Origin
Kro was born to the race of Deviants, an evolutionary offshoot of humanity, which is cursed with an unstable genetic code causing random physical characteristics to crop up in each newborn child in the race. Kro was born with a number of traits which appear to be unique among the Deviant race and which are beneficial in nature. Chief among these mutations are those granting Kro his longevity and near-indestructibility, both similar to those of another evolutionary offshoot of humanity, the Eternals. Kro was alive around 20,000 years ago at the time that the Second Host of the extraterrestrial Celestials destroyed the Deviant Empire in the Great Cataclysm.
Kro has carefully guarded the secret of his longevity by assuming a series of different identities among the Deviants over the course of his extraordinarily long life, using his powers to alter his facial features to complete his disguises. Kro fears that if he allowed the other Deviants to know that he was virtually immortal, they would subject him to genetic experimentation in order to try to learn how to duplicate the mutations that gave him his near-immortality in themselves. Kro has studied the arts of warfare throughout his life and has often led Deviant armies in his various guises. Currently Kro uses the same name and facial features that he did thousands of years ago. He claims to be a descendant of this "original" Kro.
Creation
Jack Kirby, the King of Comics, created Kro in his first appearance in the Eternals vol 1 issue 1 (7/1976). In a retcon revealed in Marvel Universe #7 (12/1998), the Roman god Pluto that appeared in Red Raven Comics issue 1 (8/1940) and in Captain America Comics issues 1-3 (1941) was Kro in one of his disguises. An interesting coincidence, Jack Kirby was also the artist for Red Raven Comics #1 and Captain America Comics #1.
Major Story Arcs
Youth
In Kro's early years, Kro fell in love with Thena, daughter of Zuras, ruler of the Eternals of Earth. Thena returned Kro's love, but their relationship, perhaps the only such liaison between the two divergent races of humanity, which have long been enemies, ended badly. Kro and Thena parted, although they retained strong feelings for each other. Thena assumed that Kro eventually died, and was surprised when she encountered him again in recent years. Kro attempted to renew their relationship, but failed.
The Modern Age
During the 1940's, Kro battled Makkari while using aliases such Rudolph Hendler, Pluto, Paul Sayden and Satan. In the 1950's, he oversaw the unleashing of Deviant mutates such as Tricephalous, Giganto, Gigantus, and others from Monster Island, near Japan.
Against the Eternals
After the demise of Zuras, Brother Tode, the monarch of the Deviants, led an assault on Olympia, the principal city of the Eternals, where the Deviants captured and imprisoned all the Eternals. Almost the entire Deviant ruling elite, including Warlord Kro, accompanied Tode and Deviant troops on this venture. Thanks to the intervention of James Rhodes as Iron Man, the Eternals regained their freedom and captured the Deviants that were on Olympia. The Eternals decided to transform all of the captured Deviants into a large block of atoms and send the block into outer space. Before the Eternals carried out this plan, Thena secretly released Kro from his cell, and Kro escaped. Shortly thereafter, most of Earth's Eternals left for outer space. Thena became the ruler of the Eternals left on Earth.
Deviant City
Kro made his way back to the Deviants' city in undersea Lemuria, intent on making himself their monarch now that virtually the entire Deviant ruling class was no more. To his astonishment Kro discovered that the Deviant priesthood, headed by the priestlord Ghaur, was maneuvering to become the true ruling power in Deviant Lemuria. Since one of the priesthood's roles was to designate the new monarch, Kro confronted Ghaur and made his wish to become king clear. Ghaur allowed Kro to become monarch, but continued to pursue his plans. He had Kro lead an expedition to the Pyramid of the Winds, an Eternal structure in the Arctic, to retrieve a mysterious vial. Ghaur apparently hoped that Kro would be killed by the Eternals in the course of this venture. Once Kro found the vial, a Deviant priest and his guards demanded he give it to them, but Kro, determined to maintain his authority as ruler, refused. A party of Eternals led by Ikaris arrived, and Ikaris fought Kro for the vial. Thena, still in love with Kro, prevented Ikaris from killing him, and, on Kro's request, teleported Kro away. The Deviant priest's guards had managed to get hold of the vial for their masters. Kro and Thena traveled together as renegades, each hunted by his or her own race. They were finally found by Ikaris, who let them go after he replaced Thena as Prime Eternal. However, Ghaur still seeks to capture Kro.
Recently
Kro has not been seen in recent times. At this time the current whereabouts of Kro is unknown. It is presumed that he is still with his Deviant brothers.
Powers
Despite his Deviant heritage, Kro possesses a number of superhuman traits characteristic of an Eternal. Kro maintains a virtually unbreakable mental control over the processes and structure of his body even when he is asleep or unconscious. As a result, Kro has a lifespan that has already lasted over 20,000 years and is immune to disease and aging. His mental control over his body enables him to maintain a youthful, vigorous physical condition. Kro is not as nearly indestructible as the Eternals. (For example, Ikaris nearly killed Kro once by strangulation.) But while sufficient force can kill Kro, he can use his mental control over his body to heal himself after being injured.
