Enemies: Code: Blue, Code: Gray, Daredevil, Thor

Known Relatives: Kenneth Krask. Kevin Krask (sons)

Aliases: Called the "Mind-Slave" on a cover and one interior caption.

Base of Operations: Formerly his mansion;
Then inside the Ultra-Oscilloscope;
Now resides on a Compact Disc

First Appearance: Thor I#172 (January, 1970)

Powers: In his first appearance, Kronin Krask had no powers at all, unless you count his extreme wealth. After his rebirth, he could control all nearby electrical systems. He did this because he had an awareness of what "all the electrons nearby" were doing, and could direct them into large shock bursts and other electrical effects. When he manifests a body now, he possesses a large amount of electrically charged strength. He also can freely enter cyberspace and has some power to manipulate its structure.

Weaknesses: Kronin Krask is an egomaniac who thinks the world owes him an immortal life. He is obsessed with living forever, to the point of undergoing dangerous experiments to prolong his life. In his energy form, he is vulnerable to running out of nearby electricity to power his thoughts, and also to overloads of data while in cyberspace.

Physical Description: Kronin Krask was an extremely large individual with orange hair and a long moustache. He also had terrible taste in clothing. These days, he manifests himself as a giant floating head of purple electricity, or as an even larger (10 foot tall) purple energy version of his former body. He always keeps the moustache, regardless of how he appears.

History: Kronin Krask was a billionaire. He began a very successful law firm and was a decorated if ruthless lawyer, but most of his riches were made on Wall Street. He married an unknown woman, presumably dead or divorced by the time we meet him, and had two sons. In his late 40s, he discovered that he was dying of an incurable illness. I don't know how sane he was before, but this definitely sent him off the deep end.

(Thor I#172) - Krask hired a private army to guard his estate, equipping them with the latest high-tech Kirby-esque goodies. He kidnapped Jane Foster (didn't everybody?) to force her employer, Dr. Jim North to perform "certain forbidden experiments". Jim North contacted Dr. Don Blake, and told him to get ahold of Thor. Meanwhile (seriously), Odin had a menacing vision of Kronin Krask killing Thor (Yeah, big fat guys are the Thunder God's secret weakness, I guess).

Dr. Jim North went to the estate of Kronin Krask, who ordered him to perform a mind-transplant. Dr. North protested that it was "impossible, except for Dr. Wagnastein". Jim North had once been apprenticed to Dr. Wagnastein, whom Kronin Krask had already captured and made him reveal the secrets of his mind-transplant process.

Thor arrived at Kronin Krask's estate, and after dealing with Krask's private army and their "heavy cannon", a strange device arose out of the ground that overcame Thor with a hallucegenic mist.

As Dr. North prepared for the operation, he wondered who Krask had convinced to switch bodies with him, since he would receive Krask's old body. He found Krask strapped down and a mysterious figure under a sheet. Krask kept saying things like "If I die - the girl dies. But if I survive, I will live like a god! I will live forever!" Dr. North removed the second sheet to find it was (surprise!) Thor lying there. Krask explained that he counted on the fact that Dr. North would know Jane Foster was once friendly with Thor, and contact him for help. Dr. North refused, but they threatened to kill Jane, and he agreed to proceed with the mind-transplant.

Dr. North placed a small metal plate on Thor's head and Krask's head, hooking them up to a strange looking machine called the "Ultra-Oscilloscope". He activated the machine, and "brain-waves of Thor and Krask begin to collide". Above the machine appeared an energy image of Thor and Krask fighting, their egos clashed and then began to merge. Thor's ego won out, Krask jumped out of the machine, and then fell dead to the floor. Thor was fine. He said he was awake the whole time, but didn't do anything because he thought it was "a challenge no warrior could ignore! Did the vainglorious villain think to triumph over an immortal?" He assured Dr. North and Jane they were blameless in this, and flew off.

BTS - The government confiscated much of Krask's estate, including the Ultra-Oscilloscope. Whatever money was left went to his sons as an inheritance.

(Marvel Double Feature...Thunderstrike/Code Blue#15) - The warehouse the Ultra-Oscilloscope was stored in had its funding cut, and the device was not properly maintained, thus allowing Krask to at last escape from it.

(Marvel Double Feature...Thunderstrike/Code Blue#16/2) - Kevin and Kenneth Krask were suing the city for $50 million on the grounds that Code: Blue was an "insufficient response" to the recent Dr. Doom Robot rampage and the Thermal Man's attack, and that the Avengers or other super-heroes should have been called in to minimize damage. Foggy Nelson came to the offices of Krask and Krask with Lt. Stone (field leader of Code: Blue) for a deposition. Foggy represented the city's insurance company Delmar, and argued their evidence, but to avoid a trial he agreed to a settlement of $12 million, which the Krask brothers rejected. They proceeded with the deposition of Lt. Stone. Daredevil was following Foggy Nelson around to watch over him, and sensed an "emanation of evil" and entered the building.