Skaar (character)

Skaar
Variant cover to Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 by Carlo Pagulayan
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	What If? Planet Hulk #1 (Dec. 2007)
Created by	Greg Pak (writer) John Romita Jr. (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Skaar Banner
Species	Human/Sakaaran Hybrid
Place of origin	Sakaar
Team affiliations	Dark Avengers S.M.A.S.H.
Partnerships	Hulk Hiro-Kala
Notable aliases	Son of the Hulk Sakaarson World Breaker Killer of Killers Santos
Abilities	Skilled swordsman and unarmed combatant Transformation Superhuman strength, stamina, endurance, durability, and senses Regeneration Old Power

Skaar is a

The character has been adapted into other media. He first appeared in animated form in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013–2015), and in live-action form in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022), in which he is played by Wil Deusner.

Publication history

Skaar was created by writer

However, the Skaar of Earth-616 (the continuity in which most mainstream Marvel storylines takes place) first appeared canonically in World War Hulk #5 (Jan. 2008) a miniseries written by Pak, and illustrated by Romita, Jr.^[1] He subsequently starred in his own ongoing series by Pak, Skaar: Son of Hulk, which ran for 12 issues from 2008^[3] to 2009.^[4][5][6]

Following the "Planet Skaar" story arc, which resulted in Skaar's arrival on Earth, the book's title changed with issue #13 to Son of Hulk, after which new writer

When Greg Pak took over writing chores on The Incredible Hulk with issue #601, Skaar allied himself with a de-powered Bruce Banner.^[9]

The character would then appear in the Skaar: King of the Savage Land miniseries by writer Rob Williams,^[10] and later appearing as a regular character in the Dark Avengers series, beginning with Dark Avengers #175.

Fictional character biography

Skaar is the son of the Hulk/Bruce Banner and Caiera the Oldstrong, an extraterrestrial native of the planet Sakaar.^[11] He was conceived during the Hulk's time on Caiera's home planet of Sakaar. Following the Hulk's departure from the planet, Skaar emerged from a cocoon with the appearance and age equivalency of a human preteen. He matured rapidly, achieving a teenage appearance in just one year. Soon after, he physically matured to the equivalent of a human adult.^[12] To survive, Skaar learned the need to kill as part of his upbringing by the savage creatures of his home planet. He demonstrates himself to be a fierce and capable general, becoming the enemy of Axeman Bone. He later gains the power of the stone-based "Old Power", which allow him to draw energy from the planet itself.^[13]

Skaar was able to communicate with the spirit of his supposedly dead mother, Caiera. He fights a war against Axeman Bone, but this only delays his people's escape from the near-destruction of the planet by Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Because the planet possesses enough energy to satiate Galactus' hunger for 100,000 years, Caiera takes the Old Power from Skaar as she tries to reason with him.^[14] Skaar admits to Caiera that he wanted to clear the evil from the planet. However, the Silver Surfer restores Skaar's Old Power and shows him a vision of the death and destruction of Sakaar, leading Skaar to destroy the evacuation ships. He tells the Surfer that if he does not spare his planet, he will use the Old Power to increase Galactus' hunger and endanger more planets, including those already saved by the Surfer. After the Surfer informs the people of Sakaar that their safety would lead to the death of countless planets, he departs. Caiera denounces Skaar for his decision and absorbs his Old Power. She then exiles him from Sakaar and waits for Galactus to consume her.^[15]

Skaar arrives on Earth with the sole desire to kill his father, the Hulk. After conflicts with the

After defeating the Moloids, Skaar is proclaimed a hero and a parade is held in his honor. Banner confronts the Red Hulk but grows angry. He then teleports to the country of Latveria, supposedly to transform in private but a battle breaks out between the Hulk and the Latverian dictator Doctor Doom. Skaar soon intervenes with the aid of his father's teleportation technology as he wants to prevent Doom from robbing him of the ability to kill the Hulk. Doom overpowers Skaar with magic, reverting him to his human form and revealing that this Hulk is a robot. Banner then arrives to rescue his son, seeing him in his human form for the first time. But Skaar rejects Banner's affection, believing that Banner cares only for his deceased wife. Skaar concludes that his discovery of the teleporter and trip to Latveria are part of another of Banner's "lessons", and reiterates his desire to someday kill him in his Hulk form.^[22]

During the "

Skaar accompanies the Hulk and the Warbound to the Savage Land when they are contacted by Ka-Zar regarding the death of some Sakaarians who were living there.^[29] They discover that the insectoid Miek is involved in a plot to use Sakaarian bodies to store his hatchlings.^[30] When Skaar refuses to allow the Hulk to harm the hatchlings, Miek attempts to drug Skaar. Following Miek's apparent death, Skaar remains in the Savage Land to keep an eye on the remaining Sakaarians.^[31]

Skaar is recruited by Norman Osborn to join the second incarnation of the Dark Avengers.^[32] His first fight with the team goes against him when the New Avengers discover them.^[33] After the Dark Avengers reveal that they have captured Captain America and are planning to capture the other Avengers to put on trial, Skaar turns on his teammates.^[34] It is revealed at that point that Skaar is actually a double agent. He then frees Captain America while the New Avengers defeat the remaining Dark Avengers.^[35]

Skaar later travels back to the Savage Land as it reminds him of his home planet. The Hulk in his Doc Green form tracks Skaar there to depower him as part of his plan to depower every gamma mutate on Earth. After a brief fight, Skaar is finally depowered. Doc Green teleports Skaar to Paris along with a backpack full of money so he can start a new and better life under the alias "Santos".^[36]

The Abomination's company Green Spring later repowers Skaar. While working for Green Spring, Skaar is dispatched to retrieve the escaped gamma mutate Stockpile.^[37] This puts Skaar into conflict with the group Gamma Flight, which comes to Stockpile's defense, and the U.S. Hulkbuster Force, which was formed to stop the threat of gamma mutates. Skaar easily defeats the U.S. Hulkbuster Force, but spares its members' lives.^[38]

Powers and abilities

Skaar possesses superhuman abilities derived from his parents, the

Skaar also has other powers, including the ability to rapidly heal after sustaining injuries, the ability to sense the life forces of other beings anywhere on the planet on which he is located, and the ability to transform into a childlike Shadow form in which he can still access some of the Old Power, though he cannot use his gamma-induced powers in this form.[39]

Skaar carries a sword that he uses in combat.^{[39][40][44][45]}

In other media

Television

• Skaar appears in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., voiced by Benjamin Diskin.^[46][47] This version is the amnesiac, adopted son of unknown Sakaaran parents whom the Leader brainwashed into becoming his enforcer after conquering Sakaar. Throughout the first season, the Leader tasks Skaar with spying on the Hulk. However, Skaar eventually breaks free of the Leader's control and liberates Sakaar with the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'s help.
• Skaar appears in the Ultimate Spider-Man four-part episode "Contest of Champions", voiced again by Benjamin Diskin.
• Jennifer Walters and her friend, Matt Murdock
  .

• Skaar appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers.
• Skaar appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2,^[50] voiced by David Menkin.^[51]
• Skaar appears in Marvel Snap.^[52]

Collected editions

The series the character has appeared in have been collected into individual volumes:

References