N'GARAI
Classification: Extradimensional (Class III) Demons (See Comments); Distant Past, Pre-Cataclysmic, Hyborian, and modern eras
Location/Base of Operations: "The Dimension of the N'Garai"
This extradimensional realm is accessible from Earth via Cairns located
outside Salem Center, New York and on Magneto's Island in the Bermuda Triangle.
Formerly Earth circa millions of years ago and Limbo.
Known Members: B'Terak, Kierrok the Damned, Klejan Kan--Devourer of Angels and Breaker of Cities, Mabdhara,
M'Drul, Syxra--Mother of Knives,
Y'Bsgloth, Y'Garon,
Y'Griarth, Zo--Who Makes the Dead; (see comments);
possibly Weep, Dansker (see comments)
Affiliations: Offspring of Chthon;
"Siblings" of
Victoria Montesi;
Served
by/allied with Jaffar ibn Haroun Al-Rashid, Belasco, the
Camarilla of the N'Garai,
Department of Occult Armaments (Crossbones/Brock Rumlow, Host, Innards/Rupert Helona, Malpractice/Josef Pohlmann, Sin/Sinthea Shmidt, Wraithwitch, others),
Dhasha Khan,
Darkhold Dwarf,
Simyon Karashnur,
Kulan Gath, Master Khan, Modred the Mystic,
Aurora Poule, the Puffball Collective,
Shadowqueen, T'hehly'eh, Elianne Turac,
Vung;
formerly the Ru'tai;
possibly the Four,
Lady Daemon
Enemies: Apocalypse (En Sabah Nur),
Avengers (Captain America/Steve Rogers, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Mockingbird/Barbara Morse, Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew), Basilisk, Bloodscream, Clan Akkaba,
"Darkhold Redeemers" (Sam Buchanan,
Louise Hastings,
Jinx ,
Victoria Montesi),
Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Dracula,
Exiter, Kate Fraser, Lee Forrester,
Daimon Hellstrom,
Dr. Michael Heron, Hulk (Bruce Banner), Ka-Zar (Kevin Plunder), Jade, Lucifer
(the demon/fallen angel, see comments), Magik (Amanda Sefton), Magneto (Max Eisenhardt), Marada the She-Wolf, Arianrhod MacLlanllwyr, Donal MacLlanllwyr, Modred the
Mystic, Peliali,
Pilgrimm, Pixie (Megan Gwynn), Project: PEGASUS, Rhiannon, Ru'Tai, Sabretooth (Victor Creed), Satan (Marduk Kurios),
Satana, Scratch, Shanna the
She-Devil, Spitfire (Jacqueline Falsworth), Undying
Ones, Union Jack (Joe Chapman), X-Men (Archangel/Warren Worthington III, Banshee/Sean Cassidy,
Beast/Henry McCoy, Cannonball/Sam Guthrie, Colossus/Piotr Rasputin, Cyclops/Scott Summers, Frenzy/Joanna Cargill, Emma Frost, Husk/Paige Guthrie, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Gambit/Remy LeBeau, Marvel Girl/Rachel Summers, Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner, Phoenix/Jean Grey, Polaris/Lorna Dane, Professor X/Charles Xavier,
Psylocke/Elizabeth Braddock, Rogue/Anna Marie, Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde, Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida, Thunderbird/Neal Sharra, Wolverine/James Howlett), the people of the town
of Perfection;
formerly Belasco
Aliases: Dark Gods, Elder Gods, Great Devourers, Old Ones
First Appearance:
(Y'Garon) Giant-Size Dracula#2 (June, 1974);
(Kierrok) X-Men I#96 (December, 1975)
(N'Garai) Uncanny X-Men I#143 (March, 1981)
Powers/Abilities: Like all demons, the N'Garai are immune to the effects of aging and terrestrial disease. They are superhumanly strong and resistant to damage, with tough, leathery skin. Their razor-sharp claws and teeth are coated with a deadly poison which is fatal to regular humans. Some members of the N'Garai in their native dimension possess wings and others have additional limbs.
Height: 6' - 9'
Weight: 400 - 900 lbs.
Eyes: Red
Skin: Gray
Traits: A very small number of
N'Garai--such as Y'Garon and Kierrok--have advanced intelligence and direct the
others, who are extremely savage and bloodthirsty. This warrior caste has been
described as the "Lesser N'Garai." It is unknown whether they have any sort of
social order, other than having used the Ru'Tai as slaves at one point. Although N'Garai of different physical forms
have been glimpsed (winged, multi-armed) it is not known if these physical
differences bring with them different societal functions.
The level of intelligence of the warrior caste is unknown, although they do not appear to
be particularly bright, nor cunning. The are able to communicate
with speech, although whether they have their own language is unknown.
In combat they rely their
claws, teeth, and tails, and sheer numbers to gain advantage and overwhelm
their enemies. They appear to lack gender and it is unknown how,
and if they even do, reproduce. By some accounts they must be born through a
host.
