"They call me terrorist. Radical. Zealot. Because I obey the ancient laws of my people, the Kree, and punish those who do not. Because I do not forgive your people for taking the life of my father and his father and his father before him. A thousand years of war between us will not be forgotten!"
Ronan was a radical Kree warlord and a former Accuser of the Kree Empire. A participant in the Kree-Skrull War, Ronan worked with Yon-Rogg and the Starforce after the Ambush in Torfa to wipe out the last of the Skrull refugees. Ronan and the Accusers were then called to drop warheads on Earth to wipe out the remaining Skrull opposition there, but were repelled when Captain Marvel came to Earth's defense. The Accusers retreated, with Ronan promising retribution.
Further disgusted by an armistice made between the Kree and Nova Empires to end the Kree-Nova War, Ronan initiated a new campaign to eradicate the Xandarians by forging an alliance with Thanos, offering the Orb in exchange for the destruction of Xandar. After a long search, Ronan acquired the Orb, but after realizing it had housed the Power Stone, he instead betrayed Thanos and chose to take the Orb's power for himself. Using his new-found power, he and his forces attacked Xandar, only to be defeated and killed by the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Ronan was born centuries ago on the planet Hala, the ancestral homeworld of the Kree into an Imperial family which generations had fought and died in the thousand year Kree-Nova War between the Kree and Xandarians.[2] During the war, Ronan lost his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather.[1] This led him to develop a strong feeling of hate and repulsion for Xandar and its culture.[3]
By the Kree-Skrull War, Ronan had joined the Accusers, becoming the lead Accuser in charge of the Accuser Warships fleet.[4] In 1995, using several warships, Ronan and his Accusers dropped warheads onto Torfa to eliminate the Skrulls and clear the way for the Starforce so they could rescue Soh-Larr. However, it turned out that the Skrulls had ambushed the Starforce in an attempt to capture Vers. Following her abduction, Ronan contacted Yon-Rogg and blamed the Starforce for the failure of the mission.
Yon-Rogg later called Ronan after Vers had discovered that the Kree, were the aggressors in the Kree-Skrull War the whole time and not the Skrulls. Yon-Rogg ordered Ronan and the Accusers to come above Earth and drop Kree Ballistic Missiles in order to eliminate Talos and the remaining Skrulls under the orders of the Supreme Intelligence. Ronan arrived in the midst of the battle and ordered the Accusers to drop the warheads onto the planet.
However, once the Accusers dropped the warheads, Ronan was astonished to see them being destroyed by Captain Marvel. As she approached their ships, Ronan ordered for Captain Marvel to be taken down, but seeing how she easily dispatched the fleet and single-handedly destroyed a warship, Ronan admitted imminent defeat and decided to retreat. However, along with a fellow Accuser, he vowed that they would soon return to get her back and use her as a weapon.[5]
Demobilization of the Accusers[]
After failing to win the Kree-Skrull War, Ronan eventually lost his high standing with the Kree Empire when the Accusers were demobilized. However, he continued going by his former title.[5][1]
Years later, the Kree Empire and the Nova Empire had signed a peace treaty to end the war, which Ronan found disgusting and unacceptable. Deserate to annihilate Xandar and it people, Ronan defected from the Accusers and put together his own army, including Korath the Pursuer of the Starforce, the Sakaarans and a sect of the Exolon Monks. The Kree Empire denounced Ronan and his agenda, branding him as a rogue terrorist, but failed to stop his conflict against the Nova Empire.[1]
Thanos' Underling[]
Deal with the Mad Titan[]
"I promised Thanos I would retrieve the Orb for him. Only then will he destroy Xandar for me."
