Kallark (Earth-616)

Gladiator
Name	Kallark
Current Alias	Gladiator
Aliases	Lal-Ke, Captain Universe
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Annihilators, Galactic Council, Imperial Guard; Formerly Dark Guardians, Guardians of the Galaxy; possibly Heralds of Galactus
Relatives	Children: Kubark (son) Other Relatives: Xenith (cousin)
Host of	Enigma Force (formerly)
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	6′6″ (1.98 m)
Weight	595 lbs (269.89 kg)
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	Blue
Skin	Purple
Unusual Features	Pointed ears
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Strontian enhanced to Gladiator level
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Strontia, Shi'ar Empire
Personal Information
Identity	Public
Citizenship	Shi'ar Empire
Occupation	Praetor of the Imperial Guard; Former Majestor of the Shi'ar Empire; possible former Herald of Galactus; former adventurer
Education	Gladiator training process
Base of Operations	Chandilar, Shi'ar Galaxy; mobile throughout the Shi'ar Empire and surrounding galaxies
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Chris Claremont, Dave Cockrum
First	X-Men #107 (July, 1977)
First	X-Men #107 (July, 1977)

 Who I am... is bound by what I am. I am an empire. And that empire must stand at any cost. 

—Majestor Kallark

History

Early Years

Kallark's history before he joined the Imperial Guard is largely unknown. He was born centuries ago, though the time period remains unspecified. He is said to descend from a proud bloodline, though the names of his ancestors remain unknown. He was raised by the Strontian Council of Elders. They were as much family to him as his blood relatives. Kallark served as a military cadet on his native planet Strontia, training with other young Strontian men and women, competing for the coveted title of Gladiator. Kallark proved himself an honorable person as well as an efficient soldier then.

Later, Kallark along with the only nine other cadets that completed their training mission were informed by the council of elders of the purpose of their trials: So that the new Imperial Guard of the Shi'ar Empire would include the finest warrior of each race of the Empire as its representative. The ten Strontians underwent an dangerous enhancement process that few could survive to become Gladiators, granting them vastly greater powers than those of their kind.

Selection for the Imperial Guard

The choice for the cadet to join the Guard was to be made by Majestor T'Korr. First disappointed by the youth of the cadets, T'Korr then began doubting their loyalty after Chancellor Vitana informed him that even an ordinary Strontian had the power to decimate an army.

To test their loyalty, T'Korr had a Shi'ar starcracker orbiting Strontia's sun, able to make it go nova in case of rebellion, and informed the council of his plans: He addressed the Gladiator cadets, informing that he would make his selection among them after they slayed the Council of Elders. While most of the cadets refused and died rebelling or trying to accomplish the mission with extreme doubt, Kallark managed to take down the Council, despite his friend Harrald's opposition, then retreated, being informed of the Shi'ar starcracker by the Council and chosen to destroy them to prove Strontia's loyalty before dismantling the starcracker. Kallark then returned to T'Korr, told him that his fellows had all fallen in battle, and was named Gladiator, Praetor and leader of the Imperial Guard for centuries to come.

Gladiator, Praetor of the Imperial Guard

According to the family history known by Korvus, the Imperial Guard was formed to stop his ancestor Rook'shir. He was a Shi'ar outlaw who became an avatar of the Phoenix Force, causing his to wreak havoc across the cosmos. Gladiator led the Guard against him to prevent him from destroying the Shi'ar Empire. Known members of the Guard at the time included Magique, Mentor, and Neutron.

The details of the battle between the Guard and Rook'shir have not been detailed. But the battle ended with Gladiator having defeated the Phoenix avatar. He was holding Rook'shir up by the head. He positioned the defeated foe in a kneeling position and prepared to deliver the killing blow, using his right fist to decapitate Rook'shir. A piece of the Phoenix Force remained within Rook'shir's sword which became known as the Blade of the Phoenix. The Guard retrieved the sword following the battle.

