VIRAKO

Real Name: Virako

Identity/Class: Eternal

Occupation: Missionary, warrior

Group Membership: Polar Eternals

Affiliations: Thor

Enemies: Dromedan, the World-Devouring Worm, Tutinax

Known Relatives: Valkin (brother), Druig (nephew, deceased), Tulayn (wife, deceased), Ikaris (son)

Aliases: Kukulcan/Quetzalcoatl, Viracocha (mistaken for these gods)

Base of Operations: Olympia; formerly, Polaria, the Ural Mountains

First Appearance: Thor Annual#7 (1978)

Powers: Virako possesses the conventional abilities of an Eternal; he can manipulate all forms of matter and energy, including the atoms of his own body; he can teleport; manipulate gravitons in order to fly; control the minds of others,; and project energy from his body, usually from the hands or eyes.

History: (Thor Annual#7 (fb))- One thousand years ago, Virako, with his fellow Polar Eternals Valkin, Druig and Ajak, journeyed to primitive human cultures to aid them in their development, and become known to them as gods. On one such mission, they met the Asgardian Thor, and became fast friends. However, Druig set free the Deviant Dromedan, who sent his allies Tutinax, Thunder and the World-Devouring Worm against them. With the worm threatening to engulf the planet, Virako absorbed the energies of his aircraft, and flew down its throat, destroying it and himself at the same time. Valkin then adopted Virako's son Ikaris.

(New Eternals#1)- Due to the machinations of Apocalypse, Virako was restored to life in Olympia by Phastos. Virako was at first pleased to learn that Ikaris was now Prime Eternal, but disaproved of his compassion for humans and Deviants.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas and Walter Simonson.

Virako was created mainly to help explain why Ikaris was called Valkin's nephew in Eternals#11, and son in Eternals#17. Personally, I'd have said it was best left as a no-prize, but what the heck...

I've ranted about New Eternals#1 online about 4 times now...but the material regarding Virako deserves special notice. First, Virako didn't have a beard when he died. Second, as a Polar Eternal, if he did have a beard, it would probably not be of a Grecian style. Second, his hair was red, not light brown. Third, before he had been concerned for the welfare of humans-- now he doesn't care about them at all. Couple in a statement by Virako in which he assures Ikaris he won't take the mantle of Prime Eternal from him (why should he? he was never Prime Eternal before!) and one gets the suspicion that either the creators never read Thor Annual#7, or they thought Ikaris' father was Zuras.

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by Prime Eternal

Clarifications: Virako should not be confused with:

• Quetzacoatl/Kukulcan, the authentic Mayan god, @ X-Men I#25
• Viracocha, the authentic Incan sky god, @ Thor I#300
• Viracocha, Victor Conrad, of the Bermuda Triangle time warp, @ Skull the Slayer#7
• Virago, the She-Devil of Zephyrland, @ Sub-Mariner I#64
• Virago of Earth-Bishop, one of the Exhumed, @ Xavier Security Enforcers#1
• Vira, the Deviant, Queen of Tode, @ Eternals I#1