Kro also possesses the power of physical malleability, which is atypical for a Deviant. At will he can cause most of the tissue of his body to become pliant, enabling him to shape it mentally like putty into different configurations. Once the tissue is set in an altered form, Kro has only to stop concentrating and his body will retain that shape until such time as he concentrates upon changing it again. This ability enables him to disguise himself and take the appearance of others (with cosmetic help for skin color, body hair, and so forth). One of Kro's favorite ploys is to pass himself off among ordinary humanity as a demon by fashioning horns on his head.
However, Kro's shape-changing powers are limited. He cannot alter the shape of his skeleton in more than minor ways. Moreover, he cannot eliminate any of his mass while transforming; he can only redistribute his 320 pounds of weight. Hence, he usually only uses his shape-changing power to alter his facial features. He can mentally mold the shape of his skull somewhat.
Kro has about three times the physical endurance of an ordinary human athlete. His heart is not located in the same place as an ordinary human being's; its true location is unrevealed.
Abilities
Kro is a master military strategist, a superb military commander, a good hand-to-hand combatant, and an expert in the use of Deviant weaponry.
Strength level
Kro can lift (press) around 800 lbs. (Most Deviants are not physically stronger than ordinary human beings, although there are indeed many superhumanly strong Deviants.)
Equipment
Kro frequently wears special glasses designed to extend his vision into the infrared and ultraviolet ranges. Hence, if Kro is wearing these glasses in a room where there is no visible light, he can still detect objects by perceiving the heat (infrared radiation) they give off.
Weapons
Kro has employed a number of weapons developed by Deviant technology. Among his favorites are flame-guns, vibro-whips, and shroud-guns. Once while battling Ikaris Kro wore gloves from whose fingertips he could project vastly powerful force blasts which could not injure his virtually invulnerable Eternal foe but which caused Ikaris intense pain.
In Other Media
Film
- Kro appears as one of the primary antagonists of the 2021 live-action Eternals movie, portrayed by Bill Skarsgård. In the movie, he is the leader of the Deviants who were sent to Earth by Arishem the Judge thousands of years ago. However, the Deviants became trapped in ice, only being freed in the present day when the glacier was melted due to the after effects of the Blip (the event where Thanos erased half of the universe's population in Avengers: Infinity War).
Video Games
- Kro appears as an enemy in Marvel Future Revolution.
Merchandise
- Kro was featured in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line as a standalone deluxe release.
- Kro was featured in the "Rise of the Domo" Lego kit.
- Kro was featured in Funko's Pop! line of bobbleheads.
FAQs
What was the relationship between Kro and Thena? ›
Thena became a scholar and a warrior as she grew. She encountered Kro in Babylon 2,500 years ago. He had a chance to slay her, but did not; as the years passed, the two of them grew closer together. Thena and Kro made love during the Vietnam War, resulting in Thena becoming pregnant with twins.
What character is Kro in the Eternals? ›Film. Kro serves as the secondary antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals (2021), voiced by Bill Skarsgård. He is a Deviant general and an enemy of the Eternals. By assassinating Ajak and absorbing her powers, Kro and the Deviants begin to evolve.
Who is Kro based on? ›Kro is based on Chronos, one of the Greek Titans and the father of many gods, including Zeus. Chronos famously ate his children out of fear of them rising against him.
What was the point of Kro? ›In the movie, the Deviants proved capable of evolving more than Arishem had intended. By killing the Eternals and absorbing their cosmic energy, one of them, called Kro, gained a humanoid form and sentience. Kro used this to condemn the Eternals for hunting his people to the brink of extinction.
Did Kro and Thena have a baby? ›During one encounter between Thena and Kro, the two made love and Thena became pregnant with twin children. To conceal the affair from her people, Thena kidnapped an infertile human woman and placed the twins within her womb so that they could be raised as humans.
Is Kro Thanos Father? ›Thanos' paternal grandfather is Kronos, the former leader of the Eternals on Earth. This does make Thanos an Eternal as well; although his physical mutations mark him as a Deviant. Regardless, the Eternals family line started by Kronos and his wife, Daina. Their union produced two sons: A'Lars and Zuras.
Is Kro more powerful than Thanos? ›Thanos isn't a cosmic being; instead, he's just another mortal who's very hard to kill. Therefore, Korvac is someone who is stronger than Thanos and sits above him in the pecking order.
Is Kro the main villain? ›Kro is the secondary antagonist of the 2021 superhero film Eternals, the twenty-sixth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is the leader of the Deviants and a powerful enemy of the Eternals who eventually gained sapience after killing Ajak and Gilgamesh and absorbing their powers.