Gladiator continued to serve succeeding rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, including Emperor D'ken Neramani. Members of the Imperial Guard under his command at that time included Astra, Electron, Fang, Hobgoblin, Impulse, Magique, Mentor, Neutron, Nightside, Oracle, Scintilla, Smasher, Starbolt, Tempest, and Titan.

The X-Men (Banshee, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Storm, and Wolverine) were teleported from Earth to the "World". There they found D'ken, Eric the Red, the captive Lilandra, and the gathered Imperial Guard. Astra asked Gladiator who the X-Men were, and whether they were friends or foes.

Realizing that they could understand each other's language, the two teams started to talk. Representing the X-Men, Cyclops explained that they came to get Lilandra and Eric the Red. Gladiator introduced himself and his team. He also pointed that the X-Men were surrounded and outnumbered. He next explained that Lilandra was both a princess and a traitor to the Empire. He declared that the Guard would not surrender the prisoner. In reply, Cyclops attacked Mentor and started a battle between the two teams. Gladiator swore that Cyclops would pay for his attack and that he would personally kill him with his bare hands. He then commanded the Guard to attack.

Nightcrawler teleported Lilandra out of danger. She explained to Cyclops her own background, the civil war of the Shi'ar and how it affected their own recent battles on Earth. She pointed that D'ken seeks absolute power. Overhearing her explanation, Gladiator approached the princess. He asked Lilandra what right she had to deny this power to her emperor, reminding her that she herself swore an oath of service to D'ken. She replied that that oath was sworn to a madman, asking Gladiator to open his eyes, or else D'ken's dreams of imperial glory would close these eyes forever.

Gladiator answered that he did not care about the consequences. The Guard's role is not to question orders, but obey them, and by D'ken's will, Lilandra and her companions had to die. Gladiator managed to grab Lilandra and added that he would not listen to her. He regretted ever caring for her. Lilandra was still trying to reason with him, claiming that she was only seeking to save the Empire while D'ken is fated to destroy it. Gladiator asked her how she knows what D'ken was going to do. She admitted that she does not know but only fears, but that the power D'ken seeks was known as "the End of All That Is".

The conversation between Gladiator and Lilandra ended at this point. Gladiator was attacked by a laser beam by the arriving Starjammers and seemingly knocked out. The combined forces of the X-Men and the Starjammers finished off the rest of the Guard, winning the battle. The unconscious body of Gladiator was seen on the ground at the battle's ending.

D'ken pointed that their victory was only temporary. He called for his foes to look to the sky above them. At this point a gateway opened, blue-white light emerged and poured into the nearby M'kraan Crystal. For a fraction of a second all reality ceased to exist. Gladiator and the Guard remained unconscious while Jahf emerged to face the X-Men and Starjammers. When Jahf fell, Modt emerged to replace him. During the fight, D'ken was thrown in the Crystal. He and everyone conscious nearby were transported to the interior of the Crystal. Phoenix had to fight her own battle in there.

The X-Men emerged triumphant from the Crystal back to the "World". By this point Gladiator, Nightside, and Starbolt had regained consciousness and were ready to attack them. They intended to follow D'ken's commands and kill them. Lilandra spoke directly to Gladiator and prevented him from attacking. She claimed that with D'ken out of the way, the throne belonged to her. The Guard had to obey her.

At this point, Araki arrived and explained that Lilandra was not empress yet. D'ken was now mad and the throne vacant, but she legally remained a traitor. It would take time to clear her name and summon her to be crowned. Afterward, the X-Men and Lilandra were teleported to Earth. Lilandra explained that D'ken was driven insane and catatonic by the experience. For the time being the Shi'ar throne was vacant and she stood as the main candidate for it. But until the High Council decided to summon her to receive the throne, she would spend her exile on Earth. This would mean that Gladiator and the Guard were no longer their enemies.

