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Crule (Earth-616)

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Quote1 Orchis. Krakoa. Humans. Mutants. I care not for such words. You are udu, you are sheep. And I am not even the wolf, "I am the slaughter." Quote2
—Crule[src]

History

Origin[]

Crule was an ancient berserker and a member of a rare subspecies of mutant immortals called Externals, to which among them he represented Ferocity.[8] Crule was considered the meanest and maddest of them all.[1][9]

He was believed to originate from the northern regions of what became Africa. Crule was old enough to habitually invoke Ishtar[10] and Mitra,[11] two deities primarily worshiped in the Hyborian Age.

High Lords[]

It is unknown when exactly he joined his fellow Externals, namely Garbha-Hsien and Nicodemus in forming the self-fashioned “High Lords”. But preferring to give into his ferocious nature, Crule does not partake nor care for the schemes of the others to control the destiny of the Earth. Due to Crule's ways the others cautiously use his services to be their enforcer and assassin.[1][10][12]

During the Twelfth Century C.E., despite fellow External Candra declining to join the High Lords,[13] Crule along with other Externals Selene, Saul, Nicodemus, and En Sabah Nur aided her in performing a ritual to extract the life energy of her own immortal heart into a stone.[13][14]

World War II[]

During World War II, he worked in a concentration camp, happily operating a gas chamber.[2]

When Externals Clash[]

Crule (Earth-616) vs Gideon (Earth-616) from X-Force Vol 1 -12 001

When the rest of the High Lords began looking for the next External and sensed it in the recently risen from the dead Cannonball, they gathered to discuss this new revelation to which Crule didn't attend.[1] Gideon came up with a plan to lure Cannonball by killing his mentor and threat to their secrecy Cable. Though the others were shocked with Gideon's plan to use Crule as the one to see it done despite Absalom and Burke's concerns, Saul and Nicodemus allowed it.[1]

While in the Lowtown Madripoor, an Asian city-island not far off the coast of China, Crule was in a bar playing poker and till he caught the dealer cheating. Crule, not one to deny his inherent tendency and love for violence, proceeded to destroy the bar and the people in it. After while enjoying a drink to his work Gideon showed, and to Crule's joy to catch up on a half century of hatred attacked Gideon. At first Crule proved the better of the two, that is until using his ability to masterly duplicate the abilities and powers of others[15][16] Gideon soundly beat Crule.[10]

Gideon filled Crule in on his plan to rid them of Cable, the newest ascended Cannonball and things which pertain to the ascension of the Externals. Together they went to Gideon's penthouse apartment above the main administrative offices of Ophrah Industries in Denver. Crule though wanting to tar Roberto da Costa apart upon meeting but Gideon, still affected by his coping of Crule, savagely beat Roberto to unconsciousness instead.[10]

To the Pain[]

Crule (Earth-616) vs X-Force (Earth-616) from X-Force Vol 1 -15 001

In upstate New York Adirondack Mountains three miles from a now destroyed X-Force's underground base,[17] Crule found them and what was left of Weapon P.R.I.M.E. trying to arrest them.[18] But when S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up and X-Force fought back Crule heard over the radio of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicopter flying by that Cable was either dead or long gone, he decided that Cannonball would better serve them dead.[18]

Crule ignoring Gideon's plan and not caring for his fellow Externals needs, decided the High Lords would be best served by severing Guthrie's five branches right now before he'd become a threat to them all.[18]

As X-Force took off in a hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. interdiction personal assault carrier Crule jumped aboard and once they were over the coast of Newfoundland, which they had started to head for Arizona he smashed his way through a damaged part of the vehicle.[18] Crule made quick work of Warpath and though sustaining injuries from Shatterstar and Feral, he easily throw them aside but before going through Rictor he had words with Cannonball. Once Crule revealed that Gideon had Sunspot and that he my have already killed him, Rictor blasted him through the side of the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier which he fell a few thousand feet.[19]

