Protector is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe

Marvel Universe

The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...

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Publication history

Protector first appeared in Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...

#205-206 (April–May 1979), and was created by Marv Wolfman

Marv Wolfman

Marvin A. "Marv" Wolfman is an award-winning American comic book writer. He is best known for lengthy runs on The Tomb of Dracula, creating Blade for Marvel Comics, and The New Teen Titans for DC Comics.-1960s:...

, Keith Pollard

Keith Pollard

Keith Pollard is an American comic book artist. Originally from the Detroit area, Pollard is best known for his simultaneous work on the Marvel Comics titles Fantastic Four, Thor, and The Amazing Spider-Man in the late 1970s-early 1980s.Pollard made his professional comics debut in 1974 with...

, and Joe Sinnott

Joe Sinnott

Joe Sinnott is an American comic book artist. Working primarily as an inker, Sinnott is best-known for his long stint on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, from 1965 to 1981 , initially over the pencils of industry legend Jack Kirby...

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The character subsequently appears in Fantastic Four #208 (July 1979), and ROM #24 (November 1981).

Protector appeared as part of the "Champions of Xandar" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...

#16.

Fictional character biography

Thoral Rul was the Prime Thoran of Xandar

Xandar

Xandar is a fictional planet in the Tranta system in the Andromeda galaxy of the Marvel Comics universe. It is best known as the home world of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic police task force. The most prominent member of the Nova Corps is Richard Rider, one-time member of the New Warriors...

, whose duty was to protect the Xandarian's Living Computers (aka Worldmind). To defend them against the Skrull

Skrull

The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....

s, he effected a mind-meld with the Worldmind, the living disembodied brains preserved within the Xandarian computer network. He thus gained the collective knowledge of those brains and psionic abilities, and became known as the Protector, the Keeper of the computers, and one of the Champions of Xandar

Champions of Xandar

The Champions of Xandar are a fictional group of super-powered beings who banded together to safeguard the four-sectioned world of Xandar in the Andromeda Galaxy from all threats to its security...

. He helped the team battle the Skrull invasion after Diamondhead

Diamondhead (comics)

Diamondhead is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Diamondhead first appeared in Nova vol 1 #3 , and was created by Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema....

 betrayed Xandar to the Skrulls.

Protector was killed when Nebula

Nebula (comics)

Nebula is a fictional character, an alien supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:A brutal space pirate and mercenary, Nebula seized control of Sanctuary III, a massive spaceship previously under the command of Thanos. Thanos was believed to be dead at...

's forces wiped out Xandar's population.

He is seen years later as a disembodied intelligence who thanks Nova after he reboots the Xandarian Worldmind computer.