SHELL

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Ortholaxith)

Occupation: Shi'ar agent

Group Membership: Shi'ar Death Commandos (Blackcloak, Colony, D'Evo, Flaw, Hypernova, Krait, Offset, Sega, Warshot)

Affiliations: Araki, Fraternity of Raptors (Talon)Imperial Guard (Manta, Nightside, Oracle, Scintilla, Starbolt, Titan, Warstar), Ka'ardum

Enemies: Gailyn Bailey, Joseph Bailey, Derry Campbell, Deathbird, D'bek, Phyllis and Roy Dennefer, Gladiator (Kallark), Brian and Julia Grey, John and Elaine Grey, Fred Harriman, Charlotte Jones, Julian, Kindra, Liam, Dr. Maureen Lyszinski, Terry Maguire, Mary-Margaret, New Mutants (Karma, Mirage, Wolfsbane), Roger, Sentinels, Starjammers (Ch'od, Cr+eee, Havok, Korvus, Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey), Lilandra Neramani, Polaris, Raza), Bekka Wallis, X-Men (Bishop, Cannonball, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Gambit, Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey), Nightcrawler, Psylocke, Rogue, Shadowcat)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Shi'ar Empire

First Appearance: (Unseen) Uncanny X-Men I#466 (January, 2006); (Seen) Uncanny X-Men I#467 (February, 2006)

Powers/Abilities: Shell is a large rocky creature who can seemingly add or expel other rocks to his form. He can encase his victims in rocky shells. He possesses super strength and endurance. It is likely that the full extent of his abilities have not been revealed.

History:

(X-Men: Emperor Vulcan#1 (fb) - BTS) - A secret cabal within the Shi'ar Empire organized the Shi'ar Death Commandos, a unit composed of warriors from various extraterrestrial races, and sent them to Earth to slay Marvel Girl (Rachel Grey, who once wielded part of the Phoenix Force) and all related to her.

(Uncanny X-Men I#468 (fb) - BTS) - The leader, Blackcloak, was tasked to brand Marvel Girl according to canon law, and brand her according to civil law. The brand would allow the Shi'ar to always track her.

(Uncanny X-Men I#466 - BTS) - On Earth, the Commandos surrounded the home of John and Elaine Grey.

(Uncanny X-Men I#467 - BTS) - Unable to decipher who Rachel was among all those inside, the Commandos initiated their secondary objective, that of slaying all those who were biologically related to Rachel. Over the next 24 seconds, multiple targets were killed, including Gailyn and Joseph Bailey, Derry Campbell, Phyllis and Roy Dennefer, Brian and Julia Grey, John Grey, Fred Harriman, Julian, Kindra, Liam, Terry Maguire, Mary-Margaret, Roger, and Bekka Wallis, leaving only Rachel and Elaine Grey alive. The X-Men (Nightcrawler, Psylocke, and Shadowcat) attacked. Although Shell restrained Psylocke while Hypernova prepared to blast her, Psylocke managed to defeat them both with her telekinetic katana. Blackcloak marked Marvel Girl with a phoenix tattoo so that she would always be trackable from then on.

(Uncanny X-Men I#468) - The battle continued and more X-Men (Bishop, Cannonball, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Gambit, Rogue) and Sentinels joined the attack. Rogue knocked Shell down in the battle. In the following battle, Elaine Grey was killed, and the Commandos ended up surrendering.

(Uncanny X-Men I#470) - After being incarcerated in Manhattan for a time, the  Commandos escaped. They tracked Marvel Girl to Chicago, though they fought Bishop and Detective Charlotte Jones on their way out. The Death Commandos managed to utilize their orbiting Shi'ar ship to teleport to Chicago so they could attack Marvel Girl directly. They burst through the window of Dr. Maureen Lyszinski to attack her.

(Uncanny X-Men I#471) - Marvel Girl fled with Maureen in her arms. She sent out a telepathic pulse to the Commandos, causing them severe psychic feedback. Blackcloak paged his ship for aid, but they told him to handle it himself. The X-Men (Bishop, Cannonball, Nightcrawler, Psylocke) and a Sentinel arrived. The Shi'ar ship dropped a bomb that would have killed many, including the Commandos, for miles around, but the X-Men blocked it. The crew of the starship was apprehended, and the Commandos were presumably jailed again.

