Xandar
Encyclopedia
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
. Xandar is also the home planet of Firelord
and Air-Walker
, former Heralds
of Galactus
as well as the super-villain Supernova
.
, who assists the Xandarians in creating a network of interconnected domed cities out of the largest remaining pieces of the planet.
The planet is later nearly destroyed again by the Skrulls. Later still Nebula destroyed the planet and the Nova Corps. The Nova Corps were resurrected by Richard Rider aka Nova who used the Nova Force power to reboot the Xandarian Worldmind computer which proceeded to clone the dead Xandarians including Adora their Queen.
Recently, the already war-torn planet is completely destroyed again and the Nova Corps decimated at the hands of Annihilus
. Rider stands as the last surviving Nova Corps member following the massacre. The living supercomputer which resided in Xandar's core, an entity known as the Xandarian Worldmind, also survived and is now housed within Rider's newly modified uniform, which has also been enhanced to assist him in containing the full measure of the Nova Force.
The Nova Force originally consisted of Xandarians empowered by the Xandarian Worldmind. After the planet's original reconstitution other races were invited into the ranks of the Nova Corps.
The Nova Corps military ranking consists of:
The highest ranking officer and overall leader of the Nova Corps is the Centurion Nova Prime. Over the years this position has been held by Xandarians such as Tanak Valt
, Rhomann Dey, Garthan Saal and most recently by the human Richard Rider.
The Worldmind went offline during Xandar's second destruction when the Corps fell to the might of Nebula (alleged daughter of Zorr and alleged granddaughter of Thanos) and her forces. At that time only a couple Xandarians survived and what was thought to be the entirety of the Nova Force was bestowed upon Garthan Saal who later become known as Supernova. After a confrontation with the Avengers and Fantastic Four, Garthan Saal used a time machine to go back in time in search of Nebula. Later Night Thrasher would throw a powerless Richard Rider off a roof which triggering a resurgence of his Nova Force powers. Months later Garthan Saal would sense Richard Rider had regained the use of the Nova Force and traveled back to earth to drain Richard Rider of his powers. The first attempt to do so left Richard Rider dead until he was resurrected by Air-Walker (a former Xandarian whose sentience had been uploaded into a robot and had once been a herald of Galactus
). The second attempt to do so left Richard Rider and not Garthan Saal in possession of the entirety of the Nova Force. With the full power of the Nova Force Richard Rider relinquished the power to reboot the Xandarian Worldmind. Once rebooted the Worldmind began cloning the dead citizenry of Xandar.
When Xandar was destroyed for a third time by the Annihilation Wave the Worldmind downloaded itself and all of the Nova Force into Richard Rider the only known survivor of the Nova Corps. The Worldmind regulated Richard Rider's brain functions to prevent him from going mad like Garthan Saal originally had. His original goal was to find a new location to reconstitute itself and the Nova Corps. He and Ricard Rider would often clash because Richard Rider's heroics often endangered the worldmind but the Worldmind also proved insightful and the two eventually forged a good working relationship. The Worldmind was instrumental in helping Richard Rider fight off the influence of the Phalanx.
The Worldmind became corrupted after a battle with Galactus and began to plot to reconstitute the Nova Corps behind Richard Rider's back. The Worldmind would eventually upload itself into Ego the living planet. The Ego/Worldmind gestalt began recruiting and brainwashing various humans and non-humans and inducting them into the Corps ranks, including Richard Rider's younger brother Robert Rider. Richard Rider became distrusting and defiant of the Worldmind and was eventually punished by having his powers drained. Given the quantum bands by his friend Quasar, Richard Rider confronted the Worldmind and purged it from Ego the Living Planet.
The Worldmind's damage would later prove to be too much to handle. Richard Rider now has the voice of the deceased Ko-Rel in his head which serves as a proxy in the place of the Worldmind. Ko-Rel had been a Kree officer who had been empowered and deputized as a member of the Nova Corps by the Worldmind when Richard Rider had been corrupted by the Phalanx. Ko-Rel was murdered by Richard Rider's former lover Gamora
who had also been corrupted by the Phalanx.
