[Comics] Annihilation: Super Skrull

As a kid, I was never really a big Fantastic Four fan. Sure, there was that slight coolness factor for the group of such diverse abilities and how they'd often get involved in more galactic-level threats instead of just your run-of-the-mill villains. I did love Doctor Doom, though, so that helped me learn more about them.

What was more interesting for me was one of the Fantastic Four's biggest villains - Super Skrull. Sure, individually the powers of the Fantastic Four were generally cool but nothing overly amazing. However to have a single villain who commanded all of their abilities and utilized in ways far more creative (and often lethal) than how the Fantastic Four employed their powers themselves. I seriously remember a number of times that I chose to be Super Skrull while playing games with friends because of the power he had.

Image via WikipediaIn Annihilation: Super Skrull, we are allowed to take a closer look Kl'rt as an individual. Despite his colorful history, oftentimes scorned and pushed aside by his own people due to their fear of his powers and abilities, he has always remained loyal to his race and has always acted in a manner to protect their interests and safeguard the entire Skrull Empire whether they have sought out his assistance or not.

With the Annihilation Wave's invasion corridor sweeping straight into the heart of the Skrull Empire, Super Skrull takes it upon himself to try and stop them from destroying the planet Zaragz'Na, since he knows his son still lives on that world. In order to do this, he needs to find a way to destroy their primary weapon - a massive device known as the Harvester of Sorrows that can destroy entire planets based on the whims of the Annihilation forces. He find himself accompanied by a lowly young Skrull engineer named R'Kin as he journeys into the Negative Zone where the invasion originated in order to locate a way to defeat them.

Now don't get any false impressions - this is not Marvel's attempt to turn Super Skrull into some sort of anti-hero. He is still a ruthless killer and while his intentions seem noble given they are geared towards the welfare of the Skull Empire as a whole, his methods remain highly violent and often lethal. His uncompromising view of the universe and how he should deal with others who stand to assist him or thwart him remains constant and this helps establish him solidly as a character throughout the series.

They do a smash up job of really showcasing his abilities and what makes him such a lethal opponent beyond just being a guy with the Fantastic Four's powers. He's able to combine the various abilities available to him in rather creative and surprising ways that allows him to kill more efficiently and effectively regardless of the situation. This raw strength partnered with his single-mindedness in terms of pursuing his goal and trying to stop the destruction of Zaragz'Na practically on his own for the most part.

In terms of the overall story arc of Annihilation, it probably doesn't do all that much. This seems to be a bit of a focus on a single portion of the overall storyline and not necessarily a central plot thread just yet. That's not to say this story is without merit - it sets the stage for Super Skrull's nature during the main Annihilation books and explains much of what is driving him during the overall conflict.

This series does a lot for me as a fan of Super Skrull early on. They certainly do great things for the character and bring him back into focus without needing to overly change him into something he's clearly not. They simply fully embrace his nature while better fleshing-out his character and personality.