History:
(Marvel Comics Presents I#145-146 - BTS) - After escaping the Demogorge by traveling to another dimension, the Elder God Chthon created the N'Garai and populated them in their own dimension, creating Kierrok to rule over them.
(Marvel Preview#7 - BTS) - At some point millions of years ago, the N'Garai ruled the Earth. They were defeated and driven back to their dimension by some force approximately one million years ago. One account has it that the angel Lucifer, prior to his Fall, was responsible for their banishment.
(Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#41 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying Ones possessed an age-old and festering rivalry with the N'Garai demons, who also ruled humanity, or a section of it, in the distant past.
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu I#22 (fb)) - Many millennia ago, well before the Great-Cataclysm which sank Atlantis, before the age of Kull, the Earth was ruled by the N'Garai. Humanity was enslaved by these gods, serving as their workers, pets, and meals. Eventually the N'Garai were driven from the Earth, and humanity gained its freedom.
(Conan the Barbarian I#259 (fb) - BTS) <10, 000 BC> - Kulan Gath was transported to the realm of the N'Garai: "Of late, I have dwelt in realms which would make that snake-infested kingdom [Stygia] seem a paradise by comparison."
(BTS) - At some point the N'Garai empowered an apparently mortal sorcerer, transforming him into the being known as Belasco.
(Epic Illustrated#10 / Marvel Graphic Novel#21: Marada the She-Wolf (fb) - BTS) <Roughly b/t 50 BC to 50 AD> - Some of the Mabdhara (the N'Garai Masters), including Y'Garon, sought the soul of Marada for her powers "both temporal and arcane, though she knows it not." Simyon Karashnur, a sorcerer serving the N'Garai, sought to bind Marada's power to the service of his masters.
(Epic Illustrated#10 / Marvel Graphic Novel#21: Marada the She-Wolf (fb)) - As Marada and her allies celebrated their safe return from a battle, Marada unwittingly downed a drugged mug of wine. She awoke in a tower, chained within a mystic circle. The sorcerer Simyon Karashnur greeted her and then summoned Y'Garon, who announced that she was to be his consort and then took her by force, mocking her resistance. In his passion, Y'Garon raked her back, cutting her to the bone; while Marada prayed the wounds would be fatal, Y'Garon contemptuously healed her. He then took part of her soul and replaced it with a piece of his own -- so that when the night finally came to an end and he returned to his realm, Marada begged him to stay.
(Epic Illustrated#10 / Marvel Graphic Novel#21: Marada the She-Wolf (fb) - BTS) - Roman Tribune Gaius Marcellus Fulva rescued Marada from her captor and arranged a caravan of Parthian mercenaries to return her to Rome in hopes of gaining favor with her grandfather, Caesar.
(Epic Illustrated#10 /
Marvel Graphic Novel#21: Marada the She-Wolf - BTS) - Donal MacLlanllwyr brought
Marada to Ashandriar to recover, though she seemed a broken woman. Rhiannon, mistress of the arts arcane
and ruler of Ashandriar, who recognized the stench of
blackest sorcery about Marada.
Simyon Karashnur had his torturer painfully slay Gaius
Marcellus for his theft, after which he used Marada's possessions to enable a
demon of the Outer Dark to come to Earth and usurp Marada's form to recover her
for their masters. Sensing this, Marada awakened, screaming.
(Epic
Illustrated#11 /
Marvel Graphic Novel#21: Marada the She-Wolf) - The N'Garai Marada attacked
Donal and Marada; Arianrhod briefly stunned the demon, but it swiftly recovered,
delivered a mortal wound to Donal, and abducted Arianrhod to force Marada to
follow her. Rhiannon tried and failed to save Donal, after which Marada
re-donned her old warrior attire and had Rhiannon send her to Y'Garon's realm so
that she might rescue Arianrhod. Minor demons assailed Marada, but her instincts
and skills proved to be intact, and she slew all of her attackers.
Eventually
she confronted Simyon Karashnur and Y'Garon alongside the chained Arianrhod.
Overcoming her fears, Marada hurled her axe at Y'Garon, wounding him, and when
he created a flaming sword, she met him in single combat, delivered another
wound, and proved herself his superior. Simyon conjured a floral scent (the
lotus?) that dulled her mind and rendered her body hypersensitive. She dropped
to her knees before Y'Garon, but as he raised his sword high, she suddenly
slashed upwards with her sword, gutting him. As Simyon prepared to flee, Marada
shoved her sword through his chest, apparently killing him as well.
(Scarlet Witch III#10 (fb)) - A millennium ago Kierrok set the N'Garai upon mountain witches in the Balkan Mountains to gain control over an eldritch mine that was under the witches protection. The N'Garai slaughtered monst of the mountain witches, but five of them retreated to the mine, forged sacred tools and became the first five Hexfinders. When the Hexfinders emerged from the mine they were able to repel the N'Garai.
