====== Krona ======
===== Part 1: The Dossier: An At-a-Glance Summary =====
  *   **Core Identity:** **Krona is a nigh-omnipotent renegade Maltusian scientist from the DC Universe, whose insatiable and forbidden obsession with witnessing the dawn of creation made him the central antagonist of the historic [[JLA/Avengers]] crossover event, forcing the heroes of two realities to unite against him.**
  *   **Key Takeaways:**
    *  **Role in the Universe:** Originally a [[Green Lantern]] villain from DC Comics, Krona's primary significance within the Marvel context is as a trans-dimensional threat. He is not a native of Earth-616, but an invader who, in a cosmic game against the [[Grandmaster]], sought to merge and ultimately destroy both the Marvel and DC universes to satisfy his scientific curiosity.
    *  **Primary Impact:** Krona is directly responsible for instigating the single greatest conflict between the [[Avengers]] and the [[Justice League of America]]. By manipulating events and pitting the two super-teams against each other to gather cosmic artifacts, he nearly succeeded in unraveling the fabric of both realities, an act that required unprecedented cooperation between the two teams and even their respective cosmic pantheons to prevent.
    *  **Key Incarnations:** It is critical to understand that Krona has **no official Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) incarnation**. His character exists exclusively within the comics, primarily those published by DC. His "Marvel version" is simply his DC comics self temporarily operating within the Marvel Universe (Earth-616) during the //JLA/Avengers// storyline.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
Krona's journey to becoming a threat to the Marvel Universe began deep within the lore of its chief competitor, DC Comics. The character was created by the legendary writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, first appearing in **//Green Lantern// vol. 2 #40** in October 1965. He was introduced as a figure of ancient myth among the Guardians of the Universe, a Maltusian whose hubris led to a catastrophe that would ripple throughout DC's cosmic history. His origin was foundational to the Green Lantern mythos, explaining the Guardians' deep-seated opposition to emotion and their rigid control over the universe.
His transition into a Marvel-level threat was the result of one of the most anticipated and long-awaited projects in comic book history: the //JLA/Avengers// crossover. The idea for a full-scale crossover between the two flagship teams had been in development since the late 1970s. An initial attempt, slated to be written by Gerry Conway and drawn by George Pérez, was scheduled for 1983 but was famously scuttled due to editorial disagreements between Marvel and DC.
For two decades, the project lay dormant, becoming a piece of comic book "what if" legend. Finally, in the early 2000s, a new deal was struck. Kurt Busiek, acclaimed for his work on Marvel's //Avengers// and the series //Astro City//, was chosen to write, while the legendary George Pérez, whose art defined epic events like //Crisis on Infinite Earths// and was the artist on the original aborted project, returned to draw. The result was a four-issue prestige format limited series, published between September 2003 and April 2004 (though cover-dated a few months later), that served as a definitive love letter to the history of both universes. It was for this monumental event that Krona was chosen as the central antagonist, a character powerful and ambitious enough to credibly threaten two entire realities at once.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
To fully comprehend Krona's actions against Earth-616, one must first understand his origins within the DC Universe, as they are the direct cause of his cosmic madness.
=== DC Comics Origin (Maltusian Heresy) ===
Krona belongs to an ancient and immensely powerful race known as the Maltusians, one of the first intelligent life forms in the universe. The Maltusians were a race of blue-skinned humanoids dedicated to science and the pursuit of knowledge. However, Krona's thirst for knowledge was unquenchable and, ultimately, heretical. He became obsessed with a singular, forbidden goal: to witness the moment of creation itself. His fellow Maltusians warned him against this, believing that probing the secrets of the universe's birth was a profound taboo that could bring about immense destruction.
Ignoring their pleas, Krona constructed a machine that could pierce the temporal barrier and view the dawn of time. As he looked upon the hand of creation, his machine exploded. The precise consequences of this act have been retconned over the decades in DC Comics, but the core results remain consistent. His reckless experiment "shattered" the singular universe into a Multiverse, creating infinite parallel Earths. It also unleashed evil into the cosmos and, in some tellings, created the anti-matter universe of Qward.
As punishment for his transgression, his people, who would later evolve into the [[Guardians of the Universe]] and the Zamarons, condemned him. They converted Krona into a disembodied being of pure energy and sentenced him to wander the cosmos for all eternity, a powerless witness to the creation he so desperately wished to understand. However, over the millennia, Krona would find ways to escape his confinement, time and again returning to plague the universe and the Guardians' champions, the [[Green Lantern Corps]], in his unending quest for the ultimate truth.