Seeking the power that could help him achieve his goals, Ronan made an alliance with Thanos, promising to work for him in exchange for his eventual help in the destruction of Xandar. Ronan was ordered by Thanos to lead an attack on a planet, which resulted in half of the native population being slaughtered. Ronan would personally kill Ovette and her daughter, Kamaria, finding their dying screams to be "pitiful", which prompted Drax to vow revenge on him and Thanos.[1]
Ronan's most important mission was to find the Orb, as Thanos made it clear that Xandar will be destroyed only after he brings the artifact to him. Ronan and his subordinates succeded and discovered the Orb on Morag, which he informed Thanos about. Thanos dispatched Gamora and Nebula to the Dark Aster to make sure Ronan succeds in procuring the Orb, threatening him with death in case he refuses.[6] Ronan then sent Korath the Pursuer and a small unit of Sakaarans to Morag to retrieve it from the Temple Vault.[1]
"You can't do this. Ourgovernments signed a peace treaty!" "My government knows no shame. You Xandarians and your culture are a disease." "You will never rule Xandar." "No. I will cure it!"
On the Dark Aster, Ronan was awoken from his nap in Celestial blood[7] and dressed in his armor by the Exolon Monks before he began a ritualistic killing of a captured member of the Nova Corps. When the Corpsman insisted that he would never be able to rule Xandar, Ronan told the Corpsman that he intended to cure Xandar before crushing his head with his Universal Weapon. As Ronan watched the Corpsman's blood draining away, Nebula informed him that Korath the Pursuer had returned from Morag.
Korath informed Ronan that the Orb had been taken from him by Star-Lord; Korath explained that his sources had learned that Star-Lord intended to sell the Orb to the Broker on Xandar. Ronan, unwilling to be denied his chance for vengeance and desire not to incur the furious wrath of Thanos, made his decision and ordered Nebula to travel to Xandar and retrieve the Orb from Star-Lord, by any means necessary.
Gamora, however, insisted that she should be the one to go as she knew Xandar and Nebula would likely get herself killed. Ronan agreed and sent Gamora to Xandar, telling her not to fail in her mission. Ronan, however, was unaware that Gamora had decided to leave her life as a killer and planned on betraying him and Thanos by selling the orb to a third party: the Collector, using the money to escape from her family and her life of killing.
Soon, Ronan was informed that Gamora had been captured during her mission and incarcerated in the Kyln. When Thanos learned about Gamora's betrayal, he summoned Ronan and Nebula to the Sanctuary to discuss the recent events. Although Ronan still insisted that Gamora was likely simply captured and was still planning on delivering the Orb to them, The Other informed him that Thanos had sources inside the Kyln who confirmed Gamora's betrayal and demanded that he could speak to him immediately in person.[1]
"I only ask that you take this matter seriously." "The only matter I do not take seriously, boy, is you. Your politics bore me. Your demeanor is that of a pouty child. And apparently, you alienated my favorite daughter, Gamora. I shall honor our agreement, Kree, if you bring me the Orb. But return to me again empty handed... And I will bathe the starways in your blood."
Once they arrived at the Sanctuary, The Other spoke for Thanos, accusing Ronan of being the cause of Gamora's betrayal and demanded Ronan show Thanos respect. However, Ronan insisted that Thanos was to blame for everything that had gone wrong. When the Other's taunts began to annoy him, Ronan killed him by breaking his neck with his Universal Weapon, demanding that Thanos face him and take the situation more seriously.
Thanos was unaffected by his servant's death; however, he mocked and threatened Ronan, claiming that his politics bored him and his entire demeanor was pathetic. Once Ronan was unable to speak out of fear, Thanos insisted that he would still honor their agreement to destroy Xandar, but if he failed him again, then he would bathe the starways in his blood. Nebula then confirmed that Ronan would never win a war against Thanos.[1]
"Send Necrocraft to every corner of the quadrant. Find the Orb. Any means, any price." "And this place?" "The Nova can’t know what we’re after. Cleanse it!"
Thanos ordered Ronan and Nebula to raid the Kyln in order to locate the missing Orb and capture Gamora. By the time they arrived with their army of Sakaarans, Gamora had already escaped from the prison with their prize along with her new allies as she continued her quest to sell the Orb to the Collector and escape her life of violence and death that Ronan had forced upon her.
Furious that he was once again failing in his quest to locate the Orb for Thanos, Ronan ordered Nebula to capture and torture the guards in an attempt to learn Gamora's location but found the guard did not know. Realizing that the Nova Corps was coming to retake the prison and that none of the staff had any information, Ronan ordered Nebula and their Sakaaran soldiers to cleanse the prison and have everybody inside executed to keep them silent.[1]
Ronan and his subordinates worked to track Gamora and her allies, while Nebula asked if Ronan ever wondered why Thanos wanted the Orb, but Ronan simply said it was not his place. Drax the Destroyer, who desired revenge for Ronan killing his wife and daughter, sent a transmission to Ronan, challenging him to go to Knowhere and face death. Nebula explained that Drax was the prisoner who escaped the Kyln along with Gamora and her associates, so Ronan concluded that the Orb was on Knowhere,[8] leading an attack on the planet. When Gamora attempted to flee, Ronan turned to pursue only to be confronted and attacked by the furious Drax and so had Nebula pursue her instead while he stayed behind.
Drax launched numerous ferocious attacks upon Ronan, but Ronan was easily able to evade Drax's attacks, as his furious rage made him predictable and foolish. As Drax continued to attack his foe, Ronan overpowered him several times while landing several powerful strikes of his own and soon disarmed him of his knives. To prove a point, Ronan even allowed Drax to repeatedly punch him in the stomach to no effect, only watching while Drax's furious rage continued to grow.
Eventually, Ronan beat Drax half to death and slammed his body onto the ground, claiming that he could not recall slaughtering his family and would unlikely ever remember killing him either. With Drax the so-called Destroyer defeated and unable to defend himself, Ronan left him to drown in a vat of spinal fluid. Nebula then called Ronan, having retrieved the Orb and, with this information, Ronan returned to the Dark Aster to claim his victory.[1]
"Boy! I would reconsider your current course!" "You call me boy?! I will unfurl one thousand years of Kree justice on Xandar and burn it to its core! Then, Thanos... I'm coming for you."
With the Orb now in his possession, Ronan returned to the Dark Aster and contacted Thanos to report his success. However, when Thanos demanded that Ronan bring him the Orb immediately, Ronan told him that he had reconsidered their deal now he was aware that the Orb contained one of the Infinity Stones and questioned his need for Thanos' assistance in his quest for revenge.
Nebula handed the Orb over to Ronan who, ignoring the demands of Thanos and Korath the Pursuer's fears, ripped it apart in order to reveal the powerful stone within. Unafraid of its power, Ronan ripped the Power Stone from the Orb and consumed its energy, causing explosions all around him before he embedded it in the Universal Weapon in order to control its force, becoming more powerful than even Thanos himself, who watched in silence at the betrayal.
As a result, Ronan decided that he no longer needed Thanos' help in invading Xandar and so severed ties with the Titan. Ronan then roared at his former master that, for his insults and mockery, after he ensured that Xandar was destroyed in the name of the Kree Empire, he would be coming to destroy him next. Nebula, having resented Thanos' treatment of her over the years, joined Ronan and vowed to help him destroy a thousand planets if he destroyed her monstrous adoptive father, starting with Xandar.[1]
As they approached Xandar ready to begin the destruction of the planet, the Dark Aster was confronted by the Guardians of the Galaxy along with the Yondu Ravager Clan, led by Yondu Udonta. Still confident in his power, Ronan remained calm and watched as the Eclector fired a wall of flame at the ship before attempting to breach the side, with Nebula sending out their own fleet of Necrocraft to battle them above the skies of Xandar while Ronan looked on, remaining confident even when the Nova Corps arrived to assist the Ravagers in the battle, forming a blockade around the Dark Aster to stop its movement.
Ronan ordered that the Dark Aster continue pushing forward while his Sakaarans battle the attacks in the sky and when the battleship was boarded by the Guardians after Kraglin Obfonteri had breached the side of the ship, Ronan sent Nebula to kill them as he believed their only focus should be to reach the planet's surface so he could destroy it. The Nova Corps stalled the ship's approach on Xandar while Rocket and the Ravagers protected the civilians.
Unfazed by his enemies' attack and filled with more power than all of them combined, Ronan responded by standing before the fleet of Nova Corps ships and accusing them before sentencing them to destruction. Ronan then used the Stone's power to fire a powerful blast from the Universal Weapon which destroyed the Nova Corps' entire fleet, as the burning remains of the army flew to the ground below and Ronan looked at the destruction with a sense of satisfaction as he saw the pain he was causing to his enemies.
