A-CHILTARIAN race
Classification: Extraterrestrial humanoid
Location/Base of Operations: A-Chiltar
III, third planet from the sun in the A-Chiltar star-system
(R-Monocerotis, Earth designation), Milky Way galaxy;
60% of the planet is covered by marsh, 40% by
prairie; there are no large open bodies of water;
gravity is 145% Earth's, atmosphere is 250% Earth's
density (with high methane content)
Known Members: Kraglin,
unidentified Captain and other crew members, former Runestaff
inhabitant/prisoner, unidentified Mourner
approximate population 800 million
Affiliations: Cyclops robot
Enemies: Ant-Man (Henry Pym), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne)
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#46/1 (August, 1963)
Powers/Abilities: A-Chiltarians'
large, multi-faceted eyes grant them an exceptionally wide field of
vision. They may have limited psychic powers allowing them to manipulate
their Cyclops robot via their "brain impulses" (or the technology was
just specialized to be activated by normal psychic powers); nonetheless,
they measured humanity's mental patterns as inferior to their own.
While on Earth, they were only seen wearing full-body
suits and full-head helmets, perhaps indicating they could not breathe
or otherwise function in Earth's atmosphere without support. Or they
just liked their helmets, which may have served a protective function,
or perhaps to magnify their brain impulses (see comments).
Average height: 5'5"
Eyes: Two (on head, multi-faceted)
Fingers: Four (including opposable thumb)
Toes: Three (all equally sized)
Skin color: Purple-grey fur covers bodies of both males and females
Traits: A-Chiltarians possess a tribal government and are mildly aggressive, clannish, and temperamental.
They utilized an immense and super-strong Cyclops robot ("big as a six story building" per one of the local Greek seamen, and "at least 50 feet tall" per Henry Pym), which responded to their mental commands (either utilizing circuitry specifically sensitive to their mental wavelengths or perhaps involving their superhuman abilities of mental projection?).
They utilized Mentalscopes (seen on the human to the left), which could read the mental patterns of captives.
They have built primitive interstellar starships which allegedly cannot reach light-speed. Their level of technology is reportedly otherwise less advanced than Earth's (see comments).
History:
(Thor I#335 (fb) - BTS) - An unidentified apparent A-Chiltarian, presumably
an inhabitant of the scholarly planet Rus, was pulled into the
Runestaff when its new owner Kamo
Tharnn conjured improperly.
(Tales to Astonish I#46/1 (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to
determine if Earth was suitable for conquering and colonization, a group
of at least five A-Chiltarians, including Kraglin and an unidentified
captain, were sent to Earth as an advance scouting party.
They either built a robot on A-Chiltar and brought it
to Earth, or built it once on Earth. In an effort to use superstition to
cloak their activities, the aliens set up a base on one of the Greek
islands and designed their robot in the form of a giant Cyclops out of
Greek mythology.
The advance scouting party sent their Cyclops robot
to capture ships sailing in the vicinity of their island base,
successfully convincing the locals that one of the ancient Cyclopes
inhabited the islands. The sailors aboard the captured ships were
subjected to a "Mentalscope," which could read their mental patterns.
As a result of the Cyclops' capturing ships, local
seamen refused to take their ships out.
(Tales to Astonish I#46/1) - The super-heroes Ant-Man (Henry Pym) and the Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) took a vacation in the Greek Isles. They learned of and investigated the Cyclops when a seaman allowed them to take his ship out on their own. Initially, they were paralyzed by pain caused by their insect communication antennae picking up interference from the telepathic speech of the aliens. After adjusting their wavelengths, the heroes learned of the aliens' plans.
Kraglin's captain noted their Mentalscope readings indicated humans were inferior to them and would be easily conquered, and he confirmed that Kraglin should notify A-Chiltar of this fact. Unable to abide insects, the captain instructed Kraglin to step on the nearby insects, for which he had mistaken Ant-Man and the Wasp. As Kraglin attempted to do so, the Wasp stung his foot, causing him to lift his leg high enough for Ant-Man to lasso Kraglin's foot and pull him off balance. Unsure of what had happened and no longer seeing the "insects," the captain instead ordered the crew to direct their brain impulses to command the Cyclops to destroy the imprisoned humans.
But realizing the Cyclops was a robot and correctly figuring he might be able to override the aliens' mental control of the robot from within it, Ant-Man flew (via a flying ant) in the Cyclops' mouth. Meanwhile, Wasp found a wasps' nest nearby the prisoners and guards, and she led the wasps in an assault on the guards, then grew to normal size and freed the sailors. Before the Cyclops robot could grab them, Ant-Man altered the frequency of the robot's brain to one he could control via his cybernetic helmet. Under Ant-Man's command, the Cyclops crushed one of the A-Chiltarians' spaceships, and the aliens incorrectly assumed Earthlings possessed greater powers of mental control than they. The aliens fled Earth, intending to return to A-Chiltar III and report that Earthlings were too powerful to conquer. Ant-Man commanded the Cyclops robot to put the captured ships back into the bay, and then to wander into the Mediterranean Sea, intending it to rust and topple to the ocean's floor.
