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View Full Version : Questions about Skrulls, Kree, and Cotati


Arrogantcur
07-04-2008, 06:52 PM
My sister's been a Runaways fan ever since she read BKV's run in digest form (don't know how she'll like what Whedon's done, have to see) and was eager to start reading the Runaways/Young Avengers: Secret Invasion limited series.

Since almost all she knows about the Marvel Universe comes from reading the Runaways digests, I thought it'd help her to know the basics about Skrulls and their history and sent her an e-mail explaining what Skrulls were, what they were like, what they could do, and the important events in their history. Their initial contact with the Kree was pretty important, of course.

I copied and pasted this information into the e-mail:

The Skrulls were an advanced, benevolent race from the planet Skrullos, that first ventured outside their galaxy some ten million years ago and sought to build an intergalactic federation based on trade. On the planet Hala they encountered the Kree, an industrialized humanoid race, and the Cotati, a race of sentient plants. The Skrulls proposed a test to determine which race was worthy to join them.

The Skrulls took a group each of Kree and Cotati to a barren planetoid in the Milky Way galaxy, Earth's moon, and bade the two groups to create something of worth. The Skrulls then departed. The Kree constructed a magnificent blue city while the Cotati cultivated a beautiful garden.

A year later, the Skrulls returned and their emperor Dorrek judged the Cotati the winners. The Kree were outraged, slaughtering the Skrulls and Cotati and seizing the Skrull starship. Due to the immense distance between Hala and Skrullos, news of the atrocity had not reached the Skrulls until the Kree had sufficient time to master the stolen technology.

Decades later, the Kree ventured into the Andromeda Galaxy, attacking Skrull outposts and finally Skrullos itself. This led the Skrulls to abandon their peaceful ways and become increasingly militaristic to combat the Kree threat.

So after reading my e-mail and the comic, she wanted to know this:

One question though: In the beginning why didn't the skrulls allow both the Kree and the Cotati into the federation?

And another: were the cotati completely wiped out, or do they pop up again?

I have never read the actual story containing the flashback to the competition the Skrulls held between the Cotati and Kree, so the more I think about that first question the more I've been wondering too. By now I'm not only asking on my sister's behalf, but I'd really like to know as well.

I mean, it's kind of exclusionary to say "we're only going to let one of you join us. You others go away and rub some sticks together or whatever it is you do," isn't it? And why was race the determining factor in who they deigned to share their technology with? Was there more to it than that, or am I missing something?

On the other hand, the Kree did end up with technology and the results haven't been very good for the galaxy. Was old Dorrek perhaps able to see how warlike they were and factor that into his decision?

I'm a little bit more knowledgeable about the Cotati but wouldn't mind a little bit of help. If I'm not mistaken, there are still Cotati around but most of them were killed long ago (I'm guessing by Kree who were still stinging from being rejected and who had come into possession of a lot of shiny new implements of destruction). Can anybody tell me more?

Thanks! :smile:

Sijo
07-04-2008, 08:52 PM
You've got most of the details right. I'm not sure if the Skrull Emperor oversaw the testing, though. If he was killed, wouldn't the Skrulls have investigated things sooner?

As for WHY only one race was chosen- that's never been specified, that I know. However my guess was that what the Skrulls really wanted was to find out if the two races could cooperate; the Cotati probably wanted to, but the Kree were too selfish. Therefore, the Cotati made better members for a intergalactic federation. Had they worked together, both races might have joined.

Most Cotati were indeed killed off by the Kree, with the exception of the ones raised by the Kree religious order known as the Priests of Pama. Some are planted on Earth. Mantis married one (who took on the form of the dead hero, Swordsman.) :eek:

Extra fact: the reason Earth's solar system was chosen for the test, was likely because of the major hyperspace warp located in our system. Think of it as an intergalactic highway. Apparently created by a starship explosion millions of years ago, this warp is also why so many alien races find their way to our world.

Arrogantcur
07-04-2008, 08:59 PM
Thanks!

Most Cotati were indeed killed off by the Kree, with the exception of the ones raised by the Kree religious order known as the Priests of Pama. Some are planted on Earth. Mantis married one (who took on the form of the dead hero, Swordsman.) :eek:

Hehe, yeah I picked up this TPB (http://www.amazon.com/Avengers-Vision-Scarlet-Witch/dp/0785117709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215226485&sr=8-1) that contains Giant-Size Avengers #4, wherein Mantis learns of her destiny. It contains the line "Woman, have you not seen that you are to marry that tree?" :tongue: