BOGATYRI
Membership: Doctor Volkh, Mikula Golubev, Morning Star, Svyatogor
Purpose: To begin a new
"Cold War" between America and
the United States
Aliases: None (see comments)
Affiliations: Comrade Miasnikov, the former Soviet Union, unidentified lackeys under their orders
Enemies: Avengers (Hawkeye/Clint Barton,
Living Lightning/Miguel Santos, Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse Barton, Scarlet
Witch/Wanda Maximoff, Spider-Woman/Julia Carpenter, USAgent/John
Walker, Wonder Man/Simon Williams), Wolverine (Logan/James Howlett)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed but presumably somewhere in Russia
First Appearance: Avengers West Coast I#87 (October, 1992)
History:
(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z I#2 - Bogatyri
entry - BTS) - The individuals that eventually made up the Bogatyri
banded together under unrevealed circumstances, soon recruiting a small
organization of soldiers and scientists.
(Avengers West Coast I#87 (fb) - BTS) - Each
individual within the organization was a loyalist to the former Soviet
Union, including not just the superhumans but also the recruited
soldiers and scientists.
(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z
I#2 - Bogatyri entry - BTS) - The four superhumans within the
organization outright refused to accept the Soviet Union's dissolution
and continued to war on the USSR's former enemies.
(Avengers West Coast I#87 (fb) - BTS) - They soon named their organization the Bogatyri after the "valiant champions of elder days" from Russian folklore. The Bogatyri subsequently sought to plunge post-Soviet Russia and the United States into a new Cold War.
(Avengers West Coast I#88 (fb) - BTS) - Learning that the United States and Canada had created a cold-generating Quick-Freeze Crystal
using his past formulas, the Bogatyri's Doctor Volkh sent the Bogatyri
to a US-Canadian Distant Early Warning (D.E.W.) station to secure the
Quick-Freeze Crystal and use it in the Bogatyri's efforts to spark a
new Cold War.
(Avengers West Coast I#87) - Arriving in a giant hovercraft, the Bogatyri attacked the U.S.-Canadian D.E.W. station and knocked out all of the guards on duty. As they rounded up the unconscious guards, Doctor Volkh remarked aloud that the attack on the D.E.W. station was merely the first step in his plan. He then ordered Comrade Miasnikov and another soldier to attach the "special components" to the equipment in the D.E.W. station and announced that the Bogatyri's efforts might be their last chance to begin a new Cold War.
The heroic USAgent soon after received a phone call from the Commission ordering him to leave for the Bathurst Inlet near the D.E.W. station. USAgent did as ordered and departed for the Bathurst Inlet with his Avengers teammates Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man following. At that same time, in the Northwest Territory of Canada, the backpacking mutant hero Wolverine was being chased by both a polar bear and a swarm of mosquitoes. As Wolverine ran from the bear, the Bogatyri's Morning Star blasted the animal with a heat blast and both she and her teammate Svyatogor attacked Wolverine. Fighting back, Wolverine jumped at Svyatogor only to be blinded by a light burst from Morning Star. Svyatogor took advantage of Wolverine's blindness and punched him unconscious.
Shortly thereafter, USAgent arrived at the Bathurst Inlet and was attacked by agents of the Bogatyri. He easily took care of the agents until the Bogtyri's Golubev used his telekinesis to wrap USAgent in sheets of metal taken from the Bogatyri agents' hovercraft. He then tossed USAgent into the waters of the Inlet. Later, as Doctor Volkh interrogated the now-captured Wolverine, Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man arrived at the Inlet and Scarlet Witch used her hex powers to generate an electromagnetic pulse, pulling USAgent from the Inlet.
During the interrogation of
Wolverine, Doctor Volkh explained
the origins of each of the members of the Bogatyri while Wolverine
listened
long enough to extend his claws and attack Doctor Volkh. Doctor Volkh
finally showed his powers by stretching into a thin, rug-sized sheet
and
grappling Wolverine. He then tossed Wolverine towards the wall as the
Avengers appeared on the scene.
(Avengers West Coast I#88) - The Bogatyri mobilized their forces and attacked the Avengers with Wolverine in tow. Golubev once again attacked USAgent, only to find his psychic powers could not affect his target this time around thanks to Scarlet Witch's hexes. USAgent promptly knocked Golubev out. Realizing the Scarlet Witch's involvement in neutralizing Golubev's powers, Doctor Volkh knocked out the Scarlet Witch. In anger, Wonder Man retaliated by grabbing a piece of the station itself and slammed it into Svyatogor before knocking out Morning Star as well. As the Avengers and Wolverine started to gain the upper hand, the Bogatyri's agents arrived and joined in the attack. Wolverine and USAgent escaped outside the D.E.W. station and found a group of US assault troops that had arrived to calm the situation.
