RAKSASA

Real Name: Raksasa (presumably)

Identity/Class: Extradimensional demon

Occupation: Demon

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Demonswarm, Doctor Demonicus (Douglas Birely), Pacific Overlords (Cybertooth/Yen Hsieh, Irezumi/Kayama Inoue, Jawbreaker/Tung Rapongan, Kain/Morgan Kain, Kuroko the Black One/Aya Komatsu)

Enemies: Avengers (Darkhawk/Chris Powell, Goliath/Clint Barton, Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, USAgent/John Walker, War Machine/Jim Rhodes), Klaw (Ulysses Klaw), Mockingbird (H'rpra), Morning Star (Marya Meshkov)

Known Relatives: Demonspawn (possible spawn - see comments)

Aliases: "Master of the Universe Beyond the Door"

Base of Operations: Unrevealed location in another dimension

First Appearance: (behind-the-scenes, unidentified) Avengers West Coast I#92 (March, 1993);
    (behind-the-scenes, altar seen) Avengers West Coast I#93 (April, 1993);
    (fully seen, identified) Avengers West Coast I#94 (May, 1993)

Powers/Abilities: A rather large demon in size, Raksasa can control the minds of other beings, even across dimensional barriers. The upper limit of how many beings Raksasa can control at one time is unrevealed but he has been seen to control massive swarms of lesser demons.

Height: Unrevealed (see comments)
Weight: Unrevealed (see comments)
Eyes: Yellow pupils with red sclera
Hair: Green (what little strands there were)

History:
(Avengers West Coast I#93 (fb) - BTS) - The demon Raksasa reached out from its extradimensional realm and contacted the mind of the villain Doctor Demonicus, who was exploring a cave on the recently-raised island of Demonica. Secretly placed under Raksasa's mental control, Demonicus returned to his agents, the Pacific Overlords, subtlely very different in attitude. Under Raksas's influence, Demonicus became antagonistic towards the United Nations and worked his agents hard to complete the Demonica International Airport. Soon after, the Raksasa-controlled Demonicus had the Pacific Overlords attack the United Nations plane housing the captive criminal Klaw, whom Demonicus immediately made the vice-president of Demonica. Suspecting something wrong with Demonicus and unaware of his contact with Raksasa, the Pacific Overlord Kuroko the Black One confessed to her teammate Kain that Demonicus appeared to be mentally controlling some of the other Pacific Overlords using small devices placed on their foreheads. Within minutes, Demonicus summoned only Kain to accompany him and when he asked Kuroko to stay behind, she secretly followed using her invisibility powers and witnessed Dr. Demonicus bring Kain to an altar for Raksasa, where a demonic ritual was performed and a mind control device was placed on Kain's forehead. Upon hearing that she would be the next Pacific Overlord placed under Demonicus' absolute control, Kuroko whispered "no," accidentally revealing her presence, and Demonicus sent one of Raksasa's Demonswarm after Kuroko. Escaping via plane while the single Demonswarm creature pursued, Kuroko flew towards America.

(Avengers West Coast I#92 - BTS) - Kuroko arrived at Avengers Compound and claimed that Doctor Demonicus had gone insane, unaware of Raksasa's control over Demonicus.

(Avengers West Coast I#94) - When the Avengers arrived on Demonica to investigate Kuroko's claims, the Raksasa-controlled Doctor Demonicus captured them using the flying Demonswarm and he revealed that he now served a demon. He then left the other Avengers behind as he led Mockingbird (actually disguised Skrull H'rpra) and USAgent to Raksasa's altar. While they watched, Dr. Demonicus summoned forth the demon Raksasa, who claimed to have need of worshippers birthed in fear. Demonicus claimed that world outside the cavern was crawling with life and Raksasa explained that was why it had earlier influenced Demonicus in the cavern. Revealing how it had sent the Demonswarm to the Earthly plane ahead of himself, Raksasa commanded the Demonswarm to strike the world outside of its extradimensional realm, commenting that the Demonswarm would first strike the Hawaiian islands. As Raksasa continued discussing its domination plans with Demonicus, Demonicus' allies Morning Star and Klaw began to have doubts about serving Demonicus and both "Mockingbird" and USAgent soon broke free. As a battle began between the freed Avengers and the Pacific Overlords, Raksasa angrily stormed that the mortals should have been killed long before his summoning. Raksasa then commanded his Demonspawn to return to Demonica to attack the Avengers.