(Thor I#335 (fb) - BTS) - After retrieving the Runestaff following it having been taken by Hercules, Kamo Tharnn attempted to use the Runestaff again, and its inhabitants--presumably including the apparent A-Chiltarian--were transferred into Tharnn himself.
(Thor I#335) - The Asgardian goddess Sif used the Runestaff on Kamo Tharnn, freeing all those who had been trapped within, including the apparent A-Chiltarian.
possible appearance in Deadpool IV#33 (see comments)
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, H.E. Huntley, and Don Heck.
The A-Chilitarians true physical appearance--without the suits and helmets--wouldn't be revealed until their OHotMU Appendix to Alien Races profile, two decades after they were originally introduced.. -- Ron Fredricks
The original OHotMU notes the
A-Chiltarians' level of technology to be inferior to Earth's, though
they have interstellar ships, build gigantic robots, and have mental
pattern-reading Mentalscopes. Presumably they mean inferior to the
technology of the likes of Reed Richards, Tony Stark, etc...?
Further, according to internet research (whatever
that's worth), R-Monocerotis is like 2500 light years from Earth,
meaning conquering the distant planet would seem REALLY impractical with
sub-light-speed travel. That seems like some spurious information in the
original OHotMU (though, in their defense, it was a very small group
covering a massive amount of characters and information). Or, perhaps
the A-Chiltarians commissioned the construction of their spaceships and
the Cyclops robot from someone else.
Reprinting my comments from the Cyclops robot profile: There is no definitive proof that the Cyclops robot was built out of steel or any metal of Earth. Perhaps it was created from a rust resistant metal native to A-Chiltar III. If that's the case, it could be found at some point by some Atlantean, or anyone else exploring the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and used in another plot.
The alien from Thor I#335 is not a
perfect match for the A-Chiltarian seen in the OHoMTU Appendix, but if
you chalk it up to coloring variation or error, the facial/head
structures are the same, particularly the multi-faceted eyes, the wide
commissures in the mouth, and the little bumps just below the hairline.
Additionally, it's fairly clear that many of the
aliens were based on those from the original OHotMU appendix to alien
races...though I believe only 9 issues of that were out when Thor I#335
came out.
One of the members of the Exto Clan looks like he could be an A-Chiltarian.
BIG thanks to Will Uchtman for photoshopping the A-Chiltarians OHotMU image to take out the text! New images by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The A-Chiltarians have no known
connections to:
|
Never seen fully in a single panel, these were used to transport the A-Chiltarians to and from worlds they were exploring for conquest. At least one of the ships on Earth was smashed by the Cyclops robot under Ant-Man's control. The OHotMU described them as primitive interstellar starships which cannot reach light-speed (see comments).
--Tales to Astonish I#46/1 |
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|
Kraglin (left) was part of the mission on Earth, serving under an unidentified captain. Kraglin's captain (right) noted their Mentalscope readings indicated humans were inferior to them and would be easily conquered, and he confirmed that Kraglin should notify A-Chiltar of this fact. Unable to abide insects, the captain instructed Kraglin to step on two nearby "insects" (actually Ant-Man and the Wasp). As Kraglin attempted to do so, the Wasp stung his foot, causing him to lift his leg high enough for Ant-Man to lasso Kraglin's foot and pull him off balance. Unsure of what had happened and no longer seeing the "insects," the captain instead ordered the crew to direct their brain impulses to command the Cyclops to destroy the imprisoned humans. However, after Ant-Man overrode the Cyclops robot's controls and the Cyclops crushed one of their spaceships, the captain incorrectly assumed humans possessed greater powers of mental control than they. The aliens fled Earth, intending to returned to A-Chiltar III and report that Earthlings were too powerful to conquer. --Tales to Astonish I#46/1 |
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(Thor I#335 (fb) - BTS) - An unidentified apparent A-Chiltarian, presumably an inhabitant of the scholarly planet Rus, was pulled into the Runestaff when its new owner Kamo Tharnn conjured improperly. (Thor I#335 (fb) - After retrieving the Runestaff following it having been taken by Hercules, Kamo Tharnn attempted to use the Runestaff again, and its inhabitants--presumably including the apparent A-Chiltarian--were transferred into Tharnn himself. (Thor I#335) - The Asgardian goddess Sif used the Runestaff on Kamo Tharnn, freeing all those who had been trapped within, including the apparent A-Chiltarian. --Thor I#355 |
images: (without ads)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#1: Appendix to Alien races: A-Chiltarians profile (main image) - Paty Cockrum
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p8, pan5 (captain, ship, captured sailor in Mentalscope)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p9, pan3 (Kraglin and captain)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p12, pan 6 (A-Chiltarian fleeing toward ship)
Tales to Astonish I#46/1, p13, pan1 (interior of ship, as A-Chiltarians flee from Cyclops robot)
Thor I#335, p18, pan1 (apparent A-Chiltarian)
Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#46 (August, 1963) - Stan Lee (plot/editor), H.E. Huntley (script), Don Heck (pencils/inks)
Thor I#335 (September, 1983) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Mark Bright (penciler), Vince Colletta (inker), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
possibly Deadpool IV#33 (April, 2011) - Daniel Way (writer), Carlo Barbieri (penciler), Walden Wong (inker), Jody Leheup & Jordan D. White (editors)
First Posted: 08/05/2012
Last updated: 08/31/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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