Zn'rx
| Zn'rx | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Power Pack #1 (August 1984) |
| Created by | Louise Simonson and June Brigman |
| Characteristics | |
| Notable members | Maraud, Jakal, Bhadsha, Haj |
The Zn'rx are a fictional extraterrestrial race who have appeared in many Marvel Comics. Unpronounceable by human tongues, the Zn'rx are known better as "Snarks" among Earth's superheroes because they were nicknamed that way by a Kymellian called Whitey, who named them after the monster in Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark".[1] They first appeared in Power Pack #1 (1984).
The Zn'rx are a bipedal reptilian race with a digitigrade leg structure. They are intelligent and have interstellar travel technology. However, they are also a warlike race by tradition.
The Zn'rx are divided into many clans, but all of them are ruled by an Emperor. The Emperor is married to the female rulers of each clan. Upon the death of the Emperor, the clans fight wars against each other; the son of the Queen of the winning clan becomes the next Emperor.[2]
The Zn'rx were first seen in the Marvel Universe when they came to Earth to kidnap James and Margaret Power and steal a powerful matter/anti-matter formula and converter Dr. Power had created. The plans were thwarted through the combined efforts of Whitey and the four Power children, Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie, in their first mission as the superhero team Power Pack.[3]
Zn'rx is used for both the singular and the plural; it also is the name of the Zn'rx's home planet. In English, the planet is referred to as "Snarkworld."
Notable Zn'rx characters
Queen Maraud
Queen Mother Maraud is one of the Zn'rx queens. She initiated the original contact between Zn'rx and Earth by sending her clan's military to steal the matter/anti-matter formula and converter from the Powers. When her plans were scuttled by Power Pack, the superhero team became her personal enemies. She made several subsequent attempts to destroy the group, kidnapping them on two occasions and attempting to steal their powers for her son and herself.
Maraud was banished by Emperor Bhadsha at the end of the Snark Wars,[4] however, she has returned from time to time to threaten the Pack again. She also managed to destroy the Kymellian's artificial home planet.[5]She blames the Pack for all of her failures, and remains one of their deadliest enemies.
Jakal
High Prince Jakal was the son of Queen Maraud and Emperor Bhadsha. Although he had been raised as a warrior, he was lacking in intelligence and conscience.
Jakal was sent to Earth to abduct the members of Power Pack. The team destroyed his ship and severely injured him; they then wrapped his head in neuro-fibers and brought him to the Antarctic to hibernate next to an alien serpent they had defeated in a previous battle.[6]
When the members of Power Pack were kidnapped at the beginning of the Snark Wars, they were forced to reveal Jakal's location, and he was rescued and revived by his clan. Still suffering the effects of the battle, Jakal engaged Power Pack in another conflict, directing his ire toward Energizer, who had caused him significant damage at their last meeting. She managed to escape, but in doing so, burned his left hand to the bone.[2] The rest of the team was recaptured and their powers were forcibly taken from them and given to Jakal, using a special machine. Jakal also eventually received Katie's energy powers.
The Kymellian powers made Jakal a formidable opponent, but also destroyed his mind and body. The powers quickly reverted to their natural owners, the Power children; Jakal died shortly thereafter. Before dying, he donated his body to Bhadsha, trying to atone for his actions.[7]
Emperor Bhadsha
Bhadsha, the current Emperor of Snarkworld, has actually tried to soften his race's warlike tendencies. Although he is a beloved leader, some of his changes, including trying to reduce the process of succession to a single bout of combat between all the princes, have not been popular.
Queen Maraud, as one of Bhadsha's wives, secretly tried to kill him by adding poison to his bath water. The efforts were almost successful, however, he was saved, and was able to continue to rule, when his mind was transplanted into Prince Jakal's donated body.[7]
Bhadsha has also made efforts to maintain relationships with other alien nations and races. He is a personal friend of the Kymellian ambassador to Snarkworld, Lord Yrik Whitemane. He accepted the members of Power Pack as allies after their involvement in the Snark Wars, and saw that they were safely returned to Earth.[4]
Chancellor Hadj
Queen Maraud's chancellor and "right-hand Snark," Hadj oversaw the successful missions to kidnap Power Pack and recover Jakal from Earth. She was later the first Snark to undergo the Zn'rx-Kymellian power transfer experiment, as she received the healing powers of Lord Yrik. The transfer was successful but the process was fatal to Hadj, and shortly killed her. She attempted to redeem herself by healing Emperor Bhadsha, but was not able to finish the process.[8]