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Andromeda. It is also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224, and is often referred to as the Great Andromeda Nebula in older texts. Andromeda is the nearest spiral galaxy to the...
of the 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...
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
Nova (comics)
Nova is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Upon becoming a member of the galaxy's Nova Corps , the youth gained enhanced strength, flight, injury resistance, and a specialized uniform with life support.In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic...
, one-time member of the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
. Xandar is also the home planet of Firelord
Firelord
Firelord is a character in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Gerry Conway and John Buscema, and first appears in Thor #225 .-Fictional character biography:...
and Air-Walker
Air-Walker
The Air-Walker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
, former Heralds
Herald of Galactus
The Heralds of Galactus are fictional characters appearing in publications from Marvel Comics. The Herald concept was introduced in Fantastic Four #48 - with the character the Silver Surfer - by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
of Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
as well as the super-villain Supernova
Supernova (Marvel Comics)
Supernova aka Nova Omega ' is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe. Garthaan Saal a member of the Xandarian Nova Corps was one of the few Xandarians who survived the destruction of Xandar at the hands of Nebula the space pirate Supernova aka Nova Omega (Garthan Saal) is a fictional...
.
History
Blown apart in an attack by the Luphomoid Zorr, Xandar is saved from complete destruction by the timely intervention of the WatcherUatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
, who assists the Xandarians in creating a network of interconnected domed cities out of the largest remaining pieces of the planet.
The planet is later nearly destroyed again by the Skrulls. Later still Nebula destroyed the planet and the Nova Corps. The Nova Corps were resurrected by Richard Rider aka Nova who used the Nova Force power to reboot the Xandarian Worldmind computer which proceeded to clone the dead Xandarians including Adora their Queen.
Recently, the already war-torn planet is completely destroyed again and the Nova Corps decimated at the hands of Annihilus
Annihilus
Annihilus is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
. Rider stands as the last surviving Nova Corps member following the massacre. The living supercomputer which resided in Xandar's core, an entity known as the Xandarian Worldmind, also survived and is now housed within Rider's newly modified uniform, which has also been enhanced to assist him in containing the full measure of the Nova Force.
The Nova Corps
The Xandarian Nova Corps were originally Xandar's militia and had 500 members. After their planet was devastated by Zorr and restructured into a network of inter-connecting domed cities the Xandarians guided by the Worldmind became a more proactive peace keeping force helping stop threats in the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies.The Nova Force originally consisted of Xandarians empowered by the Xandarian Worldmind. After the planet's original reconstitution other races were invited into the ranks of the Nova Corps.
The Nova Corps military ranking consists of:
- Corpsman
- Millennian
- Denarian
- Centurion
The highest ranking officer and overall leader of the Nova Corps is the Centurion Nova Prime. Over the years this position has been held by Xandarians such as Tanak Valt
Nova-Prime
Nova-Prime is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Tanak Valt first appeared in Fantastic Four #204-206 , and was created by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, and Joe Sinnott....
, Rhomann Dey, Garthan Saal and most recently by the human Richard Rider.
The Worldmind
The Worldmind also known as the Living Computers of Xandar is a collective artificial intelligence that is composed of the knowledge of the deceased citizenry of Xandar. The Worldmind generally made the decisions as to the day to day operations of Xandar and the deployment of the Nova Corps. The Worldmind was not only the repository for all Xandarian knowledge and culture but also that of the Nova Force which is used to empower the members of the Nova Corp. In spite of making the majority of decisions for the populace, the planet was officially ruled by Queen Adora and her husband Tanak Valt who was leader of the Nova Force. The Worldmind was protected by Xandarian officials known as Thorans. Thoran Rul who was the prime Thoran would mind meld with the Worldmind to protect it from destruction at the hands of the Skrulls. The villain known as the Sphinx (Richard Rider's primary adversary) would later attempt to drain the Worldmind computers in an attempt to find a way from preventing his foretold destruction at the hands of Galactus. After the Sphinx's defeat at the hands of Galactus, The Worldmind and Xandar were repaired with the help of Richard Rider's power. Richard Rider was depowered and sent back to earth. Richard Rider fell into a deep depression, dropped out of college and proved incapable of holding down a full time job.The Worldmind went offline during Xandar's second destruction when the Corps fell to the might of Nebula (alleged daughter of Zorr and alleged granddaughter of Thanos) and her forces. At that time only a couple Xandarians survived and what was thought to be the entirety of the Nova Force was bestowed upon Garthan Saal who later become known as Supernova. After a confrontation with the Avengers and Fantastic Four, Garthan Saal used a time machine to go back in time in search of Nebula. Later Night Thrasher would throw a powerless Richard Rider off a roof which triggering a resurgence of his Nova Force powers. Months later Garthan Saal would sense Richard Rider had regained the use of the Nova Force and traveled back to earth to drain Richard Rider of his powers. The first attempt to do so left Richard Rider dead until he was resurrected by Air-Walker (a former Xandarian whose sentience had been uploaded into a robot and had once been a herald of Galactus
Galactus
Galactus is a fictional character appearing in comic books and other publications published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Jack Kirby, the character debuted in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue story later known as "The Galactus...