=== Role in the JLA/Avengers Crossover ===
Krona's entry into the Marvel Universe was a direct result of his eternal quest. After one of his many defeats, he began a journey across dimensions, seeking the truth of creation by observing the origins of //other// universes. Eventually, he stumbled upon Earth-616. There, he encountered En Dwi Gast, the [[Elder of the Universe]] known as the [[Grandmaster]].
The Grandmaster, a being obsessed with games and contests, immediately recognized the existential threat Krona posed. Krona, in his madness, saw Earth-616 not as a unique reality but as a contaminated one, an impurity that needed to be purged to find the "pure" origin he sought. He believed that if he could force the two universes to collide and collapse, he could witness their true moment of genesis from the resulting cataclysm.
To stop him, the Grandmaster proposed a game. The two would choose champions—the Grandmaster choosing his universe's greatest heroes, the [[Avengers]], and Krona choosing the greatest heroes of the last universe he had visited, the [[Justice League of America]]. The game was a cosmic scavenger hunt: the first team to collect twelve items of immense power (six from each universe) would win. If the Grandmaster won, Krona would leave the Marvel Universe forever. If Krona won, the Grandmaster would lead him to [[Galactus]], a being who had witnessed the birth of the Marvel Universe and possessed the knowledge Krona craved.
However, this was merely a delaying tactic. Krona had no intention of honoring the deal. The game itself was his true plan. The act of bringing the cosmic artifacts together and moving them between dimensions weakened the very barriers separating the two realities. As the heroes fought, the universes began to bleed into one another, causing chaotic shifts in reality. By the time the Avengers "won" the game, the damage was done. Krona struck down the Grandmaster, seized his power, and used the gathered artifacts to forcibly merge the two universes. He then summoned an army of brainwashed villains from both realities to defend his cosmic fortress, intent on presiding over the destruction of everything to finally achieve his goal.
===== Part 3: Powers, Abilities & Cosmic Significance =====
Krona is a being of immense cosmic power, whose abilities stem from his advanced Maltusian physiology, his unparalleled scientific intellect, and his mastery over vast energies. His threat level is such that he can challenge the combined might of two pantheons of superheroes.
  * **Immortality and Invulnerability:** As a Maltusian, Krona is functionally immortal, immune to aging and conventional diseases. Even before his transformation, his people were incredibly long-lived. After being converted into an energy being and later reconstituting himself, he became nearly indestructible. He is capable of withstanding attacks from beings as powerful as Superman, Thor, and Captain Marvel without significant harm.
  * **Vast Intellect:** Krona's single greatest asset is his mind. He is arguably one of the most brilliant scientific minds ever produced by the DC Universe. His understanding of cosmology, temporal mechanics, and theoretical physics is likely unmatched. He was able to construct a device capable of viewing the beginning of time, a feat his entire race of super-scientists deemed impossible and catastrophic. This intellect makes him a master strategist, capable of manipulating cosmic beings like the Grandmaster and orchestrating events on a multiversal scale.
  * **Energy Manipulation and Projection:** Krona possesses an innate ability to control and project vast amounts of energy. This power was greatly amplified after his transformation. He can fire powerful concussive blasts, create durable energy shields, and manipulate energy for a variety of effects. During the //JLA/Avengers// crossover, his power was sufficient to incapacitate the Grandmaster and physically restrain the Spectre, one of DC's most powerful magical beings.
  * **Reality Warping (with artifacts):** While powerful on his own, Krona's greatest feats are achieved when he has access to cosmic artifacts. During the crossover, he sought out and briefly wielded some of the most powerful objects from both universes.
^ **The Twelve Items of Power** ^
| **Marvel Universe (Earth-616)** | **DC Universe** |
| The Ultimate Nullifier | The Spear of Destiny |
| The Casket of Ancient Winters | The Medusa Mask |
| The Evil Eye of Avalon | The Orb of Ra |
| The Wand of Watoomb | The Power Battery of Green Lantern |
| The Cosmic Cube | The Eternity Book |
| The Infinity Gauntlet((Note: The Infinity Gauntlet was powerless in the DC Universe, just as the Power Battery was unstable in the Marvel Universe. This was a key plot point demonstrating the different physical laws of each reality.)) | The Worlogog |
> By combining the power of these items and the knowledge he ripped from the Grandmaster's mind, Krona was able to forcibly merge the two universes. He created a new, amalgamated reality where the histories of the characters were intertwined. He sat on a throne at the nexus of this new reality, able to command time, space, and reality within his domain, effectively making him god-like.