(Doctor Strange II#43-44 (fb))- One thousand years ago the monk Kan discovered a strange temple. Exploring it, Kan was drawn against his will through a mystical Black Mirror into an otherdimensional realm. There Kan met Jehan, king of Siridar, his sister, Princess Shialmar, and their court magician, Vung, the one who had cast the spell drawing Kan through the mirror. Jehan persuaded Kan to lead his people in a war against the Wizard Kings who ruled this otherdimensional realm. Kan agreed to do so. During his time in this realm, Kan and Shialmar fell in love with each other.
Ultimately Kan led his forces to complete victory over the forces of the Wizard Kings, and all but one of the Wizard Kings were killed. But Kan did not realize he was a pawn in Vung's secret plans. Vung captured both Kan and Shialmar and prepared to sacrifice them to the demonic race he secretly served, the N'Garai. Shialmar offered the N'Garai her own soul, in exchange for power. The N'Garai complied, transforming Shialmar into the Shadowqueen, a sorceress of great mystical power who was nearly incapable of love. The Shadowqueen slew Vung and sent Kan back to China.
(Giant-Size Dracula#3 (fb)) - In the 15th century Elianne Turac spent the a year training in the black arts. She performed a ritual involving the sacrifice of a young boy to the N'Garai ("Gods that rule the Dark Places") in exchange for immortality to enable her to battle her immortal enemy. The Gods found the life of the boy insufficient, and in addition, they took her innocence, her joy, her love, and her vision.
(X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula#4 (fb) - BTS) - Around 1861 after being awakened by Clan Akkaba, Apocalypse slaughtered a tribe of N'Garai demons while they watched.
(Giant-Size Dracula#2) - Y'Garon accessed a Sa'arpool, seeking to bring the N'Garai to Earth. The Triad emerged from the Sa'arpool and attempted to claim Kate Fraser, but Dracula fought off Y'Garon and hurled him into the Sa'arpool. He then fought past the Triad to rescue Kate. The Sa'arpool was sealed up and destroyed.
(X-Men I#96) - Cyclops, lashing out in anger, accidentally blasted off the top of a N'Garai Cairn located near the X-Men Mansion. This released Kierrok, who promptly attacked the X-Men. Charles Xavier attempted to scan Kierrok's mind, only to be overwhelmed by the demon's evil. Kierrok leeched the X-Men's energy, until Storm destroyed the N'Garai Cairn, banishing Kierrok back to his dimension.
(Deadly Hands of Kung Fu I#24) - Dhasha Khan accessed the power of the Firebird (Jade) to begin transforming Earth into the form it wore in millennia past, when the N'Garai ruled the Earth. However, before Khan could summon the N'Garai to Earth, Iron Fist used his chi to focus his will and bridge the gap to the world of the living. Iron Fist attacked and, after a lengthy battle, defeated Dhasha Khan. He took his Soulgem, reversed the changes on Earth, and returned the spirit of the Firebird to Jade.
(Haunt of Horror II#4/3 (fb) - BTS) - Jimmy Cruz, monsignor of a Catholic Church, became obsessed with destroying the forces of Satan, by whatever means necessary. To this end, he turned to the N'Garai for power and support, becoming affiliated with the Camarilla of the N'Garai.
(Marvel Preview#7 - BTS) - The Camarilla of the N'Garai, human servants dedicated to them, sought revenge on Marduk Kurios/Satan by plotting to slay his daughter, Satana. (see comments)
(Haunt of Horror II#4/3 (fb)) - Cruz summoned one of the N'Garai to slay Satana's familiar, a magic cat named Exiter. However, Satana herself caught up with Cruz before he could summon demonic assistance, and drained his soul, killing him.
(Marvel Preview#7 (fb)) - The Camarilla transformed Satana into the human form of Judith Camber.
(Marvel Preview#7) - The Camarilla captured Camber and extracted Satana's spirit, intending to sacrifice it to the N'Garai, but Satana summoned the Basilisk to slaughter the Camarilla instead.
(Iron Fist I#7 - BTS) - Master Khan invoked the N'Garai for power, but his ceremony was interrupted by Iron Fist.
(Marvel Team-Up I#79) - Kulan Gath attempted to open a portal to the N'Garai's realm via one of the mystic Sa'arpools, offering Red Sonja and Spider-Man to them. The Triad began to emerge from the Sa'arpool, but Spider-Man broke free and sealed up the Sa'arpool, leaving only one other Sa'arpool on Earth.
(Doctor Strange II#42-44) - The Shadowqueen, a servant of the N'Garai, conquered her dimension, and then battled Doctor Strange. Doctor Strange slew her by invoking the power of the Tetragamatron.
(Doctor Strange II#45) - Doctor Strange accessed a Sa'arpool, from which emerged one of the demons referred to as the "Old Ones."
(Uncanny X-Men I#143) - On a Christmas Eve a single N'Garai demon escaped from the restored Cairn near the X-Mansion. It attacked Kitty Pryde, who was alone for the evening, and chased her around the X-Mansion before she was finally able to incinerate it with the Blackbird's engines.
