ASTRAN
race
ASTRAN
race
Classification: Semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race
Location/Base of Operations: Astra, second planet from
the sun in the Mu Cephi star system, Milky Way galaxy;
Astra's surface is 50% metallic ore, 25% water, 25% soil;
Astra's gravity is 185% of Earth's; its atmosphere is 50% Earth's atmosphere's
density, with a high oxygen content
Known Members: Molyb (Metal
Master), Molyn (Metal Master), unidentified Thanos-Thrall;
Population estimated at 10 million
Affiliations: None identified
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk I#6 (March, 1963)
Powers/Abilities: Astrans have four lungs, secretory
glands on the abdomen (see comments), and spatulate feet. They are hairless.
Molyb can manipulate metals (levitating, re-shaping,
completely controlling them) on an atomic level and across planetary distances;
according to Molyb, the entire population has some degree of such ability (see
comments).
Astrans have built starships with intermediate stardrive capacity, but are otherwise at Earth's technological level.
Traits: Astrans are ruled by a theocracy. Three quarters of the population are either priests or artists.
Type: Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid bipeds
History:
(Incredible Hulk I#6 (fb)) - On the planet Astra, sculptors
make magnificent metallic statues, shaping them my mental commands alone.
(Incredible Hulk I#6 (fb)) - Of all the Astrans, only Molyb was judged a criminal; he was sentenced to eternal exile for wanting to use his great power to conquer all.
(Incredible Hulk I#6 (fb)) - "For time beyond measure," Molyb roamed the galaxies, seeking a planet that was rich in metal that he could rule.
(Incredible Hulk I#6) - Molyb appeared on Desert Base (Los Diablos Missile Base), identified himself as the Metal Master, and announced his intention to conquer Earth. He swiftly defeated the attacking forces of General Ross as well as the Hulk (whose powers were unstable at the time). He traveled around the world, demonstrating his power and destroying metal equipment, but the Hulk (who was more like his crafty, gray aspect) had a plastic gun constructed and tricked the Metal Master into believing it was a metal he could not affect, then caught him unaware and forced him to restore the damage he'd done on Earth before departing "forever."
(Captain Marvel I#31) - After Thanos had acquired the Cosmic Cube and used it to capture Mentor, Eros, Iron Man, Captain Mar-Vell, Moondragon and Drax the Destroyer, the mad Titan could not resist bragging about what he had accomplished and what he was going to do.
As part of this boasting, Thanos showed
his captives his fleet of space raiders that were ready to plunder Earth and were crewed by his personal horde of
outcasts and criminals collected from throughout the galaxy. An Astran was shown to be part of this horde.
(Rom#30 (fb) - BTS) - Upon returning to Astra, Molyb realized he had been duped. Nonetheless, he feared that Earth might have developed a metal not subject to his control.
(Rom#30) - The Metal Master returned to Earth in a larger ship, this time
claiming to be attempting to procure large amounts of certain types of metals,
which his race thrived on. He further noted that he returned to Earth to save
face and that such a conquest would lead him to be proclaimed his planet's
greatest hero. Wishing to determine whether there was some type of metal he
could not affect, he created a number of spider-like drones to scour the Earth
and gather samples of all types of metals.
Discovering the Spaceknight Rom, and Molyb wondered whether Rom's metal armor might be such a super-metal as he had sought. After a brief struggle, the Metal Master pitted his metal controlling powers against Rom's armor. Rom resisted Molyb's control, driving him mad with the failure. The Metal Master wandered off into West Virginia (no good can come from that!), muttering mindlessly to himself.
(Maximum Security#2 (fb) - BTS) - The Metal Master apparently ended up an inmate in some intergalactic prison.
(Maximum Security#1-BTS, 2; 3-BTS) - During the events of Maximum Security, the Metal Master was one of the many aliens sent to Earth as part of a plot to prevent the heroes of Earth from interfering with the actions of other races. The Metal Master briefly tangled with the Scarlet Witch.
It is unrevealed whether the Metal Master escaped, or if he was returned to prison, or something else, altogether, after the events of Maximum Security.
(Avengers VI#678 (fb) - BTS) - A would-be conqueror, the Astran Molyn was apparently exiled for his acts of conquest, an act that he claimed was censorship.
(Avengers VI#687 (fb)) - Molyn was chosen by the
Elder of the Universe Grandmaster to act as his champion in a group
that the Grandmaster dubbed his Lethal Legion, which the Grandmaster
hoped could best the champions of his fellow Elder the Challenger in a competition.
(Avengers VI#676-678, 681-682, 684) - As the new Metal Master, Molyn aided the rest of the Lethal Legion against the Challenger's Black Order and the Avengers.
