Kronos is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

. The character first appears in Iron Man #55 (Feb. 1973) and was created by Jim Starlin

Jim Starlin

James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...

.

Publication history

The entity Kronos first appears in the title Iron Man

Iron Man

Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

, saving the soul of Arthur Douglas when killed by a barrage from the ship of the Titan, Thanos

Thanos

Thanos is a fictional character that appears in comic books and other media published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin....

. Kronos subsequently uses Douglas' soul to create Drax the Destroyer

Drax the Destroyer

Drax the Destroyer is a fictional character appearing in books published by the Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Drax first appeared in Iron Man #55 , and was created by Mike Friedrich and Jim Starlin. He had a recurring role in Captain Marvel vol 1 beginning with issue #23...

, a being intended to kill Thanos, his own grandson. A back-up story in the alternate universe

Parallel universe (fiction)

A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

 title What If

What If (comics)

What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters...

reveals in flashback

Flashback (narrative)

Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...

 that many millennia ago the character was originally one of the immortal

Immortality

Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...

 Eternals

Eternals (comics)

The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...

 of Titan

Titan (Marvel Comics)

In the Marvel Universe, Saturn's moon Titan is the fictional home of the Titanian Eternals. It first appeared in Iron Man #55 and was created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich...

, and led a rebellion against his tyrannical brother Uranos

Uranos (comics)

Uranos is a fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe who first appeared in Captain Marvel vol. 1 #29 -Publication history:...

. After a successful coup, Kronos fathered the Eternals Zuras

Zuras

Zuras is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a member of the Eternals.-Fictional character biography:Zuras was born in Titanos, first city of the Eternals, and is the son of the Eternals Kronos and Daina, and brother of A'Lars...

 and A'lars

A'lars

Mentor is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe, who first appeared in Iron Man vol. 1 #55, and was created by Jim Starlin.Mentor is the leader of the Titanian colony. His back-story was based on Greek mythology...

 (also known as Mentor, the present leader of the Titanian Eternals), before being accidentally atomized during a botched experiment. The character's spirit survives, continuing to exist in astral

Astral

-Concepts of the non-physical:* Astral body, a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers* Astral journey , the same as having an out-of-body experience...

 form with amplified powers and abilities.

In the title Captain Marvel, Thanos comes into possession of the artifact the Cosmic Cube

Cosmic Cube

The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...

 and uses it to imprison Kronos, who is eventually freed when Thanos is defeated by the Kree

Kree

The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...

 hero Mar-Vell and the superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 team the Avengers

Avengers (comics)

The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...

. In the third volume of the title Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer

The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....

, Kronos realizes that the entity Death

Death (Marvel Comics)

Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain Marvel #27 Death is a fictional...

 has restored Thanos to life, the character restores an at the time deceased Drax to life, to hunt Thanos once again (with an increase in physical power at the cost of mental acuity). Kronos features briefly in the title Quasar

Quasar (comics)

Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...

, encountering the disembodied spirit of villain Maelstrom

Maelstrom (comics)

Maelstrom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Marvel Two-in-One #71 , and was created by writer Mark Gruenwald.-Fictional character biography:...

, and glimpses Infinity

Infinity (Marvel Comics)

Infinity is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Infinity first appears in Quasar #24 . The character was created by Mark Gruenwald and Greg Capullo.-Publication history:...

when the entity manifests.

The character features in the limited series

Limited series

A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....

 the Infinity Gauntlet, and with the combined cosmic pantheon of the Marvel universe attempt to stop Thanos, who at the time wields the Infinity Gems

Infinity Gems

Infinity Gems, sometimes referred to as the Soul Gems, are six immensely powerful gems featured in the fictional Marvel Universe. Whoever holds all six gems in the Infinity Gauntlet gains omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, and God-like power, and has absolute dominion over the universe...

. In the title Warlock and the Infinity Watch Kronos listens to the entreaties of the heroine Moondragon

Moondragon

Moondragon is a fictional character in Marvel Comics Universe. A vastly powerful telepath, master martial artist, minor telekinetic, and highly skilled geneticist, Moondragon's most notable characteristics are her shaved head, superiority complex, and gruelling elite excellence in virtually every...

, and restores Drax - her father when Arthur Douglas - to his original, thinking state.

Powers and abilities

Kronos was originally one of the immortal Eternals, and gifted with normal Eternal abilities including superhuman strength and durability. Once an abstract being, Kronos became a cosmic entity with the ability to achieve virtually any effect by willing it. The character occasionally manifests as a huge transparent humanoid so lesser beings can perceive the entity.

External links

• Kronos at the Marvel Database Project