In time, Phoenix turned to Dark Phoenix, a major threat. In the Imperial Center, ruling seat of the Shi’ar Empire, Empress Lilandra and her ministers of the Grand Council observe a viewing screen. They see the Dark Phoenix approach Earth. Lilandra compared the threat posed by the Dark Phoenix to Galactus: both beings felt infernal hunger and the need to consume. But while Galactus consumed only individual worlds, the Dark Phoenix could consume everything in existence. Lilandra decided that the Dark Phoenix had to be destroyed for the universe to survive.

The X-Men (Angel, Beast, Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Phoenix, Professor X, Storm, and Wolverine) were teleported aboard the flagship of the Shi'ar grand fleet. Gladiator spoke to them, reminding them of his codename and status as Praetor. He announced that they were in the presence of Empress Lilandra and their fate rested in her hands.

Lilandra announced her decision that the Phoenix had to be destroyed for the universe to remain safe. She continued that since "Jean" could not cope with her near-infinite abilities, the Shi'ar can no longer do nothing about the threat she posed. She asked Gladiator to continue in announcing her plans. Gladiator explained that Dark Phoenix was a chaos-bringer and a ravager of worlds. Responsible for the deaths of five billion inhabitants of the D'bari star system and the destruction of a Shi'ar warship. The X-Men react in shock that one of their members is a mass murderer.

Lilandra asked the X-Men to surrender "Jean" to Shi'ar custody. Cyclops then claimed that Dark Phoenix no longer existed. "Jean" no longer has access to that power. Lilandra argued that "Jean"'s depowerment could be only temporary. She also argued that as long as Phoenix existed in any form, at any power level, she would be a deadly threat to all that lives. The risk is too great to let "Jean" survive. She ordered her warriors to capture "Jean", Professor X then shouted the ceremonial words “Arin'nn Haelar", challenging Lilandra to a duel of honor for the life of "Jean Grey".

Lilandra decided that she had to stop proceedings and consult her allies before making a decision. Said allies were the Supreme Intelligence, ruler of the Kree Empire and Empress R'Kill of the Skrull Empire. They both agreed to the duel, provided that their representatives would monitor the battle. Lilandra decided that the duel would begin at dawn.

The following day, the flagship transported the combatants to Earth's moon. The Imperial Guard would represent Lilandra on the battlefield. Lilandra announced the terms of the battle: the two teams would fight until only one remained. If the X-Men won, their survivors would be set free. If the Guard won, Phoenix would belong to the Shi'ar. The chosen battleground was the Blue Area of the Moon.

Professor X was excluded from the combatants, leaving only eight X-Men on the battlefield. The X-Men split into two groups, each with four members. A group consisting of Beast, Colossus, Storm, and Wolverine encountered and fought Warstar. While Colossus fought C'cil and Beast fought B'nee, Storm and Wolverine stayed on the sidelines. Gladiator approached the two X-Men from behind and ripped up the floor that they were standing on. Storm and Wolverine consequently fell into a pit.

While Warstar continued to face his opponents, Gladiator observed the battle. He eventually realized that Warstar was losing the battle. Colossus knocked out C'cil and B'nee knocked out the Beast, leaving the two of them to face each other, with Colossus outclassing his opponent. At this point, Gladiator intervened and attacked Colossus. He explained that for Colossus to get to any other members of the Guard, he would have to go through him first. And he self-confidently announced that victory was impossible for Colossus. Gladiator knocked Colossus into a wall.

Colossus considered that Gladiator was as strong as himself, but decided that perhaps he was more vulnerable to harm. Colossus dropped an entire pillar on Gladiator, who seemed completely unfazed. The opponents then engaged into a brutal fist fight. The ancient, fragile structures around them crumbled and collapsed on top of the two combatants. They were buried below mountains of rubble. After a while, Gladiator managed to lift boulders and emerge from the rubble. His uniform was torn but his body was unharmed. He was the victor by default and took the time to rescue the unconscious Colossus.

