STARFORCE

Before

•  On the planet Hala, two intelligent species developed, one known as the Kree and the other the Cotati. The spacefaring Skrulls came to Hala looking for a trading partner and arranged a contest between these two dominant species. When they ultimately chose the Cotati, the vengeful Kree killed the Skrulls, captured their ship and technology, and over time built themselves a space-faring military empire from these humble beginnings. [Avengers (1st series) #133]
• The Skrulls harnessed the power of Beyond to create a Cosmic Cube, making their emperor of the time a near-god until the cube evolved into an independent entity known as the Shaper of Worlds and destroyed 2/3rds of the Skrull Empire. Not to be outdone, the Kree created a massive living computer called the Supreme Intelligence to perform the task of replicating the Skrulls’ Cosmic Cube. The Supreme Intelligence was a vast network of Kree minds, digitally preserved from the greatest Kree generals, scientists and politicians who passed on. The Intelligence had enough wisdom to choose NOT to follow in the Skrulls’ footsteps, and eventually rose to lead the Kree Empire. [Captain America Annual #7]
• The genetic potential of the Kree has been a subject of debate. The Supreme Intelligence often lamented that the Kree were at an evolutionary “dead-end,” lacking the potential to develop beyond their current genetic plateau. In-breeding with other conquered peoples and genetic diversity efforts led to the rise of the “Pink Kree,” Caucasian flesh-toned Kree racially discriminated against by the original Blue Kree. The Kree lacked the spark of evolution possibly because they were passed over by the Celestials for their traditional experiments in racial enhancement. A foreign element known as the Progenitors may have intervened at some point. However, evidence exists of a single Kree Eternal known as Ultimus. Unaware of his own origins for some reason, the Demon Druid wandered space in search of his true home, before being imprisoned on Earth for millennia. [Thor (1st series) #209]
• Kree cyber-geneticists once created the Pursuer to hunt the Inhumans. The Pursuer was an artificially engineered and programmed agent template which could be beamed across light-years, striking Earth and constructing a body for itself out of whatever materials the transmitter beam made contact with. [Inhumans (1st series) #11] The chief scientist behind the Pursuer project was named Korath-Thak.
• In order to battle Captain Marvel and his partner Rick Jones when they each shared the power of the Nega Bands, the Supreme Intelligence created two android avatars of himself, dubbed Supremor. [Captain Marvel (1st series) #46]
• Doctor Minn-Erva was a geneticist who hoped to evolve the Kree people to possess greater power and glory. Minerva came to Earth to utilize the already-augmented genetic material of Captain Mar-Vell for her purposes, but was opposed. [Captain Marvel (1st series) #50-55, Ms. Marvel (1st series) #19] Doctor Minerva returned to the empire and was partnered with Att-Las, another Kree military hero. Minerva approved of Captain Atlas as an ally and lover, and performed genetic improvements on the soldier. They were sent to Earth to acquire the fabled “Power Bands of Rinn” (Quasar’s Quantum Bands) but failed on two occasions. As Protector of the Universe, Quasar extracted a promise from Atlas and Minerva never to return to Earth’s system. [Quasar (1st series) #9-10]
• The Supreme Intelligence fell into madness and decline when the Mind Gem it was using to regulate the mismatched blue and pink Kree minds inside its gestalt was stolen. In the Supremor’s absence, the Kree Empire passed through the hands of several custodians until a pair of Generals, Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn, assumed control. [Silver Surfer (3rd series) #8, 31, 53] The Supreme Intelligence recovered to find a weakened empire in a shaky state of peace, and plotted to transform the Kree for its purposes. This began by using Skrulls and other agents to excite border skirmishes between the Kree and the neighboring Shi’ar Empire, leading to war.

CHRONOLOGY

The Supreme Intelligence sought out the Supremor android it had secretly preserved on Hala. Receiving a portion of the Intelligence’s near-infinite lifeforce, Supremor was reactivated as the Supreme Intelligence’s avatar. It would serve as the first member of the Kree Starforce which the Supreme Intelligence intended to assemble. [Captain America (1st series) #398]

On behalf of the Empire, Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva broke their oath to Quasar and returned to the Sol System. They sought the tomb of Captain Marvel and the Nega-Bands that lay within. Quasar and Starfox of the Avengers tried to intercept them, but a trio of Shi’ar Imperial Guardsmen also appeared on the tomb-world seeking the bands. The chaos allowed Att-Las to acquire their goal temporarily, but he was beaten by another Avenger, Wonder Man, and the pair were taken into Earth custody.

