PERUN
Real Name: Perun
Identity/Class: Russian God
Occupation: God of Storm and Thunder
Group Membership: Gods of Russia (Dievas), People's Protectorate (Airstrike/Dmitri Bukharin, Fantasma, Powersurge, Starlight, Steel Guardian/Josef Petkus (formerly Red Guardian), Vanguard/Nikolai Krylenko, Vostok);
formerly Supreme
Soviets (Crimson Dynamo/Dmitri Bukharin, Fantasma, Red Guardian/Josef Petkus, Vostok)
Affiliations: Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna), Russia, Ursa Major
Enemies: Dire Wraiths, Peace Corpse/Combine, Unicorn, Starblasters; formerly Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna), Ursa Major
Known Relatives: Svarog (father), Lada (mother), Potrimpo, Pikuolis (uncles), Kupala (aunt), Kalvis, Tiermes, Stribog, Svarozvich (brothers), Milda, Ursula (sisters), Diva, Zhiva, Laima, Marzana (half-sisters), Saule, Ros (wives), Meness (brother-in-law), Dazhbog (son), Austrine, Breksta, Indraja, Selijna, Zleja, Vaiva, Junda, Mati (daughters), Ajyst (niece), Krumine, Rasyte, Bangputys (cousins), Praamzius (grandfather), Sweigsdunka (grandmother), Rod (great-grandfather), Gaea (grandmother, alias Erce)
Aliases: "Lord of the Storm", Pyarun, Piorun, Perkons, Perkunas, Perkele, Thor (illusion)
Base of Operations: Svarga (Russian Heaven) also Soviet Supreme HQ in Moscow, U.S.S.R.
First Appearance: Captain America I#352 (April, 1989)
Powers/Abilities:
Perun possesses greater than normal powers than any other Russian god except perhaps Svaros, Potrimpo or Pikuolis. He has superhuman strength (Class 100), endurance, stamina and vitality. He can command and channel lightning on the level of Thor and direct it through his weapons. A large bearded indivdual, he likes a red cape and a bare chest. He likes the freaky animal helmets, too. He carries either a hammer or an axe.
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 660 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History: (Russian Myth) Perun is the son of Svaros (Dievs) and Lada(Leila) and brother of Kalvis, Stribog, Svarozvich, Tiermes(Svantovit), Ursula and Milda. Perun and his brother Tiermes, the war-god, learned how to influence and dominate their siblings into gaining the favors of their father, but not before turning on each other. As a result, they seem to have more powers individually than the rest of their siblings together.
Perun mostly served as his father's liaison on Earth such as when he prevented the goddess Jurate (Amberella) from marrying a mortal when she was promised to Potrimpo. Perun, however, seduced Ros, the river-goddess (and namesake of Russia) while married to Saule. Ros gave birth to a son Dazhbog (Chors), the lightning god, who soon overwhelmed Perun as his father had overwhelmed Svaros.
(Soviet Super Soldiers#1 (fb) - BTS) - The worship of the Russian gods, however, ended in 980 AD when Vladimir the Great became indoctrinated into the Christian Church. Hundreds of oak statues sacred to Perun were dumped into the Dneiper River as Christianity drove the Russian gods into another dimension.
In recent years, Valeri Sovloyev, an agent of the Soviet Government, discovered an ancient amulet presumably left behind by the gods that allowed him to channel Perun through his body on to Earth. Controlled by this link, Perun was enlisted in working for the Soviet Government as their version of Thor in the Supreme Soviets.
(Captain America I#352-353) - Under the illusions of Fantasia, a Russian sorceress, Perun impersonated Thor in a mission to prevent the defection of Darkstar, Vanguard and Ursa Major to America. When Captain America came to Russia to investigate Soviet connections to the attack, he encountered a creature created out of the dreams of the comatose three heroes. Absorbed by the beast, Perun and his teammates were rescued by Captain America appealing to the astral forms of the slain heroes.
(Avengers I#319-324) - Now called the People's Protectorate, Perun and his teammates join up with the Avengers and Alpha Flight to recapture a sub stolen by terrorists. They clashed with a group of Atlanteans wanting the sub for its weapons and managed to prevent an international incident.
(Incredible Hulk II#393) - Perun encountered and fought the Hulk in an effort to recover Igor Drenkov.
