Smasher
Encyclopedia
Smasher is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
.
#107 (October 1977-February 1978), and was created by Chris Claremont
and Dave Cockrum
.
The character subsequently appears in X-Men #137 (September 1980), Classic X-Men #43 (January 1990), X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers #2 (June 1990), Uncanny X-Men #275 (April 1991), Quasar #32 (March 1992), Thor #446 (April 1992), Avengers West Coast #82 (May 1992), Starblast #2 (February 1994), Quasar #55 (February 1994), Starjammers #4 (January 1996), Untold Legend of Captain Marvel #1-3 (April–June 1997), Inhumans Vol. 4 #4 (September 2000), New X-Men #117 (October 2001), #122 (April 2002), #124-126 (May–July 2002), JLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003), X-Force #5-6 (February–March 2005), and Uncanny X-Men #477 (October 2006), and #480 (January 2007).
Smasher appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#6.
Imperial Guard
.
When Cassandra Nova
was decimating the Shi'ar empire, Smasher was one of the few entities that managed to personally protect the empress Lilandra. Under protest, Smasher is ordered to travel to Earth to warn the X-Men about the threat Nova posed. He crash lands in a field full of cows. He does not make it to the mansion until well after the Imperial Guard, brainwashed by Nova, were attempting to kill the X-Men. His presence manages to convince the Guard to fight against Nova, although he and the others were swiftly defeated by her.
Smasher is later killed by Vulcan, a powerful mutant who attempts to conquer the Shi'ar empire.
and Ronan the Accuser
. During the battle, Smasher was slain by the Inhuman Karnak
.
Smasher wore special goggles called "exospex" that enabled him to "download" additional superhuman powers. Via the exospex, he could obtain "penta-vision" (a form of X-ray
vision), superhuman durability, even greater physical strength, and the ability to travel into hyperspace
("4-space"). Smasher was only capable of downloading one superpower at a time.
Smasher wore small anti-gravity "flight patches" that enabled him to fly. Flight patches are standard issue for Imperial Guardsmen who lack the power of flight.
' team Legion of Super-Heroes
. Dave Cockrum (co-creator of the Guard) also had a long run as artist on the Legion. Smasher is based on LSH member Ultra Boy
.
in a mission.
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
Smasher first appeared in X-MenX-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
#107 (October 1977-February 1978), and was created by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
.
The character subsequently appears in X-Men #137 (September 1980), Classic X-Men #43 (January 1990), X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers #2 (June 1990), Uncanny X-Men #275 (April 1991), Quasar #32 (March 1992), Thor #446 (April 1992), Avengers West Coast #82 (May 1992), Starblast #2 (February 1994), Quasar #55 (February 1994), Starjammers #4 (January 1996), Untold Legend of Captain Marvel #1-3 (April–June 1997), Inhumans Vol. 4 #4 (September 2000), New X-Men #117 (October 2001), #122 (April 2002), #124-126 (May–July 2002), JLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003), X-Force #5-6 (February–March 2005), and Uncanny X-Men #477 (October 2006), and #480 (January 2007).
Smasher appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#6.
Fictional character biography
The title of Smasher has been used by three different humanoid aliens who served in the Shi'arShi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
.
Vril Rokk
The first Smasher was Vril Rokk, who had a long, distinguished service with the Guard. He was also romantically linked with fellow Guardsman Plutonia.When Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra first appeared in New X-Men #114 . Cassandra is a "mummudrai," a parasitic life form born bodiless on the astral plane...
was decimating the Shi'ar empire, Smasher was one of the few entities that managed to personally protect the empress Lilandra. Under protest, Smasher is ordered to travel to Earth to warn the X-Men about the threat Nova posed. He crash lands in a field full of cows. He does not make it to the mansion until well after the Imperial Guard, brainwashed by Nova, were attempting to kill the X-Men. His presence manages to convince the Guard to fight against Nova, although he and the others were swiftly defeated by her.
Smasher is later killed by Vulcan, a powerful mutant who attempts to conquer the Shi'ar empire.
Salac Tuur
Vril Rokk is soon replaced with another Smasher, Salac Tuur. The new Smasher was among the Imperial Guardsmen who attacked the Kree homeworld during the wedding of CrystalCrystal (comics)
Crystal is a fictional character, a superhero in the . She is a member of the Inhumans and the younger sister of Medusa....
and Ronan the Accuser
Ronan the Accuser
Ronan the Accuser is a fictional character that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. A member of the alien race the Kree, he exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. Ronan first appeared in Fantastic Four #65 , and was created by Stan...
. During the battle, Smasher was slain by the Inhuman Karnak
Karnak (comics)
Karnak is a fictional martial artist published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in Fantastic Four vol. 1, #45, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Smasher III
The uniform and title of Smasher has since been passed onto an unidentified member of the original's race. However, the newest version of Smasher was killed by Gladiator during a raid performed by Starjammers and Guardians of the Galaxy. The Strontian praetor killed Smasher as a sign of defecting to Lilandra.Powers and abilities
Like his predecessors, Smasher could naturally absorb cosmic radiation from his environment in order to increase his strength to superhuman levels.Smasher wore special goggles called "exospex" that enabled him to "download" additional superhuman powers. Via the exospex, he could obtain "penta-vision" (a form of X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
vision), superhuman durability, even greater physical strength, and the ability to travel into hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
("4-space"). Smasher was only capable of downloading one superpower at a time.
Smasher wore small anti-gravity "flight patches" that enabled him to fly. Flight patches are standard issue for Imperial Guardsmen who lack the power of flight.
Inspiration
Several of the members of the Imperial Guard are at least partly based on members of the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' team Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
. Dave Cockrum (co-creator of the Guard) also had a long run as artist on the Legion. Smasher is based on LSH member Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in DC Comics. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. Ultra Boy gained these powers when the space-speedster he was flying was swallowed by an ultra-energy beast , exposing him to...
.
X-Men: The End
In the alternate future of X-Men: The End Smasher is a veteran Guardian on duty when the plans of the series main villain is revealed. He attacks with a small group of other Guardians. They are all slain, Smasher's neck is snapped.Star Trek/X-Men
Smasher also appears in Star Trek/X-Men #1 (December 1996). He, and several other members of the Imperial Guard assist DeathbirdDeathbird
Deathbird is a fictional character. She is a Marvel Comics supervillainess, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum, she first appeared in Ms. Marvel #9....
in a mission.
Television
- The first Smasher appears in the X-MenX-Men (TV series)X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
episodes "The Dark Phoenix" and "Fate of the Phoenix." He and the Imperial Guard had to fight the X-Men to determine the fate of Jean Grey after what the Phoenix Force did to some of the galaxies.