The Super-Skrull first charged into the Marvel Universe in Fantastic Four #18, published in September 1963. He was conceived during the creative zenith of writer-editor stan_lee and artist-plotter jack_kirby, the architects of Marvel Comics. His creation was a direct escalation of the conflict between the Fantastic Four and the skrulls, who had been introduced earlier in Fantastic Four #2.
The concept was a brilliant narrative stroke. After being humiliated by Earth's first family of superheroes, what would a technologically advanced, militaristic alien empire do? They would study their enemy and create a single soldier who embodied all of their strengths. This gave birth to a villain who was, by definition, a match for the entire team. The Super-Skrull's visual design by Kirby is iconic: the classic Skrull green skin and ridged chin, combined with the Human Torch's flame on one arm, the Thing's rocky texture on the other, Mister Fantastic's stretching limbs, and the implied power of the Invisible Woman. He was a walking, talking embodiment of the Fantastic Four's worst nightmare.
His creation tapped into the Cold War-era anxieties of the 1960s, reflecting the fears of a technologically superior, insidious “other” who could mimic and surpass American ingenuity. The Skrulls, with their shapeshifting abilities and advanced science, were perfect allegories for these fears, and the Super-Skrull was their ultimate Cold War super-weapon.
The origin of the Super-Skrull differs dramatically between the comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, representing one of the most significant adaptations of a character's core concept.
The story of the Super-Skrull begins with failure. Following the Skrulls' first failed invasion of Earth, thwarted by Reed Richards hypnotizing a group of Skrulls into believing they were cows, the Skrull Emperor Dorrek VII was enraged. He declared Earth's Fantastic Four a primary threat to the stability and expansion of the Skrull Empire. In response, he initiated the Super-Skrull Program, a project designed to create a warrior who could single-handedly defeat them. The chosen subject was one of the empire's most decorated and ambitious soldiers, Kl'rt. He was a celebrated hero from the Skrull throneworld of Tarnax IV. Kl'rt was subjected to an intense bio-engineering process where his physiology was fundamentally altered. Skrull scientists, having studied the Fantastic Four extensively, bombarded him with a unique form of cosmic radiation via a “power-transference ray.” This process granted him the powers of all four members:
Crucially, the scientists augmented these abilities beyond their original levels. Kl'rt could stretch further, generate more intense flame, and was physically stronger than the Thing. He was also trained to use these powers in concert, a feat the Fantastic Four themselves rarely accomplished. However, there was a critical flaw in his design. His powers were not self-sustaining; they required a constant stream of energy broadcast from a relay satellite orbiting Tarnax IV. When he first arrived on Earth to challenge the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards deduced this weakness. By using a device to block the energy beam, he rendered Kl'rt powerless, leading to his humiliating first defeat. Though Kl'rt would later have his powers made permanent and internal, this initial vulnerability defined his early encounters and established him as a formidable but ultimately flawed champion of a vengeful empire.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (Earth-199999) takes a completely different approach. The name “Super-Skrull” refers not to a single individual but to a top-secret scientific project aimed at empowering the Skrull race. The concept is introduced and fully developed in the Disney+ series, Secret Invasion. Following the events of Captain Marvel, a faction of Skrulls led by a radicalized extremist named Gravik grew disillusioned with Nick Fury's failure to find them a new homeworld. Believing that the Skrulls could only survive by taking Earth for themselves, Gravik began a clandestine project to create empowered Skrull soldiers. His lead scientist, Dr. Rosa Dalton, developed a machine that could splice DNA from various powered individuals into the Skrull genome, granting them those abilities while retaining their shapeshifting. The ultimate goal was to acquire a collection of DNA samples known as “The Harvest.” This vial, secretly collected by Nick Fury's operatives after the Battle of Earth (from Avengers: Endgame), contained the DNA of nearly every Avenger and their powerful foes, including Captain America, Thor, Captain Marvel, the Hulk, and even Thanos and his children. The primary Super-Skrulls seen in the MCU are:
The key difference is profound: while the comic version, Kl'rt, is a specific warrior with a defined, thematic power set (the Fantastic Four's), the MCU's Super-Skrull is a scientific concept that creates a being with a vast, almost limitless combination of powers from across the cosmos. The original Kl'rt has yet to appear in the MCU.
Kl'rt's powers and personality have been honed over decades of comic book history, making him a deeply layered and dangerous individual.