Cyclops and Phoenix were the last X-Men left standing, holding their own against Oracle, Smasher, and Starbolt. Gladiator flew to their position to join the battle. An energy flare from the moon served to announce that the Phoenix was back. Deciding that the Guard had no chance to win against the threat, Lilandra was prepared to destroy the Moon, the Sol, and the entire star cluster, all in hopes of killing Phoenix. Gladiator and the Guard were unconscious, defeated by the Phoenix. At the end, the Phoenix committed suicide, seemingly eliminating the threat.

Kallark was later charged with pursuing a group of Skrulls posing as a superhero team. He believed the Fantastic Four to be this group and attacked them. Captain America and Spider-Man found the real Skrull group and assisted in their capture.

Kallark was among a number of Imperial Guard members temporarily relocated to Earth. After learning of a Phalanx invasion of Shi'ar space he confronted Cannonball, sending him, the Beast, Trish Tilby, Joseph, and Rogue to assist in his stead.

At another point, Kallark was enlisted by Pip the Troll to try and liberate the planet Skardon from the apathetic rule of the Champion of the Universe (because Skardon law would not recognize the legitimacy of any challenger unless they could beat the Champion in a boxing match). Kallark fought against the Champion, but lost because the Champion possessed the Power Gem which allows its wearer access to all the power that has or will exist. Kallark spent a period of time recuperating from his injuries; meanwhile, She-Hulk convinced the Champion to remove the Power Gem, and subsequently pummeled him into submission.

Kallark was sent to Earth to find the Uni-Power, which was traveling from host to host for help against Krosakis. He found it with the Invisible Woman, and was able to convince it to come with him. Krosakis attacked Kallark and the Uni-Power as they left Earth. The Silver Surfer intervened and returned the Uni-Power to Earth while Kallark took Krosakis into Shi'ar custody.

Fighting and serving Vulcan

When Vulcan captured a Shi'ar cruiser with intention of attacking the Shi'ar Empire the Imperial Guard were dispatched to stop him. Vulcan was able to hold is own against the gathered forces but was finally defeated by Kallark (who seriously injured Vulcan).

Vulcan later married Cal'syee Neramani (Deathbird) and upon murdering then Shi'ar Emperor D'ken ascended to the throne as Emperor Vulcan. Kallark conferred with his new Empress before following the orders of Vulcan, but did so nevertheless.

War of Kings

Gladiator served his new Emperor as he had all others in the past but eventually disobeyed his orders (in this case, the execution of Lilandra) and rose up against his Emperor.

He was present when Lilandra was assassinated by the Fraternity of Raptors agent known as Razor. Razor had taken over his host Chris Powell (Darkhawk) but was overridden too late to stop the assassination.

Becoming Majestor

With Vulcan presumed dead and Deathbird incapacitated, Gladiator took leadership of the fragmented Shi'ar empire in order to prevent another civil war. The Shi'ar, having lost the war with the Kree, however, fell under their rule.

Annihilators

Following the war with the Cancerverse, Gladiator joined the Annihilators. With them, he protected Galador from the Dire Wraiths and opposed the Universal Church of Truth's attempt to revive the Magus.

Avengers vs. X-Men

After the Phoenix arrived on Earth and chose five hosts from among the X-Men, Kallark traveled to Earth in order to stop them and rescue his son. He was no match for the Phoenixes and was defeated and beaten. The Phoenixes spared him, and Kallark and his son left Earth.

Prelude to Infinity

Kallark arrived at the border of the Shi'ar Empire following the inertial alert from Operation: Broken Frontier. After the death of Superguardian Smasher (Galin) during the action, Gladiator promoted Izzy Kane to be the Superguardian for the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, noting that she was the first Guardsman from Earth. During the interrogation of a member of the race that invaded the empire, the Majestor learned that they had only attacked the Empire because they had been fleeing a greater threat.

