ZARATHUSTRA
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human technology user
Occupation: Adventurer; former warrior/agent of Lord Moses
Group Membership: Formerly the Havenites
Affiliations: Go-Devil, Lord Moses, Mateo and his family
Enemies: Fantastic Force (Black Panther, Devlor, Human Torch, Huntara, Psi-Lord, Vibraxas), staff of undefined Arctic (?) U.S. military base
Known Relatives: Lord Moses (adoptive father)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Haven, eight miles from the Arctic Circle
First Appearance: Fantastic Force#2 (December, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: Zarathustra apparently poses peak
human physical abilities (strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, etc.). She is a
master combatant, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, as well as with spears,
swords, battleaxes, energy-blasters, etc. Her long pony-tail is tightly wound
and can be used as a whip or to strange others. She is willingly to kill to
serve her mission.
She formerly had access to Haven's communications equipment
and their ability to open portals in space to transport her to and from Haven.
Her gauntlets and shoulder pads contained the technology needed for these
features, as well as energy-blasting weapons.
Zarathustra speaks English, Spanish, Japanese, and presumably many other languages fluently.
History:
(Fantastic Force#2 (fb) - BTS) - Zarathustra was bred to exemplify the absolute
pinnacle of human perfection.
(Fantastic Force#16 (fb) - BTS) - Spanish is the tongue of Zarathustra's birth.
(Fantastic Force#2 (fb) - BTS) - Lord Moses briefed Zarathustra on the parameters for a mission he would have her perform, but first she had to pass a certain challenge.
(Fantastic Force#2) - Zarathustra bested six of Lord Moses'
Battle Elite without the need for lethal force, succeeding in the challenge to
prove her readiness to venture forth into the outer worlds. She vowed not to
fail him on this upcoming mission. Shortly thereafter, a portal was opened into
the Empire State University laboratory of Professor Isaac Sandor, and
Zarathustra emerged, warning none from deterring her in her quest for the
Omnivirus. Incapacitating those who blocked her path, Zarathustra confronted and
threatened Prof. Sandor. Zarathustra's actions were detected by Psi-Lord and
Huntara of the Fantastic Force, and Huntara transported Psi-Lord and Devlor to
Sandor's lab. When Psi-Lord commanded Zarathustra to stop, she mocked him and
struck him down with an energy blast. She then drop-kicked Devlor and summoned
reinforcements from Haven. Huntara shattered his wrist-communicator, but
reinforcements arrived through another portal. Zarathustra took advantage of the
distraction to try to escape, but Huntara followed her, and their battle carried
them through a wall and into the outside streets where Vibraxis was walking.
Huntara told Vibraxis to stay out of the fight, but the fact that Huntara knew
Vibraxis marked him as an enemy to Zarathusta, who attacked him with an
electrified whip. Vibraxis shattered the whip, but Zarathustra suddenly attacked
Huntara, knocking her battleaxe from her grasp. As Huntara reached to reclaim
her weapon, Zarathustra pulled out an axe to finish her off, but Devlor then
leapt to her rescue. Zarathustra dodged his attack, but then Psi-Lord
telekinetically blasted her axe from her hand. Zarathustra launched herself at
Psi-Lord and then shot him with her wrist-blaster at close range. Stating she
had enjoyed the challenge but had to leave, Zarathustra had a portal opened to
Haven and vanished through it before the others could stop her.
Back in Haven, Zarathustra presented the Omnivirus technology
to Lord Moses, noting that she had had to abandon full complement of his Battle
Elite to ensure her success, but Lord Moses approved of her decision and vowed
that those fallen would be returned to them.
(Fantastic Force#3 (fb) - BTS) - Psi-Lord made arrangements with the police to interrogate the Battle Elite left behind by Zarathustra.
(Fantastic Force#3 - BTS) - When Psi-Lord attempted to scan the Battle Elite's minds, he found them all to be protected by some mental mantra, and he received only images of Mount Arrarat in Turkey, the supposed final resting place of Noah's ark.
(Fantastic Force#4 - BTS) - Captain America, at the time suffering from episodic weakness and paralysis due to the breakdown of the super-soldier serum, sought out Dr. Sandor in hopes that his Omnivirus might help him, only to learn that the Omnivirus had been stolen.
(Fantastic Force#10 (fb) - BTS) - From the Omnivirus, the technicians of Haven created the Omni-Toxin, fatal to outworlders, but ineffectual against the genetically-recoded immunologies of the residents of Haven.
(Fantastic Force#10) - Zarathustra led a squad of Battle Elite in using the Omni-Toxin to take out the guards at an unidentified frigid American military base and to claim the citadel in the name of Lord Moses.
(Fantastic Force#10 - BTS) - Lord Moses led his Battle Elite and other agents to this new base.
(Fantastic Force#10) - Ego-Spawn--a fragmented aspect of Franklin Richards--psychically located the largest concentration of the Mount Arrarat mental image at Latitude 167'14", Longitude 68'56", and Huntara transported Fantastic Force (now including the Human Torch, Black Panther, and minus Psi-Lord and his various psychic fragments) there. Huntara and the Black Panther--with the element of surprise on their side--dropped Zarathustra, but then Lord Moses himself joined the battle and took out the entire Fantastic Force.
(Fantastic Force#11 (fb) - BTS) - Lord Moses had the Fantastic Force imprisoned.
