Brew’s Crew: Praxagora

(Editor’s note: This is another in a series of irregularly-scheduled columns by Managing Editor Byron Brewer, mainly dealing with cosmic comics and their many denizens. Mr. Brewer’s opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CosmicBookNews.com. He welcomes both raves and opposing views.)

By Byron Brewer

 

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Cosmic fans, if you were a reader of the mini Annihilation: Super-Skrull, you may one day forget its author, the situation of the Annihilation Wave or even the powers of the anti-hero himself. But chances are you will always remember — Praxagora!

Praxagora’s home world of Ataraxia existed within the Negative Zone’s HeliconCluster. It was a place of perfect architecture and beauty. She is from a race of complex living machines; they aspired to exist in complete harmony with every living creature. They have also mastered stellar containment technology; this enabled them to power themselves and their society. Sadly, it was their peaceful ways that left them defenseless, against the Annihilation Wave. Annihilus deemed the Ataraxians as an extreme threat to his reign. He invaded their world and slaughtered all the inhabitants.

Praxagora, believed to be the last of her kind, was taken captive as a memento of genocide, and was delivered to the UX-73 prison planetoid. It was here that she was to be interrogated, tortured and experimented on by the sadistic scientist Hawal. She eventually escaped this prison, with the help of Preak and some other Negative Zone beings.

Praxagora joined Kl’rt (Super-Skrull) in his mission to destroy the Harvester of Sorrows, and save his son and the rest of the Skrulls on the planet of Zaragz’na. They were betrayed by the short mechanic Skrull, R’kin. He secretly made an alliance with Annihilus‘ henchman Admiral Salo, who captured Kl’rt and the others and then had them watch as he destroyed Zaragz’na.

The outraged Super-Skrull then revealed he possessed the power to hypnotize others; he took control of R’kin’s mind and commanding him to release them. Upon their release Kl’rt amputated the legs and arms of the traitor. Praxagora, who appeared to be falling in love with Kl’rt, volunteered to destroy the Harvester of Sorrows by detonating the star core inside of her chest. The Super-Skrull refused to allow her to sacrifice her life for his mission.

Praxagora joined Nova’s United Front in battle against Ravenous and his forces, then, after the revival of a presumed-dead Kl’rt, joined Ronan the Accuser in his quest to overthrow the House of Fiyero.

Much later, Praxagora and Kl’rt were requested to return to Kree space by Ronan himself to receive awards for their heroism during the first Annihilation War. At some point, both Kl’rt and Praxagora were captured by the Phalanx and were infected by their techno-organic virus. The two then served alongside Ronan and many other mighty beings under the service of the Phalanx. However, due to the intervention of the being known as the Wraith, both Kl’rt and Praxagora were freed from the Phalanx’s control.

In the course of battle with the Phalanx in what became the second Annihilation War, their leader Ultron (yes, that Ultron, Hank Pym’s “boy” gone ballistic) takes control of Praxagora, and thereby 15,000 Kree Sentries meant to destroy Hala. As Ultron left her body, he set her internal fusion core to overload. Super-Skrull is barely able to get a “Sue Storm forcefield” over Ronan, the Wraith, Ra-Venn and himself in time. It is believed Praxagora perished from the explosion.

I may forget the cause of the second Annihilation War, and I may forget the Phalanx, but chances are I will always remember — Praxagora!