AERIVAR THE 18TH

Real Name: Aerivar XVIII

Identity/Class: Sub-species of humanity (Inhuman) mutate (World War I era, at least through the pre-modern era)

Occupation: King of Sky-Island

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Red Raven

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: Aerivar I-XVII (ancestors)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: The Aerie/Sky-Island

First Appearance: Red Raven Comics I#1 (August, 1940)

Powers/Abilities: Aerivar was the ruler of the Aerie, also known as Sky-Island, with the resources and technology of his winged race at his fingertips. It is unrevealed if he underwent Terrigenesis or simply was born with wings but he had large feathered wings and was capable of flight.

Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Grey (see comments)

History: (Thor I Annual#12/2 (fb) – BTS) – King Aerivar the 18th became the king of the Aerie, a floating island society of winged Inhumans that had seceded from the Inhuman primary society in Attilan thousands of years before. Aerivar became aware of the mistakes of his prior kings, including when the former King Kylus had ordered all Inhumans in the Aerie who did not have white feathery wings to be put to death. The Inhuman Cheiros, killed 3000 years before, who had red bat-like wings, became the face of that movement and was considered a martyr.

(Thor I Annual#12/2 (fb)/Red Raven Comics I#1/1) – After the Aerie remained free from contact with humans for generations, a plane crashed in their city in the 1920s and they found one survivor aboard, an infant human. Aerivar saw the child as a gift of fate, though his advisors believed the child should be killed. Aerivar determined that that the child should eventually wear motorized wings, styled after Cheiros, to honor the winged race and redeem it. He planned to raise the child as the strongest and wisest human.

(Red Raven Comics I#1/1 – BTS) – For nearly two decades, Aerivar raised the boy as his own, teaching him the secrets of his people.

(Red Raven Comics I#1/1) – On the boy's 20th birthday, Aerivar commended him for his strength and intelligence. Telling the boy he was as brave as a raven, he gave him the red bat-like wings and officially named him the Red Raven, and then told the boy that he should return to his people and "devote your life to eradicating the elements that make for unhappiness in their world." Days later, Red Raven returned, telling Aerivar of his adventures against the villain Zeelmo. Seeking to help Red Raven, Aerivar tasked his scientists with the creation of an element detector, which would help Red Raven in his battles.

Comments: Created by Joe Simon and Louis Cazeneuve.

Aerivar appeared in the years 1940, 1968/70 and 1984. There is clearly a lot about his life left to reveal and explore.

Things with Red Raven got a bit convoluted. Aerivar is largely a background character. He first appeared in Red Raven Comics I#1 then he was given a name and more of his history. Red Raven seemingly showed up in X-Men I#44 and then in Sub-Mariner I#26, and he discussed having put the Bird-People in suspended animation because they wanted to attack humans but this Red Raven was later revealed to be a construct. 

Aerivar was shown as both very benevolent toward humanity and also as wanting to attack them and conquer the planet. I think the former is likely the true version and the latter is due to the tainted memories of the Red Raven construct.

The circumstances of Aerivar's death (or if he ended up in suspended animation) are unrevealed. The legacy of the Bird-People was expounded in later series, with characters like Dania the Red Raven, Condor and the Bi-Beast being added to the mythos. I think we can assume that Aerivar died someone along the way with most of the rest of his people.

Aerivar was shown three times and he had grey, white and brown hair in those three appearances. I listed grey since that was his initial appearance.

Here are the "revised" memories that the Red Raven construct had about his upbringing (These entries may or may not have occurred in Aerivar's History. It's possible they were incorrect of false memories implanted into the Red Raven construct):
 
(X-Men I#44 (fb)) – After the infant was found in the wreckage, some of the local populace said they would raise the child as their own and the king said they would be entirely responsible for the boy.

(Sub-Mariner I#26 (fb)) – Aerivar looked at two Bird-Men adoring the infant and they predicted he would one day determine the fate of their winged race.

(X-Men I#44 (fb)) – When the boy turned 21, he learned that the Bird-Men were planning on attacking Earth. Clothed as Red Raven, the man petitioned the Citizens' Council to stop the attack but they turned him down. Red Raven then went to the king and warned that the humans outnumbered the Bird-Men but Aerivar refused to listen. As the Bird-Men prepared their attack, Red Raven felt he had no choice and he doused the city in suspended animation gas, which had been developed by the winged race to use on themselves in case they were ever defeated in war. Red Raven placed everyone in stasis tubes then hid the entire floating island underwater, programming everyone to reawaken in 20 years.

(X-Men I#44 – BTS) – Red Raven arrived at the island after 20 years but he blanketed it again in suspended animation gas and set it to sink for another 20 years.

(Sub-Mariner I#26 (fb) – BTS) – As the boy grew, they named him Red Raven, due to his flaming red hair, and eventually they gave him artificial wings.

(Sub-Mariner I#26 (fb)) – Red Raven argued with the king over their plans to attack the humans and the king shouted that it was Red Raven's human blood speaking. He ordered Red Raven to be silent or to face his wrath.

(Sub-Mariner I#26) – Red Raven returned to Sky-Island and sought to awaken the Bird-People but he discovered they had all died while in suspended animation.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Aerivar has no known connections to:

images: (without ads)
Red Raven Comics I#1, p3, pan1 (on throne)
Thor Annual I#12/2, p42, pan4 (in purple hat)
X-Men I#44, p13, pan3 (shirtless, on throne)

Appearances:
Red Raven Comics I#1/1 (August, 1940) - Joe Simon (writer), Louis Cazeneuve (artist), Joe Simon (editor)
Thor I Annual#12 (December, 1984) - Peter Gillis (writer), Rich Howell (penciler), Sam de la Rosa (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)

First Posted: 06/19/2020
Last updated: 06/19/2020

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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