Meanwhile, as the Bogatyri looked over their captives, Svyatogor and Morning Star talked about Wonder Man's film career and Golubev made a crack about how Svyatogor couldn't handle scary movies. In his defense, Svyatogor yelled that it was not his fault and Golubev shot Svyatogor in the mouth with a fire extinguisher, prompting Svyatogor to go on a destructive rampage around the D.E.W. station until Doctor Volkh calmed him down. Comrade Miasnikov then announced that the components were ready and Doctor Volkh revealed the Quick-Freeze Crystal, which he intended to use to blanket the northern hemisphere in ice. Doctor Volkh then released the Quick-Freeze Crystal from its protective globe, causing ice to rapidly cover the station as the US assault troops began their attack on the station. During the attack, Wolverine and USAgent secretly re-entered the station and attacked Doctor Volkh and Comrade Miasnikov. The rest of the Bogatyri soon arrived and attacked Wolverine as USAgent freed Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch from their newly-icy prisons. As the battle raged on, Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man broke a path through the ice to the Quick-Freeze Crystal itself and Scarlet Witch used her hex powers to alter the Crystal, causing it to radiate heat instead of cold. Furious, Doctor Volkh lunged at the Crystal and grabbed it, burning his hands. As the heat generated from the Crystal began to cause explosions within the station, the Bogatyri made a run for it with Doctor Volkh ranting all the way about his precious Crystal. The Avengers and Wolverine soon followed and they too escaped the station before its destruction. While the Avengers checked on their own and made sure everyone was safe, the Bogatyri escaped the station in their hovercraft.
(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z
I#2 - Bogatyri entry - BTS) - While the Bogatyri escaped, their support
team of soldiers and scientists were captured. Soon after, the Bogatyri
reached a sort of understanding with post-Soviet Russian authorities
and began cooperating with Russia's new regime.
(Avengers West Coast I#94 (fb) - BTS) - Feeling as if
the Bogatyri made too many accomodations with the post-Soviet Russian
president, Morning Star resigned from the Bogatyri and became a
mercenary citizen of Demonica, an island raised by the villain Doctor Demonicus.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, David Ross and Tim Dzon.
The name Bogatyri translates into English as "The Valiant Champions of Elder Days."
Bogatyri have an entry in the
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z I#2 and Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z HC/TPB Vol. 2.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Bogatyri, the
Russian super-team, has no known connection to
Mikula Golubev was presumably a mutant, born with psychic powers including telepathy and telekinesis. His parents named him for the Bogatyr whose small plough could not be lifted even by his fellow champions but which the champion known as Mikula hoisted it with one hand. He aided the Bogatyri in their attack and subsequent capture of a US-Canadian D.E.W. station, from which the Bogatyri began their plan to transform the entire northern hemipshere into an icy wasteland. When the Avengers arrived on the scene, the Scarlet Witch used her hex powers to disrupt Golubev's powers and he was ultimately forced to flee with the other Bogatyri when the D.E.W. station exploded.
Golubev had telepathy enough to sense other minds present in his vicinity and telekinesis enough to lift heavy vehicles such as a bulldozers
Golubev was apparently an
analogue for the Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman (see Clarifications).
--Avengers West Coast I#87 (#87 (fb), #87-88,
Vladimir Orekhov was once a scientist who was one of the first to become a Russian cosmonaut. He assisted in creating the formula that would eventually produce the Quick-Freeze Crystal. During his trip into space, he was bombarded with cosmic radiation which gave him to ability to stretch his body to great lengths and shapes. He was the leader of the group and sought to create a new "Cold War" between the USA and Russia by using the Quick-Freeze Crystal, housed within a captured US-Canadian D.E.W. station, to transform the entire northern hemisphere into an icy wasteland. His actions with the Bogatyri were noticed by the USA's Commission on Superhuman Activities, who deployed the USAgent to investigate. When the Bogatyri ran afoul of a backpacking Wolverine, Doctor Volkh arranged for Wolverine's interrogation until the USAgent arrived on the scene with his Avengers teammates. During the ensuing battle, the Scarlet Witch altered the Quick-Freeze Crystal to radiate heat instead of cold, causing the D.E.W. station to explode and forcing Doctor Volkh to retreat.
Doctor Volkh had the ability to stretch his body to
almost any shape and length.
