My Guardians of the Galaxy write ups were met with mostly positive comments despite me making an error or two. As a follow up to those I am going to introduce a few of the characters who will also be debuting August 1, 2014 when James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy comes to theaters.
Korath the Pursuer is a member of the Kree, the same alien race as Ronan the Accuser. Korath, however, has not played as large of a role in the pages of Marvel comics as his companion Ronan, making him an interesting choice as a villain in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Korath was one of the Kree's brightest and best scientists and worked in cyber-genetics, trying to further enhance the already impressive genetic profile of the Kree through cybernetic implants. Korath was put in charge of the Pursuer Project which used energy to transform anything with which it came into contact into a very capable warrior/assassin/pursuer. After some experimentation, which included a run-in with the Inhumans, the project was shut down as it seemed to be a financial drain.
As any good scientist does, Korath, in his rage, used the energy on himself, turning himself into...the Pursuer. Korath was summoned by the leader of the Kree Empire, The Supreme Intelligence (remember the brain in the jar?) and became a member of the Kree Starforce, an uber-elite branch of the Kree military, tasked with top secret mission and assasinations, which led him into conflict with the Shi'ar (another powerful alien race) and, Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Avengers.
After the events of the Kree-Shi'ar war, Korath and the other members of Starforce were exiled. As the Annihilation Wave spread across the galaxy, Ronan coincidentally encountered Korath on the planet Godthab Omega during his search for the alien who had falsely accused him of being a traitor. Here they fight Gamora while the Annihilation Wave slowly begins to take over the planet. The two escaped and survived the Wave, joining up with Nova Richard Rider to help, eventually, defeat Annihilus.
Korath was again part of a large war when the Phalanx attempted to take over Kree Space during the events of Annihilation: Conquest. As many elite warriors were, Korath was made a "select" of the Phalanx and was brainwashed to serve their needs. Eventually Korath failed to complete his given assignment and was destroyed by Ultron, who, after having been defeated by the Avengers, uploaded himself into the Phalanx and became their leader!
Dijimon Hounsou, many people's pick to play the Black Panther, will have the task of bringing the Pursuer to the big screen. Don't expect Korath to play a huge role but I do believe he was chosen for his connections, not just to Ronan, but to the Inhumans and Ultron. Marvel movie guru Kevin Feige has spoken openly about wanting to bring the Inhumans to the MCU and Ultron, who will be the foe for the Avengers in the sequel, is not likely to be a one and done villain. It is possible, with Thanos in the background and Ultron, seemingly defeated but still floating around out of body, that Marvel may have plans for an Annihilation: Conquest story line where they could combine their entire MCU cast of characters.
Korath is all done...next up I will explore the alien race responsible for the death of Star-Lord's mother: the Badoon.