While continuing to watch the battle unfold, Ronan found himself confronted by Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Groot after they had defeated Nebula and Korath the Pursuer during their hunt for him. The Guardians subdued his bodyguards and shot Ronan in the chest with the Hadron Enforcer, causing a small explosion. However, Ronan was barely affected by the blast and was merely knocked off his feet. Ronan then easily overpowered the group with a single shockwave blast from his hammer.
Drax the Destroyer attempted to fight Ronan once again on his own, but Ronan simply grabbed his throat and began to choke him as he lifted him off the ground while mocking him about his dead family, claiming that he recalled their screams which he viewed as pitiful. However, before Ronan could finally destroy the team, Rocket crashed his ship into the Dark Aster, knocking over Ronan, heavily damaging the ship, and sending it plummeting to the ground.[1]
"Behold! Your Guardians of the Galaxy! What fruit have they wrought? Only that my father and his father shall finally know vengeance. People of Xandar, the time has come to rejoice and renounce your paltry gods! Your salvation is at hand."
The Dark Aster crashed to the surface of Xandar, as Groot sacrificed his life to save his teammates from the explosion. However, Ronan was unharmed as he walked calmly out of his ship's wreckage, to the horror of the citizens looking on. Rocket furiously attempted to attack him in revenge for killing his dear friend Groot, but Ronan easily used an energy blast to shoot him away.
Smiling to himself at the desperate and pathetic attempts to stop him that had been proved to be worthless, Ronan mocked the Guardians of the Galaxy and prepared to unleash the Stone's power to annihilate Xandar. However, before he could unleash the stone's power, he became distracted by Star-Lord, who had challenged him to a dance-off. Genuinely confused by this turn of events, the distraction allowed Rocket enough time to repair the Hadron Enforcer allowing Drax the Destroyer to fire it at him, destroying Ronan's Universal Weapon, disarming him and leaving the Power Stone hovering in the air before him.
In a desperate move to gain the advantage in the battle and kill each other, both Ronan and Quill attempted to catch the Stone during the split second it hung unprotected in the air before them. Despite Ronan's best efforts to regain the powerful weapon and complete his plan, however, Quill was a moment faster and quickly caught the Stone while Gamora called out in horror, as she was aware of what the Stone's power would do to a mortal human like Quill.[1]
The moment the Power Stone was touched by Peter Quill's hand, it unleashed a massive amount of energy, causing a shock-wave which threw Ronan backwards as flames engulfed their group. As Ronan watched on with a sense of delight, the Stone's incredible and near uncontrollable power almost killed Quill as his body was slowly ripped apart from the inside by the Power Stone. Ronan then laughed as he watched Quill screaming in horrific pain, believing that once Quill was dead, he could then reclaim the Power Stone.
However, Ronan witnessed Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, and Rocket join hands as a team and grab Quill's hand, helping with the burden of the Stone's power and gaining complete control over it. Ronan looked on in horror and demanded to know how that was possible for a human to survive such power, and Quill informed him it was because together they were a team, they were able to control it. Enraged by this, Ronan furiously attempts to kill the team again, but they directed the Stone's energy at Ronan, painfully destroying his body and killing him for good.[1]
Legacy[]
Impact on the Galaxy[]
"The Kree purists, the Ravagers, they all want us dead."
News of Ronan's demise quickly reached Hala and incurred great outrage amongst the "purist" denizens of the Kree Empire, who marked the Guardians of the Galaxy as heretics and enemies of the Kree people.[9] When Ego heard the news of the Battle of Xandar, planning to recruit his son to aid him on his plot to assimilate the universe, he built a memorial statue of the Guardians with a defeated Ronan at Quill's feet, even though Gamora noted that the statue didn't show how the battle actually happened.[10] Ronan's death at the hands of the Guardians of the Galaxy was one of the many factors that contributed to Thanos' plan to obtain the Infinity Stones.