(Uncanny X-Men I#159/Magik#1-4) - Belasco collected soul fragments from Illyana Rasputin, creating "bloodstones" from them, with which he intended to summon the N'Garai (see comments).
(Ka-Zar the Savage#13) - Belasco attempted to free the Elder Gods he served (the N'Garai - see notes) from their imprisonment using a bloodstone locket and Shanna the She-Devil as part of the spell. Ka-Zar threw the locket into lava, which disrupted the spell and the N'Garai apparently destroyed Belasco. (In actuality he was banished to Limbo.)
(Incredible Hulk II#308 (fb) - BTS) - The Puffball Collective, part of a large collective, freed the N'Garai on its world, resulting in mass slaughter. The evil sub-group of the collective was banished to the Crossroads dimension, and the portal to the world had been sealed shut in order to protect other realms from the demons' wrat. The N'Garai exterminated the remainder of the Collective remaining on its native planet, which since became known as the "Demon World of the N'Garai."
(Incredible Hulk II#308) - The Puffball Collective tricked the Hulk into smashing through the barriers of the Collective's world. The then virtually mindless Hulk was assaulted by one of the N'Garai. Eventually, the demon's attack stopped, and the Hulk rose to find an entire horde of the beasts surrounding him with the Puffball Collective. The Collective gloated to the Hulk about how he had fooled him. The Triad, manifestations of the id, ego, and superego of the Hulk/Banner, leading him to trigger the failsafe that sent him back to the Crossroads and then quickly shut the portal to the Demon World of the N'Garai. The Collective's screams were heard from the other side as the demons rent him apart.
(Five Decades of the X-Men: Up the Hill Backwards) - Black Air, including Pete Wisdom and Scratch, had a N'Garai cairn in Scotland under observation. The X-Men and WHO members, in a war game arranged by Alistair Stuart, stumbled upon the area. The Black Air men foolishly slew some WHO members, which only served to summon the N'Garai who slaughtered the rest of the Black Air agents present. The X-Men were forced to team-up with Wisdom and take control of Scratch (via Psylocke) to drive the N'Garai back into the cairn, which they then destroyed. Wisdom and Scratch escaped.
(Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#41 (fb) - BTS) - The Undying Ones took possession of the mutant Wolverine--although not without a bloody fight when some human worshippers gassed him--and sent him to slay Doctor Strange. Learning of the Sa'arpool (a magical gateway to Earth created by the N'Garai), the new Nameless One sent Wolverine through it.
(Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins#3) - The Dwarf tricked Aurora Poule into using a Darkhold page to get revenge on the town of Perfection, and the N'Garai were summoned. One of the demons attacked Louise and Sam, but was killed when Sabretooth showed up. Vicki ended up trapped in an elevator with a bunch of the demons outside.
(Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins#4) - Modred located the cairn of the N'Garai in the quarry and told Aurora Poule that her unborn child had become a new N'Garai, as they have no natural way to reproduce. Modred saved a woman from a demon, then hurled her through the N'Garai portal to see if humans could pass through. The woman was killed and Modred was denied his plan to pass through the portal and confront Chthon and retrieve his soul. When the N'Garai were defeated Modred sent Sabretooth away and left the Redeemers, who realized he'd used them so he could test the cairn.
(Marvel Comics Presents I#145/2) - During the "Siege of Darkness" Victoria Montesi attempted to shoot herself to prevent her giving birth to Chthon. She was interrupted by Sam Buchanan and the two were chased through the ruins of Doctor Strange's mansion by N'Garai demons who wanted to take and protect her until she could give birth to their master. They were rescued by Doctor Strange who pulled the Darkhold Redeemers through a portal.
(X-Men: Soul Killer) - Belasco usurped a group of vampires from Dracula's control and used them in a plot to return his masters. He had one of them encounter Rogue and make physical contact with her. In this case, the absorption process had a traumatic effect on Rogue, while leaving the vampiress a duplicate of Rogue. Sending the vampiress impersonator of Rogue to wreak havoc and distract his enemies, Belasco attempted to use Rogue to return his masters to Earth by traveling with her to their dimension and having her absorb their essence. Belasco was, however, defeated by Dracula, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Colossus, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Amanda Sefton/Jimaine Szardos.
(Wolverine Annual 1995/1) - The Cairn near the X-Mansion rose again, releasing a N'Garai demon onto the X-Mansion grounds. It confronted Wolverine, who had began regression into a feral state. After slaying the demon, Wolverine followed another demon into the Cairn and the N'Garai's native dimension. Nightcrawler followed his one-time teammate, only to discover that Wolverine, while badly wounded, was relishing his slaughter of the N'Garai and had no intention of returning to Earth until all the N'Garai were killed. The two mutants confronted Kierrok, who wounded, and was in turn wounded by, Wolverine. Realizing that Wolverine could succeed, Kierrok banished him and Nightcrawler back to Earth and closed the Cairn for the immediate future.
(X-Men: Legacy#260.1 (fb) - BTS) - After the cairn was sealed, Professor X had Doctor Strange cast a spell that made it impossible for anyone to get near it.
