Grand Regent Thragg

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Background

Powers and Abilities

Thragg possesses all of the evolutionary advantages that are common to the Viltrumite race (including vast superhuman strength, speed, durability, stamina and flight), albeit at a significantly higher level than those of an average Viltrumite.

See the Generic Viltrumites write-up for a more in-depth discussion regarding the powers of an average Viltrumite.

History

(This is an abridged version of the history that can be found in the Generic Viltrumites write-up. See said article for a more detailed description of the Viltrumite Race’s History.)

The future Grand Regent of the Viltrumite race was the son of one of Emperor Argall’s closest advisors. Like all Viltrumite infants he was conceived through a process of eugenics and selective breeding.

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From the moment he was born, Thragg was subjected to a gruelling training regime. Its sole purpose was to maximize his raw physical power and to create the most capable and dangerous tactical mind amongst their kind. It was a success. At its completion, Thragg possessed a level of strength and ruthlessness that outstripped every other Viltrumite in existence.

Presumably, upon reaching maturity, Thragg served as a member of the Viltrumite World Conquering Committee and was a loyal member of the Viltrumite Empire. He was exceptionally loyal to the Viltrumite Grand Regent Lord Argall and served him loyally up until the moment of his murder.

Argall’s murder caused chaos in the Viltrumite Empire, and it was during this time of trouble that the Scourge Virus was released upon Viltrum. In less that a year, 99.9% of the Viltrumite race fell to the deadly virus. It was from the ashes of this debilitating attack that Thragg seized control and under his leadership the crippled empire endured.

The Viltrumite War

Despite his awesome physical power, Thragg manipulated events from the sidelines and rarely (if ever) intervened physically. The key to his plan was to maintain the illusion of strength while searching for a method to bolster the Viltrumites depleted numbers.

This all changed with the discovery of Earth and Nolan’s defection to the Coalition of Planets. Thragg realized that with Nolan’s defection, the days of operating from the shadows had ended. He immediately went on the offensive, gathering his scattered troops. He prepared to launch a full scale attack on the planet Talescria, the centre of the Coalition’s power.

Thragg used every move that he had remaining to ready the assault. He sacrificed Conquest in a head to head battle against Nolan and his two sons, to prevent them from joining the Coalition.

He threw his non-Viltrumite troops at the surrounding Coalition worlds with abandon, drawing their forces away from the Coalition’s centre. More importantly, he used his deepest placed mole within the Coalition to lower Talescria’s warning systems in the moments before the actual assault began.

Planetary assault

Thragg’s patience and ruthlessness paid off in a big way. His wave of Viltrumites wreaked havoc on the population of Talescria, as he waited implacable and patiently upon the Viltrumite mothership. The Coalition forces were caught completely flatfooted as the Viltrumites cut through them like a thresher through a field of wheat.

Not even the heroes Allen the Alien, TechJacket or the Great Thaedus were able to stem the Viltrumite wave.

Their victory seemed assured until the Nolan and his two sons appeared in the skies of Talescria and engaged the surprised Viltrumite forces. Thragg watched with disbelief and frustration as the beleaguered Coalitions forces rallied behind the devastatingly powerful Graysons. The Coalition began to beat off the Viltrumite offensive.

It wasn’t until Invincible himself destroyed one of the last Viltrumite command ships itself that Thragg was able to accept their defeat. Rather than risk capture, Thragg ordered his forces to fall back to the only defensible position that they had left; the planet Viltrum itself.

Battle of Viltrum

Thragg’s forces had only just arrived on their homeworld when a small group of the most powerful members of the Coalition tried to sneak into Viltrum’s airspace in order to arrange an ambush for the Viltrumites. Instead, the Coalition forces were caught off-guard when what was left of the Empire rose from the planet’s surface, with Thragg in the lead, and attacked them with abandon.

The final battle of the Viltrumite War was as brutal as it was fast, and it resulted in several casualties. The surviving Viltrumites numbered in the low 30s and the planet of Viltrum itself was destroyed.

Thragg himself beheaded Thaedus for his treachery, threw the leonine warrior Battle Beast into the darkness of space and maimed the Grayson family; he literally eviscerated Nolan, dismembered Oliver and beat Invincible into unconsciousness.