Kl'rt possesses all the powers of the Fantastic Four, amplified to a greater degree. His true advantage lies in his ability to use these powers simultaneously.
Kl'rt's personality is defined by a deep-seated sense of patriotism and honor. Initially, this manifested as arrogant, xenophobic fanaticism. He saw anything non-Skrull as inferior and believed his actions, no matter how brutal, were justified in the name of the Empire. He was proud, easily angered, and obsessed with avenging his people's honor. The destruction of Tarnax IV by Galactus, and later the devastation of the Skrull race during the Annihilation War, profoundly changed him. His arrogance was tempered by immense loss and grief. He transformed from a simple villain into a tragic figure, a warrior without a home, fighting for the memory of his people. His honor became his guiding principle, leading him to form alliances with former enemies like the kree and even humans when faced with a greater threat. He is now a grizzलेला, weary veteran who carries the weight of a dying empire on his shoulders. He is ruthless and pragmatic, but no longer purely evil.
The MCU's Super-Skrull concept, as embodied by G'iah, is a showcase of overwhelming power aggregation.
G'iah's powers are derived from “The Harvest,” giving her access to a vast catalog of abilities that she can manifest and combine at will. While the full extent is unknown, her demonstrated powers include:
The difference between Kl'rt and G'iah is one of focus versus scale. Kl'rt's powers are thematically linked and designed for a specific purpose: to counter the Fantastic Four. This makes his fighting style strategic and honed. G'iah, on the other hand, is a living Swiss Army knife of cosmic powers. Her abilities are far more diverse and arguably more powerful on a raw scale, drawing from beings like Captain Marvel and Thanos's own children. Her emergence represents an entirely new level of power threat in the MCU, far exceeding the original comic concept of the Super-Skrull. While Kl'rt is a super-soldier, G'iah is a potential god-killer.
Kl'rt is a soldier, not a diplomat, and his alliances are almost always forged in the crucible of war out of necessity, not friendship.
In his debut in Fantastic Four #18, the Super-Skrull was a force of nature. He ambushed the team, systematically defeating each member by using their own powers against them in novel ways. He out-muscled the Thing, out-flamed the Torch, and trapped the Invisible Woman. His eventual defeat came only from Reed Richards's intellect, not from a direct confrontation. This established the core dynamic: the Super-Skrull could overpower the Fantastic Four, but he could be out-thought. His early appearances cemented him as an A-list villain in Marvel's pantheon.
This is the definitive Super-Skrull story. The crossover event, masterminded by Keith Giffen, repositioned Marvel's entire cosmic line. When the Annihilation Wave swept through the universe, one of its first targets was the Skrull Empire. Kl'rt, in exile, watched helplessly as the Skrull Throneworld was consumed by the Ravager, a planet-devouring weapon. He learned his own son was on one of the worlds in its path. This personal tragedy galvanized him. He embarked on a suicidal mission to destroy the Ravager, fighting his way through Annihilus's hordes. Along the way, he reluctantly teamed up with a young Skrull engineer and his old enemy Ronan. The storyline strips Kl'rt of his arrogance, revealing the honorable warrior beneath. His apparent self-sacrifice in destroying the weapon was a heroic, defining moment that permanently elevated his character from a simple villain to a tragic anti-hero.
During the Skrull's massive infiltration and invasion of Earth, Kl'rt played a complex role. While he was a patriot, he was disdainful of the religious fanaticism driving this new invasion under Queen Veranke. He did not believe it was an honorable way to conquer. He came into conflict with the Skrull impersonating Captain Mar-Vell and ultimately aided the hero Nova against the Skrull forces. His actions demonstrated that his loyalty was to the honor of the Skrull race, not necessarily to its current leadership, further cementing his complex morality.
This event saw the culmination of Kl'rt's evolution. With the young Hulkling uniting the Kree and Skrull empires into a single powerful Alliance with its throne on Earth's moon, Kl'rt stepped into the role of a senior general. He served as one of Hulkling's most trusted, if ruthless, military advisors. He was instrumental in defending the Alliance from the plant-like Cotati, who sought to eradicate all animal life. The storyline showed a Super-Skrull who had fully embraced his position as a protector and elder, his counsel valued and his might respected by all.
Annihilation: Super-Skrull mini-series (2006) by Javier Grillo-Marxuach is considered essential reading for understanding the character's modern depth and motivations.