(Soviet Super Soldiers#1) - The People's Protectorate encountered the super human villain Unicorn. Perun's axe was destroyed in battle and he inherited Vanguard's hammer and sickle.
(Quasar#54, Starblast#2, Quas55, StarB#3, Quas56, SB#4, Quas57) - Perun was alongside a group of heroes from Earth who battled the Starblasters, which involved the struggle for the Starbrand.
(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2 (fb) ) - After Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna)'s death Perun joined the Protectorate alongside Fantasma, Starlight, Vostok, Steel Guardian, Powersurge and Vanguard. They sought the help of Immortus, who Vanguard asked to manipulate the timestream to return Darkstar to them. Immortus in return demanded from them to fight a war against the Dire Wraiths, who were threatening Immortus' Limbo kingdom. Perun's fate is unknown, but he didn't return to Earth alongside Vanguard, Powersurge and Starlight.
Comments: Adapted by Mark Gruenwald and Kieron Dwyer.
In Baltic myth, Perun was originally a sky god similar to Zeus, but the invading vikings who founded Russia converted him into a thunder-god similar to their own Thor.
In Thor I#301, Gaea admitted to being the Mother Earth of the Norse (Jord), Germanic (Nertha), Mexican (Coatilque), Hindu (Aditi), Oceanic (Rangi) and Chinese (Hou-Tu). Presumably, she was also Erce of the Russians.
In the beginning, Perun's hair and beard was black. It has now become brown. In the myths, it's gold (blonde). Also, according to myth, his weapons were always a hammer and sickle (the symbols of Russia), never an axe.
As yet, Perun and Thor have not encountered each other, although it is probable that Thor visited Svarga (Russian heaven) when he needed life energies to revive the Asgardians after their ordeal with the Celestials (Thor I#301).
Marvel Comics Presents I#21 (BTS) is listed under Perun's appearances in the Marvel Chronology Project, I believe. I have the Soviet Super-Soldiers as being mentioned, not the Supreme Soviets or the People's Protectorate. It is possible that whoever in the story mentioned them used the wrong name. Anyway, one of the Russian groups was on hand to help fight off an extra-terrestrial invasion by Intergalactic Warlords. This occurs in the Paladin story.
Darkstar and the Winter Guard update and new main image by Markus Raymond.
Perun received an entry in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#2.
Profile by: William Uchtman
Clarifications: None
images: (without ads)
Quasar#54, p6, pan2 (main image)
Captain America I#353, p16, pan2 (1st costume)
Incredible Hulk II#393, p14, pan1 (Perun and Fantasma)
Soviet Super Soldiers#1, p59, pan6 (Perun and Red Guardian)
Appearances:
Captain America I#352-353 (April-May, 1989) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Kieron Dwyer (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Avengers I#319 (July, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rik Levins (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#320 (August, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#321 (August, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rik Levins (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#322 (September, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#323 (September, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Rik Levins (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Avengers I#324 (October, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Paul Ryan (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Howard Mackie (editor)
Soviet Super Soldiers#1 (November, 1992) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Angel Medina & Javier Saltares (pencils), Jeff Albrecht (inks), Terry Kavanagh (editor)
Incredible Hulk II#393 (May, 1992) - Peter David (writer), Dale Keown, Herb Trimpe & Charles Barnett (pencils), Mark Farmer & Herb Trimpe (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Quasar#54 (January, 1994) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), John Heebink (pencils), David & Dan Day (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Starblast#2-4 (February-April, 1994) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencils), Ralph Cabrera (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Starblast#3 (March, 1994) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Grant Miehm (pencils), Many Hands (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Starblast#4 (April, 1994) - Mark Gruenwald (writer), Brian Kong, Nate Palant & Rich Buckler (pencils), Don Hudson & Ernie Chan (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Quasar#55-56 (February-March, 1994) - Mark Gruenwald & Peter Sanderson (writer), John Heebink (pencils), Aaron McClellan (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Quasar#57 (April, 1994) - Mark Gruenwald & Peter Sanderson (writer), John Heebink (pencils), Aaron McClellan (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2 (September, 2010) - David Gallaher (writer), Steve Ellis (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Jordan D. White (editor)
First Posted: 03/21/2002
Last updated: 11/13/2016
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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