Cotati (comics)
| Cotati | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Avengers vol. 1, #133 (May 1975) |
| Created by | Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema |
The Cotati are a fictional alien race in the Marvel Universe. They are a highly intelligent species of telepathic plants. Long ago, the Cotati were humanoid in form, with branches which served as rudimentary limbs which allowed them to slowly travel, and a torso topped by a distinct head with a semi-human face featuring two eyes above what looked like a mouth. The Cotati later allowed evolution to strip them of their mobility while they concentrated their efforts on developing their telepathy. As a result, their legs, torso and head merged into a single trunk-like body which was rooted firmly to the ground, and their faces became increasingly less evident until eventually no trace of any facial features remained. Most Cotati now look like simple, unremarkable trees although some have more distinctive appearances which include faces.
The Cotati originated on Hala in the Pama star system in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the same planet as the warlike humanoid Kree race. Despite their aggressive nature, the Kree ignored the Cotati because they believed that all plants were beneath their notice. Approximately one million Earth years ago, Hala was visited by a starship from the Skrull empire (at that time, the Skrulls were a benevolent race). The Skrulls wished to include Hala in their empire and offered its inhabitants their knowledge and technology in exchange for their loyalty and Hala's resources. To avoid any dissention regarding which of the two races would represent Hala to them, the Skrulls proposed a test of worthiness in which equal numbers of Kree and Cotati would be taken to different uninhabited worlds and left there with complete supplies for one year. At the end of that period, whichever group had done the most with themselves would be adjudged the most worthy. Both races agreed to these terms and the Skrulls transported 17 Cotati to a barren moon in an unspecified solar system. The Skrulls then transported 17 Kree to Earth's Moon and provided them with an artificial atmosphere and rudimentary technology. The Kree used their time to build a gargantuan city. The Skrulls who came to retrieve the Kree were extremely impressed and the Kree felt confident that they would be victorious. However, upon returning to Hala, the Kree contestants were informed by their fellows that the other Skrulls (those who had retrieved the Cotati) were more impressed by their transformation of their barren moon into a park full of plant life. Enraged, the Kree decided to try to win by destroying their competitors and quickly exterminated all of the Cotati. When the Kree informed the Skrulls of how they had solved the problem of Hala's representation to them and the outraged Skrulls reacted by promising to reject Hala forever, the Kree slaughtered the Skrull delegation as well and seized their starship and all of its tremendously advanced technology, which they would use to arm for war against the Skrulls.
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