ARD
Real Name: Ard
Identity/Class: Extraterrestrial (Kronan)
Occupation: Would-be conquerer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Gorr, Korg, Margus, several other Kronans
Enemies: Thor (Thor Odinson)
Known Relatives: O-Korg and Ahna (parents),
Korg (brother), Margus
(brother)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Unrevealed
First Appearance: (unidentified) Journey into
Mystery I#83 (August, 1962);
(identified only as Korg's brother) Incredible Hulk
III#94 (June, 2006);
(identified as Ard) Incredible Hulks I#620 (March,
2011)
Powers/Abilities: Ard, like all Kronans, had a
body composed of a silicon-based substance that granted him superhuman
durability against nearly all physical harm. Within oxygen-rich
environments, Ard's strength increased to superhuman levels, allowing
him to life approximately 100 tons.
He also carried an energy blaster.
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 8'0")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 2,040 lbs.)
Eyes: Green
Hair: None
History:
(Incredible Hulk III#94 (fb) - BTS) - Ard was an alien Kronan born to
parents O-Korg and Ahna and had brothers, Margus and Korg.
(Journey into Mystery I#83/Thor I#158 (fb)) - Ard was one of the
Kronans who were part of the Kronans' intended invasion force of Earth.
While the Kronans Gorr, Korg and Margus arrived on Earth and began
surveying the area, Ard and the rest of the invasion force were en
route. Eventually, Ard and a few other Kronans arrived and regrouped
with Korg, Gorr and Margus just as Thor arrived on the scene.
(Journey into Mystery I#83/Journey into Mystery I#84 (fb)/Thor I#158 (fb)/Incredible Hulk III#94 (fb)/Thor I#479 (fb)) - Ard and the other hesitantly approached Thor but Thor swung his hammer around, keeping the Kronans at bay. After Thor stumbled under the Kronans' cage trap, he easily tore his way free of the cage.
(Incredible Hulks I#620/2 (fb)) - Thor then charged into Ard, slamming him in the chest with his hammer.
(Journey into Mystery I#83/Thor I#158 (fb)/Thor I#415 (fb)) - Upon seeing Thor's true strength, the Kronans ordered Thor's death. Thor responded by using his hammer to knock the blasters from the other Kronans' hands.
(Incredible Hulks I#620/2 (fb)) - With his hammer hurled elsewhere, Thor leaped onto Ard and began pummeling the Kronan as the other Kronans dogpiled onto the Asgardian to stop him. While Thor was beating Ard to death, Margus ordered Korg to pick up Thor's hammer and use it to avenge the fallen Ard. Unfortunately, Korg was unable to Thor's hammer due to the Asgardian spell placed upon it and Korg felt shamed that he could not avenge his own brother.
(Incredible Hulks I#620/2 - BTS) -
While being tested in battle against the Hulk, Korg compared Hulk's
strength to Thor's and recalled the encounter with Thor that resulted
in Ard's death.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott. Further fleshed out/named by Brandon Montclare and Simon Bisley.
Ard is not identified in Journey into Mystery I#83 and in the flashback in Incredible Hulk III#94, Korg only mentions that he came to Earth with his brothers. He does not mentioned Ard by name but the flashback in Incredible Hulks I#620/2 establishes that Ard was Margus and Korg's brother who fell to Thor in the Kronans' battle with Thor in Journey into Mystery I#83. Since the early invasion party in Journey into Mystery I#83 is Gorr, Korg and Margus, it stands to reason that Ard was one of the several Kronans who arrived a bit later, not long before Thor arrived on the scene. We see Thor battling at least six Kronans at one time in Journey into Mystery I#83 so Ard must be one of those, especially considering that Korg flashes back to that exact scene in Incredible Hulk III#94, where he also mentions being there with his brothers.
Since Ard is not identified in all
but one of his appearances, I had to guess a bit as to which Kronan in
his appearances was Ard. I gauged these guesses on the one appearance
in which we know which Kronan was Ard (Incredible Hulks I#620. See the
two images above of Thor beating down a gray Kronan) and which Kronan
in the other appearances most closely resembled the one Thor was
beating up in Incredible Hulks I#620 and where that particular Kronan
was located in the other appearances.
The color of Ard's rocky skin is
different in almost every appearance he had. On the cover of Journey
into Mystery I#83, his skin appears green like the other Kronans.
Inside the issue, however, Ard's skin appears orange, also like the
other Kronans (and it's also orange in the flashbacks in Journey into
Mystery I#84, Thor I#158, Thor I Annual#11 and Incredible Hulk
III#94). In the flashbacks in Thor I#415, Thor I#479 and Incredible
Hulks I#620, Ard's skin appears
gray, also like the other Kronans in that issue (except for Korg, whose
skin was colored orange).
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ard should be distinguished from:
Appearances:
Journey into Mystery I#83 (August, 1962) - "The Mighty Thor & the Stone Men from Saturn!" story - Stan Lee (plot, editor),
Larry Lieber (script), Jack Kirby (pencils), Joe Sinnott (inks)
Journey into Mystery I#84 (September, 1962) - "The Mighty Thor vs. the
Executioner" story - Stan Lee (plot, editor), Larry Lieber (script),
Jack Kirby (pencils), Dick Ayers (inks)
Thor I#158 (November, 1968) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
Thor I Annual#11 (1983) - Alan Zelenetz (writer), Bob Hall (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks), Mark Gruenwald (editor)
Thor I#415 (March, 1990) - "When Gods Wear Mortal Flesh!" story - Tom
DeFalco (writer), Herb Trimpe (art), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Thor I#479 (October, 1994) - Roy Thomas (writer), M.C. Wyman (pencils), Mike DeCarlo (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Incredible Hulk III#94 (June, 2006) - Greg Pak (writer), Carlo
Pagulayan, Michael Avon Oeming, Marshall Rogers (pencils), Alex Nino
(pencils, inks), Jeffrey Huet, Mike Allred (inks), Mark Paniccia
(editor)
Incredible Hulks I#620 (March, 2011) - "Inductive Reasoning" story -
Brandon Montclare (writer), Simon Bisley (art), Jordan D. White (editor)
First posted: 03/04/2023
Last updated: 03/04/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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