(X-Men Unlimited I#9) - Belasco tricked Bloodscream into assembling an armada of zombie ships to combat the N'Garai through a Cairn located on Magneto's Island in the Bermuda Triangle. In reality, Belasco wanted to conquer the N'Garai and use them to attack Earth. The X-Men (Beast, Psylocke, and Wolverine) teamed up with Lee Forrester to investigate and were captured by Belasco. Belasco defeated the X-Men and imprisoned Psylocke in a crystal, using her life force to open the Cairn, releasing a N'Garai demon. Empowered by the crystal, Belasco confronted Kierrok and appeared to have the upper hand. Lee Forrester shot the crystal, destroying it, and Bloodscream sacrificed himself to push Belasco through the Cairn into the N'Garai's dimension before the portal collapsed.
(X-Men II#75 (fb)) - Inspired by Wolverine's performance against Kierrok, the Ru'Tai, a slave caste of N'Garai, rebelled and overthrew their oppressors. Kierrok was slain and his eye was kept as an amulet by Pilgrimm, a leader of the Ru'Tai.
(Avengers III#27 - BTS, #28-30) - Kulan Gath controlled the Kamekeri people and empowered agents to capture the goddess Peliali, to be sacrificed for the necessary power for his plans. He was confronted by the Avengers, and, with the aid of her daughter Silverclaw, Peliali rallied against Gath and prevented her sacrifice (but not her death). Without the sacrifice of Peliali, the N'Garai (and/or agents of Shuma-Gorath or other Dark Gods) feasted instead on Kulan Gath.
(X-Men: Black Sun#1 (fb) - BTS) - The N'Garai were not all destroyed and regrouped, and teamed up with Belasco, who had finally realized that they were the Elder Gods he served. They granted him a new right arm and planned to conquer Limbo, using it as a stepping stone towards Earth.
(X-Men: Black Sun#1) - Belasco used his magic to convince Kitty Pryde that the N'Garai had conquered Earth and almost all of Earth's super-heroes. A mountain of skulls, enormous in height, could be glimpsed from outside the X-Men Mansion. Kitty and some of the X-Men retreated into the mansion and performed a black magic blood spell which was supposed to aid against the N'Garai. Instead, however, the X-Men were disguised as N'Garai, and Kitty traded their souls with those of the captured X-Men, giving the N'Garai access to the powers of Sunfire, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Banshee. Belasco revealed his illusion and his plan and sent a N'Garai to attack Shadowcat and Magik (Amanda Sefton) who had appeared to help against him.
(X-Men: Black Sun#2) - Magik quickly dispatched the N'Garai demon that Belasco sent after her. Meanwhile, the N'Garai-possessed Storm attempted to steal the soul of the X-Men's Archangel and encountered resistance from Psylocke and the Ru'Tai Pilgrimm. After battling them and unleashing Storm's elemental powers, N'Garai/Storm sucked Archangel's soul out of his body and departed.
(X-Men: Black Sun#3) - New, hyper-evolved N'Garai emerged from Cairns on Earth, seeking to destroy mankind, while the N'Garai-possessed Banshee and Sunfire arrived at Genosha to capture the souls of Iceman and Polaris. They encountered resistance from them, as well as Wolverine and Pilgrimm, but ultimately succeeded in acquiring the souls they came for and fled.
(X-Men: Black Sun#4) - The evolved N'Garai demons assaulted Thunderbird (Neal Sharra) in Limbo and almost overwhelmed him, before Wolverine's timely intervention saved his teammate's life. Thirteen N'Garai Cairns had appeared all over the Earth, each at a site of great mystical power, including Vatican City. The N'Garai-possessed Nightcrawler and Colossus arrived there and encountered Pilgrimm. Beast and Phoenix (Jean Grey) entered the fray, as did Magik, but the N'Garai succeeded in gaining Beast's soul. Magik took Jean Grey back to Limbo and prepared for the final battle.
(X-Men: Black Sun#5) - The N'Garai and Belasco had acquired the bloodstones required to open the portal to Earth permanently; while Belasco readied the spell, the N'Garai assaulted Wolverine, Thunderbird, and Phoenix. Pilgrimm again entered the battle against both sides, but was defeated by Phoenix. Magik was able to trick Belasco using Shadowcat as a decoy and the resurrected original X-Men and unpossessed "New" X-Men teamed up to destroy Belasco's castle, ending his threat and destroying the N'Garai Cairns worldwide.
(Avengers III#40 - BTS)- A homunculus of Diablo unearthed the Tablet of T'hehly'eh from a building across the street from Avengers Mansion, the artifact having lain dormant since the time of the N'Garai. The homunculus intended to use the tablet to rescue the real Diablo from his other-dimensional exile, but the Avengers prevented him from completing his spell.
(Marvel Tarot#1 - BTS) - The First Tarot showed Ian McNee that the N'Garai are one of the four biggest mystic menaces traceable to Chthon, the other three are Zombies, Vampires and Werewolves.