It was only Thragg’s intense desire to preserve the Viltrumite race that made him hesitate to murder the treacherous Grayson family. Instead he abandoned the Graysons for dead in deep space, and took his remaining people to Earth, in the process abandoning the Empire and all of its riches.

New Viltrum?

Upon their arrival in Earth space, Thragg dispersed all but a handful of the remaining Viltrumites to the surface of the planet. Their orders were to hunker down and blend in with the locals. Thragg (and the pilot crew) remained with his command ship, which he had touched down on the dark side of the moon. They began to scan the heavens for the inevitable arrival of the Coalitions forces.

He waited for over two weeks in darkness and silence, but eventually his patience was rewarded when a single Coalition ship entered earth orbit. Thragg watched as Invincible first exited the ship and raced down into the Earth’s atmosphere. He was quickly followed by Nolan.

Thragg followed the two heroes into the Earth’s atmosphere. He gave them a few minutes to compose themselves before he alerted them to his presence.

Invincible attacked Thragg on sight, but Thragg simply weathered the blows and politely asked for a parlay. He then made an offer of peace between the remaining Viltrumites and the Coalition forces. His terms were simple; the Viltrumites would surrender their claim on the Empire and its resources and halt all hostilities.

But in return, they would be allowed to remain on the planet Earth in piece and rebuild their people. If the Coalition refused, they would raze the Earth.

The Visitors

Despite his misgivings, Invincible thought back to the planet-wide destruction that came at the hands of his extra-dimensional duplicates and the havoc that Conquest caused singlehandedly. When he considered the damage and loss of life that would be wrought in a war with 30 adult Viltrumites, he was left with little choice.

Invincible accepted the treaty on behalf of the Coalition and brought the hostilities to a close.

Pleased with the outcome, Thragg left the father-son duo in a burst of speed vowing never to interfere with them again. Despite Invincible’s claim, Thragg had little reason to trust the Coalition. He returned to the dark side of the moon and his monitoring of the darkness of space. When Nolan and his wife left the planet in the Coalition ship, he was not even slightly surprised.

Thragg spent the next month waiting patiently, before a different Coalition ship approached the Earth with purpose. Thragg watched as Invincible rose from the surface of the planet and greeted his half-breed brother and Allen who had disembarked from the vessel.

Thragg monitored their conversation up until the point where Allen revealed that he had returned with a perfected sample of the “Scourge” virus and planned to release it upon the unsuspecting earthborn populace below. With that Thragg left the comfort of his vessel and raced across the darkness of space to confront the Coalition force.

The Scourge virus

When he arrived, Invincible was locked in a losing battle with Allen and his younger sibling. Thragg’s arrival more than evened the odds though. In fact, the fighting halted the second he made his presence known.

Thragg offered Allen the exact same bargain he made with Invincible and his father a few short weeks prior, with one last morsel to sweeten the deal. He wouldn’t murder Allen and his allies on the spot.

Allen, who had already begun to doubt his actions due to the high probability that the virus would wipe out both Viltrumite and human life alike, agreed to Thragg’s terms. It was at that moment that the Guardians of the Globe arrived and engaged all of the aliens in battle.

Thragg displayed an amazing degree of self control and avoiding maiming the earthborn heroes, but was unable to stop Invincible himself from becoming infected with the Scourge virus.

With Invincible’s infection, the battle was halted and all of the combined forces gathered on the Viltrumite command ship. Thragg bartered yet another peace treaty with Cecil Stedman, the Guardian’s commander, and promised to quarantine the fallen hero while he recovered.

The King has returned …

During this time, one of Thragg’s medical examiners made a startling discovery while processing Invincible’s blood. Invincible, Mark Grayson, was a son of Argall and legitimate heir to the Empire.

After confirming that the examiner hadn’t told anyone else this piece of information, Thragg calmly (yet gruesomely) murdered the examiner.

Thragg debated his next course of action for the remainder of the day. He decided that he couldn’t turn over the fate of the Empire to a traitor, or his family. With that thought in mind, he returned to Invincible’s side and calmly began to throttle the life out of the comatose hero.