). The second attempt to do so left Richard Rider and not Garthan Saal in possession of the entirety of the Nova Force. With the full power of the Nova Force Richard Rider relinquished the power to reboot the Xandarian Worldmind. Once rebooted the Worldmind began cloning the dead citizenry of Xandar.
When Xandar was destroyed for a third time by the Annihilation Wave the Worldmind downloaded itself and all of the Nova Force into Richard Rider the only known survivor of the Nova Corps. The Worldmind regulated Richard Rider's brain functions to prevent him from going mad like Garthan Saal originally had. His original goal was to find a new location to reconstitute itself and the Nova Corps. He and Ricard Rider would often clash because Richard Rider's heroics often endangered the worldmind but the Worldmind also proved insightful and the two eventually forged a good working relationship. The Worldmind was instrumental in helping Richard Rider fight off the influence of the Phalanx.
The Worldmind became corrupted after a battle with Galactus and began to plot to reconstitute the Nova Corps behind Richard Rider's back. The Worldmind would eventually upload itself into Ego the living planet. The Ego/Worldmind gestalt began recruiting and brainwashing various humans and non-humans and inducting them into the Corps ranks, including Richard Rider's younger brother Robert Rider. Richard Rider became distrusting and defiant of the Worldmind and was eventually punished by having his powers drained. Given the quantum bands by his friend Quasar, Richard Rider confronted the Worldmind and purged it from Ego the Living Planet.
The Worldmind's damage would later prove to be too much to handle. Richard Rider now has the voice of the deceased Ko-Rel in his head which serves as a proxy in the place of the Worldmind. Ko-Rel had been a Kree officer who had been empowered and deputized as a member of the Nova Corps by the Worldmind when Richard Rider had been corrupted by the Phalanx. Ko-Rel was murdered by Richard Rider's former lover Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a fictional comic book character in Marvel Comics' shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the occasional love interest of Adam Warlock and Nova.-Publication history:...
who had also been corrupted by the Phalanx.
List of Xandarians
- Suzerain Adora
- Tanak Valt (Nova-PrimeNova-PrimeNova-Prime is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Tanak Valt first appeared in Fantastic Four #204-206 , and was created by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, and Joe Sinnott....
) - Thoran Rul (Protector)Protector (Marvel Comics)Protector is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Protector first appeared in Fantastic Four #205-206 , and was created by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, and Joe Sinnott....
- Rhomann Dey (Nova, entrusted his powers to Richard Rider)
- Rieg Davan (PowerhousePowerhouse (comics)Powerhouse is a name used by several different fictional characters, operating in the Marvel Comics Universe.- Powerhouse :-Publication history:...
) - Garthan Saal (Supernova)
- Pyreus Kril (FirelordFirelordFirelord is a character in the fictional Marvel Universe. The character was created by Gerry Conway and John Buscema, and first appears in Thor #225 .-Fictional character biography:...
) - Gabriel Lan (Air-WalkerAir-WalkerThe Air-Walker is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
) - Master Xar (Co-Creator of H.E.R.B.I.E.H.E.R.B.I.E.H.E.R.B.I.E. is a fictional character, a robot and an ally of the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Universe...
)