Prisoners of Fate[]

Crule (Earth-616) bodycast from X-Force Vol 1 -23 001

Crule ended up in a body cast for his troubles and was placed at St. Anthony's Hospital in Portland Maine to recover.[19] While there the Legacy Virus would by unleashed on mutantkind[20] and not given the immortal Externals would be safe. When the virus to the first among them in Nicodemus,[21] Gideon and Saul would attempted to get Cannonball to break their deal to leave each other alone by kidnapping Warpath, Boom-Boom, and Siryn.[19][22]

But Cannonball not falling for it sent his X-Force to rescue their friends, the team located Crule and took him from the hospital.[11] Once on board the IPAC they made a deal with Crule that if he tells them what they need on the Externals they'll do what he can't and take them down player by player. Crule wanting to humble his fellow High Lords was more than happy to give them up, so happy that he wouldn't stop talking. Once X-Force saved their friends they crossed the Pacific Ocean and out of fear that if they kept Crule around he would recover enough to leash out at them, they dumped him overboard and left him there.[11][23]

Revelations[]

After recovering from his battle with X-Force and been left in the Pacific, Crule went back to Gideon's office in Denver. He was greeted by Gideon, who wasn't surprised that he did not perish. As he complimented Crule on his bones knitting quickly and promising consequences, possible to do with Crule's failure, Hydra smashed through the window. Gideon told Crule to stay at ease, for he can handle them without his help. But when Romulus offered Gideon a place in Hydra or die, Crule, finding the offer of a High Lord a subservient position in an inferior organization backed by idle threats an insult and attacked.[24]

As they fought Fury along with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who thanks to G.W. Bridge's learned of Baron von Strucker plan for Gideon, appeared and immediately attacked Hydra.[24]

When Gideon called on Crule to attack both intruder, not wanting to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s debt, he was more than happy to comply. As the three sides fought Fury asked Gideon to call off Crule, that he was only there for Hydra. But Gideon did not trust him at first, due to knowing of Fury's spies in his business. After they defeated Hydra, Fury seeing Gideon was no friend of Hydra suggested they call it a day. But Crule wanting more refused, forcing Gideon to strike Crule, while telling him that he will not have him giving further reason for engagements.[24][25]

Even an X-Ternal Can Die![]

Crule (Earth-616) vs Selene Gallio (Earth-616) from X-Force Vol 1 -54 001

With the loss of Nicodemus[21] and Burke,[8] Crule, though unafraid, found himself, with the remaining High Lords, vulnerable for the first time in centuries. Though not from others but from one of their fellow Externals, namely Selene. Selene who had been waiting for this moment for centuries and with the coming terror that is Onslaught,[26] not to mention the return of Apocalypse[27] that would come with it, she made her move.[28]

Aware they were being hunted, Crule gathered Absalom, who at first did not believe him until they made it to Manhattan and found a dead Gideon in the streets of the Rockefeller Center.[28][9] With X-Force's Sunspot and Caliban having found Gideon due to him calling them for help, Crule and Absalom unaware of this nor Saul's fate attacked them believing they were the cause. Crule and Absalom proved to much for the two X-Force men until the rest of their team in Shatterstar, Siryn, Meltdown, Domino, and Warpath who would not join the fight[9] arrived to help. During the battle Crule having been caught of guard was defeated by Shatterstar and as he wanting to test Crule's immortality went to cut his head off, Domino stepped in and stopped Shatterstar.[9]

With X-Force having won Selene who had been watching and knocked out Warpath after he found a dead Saul discovered her, made her move and drained a defeated unaware Absalom of his life-force. Though shocked X-Force tried to save him as Crule saw what Selene had done freaked and dove in after him. But with Absalom dead Crule brutally attacked her, and despite being injured Selene managed capture him. Selene quickly drained the life-force from Crule as X-Force, unable to save him watch on in horror.[3]