(Free Comic Book Day: X-Men#1) - N'Garai demons, including B'Terak and M'Drul, took root in Abergylid, Wales, where they began kidnapping local residents to sacrifice towards resurrecting their lord, Kierrok the Damned. While the N'Garai remained invisible to normal eyes, the former New X-Man Pixie was able to see the demons due to the darkness recently put in her soul by Magik. Knowing something was not right, Pixie contacted the disbanded X-Men. She soon made a list of the missing townspeople and gave it to local constable Rhys. On her way home, she noticed B'Terak and M'Drul preparing to abduct children from a nearby park. Pixie quickly held off the N'Garai long enough for the children to escape and she then retreated to the Abergylid Museum and Visitor Center, where Pixie summoned her Soul Dagger and killed the two demons. She was soon after attacked by a small group of N'Garai but was rescued when the X-Men (Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, Wolverine) arrived, having got her earlier message. The X-Men made short work of the demons and Pixie led them to the N'Garai's base within a nearby mining cave. Inside the cave, the X-Men found that the N'Garai had partially brought Kierrok the Damned into Earth's dimension but Kierrok still needed more sacrifices to fully return. As the X-Men battled the N'Garai demons, Pixie flew around the face of Kierrok, prompting him to swat at her, unwittingly destroying the supports that held up the mining cave. Eventually, Kierrok destroyed all of the supports, causing the cave to collapse on top of Kierrok, closing his link with Earth's dimension, or at least burying him under a lot of rock. Before any of the X-Men could be injured by the cave-in, Pixie teleported them all to safety outside the cave.
(Invaders Now!#1) - Spitfire and Union Jack took out a small nest of N'Garai in Avebury, Wiltshire, England.
(X-Men: Legacy#260.1) - Rockslide accidentally opened a portal for the N'Garai when he used their cairn on the Xavier Institute grounds to reform his body. Rogue led the assault on the invading N'Garai while the students were sent inside and kept in the dark about what was going on. While Frenzy, Gambit, Iceman and Marvel Girl joined the battle, Beast educated a group of students on the N'Garai. Cannonball took down one of the N'Garai as well before returning to teach his ethics class. Rogue ordered Iceman and Gambit to clear some space so they could get to the cairn to close the portal, but a general of the N'Garai appeared and ordered the warriors to slay one of the students to widen the portal and bring the entire N'Garai army to Earth. Rogue got Husk, who was teaching mutant literature, to join the battle. Husk quickly took down one N'Garai while the others began to break through Iceman's icewall. Rogue absorbed several students' powers, became a giant made of stone and squashed the N'Garai general. The other N'Garai were driven back through the portal by the X-Men, which was plugged by Frenzy and Marvel Girl shortly after.
(Fear Itself: The Fearless#6) - Wraithwitch and a group of D.O.A. operatives used an occult machine to cause a mystic storm that brought an army of N'Garai, Undying Ones and Minions of Cthorr to Project: PEGASUS. The demon army attacked the Avengers and Daimon Hellstrom inside Project: PEGASUS and were soon joined by Sin and D.O.A.'s Host, Innards, Malpractice and Wraithwitch herself.
Meanwhile Crossbones went looking for one of the Serpent's hammers stored at Project: PEGASUS and encountered a N'Garai warrior attacking a scientist. Crossbones shot the N'Garai and the scientist before stealing the scientist's ID card to enter the vault where the hammer was kept.
(Fear Itself: The Fearless#7) - The demon army, including the N'Garai, and the D.O.A. continued their fight against the Avengers. Valkyrie destroyed the machine and the demons were all returned to their dimensions.
Comments: Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.
The N'Garai are described in OHTMU Deluxe Edition#3 as being a a class III, extradimensional demons, spawned by an Elder God (Class I Demon). However, Sligguth is described as a Class II demon, and he is also spawned by an Elder God (Set). Since the N'Garai are extradimensionally-based, this apparently determines their classification, not their parentage.
This profile assumes that the N'Garai are the "Elder Gods" which are
referred to in Claremont stories, as they were later confirmed as the Elder Gods served
by Belasco. As such, the beings on the other side of the Sa'arpools
in Marvel Team Up I#79 and Giant-Size Dracula#2 (both Claremont-penned
tales) are most probably either the N'Garai or directly related to them. Giant-Size Dracula#2 identifies the tentacled things as the Triad, which would make them Y'Bsgloth, and Y'Griarth. --Prime Eternal
The "Elder Gods" to which Y'Garon belongs are correctly
identified as the N'Garai in the X-Men indexes for X-Men I#96.
This could also mean that
Y'Garon is actually not an Elder God, but, as a spawn of Chthon, a Class II or
III demon. Perhaps he and his brothers (Y'Bsgloth, and Y'Griarth) form a "god" of the N'Garai when united as one.
Additionally, the N'Garai could technically be listed as BTS in every appearance of Belasco. I listed just the first arc's conclusion as they are actually glimpsed briefly, and not just mentioned.
