Dr. KURARKILL

Real Name: Unrevealed, possibly Dr. Kurarkill

Identity/Class: Human technology user

Occupation: Scientist, hotel owner/manager

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Neo-Apes, Quasar

Enemies: Iron Man (Tony Stark), Neo-Apes, Zero, Keith and Carrie

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Murder Mountain Lodge, somewhere in western Pennsylvania

First Appearance: Iron Man I#79 (October, 1975)

Powers/Abilities: Dr. Kurarkill had extensive knowledge in genetics, and possibly other scientific fields.

She owned a hotel, with a complete laboratory in the basement; her lab was stocked with various electrical equipment, including a stasis field--it is unrevealed whether she designed and/or constructed her own equipment, or had someone else do it for her (see comments).

She had minimal physical skills, but she controlled Quasar, and could also use the Neo-Apes against others.

Height: Unrevealed (5'6"; by approximation)
Weight:  Unrevealed (120 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Brown

History:
(Iron Man I#79 (fb)) - Dr. Kurarkill claimed to have been a genius in genetics, but she was forced into independent research when the scientific establishment laughed at her radical theories.

   Working out of her basement laboratory in Murder Mountain Lodge, Kurakill designed a device that could convert a human being into an ape; she used the rare customer to the hotel for her experiments, and kept the Neo-Apes in confinement. Using the "Laws of Psychic Energy Conservation," she utilized the energy taken from the formerly-human subjects to transform an ape into an intelligent man: Quasar; the ape-made-man's strength and intelligence increased after he was fed more psychic energy drained from other people.

   When one of her assistants voiced her concerns about Kurakill's fiendishly inhumane experiments, Kurakill had Quasar restrain the assistant so that she, too, was drained of her psychic energy and transformed into a neo-animal (see comments).

(Iron Man I#79) - During a severe storm, Tony Stark picked up Carrie, Keith, and their new cat Zero, after he had rescued them earlier as Iron Man. When the storm proved to be too much for safe travel, the three checked in at Murder Mountain Lodge. Later that night, Carrie and Keith were captured, but Stark became Iron Man and investigated, only to be beaten into submission by Quasar.

   Keith, Carrie, and Iron Man were restrained in Kurarkill's electrical stasis field while she revealed her origins and her intent to make the three of them her test subjects as well. However, Zero wandered close to Quasar's pant leg, rubbed off some static electricity, and used it to disrupt the delicate electrical stasis field, freeing the three prisoners.

   Quasar again attacked Iron Man, but he was prepared for Quasar's strength this time, and used his skill and experience to defeat his oversized foe. Using his repulsor rays, Iron Man began to destroy Kurarkill's lab equipment, to prevent further experimentation. Meanwhile, Zero chewed the insulation off of some of the wires in the lab; when Kurarkill pulled a lever to unleash her Neo-Apes against her former prisoners, the short-circuit created by Zero caused the door from the Neo-Apes' pen to open into Kurakill's control room instead, and the creatures savagely attacked and apparently killed Kurakill.

   Iron Man subdued the Neo-Apes, and promised to put the full resources of Stark International behind their care, as well as the moral education of Quasar.

   Keith and Carrie were amazed at how their cat had helped them, little guessing that Zero had reason to oppose Kurarkill... (see comments)

Comments: Created by Mike Friedrich, George Tuska, and Vince Colletta.

She was called "Doctor Kurakill" on the cover only, but referred to as "Professor Kurakill" in the story itself.--Ron Fredricks

So Quasar's been languishing in comics limbo for nearly 50 years... what happened to him after he was rehabilitated?

And what about those Neo-Apes? Were they ever restored to humans?--Ron Fredricks

Her name is pronounced like "Cure or Kill." (as per Iron Man).

It was only implied that Zero was Kurakill's transformed ex-assistant, but not otherwise stated.

Maybe Dr. Kurakill had some past association with Maelstrom.--Ron Fredricks

Profile by Snood. Expansion by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
 Doctor/Professor Kurakill has no known connection to:

Quasar the Future Man has no known connection to:

The Neo-Apes have no known connection to:

Zero has no known connection to:

Murder Mountain Lodge has no known connection to:

Murder Mountain Lodge

A hotel located somewhere in western Pennsylvania, it was where Dr. Kurakill maintained her secret basement laboratory.

Kurakill would use the rare hotel customer for her experiments, and devolved them into Neo-Apes; she then used the psychic energy drained from them as "energy-food" for Quasar.

The rooms in the lodge featured doors that locked from the outside, as well mechanized steel plates that slid over the windows, all for the purpose of trapping the hotel guests so Kurakill could use them for her fiendish experiments.

One dark and stormy night, Tony Stark picked up stranded motorists Keith and Carrie; they pulled up to the lodge and were going to spend the night, but almost became victims of Kurakill.

(Comment: While Quasar escorted him to his room, Tony Stark asked him how the lodge got its peculiar name; Quasar's response:"I'm afraid I can't rightly say, sir... something about a lunatic loose here once, I understand!")

--Iron Man I#79 (79(fb), 79

stasis field

An enclosed chamber in Dr. Kurakill's basement laboratory, it generated an electrical field that immobilized Keith and Carrie, and was able to restrain even Iron Man.