  * **Control over Minions:** Krona demonstrated the ability to mentally dominate and control a vast army of super-villains drawn from both universes. This army included some of the most powerful and strong-willed antagonists imaginable, such as [[Doctor Doom]], [[Thanos]] ((A chronal duplicate, as Thanos was deceased in the main 616 continuity at the time.)), Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and countless others. They served as his personal guard, mindlessly loyal to his cause.
===== Part 4: Key Relationships & Network =====
Krona is a solitary being driven by obsession, not connection. He forms no alliances, only hierarchies where he is the master. His relationships are defined by conflict and utility.
==== Arch-Enemies ====
  * **The Guardians of the Universe:** Krona's first and most personal enemies are his own people. The Guardians represent order, control, and the suppression of forbidden knowledge—the very things Krona's entire existence rebels against. They punished him for his initial transgression and have spent eons trying to contain the fallout from his actions. Their conflict is a fundamental ideological battle over the nature of knowledge and the price of discovery.
  * **The Grandmaster (En Dwi Gast):** In the context of the Marvel Universe, the Grandmaster is Krona's direct counterpart and primary foe. Where Krona seeks to destroy everything for a single answer, the Grandmaster seeks to preserve existence through games and contests. Their conflict in //JLA/Avengers// is a battle of cosmic philosophies. The Grandmaster's game was a desperate gambit to save a reality he cherished from the nihilistic inquiry of Krona. Krona's ultimate victory over the Grandmaster symbolized the triumph of destructive obsession over ordered competition.
  * **The Avengers and the Justice League:** These two teams represent the ultimate obstacle to Krona's plans. They are the champions of their respective realities, the living embodiment of the will to survive. Initially, he viewed them as little more than pawns in his game, useful tools to gather the artifacts he needed. However, their indomitable spirit and eventual alliance proved to be his undoing. They became the instruments of his final defeat, proving that the combined heroism of two universes was greater than his singular, cosmic ambition.
==== Coerced Servants & Pawns ====
Krona has no true allies. During the climax of //JLA/Avengers//, he used his immense power to enslave a legion of the most dangerous villains from both universes to act as his personal army. This was not a partnership; it was absolute domination. His forces included, but were not limited to:
  * **From the Marvel Universe:** [[Doctor Doom]], [[Magneto]], [[Loki]], The Red Skull, Ultron, [[Venom]], Doctor Octopus, The Leader, and The Wrecking Crew.
  * **From the DC Universe:** Lex Luthor, The Joker, Brainiac, Deathstroke, Sinestro, Black Adam, Gorilla Grodd, and Star-Sapphire.
This army was a testament to his power, as many of these individuals possess wills of iron and would never willingly serve another. Their subjugation highlighted the sheer scale of the psychic and cosmic force Krona commanded.
==== Affiliations ====
Krona's only true affiliation is a negative one: he is a **Renegade Maltusian**. He is an outcast from the race that would become the Guardians of the Universe. This status defines him. He is the ultimate heretic, the scientist who broke the one unbreakable rule. This defines his eternal solitude and his antagonistic relationship with the cosmic order of his home universe.
===== Part 5: Iconic Events & Storylines =====
While Krona has a significant history in DC Comics, his appearance in the Marvel Universe is defined by one singular, monumental event.
==== JLA/Avengers: The Ultimate Crossover ====
This is Krona's signature story within the Marvel encyclopedia. Having journeyed from his reality, Krona's arrival in Earth-616 sets the stage for a cosmic contest against the [[Grandmaster]]. The premise is simple: the Avengers and the Justice League are manipulated into a race to collect twelve powerful artifacts. The heroes are led to believe that the fate of their universe is at stake, unaware they are merely pawns.
Krona's arc in the story is one of meticulous, deceptive victory. He allows the Grandmaster's game to play out, knowing that the constant inter-dimensional travel and convergence of cosmic energies are weakening the walls between realities. When Captain America and Batman realize they are being played and the contest grinds to a halt, Krona seizes his moment. He overpowers the Grandmaster, absorbs his knowledge, and uses the assembled artifacts to fuse the Marvel and DC universes into a chaotic, amalgamated timeline.
In this new reality, he reigns supreme from a cosmic throne, watching as the realities begin to tear themselves apart. The final act sees the united JLA and Avengers storming his fortress, fighting through his army of brainwashed villains. The climax of the story is not a simple physical confrontation. Krona is too powerful. He is only defeated when [[Captain America]] and [[Superman]], witnessing the chaos and erosion of their personal histories, finally rally the heroes for one last, desperate charge. The Flash, using the Speed Force, distracts Krona long enough for Hawkeye to fire a single arrow that destabilizes the cosmic artifacts Krona has assembled. The resulting energy feedback, channeled by the Spectre, traps Krona within a new "Cosmic Egg"—a new universe born from the remnants of the old, where he will be forced to witness a creation, but be forever trapped within it. His ultimate wish becomes his eternal prison.