Meanwhile, the Kree scientist Korath-Thak had a vendetta against the current emperors for abandoning his Pursuer project and assigning him to unfulfilling duties. He recreated his Pursuer technology and used the cyber-genetic engineering to advance himself, becoming Korath the Pursuer. Finally, the Supreme Intelligence psychically located the being called the Demon Druid and offered him the secrets of his own origins. Renaming him Ultimus, the Intelligence beckoned the Kree Eternal towards the Kree Empire. [Quasar #32, Wonder Man (1st series) #7]

As the Avengers prepared to become directly involved in the Kree-Shi’ar War, Doctor Pym reduced Atlas and Minerva in size before imprisoning them in stasis at Project: P.E.G.A.S.U.S. The Terrans would send two teams as envoys to the Kree and Shi'ar Empires. In the Shi’ar Empire, Majestrix Lilandra accepted an offer from her renegade sister Deathbird to travel to Hala and assassinate Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn, a surgical strike intended to prevent the war’s escalation. [Avengers (1st series) #345]

On the outer fringes of the Kree Empire, the Avengers located a Kree space station. The Supreme Intelligence detected their arrival and had his loyal scientists of the Exo-Weapons Division activate their new cyborg agent, Shatterax. Sent to the outpost via transport beam, Shatterax battled Iron Man and forced the Avengers to surrender to his official battalion. This enabled the Supreme Intelligence to arrange the Avengers’ transport to Hala without revealing his own involvement in the proceedings. [Iron Man (1st series) #278]

Upon arriving on Hala, the Avengers escaped Shatterax and Ronan’s Accusers thanks to Sersi’s illusions. With the Accuser force occupied searching for the Terrans, the Supreme Intelligence began gathering his agents. Ultimus, Shatterax and Korath became the first conspirators to meet with Supremor and learn the Supreme Intelligence’s intentions for reclaiming the empire. Korath the Pursuer was dispatched by Supremor to assist the Accusers and prove his effectiveness. His cyberpsionic scanners detected the Avengers’ unique non-Kree brain patterns, and he engaged the enemy. However, Captain America’s combat savvy overcame the relatively new scientist-turned-warrior, leaving Korath without his prizes. [Captain America (1st series) #399]

Several Shi’ar prisoners had been captured on Earth alongside Atlas and Minerva, and so agents of the Imperial Guard traveled to Project: P.E.G.A.S.U.S. to free them. The shape-changer Hobgoblin replaced Minerva before Atlas awoke from stasis, tricking him into delivering himself into the grasp of an orbiting Shi’ar starship. The Shi’ar relieved Atlas of the Nega-Bands they sought to complete their omni-wave projector. Quasar of the Avengers tried to rescue Atlas but was dispatched by the Imperial Guardsman Voyager’s teleporting ability. However, Captain Atlas was rescued from Shi’ar custody by Shatterax, using a transport beam. [Avengers West Coast #81, Quasar #33]

With Minerva also rescued in this manner, the Supreme Intelligence fully assembled his Starforce: Atlas, Minerva, Shatterax, Korath, Ultimus and the Supremor. The Intelligence claimed he wanted to protect his “heirs” Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn from the Avenger assassins. Starforce was dispatched to prevent the Avengers from reaching the Kree emperors. The Kree Starforce fought the Avengers effectively, managing to surround and detain the Terrans just as Emperor Ael-Dan and Emperor Dar-Benn arrived to witness their triumph. Captain Atlas saluted his rulers, but the emperors were canny enough to recognize that Starforce being assembled without their knowledge wasn't a happy surprise, but a threat to their rule. They prepared to order the deaths of the Avengers and Starforce together when Deathbird emerged from the shadows. The former Shi’ar majestrix detained the heroes of two worlds in a force field long enough to execute the joint emperors and disappear into the night. Ronan the Accuser arrived too late to save his lieges, but instead witnessed the return of the Supreme Intelligence. With “a heavy heart,” the Intelligence denounced the murderers of the emperors and reluctantly reclaimed rule over the Kree Empire. The Supreme Intelligence assigned Ronan to lead his Starforce to the Shi’ar homeworld Chandrilar and return the favor, killing Lilandra. Atlas and Minerva were to remain behind and oversee the executions of the treacherous Shi’ar allies, the Avengers. [Avengers (1st series) #346]

