PROCYONITE race
Classification: Extraterrestrial reptilian bipeds (see comments)
Location/Base of Operations: Perratin, the second planet out from the star known on Earth as Procyon in the Milky Way galaxy
Habitat: Arid over much of the planet's surface, 64% covered by
water
Gravity: 140% of Earth
Atmosphere: 74% nitrogen, 18% oxygen
Known Members:
Tork (see
comments)
Estimated population: 3.4 billion
Affiliations: Tork was one of the Minions of Menace who served the cyborg Korvac in the early 31st century of Reality-691;
Enemies: (Tork) Guardians of the Galaxy (Major Vance Astro, Charlie-27, Martinex, Nikki Gold, Starhawk (Stakar/Aleta), Yondu Udonta) and Galactic Guardians (Firelord, Hollywood/Simon Williams, Martinex, Phoenix/Giraud, Replica, Spirit of Vengeance/Wileaydus) from the 31st century of Reality-691; Thor Odinson (displaced from the 21st century of Reality-616)
First Appearance: (Tork) Thor Annual I#6 (1976);
race identified in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 (July,
1983)
Powers/Abilities: Procyonites have large tortoise-like shells
that protect most of their bodies. These shells feature a number of large spikes that are
presumeably also defensive in nature. Their tails end in spikes and can be used as
weapons. The Procyonites have beak-like mouths
Procyonites are believed to possess at least enhanced strength.
Cultural Traits: Fierce and independent
Type: Reptilian bipeds
Eyes: Two (lidless)
Fingers: Three (plus opposable thumb), each ending with a claw
Toes: Three, each ending with a claw
Skin color: Brown scales, brown shell
Hair: None
Average height: 6' 5"
Type of government: Large tribal nations
Level of technology: Unimpressive, with no space travel
History:
(The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7: Alien Races: Procyonites
entry) - A bipedal reptilian race that came to call itself the Procyonites evolved on the
second planet out from the sun in the planetary system orbiting around the star (later
known on Earth as) Procyon. These beings called their homeworld Perratin.
(The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7: Alien Races: Procyonites entry) - By the late 21st century (Earth chronology), the Procyonite race's level of technology remained unimpressive and they were unable to travel through space unless transported by alien starships, alien technology or alien beings.
(Thor Annual I#7 (fb) - BTS) - At some point, the male Procyonite known as Tork was recruited to serve the insane Terran cyborg Korvac on his Wonderworld asteroid in the year 3016 A.D of Reality-691. No details have been provided about where and when Tork was at the time of his recruitment.
Comments: Tork was created by Len Wein, Roger Stern, Sal Buscema
& Klaus Janson.
Procyonite race named/created by the staff of the first volume of The
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (led by Head Writer Mark Gruenwald).
The name of the Procyonite homeworld, Perratin, is an anagram of the word "terrapin" which is part of the common English-language names of several small species of turtle who live in fresh or brackish water.
When the Prime Mover from Earth-616 played a game with the Grandmaster in Giant-Size Defenders#3, they each chose six pawns to serve them in their game. The only one of the Prime Mover's pawns whose place of origin was revealed in that issue was Korvac who stated that he had been born in the year 2977 and that the science of the 31st century was his to command. The story in Thor Annual I#6 later revealed that Korvac was a native of the same alternate future reality as the Guardians of the Galaxy, a timeline known as "Earth-691." Except for the fact that none of them were from Earth-616, nothing was revealed about the planets of origin of the other five pawns. Furthermore, there was no indication of whether or not they also had been chosen from other time periods and/or timelines.
However, when Korvac, back in his native 31st century, used probes that he had sent out "through time and space" to recruit five aliens to serve as his lieutenants, three of them were (or seemed to be) aliens who had served the Prime Mover alongside him. Grott the Man-Slayer definitely fought the Hulk in GSD#3, and Dumog and Teju appeared to be the same as two other pawns who had appeared, without being named, in that same issue. Again, there was no indication as to where or when any of these three originated. The chances were equally good that they came from Korvac's 31st century or from the 20th century where they had previously fought the Grandmaster's pawns.
Of Korvac's five minions, Teju was identified as being a Reptoid in Thor Annual I#6 but the races of the other four were not named until the first volume of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Brahl's Achernonions, Dumog's Fomalhauti, Grott's Grunds, and Tork's Procyonites) which also confirmed that Teju was a Reptoid. However, while the quarter-pages entries for the Grunds, Procyonites and Reptoids confirmed that Grott, Tork, and Teju, respectively, had been "among the minions of the Earth-born cyborg Korvac in the Thirtieth Century," those entries AGAIN said nothing as to where and when those individuals had originated.
Although other members of the Fomalhauti and Grund races (and possibly the Achernonian race) have appeared in stories set in the mainstream Marvel Universe, so far Tork and Teju are, respectively, the only Procyonites and Reptoids who have ever appeared in any Marvel Comics story.
The Procyonites have quarter-page entries in the Alien Races Appendices presented in the first and second volumes of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe. The information contained in these appendices is presumed to apply to the Procyonites who existed in the mainstream Marvel Universe (Reality-616) during the late 20th century. However, since this has never been confirmed, if Tork did originate in the 31st century of Reality-691, then the data could instead apply to the Procyonites who lived in that era of that timeline.
In skimming through the Alien Races listed in the Official
Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition, I found that only 10 of the almost 140 races
which had profiles were known by names taken from the Earth designation for their home stars.
Aside from the Procyonites, the other nine races are:
1. Alpha Centaurians
2. Arcturans
3. Centaurians
4. Fomalhauti
5. Pegasusians
6. Rigellians
7-8. Sirians and Siris
9. Vegans
Additionally, it seems likely that the Sagittarian race was named after the constellation of Sagittarius but this has so far not been confirmed. Personally, if I were ever elevated to the position of God-Editor of the Marvel Universe, one of the things I would do is instruct my minions to come up with new, non-Terran-derived names for these alien races.
Procyon in the MU and in
the real world
In the Marvel Universe, the star known on Earth as Procyon
has so far only been mentioned in the entries on the Procyonites that were published in the
first and second volumes of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.
In the real world, Procyon is the brightest object in the constellation of Canis Minor and usually the eighth-brightest star in the night sky. As such, its Latinised Bayer designation is Alpha Canis Minoris. Procyon is a binary star system that consists of a white-hued main-sequence star (Procyon A) in orbit with a faint white dwarf companion (Procyon B). The pair of stars orbit each other with a period of 40.8 years and their eccentric orbit causes the separation between them to vary from 8.9 AU to 21.0 AU. The star system is located only 11.46 light-years away from Earth. No planets have been detected and the fact that neither star is more than two billion years old would suggest that, even if planets did exist, they would be too young for either life-sustaining environments or intelligent lifeforms to have evolved on them.
Profile by Donald Campbell.
CLARIFICATIONS:
The Procyonite race has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#15, page 53, panel 2 (main image)
Appearances (aside from Tork):
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#7 (July, 1983) - Paty (penciler)
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe II#15 (March, 1987) - Kyle Baker (artist)
First Posted: 12/27/2019
Last updated: 12/27/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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