Syxra, Zo, and Klejan Kan are named from in the X-Men: Soulkiller novel as beings summoned and served by Belasco. As Belasco's masters have been revealed as the N'Garai, that would make them the N'Garai, too.
I didn't list the account of Belasco's origin from Ka-Zar the Savage #12, as the OHTMU Deluxe Edition#2 says it is probably false. So while it is true that Belasco was empowered by the N'Garai/"Elder Gods" it most likely didn't happen as it is shown in the purported journal of Dante Aligheri Ka-Zar reads in that issue.
Though the N'Garai were banished from Earth "millions of years ago,"
it is not known who was responsible for their exile. It is obviously
not human sorcerers, as mankind had not arisen yet. It could possibly
the ancient gods, such as Crom, Mitra, and Astra, or maybe the account
from Marvel Preview#7 is true. Another possibility is that Sise-Neg,
when banishing Shuma-Gorath circa 1,000,000 years ago, also banished the
N'Garai behind the scenes. Sise-Neg was mistaken for God in other
time periods during the time-travel story of Marvel Premiere#12-14, so
perhaps the N'Garai mistook him for the angel Lucifer.
They apparently were twice banished on Earth, once before
the dawn of humanity, and once sometime between 100, 000 to 20, 000 BC.
--Snood
Marduk Kurios is the
true name of Satana's father, though he was more commonly named "Satan."
What, if any, connection he has to the fallen angel, Lucifer, is unknown.
Lucifer would more likely be a completely different demon, another of the
arch-lords of Hell, though such a being has not yet been seen in the Marvel
Universe. Perhaps as both Lucifer and Marduk Kurios were known as Satan, the
N'Garai and/or their human agents confused the two? Or maybe it was not the
fallen angel Lucifer that imprisoned the N'Garai extra-dimensionally.
--Snood.
The curse of the Wendigo is referred to as the "curse of the Elder Gods" in Monsters Unleashed#9. As it's written by Claremont, that would seem to tie the Wendigo to the N'Garai as well.
In Marvel Premiere#27 Satana refers to Dansker as an "Old One", which Claremont has Doctor Strange refer the N'Garai to in his basement in Doctor Strange II#45 (whereas everywhere else he refers to them as the "Elder Gods"). In addition, in order to access his full power and/or access/free his physical form from Hell he had to perform a sacrifice on a Cairn, geographical sites which only the N'Garai are known to access our realm via. This would all seem to suggest he is an N'Garai, but what sort - a demon or a master?
--James
D'Spayre cast an illusion of the N'Garai in Doctor Strange II#55 as part of his psychological war with Doctor Strange.
Lousise Hastings in Darkholders#4 stated that the N'Gari had Chthon as a "father".--John McDonagh
Also, in the Darkhold appearances, Modred referred to the N'Garai on occasion as "the Great Devourers". Whether this is an actual name they go by or if Modred was merely waxing poetic, is uncertain.
Before some hammerhead comments about the N'Garai seen in a What If world or Earth-MC2, please get it through your skull that this profile is on the race associated with Earth-616. Alternate Earth characters go in Alternate Earth profiles. Stop the madness!!!!
Profile by The Squid, Snood, Per Degaton, Patrick D Ryall and Prime Eternal. Update by Markus Raymond (Invaders to Scarlet Witch).
Clarifications:
No known connection to:
images:
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC#8, N'Garai profile (main, recolored and refurbed version of X-Men: Black Sun#1, p23, pan3)
Scarlet Witch II#10, p2, pan2 (vs. mountain witches)
Uncanny X-Men I#143, p11, pan1 (vs. Kitty Pryde)
Wolverine '95/1, p6, pan1 (vs. Wolverine)
X-Men: Black Sun#1, p4, pan1 (gray N'Garai)
X-Men: Black Sun#3, p1, pan2 (hyper-evolved N'Garai)
X-Men: Black Sun#5, p2-3, pan1 (various N'Garai)
Invaders Now!#1, p17, pan1 (vs. Spitfire & Union Jack)
X-Men: Legacy#260.1, p11, pan3 (Mabdhara general)
Appearances:
Giant-Size Dracula#2 (September, 1974) - Chris Claremont (writer), Don Heck (pencils), Frank McLaughlin (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Haunt of Horror II#4/3 (November, 1974) - Chris Claremont (writer), Pat Broderick (pencils), Crusty Bunkers (inks), Tony Isabella (editor)
Giant-Size Dracula#3 (December, 1974) - Chris Claremont (writer), Don Heck (pencils), Frank Springer (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
X-Men I#96 (December, 1975) - Bill Mantlo & Chris Claremont (writers), Dave Cockrum (pencils), Sam Grainger (inks), Marv Wolfman (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu I#22 (March, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Rudy Nebres (artist), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Deadly Hands of Kung Fu I#24 (May, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Rudy Nebres (artist), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Marvel Preview#7 (June, 1976) - Chris Claremont (writer), Vicente Alcazar (artist), John Warner (editor)
Marvel Team-Up I#79 (March, 1979) - John Byrne & Chris Claremont (writers), John Byrne (pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Doctor Strange II#42 (August, 1980) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Mary Jo Duffy (editor)
