerly the known universe; the Stranger's Laboratory World; a cave in the rocks on the Hudson Shore; an abandoned dance studio in the more run-down sector of the Theatre District, Manhattan, New York; an unnamed dimension (Jakar's world)

 

First Appearance: Captain America I#149 (May, 1972)

Powers: Jakar uses his advanced extra-dimensional technology to appear as a black-haired version of the Stranger, although his true form is apparently more troll-like. This technology also enables him to manipulate energy and appear to approximate the Stranger's vast abilities. In reality, even with that technology, he's less powerful than the Silver Surfer (although that's still way up there). Without his technology, he may or may not possess any superhuman abilities whatsoever.

History: (Cap150(fb))-<according to Jakar...grain of salt>-Jakar hails from a planet in a dimension parallel to Earth's, but on a plane of existance so distant your minds would crumble with the effort to conceive its location.

Two milennia ago, some cosmic catastrophe had wiped out the other stars and planets in their realm, leaving them alone in their universe. For two hundred agonizing centuries, they strove to discover if any other sentient race had survived, but to no avail.
Eventually, the people of his world succumbed to the galactic plague as well. They were not physically harmed, but instead their minds were sent into a paralytic coma, leaving them inert and motionless. For some reason, only Jakar himself was spared. Under unknown circumstances, a portal to Earth opened and Jakar was able to observe an encounter between the Fantastic Four and the Stranger (@ FF I#116). Learning that there were other dimensions besides his own (and most likely maddened by loneliness and despair), Jakar conceived of capturing a large number of the youths of Earth, and transferring their minds into his lifeless people. Jakar took the form of the Stranger, and employed the mercenary Batroc to help him gather the children for this purpose.

(Cap149, 150)-The disappearances prompted the investigation of Captain America and the Falcon, who found Batroc and his Brigade, and delivered a whuppin' to them. Jakar, as the Stranger, then made an appearance and blasted Cap and the Falcon into submission. Since neither Cap, nor the Falcon, nor even Batroc had much (if any) experience with the Stranger, Jakar's impersonation didn't have quite the "zing" he was looking for. Slightly annoyed Jakar let the illusion drop (partially) and revealed his name and origins (BECAUSE THAT's WHAT VILLAINS DO). Jakar took the children and fled, but allowed Batroc (now angry over Jakar's duplicity--I guess kidnapping and delivering children to one cosmic entity is ok, but doing so to an extradimensional one was too much for Batroc's "honair") to track him to his base on the Hudson. Cap and the Falcon traced Batroc, but Jakar soon incapactiated the three of them, and put them in those big clear tubes to hold them until they could break out...which they always do. Surprisingly enough, the heroes broke free, and freed Batroc as well. The three attacked Jakar, but could not hope to match his power. Ultimately Cap figured out how to turn on Jakar's scanner, which set-up a two-way communication screen to his world, targeted on Kari-Le. Afraid that Kari-Le still possessed some awareness and could see him, Jakar was ashamed of his actions. He released the children and took off into space.

BTS-Irony of ironies--Jakar was captured by the real Stranger, who imprisoned him and made his a research subject on his Laboratory World.

(Quasar#14)-The Overmind attacked the Stranger, freeing many of his captives and sending them against the Stranger and his allies. Quasar found Jakar on a table being vivisected (that's being dissected alive), in unendurable agony. Jakar begged Quasar to kill him. When Quasar tried to free him instead, Jakar was furious and blasted him out of his cell.
(Quas15+16-BTS)-Jakar subsequently escaped or was released during or after the final battle between the Overmind and the Stranger, as were many of the other prisoners.

(Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3)-Jakar sought vengeance on the Stranger, but knew that he lacked the power to confront him. He learned of Globes of Knowledge held by the entity Tyrant, which would increase his power, but also knew that he lacked the power or stealth to take the Globes himself. To this end, Jakar cloned Persephone, one of the order known as the Spinsterhood, in order to gain the assistance of Ganymede, another member of the Spinsterhood, and her would-be lover, Jack of Hearts. By lying and telling Ganymede and Persephone that he would use the Globes to bring down Tyrant, Jakar convinced them to aid him. Jack of Hearts was head of heels in love with Ganymede, and so he agreed to help as well. However, once they had stolen the Globes, Jakar teleported across the Universe to escape the wrath of Tyrant. He revealed he had never intended to combat Tyrant, and then dumped his pawns off on one of the moons of Jupiter. Ganymede left Jack to continue her life's mission against Tyrant.
(CPU#3/2)-Jack of Hearts recruited the Silver Surfer to aid him in finding and defeating Jakar. Meanwhile, Jakar sent Ganymede and Persephone following false trails of Tyrant, which actually led towards the means for him to access the full power of the Globes. However, Jack and the Surfer found him first. The Surfer realized that Jakar derived his power from his ship and equipment and rapidly decimated its pwoer sources. Jack then attacked the humbled Jakar, weakening him enough to force him to resume his true form. The Surfer then destroyed the Globe, and Jakar teleported away, claiming to have set in motion events which would assure him "the ultimate victory..."

Comments: Created by Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema.

Jakar's nature and behavior call his origins into question, but there's nothing definite to dispute them. However, he did allow the sight of his lover to completely halt his plots, so maybe there's some truth to it. Also, he may be a total nutjob, regardless of whether his past is true or not. Whether he started out that way, or that vivisection pushed him over the edge is undefined...And I use the term nutjob, in its kindest, most politically correct definition, of course.

Cosmic Powers Unlimited was cancelled with issue number five (I don't know why books like this can't stay on the market, with all the rest of the @#$% out there...). Anyway, Jakar's final plot is unrevealed. I wish someone (Kurt Busiek) would take some interest and deal with it.

Clarifications: Jakar, as the Stranger imposter, should not be confused with:

The Stranger, the enigmatic cosmic entity, should be distinguished from his two imposters (as above) and:

Persephone, of the Spinsterhood, has no known connection to:

ok, I haven't re-read the Tyrant stories to remember exactly, but I'm pretty certain the Globe(s) of Knowledge used by Tyrant and Jakar, are distinct from:

Jakar's World is allegedly Jakar hails from a planet in a dimension parallel to Earth's, but on a plane of existance so distant your minds would crumble with the effort to conceive its location.
Two milennia ago, some cosmic catastrophe had wiped out the other stars and planets in their realm, leaving them alone in their universe. For two hundred agonizing centuries, they strove to discover if any other sentient race had survived, but to no avail.
Eventually, the people of his world succumbed to the galactic plague as well. They were not physically harmed, but instead their minds were sent into a paralytic coma, leaving them inert and motionless. For some reason, only Jakar himself was spared.

 

 

 

 

The people appear to be humanoid, and to possess advanced technology, etc. However, Jakar has been revealed to possess a different form, and it would appear to be more likely that the natives of his world would have a similar appearance.
--Cap150

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kari-Le was allegedly Jakar's wife. It was shame over the possiblity of her being able to see his actions which caused him to abandon his first plot.
--Cap150

 

 

 

 

 

images: (without ads)
Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3, p8, pan1 (Jakar main image)
(Jakar head shot)
Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3, p33, pan5 (Jakar shows his ugly face)
(Jakar's world)
(Jakar's race)
(Kari-Le head shot)
(Kari-Le body shot)

Other appearances:
Captain America I#150 (June, 1972)
Quasar#14-16 (September-November, 1990)
Cosmic Powers Unlimited#3 (December, 1995)

Last updated: 08/02/02

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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