Is Kro stronger than Ikaris? ›Even though Kro was stronger, he still was no match for Ikaris and probably only survived because of Ajak's regeneration, so he escaped without leaving a trace.
Who is Kro and Thena? ›Creators and Appearances
Thena's most consistent recurring relationship is a forbidden one with the warlord known as Kro, who is a member of the Eternals' arch-enemy race, the Deviants. Thena held the highest title of Prime Eternal for a time, but later stepped down from this position to give it over to Ikaris.
What species is Kro? ›
Kro was born to the race of Deviants, an evolutionary offshoot of humanity which is cursed with an unstable genetic code causing random characteristics to crop up every generation. Kro, was born with a number of traits that are both extremely rare among his kind and beneficial in nature.
Why was Kro evil? ›As Kro tells Thena immediately after killing Gilgamesh, “We just wanted to survive. Eternals, you are not saviors. You're murderers.” Kro's evil deeds aren't driven by a lust for power, but by desperation to protect himself and his kind from extermination.
Is Kro a good guy? ›The Eternals trailer finally reveals the film's main villain - the Deviant warlord Kro, a dangerous new villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What does Kro want? ›Kro is the leader of the Deviants and the force that wants to age war on the other creations of the Celestials. In the comics, Kro is a warlord, dictator, and general to the Deviants. This is technically why he's the biggest threat to the Eternals.
How powerful is Kro? ›Strength Level: Kro can lift (press) around 800 lbs. (Most Deviants are not physically stronger than ordinary human beings, although there are indeed many superhumanly strong Deviants.) Known Superhuman Powers: Despite his Deviant heritage, Kro possesses a number of superhuman traits characteristic of an Eternal.
Does Gilgamesh love Thena? ›Gilgamesh loves Thena, and is the one who cares for her over the years to help her remember who she is, and not lose control. He tells Thena the reason he stayed with her was because "it's just what you do when you love someone.
Did Ikaris have a child? ›While fighting the Deviants in ancient Greece, the man eventually known as Ikaris meets and weds a human woman. Together they bear a son named Icarus, who loves to soar with his father high above the seas and mountains of Greece.
Who is Thanos to Thena? ›She is also the daughter of Zuras, and cousin of Thanos.
Are the 10 rings related to the Eternals? ›The Ten Rings, after all, are circular in design, like much of the technology utilized by the Eternals. They also appear to be energy-based in their use, much like the tools and weapons used by the Eternals are fueled by cosmic energy.
Why didn t the Eternals stop Thanos if he is a Deviant? ›The Eternals specifically state that they did not interfere with Thanos and his genocidal finger snap due to their sacred mission, which only allowed intervention when the Deviants were involved.
Who is Thanos brother in Eternals? ›
His brother, Thanos, was always referred to as a mutant of the Titan Eternals. Though an Eternal, Starfox is not as powerful as his Earthborn cousins because the original Titanian Eternals separated from their Earth brethren before Kronos' experiments augmented the Eternals' energies.
Who is the strongest Eternals on Earth? ›- Ajak possesses regenerating potency (image via Marvel)
- Thena is good with weapons (image via Marvel)
- Gilgamesh has the raw power to crush the enemy (image via Marvel)
- Ikaris is the strongest eternal (image via Marvel)
1. Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame)
Who is the most powerful Eternals in comics? ›Of the ten cosmic-powered heroes based on Earth in Marvel's Eternals movie, which one of them deserves to be called the MCU's most powerful Eternal? In the comic books, this title would most certainly belong to Gilgamesh, who possesses the strength of Thor (in addition to several other abilities).
Is Ikaris Dead? ›Guilt-ridden over his betrayal to Arishem and his actions against his fellow Eternals, Ikaris leaves earth and flies into the sun, ending his life.
Is Kro still alive Eternals? ›The monstrous Kro is later killed himself by a vengeful Thena during the climactic clash on an island in the Indian Ocean. Finally, after his betrayal of his fellow Eternals to serve the Celestials and the reveal that he had murdered Ajak himself, Ikaris was overcome with guilt and flew into the sun to his death.
Which Avenger can defeat Ikaris? ›6 Ikaris Might Be The Strongest Eternal In The MCU
He uses flight more often than the other Eternals, and it's clear he's just as adept at fighting in the air as he is on the ground. With his impressive strength and durability, the only Avengers who might give him a hard time in a fight are Thor and Captain Marvel.
Ikaris Would Win
Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Ikaris only shows off his flight and ability to shoot cosmic energy beams from his eyes, the alien superhero is more powerful than people think. In the Marvel Comics, Ikaris does more than just fly and shoot laser beams.
Druig is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in The Eternals #11 (May 1977) and was created by Jack Kirby. He is depicted as a member of the superhuman race, the Eternals.
