Real Name: Skrang
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (unidentified race) advanced technology-user
Occupation: At least would-be world conqueror
Group Membership: Planet-Taker Corps
Affiliations: The Chief of the Planet-Taker Corps
Enemies: Fox-People, humanity (notably Miss Hotchkiss)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unidentified planet, unidentified star system, unidentified galaxy
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense I#54/3 (June, 1964)
Powers/Abilities:
A member of an unidentified reptilian biped race, Skrang was slightly
larger than human. He may or may not have had some degree of superhuman
strength and/or durability, and and/he may or may not have been
poikilothermic ("cold-blooded," with a body temperature/metabolism
controlled by the ambient environment).
He traveled at least interstellar distances via a starship,
and he had access to numerous forms of advanced technology, including a
remote-controlled drone able to liquefy metal; another such drone that
can levitate large guided missile as well as to generate a force field;
a device that used harnessed star energy as a scalpel to dissect such a
missile and/or to destroy the missile utterly; a device able to project
nets of electromagnetic power to capture multiple aircraft; devices
able to project cosmic sleeping vapor; and a device that emitted
ultra-meson rays able to disintegrate multiple skyscrapers.
He and most of his people lived in fear of the Fox-People.
History:
(Tales of Suspense I#54/3 (fb) - BTS) - As a
child, Skrang played with toys that included guided missiles (or had
instrumentation similar to a guided missile).
(Tales of Suspense I#54/3 (fb) - BTS) - Skrang was a member of the Planet-Taker Corps, apparently composed of some portion of his unidentified reptilian race. Despite plans of interplanetary conquest and incredibly powerful weaponry, they lived in fear of their rivals, the Fox-People, who shared their planet. Skrang's people were never able to defeat the Fox-People whom they considered vastly more powerful than they were.
Skrang's chief presumably assigned Skrang to conquer Earth (or perhaps just to find a planet to conquer).
(Tales of Suspense I#54/3) -
Approaching Earth in his starship, which shielded him from radar
detection, Skrang landed in a secluded wooded area a short distance
from some "old age home" (see comments).
Seeking to test the local weaponry, he used his ship's spectro-scanner
to locate a powerful submarine and then sent a drone that traveled
overnight and then emitted a ray that liquefied the submarine; as they
were at port, the crew escaped safely.
Skrang next located a guided missile at a military installation, and he sent another drone that levitated the missile high into the air. When the military present fired on the drone, it used a force field to deflect their bullets and then bring the missile back to Skrang. Using a device utilizing harnessed star energy as a scalpel, he disassembled the missile, examined its internal structure, considered it to be rudimentary, like the toys with which he had played in childhood. Considering the missile no threat and having no further need for it, Skrang then used the device to destroy it utterly.
Skrang then considered that he
could overcome anything with which the humans defended themselves. If
they sent aircraft, he would trap their ships in nets of
electromagnetic power; if they used ground forces, he would
incapacitate them with cosmic sleeping vapor; and he would punish them
for their resistance by using ultra-meson rays to disintegrate their
skyscrapers.
As he ranted about how every
nation and race on Earth would surrender to him and that he would be
master of the entire planet, Miss Hotchkiss, a resident of the nearby
old age home, took a walk into the woods and approached his starship.
Seeing the fox fur collar -- which included a fox head -- around her
neck, Skrang erroneously concluded that even this seemingly frail woman
was more powerful than the Fox-People. He then rushed back into his
ship and took off, vowing that he would never again dare to enter this
accursed solar system.
Back on his home planet, Scragged
reported his findings to the chief of the Planet-Taker Corps, who
apparently agreed with his assessment...
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Dick Ayers
This
story fit the pattern of the various stories that we generally consider
as having occurred at the time of publication rather than the fixing
them to the sliding timescale, although it was well after the super
hero stories (in this case Iron Man) took over the main focus of the
comics, and so it is possible that it took place at the same time as
the Iron Man vs. the Mandarin story in that same issue. I prefer the
former, as the lack of super hero involvement fits with the much
smaller number of super humans around that time.
