GENERAL KRAGG

Real Name: Joseph Kragowski (see comments)

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Military officer, former security chief of Oliver Broadhurst's robotics project.

Group Membership: US Military

Affiliations: G.W. Bridge, Oliver Broadhurst, Dr. William Haines, Hulkbusters, Jack Kubrick, Machine Man, Clay Quartermain, Fred Sloan, Peter Spaulding, Tracy Warner

Enemies: Miles Brickman, The Corporation, Ten-For, Dr. Wurno, X-29

Known Relatives: Agent Kragg (daughter, deceased)

Aliases: "Kragg"

Base of Operations: Department of Defense, Arlington, Virginia
formerly Camp DeSprague, Central City, California
formerly Broadhurst Research Center, Central City, California

First Appearance: 2001: A Space Odyssey#8 (July, 1977)

Powers/Abilities: General Kragg is a combat veteran, responsible for leading his men in the field against a variety of exotic threats. When in combat against robots, he and his men are equipped with sonic weapons. Kragg is also capable of piloting military jets.

History: (2001: A Space Odyssey#8 (fb) - BTS/X-51#12 (fb)) - Colonel Kragg was assigned as chief of security at the facility where Dr. Oliver Broadhurst was experimenting with artificial life. When the robot X-29 went insane and rampaged, Kragg helped bring it down, but he lost his left eye as a result. Kragg came to despise the robots afterwards.

(2001: A Space Odyssey#8) - Colonel Kragg confronted X-51, the only one of the robots which still existed, and vowed to see him torn to shreds.

(2001: A Space Odyssey#9) - Kragg met with scientists Oliver Broadhurst and Dr. Haines over the fate of X-51, as Haines and Broadhurst believed that X-51 had a strong sense of identity, and that when Kragg's men removed his face, it caused psychological damage. They ultimately decided to let X-51 have his face back and allow him to leave, but Broadhurst implanted a homing device in him so that he could be found again at any time.

(Machine Man I#1) - Kragg was given the word from Washington to go ahead with his assault on X-51 (now Machine Man), and mobilized his forces, despite the reservations of Dr. Broadhurst.

(Machine Man I#2) - Kragg caught up to some of his forces who had already engaged Machine Man, only to find that they had been bested, and Machine Man had eluded them.

(Machine Man I#3) - Kragg continued his pursuit of Machine Man, and fixed his location at the sanitarium run by Dr. Peter Spaulding. His forces took up position outside of the hospital, and prepared to wait until Machine Man was away from innocent bystanders so that they could destroy him.

(Machine Man I#4) - Kragg's forces were unprepared for the arrival of Ten-For, an extraterrestrial robot who had arrived on Earth at the sanitarium, and they were quickly beaten.

(Machine Man I#5) - Kragg met with Dr. Spaulding, who had befriended Machine Man, much to Kragg's disgust. Spaulding observed that with the threat of Ten-For, Machine Man might be the only person who could defeat the alien robot.

(Machine Man I#6) - As Kragg continued his hunt for Machine Man, he was visited by Spaulding and Tracy Warner, another friend of Machine Man's. Kragg displayed Ten-For to them, as his men had just managed to capture him, but Ten-For easily broke away from them to continue his mission of extraterrestrial invasion. Machine Man came to their rescue, and he managed to incapacitate Ten-For with hypnosis, then sent his body to destroy the invading Autocron fleet.

(Machine Man I#7) - Kragg was invited to a meeting with congressman Miles Brickman, who attempted to rile him up against Machine Man. However, Kragg had been impressed with Machine Man's actions against Ten-For, and was willing to grant him the benefit of the doubt, as long as he remained in Spaulding's custody. When Machine Man and Spaulding both vanished soon afterwards, Brickman demanded that Kragg begin the hunt again. Kragg promised to find Machine Man, but not to destroy him.

(Machine Man I#8) - Kragg found Spaulding in the custody of an agent of the Corporation, and rescued him, but the Corporation member resisted interrogation. Kragg and Spaulding set out again to find Machine Man at the Corporation's base, but it was destroyed in an atomic explosion just as they approached the scene.

(Machine Man I#9) - Kragg and Spaulding were surprised to find that Machine Man had survived the explosion, and Machine Man related everything he knew about the Corporation to Kragg.

(Incredible Hulk II#235) - Kragg, Spaulding and Warner stood by Machine Man at a congressional hearing held by Brickman, in which he was granted human rights, and kept in Spaulding's custody. Kragg congratulated Machine Man, and they put their differences behind them for good.

(Incredible Hulk II#236) - Spaulding and Fred Sloan caught up with Kragg at Camp DeSprague, and informed him that the Corporation had tricked the Hulk into battling Machine Man. Kragg contacted the Hulkbusters.

(Incredible Hulk II#237) - Kragg spoke with Clay Quartermain as the Hulkbusters prepared to enter the fray, and was then contacted himself by Machine Man (whom Kragg now called by his human name, Aaron Stack), who told Kragg to evacuate the downtown area of Central City while he fought the Hulk. Machine Man ultimately drove the Hulk away, but was so depleted that he collapsed in front of Kragg, Spaulding and Sloan.

(Machine Man I#10) - Brickman held another meeting with Kragg, calling him a traitor for siding with Machine Man. Kragg observed that Brickman simply had a political agenda in hating Machine Man. When Brickman heard that Machine Man was sighted near Mount Vasco, he set out to confront him, and Kragg came along to protect Machine Man's rights. They wound up being buried in an avalanche caused by an agent of Kublai Khan, along with Machine Man, Spaulding, and Dr. Broadhurst. Machine Man was able to get them out of the rubble, and had Kragg see to Broadhurst, who had inhaled noxious fumes.

(Marvel Comics Presents#10/3) - Kragg was assigned to security at another facility where robots were being developed, and discovered that Dr. Wunro had created the robot Failure Five, who attempted to claim Machine Man's parts for itself. Kragg arrested Wunro, rescued Spaulding from him, and Machine Man defeated Failure Five.

(Machine Man/Bastion 1998 Annual) - Now a general, Kragg argued with G.W. Bridge after his daughter, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, was among those missing in action while investigating Operation: Zero Tolerance's Prospero Clinic. Although there was still a chance that his daughter was alive, Kragg believed that an air strike was needed to eliminate the threat of Bastion, and G.W. Bridge ultimately agreed.

(X-51#1 (fb)) - Machine Man met with FBI agent Jack Kubrick, and related the history of Machine Man to him. He informed Kubrick that Machine Man was believed destroyed following a battle with the Red Skull.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.

Kragg was named "Simon" in Incredible Hulk II#236-237. Perhaps his name is Simon Joseph Kragowski?

In 2001#8, Dr. Broadhurst told Kragg that he had planted the homing device into X-51, but in Machine Man I#1, he accused Kragg of performing the deed!

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
General Kragg should not be confused with:

• Karrg, robot created to oppose It the Living Colossus @ Marvel Comics Presents#169/3
• Kragg of Earth-2099, Triumvirate, earth elemental, @ X-Men 2099: Oasis
• Kragg leader of Phoenix @ Daredevil I#68
• Jason Cragg better known as the Voice @ Tales to Astonish I#42

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Back to Characters