Infinity

The threat that forced the aliens to attacked the Shi'ar Imperium revealed itself to be known as the Builders. Kallark joined the Galactic Council alongside with the Avengers to eliminate the Builders. Following the defeat of the Builders, Gladiator planned to expand the Imperial Guard.

Time Runs Out

When the focus of the decay of the universe was found to be the Earth, the Majestor addressed the Galactic Council, and decided that the Earth had to be destroyed to save the universe. Even though they planned a sneak attack on the Earth, the Guardians of the Galaxy managed to discover the Shi'ar's plan and warned the Avengers.

While approaching Earth, the Shi'ar alerted humanity that they had two hours left to live until Earth was destroyed by their fleet. Using a super weapon capable of channeling the Earth's power, Sunspot and A.I.M. retaliated against the Shi'ar in front, while S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Avengers used a Planetkiller seized from the Builders to attack from behind. However, A.I.M.'s weapon overheated and exploded, and the Planetkiller was destroyed by the Annihilation Wave. With no options left, the Avengers prepared to meet their end. However, the Illuminati used the controller disk of a rogue planet that shared the same space with Earth while phased while Iron Man flew to the Sol's Hammer, and prepared to use it. Iron Man charged and fired Sol's Hammer, successfully destroying the Shi'ar fleet, including the Majestor.

Once the universe was destroyed, it ultimately came back. The Shi'ar and the Imperial Guard were brought back as a byproduct of the universal renewal, with no memories of the universe's temporary demise, like the rest of the inhabitants of the universe.

The Trial of Jean Grey

Gladiator and the Shi'ar Empire eventually captured Jean Grey of the Time-Displaced X-Men so they could put her on trial for her future version's crimes. Jean Grey was able to escape the empire thanks to combined effort of the X-Men, Starjammers and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

The Asgard/Shi'ar War

When the Shi'ar Gods, K'ythri and Sharra were convinced they needed to force the new Thor to take part in a Challenge of the Gods against them to prove their superiority, they send Gladiator and the other Imperial Guard to Asgard to capture her. When the other Asgardians were inspired by the new Thor to fight the unjust gods, Gladiator and the Imperial Guard fought them, but were in turn defeated. In the ensuing Challenge of the Gods, as the result of the Shi'ar Gods causing mass suffering to their people, this prompted them to turn on their gods. Since the Shi'ar Gods lost the challenge they unleashed the Phoenix Force on the Creation. Gladiator knocked the Shi'ar Gods out and helped the Asgardians to appease the Phoenix thanks to Quentin Quire, who temporarily became the new god of the Shi'ar.

Mother Entropy

When the being known as Mother Entropy was accidentally unleashed by Pip the Troll and made him her vessel to infect the universe, the Guardians of the Galaxy escaped to the Shi'ar Space where they asked Gladiator for help. However, he instead incarcerated them due to their past crimes. When Star-Lord tried to convince Gladiator about the threat that Mother Entropy posed, she ambushed them infecting Gladiator and the Empire with her spores. Following the infection of the entire universe including cosmic beings, Groot was able to destroy Mother Entropy and free all universe from her influence. Afterwards, Gladiator and the Shi'ar tried to capture Pip, but he teleported away.

Infinity Wars

When Nebula began leading an army of dead gods thanks to the Naglfar Beacon she wanted to see how strong her army was and decided to attack the Imperial Guards. Gladiator and the Imperial Guards tried to fend them off, but eventually began losing as armies of dead gods started attacking Chandilar. Luckily, the Asgardians of the Galaxy came to their aid, and managed to destroy the corpses, until the arrival of the Nova Corps. Gladiator blamed the destruction on the Asgardians and let the Nova Corps arrest them. After that, he tried to wield Throg's Hammer, but when the Asgardians broke out, Throg retrieved his hammer and flew away while smacking Gladiator.

