ORSIROSIANS

Classification: Alternate reality (Reality-8116) semi-humanoid extraterrestrial race 

Location/Base of Operations: Unrevealed (apparently extinct);
    Planet Orsiros, Milky Way galaxy, Reality-8116

Known Members: Aknaton, Nieth, unidentified elders (race apparently extinct)

Affiliations: They were allegedly the progenitors to all other humanoid races in the Milky Way galaxy;
    they worshipped the god Ra

Enemies: Zygoteans;
    it is debatable whether everyone in the Milky Way galaxy would consider them allies or an enemies - they arranged the rest of the galaxy's inhabitants' deaths to spare them from what he perceived as slow torture at the Zygoteans' hands

First Appearance: Epic Illustrated#1 (Spring, 1980)

Powers/Abilities: The Orsirosians were masters of science and magic, and they were considered the most powerful race in the galaxy. They were extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, and they could access various forms of energy for personal or technological use.
    They worshipped power as well as the deity Ra.

    The were extremely long-lived, with centuries being like mere hours to them, although they were still mortal and feared death.

    They designed a fleet of starships and other weapons sufficient to turn back the most devastating invading force in the galaxy.

    They designed the Infinity Horn, able to access the energies of gods, and capable of destroying the entire galaxy.

Traits: The Orsirosians were a benevolent race who lived lives characterized by scientific marvel, ancient grandeur, natural beauty, and mystical spirit and wonder. 

    Though never having previously warred in their lengthy racial history, they accepted the necessity of war and learned its arts from the Zygoteans.

    Though highly intellectual and spiritual, they were also pragmatic, and they considered mercy killing, or a quick death, preferable to tortuous death. They also considered it appropriate for themselves to make that same decision for other living beings.

Type:  Bilaterally symmetric semi-humanoid bipeds
Eyes: Two (on head; solid blue or green color seen - it is possible that their eye colors change with their emotions)
Fingers: Four (plus opposing thumb)
Toes: Apparently spatulate
Skin color: Pink
Average height: Approximately 6'2" (a guess...the only confirmed height comparison is with Aknaton against Vanth, who is 5'11"; Aknaton looked to be about as tall as the rest of the Elders)

History:
(Epic Illustrated#7/6 (fb) - BTS) - The Orsirosians were the most ancient and powerful race in the Milky Way galaxy. 

(Epic Illustrated#7/6 (fb) - BTS) - The Orsirosians were the root of all humanoid life throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb) - BTS) - Untold millennia ago, Orsiros, was a world of scientific marvel, ancient grandeur, natural beauty, and mystical spirit and wonder. They had never been plagued with war. They worshipped power as well as the deity Ra.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - The proud and powerful Orsirosians (including Aknaton) watched in horror from a distance (technological +/- mystic monitoring) as the Zygoteans enslaved and destroyed world after world. Though seeing hundreds of such worlds fall, they hoped for an end to this madness, but did not act, perhaps due to fearing the death that might come if they intervened.

    Nonetheless, the Orsirosians realized that eventually the Zygoteans would come for them, so they watched and learned of death and killing, and they prepared.

(Epic Illustrated#7/6 (fb) - BTS) - The Zygoteans saw the Orsirians, their forgotten parents, as the ultimate symbol of everything they had lost on their journey to what they had become. They resolved that the Orsirosians had to die that the Zygoteans could live on. 

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - When the Zygoteans finally approached Orsiros, the Orirosians flew out in their silver death bird ships to confront them. 

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb) - BTS) - In a battle lasting nearly 500 years and killing hundreds of thousands, the Orsirosians drove off the Zygoteans.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb) - BTS) -  The Orsirosian elders realized they had only succeeded due to the Zygoteans' centuries of unchallenged supremacy, and that the enemy would return someday, prepared to deal harshly with any resistance they might encounter; and on that day that Orsiros would fall.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb) - BTS) - Hundreds of new strategies were plotted, but all were found to be lacking; and a thousand new power sources were tested and failed to be enough. 