Four years after his death, Thanos ironically fulfilled Ronan's desire to completely destroy the Nova Empire when he invadedXandar, killing all of the Nova Corps and slaughtering half the population in the process before retrieving the Orb.[11]
Ronan was a proud and passionate crusader who fiercely upheld ancient Kree teachings and thought that everyone in the galaxy should be judged by them, holding Kree culture to be superior. While he once fought for them and against the Skrulls, Ronan had expressed contempt even towards his fellow Kree who signed the peace treaty with Xandar. He believed his power and self-righteousness gave him the authority to punish those he deemed unwilling or incapable of following his severe moral code, although he was pragmatic enough to form an alliance with Thanos to destroy Xandar.
Prior to the signing of the Xandarian-Kree treaty, Ronan was much more composed and calm. He seemed to know his limits, as he retreated from the awesome onslaught of Captain Marvel despite later challenging Thanos, demonstrating that he wasn't an individual who disposed of his own men uselessly yet promising to return. However, once the peace treaty was signed this drastically changed to the point where became a fanatical zealot determined to burn Xandar and its people to the ground. Since the war with Xandar killed his ancestors, Ronan not only opposed peace with Xandar but decided to carry out his retribution on the entire present generation of Xandarians, regardless of their complicity in the war or lack thereof. Ronan saw his warped views as justice, but they ultimately amounted to a form of might makes right. Such a mindset allowed him to kill hundreds of innocent lives, including the inhabitants of the Kyln, if he felt that they would get in the way of his overall plans for justice. Even so, he had enough sense to recognize Thanos' cruelty and betrayed him, although much as this stemmed from his personal insults.
Despite claiming that he engaged in his conflict with Xandar for the honor of the Kree Empire and saw no wrong on his actions because he just obeyed the ancient laws of his people, Ronan took great personal delight in the pain and suffering he inflicted upon his victims. Drax the Destroyer recalled hearing Ronan laugh as he slaughtered his wife and daughter and when he confronted Ronan over this, he only mocked him further and claimed to not recall their deaths. When Star-Lord screamed in agony as he was torn apart by the Power Stone, Ronan looked on and laughed at his enemy's suffering without an ounce of pity. Ronan was also willing to punish his allies with death if they didn't follow his commands, such as when he asked for Nebula and Gamora to be dispatched to his ship despite his dislike of being observed by them, as like Thanos noted, his obsession to destroy the Xandarians was clouding his judgment.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
Kree Physiology: As a Kree, Ronan possessed all of the natural attributes common among his people, such as blue skin coloration as well as superhuman strength, durability, and recuperation. However, it appears that his natural attributes are greater than most of his species, likely due to his status as an Accuser and his advanced technology.
Ronan was known to be among the strongest of the Krees, even being worshipped by some for his great power. Ronan possessed enough strength to easily overpower someone as strong as Drax the Destroyer, even tossing him around like a rag doll and heavily staggering him. His strength was even impressive enough to allow him to survive direct exposure to the Power Stone's power long enough until combining it with his Universal Weapon. His exposure to the Infinity Stone appeared to have greatly augmented his physical strength, as he easily defeated the Guardians of the Galaxy.
While not indestructible, Ronan had incredible durability that was well beyond that of a human. He was unfazed by Drax's best punches and temporarily endured the intense energy of the Power Stone. After being augmented by its power, he was even able to withstand an attack from the Hadron Enforcer, a weapon said by Rocket to be powerful enough to destroy entire moons.
Superhuman Agility: Ronan's agility was outmatched by the Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite usually watching the battle from his ship, he was always ready to make a move when getting attacked.
Superhuman Stamina: Ronan fought the Guardians of the Galaxy for a long period of time and did not have any fatigue while the Guardians laid on the ground, struggling to get up.
Superhuman Reflexes: Ronan had a very fast reaction time despite his size. He effortlessly evaded Drax the Destroyer's attacks when he charged against him inside Knowhere.
Regenerative Healing Factor: As with all Kree, Ronan possessed a healing factor which allowed him to recover from injuries in a much shorter time span than Humans. His hand healed very quickly after it was scarred by the Power Stone when he briefly held it in his hand.
Longevity: Ronan and his race can live for a very long time. This allowed Ronan to rise through the ranks of the Accusers in the span of around twenty years.
