ASTRA
Real Name: Astra
Identity/Class: Extra-dimensional (Polemachus) humanoid
Occupation: Noble of Polemachus
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Arkon, The Avengers, Thundra
Enemies: Anskar
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: The extra-dimensional world of Polemachus
First Appearance: Avengers I#358 (January, 1993)
Powers/Abilities: None
History:
(Avengers I#358 (fb)) - The world of Polemachus faced an unprecedented danger
when the energy rings that gave the world life began to flare out of
control. In desperation, the masses, led by a priest named Anskar, turned to the
ancient ways of Polemachus for an answer, and decided to appease the gods
through a human sacrifice. All of the daughters of the noble families were
gathered, and Astra was chosen to be sacrificed to the gods. Astra believed in
her duty and believed in the gods, and was willing to be sacrificed. However,
Thundra and Arkon, the rulers of Polemachus saw the act of human sacrifices as
incredibly immoral. The night before the sacrifice was to be carried out,
Thundra and Arkon stormed the holy prison where Astra was being kept, convinced
her that her self sacrifice would not save their world, took her, and fled
to Earth.
(Avengers I#358) - Once on Earth, Arkon, Thundra, and Astra were confronted by the police as well as the people of New York, and Arkon attempted to scare them off by destroying some property around them. However, the Avengers showed up and before too long, Arkon, Thundra, and Astra explained that they had come to Earth to avoid the human sacrifice of Astra. But just as they finished telling their story, Astra, along with Arkon, Thundra, and the Avengers, were teleported back to Polemachus by Anskar, the priest who wanted Astra's death. Anskar tried to persuade Arkon into killing Astra, telling him it was the only way to quiet the wrath of the gods and the cries of the people. Astra was once again willing to give up her life if Arkon willed it, but the Vision managed to convince Anskar and Arkon to give them twenty-four hours to try and fix the problems with the energy rings.
(Avengers I#359) - Astra was present as the Avengers formulated their plan to leech some of the excess power off of the energy rings, but with only twelve hours left, Astra began to feel very nervous and anxious. Eventually, the Avengers were successful in their ploy and returned to Polemachus after restoring it. Astra ran up and hugged Arkon in joy, only to be stabbed in the back and killed by Anskar, whom insisted that the Avengers only succeeded with help from the gods, who still needed their gift.
Comments: Created by Bob Harras, Steve Epting, and Tom Palmer
Clarifications: Astra should not be confused with
images: Avengers I#359 Page 8 Panel 4
Avengers I#358 Page 4 Panel 4
Appearances:
Avengers I#358-359 (January-February, 1993) - Bob Harras (writer),
Steve Epting (pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
First Posted: 09/27/2004
Last updated: 09/18/2013
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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