    Eventually death (extinction) became an accepted part of their plans, but they refused to die alone.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - The Orsirosians combined every iota of their workd's mystical and technological power: Massive forces were forged into matter, new concepts were embraced, old beliefs were twisted, and new and forgotten gods were called upon in the creation of the Infinity Horn. 

    Though nothing could save Orsiros, the Orsirosians knew the Horn would prove the undoing of the Zygoteans and the final hope for the universe.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb) / Epic Illustrated#4/2 (fb) - BTS) - Once used, the Horn would prove uncontrollable in its wrath, so fail-safing was instituted to ensure it would not fall into the wrong hands. 

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - Aknaton was appointed the Horn's guardian, and the elders transfered their own might into him.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - With this power, Aknaton looked into the future. He saw the Zygoteans' triumph, the destruction of Orsiros, the release of the Horn's vengeance, and his own death.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - Armed with this knowledge, Aknaton escaped the Zygotean blockade and concealed the Infinity Horn on a barren world the Zygoteans would probably never bother.

(Epic Illustrated#4/2 (fb) - BTS) - Aknaton constructed an artificial immortal being, Joenis Soule, to hide the Infinity Horn on a far-off world and not reveal its location until a certain verse was recited to him by an Orsirian. Soule was instructed to await that Orsirian on the planet Delloran. Soule put the hidden location on a key, which he defended from pirates, demons, thieves, magicians, and Zygoteans.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - Aknaton traveled to Earth, where instilled a certain racial memory into the minds of the emerging homo sapiens.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - Aknaton traveled to a lush but uninhabited world (later identified as the World of the Woods) in the Crab Nebula and released life of his own creation.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - Aknaton traveled to Tyjor, a harsh world of the Alpha Centauri system populated by cannibalistic brutes, and he introduced the potential to care.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) - On Byfrexia, an outer planet of Vega, Aknaton left a Sword of Icy Fire, knowing that someday someone would come to claim it.

(Epic Illustrated#1/7 (fb)) <100, 000 years ago> - Aknaton returned to Orsiros and Nieth and calmly waited for the end.

(Epic Illustrated#1/14) - Aknaton recruited Za of Tyjor to help destroy the Zygoteans.

(Epic Illustrated#1/15) - As the Zygoteans slaughtered humanity, Aknaton recruited Juliet and destroyed Earth as they departed to spare humanity from Zygotean subjugation and a slow, torturous death.

(Epic Illustrated#2/6) - On the World of the Woods, Aknaton recruited Whis'par.

(Epic Illustrated#3/3) - On Vega (aka Byfrexia) and recruited Vanth, holder of the Sword, who saved him from a Zygotean A-Team mercenary squad. 

(Epic Illustrated#4/2) - On Delloran, Aknaton recovered the key to the location of the Infinity Horn from Joenis Soule.

(Epic Illustrated#5/9) - Aknaton brought Vanth to Lartorez (see comments) where Juliet, Za, and Whis'par awaited them, after which he departed to decipher the secrets of Soule's amulet in solitude on another plane.

(Epic Illustrated#6/6) - Aknaton communed with the Orsiosians' god, Ra, who granted him knowledge of the Infinity Horn's location on the world Dreamsend, and he retained the conviction that what he was about to do was just. As he departed this realm, Aknaton told Nieth he would be coming to join her that day, although not alone. 

    Upon Aknaton's return, Vanth confronted him about his plans to blow up the galaxy. To convince his allies of the wisdom of this plan, Aknaton prepared to show them the true face of Zygoteism.

(Epic Illustrated#7/6) - Aknaton shared with his agents the history of the Zygoteans, including the destruction of the Orsirosians, after which he told them how their job was to fulfull the death wish of the galaxy and to pray that in doing so, they could create a new and better beginning. 
    As Aknaton finished his story, a group of Zygotean cruisers detected Aknaton and his group and received orders to terminate them.

(Epic Illustrated#7/7) - Vanth led Aknaton's group to destroy the Zygotean cruisers as well as the nearby dreadnought that had brought them there. 

