UNDERGROUND MILITIA
Membership: Nera, Primus,
Tellus, many others
Purpose: To turn humanity against superhumans and establish a power base to conquer the Kree Empire
Affiliations: The Supreme Intelligence
Enemies: Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), Hercules, Imperial Guard (Commando, Earthquake, Electron, Flashfire, Gladiator/Kallark, Mentor, Nightside, Oracle), Rick Jones, Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: A sewer beneath Manhattan, New York, USA
First Appearance: Imperial Guard I#1 (January, 1997)
History:
(Imperial Guard I#2 (fb)) - The Underground Militia were pink-skinned Kree slave laborers who were used to mine resources for the blue-skinned Kree from the planet Daccara. In time, Primus became a leader among the laborers and inspired his fellow workers to rise up against their overseers. When the kree homeworld Hala was devastated by a Shi'ar Nega Bomb, many of the Kree military left Daccara to aid Hala. With the number of overseers reduced, Primus led an uprising and captured a starship. The escapees went to Hala and saw the planet had been devastated and was now under occupation by the Shi'ar Empire. Using the same equipment they'd used for mining on Daccara, Primus led his followers to Earth to have revenge on Earth's superhumans, as the Avengers were held responsible for letting the bomb explode. Primus believed from Earth, they could establish a base of power that would make them the new leaders of the Kree Empire, displacing the blue-skinned minority. Posing as humans, Primus and his people called themselves the Underground Militia.
(Imperial Guard I#3 (fb) - BTS) - The Supreme Intelligence psychically manipulated Primus to harvest Nega Bomb energies from Hala and bring them along to Earth to assist in the creation of a Nega-Reactor. Primus believed he was the Supreme Intelligence's instrument in obtaining revenge against Earth, but the Supreme Intelligence actually wanted to use the Nega-Reactor to reconstitute its physical body, which had been destroyed on Hala.
(Imperial Guard I#1) - The Underground Militia launched a public attack on the Black Widow, Hercules and Quicksilver while their leader Primus announced to passersby that they had come to set humanity free "from the yoke of the super-human oppresion!" He claimed the Underground Militia's purpose was to punish superhumans for the suffering caused by their battles. The three heroes were quickly joined by members of the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, who had been sent to help defend Earth. Seeing they were about to lose, Primus ordered his forces to retreat.
Returning to their sewer base, Primus opined their "phase one" had gone well. Tellis was concerned that the Imperial Guard were involved as Gladiator on his own was a formiable opponent but Primus assured him they had energies that "could cow the Hulk!" The next day the Underground Militia made a public appearance in Washington Square Park and Primus again denounced Earth's superhumans, likening them to "godlings" who viewed humanity as ants. The Imperial Guard interceded to speak on behalf of Earth's heroes but the Underground Militia attacked them and quickly bested them, surprisingly them with the strength of their weapons. The Underground Militia took the Imperial Guard as prisoners and declared victory "for all humanity."
(Imperial Guard I#2) - The Underground Militia kept the Imperial Guard as prisoners in their sewer base, hoping to arrange their public execution, but the radiation designed to weaken the Imperial Guardsmen instead empowered their lone Kree member, Commando, who set his comrades free. Elsewhere, Primus was overseeing the recruitment of humans into the Underground Militia's ranks. When Tellis again advised caution about confronting Earth's superhumans, Primus reminded him how they held super-heroes such as the Avengers responsible for their planet's near-destruction and they had to avenge the Kree. Soon, they had their human allies dressed in their armor to assist them, but the Imperial Guard had realized they were dealing with Kree and tracked their location because of their extraterrestrial origins. Most of the Underground Militia were bested but Primus escaped with Tellis and Nera.