I would like to think that Skrang's race eventually figured out their mistake and sent back either Skrang or other representatives but they ran afoul of the "Man on the Wall," who would have been Nick Fury at that point...and maybe members of the First Line...
Skrang's planet is described as "far distant" from Earth, but that's obviously a relative term, as any other star system is far distant from Earth's.
The "old age home" is presumably some sort of retirement and/or assisted living community, but it was open enough to allow an elderly woman to wander the forest without any supervision/companion.
The nation, state, city, etc. were
not identified in the story, but the story seems most likely to have
taken place somewhere in the USA.The military figures shown were in US
uniforms.
In the infinite Multiverse, every reality exists, and there exist realities matching dreams, ambitions, plans, etc. And so, there is a world where Skrang's conquest took place as he planned it: Reality-64358
I
will do a profile on Skrang's race (and then the Fox People) in the
next week or so, and I'll include the rest of his weaponry in that
profile, although you can see some of it in the Reality-64358
sub-profile below.
Main image and a few others refurbed by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Skrang should be distinguished from:
  Skrang traveled in a a
starship with presumably some sort of faster-than-light or warp drive
capacity to enable practical travel between star systems. The ship used some sort of vertical take off and landing system, and it was composed of "sub-anti-matter particles" that caused radar waves to pass though it without detecting it, allowing him to approach a world unnoticed. The ship contained a spectro-scanner, which enabled him to locate and view distant military installations/crafts, including a submarine many hundred miles away. Skrang flew the ship to Earth and then flew it back to his home planet after concluding that humanity was too powerful to conquer --Tales of Suspense I#54 Note: I'm not sure what "sub-anti-matter particles" are supposed to be, but obviously they did not annihilate matter...they just functioned as some form of cloaking / anti-radar technology |
Interior/Spectro-Scanner
 |
  Living
in a secluded "old age home" (see comments), Miss Hotchkiss enjoyed
sitting on the rickety porch with a male friend. The peaceful night sky
gave her a feeling of calm security.The next day, she decided to take a walk before lunch, figuring to get a bit of air before lunch to increase her appetite. Encountering the spacecraft of the extraterrestrial Skrang, she initially figured it was built by teenagers from town: "Boys love to make such outlandish contraptions!" Spotting her fox fur collar/scarf, Skrang erroneously concluded that she had slain a creature akin to the powerful Fox-People on his world, and he rushed into his starship and departed Earth, abandoning his plans of conquest.. Startled when the alien creature rushed past her, Miss Hotchkiss thereafter considered that it must have been her imagination, but then she concluded that she needed new glasses. --Tales of Suspense I#54 Note: Her gentleman friend if unidentified, so I just included his picture in this profile. |  |
|
Skrang proceeded with his plans to conquer Earth via his advanced technology. He trapped the aircraft sent against him in nets of electromagnetic power. He incapacitated ground forces with devices spraying them with cosmic sleeping vapor. |  |
 |
|
Skrang punished humanity
for their resistance by using ultra-meson rays to disintegrate their
skyscrapers. Eventually, every nation and race on Earth surrendered to him and that he was master of the entire planet, --Tales of Suspense I#54In the infinite Multiverse, every reality exists, and there exist realities matching dreams, ambitions, plans, etc. And so, there is a world where Skrang's conquest took place as he planned it: Maybe in this world, Miss Hotchkiss took a different path or didn't go on a walk, maybe she was sick...or maybe Skrang realized that it was just a tiny fox fur collar (from a fox slain and made into a fur collar/scarf by someone else) and did not have anything to do with the Fox-People. |
 |
 |
Appearances:
Tales of Suspense I#54/3 (June, 1964) "Skrang Strikes Tonight!"- Stan Lee (plot/editor), Larry Lieber (script/pencils), Dick Ayers (inker)
First posted: 08/06/2023
Last updated: 08/13/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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