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EMPIRE-7

Real Name: Tranh (full name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-93060/Ultraverse) human mutate (citizen of Vietnam)

Occupation: Mercenary

Group Membership: None;
   formerly the USSR's Empire program

Affiliations: Stanley Leland, Prototype (Jimmy Ruiz), the Strangers (Atom Bob, ElectroCute, Grenade, Lady Killer, Spectral, Yrial, Zip-Zap), Supra (all Earth-93060)

Enemies: "space station aliens" (all Earth-93060)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile internationally;
   formerly Vietnam (all Earth-93060)

First Appearance: Prototype#5 (December, 1993)

Powers/Abilities: The full extent of Empire-7's powers are unrevealed; he appears to have cyborg implants (notably in both wrists, although these may be part of the space uniform) in addition to artificially induced powers. He is a skilled pilot with partial access to military intelligence on developing superhumans. He has athlete-level speed, durability and stamina, complemented with powerful muscles and trained fighting skills. He is has multilingual skills (Vietnamese and English, and very likely Russian).

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 160 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History:

(The Strangers#7 (fb) - BTS) - Tranh was one ten people selected by the Soviet Union as part of its Empire program to undergo experiments to become ultras (superhumans), but his powers didn't taken well. He was waiting for a real codename (like his colleague Supra (Empire-1)) when the Soviet Union fell apart; he chose to keep his designation Empire-7 as his codename. He kept up to date with developments in the USA's ultra community, including the ultra team the Strangers and the armored Prototype. He and Supra eventually became free agents.

(Prototype#5 (fb) - BTS) - In an effort to regain the space shuttle stolen by the Strangers to travel to the Moon (but secretly programmed to go to a Russian space station instead), J.D. Hunt ordered Stanley Leland ordered a pursuit mission using an old Russian shuttle with Supra as pilot and Empire-7 as co-pilot with Prototype (Jimmy Ruiz) onboard as extra muscle.

(Prototype#5) - At the already-prepped shuttle, Prototype was introduced to Empire-7 and Supra, and quickly launched into the atmosphere. Having only just enough fuel to reach the space station, the old Russian shuttle crashed into the Russian space station. Despite ethnic tension incited by Ruiz, they soon found the Strangers under attack from malevolent tentacled aliens.

(The Strangers#7) - Barely escaping from the dangerous aliens, the Strangers and Prototype's team confronted each other. An unintentional hull breach forced Spectral to extend a protective sheath and a truce established while Atom Bob sealed the breach. Determined to end the menace of the aliens, the heroes split into three teams; Empire-7 ran with ElectroCute and Grenade. Distracted explaining his past, Empire-7 was suddenly attacked by a stealthy alien, its acidic touch quickly burning away part of his body. Grenade and ElectroCute blasted the alien apart, but it was too late to save Empire-7, who died. The Strangers and Prototype later escaped while Supra stayed on the space station and obliterated it to eliminate the alien threat.

Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, Tom Mason, Len Strazewski, Roger Robinson, Jeff Whiting.

A potentially interesting character, cut way too short before we could find out anything further (not even a clear full body image). There was opportunity to expand on the Empire ultra program, combining agents from various former Communist bloc/allied countries as a more ethnically and internationally diverse form of (Marvel's) Earth-616's Soviet Super Soldiers. Perhaps there were loose plans, but ultimately shelved for the Black September event.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Empire-7 has no known connections to:

"Space Station Aliens"

The space station aliens were from an unrevealed star system. Several in number, they had taken over the old Russian satellite in Earth orbit and killed the crew. The predatory extraterrestrials' excreted acid from tentacles that quickly burned away organic matter (possibly feeding by absorbing the organic matter). Their upper body branching about four tentacles, and with silent and patient stealth tactics, moving on a thick slug-like lower body, they viciously snared their victims. Highly resilient, they quickly rejected trying to absorb inorganic material (such as Prototype's armored suit). The aliens can quickly recombine their forms when severed, although being blasted into tiny fragments could kill/stun them. Despite their alien appearance, they each had a humanoid head with two red eyes and fanged mouth. They could speak English by absorbing human intelligence and savored human flesh.

   The extraterrestrials came aboard the Russian space station through unrevealed means and destroyed the crew. Russia, now a poorer nation with the recent dissolution of the Soviet Union, left the space station derelict, but key individuals knew of the threat the aliens posed. When wealthy American industrialist J.D. Hunt desperately sought a shuttle to pursue one that had been stolen from him, he bought an old Russian shuttle that came with two superhumans (ultras) codenamed Supra and Empire-7 from the Soviet Union's Empire program who would act as pilots. At least one ultra, Supra, was ordered to sacrifice herself to obliterate the space station and eliminate the alien threat. Empire-7 and Supra joined American heroes Prototype and the Strangers team on the space station to fight the aliens, but Empire-7 was attacked by one stealthy alien and died. The Americans escaped soon after on their stolen shuttle and Supra detonated a device that obliterated the space station and destroyed the aliens.

 

 

--Prototype#5 (The Strangers#7

images: (without ads)
The Strangers#7, p14, pan1 (main image)
Prototype#5, p19, pan1 (upper body image)
The Strangers#7, p16, pan4 (alien, full body)
The Strangers#7, p16, pan5 (alien, headshot

Appearances:
Prototype#5 (December, 1995) - Steve Englehart, Tom Mason, Len Strazewski (writers), Roger Robinson (pencils), Jeff Whiting (inks), Roland Mann (editor)
The Strangers#7 (December, 1993) - Steve Englehart, Tom Mason, Len Strazewski (writers), Rick Hoberg (pencils), Tim Eldred (inks), Roland Mann (editor)

First posted: 05/25/2023
Last updated: 05/25/2023

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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