HYBALEA
HYBALEA
Real Name: Presumably Hybalea
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Negative Zone) mutate (or otherwise powerful being)
Occupation: Warrior, liberator
Group Membership: A group of renegade
Centurions (Torrent; others unidentified, but can be grossly described
as bat-like, liquid, energized, mace-fisted, robotic, and tentacled)
formerly the Centurions
Affiliations: Firelord;
formerly Annihilation Wave, Annihilus, Ravenous, (presumably) Smyt and those who joined the Death Squad, and approximatley 90 other Centurions;
Enemies: Death Squad, Ravenous, Smyt, any Centurions still working with Ravenous and/or ruling worlds via appointment from Ravenous;
formerly the United Front (including Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Nova/Richard Rider, Praxagora, Peter Quill, Red Shift, Ronan the Accuser, Stardust)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
(when last seen) mobile throughout the Skrull Empire and a
number of fringe territories still disputed by the Kree;
briefly Omina Prime;
formerly the Negative Zone
First Appearance: Annihilation#2 (November, 2006);
(identified) Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2 (May, 2007)
Powers/Abilities: Hybalea has superhuman powers of and at an unspecified level. He wears a suit of body armor that can generate an energy field and can survive in the frigid airless vacuum of outer space. He can fly and expand his energy field to enlarge his fists, etc. His power level was sufficient to contend with Smyt, but only if he was focused on the battle. He presumably possesses additional abilities that are at this time unrevealed. He wears a suit of body armor of unidentified composition, and though it can be shattered by certain attacks, he can apparently repair/replace/reconstitute it within a short time period.
Hybalea's facial features appear grossly humanoid.
Height: Unrevealed; perhaps 6' tall
Weight: Unrevealed; perhaps 200 lbs.
Eyes: Apparently blue (they are only clearly seen in one panel, and my color vision is sub-spectacular.
Hair: Unrevealed (portions of his facemask are shattered, but we
don't seen the top of his head; he has no facial hair, and we don't
even see eyebrows clearly.
History:
(Annihilation#2 (fb) - BTS / Annihilation#2: Centurions profile) - The Centurions were formed as an elite warrior force for Annihilus, one each from the 100 Negative Zone worlds under Annihilus' control.
(Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2 (fb) - BTS) - The Centurions were only keepers of order in chaotic realms.
(Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z hardcover#2: Centurions profile) - Annihilus duped the Centurions into aiding his Annihilation Wave by telling them that the positive universe was destroying the Negative Zone (which was partially true, but was taking place at a slow rate and would threaten the Negative Zone in a far distant future). Misled by their own zealotry and by their blind obedience to Annihilus, whose agenda was purely for his own benefit, the Centurions followed Annihilus.
(Annihilation#2 / Annihilation#3 - BTS) - Annihilus deployed the assembled Centurions as a united strike team against the main force of heroes -- including Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Nova (Richard Rider), Praxagora, Peter Quill, Ronan the Accuser, former heralds of Galactus Red Shift and Stardust, among others -- opposing him on Daedalus 5, a system on the periphery of the Kree Empire. Led by Hybalea, the Centurions assault broke the back of the resisting forces, effectively ending the military phase of the war.
(Annihilation#5
- possibly BTS) - Some of the Centurions served Ravenous on Hala in a failed
effort to drive off Ronan when he came for the House of Fiyero.
(Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2 (fb) - BTS) - Following
the defeat of Annihilus, the Annihilation Wave
sued for truce, and the devastated leaders of the Kree and perhaps other
Empires ceded numerous planets in the devastated Skrull Empire and a
number of fringe territories still disputed by the Kree. Ravenous ruled
over the ceded territories, and Centurions (the remnants of Annihilus'
elite strike force) were each granted a world of their choice to set up
their dominion.
(Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2 (fb) - BTS) - Hybalea brought his renegade Centurions to Ominus Prime to take down Smyt, the Centurion ruling there.
(Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2 (fb) - BTS) - A Centurion Death Squad was sent to Ominus Prime at the time of a reception being held in Smyt's honor.
(Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2) - The renegade Centurions attended the reception in disguise, but Hybalea and Torrent were detected and exposed by a member of the Death Squad. Hybalea ordered the renegades to take their attackers, and the renegades dropped their holographic forms and converged on Smyt and the Death Squad. Hybalea grappled with Smyt, refusing his instruction to surrender; but when Torrent dropped after taking several blasts, Hybalea was distracted, and Smyt smashed him away with an energy fist that partially shattered his helmet.
The conflict was then interrupted by Firelord, who had vowed to liberate the planets under Centurions' rule. Smyt defied Firelord's order to surrender or die, and Hybalea tried to convince Smyt and the rest of the Centurions (including the Death Squad) to surrender if they valued their lives. When Smyt struck down Hybalea with a blast from behind, Firelord engaged the Death Squad and Smyt, transported the innocents of Omina Prime out of the reception hall, and then released an energy burst the blew the hall apart and floored those present. After Smyt continued with defiant threats, Firelord apparently slew Smyt and the rest of the Death Squad.
Pushing himself up from the groudn, Hybalea begged Firelord to hear him out, and then told him how he and the other renegade Centurions opposed those Centurions allied with Ravenous, and that they still remembered what it once meant to be Centurions. He continued to explain that they were hunting down their former brethren to right their wrongs, and that they did so out of shame, rather than out of anger, retribution, or atonement. He petitioned Firelord not to slay them for trying to honor their past roles.
Firelord agreed, but told them he would be watching them and that if they moved against any but their brethren that he would hunt them to the ends of the universe and see them dead. Hybalea acknowledged this, and Firelord left them in peace.
Comments: Created by Keith Giffen and Andrea DeVito.
As far as I can tell, we don't see Torrent in Annihilation#2 (or any of the other Annihilation issues). Nor do we see the little bat-like creature (there's someone a bit similar, but it seems to be a bird-person, with feathered wings, a beak, and more humanoid legs), nor the guy with the mace-fists.
Several of the future renegades, including Hybalea, as well as the unidentified liquid woman, the robotic guy, the energized guy, and the tentacled character, are shown in the main image from the Centurions profile from Annihilation#2. Also shown in that picture is a warrior female who REALLY looks like she's from Birj (Terrax's world) and the giant spikey-rock guy.
It might be inferred from his tearful reaction to Torrent's apparent death that the two were more than just teammates; but, he could have just been supremely loyal to his friends and teammates, and her apparent death could have rocked his world, especially because it may have caused him to feel he was going to fail in his goal of stopping his corrupt former brethen.
Annihilation Day is the day Annihilus' forces invaded the positive universe and began the slaughter represented during the Annihilation series (plural). In case it's not clear, Annihilation Day, plus 274 is meant to indicate 274 days after Annihilation Day.
The Centurions are supposed to be composed of one member each from the 100 Negative Zone worlds under Annihilus' control. In that case, there may be a race of beings like Hybalea (presumably lacking his powers, or at least his level of power), unless they were amongst those destroyed by Annihilus for refusing to participate in the Annihilation Wave.
There are quality images of Hybalea in the Smyt profile (and the Centurion renegades profile, which should be posted shortly); as I didn't really have room to include those here, I refer you to those profiles for further images of Hybalea.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Hybalea should be distinguished from:
images: (without ads)
Annihilation#2, second to last page, main image;
Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2, story pg. 5, panel 2 & 3 (with Torrent, incognito faces & bodies);
pg. 7, panel 5 (punched away by Smyt);
pg. 10, panel 2-4 (blasted from behind by Smyt)
Appearances:
Annihilation#2 (November, 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Andrea DeVito (artist), Andy Schmidt (editor);
Annihilation#3
(December, 2006) - Keith Giffen (writer), Andrea DeVito (artist),
Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Andy Schmidt (editor);
Annihilation#5 (January, 2007) - Keith Giffen (writer), Andrea DeVito (artist), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Andy Schmidt (editor)
Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus#2 (May, 2007) - Keith Giffen (writer), Scott Kolins (artist), Andy Schmidt (edtior)
First Posted: 02/28/2016
Last updated: 02/28/2016
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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