Dr. Volkh was modeled after Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four (see Clarifications).
-Avengers West Coast I#87 (#87 (fb), #87-88,
Comrade Miasnikov was an agent working for the Bogatyri. He assisted in setting up the Quick-Freeze Crystal when the Bogatyri invaded the D.E.W. station and remained their ally throughout the battle against the Avengers and Wolverine.
-Avengers West Coast I#87 (#88,
The Quick-Freeze Crystal was a weapon designed by the US and Canada at a jointly manned D.E.W. station. Doctor Volkh first learned of the prototype designed from his earlier formulas in secret at the station and invaded it to acquire the Crystal. He ordered Comrade Miasnikov to aid in finishing the project and, once it was set up, it was placed in a globe to prevent the spread of its radiating cold. When Doctor Volkh fully activated the Quick-Freeze Crystal, it generated intense cold and ice sufficient enough to freeze the entire station within minutes. When USAgent arrived to rescue the frozen Scarlet Witch and Wonder Man, he smashed some of the ice and it melted once separated from the Crystal itself. Deducing that the original Crystal must be destroyed in order to stop the spread of more ice, Wonder Man and Scarlet Witch broke through the ice and found the Quick-Freeze Crystal. Scarlet Witch then attempted to use her hex powers to destroy it but instead, the hex caused the Crystal to radiate heat instead of cold, which melted the ice and caused explosions within the station that eventually destroyed it, presumably destroying itself in the process.
The Quick-Freeze Crystal typically and uncontrollably radiates ice
and cold from its center, able to freeze an entire building within
minutes and potentially an entire planetary hemisphere given enough
time.
- Avengers West Coast I#88
Years ago, Sasha Pokryshkin was bathed in radiation
from a contained nuclear power plant accident and damaged his lungs and
limbs. Although he suffered great physical damage, Sasha was also
granted superhuman strength. He soon named himself "Svyatogor" after
the mightiest of Slavic heroes and was known to be hot-tempered and
spooked by scary movies. Nonetheless, Svyatogor joined Doctor Volkh's
Bogatyri group in an effort to spark a new "Cold War" by transforming
the entire northern hemisphere into an icy wasteland. After the
Bogatyri captured a US-Canadian D.E.W. station and Volkh began his work
with the Quick-Freeze Crystal, Svyatogor aided in downing the
backpacking mutant Wolverine and when the Bogatyri later captured some
of the investigating Avengers as well, Svyatogor was provoked into a
rampage by the teasing of his teammate Golubev, who joked about
Svyatogor's fear of scary movies. Svyatogor ultimately escaped with the
rest of the Bogatyri when the Avengers altered the Quick-Freeze Crystal
to radiate heat instead of cold, causing explosions that destroyed the
D.E.W. station.
Svyatogor had superhuman strength and a gun attached
to his cybernetic arm.
Svyatogor was the Russian version of the Fantastic Four's Thing (see Clarifications).
-Avengers West Coast I#87 (#87 (fb), #87-88,
images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z
TPB Vol. 2, Bogatyri entry, main image (Bogatyri main image)
Avengers West Coast I#88, p1, splash page (Bogatyri vs. Wolverine)
Avengers West Coast I#87, p19, pan1 (Golubev)
Avengers West Coast I#88, p25, pan3 (Doctor Volkh)
Avengers West Coast I#87, p3, pan4 (Comrade Miasnikov)
Avengers West Coast I#88, p6, pan9 (Quick-Freeze Crystal)
Avengers West Coast I#87, p10, pan1 (Svyatogor)
Appearances:
Avengers West Coast I#87 (October, 1992) - Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas
(writers), David Ross (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel Yomtov (editor)
Avengers West Coast I#88 (November, 1992) - Roy
Thomas, Dann Thomas (writers), David Ross (pencils), Tim Dzon (inks),
Nel Yomtov (editor)
Avengers West Coast I#94 (May, 1993) - Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas
(writers), David Ross (co-plotter, pencils), Tim Dzon (inks), Nel
Yomtov (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z I#2 (2006) - Jeff
Christiansen (head writer, coordinator), Sean McQuaid, Eric J. Moreels,
Michael Hoskin, Ronald Byrd, Mark O'English, Barry Reese, Mike Fichera,
Stuart Vandal, Madison Carter, Chris Biggs (writers), David Ross (Bogatyri entry art), Pond Scum, Jerron
Quality Color (art reconstruction), Jeff Youngquist, Jennifer Grunwald
(editors)
First Posted: 04/12/2004
Last updated: 03/30/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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