But the trio was freed when Zero the cat rubbed against Quasar's pant leg and built up static electricity. Zero then entered the field and disrupted its delicate electrical balance, which allowed Iron Man to move again and blast their way free with his repulsor ray.

--Iron Man I#79 (79

Quasar the Future Man

An ape transformed into human form by Dr. Kurarkill, she fed him psychic energy which she had drained from the rare customers who had checked into Murder Mountain Lodge, giving Quasar brain and brawn beyond that of humans; consequently, the humans who had their psychic energy drained were transformed into Neo-Apes.

Quasar acted as the bellboy at the lodge, while he continued to act as the muscle for Kurakill. One dark and stormy night, Quasar escorted hotel guest Tony Stark to his room, and wished him a pleasant stay.

Although he defeated Iron Man in their first struggle, Quasar fell before Iron Man's superior experience and skill in their second fight. Iron Man promised to put the full resources of Stark International behind the moral education of Quasar, so that there would be hope for him outside of a cage somewhere.

Quasar was strong enough to beat Iron Man into unconsciousness, perhaps possessing Class 25 strength, along with an appropriate balance of superhuman durability. Allegedly his brain power was far greater than humans, though he didn't demonstrate anything impressive beyond just being a lackey.

--Iron Man I#79 (79(fb), 79

Neo-Apes

They were humans devolved into ape-like forms by Dr. Kurarkill's process; she used their former psychic energies to evolve other creatures, notably Quasar.

Though bestial, the Neo-Apes retained some memory of their treatment at Kurakill's hands, and when given the chance, they took savage vengeance on her.

Iron Man promised to put the full resources of Stark International behind caring for them, and hopefully restoring them to their former status.

(Comment: It is unclear whether all men became apes and all women cats, or if that was something unique to the woman who became Zero.)

--Iron Man I#79 (79(fb), 79

Keith & Carrie

A young couple (last names unrevealed), they had been visiting Keith's cousin Karen (and her bratty kid). After leaving Karen's home, they found a starving stray cat, whom they adopted and named "Zero."

One stormy night, while they were driving through western Pennsylvania, a lightning bolt struck a tree just as they were passing under it; although they were uninjured, the falling tree crushed their van. They were rescued from their wrecked vehicle by Iron Man, after which Tony Stark rented a car and picked them up, then took them to find a hotel.

After several failed attempts to find any vacancies, the three of them ended up going to Murder Mountain Lodge, where they nearly became the subjects of Dr. Kurarkill fiendish experiments, until they were saved by Iron Man and Zero.

--Iron Man I#79 (79(fb) - BTS, 79

Zero

Dr. Kurarkill's former assistant (name unrevealed), she spoke out against the inhumanity of what Kurakill's experiments had done, only to be turned into one of the subjects herself. Transforming into a cat (see comments), she somehow escaped and was adopted by Keith and Carrie.

When Keith, Carrie, and Iron Man became captives of Dr. Kurarkill's electrical stasis field, Zero rubbed up against the cloth of Quasar's pants, generating sufficient static electricity to disrupt the stasis field, which freed the three prisoners.

Later, when Kurarkill prepared to unleash her Neo-Apes against her former prisoners, Zero chewed the insulation off some of the wires from Kurakill's equipment, causing a short-circuit that instead opened the door between the Neo-Apes and Dr. Kurarkill's control chamber.

No one involved suspected Zero's true nature, and her subsequent fate is unrevealed (see comments).

--Iron Man I#79 (79(fb), [79(fb)], 79

images: (without ads)
Iron Man I#79, p17, pan4 (main image - Dr. Kurakill)
Iron Man I#79, p6, pan2 (headshot - Dr. Kurakill as hotel manager)
Iron Man I#79, p18, pan3 (Dr. Kurakill gets attacked by Neo-Apes)
Iron Man I#79, p5, pan5 (after picking up Keith and Carrie, Tony Stark's car pulls up to Murder Mountain Lodge)
Iron Man I#79, p12, pan2 (Carrie, Keith, and Iron Man is stasis field)
Iron Man I#79, p6, pan3 (Quasar as bellboy; Tony Stark, Carrie, Keith [background])
Iron Man I#79, p9, pan4 (Quasar, Dr. Kurakill; Iron Man [foreground])
Iron Man I#79, p10, pan4 (Quasar reveals his true nature)
Iron Man I#79, p15, pan3 (Iron Man defeats Quasar)
Iron Man I#79, p12, pan4 (Neo-Ape; Dr. Kurakill, unidentified assistant [background])
Iron Man I#79, p18, pan2 (Neo-Apes released)
Iron Man I#79, p3, pan3 (during storm, Iron Man meets Keith, Carrie, and Zero)
Iron Man I#79, p4, pan5 (Keith and Carrie in Tony Stark's car)
Iron Man I#79, p12, pan5 (unidentified assistant, restrained by Quasar; Dr. Kurakill [background])
Iron Man I#79, p13, pan1-2 (unidentified assistant undergoes transformation)
Iron Man I#79, p17, pan2 (Zero chews insulation of wires)
Iron Man I#79, p18, pan5 (Zero)

Appearances:
Iron Man I#79 (October, 1975) - Mike Friedrich (writer), George Tuska (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Al Wenzel (colors), Dave Hunt (letters), Len Wein (editor)

First posted: 11/22/2004
Last updated: 03/25/2024

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