==== The Original Sin (Green Lantern vol. 2 #40) ====
To understand his motivation in //JLA/Avengers//, his first appearance is essential. This story establishes the core of his character: the Maltusian scientist who defied the ultimate taboo. It frames him as a figure of cosmic terror and explains the deep-seated trauma of his people, the Guardians. It's the reason they police the universe with such rigidity—they are forever trying to prevent another Krona from rising. This original sin is the philosophical bedrock upon which his character is built.
==== War of the Green Lanterns (DC Comics) ====
Long after his encounter with the Marvel Universe, Krona returned to prominence in the DCU. In this 2011 storyline, he successfully manages to enslave the emotional entities of the Emotional Spectrum (such as the Ion entity of will and the Parallax entity of fear) and uses them to take control of the entire [[Green Lantern Corps]]. This event demonstrates his core methodology on a smaller, yet still cosmic, scale: asserting control over fundamental forces of the universe to achieve his goals. It culminates in his death at the hands of Hal Jordan, though, as with many cosmic beings, death is often a temporary state.
===== Part 6: Variants and Alternative Versions =====
As a character whose core story is tied to a singular event of cosmic tampering, Krona's own timeline is relatively stable. However, there are a few notable aspects to consider.
  * **Pre- and Post-Crisis:** Krona's origin story was a key element affected by DC's 1985 event, //Crisis on Infinite Earths//. In the Pre-Crisis version, his experiment explicitly created the DC Multiverse. In the Post-Crisis retcon, his experiment "only" created the Anti-Matter Universe and unleashed evil, with the Multiverse having a different origin. //JLA/Avengers//, written in the Post-Crisis era, largely adheres to the latter interpretation, though it plays with the multiversal concepts inherent in a crossover.
  * **Entropy:** For a time in DC Comics, Krona was retconned into being the embodiment of Entropy, a cosmic entity tasked with witnessing the end of a universe before helping to birth a new one. This was a significant departure from his scientific origins and was later undone, restoring him to his classic persona as a renegade Maltusian.
  * **Green Lantern: Emerald Knights (Animated Film):** Krona serves as the primary antagonist in this 2011 animated feature film. The story adapts his origin, depicting him as an ancient Guardian who tried to master the anti-matter energies of the universe, becoming a being of immense destructive power that the early Green Lantern Corps had to unite to defeat. This version streamlines his origin for a cinematic audience, focusing on his lust for power over his quest for pure knowledge.
===== See Also =====
  * [[Grandmaster]]
  * [[Avengers]]
  * [[JLA/Avengers]]
  * [[Cosmic Egg]]
  * [[Galactus]]
  * [[Elders of the Universe]]
===== Notes and Trivia =====
((Krona's selection as the villain for //JLA/Avengers// was a deliberate choice by writer Kurt Busiek. He needed a threat that was not only powerful enough to challenge both teams but also whose motivations were inherently cosmic and trans-dimensional, making his jump from the DC to the Marvel universe plausible within the story's logic.))
((The artwork by George Pérez in //JLA/Avengers// is legendary for its detail. Pérez, famous for his ability to draw massive crowd scenes, included dozens, sometimes hundreds, of characters from the entire history of both Marvel and DC Comics in the background of many panels, making the series a true celebration of both companies.))
((In a major retcon within DC Comics' //Green Lantern// lore, it was revealed that when Krona looked back at the beginning of time, the "hand of creation" he saw was, in fact, the hand of his future self, wearing the gauntlet that held the power of all the emotional entities. This created a paradoxical causal loop, making Krona the inadvertent architect of the very universe he sought to understand.))
((The final panel of //JLA/Avengers// shows the Grandmaster looking at the two universes, now safely separated again, and musing "It's a good game." This line serves as a final, poignant meta-commentary on the friendly rivalry between Marvel and DC Comics.))
((Due to changes in corporate ownership and creative philosophies at both Marvel and DC, //JLA/Avengers// is widely considered to be the last true, canonical crossover of its scale between the two companies, marking the end of an era of inter-company collaboration.))
((Source Material: //Green Lantern// vol. 2 #40 (1965), //JLA/Avengers// #1-4 (2003-2004).))