Iron Man and Goliath had been on patrol when the Avengers battled Starforce. Iron Man tried to rescue the team from the detention facility, but was met by Ronan before he departed to Chandrilar. Meanwhile, Goliath found Deathbird and together they surreptitiously infiltrated the cell blocks. Iron Man failed to defeat Ronan hand-to-hand and was preparing to self-destruct his armor to take the Accuser with him when the Avengers emerged to support him. Before she disappeared again, Deathbird warned the Avengers that the Shi’ar were launching a Nega-Bomb at the Kree Empire. With Captain America in private audience with the Supreme Intelligence, the Avengers were forced to leave him behind to intercept the bomb. [Iron Man (1st series) #279]

On Chandrilar, the Starforce arrived via matter transmission with Ronan, Shatterax, Korath, Ultimus and Supremor, ready to assassinate the empress. Starforce faced both the Imperial Guard and the Shi’ar delegation of Avengers standing in their way. Ronan pitted his Universal Weapon against the hammer of Thor, the scientist Korath was undone when his technology failed against the hexes of the Scarlet Witch, while Ultimus, the Kree Eternal was prevented from killing Lilandra by Starfox, Eternal of Titan. The Avengers’ showing on honor convinced Lilandra to recall the Nega-Bomb before unleashing the ultimate sanction on the Kree. [Thor (1st series) #446]

Empress Lilandra was prepared to order the executions of the Starforce for the crime of attempted regicide, despite the Avengers’ pleas of mercy. Her advisor Araki continued to call for blood and dismiss the Avengers’ concerns until the Living Lightning became irritated enough to zap the Shi’ar councilor with electricity. Surprisingly, Araki was revealed to be a Skrull in disguise. Ultimus was released from stasis and conferred with Lilandra, with both sides agreeing they may have been manipulated into this war against their will by the cunning Skrulls. Ultimus agreed to serve as an envoy to the Kree, bringing Lilandra’s terms of peace to his leaders. Unfortunately, one element beyond Lilandra’s control was the Nega-Bomb – it had disappeared from Shi’ar control before she tried to recall it. [Avengers West Coast #82]

Thanks to the interference of the Skrulls, the Nega-Bomb made it to Kree space and detonated. The anti-matter harnessed from the Negative Zone erupted across the Omni-Wave band of the spectrum and more than decimated the Kree Empire. A thousand solar systems across the Greater Magellenic Cloud were struck by the radiation and shockwave. 98% of the empire’s population died as billions upon billions of lives were extinguished. In the wreckage of Hala, however, the Supreme Intelligence revealed to the surviving Captain America and Deathbird that this had been its plan all along. Through the Skrulls and other agents, the Intelligence arranged for the Nega-Bomb to be deployed by the Shi’ar. The surviving Kree would overcome their evolutionary dead-end, changed by the nega-radiation to evolve over future generations.

As the other Avengers arrived to rescue Captain America, Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva emerged from the catastrophe as well. Cap revealed what he had learned from the Supreme Intelligence, and the coldly scientific Minerva confirmed the entity’s plan to a shocked Atlas. The Kree’s “greatest hero” rejected Minerva’s reasoning and warned the Avengers he was activating his suit’s self-destruct mechanism to join his people in death. Minerva rushed at Atlas to stop him, and they both disappeared in the blast. A vengeful minority of Avengers advanced on the Supreme Intelligence’s citadel and deactivated the organic computer. In the aftermath, Lilandra arrived with Ultimus and the rest of Starforce, officially declaring the Kree Empire a protectorate of the Shi’ar. She named Deathbird as viceroy of the Kree and announced that Starforce would serve as her personal guard. [Avengers (1st series) #347]

