Nekra

For the band, see Nekra (band).

Nekra
Nekra as depicted in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #9 (September 1983).
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Shanna the She-Devil #5 (August 1973)
Created by	Steve Gerber (writer) Ross Andru (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Nekra Sinclair
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	Lethal Legion Black Spectre Exiles
Partnerships	Mandrill Oya
Notable aliases	Adrienne Hatros
Abilities	Emotional empowerment Magic user

Nekra (Nekra Sinclair) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Steve Gerber and Ross Andru for the 1973 comic book Shanna the She-Devil . She is a mutant caused by an atomic explosion at the Los Alamos Proving Grounds, as was the mutant supervillain Mandrill. ^[1]

Publication history

Nekra first appeared in Shanna the She-Devil #5 (August 1973), and was created by Steve Gerber and Ross Andru. ^[2]

The character subsequently appears in Marvel Two-In-One #3 (May 1974), Daredevil #109–112 (May–August 1974), Spider-Woman #13–16 (June–July 1979), #50 (June 1983), West Coast Avengers #2 (October 1985), The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1–2 (October–November 1985), #12 (September 1986), Web of Spider-Man #46 (January 1989), Alpha Flight #79–80 (December 1989–January 1990), Avengers Spotlight #29 (February 1990), Avengers West Coast #65 (December 1990), and the graphic novel Avengers: Death Trap, the Vault (1991). The character does not appear for several years after that, until she reappeared in Witches #1 (August 2004), and The Loners #1 (June 2007), and #4–5 (September–October 2007).

Nekra received entries in the original Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #8, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #9, and All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A–Z #8 (2006).

Fictional character biography

Nekra is African-American, but was born a mutant with pale skin and vampire-like fangs due to her mother Gemma being exposed to radiation at Los Alamos National Laboratory decades prior. As a result, she is neglected and runs away to live in the wilderness at the age of 14. There, she encounters fellow outcast Mandrill, and the two become partners in crime and develop a sibling-like bond. ^{[3] [4]}

In subsequent appearances, Nekra falls in love with the Grim Reaper and eventually resurrects him after his death, with the condition that he must kill one person every day to stay alive. She becomes his first victim, but is resurrected by Daimon Hellstrom. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Nekra retains her powers following House of M , where the Scarlet Witch depowers most of Earth's mutants, and later becomes a member of the Grim Reaper's Lethal Legion and a citizen of Krakoa. ^[8]

Powers and abilities

Nekra possesses the mutant ability to increase her strength and durability by harnessing her emotions. At her peak, she can lift approximately 10 tons, withstand an explosion of about 100 pounds of TNT and extreme cold and heat. Her powers are limited by how long she can sustain her emotional state, generally for no more than an hour.

References

1. Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Super-Villains . New York: Facts on File. pp. 245–246. ISBN   0-8160-1356-X.
2. DeFalco, Tom; Sanderson, Peter; Brevoort, Tom; Teitelbaum, Michael; Wallace, Daniel; Darling, Andrew; Forbeck, Matt; Cowsill, Alan; Bray, Adam (2019). The Marvel Encyclopedia. DK Publishing. p. 254. ISBN   978-1-4654-7890-0.
3. Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 103. ISBN   978-1605490564.
4. Spider-Woman #16 (July 1979)
5. Alpha Flight #79–80 (December 1989 - January 1990)
6. Venom Deathtrap: The Vault one-shot (September 1991)
7. Druid #2–4 (June - August 1995)
8. • Loners #1 - 5 (June - October 2007)
   • Dark Reign: Zodiac #1 (August 2009)
   • Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia one-shot (August 2009)
   • Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus one-shot (November 2009)
   • Chaos War: Dead Avengers #2 - 3 (February - March 2011)
   • Sabretooth (vol. 4) #1 - 5 (April - September 2022)
   • Sabretooth & the Exiles #1 - 5 (January - May 2023)

External links

• Captain Comics' article on Dr Druid