The Newer Mutants[]

At some point after Selene's failed attempt to absorb the essence of what was left of her fellow Externals, Crule and the others including those that died due to the Legacy Virus came back to life.[4] 10 years later sensing the sudden death of Candra[4] by a mysterious and more powerful threat Crule, Nicodemus, and Absalom agreed to work with Selene to stop this threat. While at Selene's hideout in the Manhattan's Hellfire Club, he and the others confronted a Cable from 13 years later,[29] Shatterstar, Doop and Longshot who had been fighting Selene. But once convinced that neither had or know who was behind Candra's death let them leave with the warning to stay out of External business. Later Crule and the others accompanied Selene to the Atlantic Ocean of the Coast of Greenland, there they watched as Selene pulled Blink back from death to aid in their travels.[30][29]

The next day sensing the death of Saul they had Blink teleport them to Orkhon Valley, Mongolia to see if they could discover who was behind this. Once there Selene, Blink, and Nicodemus stayed behind with Saul's body while Crule and Absalom went on ahead. Finding only dead monks they happened across Shatterstar, Longshot, and X-23,[29] not happy Cable continued to stick his nose in their business attacked. As Longshot ran ahead to shockingly find Blink alive with Nicodemus and Selene, Crule, and Absalom fought X-23 and Shatterstar but despite a heated battle where Crule took a number of claw shots to the back and through the skull, he and the others once sensing Burke's death, left.[29][31]

Crule with Saul's body and the others went to Burke's cabin in the woods of Tonasket, Washington. There they found Burke had died without struggling, and came to believe that the one capable of all this was the only one left, Gideon.[31] After Nicodemus set the cabin on fire to give their fallen brethren a funeral and head to Colorado to find Gideon they are confronted by Gideon, but not the Gideon they knew but one from 3000 years in the future.[32] Watching as Selene fought an empowered Gideon, Crule was about to take action when she called for help only to be impaled through the heart by Absalom. Revealing like Burke[29] he wanted to die and helped Gideon to make that happen then turned on Nicodemus. But before either Absalom and Gideon could finish Selene she had Blink teleport them to Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado where Cable and the others were.[32][5]

But with the powers of Crule, Saul, Candra, Burke, and Nicodemus combined Gideon was to much for Cable and his team of Shatterstar, Longshot, Armor,[29] and X-23. Selene with all her strength fought Gideon as Cable with Doop's help distract Gideon as Blink quickly opened and closed a portal decapitating Gideon. Having stopped Gideon from achieving the godhood Selene once tried to attempted by stealing the essence of Crule and the others, Cable revealed that an External can only kill another External so Gideon failing means they'll be back.[5]

External Gateway[]

Choosing to answer a summons through their shared psychic-link from Apocalypse he went to the Eternal Caldera of Krakoa, and there joined by Nicodemus, Selene, Candra, Gideon, Saul, and Absalom waited for him. When Apocalypse arrived not wanting to play his games they learned of his plans for them, but they were unwilling to go along with his belief of what their purpose should be nor willing to sacrifice themselves for his goals. Apocalypse would force Crule and the others to be sacrificed by playing his trump card in a newly enhanced Rictor. Rictor erupted from the ground in a blast of lava killing Crule in the process; followed shortly after by Nicodemus, Saul and Candra.[6]

Crule's ancient bones, thus his life energy along with the others turned into the stones that powers the External Gate,[33] trapping them, and allowing the whole of Krakoa to enter Otherworld as Apocalypse planned.[6]

Attributes

Power Grid[41]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: Several Forms of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (800 lbs-25 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Learned

Powers

Immortal: Crule is not only possessed with an extremely long lifespan,[2] but as an External, he is effectively immortal and since becoming active after his first death he no longer ages. Though Crule can be put out of commission or seemingly destroyed for various periods of time, he can not be permanently killed.[19][3][4]