"Master! You cannot! Thanos is the most powerful being in the universe." "Not anymore."
Universal Weapon Capabilities: Ronan's trusted weapon was the Universal Weapon, which was a hammer that he carried around with him everywhere. He also infused the Power Stone into the hammer making it more powerful.
Concussive Blast: Using the Universal Weapon, Ronan could point it at his enemy and twist the hammer which set off a concussive blast that defeated his opponents. He used this technique to easily knock the Guardians off their feet.
As a warrior and military figurehead, it is only natural that Ronan would have extensive combat and military training. He had a very impressive hand to hand skills, easily countering Drax the Destroyer's hits and defeating him in battle with little effort as well as later overpowering the Guardians of the Galaxy while enhanced by the Power Stone easily.
Hammer Mastery: Thanks to his training, Ronan is extremely proficient in wielding melee weapons, especially his hammer, the Universal Weapon. He infused this hammer with the Power Stone to make it even more powerful and he carried it around with him everywhere.
Expert Tactician: Ronan was an experienced and exonerated member of the Kree military, and as such, he was a highly trained strategist. He led the Sakaarans during the Battle of Xandar. Ronan also led his forces above Torfa and C-53.
Ronan was the wielder of the powerful hammer known as the Universal Weapon, a large staff-like war hammer. In addition to using it as a melee weapon, he can also fire some sort of force that is capable of snapping a person's neck by twisting their head 180 degrees, as he did to The Other. When Ronan pushed the Power Stone into the Weapon, the hammer increased in power and became capable of firing blasts of energy which annihilated the entire Nova Corps fleet and came close to being used to destroy Xandar.
Orb: Ronan came into possession of the Orb and embedded the Power Stone within it in his Universal Weapon to try and destroy Xandar, instead of bringing it to Thanos as Ronan promised.
Other Equipment[]
Kree Armor: Ronan used a technologically advanced battle-suit that enhanced his strength and durability to levels higher than they already were. The Armor was powerful enough not to shatter when shot in the chest plate with the Hadron Enforcer, although Ronan's strength had been considerably increased by this stage.
Vehicles[]
Accuser Warship: As a member of the Accusers, Ronan had his personal warship while he was in command of the Accusers' fleet that was used during the Kree-Skrull War. Ronan led the fleet aboard his own ship to eliminate the Skrulls on Torfa and attempted to attack the Earth, however, the fleet was seriously damaged by Captain Marvel, forcing Ronan to order the remaining Accusers to retreat.
Dark Aster: When he defected from the Kree Empire, Ronan was the commander of a warship, codenamed the Dark Aster, which came with armies of Sakaarans who acted as Ronan's complete crew and combat squadron.
In the comics, Ronan was an anti-hero and was torn between his loyalties to the Kree and the Earth defenders with whom he allied on several occasions: he even became the second husband of Crystal and a member of the Annihilators.
Behind the Scenes[]
Lee Pace originally auditioned for the role of Star-Lord after reading the script in 2012, but he ended up cast as Ronan whereas Chris Pratt was cast as Star-Lord.[12]
Lee Pace noted that Ronan is a "f*cking psycho" and "a monster".[13]
Early concept art for Guardians of the Galaxy by Marvel Studios' Director of Visual Development and concept artist Andy Park had a more intimidating and armored Ronan in mind before his final design was decided.[14]
In retrospect, James Gunn regrets a little how Ronan was depicted in Guardians of the Galaxy: "There is some messy villain plot stuff in the first movie I'd like to deal with again. There was a committee working for Marvel at the time (now defunct) who had a lot of input, and that was primarily where it ended up".[15]
Regarding Ronan's appearance in Captain Marvel, directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden explained that they had a talk about introducing him earlier in the film or hold onto his introduction later, ultimately choosing the latter option because they felt that due to Ronan's antagonistic role in Guardians of the Galaxy, it was more effective for him to not be introduced earlier as it could have given away too soon that Kree race was the villain and not the Skrulls.[17]
Ronan was initially meant to have a bigger role in Captain Marvel. Several deleted scenes featuring Ronan, including one in which he interacted with the Starforce team face-to-face, have been leaked in Reddit.[18]
