Ch'od is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

. The character is usually seen in the

X-Men The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...

series and various spin-offs.

Publication history

Dave Cockrum David Emmett Cockrum (; November 11, 1943 – November 26, 2006) was an American comics artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler (character), Nightcrawler, Storm (Marvel Comics), Storm, Colossus (character), Colos ...

created the Starjammers with the intent of having them star in their own series. However, when he submitted the concept for Marvel's two try-out series, ''

Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...

'' and '' Marvel Premiere'', he was repeatedly informed that these series were booked for two years solid. Cockrum showed the Starjammers to ''

'' writer

Chris Claremont Christopher S. Claremont (; born November 25, 1950) is an English-born American comic book writer and novelist. Claremont is best known for his 16-year stint on ''Uncanny X-Men'' from 1975 to 1991, far longer than that of any other writer,Clarem ...

and convinced him to use the characters for this series. He first appeared in ''X-Men'' #104 (April 1977).

Fictional character biography

Ch'od is a Saurid, a lizard-like alien from the planet Timor (Varanus IV) in the

Shi'ar The Shi'ar ( ) are a fictional species of aliens appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shi'ar Empire (or Imperium) is a vast collection of alien species, cultures, and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Em ...

Empire and a founding member of the Starjammers. He is often accompanied by Cr'reee, a small furry alien from the planet Lupus. Ch'od first met the

when the Starjammers came to aid them against

D'Ken The Shi'ar ( ) are a List of fictional humanoid species in comics, fictional species of Extraterrestrial life, aliens appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Shi'ar Galactic empire, Empire (or Imperium) is a vast collect ...

's Imperial Guard. He helped save Colossus's life in outer space, and engaged in mock combat with

Carol Danvers Carol Susan Jane Danvers is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gene Colan, the character first appeared as an officer in the United States Air Force and a colleagu ...

. With the Starjammers, he aided the

New Mutants The New Mutants are a group of fictional mutant superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, generally in association with the X-Men. Originally depicted as the teenaged junior class at the Xavier Institute, sub ...

against the Magus. Ch'od and Hepzibah sought the "map-rod" holding information on the location of the "Phalkon" power source, which was actually the Phoenix.

Deathbird Deathbird (Cal'syee Neramani) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Keith Pollard, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Ms. Marvel'' #9 (September 1977). Cal'sye ...

's Shi'ar starships attacked the Starhammers. The Starjammers went to Earth and met

Excalibur Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...

, and aided a rebellion against Deathbird on a Shi'ar border world. For a time he and his fellow Starjammers were imprisoned and replaced by the Warskrulls, who were attempting to conquer the Shi'ar Empire. The Warskrulls impersonated the Starjammers and key members of the Imperial Guard, until the

helped rescue them. Ch'od battled

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...

and the

Vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

while escorting the Shi'ar nega-bomb. Ch'od has suffered the death of his loyal friend Corsair. He also endured Hepzibah's stranding on Earth, although several X-Men have remained with the Starjammers. While trying to rescue

Lilandra Neramani Princess-Majestrix Lilandra Neramani () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. She is the Empress, or Majestrix, of the Shi'ar Empire and shares a life ...

from the Imperial Guard, Ch'od loses his right hand and blames himself for failing to save her. During the mission to rescue their empress, Ch'od and the Starjammers end up rescuing a team from the Guardians of the Galaxy led by

Rocket Raccoon Rocket Raccoon is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Keith Giffen, the character first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #7 (July 1976). He is an intelligent anthropomor ...

, who is an old friend of Ch'od and Corsair. This act however leads to their cover being blown forcing the Starjammers to flee.ALL THE KINGS' MEN: White Pawns by Dave Richards, Staff Writer. Comic Book Resources.com
/ref>

Powers and abilities

As a member of the Saurid race, Ch'od possesses superhuman strength, durability, and endurance, and is amphibious. He is also an expert marksman (with various forms of Shi'ar weaponry), swordsman, and hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained in various forms of combat known in the Shi'ar Galaxy. He is a highly skilled starship pilot. He has carried Shi'ar-manufactured swords, battleaxes, and energy guns as weapons.

Reception

* In 2018,

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

ranked Ch'od 15th in their "Age Of Apocalypse: The 30 Strongest Characters In Marvel's Coolest Alternate World" list.

In other media

Ch'od makes non-speaking appearances in '' X-Men: The Animated Series'' as a member of the Starjammers.

References

External links

* {{Marvel Cosmic Characters created by Dave Cockrum Comics characters introduced in 1977 Marvel Comics aliens Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics extraterrestrial superheroes Marvel Comics martial artists Marvel Comics superheroes Space pirates