What species is Arishem? ›| Arishem the Judge | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Celestial |
| Team affiliations | Celestials |
Who is Kro the deviant leader? ›
First. Kro is a warlord, dictator, and general to the Deviants; Deviants being an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created human life on Earth instigated by the Celestials. They were created to wage war against their counterparts, the Eternals.
Is Kro an Eternal? ›Kro's Powers and Abilities
Despite being the leader of the Deviants, Kro actually shares a lot in common physically with his enemies in the Eternals. Like them, Kro is immortal and possesses strength, stamina and healing far greater than that of an ordinary human.
In the comics, Ikaris is a He-Man-looking hero who almost always does the right thing and saves the day; so it comes as a shock to everyone in the film when it turns out that he's actually the movie's de facto villain, responsible for killing Ajak (Salma Hayek) and trying, essentially, to bring upon the end of planet ...
Who is the enemy of Celestials? ›The Celestials, along with many of the Marvel Universe's abstracts, are killed by the Beyonders when these beings mount their attack on the entire multiverse.
What was the relationship between Gilgamesh and Thena? ›Gilgamesh loves Thena, and is the one who cares for her over the years to help her remember who she is, and not lose control. He tells Thena the reason he stayed with her was because "it's just what you do when you love someone. You protect them." Druig and Makkari.
What is the relationship between Thena and the Eternals? ›In the comics, Thena had a long relationship with General Kro and had two sons with him, Donald Ritter and Deborah Ritter.
What is the relationship between Gilgamesh and Thena? ›Gilgamesh was the strongest and kindest member of the community of genetically engineered Eternals who came to Earth. He was exiled alongside his de facto partner, Thena due to her suffering Mahd Wy'ry. As a fierce warrior, he was known to be legendary for his fights with the Deviants throughout history.
What relation is Thena to Thanos? ›Interestingly, Thanos is related by blood to Thena, since she's Zuras' daughter; that means the two characters are actually first cousins. Despite this connection, Thanos has little to do with the Olympian Eternals, and has had limited interaction with them in the comics.
Why is Thena not called Athena in Eternals? ›Thena. Thena's name is derived from the Greek goddess of war, Athena. Though in Eternals, Thena insists it's the other way around. Athena was known for her wisdom, her patronage of the city of Athens (which was named for her), and — of course — her skill in the ways of war.
Which goddess falls in love with Gilgamesh? ›It all gets started when Ishtar develops a mammoth crush on Gilgamesh after he and Enkidu return from killing Humbaba. Ishtar isn't shy about making her feelings known: she marches right up to Gilgamesh and asks him to marry her.
Who does Gilgamesh fall in love with? ›
For example, Gilgamesh and Enkidu love each other like man and wife, which seems to imply a sexual relationship. They kiss and embrace frequently, and in several scenes they cuddle together against the elements when they are on their quest to the Cedar Forest.
Why did Kro fight Eternals? ›After killing the Eternal Ajak and taking her power, Kro gained a desire of self preservation, healing himself during fights. When he gained full sapience after killing another Eternal, Gilgamesh, Kro became bitter, cold and furious at the Eternals for allowing the cycle of Celestial destruction to continue.
Is Thena related to Zeus? ›In Greek mythology, Athena was believed to have been born from the forehead of her father Zeus. In some versions of the story, Athena has no mother and is born from Zeus' forehead by parthenogenesis.
Who is Eros to Thena? ›Created by Jim Starlin and first appearing in 1973's Invincible Iron Man #55, Eros is Thanos' younger brother. With good looks and the power to influence other people's emotions, Eros is both the superhero called Starfox and a massive fuckboi.
Is Thena and Thor related? ›The daughter of the Asgardian god of thunder Thor, Thena escaped Asgard after the world-devourer Galactus destroyed her world.
Is Thena actually Athena? ›Thena, played by Angelina Jolie, is based on Greek mythology's Athena. In the comics, ThenaOpens in new tab is the daughter of Zuras, leader of the Earth's Eternals. Zuras and Thena resemble Athena and her father, Zeus. This means Thena is often mistaken for Athena, but they are not the same in the comics' world.
Which Eternals gave birth to Thanos? ›The first was Eros. Sui-San planned for the second to be named Dione. However, upon laying her eyes on the newborn, who was afflicted with Deviant Syndrome, Sui-San was driven mad and named him Thanos. She also tried to kill him, sensing the death in his eyes.
Who is Thanos half brother in Eternals? ›Who is Eros of the Eternals? Born on Saturn's moon Titan, home to a population of Eternals all its own, Eros is the biological brother of Thanos the Mad Titan.
Is Thena the strongest Eternal? ›Thena is considered the Goddess of War as she was a great warrior of Olympus. However, being an Immortal makes her traumatized, and she becomes violent, causing damage to her own teammates. She holds outstanding swordplay that makes her one of the strongest Eternals in the group.