(Imperial Guard I#3) - Primus completed the Nega-Reactor in the sewers beneath Manhattan and began to build up a charge so that it would explode and cause similar damage to Earth as what Hala suffered from the Nega Bomb. Most of the Underground Militia feared the result of the explosion and fled, while Primus continued to oversee its activation, believing himself and the others to be immune to all forms of radiation. Just as the Nega-Reactor was ready to explode, the Imperial Guard and Rick Jones (wielding the Destiny Force) intervened. Rick Jones absorbed some of the radiation while Guardsmen slagged the machine into a sphere, which Gladiator flew out of Earth's orbit, discarding it into space. Commando contemptously swatted Primus in the head, declaring him "too much trouble to kill." Soon after, the Supreme Intelligence used the energies Rick Jones had absorbed from the Nega-Reactor to reconstitute his body. Primus jumped forward and asked the Supreme Intelligence to bless him, but the Supreme Intelligence replied it had no more need of "treasonous scum" like him and blasted him; Primus passed out. Primus revived after the Imperial Guard, Rick Jones and the Supreme Intelligence had all departed.
Comments: Created by Brian Augustyn, Charles Wojkiewicz and Ray Snyder.
Primus claimed in Imperial Guard I#3 that all of the Underground Militia were immune to all forms of radiation from their time on Daccara, but that might have been wishful thinking on his part.
This profile was completed on 03/05/2026 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Underground Militia should not be confused with:
Like the other members of the Underground Militia, Nera was a pink-skinned Kree who posed as a human. She had blonde hair. Nera feared the Nega-Reactor would kill them all and left Primus as he was setting up the machine.
--Imperial Guard I#1 (2 (fb) 2-3
Like the other members of the Underground Militia, Primus was a pink-skinned Kree who posed as a human. He had red hair. Primus was the leader of the Underground Militia. Primus began leading the Kree who comprised the Underground Militia while they were miners on the planet Daccara and led an uprising to overthrow their superiors. Finding Hala ravaged by the Nega Bomb, Primus established the Underground Militia on Earth, seeking revenge on Earth's superhumand and wishing to build a force that would enable him to overcome the Shi'ar Empire and the blue-skinned Kree, thus establishing pink-skinned Kree as the rulers of the Kree Empire. Primus attempted to ravage Earth with a Nega-Reactor but was prevented by the Imperial Guard and Rick Jones.
--Imperial Guard I#1 (2 (fb), 1-3
Like the other members of the Underground Militia, Tellus was a pink-skinned Kree who posed as a human. He had brown hair. Tellis frequently advised caution to Primus but Primus never took his warnings seriously. When Primus activated the Nega-Reactor, Tellis fled for his life and was quickly captured by the Imperial Guard; from scanning his mind, Oracle learned about the threat of the Nega-Reactor.
--Imperial Guard I#1 (2 (fb), 2-3
The Nega-Reactor was a powerful energy converter built by the Underground Militia from harvesting Nega radiation found on Hala after the detonation of the Nega Bomb. Primus was guided by the Supreme Intelligence into building the device. After the Imperial Guard repeatedly bested the Underground Militia, Primus determined to activate the Nega-Reactor and ravage the Earth just as the Nega Bomb had ravaged Hala. The Imperial Guard and Rick Jones contained the radiation by slagging the device and Gladiator flew it out of Earth's orbit, discarding it into space. The Supreme Intelligence used the energies from the Nega-Reactor to help reconstitute its physical form.
--Imperial Guard I#3
images: (without ads)
Imperial Guard I#1, cover (main)
Imperial Guard I#1, page 2, panel 1 (supplemental)
Imperial Guard I#1, page 10, panel 1 (Nera)
Imperial Guard I#1, page 17, panel 1 (Primus)
Imperial Guard I#1, page 10, panel 2 (Tellus)
Imperial Guard I#3, page 5, panel 1 (Nega-Reactor)
Appearances:
Imperial Guard I#1-3 (January-March, 1997) - Brian Augustyn (writer),
Charles Wojkiewicz (penciler), Ray Snyder (inker), Terry Kavangh
(editor)
First posted: 09/30/2026
Last updated:
03/05/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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