After the war, Quasar resigned from active duty with the Avengers to spend more time with his responsibilities as the appointed Protector of the Universe. He sought to perform humanitarian aid on Hala, but was met by Deathbird and her Starforce – Ultimus, Korath and Shatterax. Deathbird ruled by martial law until her authority was accepted, and she wanted no interference by Terrans. After hearing the Shi’ar Starforce had already begun gathering survivors, Quasar chose to leave rather than provoke any further conflict. [Quasar #35]

Admiral Galen-Kor and his Lunatic Legion were Kree radicals fighting against Shi’ar occupation. After trying to blow up Earth with a Nega-Bomb for its role in Galactic Storm, they were imprisoned on Hala. However, Galen-Kor’s revolutionary sympathizers blew open the walls of the prison and freed the Legion. Deathbird and her Starforce (Ultimus, Supremor, Korath, Shatterax) tried to prevent Galen-Kor from escaping the planet but, even with the Silver Surfer’s help, they failed. Lilandra arrived and ordered Starforce back to Hala to quell the prison riots while others sought out the off-world escapees. [Silver Surfer: Break Out #1]

When a Shi’ar outpost was destroyed near a stargate, Starforce (Shatterax, Ultimus and Korath) were sent out to investigate. They first encountered the Underground, travelers from Earth pursuing their foe, Lord Tantalus. Ultimus knew Tantalus as the villain who imprisoned him beneath the Earth for 3,000 years and accepted the Underground’s story that Tantalus was responsible for the outpost’s destruction. Starforce and the Underground joined forces to pursue Tantalus to his homeworld, Armechadon. Ultimus failed to gain vengeance, however, and was quickly dispatched by one of Tantalus’s minions, Schizo, before being buried again. [Blackwulf #7-8] Shatterax was seen fighting alongside the Underground until Tantalus was eventually slain. [Blackwulf #10]

AFTERWARDS

• The Supreme Intelligence survived the Avengers’ execution and worked in secret to continue its eugenics work with the Kree. Eventually, it acquired the Forever Crystal and used it to artificially accelerate and control the Kree’s genetic development. These newly-evolved Kree disguised themselves as a new species called the Ruul and infiltrated the Galactic Council. In Maximum Security, the Kree launched their revenge plot by turning Earth into a penal colony for the rest of the universe’s criminals. Ronan, who had already conspired against the Shi’ar occupation, was the Supreme Intelligence’s chief collaborator. The Ruul were revealed as Kree, but the Shi’ar lost control of the Kree territories and the Supreme Intelligence regained control of the evolved empire.
• Korath the Pursuer resurfaced years later and explained how the Starforce were labeled as “collaborators” after the Kree uprising and blacklisted by the empire. [Annihilation: Ronan #1] Korath and Shatterax later appeared as Select agents assimilated by the Phalanx when they briefly occupied the Kree Empire. The Phalanx’s First, Ultron, executed Korath for failure during this event. [Annihilation Conquest #1]
• Ultimus and Supremor have not appeared since Starforce disbanded.
• Atlas & Minerva had faked their deaths, using a teleporter in place of a disintegration charge to escape Hala. Atlas was genuinely furious at Minerva for her role in the Nega-Bomb plot, but he was pragmatic enough to recognize her eugenic program as the future of the Kree. They briefly encountered the Silver Surfer after Galactic Storm, diverting him from their true intentions. [Silver Surfer (3rd series) #79] Since then, Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva have appeared separately, each independently pursuing their dreams for the Kree.

MEMBER LIST

Supreme Intelligence

First appearance: Fantastic Four (1st series) #65
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346

Powers: Gestalt consciousness of millions of assimilated Kree minds, possessing vast intelligence, analytical, calculating, and processing abilities, psionic abilities including remote awareness, influencing the subconscious through dreams, conjuring tangible figures from the minds of other beings, feats of telekinesis and teleportation via linked mechanical systems, etc.

Note: The Supreme Intelligence assembled the Starforce, but they continued after his apparent destruction. The Intelligence previously controlled his Supremor androids directly, but Starforce's Supremor apparently had an independent consciousness based on his creator.