  • Rapid Healing: Ability to endure injuries (within unknown limits) without lasting harm or even feeling pain,[19] he could apparently regenerate injured or missing cells from even near-fatal injuries.[34][24][35]
  • Resurrection: As an immortal, Crule has shown to be able to resurrected himself from death.[3][36]

Psychic-Link: As an External, he shares a telepathic-link with his fellow Externals that allows them to not only sense each other and where, but can call on each other at will from great distances.[14][6] He is also able to sense when one rises from their first death and when one is killed by another External.[1][18][9][37]

Superhuman Strength: Crule is more than strong enough to lift 13 tons[2] and has even knocked out Warpath with a single punch.[19]

Superhuman Durability: He has shown to be able to take a full on blast at close range from Rictor, sending him through the side of the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier falling a few thousand feet and survive.[19] Also this was after being blooded by Shatterstar and Feral and he had even taken X-23's claws to the skull years later and walked away.[35]

Superhuman Senses: Having been able to hear a radio conversation in the cockpit of an armored S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter, while in flight some 100 ft away Crule has shown to have extraordinarily acute hearing.[18]

Razor Sharp Claws & Teeth: Crule has powerful razor sharp claws and teeth but the extent of the strength and damage of them is unknown.[10][9][3]

Abilities

He had centuries of experience in many forms of armed and unarmed combat[2]

Weaknesses

Crule can only be killed by having his life-force drained or heart eaten from a fellow External, but if the External fails to do the same to the other Externals he'll come back again.[3][4][32]

Paraphernalia

Weapons

  • Gauntlet-covered claws
  • Hair Whip with Spiked Mace

Notes

  • Many Externals had distinctive text bubbles, and Crule's one had a thick blue fringe with rough spikes to it in X-Force #12.
  • Crule's exact origin remains unknown, he has invoked the names of Ishtar[10] and Mitra,[11] deities primarily worshiped in the Hyborian Age. Though Ishtar was still being invoked as far as in the 18th century,[38] Mitra as so far shown to have only used that name from 11,000 to 8,000 B.C., which means Crule was likely alive during this time.[39]
  • It was revealed that Crule and the other Externals can only die at the hands of a fellow External, and in doing so that External absorbing the essence of their brethren gaining godhood.[9][3][32][5]
  • But when an External kills another and fails to kill all the other Externals, he/she loses the power they gained and the fallen Externals come back to life.[3][4][29][5]
  • In his early appearances, Crule was popular enough that he had his own action figure made as a part of Marvel's 1993 The Uncanny X-Men: X-Force toy line.

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 X-Force #10
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes #1 ; Crule's entry
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 X-Force #54
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Cable #150
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Cable #154
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Excalibur (Vol. 4) #12
  7. ↑ X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #121
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 X-Force #37
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 X-Force #53
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 X-Force #12
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 X-Force #23
  12. ↑ X-Force #14–15
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 X-Men (Vol. 2) #60
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Excalibur (Vol. 4) #11
  15. ↑ New Warriors #19
  16. ↑ X-Force #2
  17. ↑ X-Force #13
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 X-Force #14
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 X-Force #15
  20. ↑ X-Force #18
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 X-Force #20
  22. ↑ X-Force #22
  23. ↑ X-Force #24
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 3) #46
  25. ↑ Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Vol. 3) #47
  26. ↑ X-Men #15
  27. ↑ Uncanny X-Men #335
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 X-Force #52
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 Cable #151
  30. ↑ X-Men #37
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Cable #152
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Cable #153
  33. ↑ X-Men (Vol. 5) #12
  34. ↑ X-Force #23–24
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Cable #151–152
  36. ↑ Cable #150
  37. ↑ Cable #151–154
  38. ↑ Tower of Shadows #7
  39. ↑ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3
  40. ↑ X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes #1
  41. ↑ X-Men: Earth's Mutant Heroes Vol 1 1
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