Doctor Strange II#43 (October, 1980) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Mary Jo Duffy (editor)
Doctor Strange II#44 (December, 1980) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dan Green (inks), Mary Jo Duffy (editor)
Doctor Strange II#45 (February, 1981) - Chris Claremont (writer), Gene Colan (pencils), Dan Green, Walt Simonson, Al Milgrom, Wendy Pini, Frank Giacoia, Joe Rubinstein, Bob Wiacek & Tom Palmer (inks), Mary Jo Duffy (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#143 (March, 1981) - Chris Claremont (co-plotter/writer), John Byrne (co-plotter/pencils), Terry Austin (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Epic Illustrated#10 (February, 1982) - by Chris Claremont (writer), John Bolton (artist), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Epic Illustrated#11 (April, 1982) - by Chris Claremont (writer), John Bolton (artist), Archie Goodwin (editor)
Ka-Zar the Savage#13 (April, 1982) - Bruce Jones (writer), Brent Anderson (pencils), Armando Gil (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Uncanny X-Men I#159 (July, 1982) - Chris Claremont (writer), Bill Sienkiewicz (pencils), Bob Wiacek (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Magik#1-4 (December, 1983 - March, 1984) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Buscema (#1-2), Ron Frenz (#3) & Sal Buscema (#4) (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Louise Jones (editor)
Marvel Graphic Novel#21: Marada the She-Wolf (1985) - Chris Claremont (writer), John Bolton (artist), Jo Duffy (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#308 (June, 1985) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme#41 (May, 1992) - Roy Thomas & Jean-Marc Lofficier (writers), Geof Isherwood (artist), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Conan the Barbarian I#259 (August, 1992) - Roy Thomas (writer), Mike Docherty (pencils), Ricardo Villagran (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins#3 (December, 1992) - Chris Cooper (writer), Tony Harris (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins#4 (January, 1993) - Chris Cooper (writer), Norman Felchle (pencils), Mark McKenna & Andrew Pepoy (inks), Hildy Mesnik (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#145 (December, 1993) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Rey Garcia (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Wolverine '95 (September, 1995) - Larry Hama (writer), J.H. Williams III (pencils), Mark McKenna, Jimmy Palmiotti & Mick Gray (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
X-Men Unlimited I#9 (December, 1995) - Larry Hama (writer), Val Semeiks (pencils), Bob McLeod (inks), Kelly Corvese (editor)
X-Men II#75 (May, 1998) - Joe Kelly (writer), German Garcia (pencils), Art Thibert, Dan Panosian, Scott Hanna & Jon Holdredge (inks), Mark Powers (editor)
X-Men: Soul Killer (1999) - Richard Lee Byers (writer)
Avengers III#28-30 (May-July, 2000) - Kurt Busiek (writer), George Perez (pencils), Al Vey, Dick Giordano (#29) & Scott Hanna (#30) (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#1 (November, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Thomas Derenick (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#2 (November, 2000) - Chris Claremont & Len Wein (writers), Thomas Derenick (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#3 (November, 2000) - Chris Claremont & Roy Thomas (writers), Karl Waller (artist), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#4 (November, 2000) - Chris Claremont & Louise Simonson (writers), Alitha Martinez (pencils), John Stanisci (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
X-Men: Black Sun#5 (November, 2000) - Chris Claremont (writer), Pablo Raimondi (pencils), Jason Martin & Team X (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
Five Decades of the X-Men (February 2002) - Up the Hill Backwards - Thomas Deja (writer)
X-Men: Apocalypse vs. Dracula#4 (July, 2006) - Frank Tieri (writer), Clayton Henry (pencils), Mark Morales with Livesay (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
Marvel Tarot#1 (2007) - David Sexton (writer, pencils, inks) Jeff Youngquist (editor)
Free Comic Book Day: X-Men#1 (May, 2008) - Mike Carey (writer), Greg Land (pencils), Jay Leisten (inks), Will Panzo (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (editor), Axel Alonso (executive editor)
Invaders Now!#1 (November, 2010) - Alex Ross & Christos Gage (story), Christos Gage (writer), Caio Reis (artist), Bill Rosemann (editor)
X-Men: Legacy#260.1 (March, 2012) - Christos Gage (writer), David Baldeon (pencils), Jordi Tarragona (inks), Daniel Ketchum (editor)
Fear Itself: The Fearless#6-7 (March-April, 2012) - Cullen Bunn, Matt Fraction & Chris Yost (story), Cullen Bunn (writer), Paul Pelletier & Mark Bagley (pencils), Danny Miki & Andy Lanning (inks), Alejandro Arbona & Tom Brennan (editors)
Scarlet Witch III#10 (January, 2024) - Steve Orlando (writer), Sara Pichelli (artist), Alanna Smith (editor)
First Posted: 10/30/2004
Last updated: 04/14/2024
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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