(X-Men: Emperor Vulcan#3 (fb) – BTS) – The Commandos began acting as the private guard to Chancellor Araki in Shi'ar space.

(X-Men: Emperor Vulcan#3) – Araki entered with the Shi'ar Death Commandos for a meeting with Vulcan (current emperor of the Shi'ar), Deathbird, and the Guard (Gladiator, Manta, Nightside, Oracle, Starbolt, Titan, Warstar). Inside, they found Ka'ardum, Lilandra, and the Starjammers (Ch'od, Havok, Korvus, Marvel Girl, Polaris, Raza). Marvel Girl grew furious at seeing the Commandos and lashed out in a powerful attack, sending the Commandos scattering, and threatened Araki's life, even accusing him of running the secret order of the Shi'ar and ordering the death of her family, until Polaris stopped her. The Commandos soon departed peaceably.

(X-Men: Kingbreaker#1 (fb) - BTS) - When Vulcan focused on expanding the Shi'ar empire via conquest, he put the Imperial Guard on the front lines along with the Shi'ar Death Commandos, though many were reported killed in battle with Marvel Girl.

(War of Kings#4) - Gladiator and the Starjammers met with Councilor D'bek, with whom they interrupted a speech of Araki's in order to proclaim Lilandra ruler of the Shi'ar once again. They fought back Araki's secret order and Lilandra announced her return to rule with mighty cheers from the crowd. As Chandilar broke out in war around them, Lilandra, flanked by the Starjammers, headed toward the temple to claim her right to rule. The Shi'ar Death Commandos then attacked, Sega permeating the crowd with his clouds. Blackcloak killed D'bek with a thrown spear. Marvel Girl furiously hit D'Evo with a telekinetic blast as Polaris used magnetism to crush Krait's wings. Lilandra stabbed Offset with a spear as Korvus and Marvel Girl tried to get her to cover. As the Commandos began reigning death on the crowd, Gladiator quickly took down Hypernova and Warshot before Flaw attacked him. As Blackcloak held off Gladiator with his spear's energy blast, Araki ordered the others to kill Lilandra. One of the Fraternity of Raptors hid himself in the crowd and fired multiple shots, one of them killing Lilandra during the chaos. Commandos in this mission: Blackcloak, D'Evo, Flaw, Hypernova, Krait, Offset, Sega, Shell, and Warshot.

(Wolverine & the X-Men I#10) – When the Phoenix Force approached Earth, the Shi’ar Death Commandos (Colony, Flaw, Krait, Offset, Shell) were sent to kill its host and stop all who stood in their way.

(Wolverine & the X-Men I#11) – The Commandos crashed Wolverine's ship and attacked Hope Summers. Hope held off Krait and Offset, then Flaw impaled her while Colony held off Wolverine. She then manifested part of the Phoenix Force, knocked out all five of the Commandos, and healed herself.

(Wolverine & the X-Men I#13) – The Commandoes revived and joined Gladiator in the battle against the X-Men. Marvel Girl savagely held them off.

SECRET WARS III HAPPENED

(New Mutants IV#5 (fb) - BTS) - A member of the Orthoxalith race, Shell was medically modified for limited cognitive thought as an operative of the Shi'ar Death Commandos.

(New Mutants IV#5) - The Death Commandos were hired by Oracle to kill Deathbird before she could get back to Chandilar. The Commandos took the Imperial Dreadnaught and suspended the ship occupied by the New Mutants and Deathbird, then they boarded the ship in separate teams. Karma defeated Shell, Mirage defeated Krait, and Wolfsbane defeated D'Evo.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Chris Bachalo and various inkers.

It was purported that Araki founded the Shi'ar Death Commandos and sent them to Earth.

It has been suggested by various creators that the Commandos is a military team much like the Imperial Guard, and that when one member is killed, another from his or her race takes his or her place.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Shell has no known connections to

• Shell, of Shadowforce Alpha @ Amazing Spider Man Super-Size Special#1/3
• Shellshock, Fantastic Four foe @ Fantastic Four Annual#5
• or any other "Shell" characters

images: (without ads)
Uncanny X-Men I#468, p8, pan1 (main)