RANARK THE RAVAGER

Real Name: Ranark

Identity/Class: Human (Native American) spirit (were-wraith) magic user

Occupation: Shaman, vengeful spirit, follower of the Great Beasts

Group Membership: Alpha Strike (Citadel, Purple Woman/Kara Killgrave, Vindicator/Heather Hudson, Wendigo)

Affiliations: Department H (Agent Jeff Brown, Box Units, Master of the World/Eshu...used an alias?, others), Great Beasts (Kariooq, Kolomaq, Neooqtoq, Ranaq, Somon, Tanaraq, Tolomaq, Tundra);
   formerly Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier), Kyle Jinadu

Enemies: Alpha Flight (Aurora/Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, Guardian/James MacDonald Hudson (formerly Vindicator), Marrina, Northstar/Jean-Paul Beaubier, Puck/Eugene Judd, Sasquatch/Walter Langkowski, Shaman/Michael Twoyoungmen, Snowbird/Narya), James Matthews, Patricia Matthews, Thing (Ben Grimm), Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett), "other medicine men" of centuries past

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Canada, originally northwestern Alberta

First Appearance: Marvel Two-in-One I#83 (January, 1982)

Powers/Abilities: Ranark has a variety of abilities which are mystical in nature.

   Ranark, in his usual form, is very large (approximately 20 feet in height) and exceedingly strong (he has been seen to easily lift a bus). He is extremely resistant to physical damage, and can withstand blows from the Thing and Sasquatch. He can fly, if relatively slowly, and can "tunnel" through the earth as easily as flying. As a spirit, Ranark claims to be immortal.

   The above abilities/powers all seem to be innate to Ranark, and occur with no real effort on his part. In addition, Ranark also possesses a wide variety of shamanic powers, listed hereafter. He has not been seen to use more than one of these other abilities simultaneously- unlike the above abilities, these apparently require some concentration or attention on Ranark's part.

   Ranark can control the actions of individuals against their will. He can read a person's mind, seeing their memories through their own eyes. He can inflict tremendous mental pain on an individual. However, Ranark has not been seen to use these mental abilities on more than one individual at a time.

   Ranark can change his own size, can create a personal force field to protect himself, and claims he can "assume any size, shape, or substance" that he desires. He has been seen to change into a living whirlwind.

   Ranark claims he can "bend the earth, the wind, and the fire to my very will!" He can controls plants and plant growth to create enormous vines. He can cause earthquakes by touching the ground. He can create giant earthen hands, capable of grabbing and holding people. He can conjure storms and control the weather. He can absorb (and return) electro-magnetic bolts. Ranark can also fire blasts of physical energy from his hands.

   He can also transform into a murder of crows or a cloud to transport others. He could channel the powers of the Great Beasts through him by creating icicles (channeling Tundra), fire (channeling Tolomaq), cause others to become sick (channeling Kariooq), turn into a destructive energy cloud (possibly channeling Ranaq) and presumably more.

Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Variable
Hair: Variable

History:
(Marvel Two-in-One I#83 (fb) - BTS) - Centuries ago, Ranark was the self-professed "greatest of all shamans." Hungry for more power, he sacrificed virgins and made dark pacts with demons in return for godlike powers. Other medicine men grouped together and bound Ranark's spirit into a mystical urn and an eternal sleep. The urn was placed in a warded cave in the northern Alberta mountains.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#83) - Michael Twoyoungmen (Shaman, of Alpha Flight) discovered a cave recently exposed by a rockslide. Inside he found an unreadable warning of some sort, and then a variety of mystical ornaments in "the sacred tomb of the ancient shamans." In this tomb was the urn which Ranark's spirit was trapped in. Ranark was able to seize control of Shaman and force him to open the urn, freeing him from his imprisonment.

   Shaman recovered, and quickly attempted to overpower Ranark using his own shamanic abilities, but Ranark was much more powerful, and Shaman was quickly subdued. Ranark looked through Shaman's memories, and saw the technological nature of the modern world, the number of people, the political strife. In anger, Ranark swore to purge the world of these abominations, to "cleanse this planet of life- and begin anew!" So vowing, Ranark ascended through the roof of the cave to the surface world above and flew away.

(Marvel Two-in-One I#84) - Ranark flew from the wilds of Canada towards its more populous cities, stopping to teach a lesson to some hikers (James and Patricia Matthews), and then to demolish four Canadian military jets which had the misfortune to intercept him. He proceeded to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

   Having chosen to rule the world (instead of destroying it), Ranark decided he needed to display his powers to the people. He began by animating giant vines, which began demolishing the street and nearby buildings. The Thing and Alpha Flight, consisting of Vindicator (James MacDonald Hudson), Shaman, Sasquatch, Aurora, and Northstar, intervened. Ranark continued generating widespread chaos, creating earthquakes, whirlwinds, lightning, and tremendous hail. Eventually, Ranark is first blinded by Northstar and Aurora, and then caught off guard when Sasquatch and the Thing hit him simultaneously with abandoned automobiles, which exploded. While Ranark was dazed, Shaman was able to place him in a "mystic cocoon," presumably much as he was originally confined.