If it wasn’t for the interference and clever planning of the villain Dinosaurus, he would have succeeded.

Instead Thragg was forced to watch as the two escaped his clutches and return to the earth. What Thragg will do next is unknown at this time.

Description

Thragg appears to be an exceptionally large and muscular caucasian male. His upper torso is almost distorted by its thickness and girth. His broad shoulders and long arms are covered with multiple layers of muscle, and he stands at least a full head above the average Viltrumite male.

He has dark close cropped jet black hair and a thick black moustache. He bears a startling resemblance to the late lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury.

His normal garb is almost identical to that of the average Viltrumite soldier. It is a form fitting body stocking, with a circular symbol broken up by 3 vertical lines in the centre of the chest. His lower body is completely covered by a simple grey skirt, and he wears sturdy grey boots.

The main difference in his garb is that while the average Viltrumite soldier’s uniform is made up of grey and white colours, the white portions of Thragg’s have been replaced with a bright crimson.

When not expecting battle, Thragg also drapes a thick fur lined cloak of unknown origin over his shoulders. The cloak itself is a red colour and hangs all the way down to his ankles in a cape like fashion.

Personality

The Grand Regent Thragg, like other villains, is a study in contrasts.

In most ways, Thragg is a typical Viltrumite male and thus shares nearly all of the cultural traits that they would possess. He values strength in battle, and appoints his subordinates into their various roles according to it. He can be arrogant and cruel, and with his explosive temper and capacity for violence woe be it upon the individual who earns his vengeance.

However, Thragg has also demonstrated a level of cunning, eloquence and control that can only be found in the most experienced of leaders. Despite his instincts prompting him to kill, Thragg seems to have evolved past the IED (Intermittent Explosive Disorder) that his fellow Viltrumites all suffer from to one degree or another.

He often exercises restraint and control, thinking through the options and alternatives. This single fact makes Thragg scarier than his Viltrumite brethren. For the most part, Thragg murders his opponents for a purpose and without passion. He apparently has no need for accolades and does not display any form of self-interest or pride, outside of that for his race.

Thragg’s force of personality is not born out of charisma, even though he is a convincing speaker. His power of persuasion is fuelled by the sheer dint of his unmistakable and obvious physical power. Even when simply standing still or hovering he emanates an aura of danger and barely restrained violence.

Quotes

(To a cowering Conquest) “I ordered you to bring down the son of Nolan and secure his planet for my arrival. NONE of these tasks were accomplished. And so I must ask… of what further use could you be to me?”

(Talking to the skull of his former liege) “With Thaedus dead and the coalition in disarray, this war will be over, we will be the victors. And you my liege, you will be avenged.”

“To all who make themselves enemies of the Viltrum Empire — ! Prepare for your deaths !”

“You are a funny one, I gather. Always cracking jokes. Very good. I enjoy a good joke, myself. Stop me if you’ve heard this one…” [dismembers Oliver with a single punch] “Seemed like such a nice boy.”

(To Invincible before engaging him in combat) “You know, you’re in over your head … even Conquest fears me.”

“You’ll be a bloody mess of entrails by the time your father catches up to us.”

“We need them … we need ALL Viltrumites. They will be spared.”

(Parleying with Invincible and Omni-man in the skies above an earth bound city) “You can fight me if you wish, but I am not alone here. If by chance you were able to injure me, I couldn’t guarantee the rest of my forces wouldn’t lay waste to this planet. I suggest that we talk, the three of us. Your choice … Fight or talk.”

“I offer our surrender, under one condition. You took our planet … now we’re going to take yours.”

DC Universe History

Thragg and the Viltrumites would make an excellent foil to the Superman family. During the original Invasion series, instead of the Dominators recruiting the Daxamites to invade the planet earth, perhaps they stumbled upon the planet of Viltrum.

By Bryan Gittens.

Source of Character: Image Comic Book Series – Invincible, created by Robert Kirkman & Cory Walker.

Helper(s): WORG Write-ups: Omni-Man, Invincible, Conquest.

Writeup Completed April 05^th, 2012.