The Final Gauntlet

Following the death of Thanos Gladiator was among the gathered at his funeral where Eros revealed that Thanos had loaded his mind into someone's body. Then the Black Order broke in and created a rift in space which sucked nearly everyone, while the Order stole Thanos' headless body. Gladiator, along with others, managed to escape the rift, and joined Eros' Dark Guardians in order to go after Gamora, since she was the main suspect to be Thanos' body. Following a battle against the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Dark Guardians were eventually able to capture Gamora. As Gladiator was about to execute Gamora, Hela and the Black Order interrupted the execution and attacked them revealing that Starfox was actually Thanos' body. The remaining members of the Dark Guardians joined forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy and managed to stop the resurrection of Thanos. Afterwards, Gladiator returned to lead the Shi'ar Empire.

Herald Supreme

Along with universe's other most powerful heroes, Gladiator was recruited by Dr. Strange to help fight Galactus, who had been transformed into a hybrid of extreme science and extreme magic. Gladiator tried to burn Galactus with his powers (which was augmented by magic), but was burned to death by the optic blast of Galactus. After Dr. Strange's victory, Gladiator was resurrected along with the other heroes.

In the aftermath of the War of the Realms, Gladiator attended the coronation of Thor as the new All-Father of Asgard.

Annihilation - Scourge

After the "Sentry" began leading the forces of the Cancerverse into invading the Negative Zone, and then the Posiverse, Mister Fantastic used his Dimensional Anchor to gather various heroes, including Gladiator, into battling the evil forces. In the end, Bob Reynolds re-merged with the Void, while Nova sacrificed himself in order to defeat the evil forces.

Starbrand Reborn

At the Ravenstarr Prison following the White Event, Gladiator decided to go after the current wielder of the Starbrand in order to eliminate the threat she posed, and told the guards that in case he didn't return within a time period to then call the Avengers for help. While the heroes dealt with the Heralds of Galactus, who also wanted to kill the new Starbrand, Gladiator was able to track the Starbrand down and attacked. After the Avengers and the Heralds arrived, the heroes were unwilling to let Gladiator kill her, since she was pregnant, so he fought some of them, while Captain America delivered the baby. Following the birth of the baby, Gladiator decided to spare her and returned to the empire, while leaving the baby to them.

Dawn of X

As the Titans began waging war, Gladiator feared that they would be involved in the war and decided to make Xandra the new Majestrix, due to the Empire needing a Neramani as their leader. After the New Mutants brought Deathbird so she could serve as Xandra's mentor, she tried to kill Oracle. Gladiator prevented that and, retaliated due to rage. The heroes interfered, and Deathbird revealed that Oracle betrayed them due to being unwilling to serve a child. Soon a fight broke out, but was stopped by Xandra. She punished Oracle by compelling her to teach her in leading the empire. Then during a party at Cannonball's place, Cyclops asked Gladiator if they could plant a Flower of Krakoa on Chandilar in order to link it with Krakoa. Gladiator agreed.

When the Brood began going after the X-Men due to them accidentally having possession of the Kree's King Egg, the Imperial Guards were contacted by Sunspot who asked them to free the Starjammers from the Kree. After that they came to X-Men's aid in redirecting the Brood through space. However, they crashed on a planet with Brood nests, and tried to fight the parasites off. They began being overwhelmed by the endless armadas. Luckily, the Brood stopped when Broo accidentally ate the King Egg and became their new leader, saving the heroes in the process.

Personality

 I am Gladiator, Superguardian of the Shi'ar Imperium. My sworn duty is to preserve stellar harmony. May the eternal heavens forgive us for what we must do here. Destroy all mutants. 