(Fantastic Force#11) - Lord Moses explained his origins and motivations to Fantastic Force, and he divulged his plans to fire Havenite stealth-pods containing the Omni-Toxin across Earth, so that all save the Havenites would be exterminated; and the Havenites could rebuild a newer and better world. Lord Moses praised Zarathustra for her work, though he dismissed her concerns about not being able to bring Psi-Lord over to their cause. Not long after, however, Huntara broke free from her restraints and freed the rest of the Fantastic Force. While Huntara engaged Zarathustra, Lord Moses attempted to strike down the rest of the heroes, but the Black Panther resisted his attacks. Lord Moses fired the main missile (apparently containing the stealth-pods), but the Human Torch destroyed it. Zarathustra told Lord Moses to take his leave while she covered his retreat, and she soon fell before Huntara, and the rest of the Battle Elite were defeated by the Fantastic Force.
(Fantastic Force#11 - BTS) - Zarathustra and the Battle Elite were imprisoned.
(Fantastic Force#16) - The coordinates of Haven were removed from Zarathustra's mind by Lord Moses, presumably so others could not learn its location from her.
(Fantastic
Force#16) - The day before Zarathustra was scheduled to be transferred to the
Vault, she used her ponytail like a whip, wrapping it around a guard's neck and
forcing him to free her, and she then took his uniform and escaped. Taking
civilian clothes to blend in until she could make her way back to Haven. Seeking
an escape from the perceived evil of humanity, Zarathustra scaled a building
where she saw a young child dying in an apartment. She crashed through the
window and used a Havenite accupuncture technique to stimulate Mateo's lungs,
after which she criticized Mateo's mother for raising her children in such
squalor, but the mother explained how she was working two jobs just to provide
food and housing for the children at all. Departing, Zarathustra was
surprised at how she had been moved by outworlders.
Zarathustra began to realize that there was not simple good
and evil in the world, but many shades of grey. She considered spending more
time in the outside world to search for further evidence of Lord Moses'
doctrines. She then met the the Japanese superhuman Go-Devil, and she accepted
his offer for a ride, telling him to take her wherever caprice should carry
them.
Comments: Created by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich (writers), Dante Bastianoni (pencils), Cabrera/Florea (inks), and Mike Rockwitz (inks).
Plots and specific scenarios at Haven were given in biblical verse as their code. The code to summon reinforcement was Exodus 7:3, and the code to open a portal for her to return to Haven was Exodus 15:1.
According to
Rahf Tzeenj,
Zarathustra is the topic of the same-titled book by Neitszche or the classical
musical piece {the famous theme music from "2001:A Space Odyssey"} "Also Sprach
Zarathustra."
Further, Zoroastrianism (itself sharing a common origin with
Hinduism) also features a deity that Conan fans may have familiarity with:
Mitra (aka Mithra and
Mithras), whose worship originated in Hinduism, spread to the Zoroastrians and
eventually made its way in to ancient Rome, eventually becoming the main rival
of Christianity during the Holy Roman Empire days. Later Mitra myths even show
him succeeding Zeus/Jupiter as head of the Roman pantheon.
Background information on the name Zoroaster,
courtesy of Per
Degaton:
"Zoroaster was a historical Iranian religious leader.
Zoroastrianism is a small religion with about 140,000
members. Yet its importance to humanity is much greater than its current numbers
might suggest, because: Their theology has had a great impact on Judaism,
Christianity and other later religions, in the beliefs surrounding God and
Satan, the soul, heaven and hell, savior, resurrection, final judgment, etc.
It is one of the oldest religions still in existence, It may
have been the first monotheistic religion.
Thus, the Zoroaster story influenced the story of Jesus Christ.
In the seventh century AD, Arabs who were Muslims (and thus believed in the virgin
birth of Jesus) invaded Persia, and that spelled more or less the end of
Zoroastorianism.
Indeed, much of what later became known as Muslim culture,
architecture, writing and other skills, were taken from the Persians into the
rest of the Semitic speaking world
Persia is today a fanatical Muslim nation called Iran.
ZARATHUSTRA AND HIS INFLUENCE ON CHRISTIANITY
The Persians built vast and very good roads for the efficient
administration of their huge empire, but are probably best remembered for their
religion called Zoroastrianism. Founded by a prophet named Zarathustra, the
basic religious concept of a never ending battle between good and evil
supernatural powers, was later adopted by the early Christians (AND BY
MARVEL COMICS, FOR THAT MATTER!) and worked into the biblical New Testament."
Zarathustra has a partial entry (with Lord Moses) in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#2.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
No KNOWN connections to:
images: (without ads)
Fantastic Force#2, p2, panel 2 (costumed face)
p8, panel 3 (full body)
p18, panel 3 (vs. Huntara)
#16, p17, panel 1 (civilian garb)
Other Appearances:
Fantastic Force#2 (December, 1994) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
(writers), Dante Bastianoni (pencils), Ralph Cabrera/Florea (inks), and Mike
Rockwitz (editor)
Fantastic Force#3 (January, 1995) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
(writers), Dante Bastianoni (pencils), Ralph Cabrera/Hudson (inks), and Mike
Rockwitz (editor)
Fantastic Force#4 (February, 1995) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
(writers), Pino Renaldi (pencils), Ralph Cabrera/Florea (inks), and Mike
Rockwitz (editor)
Fantastic Force#10 (August, 1995) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
(writers), Dante Bastianoni (pencils), Ralph Cabrera (inks), and Nel Yomtov
(editor)
Fantastic Force#11 (September, 1995) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
(writers), Dante Bastianoni & Pino Renaldi (pencils), Ralph Cabrera (inks), and
Nel Yomtov (editor)
Fantastic Force#16 (February, 1996) - by Tom Brevoort and Mike Kanterovich
(writers), Dante Bastianoni & Pino Renaldi (pencils), Steve Montano (inks), and
Nel Yomtov (editor)
First Posted: 07/06/2006
Last updated: 08/07/2006
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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