(Avengers West Coast#95) - As the battle ensued within the cavern, Raksasa returned to its extradimensionl realm and Dr. Demonicus insisted that the Pacific Overlords finish off the Avengers to keep them from intervening in the Demonspawn's attack on Hawaii. During the fight, Morning Star secretly turned on the Pacific Overlords and Demonicus announced that he had to summon Raksasa once more, as the Demonspawn could only remain in the Earthly plane with Raksasa's physical presence. Demonicus then began the chant to again summon Raksasa as Morning Star attempted to get Klaw to also turn on Demonicus. USAgent then kicked Demonicus, interrupting the summoning chant, and Klaw reluctantly turned on the Pacific Overlords as well. When USAgent was drawn back into the battle against the Overlords, Dr. Demonicus continued the summoning chant and Raksasa once more materialized partially onto the Earthly plane. Raksasa demanded that Demonicus finish the chant to bring it fully over onto the Earthly plane but Klaw's sonic powers disrupted the tectonic plates beneath Demonica and USAgent hit Demonicus with his shield, preventing the summoning chant from being completed and thereby returning Raksasa to its home dimension.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, David Ross and Tim Dzon.

    The dimension Raksasa was based in prior to being summoned by Dr. Demonicus was not identified.

    I think his name is based on Rakshasas, a name for a race of demons from Hindu Myth. ---Will U

    Raksasa's height and weight were impossible to approximate, as he never fully materialized. All we ever saw was his head and arms but he did tower over the 5'11" Doctor Demonicus.
   
    The Demonspawn's true nature was a bit unclear. They're definitely extradimensional demons like Raksasa and the "spawn"part of their name suggests that they may be the children of Raksasa but it was never clearly explained.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Raksasa has no known connections to

Demonswarm

The Demonswarm were demonic creatures controlled by Raksasa, who sent them to Earth ahead of his own intended arrival. While on Earth, the Demonspawn could be briefly controlled by Raksasa's servant Dr. Demonicus but they would ultimately lose their vibrational attunement to the Earthly plane and return to their own dimension without Raksasa's periodic in-person commands. When Kuroko the Black One learned of Dr. Demonicus' demonic connections, Demonicus sent one of the Demonspawn to attack her but she managed to shake the demon long enough to summon the Avengers to Demonica. Later, when Dr. Demonicus partially summoned Raksasa, Raksasa commanded the demons to attack Hawaii ahead of his arrival on Earth but when the Avengers escaped and began fighting Demonicus' agents, the Pacific Overlords, Raksasa commanded the Demonspawn to return and attack the Avengers. Worried the Demonspawn would dissipate from the Earthly plane without Raksasa's continued orders, Dr. Demonicus began to again summon Raksasa but Demonicus' ally Klaw turned on him and used his powers to disrupt Demonica's tectonic plates, destroying the island and banishing Raksasa back to his home dimension. Without Raksasa's ordered, the remaining Demonspawn turned on one another, killing themselves.
--Avengers West Coast I#94 (#95d,
images: (without ads)
Avengers West Coast I#94, p19, pan5 (Raksasa main)
Avengers West Coast I#94, p21, pan6 (Raksasa headshot)
Avengers West Coast I#94, p20, pan1 (Raksasa facing Dr. Demonicus)
Avengers West Coast I#95, p15, pan1 (Dr. Demonicus summoning Raksasa)
Avengers West Coast I#94, p20, pan4 (Demonswarm)

Appearances:
Avengers West Coast I#92 (March, 1993) - Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Avengers West Coast I#93 (April, 1993) - Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Aaron McClellan (ink assists), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Avengers West Coast I#94 (May, 1993) - Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (co-plotter, pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Avengers West Coast I#95 (June, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), David Ross (co-plotter, pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)

First posted: 04/28/2004
Last updated: 03/30/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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