RAK
RAK
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Reanimated corpse of unrevealed origin
Occupation: Agent of Anton Hellgate
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Charles, Dread, Anton Hellgate, Ripper, Snowblind
Enemies: Avengers (Black
Widow/Natalia Romanova, Crystal/Crystalia Maximoff, Deathcry/Shaara
Neramani, Hercules/Alcaeus, Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff), John Blaze,
Caretaker, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Capt. Arthur Dolan, Stacy Dolan, Father Flynn,
Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch/Noble Kale), Alec Maloni, the NYPD, Punisher (Frank Castle),
S.H.I.E.L.D. (Nick Fury, others), Lt. Jim Sokolowski, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), the Spook,
Vengeance (Michael Badilino)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Anton Hellgate's Long Island lair, New York City, New York, USA
First Appearance: (unidentified): Ghost Rider III#46 (February, 1994); (identified): Ghost Rider III#48 (April, 1994)
Powers/Abilities: Rak had superhuman strength,
sufficient enough to knock down the superhumanly strong Vengeance. He
also had superhuman durability enough to withstand getting punched
through a brick wall and getting shot by bullets fired at point blank
distance without injury. He originally carried an energy sword of unrevealed
origin. His lack of intelligence often provided a means of defeating
him.
Height: 8'7" (by approximation)
Weight: 410 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Red
Hair: Green
History: (Ghost Rider III#48 (fb) - BTS) - After his death, Rak was experimented on by Anton Hellgate, who reanimated Rak.
(Ghost Rider III#46) - Shortly after noticing that the inert remains of the Ghost Rider had been stolen from a Cypress Hills Cemetary Mausoleum, Vengeance began searching in and around the Cemetary, soon noticing the monstrous Rak leaping over the Cemetary walls with a duffel bag. Giving chase, Vengeance caught up to Rak and leapt at him, only to be caught by the throat by Rak, who announced that he wanted Vengeance's skull. Vengeance responded by blasting Rak through the brick wall of a nearby building. Explaining that he needed to find THE skull in order for "the others" to like him, Rak once again demanded Vengeance's skull and brandished an energy sword. Vengeance instead grabbed and used the sword to stab Rak then fired several spikes into Rak, leaving him to groan for awhile before the enigmatic Caretaker appeared and explained that the bones that Rak had stolen from the Cypress Hills Cemetary did not belong to Ghost Rider. Asking what Rak was, Vengeance was told by Caretaker that Rak was neither a Fallen nor one of Lilith's Lilin and that not all horrors of the world were supernatural. Caretaker then revealed that he knew where Ghost Rider's true remains were and that they should bury their dead. The two then left the seriously injured Rak laying there as they departed to visit Frances Ketch.
(Ghost Rider III#48 (fb) - BTS) - After one of Anton
Hellgate's agents, Dread, was brought into police custody, Hellgate
gave Rak permission to free Dread from custody.
(Ghost Rider III#48) - Not wishing to leave the only person who was nice to him in custody, Rak leapt from a building, landing near a large press gathering that Peter Parker was part of. Recognizing Rak from his earlier battle with him as Vengeance, Lt. Michael Badilino immediately commented that he should have killed Rak when he had the chance. Not at all halted by Badilino's point blank gunfire and not recognizing Badilino, Rak punched Badilino aside and stormed into the NYPD precinct housing Dread. The NYPD officers inside quickly began firing as Rak freed Dread and the two Hellgate agents began taking the fight directly to the officers. Vengeance and Spider-Man soon arrived inside the precinct and battled Dread and Rak. After Dread stabbed Vengeance with an energized sword, causing Vengeance to emit an explosion of hellfire, Rak explained to Dread that Hellgate had ordered him only to free Dread. Despite Dread's objections, both he and Rak then departed the precinct in the distraction caused by Vengeance's explosion and escaped. A short time later, Spider-Man and Vengeance tracked Rak and Dread to one of Anton Hellgate's warehouses using a Spider-Tracer. Finding both Rak and Dread hooked up to some of Hellgate's machines, Vengeance and Spider-Man busted into the warehouse and battled the two. Their battle continued until Anton Hellgate appeared as a hologram and expressed interest in Vengeance. Dread and Rak attempted to explain themselves but Hellgate reminded them of their failures and had the two shot down. Shocked that Hellgate would kill his own men, Spider-Man was told by Vengeance that Rak and Dread would have to be alive for Hellgate to kill them. He then explained to Spider-Man how Hellgate enjoyed experimenting on the dead.