Kallark is very serious and confident in himself. He is extremely loyal to the Shi'ar empire due to it being the last wish of the Strontian elders and his sense of duty as one of the few surviving Strontians.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

• Strontian Physiology: Kallark is a Strontian who went through the Gladiator enhancement process. In addition to his natural abilities, this made him able to survive in the vacuum of space and increased his power levels. He was deemed to be an Alpha Plus by the Galadorian Spaceknight Ikon. His psionic abilities allow him to keep objects from crumbling under their own weight.
  • Superhuman Strength: Gladiator possesses tremendous physical strength, the exact limits of which are unknown. His strength level is dependent on his confidence; as such the more confident he is, the stronger he gets. He has demonstrated several astounding feats of strength, such as uprooting the entire Baxter Building while fighting the Fantastic Four, shattering entire planets with the force of his blows, defeating Colossus with relative ease, knocking out the Thing in two blows, blunting the punches of Hyperion with his open palm and by severe effort knocking him unconscious by breaking his back, and even carving one of Vulcan's eyes out and beating the Omega-level mutant unconscious. Kallark was also described as powerful enough to shift planets from their orbit and collapse stars, was compared to the Hulk in physical might, and his son Kubark even remarked that he once saw Gladiator tearing apart black holes. He was even able to contain an explosion powerful enough to wipe out half the solar system. Since Gladiator contained the explosion, instead of merely withstanding the blast, it indicates that he exerted his strength to perform the feat. Moreover, Kallark was established to rival Beta Ray Bill in power, and Bill is comparable to Thor, a being regarded by Eternity as a threat to a vast multi-galactic part of the whole that constitutes the cosmic being.
    • An example of Gladiator's psionic power is him picking up the Baxter Building without its own weight destroying it. Reed Richards deduced that Gladiator must be mentally holding the building together.
  • Superhuman Speed: Gladiator can run and move faster than the finest human athlete. He is able to move at supersonic speeds, meaning several times swifter than the speed of sound, which is roughly 760 miles per hour. He has performed feats such as hitting some Starjammers and Guardians of the Galaxy in super-speed before they could react, and hitting the Human Torch before he could even notice his attack.
    • Superhuman Agility: Gladiator's natural balance, agility, and body coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.
    • Superhuman Reflexes: Gladiator's reflexes are similarly heightened and are superior to those of the finest human athlete. Kallark has been able to catch a bullet fired by a highly powerful gun right before it could hit the mutant Vulcan, react in a matter of nanoseconds to block a punch from Hyperion, and even dodge a point blank photonic blast from Galactus himself. Also, Gladiator's perception and processing speed is so developed that he was able to count about ten billion micro-sentinels inside a body in mere seconds. In fact, Gladiator's combat speed is so impressive that he was able to cross entire galaxies and land a blow on Heimdall before he could even notice.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Gladiator possesses extraordinary physical stamina. His muscles generate considerably less fatigue toxins then the musculature of human beings or most other known beings for that matter. Gladiator is able to exert himself at peak capacity for at least several days before the buildup of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. During his battle with Hyperion, when the opponents knocked each other out with their respective eye beams, it was Gladiator who got up on his feet faster than Hyperion, who was just rising up.
  • Invulnerability: Gladiator possesses extraordinary physical durability and is virtually impervious to all physical damage. He can withstand high caliber bullets, powerful concussive blasts, falls from tremendous heights and blows from powerful super-humans such as Hulk and Hyperion. Gladiator can also survive in the vacuum of space unaided and withstand exposure to extreme temperatures, particularly intense heat. He has shown himself to be capable of flying through stars completely unharmed, and has actually withstood the explosive power of a supernova-like event. Gladiator's invulnerability also makes him immune to all diseases, infections, contaminations, corrosives and radiation (with the exception of a rare radiation that drains his powers and vitality). However the level of his durability depends on his confidence, so if he is not feeling confident his invulnerability will weaken.
  • Flight: By harnessing and manipulating gravitons, Gladiator is able to defy gravity which enables him to fly. Gladiator's flight speed rivals those of the fastest known starships and can achieve faster than light speeds in hyperspace. Reed Richards once measured his speed as a hundred times the speed of light.
  • Heat Beams: Gladiator is capable of projecting highly concentrated beams of energy from his eyes. These beams are capable of reaching extremely high temperatures. The maximum temperature his beams can reach is unknown, but they can reach temperatures hotter than that of stars as they were shown able to burn through Hulk's skin. These beams were also able to cancel out Hyperion's atomic vision, creating a huge explosion which temporarily incapacitated both opponents. The temperature level of his heat beams depends on his confidence.
  • Microscopic Vision: Gladiator possesses the ability to see extremely small objects and images beyond subatomic level.
  • Superhuman Breath: Thanks to his incredible lung capacity, Gladiator is also able to draw in large amounts of air and then expel it all to create gale and hurricane force winds. He can also chill his breath to freeze targets.
  • Psionic Resistance: Gladiator is capable of causing a counter-force against telepathic assaults and probes. However, telepaths of sufficient power are capable of penetrating his psionic defenses to an extent.
  • Accelerated Healing: If injured Gladiator's accelerated healing factor can heal him to a certain degree. His healing factor enables him to repair cells, body tissues and bones that have been damaged regardless of severity with much greater speed and efficiency than an ordinary human. His healing factor can even regenerate cells and body tissues that have been destroyed but is limited in the sense that it cannot regenerate missing organs or limbs. When Champion defeated him using the Power Gem, he had to spend some time recuperating from his injuries.
    • Advanced Longevity: Gladiator's healing factor also keeps him in optimal health and decreases the rate of his aging by a high degree granting him a life span that is several millennia long. He has survived for centuries with little sign of aging.