(Epic Illustrated#8/6) - Fighting their way past Zygotean agents at Dreamsend who apparently appreciated their goal, Aknaton and Vanth led Juliet, Whis'par, and Za to the Infinity Horn. 
    Aknaton asked Vanth to please stay close to his side, as after this was all over, he would have one last job for him...

(Epic Illustrated#9) - Though Aknaton lost his right arm in the battle, he and Vanth held off the Zygoteans long enough for the trio to blow the Infinity Horn. Aknaton created a mystical force sphere that protected himself and Vanth from the forces being unleashed, as well as placing them into a deep state of suspended animation. 

    The Milky Way galaxy was destroyed. The energies released, plus Aknaton's spells, enabled Juliet, Whis'par, and Za to survive as "something wondrous...a new species of being that the stars had never before seen...escaping the weakness of the flesh and becoming beings of pure thought and energy" and departed for parts unrevealed.

(Epic Illustrated#9) - Over a million years (as the nature of Aknaton's spell would not allow the bubble to travel as fast as the speed of light), guided by Aknaton's astral ego, Aknaton's sphere carried he and Vanth to the planet Caldor in the star system Chalfalon in the Empirical galaxy, 500,000 light years from the Milky Way; Aknaton's senses told him that this was where Vanth's destiny awaited. 

    After the sphere crashed on Caldor, Aknaton explained what had happened to Vanth and then goaded Vanth into mortally wounded him. Before dying, Aknaton advised Vanth of his destiny in this galaxy and assured him that he knew the Infinity Horn's location in case he failed to lead this galaxy's people in the right direction.

(Epic Illustrated#9 (fb) - BTS) - Vanth dug a shallow grave for Aknaton and buried him under a pile of rocks. 

Comments: Created by Jim Starlin.

    Dreadstar was a licensed character/title created by Jim Starlin starting way back with the Metamorphosis Odyssey in Epic Illustrated#1 in the Spring of 1980. The Metamorphosis Odyssey started around the modern era and affected Earth, but then swiftly destroyed the entire Milky Way galaxy and then moved on like a million years in the future. Dreadstar eventually got his own series under the Epic imprint, but Starlin later took the whole shebang over to First Comics. And in 1994, it was published under the imprint of Bravura, a creator-owned division of Malibu comics. He appeared sometime later in issues #5-7 of the Breed III series. And, there's talk of a Dreadstar television show.
    Still that earlier Marvel connection allows me to place this reality in the fringes of the Marvel Megaverse.
    Peter David took over the writing around issue#31 or so, but Starlin remained the owner. At any rate, from start to finish, it is the best series I've ever read, period! I'd love to see it continued, by Starlin, David, or both!

    In Reality-616, Xorr claimed that the Xorri were the common race from which all humanoid races were spawned. I think other races have made such claims, as well.

    If the Orsirosians existed in Reality-616, they were presumably consumed by Galactus or the Ebon Seeker, or one of the many beings that slaughtered "hundreds" or more worlds.

    The "mineral poor planet the Zygoteans had already passed" on which Aknaton left Juliet, Whis'par, and Za, and later Vanth until they were ready to go after the Infinity Horn was not named in the story (though I could have missed it), but the title for the issue in which Vanth met the others on the planet (Epic Illustrated#5, Chapter VIII) was called "Sunrise of Lartorez." (and it's called "Lartoprez" in the index page). I'm not familiar with Lartorez (or Lartoprez) meaning anything else, nor does a Google search come up with anything, so maybe that's the name of that world.

    The draw on Egyptian mythology for Aknaton and the Osirosians is obviously strong.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Orsirosians have no known connections to

•  Osiris - the Ennead/Heliopolitan/Egyptian god of the dead--Thor I#240

Elders

     Althought not clearly specified, the Elders appeared to be the most experienced and perhaps the oldest, wisest, and/or most powerful of the Orsirosians. They were likely the ruling body of Orsiros.

    Having observed the Zygoteans wiping out hundreds of planets and realizing the Zygoteans would eventually come for them, they watched and learned of war. 

    They designed ships and weapons that eventually fought off the Zygoteans after 500 years of battle, but they knew the Zygoteans would be back and perceived that every option to oppose the Zygoteans again was destined for failure. 