(Ghost Rider III#61) - In New York Bay, Rak and Dread met with Anton Hellgate and attempted to convince Hellgate that they could bring Ghost Rider to Hellgate despite their past failures. When Rak promised that Hellgate that he would get Ghost Rider, Hellgate agreed and explained that it was only a matter of whether or not Rak and Dread would be the ones to bring Ghost Rider in. Hellgate then reminded the two of their orders to bring Ghost Rider in before the authorities did and also reminded them that their failure would mean their return to death. While the authorities prepared an assault on the Ghost Rider, Rak and Dread searched for Ghost Rider on their own using a survelliance and tracking device given to Dread by Anton Hellgate. Tracking Dan Ketch to a Brooklyn church, Rak and Dread demanded to know where Ghost Rider was. After Dan transformed into Ghost Rider, the church's Father Flynn tried to keep Rak and Dread from harming Ghost Rider but was knocked aside by Rak. Refusing to fight the two Hellgate agents on sacred ground, Ghost Rider took several punches from Rak before Rak pinned Ghost Rider's arms behind his back so that Dread could stab the Rider. Unfortunately, Dread's energy sword passed through Ghost Rider and into the ground, hitting a gas main that caused an explosion that opened the church up to the police outside. Ghost Rider soon transformed back into Dan Ketch and Dread prepared to take Ketch, ordering Rak to kill Father Flynn if he interfered. Before Rak could do anything, his hand was shot by the Punisher, who ordered the two to step away from Father Flynn. Dread was ready to take on the Punisher as well when Daredevil showed up and kicked him to the ground. With Rak and Dread down, the three heroes discussed what to do about the police outside and Ghost Rider's status as a fugitive. Regaining consciousness, Rak asked Dread what they should do and Dread replied that they should kill as many as possible and get out of there. When Rak asked if Hellgate would be mad, Dread replied "probably." Shortly thereafter, Ghost Rider was gunned down by the police and Hellgate exclaimed that the Ghost Rider's injuries better be Rak and Dread's doing.
(Ghost Rider III#62) - Rak was captured and
experimented on by scientists of the government facility known as the
Black Hole.
(Ghost Rider III#63 - BTS) - Rak remained a captive of the Black Hole.
(Ghost Rider III#64) - When the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. mounted a rescue mission to the Black Hole, the escaping Rak punched Hercules, prompting a very brief battle. Dread attempted to join the fight but Hercules easily pinned and body slammed the already-injured Rak and Quicksilver easily captured Dread.
(Ghost Rider III#73) - After another of Anton Hellgate's agents, Snowblind, made a public spectacle defeating Ghost Rider, Rak accompanied Hellgate and his other agents to the scene of the battle, where Hellgate gloated that Ghost Rider would die that night. When Det. Arthur Dolan attempted to prevent them from harming Ghost Rider, Rak easily kicked Dolan out of the way. Another agent, Ripper, then slashed away at Ghost Rider, followed by Dread using his sword's disruptor field and Rak leaping onto the Ghost Rider to see if his bones squished. Happy to see that Ghost Rider's bones popped, Rak picked up Dolan and prepared to do the same to Dolan before Ghost Rider summoned his chain to pull Rak away from Dolan. Ripper then used her powers to disorient Ghost Rider, leaving the Rider open for Rak to pound him into the ground. John Blaze soon showed up and defeated Rak's allies as Rak laid on the ground.