(Avengers VI#690) - Following the Grandmaster and
Challenger's defeat, Molyn accompanied his Lethal Legion
teammates to Ala's Bar in Knowhere, where Captain Glory suggested they
remain together as a team. Grumbling that the Lethal Legion would be
dead if not for the Grandmaster's cosmic intervention, Metal Master was
convinced to remain with the Lethal Legion by Captain Glory, ultimately
realizing that he was now free of any commitments he had prior to
joining the Lethal Legion and deciding that he would like to see what
would happen if the Lethal Legion combined their might.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
The Rampaging Hulk (volume 1, the magazine) #3, features "The Return of the Metal Master." Using a robot called the Ferronaut, the Metal Master returns to attack the Hulk, but loses his powers in the process. The "original" Hulk stories in the first nine issues (after which the title became HULK!) were originally set to be occurring immediately after Incredible Hulk I#6. However, all of these stories have since been revealed to have actually been fictional movies created by the Krylorian Techno-Artist, Bereet.
In Hulk#6, the Metal Master speaks as though
his abilities are native to all those of the planet Astra (images of his world
and his people using such abilities are seen as he describes his abilities and
his past.. No such abilities were mentioned in the Astrans entry in the original
or Deluxe Edition Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#1: Appendix to
Alien races.
In that same issue, the Metal Master states that Astra is
"many, many galaxies away." The narrative text in the same issue refers to the
"the endless power of the menace from another galaxy." The Official Handbook of
the Marvel Universe entries identify Astra as being in the Milky Way galaxy.
His original stories describe him as megalomaniacal criminal
on a world of peaceful artists. In Rom#30, in which he is decidedly more human
and less Ditko-esque/Grinch-like, he plots to conquer Earth for himself so that
he would not have to signal an invasion of Earth or call other Astrans to enter
the battle...he further notes that he returned to Earth to save face and that
such a conquest would lead him to be proclaimed his planet's greatest hero.
He has also claimed that he traveled to Earth to procure
types of metals which his race thrives on. No reference to them "thriving" on
metal in the handbook entry. The truth is out there...
As far as I recall, neither Metal
Master is ever seen shirtless. The original OHotMU added the
information about the secretory glands (though they note them as
present on the stomach, but the art makes it clear the glands are in
the skin over the abdomen. That handbook also added the information
about 4 lungs and spatulate feet.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Astran race has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#1: Appendix to Alien races: Astrans
entry - main image
Incredible Hulk I#6, pg. 5, panel 5 (Astran sculptor);
panel 6 (Molyb
banished)
Rom#30 - latter ship
At least one Astran was among the "intergalactic hordes" who attacked Mentor and Eros on Titan as one of the minions of Thanos.
(Captain Marvel I#31) - After Thanos had acquired the Cosmic Cube and used it to capture Mentor, Eros, Iron Man, Captain Mar-Vell, Moondragon and Drax the Destroyer, the mad Titan could not resist bragging about what he had accomplished and what he was going to do.
As part of this boasting, Thanos showed
his captives his fleet of space raiders that were ready to plunder Earth and were crewed by his personal horde of
outcasts and criminals collected from throughout the galaxy. An Astran was shown to be part of this horde.
--Captain Marvel I#31
Note:
Left to right: Alpha Centaurian, Jalin (a Sagittarian), a Queega, an Aakon, an Astran, a Reality-616 version of one of the Emissaries of the Overlord), a Tribbitite, one of the Worldform, Inc. enforcers (a la Ramrod), an Archeopian,
one of the aliens that look just like the faux aliens used by Mysterio and the Tinkerer, another unidentified
(oval-patterns over both eyes; the only thought, who doesn't quite fit to me is Para-Man), a Skrull, an unidentified blue-skinned alien, a Badoon, a Rigellian, and a Xeronian.
Appearances:
Incredible Hulk I#6 (March, 1963) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Steve Ditko (artist)
Captain Marvel I#31 (March, 1974) - Jim Starlin (story & art), Green & Milgrom (inks), Roy Thomas
(editor)
Rampaging Hulk I#3 (June, 1977) - meta-fictional - Doug Moench (writer), Walt Simonson (pencils), Alfredo Alcala (inks)
Rom#30 (May, 1982) - Bill Mantlo (writer), Sal Buscema (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks), Al Milgrom (editor)
Maximum
Security#2 (December, 2000) - Kurt Busiek (writer), Jerry Ordway
(pencils), Will Blyberg, Paul Ryan & Walden Wong (inks), Tom
Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#676 (March, 2018) - Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub (writers), Pepe Larraz (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#677 (March, 2018) - Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub (writers), Pepe Larraz (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#678 (March, 2018) - Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub (writers), Pepe Larraz (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#681 (April, 2018) - Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Mark Waid (writers), Kim Jacinto, Mike Perkins (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#682 (April, 2018) - Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Mark Waid (writers), Sean Izaakse (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers
VI#684 (May, 2018) - Jim Zub, Mark Waid, Al Ewing (writers), Paco
Medina, Joe Bennett (pencils), Juan Vlasco, Ruy Jose (inks), Tom
Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#687 (June, 2018) - Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub (writers),
Paco Medina (pencils), Juan Vlasco (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Avengers VI#690 (June, 2018) - Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub (writers), Pepe Larraz (art), Tom Brevoort (editor)
First posted: 10/24/2012
Last updated: 12/27/2020
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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