Candra (comics)

Candra, sometimes called Kandra is a fictional character, a mutant supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

She is a member of the Externals and has exhibited immensely powerful telekinetic abilities in addition to being immortal.

Fictional character biography

Origin

Candra Dies, Art by Cedric Nocon

Candra's exact origin is unknown. Her story picks up when she had a deal with the Thieves' and Assassins' Guild of New Orleans, in which she provided them with abnormally long life in exchange for monetary tributes and information on an ancient civilization known as the Old Kingdom.^[1] This deal was broken by Gambit, whom she encountered when he journeyed back to the past to stop the Thieves' Guild from giving her the secrets of Apocalypse.^[2]

In an attempt to get back at Gambit, Candra convinced Bella Donna to abduct Cody, the boy sent into a coma by Rogue's first kiss, in an attempt to trap Rogue and kill her, however she managed to survive the ordeal and rescue Cody in the process.

It was later revealed that Candra had placed the sum total of her power into a gem, which was later referred to as the heart stone. With the stone intact, Candra would have been able to achieve true immortality as her essence would always be restored. However, at one point, the stone was stolen by a young Storm in Cairo, and many years later the heart gem was stolen from an adult Storm by someone claiming to be involved with the Shadow King, Storm's former master in Egypt. When Storm's teacher Achmed El Gibár died, Candra convinced the young thief Jamil, who seemed to be a powerful mutant, to join her, promising him even greater power. However, when Candra used Jamil to lure Storm to her and reacquire her Heart, it was discovered that Jamil was only a psychic projection created by the true thief and mutant, a young girl named Karima. After a lengthy battle, Cyclops destroyed the gem which in turn appeared to have killed Candra, as she dissipated into nothingness.

In fact while the X-Men managed to destroy Candra's body, her powerful psyche still lived on. In time, thanks to the ones Candra refers to as "sisters", she learned how to take strength from death which she used to augment her own remaining power and slowly pull the pieces of her body back together, a process hastened considerably by tributes from the Assassins' Guild. Now calling herself Red Death, Candra has become an immortal death powered telekinetic zombie.

She tried to get the essences of Scarlet Spider and Wolverine to finally return entirely, but was stopped by the duo and some rogue members of the Guild. After a ferocious battle against Wolverine, she was apparently killed by Scarlet Spider, who stung her in the head, however, Belladonna announced that she would still find a way to return.

Powers and abilities

Candra's mutant ability is telekinesis, the ability to move objects with the mind.

Candra can use this ability at a molecular level and often uses it to activate latent mutant genes in an individual, granting them active mutant powers. She has also implied that, once given, she can also take these abilities away, presumably by returning the appropriate genes to their latent states. She also uses this ability to heal herself and, apparently, to stave off the aging process.

After having her body destroyed, Candra gained the ability to drain the life force from the death of a victim, which she needs to maintain her own body together. She has demonstrated pyrokinesis as well.^[3]

Other versions

Age of Apocalypse

Candra, Herald of Apocalypse, Art by Terry Dodson

Candra was one of the accomplices to Apocalypse in the Age of Apocalypse reality, and held the title "Herald of Apocalypse".^[4] She was also one of his first Horsemen, and was chosen to lead the other Horsemen after Sabretooth refused to use nuclear weapons to attack North America.^[5]

She is not seen after the attack on Cape Citadel,^[6] but it is later revealed that she was killed by Holocaust after working with the Assassins Guild.^[7]

In other media

Television

• A character based on Candra is featured in the X-Men animated series episode X-Ternally Yours. In it, she has the same connection to the Thieves and Assassins as in the comics, offering them great power and protection in exchange for decennial tithings, with those who broke the tithe punished greatly. She is not as inherently evil as her comics counterpart, more focused on the tithe and ensuring its sanctity than any real criminal behavior. She eventually turns on the Assassins, after they threaten the tithe by kidnapping the Thieves' "chosen one" Bobby (Gambit's brother), and replacing their tithe with an empty box. Her name is never given, the character is referred to only as The Spirit or The X-Ternal. Another difference is that instead of her skin color being light peach in X-Ternally Yours her skin color is dark brown.

References

External links

• Candra in X-Men Character Bios
• Bella Donna's Comic Reference HQ
• Review of X-Men 60, where she plays a prominent role