(Ghost Rider III#74) - The unconscious Rak remained on the ground while John Blaze and Ghost Rider battled over the accusation of Ghost Rider for murder. While the two battled, Anton Hellgate left the scene, leaving his agents behind. Rak and Hellgate's other agents eventually regained consciousness and managed to evade the police and return to Hellgate's lair, where Hellgate chewed out Snowblind for his failures. When Hellgate chided Snowblind for teaching Rak and the others to fail, claiming that he should have wiped all of their personalities and started over, Rak begged forgiveness, only to be met with a kick to the stomach from Hellgate. Hellgate then stormed off, leaving Rak and the others behind and reminding Snowblind to have his chauffeur ready to leave within an hour.
(Ghost Rider III#75) - Rak accompanied Anton Hellgate and his agents to the Grand Aventura Golden Ballroom in Atlantic City, where mobsters had gathered for the Annual Mobsters' Cotillion. Dressed in a tuxedo, Rak openly commented on his hopes that the Cotillion had provided shrimp. When undercover police agents Sokolowski and Alec Maloni were publicly revealed, Anton Hellgate had Rak pick up the unconscious agents after they were knocked out, hoping to use them in the future for experimentation. After taking the agents away, Rak returned and sat by Hellgate's side as Hellgate presented his offer to "build" dead soldiers for the mobsters. To prove his points, Hellgate demonstrated the durability of his soldiers by ordering Rak to stand there while Hellgate shot him. When Rak was not harmed, Hellgate reminded the mobsters had resilient the soldiers were and how they were incapable of harming Hellgate himself. After a battle erupted between Ghost Rider and Vengeance at the Grand Aventura, Ripper asked Hellgate if she, Rak and the others should help the mobsters but Hellgate instead suggested allowing Ghost Rider and Vengeance thin out the mobsters then they could just jump in afterwards and take care of Ghost Rider.
(Ghost Rider III#76) - During the fight between Ghost
Rider and Vengeance, Rak noticed Det. Arthur Dolan, picked him up and
asked Anton Hellgate what to do with him. Hellgate gloated, claiming
that he respected the police's tenacity, but when Dolan pulled a gun,
Rak tossed him aside. Noticing that Dolan's daughter Stacey was
seriously injured nearby, Hellgate ordered Rak to bring Stacy to the
car so that she could be added to Hellgate's collection of agents.
Doing as he was told, Rak picked up the unconscious Stacy and carried
her away, commenting on how it was like collecting inaction figures.
When Stacy regained consciousness in the Grand Aventura parking garage,
she pulled a hidden knife and stabbed Rak in the neck. Confiscating a
nearby car, Stacy then drove the car into an angry Rak.
Comments: Created by Howard Mackie, Ron Garney and Chris Ivy.
After Stacy ran a car into Rak, Vengeance eventually
exploded, killing Anton Hellgate in the process. Even though Hellgate
could at that point no longer reconstruct Rak, it is likely that he was
not killed by the car, given his superhuman durability.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Rak has no KNOWN connections to:
images: (without ads)
Ghost Rider III#73, p14, pan2 (Rak kicking Det. Dolan, main image)
Ghost Rider III#76, p9, pan2 (Rak headshot, in tuxedo)
Ghost Rider III#48, p6, pan2 (Rak's original armor)
Appearances:
Ghost Rider III#46 (February, 1994) - Howard Mackie (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ghost Rider III#48 (April, 1994) - Howard Mackie (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ghost Rider III#61 (May, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ghost Rider III#62 (June, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ghost Rider III#63 (July, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ghost Rider III#64 (August, 1995) - Howard Mackie (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Ghost Rider III#73 (May, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#74 (June, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James Felder (editor)
Ghost Rider III#75 (July, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James "Professor" Felder
(editor)
Ghost Rider III#76 (August, 1996) - Ivan Velez, Jr. (writer), Salvador
Larroca (pencils), Sergio Melia (inks), James Felder (editor)
Last updated: 11/19/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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