Ronan the Accuser

First appearance: Fantastic Four (1st series) #65
All Starforce appearances: Thor (1st series) #446

Powers: Bio-engineering enhancement provides increased strength, endurance, and resistance to physical injury, Accuser armor grants levitation, cloaking field, defensive cold or electrical charges, wields the Universal Weapon to detect and absorb outside energy sources, project light, heat, force, gravity, and disintegrating effects, cast force fields or time-motion displacement fields, rearrange molecular structures, and enable teleportation

Note: Ronan was originally loyal to the Kree generals when the Supreme Intelligence assembled the Starforce. He joined them for a single mission, but quickly became a renegade under the Shi'ar occupation.

Captain Atlas (Att-Lass)

First appearance: Quasar #9
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346-347

Powers: Psyche-Magnitron engineered him with increased strength, speed, agility, endurance, reflexes, and durability, able to harness anti-gravitons for flight

Doctor Minerva (Minn-Erva)

First appearance: Captain Marvel (1st series) #50
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346-347

Powers: Psyche-Magnitron engineered her with increased strength, speed, agility, endurance, reflexes, and durability, able to harness anti-gravitons for flight, and “seventh sense” psychic perceptions enabling her to home in on specific targets (even while invisible) or predict and avoid danger

Shatterax (Roco-Bai)

First appearance: Iron Man (1st series) #278
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346, Thor (1st series) #446, Quasar #35, Silver Surfer: Break Out #1, Blackwulf #7-8,10

Powers: Exo-Weapons cyborg with superhuman strength, endurance, reaction time, and armor-reinforced durability, able to survive in vacuum, cybernetic sensors to detect lifesigns, broadband energy emissions, and provide tactical evaluation of scanned targets, armed with charged particle beams, containment spheres, and a neutron wave barrage, uses boot rockets for flight

Korath the Pursuer (Korath-Thak)

First appearance: Quasar #32
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346, Thor (1st series) #446, Avengers (1st series) #347, Quasar #35, Silver Surfer: Break Out #1, Blackwulf #7-8

Powers: Cyber-psionic Pursuer template engineered him with increased strength, agility, endurance, reflexes, and durability, cyber-psionic senses to detect and track individual brain wave patterns and genetic signatures, analyze his opponents to identify the source and nature of their abilities, beta batons calibrate their charge based on his sensors to deal with different opponents, boot jets for flight

Note: The original Pursuer was created in Inhumans (1st series) #11, with Korath-Thak presumably behind the scenes with the Kree scientists directing it.

Ultimus (Ard-Con)

First appearance: Thor (1st series) #209
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346, Thor (1st series) #446, Avengers (1st series) #347, Quasar #35, Silver Surfer: Break Out #1, Blackwulf #7-8

Powers: Cosmically-reinforced physiology and metabolism grant him immortality, superhuman strength, endurance, and reaction time, indestructible cosmically-powered form, levitation, cosmic force blasts, matter manipulation abilities, and the power to summon energy columns that supplement his abilities by harnessing outside energy sources and feeding that power into him

Note: In his original appearances, the “Demon Druid” was not identified as Kree and his powers were presumably magical. His origins were retconned during Galactic Storm. It remains a remote possibility that the Supreme Intelligence lied and Ultimus is NOT a Kree Eternal. Nothing else has been revealed about ancient Kree Eternals or Deviants.

Supremor

First appearance: Captain Marvel (1st series) #46
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #346, Thor (1st series) #446, Silver Surfer: Break Out #1

Powers: Living android with superhuman strength, endurance, reflexes, resistance to physical injury, force blasts, mass-intensifier beams, and tentacles able to assimilate the intellect of other beings

Note: Supremor was a remote avatar of the Supreme Intelligence, forged from a modified Kree Sentry frame. More than one Supremor could be active at a time, and their minds were based on but independent of the Intelligence itself.

Deathbird (Cal’syee Neramani)

First appearance: Ms. Marvel (1st series) #9
All Starforce appearances: Avengers (1st series) #347, Quasar #35, Silver Surfer: Break Out #1

Powers: mutant Shi’ar with enhanced strength, speed, agility, endurance, and reflexes, wings underneath her arms allowing flight

Note: Deathbird’s response to the Shi’ar losing control of the Kree territories was never shown. She had already moved on to a lost in space plot with Bishop following Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #342 prior to Maximum Security.