    They thus conceived of the creation of the Infinity Horn to destroy the entire galaxy to stop the Zygoteans, rather than having all of the galaxy's races suffer a slow agony. 

    They transferred their powers into Aknaton, and he acted out their plot.

    When Aknaton returned, they patiently waited 100,000 years for the Zygoteans to return.

    When the Zygoteans returned, they bade Aknaton farewell before he departed, and they all -- save Aknaton -- perished with their world.

--Epic Illustrated#1/7

Nieth

     Nieth was the beloved of Aknaton. 

    She saw the necessity of the Elders' plan, and she waited as Aknaton carried out their objectives.

    When Aknaton returned, they patiently waited 100,000 years for the Zygoteans to return.

    When the Zygoteans returned, she bade Aknaton farewell before he departed, and she perished with their world.

(Epic Illustrated#6/6) - As he prepared to approach the Infinity Horn, Aknaton mentally told Nieth he would be coming to join her that day, although not alone. 

--Epic Illustrated#1/7

Note: Nieth is also seen in two pictures within the main image.

    You can see her face straight-on, as well as the band she wears when not wearing her headdress.

Orsiros

     Orsiros was a world somewhere in the Milky Way galaxy. 

    It was a world where advanced technology lived in harmony with nature and magic.

    In addition to conventional buildings, you can see pyramid-like structures of uncertain significance.

    Orsiros weathered the first attack of the Zygoteans over 100, 000 years ago for a period of 500 years before the Orsirosian's advanced technology drove back the attackers, who were unaccustomed to significant resistance.

    The planet was blown to pieces when the Zygoteans returned 100, 000 year later.

--Epic Illustrated#1/7

Note: You can see another view of the planet's landscape in the main image.

    The image in the main profile showing the fight between the Zygotean and Orsirosian ships gives a limited view of the planet from orbit.

    The final image in the main profile features Orsiros' destruction.

Orsirosian ships

     The Orsirosians likely had starships before they encountered the Zygoteans, but they weren't equipped as a warfleet until they observed the Zygoteans slaughtering hundreds of worlds. 

    Watching the Zygoteans from afar, they learned of warfare and designed their starships as part of the means to fight them off.

    When the Zygoteans arrived, the Orsirosian ships flew out to meet them. The Zygoteans' first assault on Orsiros took 500 years, but eventually the Orsirosians drove them back.

    When the Zygoteans returned 100, 000 years later, the Orsirosians had realized that any further resistance would be futile. 

    The Zygoteans destroyed Orsiros and its people -- with the exception of Aknaton -- in this second assault.

--Epic Illustrated#1/7

Note: More of the fleet can be seen in the smaller/fuller version of the image above in the main profile

images: (without ads)
Epic Illustrated#1/7, pg. 1, panel 1 (main image);
        pg. 3, panel 3-4 (elders);
        pg. 4 (Orsirosian ships vs. Zygoteans);
        pg. 5, panel 2 (landscape, trees);
        pg. 6, panel 6 (landscape, pyramids);
            panel 7 (embracing Nieth);
        pg. 7, panel 3 (saying farewell to Nieth);
            panel 6 (destruction of Orsiros)

Appearances:
Epic Illustrated#1: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters I: Aknaton, II: Za!, and III: Juliet (Spring, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Epic Illustrated#2: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter IV: Whis'par (Summer, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#3: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter V: Vanth & VI: The Meeting (Fall, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#4: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter VII: Delloran Revisited (Winter, 1980) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#5: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter VIII: Sunrise on Lartoprez (April, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#6: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapter IX: Absolution (June, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#7: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters X: Requiem & XI: Nightfire (August, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#8: Metamorphosis Odyssey chapters XII: Dreamsend (October, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)
Epic Illustrated#9: Metamorphosis Odyssey, Chapter XIII: Doomsday & XIV: Aftermath (December, 1981) - Jim Starlin (writer, artist), Stan Lee (editor/publisher), Archie Goodwin (editorial director), James Shooter (consulting editor)

First Posted: 06/18/2008
Last updated: 08/21/2016

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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