main imageKHRAG 'THUNG

Real Name: Nima 

Identity/Class: Human possessed by a Spirit of Vengeance, Tibetan citizen

Occupation: Buddhist monk 

Group Membership: Spirits of Vengeance / Ghost Riders

Affiliations: His mule/horse

Enemies: Chinese soldiers, demons, Kid Blackheart, Zadkiel, formerly Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch)

Known Relatives: None 

Aliases: Guru Dragpo, the Blood Drinker, the Wrath of the Four Heavens, He Who Seeks Vengeance In Our Name, Ghost Rider

Base of Operations: Abandoned Buddhist temple, somewhere near Ngari Prefecture, Tibet

First Appearance: Ghost Rider VI#28 (December, 2008)

 

Powers/Abilities: Khrag 'Thung possessed superhuman strength and durability, and was immune to conventional small arms. He wielded a Shaolin Spade (a.k.a. monk's spade) in combat, and could inflict the "Stare of the Thousand Buddhas" (his name for the Ghost Rider Penance Stare) on wrongdoers, inflicting the pain they had caused to others on them all in one go, making them feel as if their blood was being boiled and leaving them insensate husks with burning eyes. He rode a mule in his human form, which transformed when he did to become a terrifying horse which had fire emanating from its eyes and mouth, and which ran at superhuman speeds on burning hooves.

  

History: (Ghost Rider VI#28 (fb) - BTS) - A Buddhist monk who objected to the Chinese occupation of his country and brutalization of his people, Nima was Tibet's Ghost Rider, better known as Khrag 'Thung, his Spirit of Vengeance having adopted the memeform of one of Vajrayana Buddhism's "wrathful deities," enlightened beings who take on wrathful forms to lead sentient beings to enlightenment. He based himself out of a remote, abandoned Buddhist temple high in the mountains, and he became a legend to the local people.





One night Khrag 'Thung destroyed two Chinese Garrisons in Ngari Prefecture, leaving them looking like they had been firebombed.

 

(Ghost Rider VI#28) - Angry at the destruction of his garrisons, the Chinese general in charge of the region targeted the nearest village, burning some of the buildings and taking prisoner the villagers, who he accused of being behind the "firebombings," demanding to know where their weapons were hidden. When an elderly villager tried to explain that Khrag ' Thung had been behind the attacks, the general scoffed at him for his superstitious ramblings, and pointed a gun to the man's head, demanding he produce Khrag 'Thung if this was the case. The incident had drawn Nima's attention, and he arrived in the village just in time to distract the general from murdering the old man. He claimed responsibility for killing the general's men, but since his human form looked like a harmless old monk, the Chinese soldiers laughed at this claim. Undaunted, Nima offered to let the soldiers leave Tibet unharmed if they went immediately and never returned, but promised to burn their souls to ashes if they stayed. Tiring of what he thought of as idle threats, the general ordered his men to kill the monk and the villagers, but as the soldiers instructed Nima to line up with the other prisoners, the monk began his transformation into his Ghost Rider form, much to the consternation and growing terror of the Chinese soldiers, who opened fire on him to no avail.

(Ghost Rider VI#28 - BTS) - Khrag 'Thung tore through the soldiers with ease.

(Ghost Rider VI#28) - The general, who had turned away in boredom after giving his order, heard the sounds of the fight but assumed it was his men taking sadistic pleasure in drawing out the executions. He turned back round just in time to see Khrag 'Thung bearing down on him, and the Ghost Rider casually plucked the general off the ground and burned out his soul with the Stare of the Thousand Buddhas. Since the remaining soldiers had fled, Khrag 'Thung dumped his now mindless foe to the ground, and rode off, leaving the scared but grateful villagers behind. Transforming back into Nima, he rode back to his temple, unaware his arrival there was being watched by Danny Ketch. He followed Nima into the temple seconds later...

(Ghost Rider VI#29 (fb)) - ...and sucked the Spirit of Vengeance out of Nima and his mule, leaving both as burned out corpses. 

(Ghost Rider VI#28) - The remains of Nima and his steed were found mere moments later by Johnny Blaze and Caretaker, who were trying to locate allies for their fight against Zadkiel, the rogue angel behind Danny Ketch's attacks on Ghost Riders.

(Ghost Rider: Heaven's on Fire#6) - Like all past Ghost Riders, Khrag 'Thung was revived to take part in defending Heaven from both the rogue angel Zadkiel and then Kid Blackheart's demon army, standing alongside the Russian bear-rider and Devil Rig when the Spirits of Vengeance assembled prior to the second battle commencing. Though they apparently did not directly interact, Khrag 'Thung's slayer Danny Ketch, now free of Zadkiel's influence, fought alongside his fellow Ghost Riders.





Comments: Created by Jason Aaron and Tony Moore.    

Profile by Loki.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Khrag 'Thung is definitely connected to, but should not be confused with

but has no known connections to

Khrag 'Thung's mule / horse

Nima's steed was a mule when not transformed by the Spirit of Vengeance that empowered the monk. Unfortunately, sharing Nima's transformations meant also sharing his demise when Danny Ketch attacked.

 

--Ghost Rider VI#28

 












images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider VI#28, p5, pan1 (main image)
Ghost Rider VI#28, p6, pan4 (inflicting the stare of a thousand Buddhas)
Ghost Rider VI#28, p2, pan4 (human headshot, eyes signalling imminent transformation)
Ghost Rider VI#28, p4, pan3 (Nima and mule beginning transformation)
Ghost Rider VI#28, p11, pan3 (Nima and his steed's corpses)
Ghost Rider VI#28, p2, pan3 (Nima on his mule)

Appearances:
Ghost Rider VI#28 (December, 2008) - Jason Aaron (writer), Tan Eng Huat (artist), Axel Alonso (editor)
Ghost Rider VI#29 (January, 2009) - Jason Aaron (writer), Tan Eng Huat (artist), Axel Alonso (editor)
Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire#6 (February, 2010) - Jason Aaron (writer), Roland Boschi (art), Sebastian Girner (editor)

Last updated: 03/22/14

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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