Abilities

• Experienced Fighter: Gladiator is highly skilled in the combat arts of the Shi'ar, personally trained by Deathbird. His skills in unarmed combat allowed him to outmanouver powerful opponents like Hyperion.
• Military Strategy: Gladiator is highly trained in military strategy.

Weaknesses

• Radiation: Gladiator is vulnerable to a certain specific wavelength of radiation.
• Loss of Confidence: A significant portion of Gladiator's powers, especially his strength, stamina, and resistance to physical injury, are affected by his level of confidence. If his self-confidence wavers, he may weaken substantially. Also, should he lose confidence in his abilities, he becomes vulnerable to much weaker opponents (Such as his defeat by Cannonball).
• Magic: Strontians are vulnerable to magic.
• Energy Manipulators: Due to the fact that are powered by their own confidence Strontians have an enlarged prefrontal cortex buzzing with electrical impulses, powerful energy manipulator like Vulcan can manipulate and reroute those impulses, draining a Strontian of their powers.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Gladiator carries a Shi'ar device that helps stabilize massive objects that he lifts. He may have other devices that contribute to his powers.

Transportation

Flight under his own power; access to Shi'ar starships and star-gates.

Trivia

• The character's powers are considered to be inspired by those of Superboy (a young Clark Kent) from the Legion of Super-Heroes (most of the Imperial Guard members created by Dave Cockrum were based on Legionnaires). The name Kallark is a combination of "Kal" and "Clark", the two aliases of Superman. The name Gladiator could have come from the novel Gladiator by Philip Wylie.
• John Byrne's psionic-based explanation for Gladiator's powers is similar to his later revamping of Superman in The Man of Steel. While Superman had often lifted large objects like buildings, Byrne's stories were the first to discuss the impossibility of his doing so without them collapsing under their own weight, unless Superman was unconsciously using mental power to hold them together.

See Also

• 230 appearance(s) of Kallark (Earth-616)
• 13 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Kallark (Earth-616)
• 24 minor appearance(s) of Kallark (Earth-616)
• 25 mention(s) of Kallark (Earth-616)
• 9 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Kallark (Earth-616)
• 188 image(s) of Kallark (Earth-616)
• 11 quotation(s) by or about Kallark (Earth-616)
• 5 victim(s) killed by Kallark (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Kallark on Wikipedia.org
• uncannyxmen.net Spotlight On... Gladiator