(Alpha Flight IV#3 (fb) - BTS) - Apparently Shaman returned the trapped Ranark back to the cave where he originally found him. At some point Ranark was awakened again (presumably by the Masters of the World).

(Alpha Flight IV#2 (fb) - BTS) - Ranark the Ravager provided Department H (or maybe just the Master of the World) with a bone fragment from Neooqtoq the Ravager and it was used to enhance a Box unit to capture Snowbird.

(Alpha Flight IV#3) - Vindicator (Heather Hudson, who had gone through the Master's Unity process) flew to the Rocky Mountain Foothills in Alberta to the cave where Ranark was surrounded by the skeletal remains of ancient shamans. He sniffed out that Vindicator served the one older than him (Eshu, the Master of the World). She thanked him for helping with the capture of Snowbird, but had to inform him that she and her friends, including Ranark's enemy Shaman (Michael Twoyoungmen) had escaped. Vindicator was putting together a team to finish Alpha Flight and Ranark was more than willing to join because he still sought revenge on Shaman and all those that stood with him. He warned Vindicator that by waking him his master, the Great Beasts would soon return to Earth as well.

(Alpha Flight IV#4) - Alpha Strike (Citadel, Purple Woman, Ranark and Wendigo) were assembled behind the Master of the World when he asked the brainwashed Kyle Jinadu to help them bring his partner Northstar to them.

(Alpha Flight IV#6) - Kyle Jinadu was under the protection of Alpha Strike while he went on the TV show Wake Up, Edmonton as spokesperson for Department H. Alpha Flight's attempt to free Kyle was opposed by Alpha Strike. Ranark swooped in as a murder of crows while Shaman saved Blake, the TV host from the morning show, from Purple Woman's influence. Ranark channeled the powers of the Great Beasts through him and attacked Shaman with icicles, fire and a sickness that would turn Shaman's bones brittle. Shaman fought back, but it was an attack by Snowbird that led to Ranark turning loose on Alpha Flight and civilians alike by turning into a destructive energy cloud and throwing around vehicles. Citadel informed the rest of the team that their new directive was that Kyle was expendable. Alpha Flight escaped with Jinadu, who did not want to go with them at all.

(Alpha Flight IV#7) - Ranark brought Alpha Strike to the hidden Alpha Flight Base Camp in the Saint Elias Mountains, Yukon after Aurora (because she crazy and the Unity process also played its part in it) had led them there.

(Alpha Flight IV#8) - Ranark threatened to kill Shaman's body with a knife after Shaman's astral form had left his body to command the other members of Alpha Flight to protect the machine that could reverse the Unity process and to use Purple Woman's pheromones to control Alpha Strike. Snowbird turned into the Great Beast Tundra to trick Ranark by telling him off for allying with mortals. Ranark released Shaman and tried to explain his actions to his master only to get knocked out by Puck with a kick to the face.

Comments: Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Wilson.

   At the end of MTIO 84, Shaman stated that he intended to hide the cocoon that holds Ranark "in a place far from the prying eyes of unwary men." The exact location has not been revealed.

   Alpha Flight Vol. 4 revealed that the demons Ranark was associated with were actually the Great Beasts.

   Ranark's appearance in Alpha Flight Vol. 4 was very reminiscent of how Wendigos are often depicted. Just search for Wendigo images on the internet and you will see what I mean.

   Alpha Strike was done after the Master's plan to spread the Unity process throughout Canada had failed.

Profile by SQUEAK. Update by Markus Raymond (2011-2012).

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ranark should not be confused with:

"The Ravager" appears to be a self-proclaimed title, and bears no relation to:

images:
Alpha Flight IV#3, p21 (main)
Marvel Two-in-One I#84, p9, pan5 (head shot)
Marvel Two-in-One I#84, Cover (Ranark vs. Alpha Flight and Thing)
Marvel Two-in-One I#83, p17, pan6 (resisting Shaman's magic with ease) Marvel Two-in-One I#84, p15, pan1 (throwing cars)
Marvel Two-in-One I#84, p19, pan6-7 (raising hand)
Marvel Two-in-One I#84, p23, pan2 (turned into sphere)
Alpha Flight IV#6, p5 (murder of crows transformation)

Appearances:
Marvel Two-in-One I#83-84 (January-February, 1982) - Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Alpha Flight IV#2-4 (September-November, 2011) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Dale Eaglesham (pencils), Andrew Hennessy (inks), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Alpha Flight IV#6-8 (January-March, 2012) - Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (writers), Dale Eaglesham (artist), Mark Paniccia (editor)

First Posted: 12/29/2003
Last updated: 10/29/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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