GENERAL RAKEREarth-7481
GENERAL RAKER
Earth-7481
Real Name: Raker
Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-7481) human
Occupation: Scientist
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Apeslayer (Jonathan Dover), Saunders, Scrapper and other unidentified agent and unidentified mutates;
mentally enslaved by and forced to serve the extraterrestrial
Apes/Simians/Masters/Generals
Enemies: Dr. Ann Carver, Apes/Simians/Masters/Generals, Maureen Dover and her unidentified younger son;
formerly Apeslayer (Jonathan Dover)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Ape-stooge"
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly a base within the former Grand Central Station, in what had been Manhattan, New York
First Appearance: Planet of the Apes (UK) #23 (March, 1975)
Powers/Abilities: As a pawn of the Apes/Simians/Masters/Generals, General Raker either created or had access to a number of mutates (called "mutants" by Apeslayer in the story).
Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'6" at time of death; perhaps a couple inches taller as a younger man)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 140 lbs. at time of death; perhaps 160-170 lbs. as a younger man)
Eyes: Unrevealed (see comments)
Hair: Apparently white or gray (apparently darker in youth; see comments)
History:
( Planet of the Apes (UK) #23 (fb) - BTS) <Circa 2001 AD> - A young, approximately 2-year-old Jonathan Dover accompanied his mother, Maureen, and his newborn baby brother (see comments), to Welfare Island, where they spent 2 weeks hiding out with Dr. Ann Carver.
( Planet of the Apes (UK) #24 (fb)) - When General Raker arrived with Saunders and one other man in a helicopter, Dr. Carver assumed they were being saved, but after exiting the helicopter, Raker ordered his subordinates to kill the two women but to be careful not to harm the children. After Saunders and his associates had executed the two women, Raker told him he could do what he wanted with the newborn, as the Masters only wanted the older Jonathan. When Saunders expressed disgust with harming a child, Raker told him the infant was no concern of his, as the Masters wanted youths to train, not babies to coddle.
(
Planet of the Apes (UK) #24
(fb)) - Raker took Jonathan Dover before one of the Simian Masters and left
him to be instructed by the Masters' human agents on how they would
serve as gladiators.
(
Planet of the Apes (UK) #23 (fb)
- BTS) - Raker subsequently made a base in the former Grand Central
Station in what had been Manhattan, New York, where he apparently
genetically-engineered a number of monstrous mutates.
(
Planet of the Apes (UK) #23
(fb) - BTS) - Years later, after freeing himself from the gladiatorial
pens and leading a group of Freemen, Jonathan, now known as Apeslayer, renewed his efforts to
seek out the General.
( Planet of the Apes (UK) #23) - Apeslayer fought his way past Scrapper on the way into the former Grand Central Station, after which he shouted to the General that he was coming, and this time the General would have to face Apeslayer alone. When Apeslayer urged the General to come out, a pair of mutates were unleashed. Apeslayer -- noting that the General must be desperate to risk his precious specimens -- swiftly dropped the orange, two-headed feral creature with his slingshot, but the long-limbed green man-creature leapt through the air and knocked Apeslayer off his feet. However, Apeslayer rolled with assault and smashed the larger mutate to the ground, incapacitating it.
When Apeslayer challenged the General again, noting he had come to settle with him for what he did to him and his brother, General Raker told Apeslayer, "You'll have to force your way in, pack-rat. And I assure you -- my defenses are quite satisfactory."
After Apeslayer blasted his way
in, Raker noted that his sensors had reported that that was the last of Apeslayer's
weapon's energy, while -- as his defenses blasted at
Apeslayer -- his own weapons were still fully charged. When Apeslayer
mockingly told him that he didn't need a gun to destroy him as only
"apes-stooges" needed toys, Raker noted that his taunt meant little
with how things had changed in terms of Earth's hierarchy. Apeslayer then hurled a sharp piece of metal debris that skewered Raker
in the right side of his chest.
Momentarily collapsing and thought
dead by Apeslayer, who felt somewhat empty at completing his obsessive
mission, Raker surprised Apeslayer by reviving, thanking him, and
explaining that he had been liberated from the Simian Masters'
control. At Apeslayer's request, Raker detailed how many had revolted against the "Simian" invasion
for the past century, but it seemed to be a struggle without hope.
After Raker continued, reviewing how he had slain Apeslayer's mother, Apeslayer acknowledged his memories of his mother's death and his own collection, and of Raker bringing him to the Simian Masters to be instructed in his role as a gladiator.
Dying, Raker told Apeslayer how he
had chosen him because he knew he was special (able to resist the
Martian Masters' mind control) and that he knew Apeslayer would be
ready on the day he could breach the defenses and kill him
(Raker), Advising that Apeslayer could destroy them and that he had the
power (see comments), Raker died.
(Planet of the Apes (UK) #24 - BTS) - The green mutate suddenly attacked anew, but Apeslayer wrangled it into a full nelson and broke its neck.
Comments: Created/adapted by Marv Wolfman, adapting a story by Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, and Neal Adams.
Marvel UK.
Does this seem familiar? It should. See the comments in the Apeslayer profile:
I may profile Saunders, Scrapper, the unidentified mutates, and Raker's base at some point, but for now, you can check out their counterparts in Earth-691 (Killraven's timeline), courtesy of Keeper Raker profile.
Apeslayer's younger brother was
not identified in-story, but his Earth-691 counterpart was named
Joshua. Given Jonathan and Maureen had the same names in Reality-7481,
it seems quite likely that the brother was named Joshua, but this is
obviously not confirmed.
Perhaps his name was Benjamin...
Similarly, while Killraven's psychic abilities are a result of latent natural power brought out by experimentation from Keeper Whitman, the Apeslayer stories were discontinued before they even got to anything about Whitman, and we don't know for certain that his powers were the same.
If this timeline parallels Killraven's, Apeslayer would have been born
in late 1999 A.D., Maureen Dover would have died in 2001 A.D., and
Apeslayer would have caught up to and killed Raker in 2018 A.D.
If not, then...not.
If you want color versions of the images, check out the profile on Earth-691's Keeper Raker...exact same art. However, we don't know that General Raker-7481 had the same eye or hair color as Keeper Raker-691, even though they are alternate reality counterparts.
Profile by Snood.
CLARIFICATIONS:
General Raker should be distinguished from:
Appearances:
Planet of the Apes (UK) #23 (March 29, 1975) - Roy Thomas (plot/concept),
Marv Wolfman (editor, adapted/modified said plot concept), Gerry Conway
(original script), Neal Adams (penciler), Frank Monte (inker)
Planet of the Apes (UK) #24 (April 5, 1975) - Roy Thomas (plot/concept),
Marv Wolfman (editor, adapted/modified said plot concept), Gerry Conway
(original script), Howard Chaykin (penciler), Frank Monte (inker)
First posted: 02/02/2022
Last updated: 10/29/2022
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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