13 Things From The Comics You Didn't Know About Ronan The Accuser
He Was A Warden When Earth Was A Prison Planet
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During Marvel Comics' three-part Maximum Security event in 2000, Earth is designated as a prison planet by the Intergalactic Council as punishment for its inhabitants causing so many problems throughout the universe. In fact, as Ronan explains to an argumentative Warbird, the entire sector is "quarantined" to contain Earth's inhabitants.
The planet-sized facility holds lawbreakers as big and powerful as Ego the Living Planet. Ronan later reveals his role as warden is essentially community service.
He Tried To Overthrow The Supreme Intelligence
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Ronan has always been fiercely loyal to his people, but when it comes to the Supreme Intelligence - the hivemind being that rules over the Kree - his allegiance often falters. Their tumultuous history began in 1969's Captain Marvel #16 where Ronan's feelings of unease toward the mysterious entity turn mutinous. Along with Zarek, the Kree Imperial Minister, he attempts to dismantle the Supreme Intelligence, a plot that's foiled by the first Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell.
Mar-Vell gets a snazzy new outfit and some cool new powers as a reward, while Ronan gets sent to space jail.
His Wife, Crystal, Was Forced To Marry Him
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Following the drama of Secret Invasion - in which the shape-shifting Skrull race infiltrate Earth - the Inhumans seek to reconnect with their Kree creators. Black Bolt becomes the Kree Emperor, and after suffering a heavy loss at the hands of the former Inhuman king, Ronan submits.
In order to cement their new relationship, Ronan demands he take Black Bolt's sister-in-law, Crystal, as his wife. While Crystal is initially all-business about their marriage, her sympathy and warmth towards the Kree people endear her both to them and her new husband (who is already pretty smitten). When Black Bolt eventually steps down as Kree Emperor, he dissolves Crystal and Ronan's marriage, much to the pair's mutual dismay.
He's Part Of The Kree Aristocracy
While he may come across as a bit rough around the edges, Ronan's blue skin is a badge of honor in Kree society, distinguishing him as someone of noble birth (and sparking a lot of racial tension on Hala). As a kid, Ronan enjoyed all the privileges most in the upper classes do, like a good education and a full ride into a coveted profession.
For the Kree, that means being trained in the Kree Public Accuser Corps, i.e. the Kree's judge, jury, and executioner department. While he excelled in his job and climbed the career ladder quickly, Ronan's superiority complex gets him into hot water later on when he refuses to bend the knee to the Supreme Intelligence.
He Has A Messy Relationship With His Extended Inhuman Family
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The Kree and their experimental progeny, the Inhumans, have a complicated interspecies relationship. Ronan has exchanged many blows with Black Bolt, who, at one point, usurps him as Kree Emperor only to then welcome him into his extended family when Ronan is wedded to Crystal, the sister of Black Bolt's wife, Medusa.
Having grown very fond of each other, neither Crystal nor Ronan are thrilled when Black Bolt disrupts their union after agreeing to a truce with the Supreme Intelligence. This causes more friction between Ronan and the Inhuman royal family.
He Briefly Gained Ego The Living Planet's Powers
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We glimpse what Ronan can do with an Infinity Stone when he wipes out the Nova Corps in one fail swoop during MCU's Guardians of the Galaxy. He grows even stronger, however, during the Maximum Security storyline when he is forced to guard a newly established intergalactic prison on Earth which holds Ego the Living Planet.
After Ego becomes one of the facility's first prisoners, Ronan manages to act as a conduit for the cosmic being's godlike powers. Predictably, Ego plans to take advantage of his incarceration and take over Earth using Ronan. Luckily, Quasar - the cosmically appointed protector of the universe - manages to absorb Ego into his own body before zooming off into deep space, leaving Ronan defeated.
He Served As Kree Emperor (By Popular Demand)
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Proving that he's not such a bad guy, after all, Ronan allies himself with Nova and his most adverse Skrull nemesis, the Super-Skrull, in the fight against the highly destructive Annihilation Wave during Marvel Comics' Annihilation event. Despite being wrongly stripped of his Supreme Accuser rank by the House of Fiyero guild, Ronan's reputation means he also still has enough Kree allies willing to follow him into a fight.
Ronan ousts the traitorous guild, who are planning to align themselves with the Wave, and is forced to terminate the Supreme Intelligence, which has become incompetent. In the aftermath, he emerges as the clear candidate to repair the fractured Empire and is welcomed as the savior of his people.
He Became Self-Destructive After His Planet Was Wiped Out
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Ronan is sent into a downward spiral after his beloved homeworld, Hala, becomes a casualty during the destructive events of the Black Vortex story - a Guardians of the Galaxy and X-Men crossover from 2015. The mourning Accuser us left to try and rebuild his fallen empire from the ashes left behind, swearing to honor all who have perished in the conflict.
He is eventually discovered by his estranged Inhuman wife, Crystal, and decides to take out his grief on her crew. Crystal attempts to console him after he confesses he blames himself for Hala's fall and that the end of their marriage made him emotionally weak and volatile. Ronan even tries to take his own life as penance, but Crystal manages to stop him, and with the help of Marvel Boy, they find a way to revive the Supreme Intelligence and give Ronan a renewed purpose.
He Was Made A Cyborg Against His Will
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The Death of the Inhumans storyline from 2018 brings more suffering Ronan's way. Outraged to find Hala in a state of disrepair and the restored Supreme Intelligence still in power, a returning group of ancient Kree set about making things right on their old home - starting with Ronan.
As punishment, the Kree convert parts of Ronan's body to robotics. Ronan seeks the help of his old frenemy Black Bolt; making peace with everything that's happened between their two species - and families - before pleading for his life to be ended before he becomes a mindless cyborg. The Silent King - whose voice is highly destructive - quietly accepts Ronan's apology, obliging his bleak request.
He Wields A Powerful Universal Mallet
Ronan wields the Cosmi-Rod, a hammer-shaped tool that MCU fans will recognize from Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel. Only Accusers like Ronan are able to wield tools like this, to ensure they don't fall into unauthorized hands.
With the Cosmi-Rod, the Supreme Accuser can create force fields, energy beams, manipulate objects, and even take flight.
He Was One Of The First Kree Introduced In Marvel Comics
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Ronan was the first prominent member of the Kree race we were introduced to in the MCU, a feat that actually pays homage to his Marvel Comics debut. The armored enforcer first appeared in 1967's Fantastic Four #65, along with the Supreme Intelligence, and had the honor of being penned and drawn by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Though they weren't the only members of the new alien race featured in the comic, Ronan and the Supreme Intelligences's leading roles established them as the main representatives of their species. They also solidified the Kree as a hierarchical and conquering race. Ronan's only major change since his debut is that his skin used to be a peachy color and is now the trademark blue hue of the Kree.
He's Second Only To The Supreme Intelligence In The Kree Empire
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Ronan is far from just another failed grunt of Thanos as he is made out to be in the MCU. Not only does he hold clout in the upper circles of Kree society thanks to his noble birthright, but his ascension through the Accuser Corps ranks to the very top put him just below the Supreme Intelligence in terms of political significance.
In other words, he's kind of a big deal. After all, it's not like just anyone can wield an Infinity Stone. Thanos hitches his wagon to Ronan because of his powerful position among the Kree.
He Has Powerful Superhuman Abilities
As a member of the Kree race, Ronan packs some pretty handy abilities that your average human doesn't have access to; abilities like natural immunity to diseases as well as enhanced speed, reflexes, and strength (he can bench up to 80 tons with his armor on). His Kree heritage also means he's an expert combatant even without the aid of his Cosmi-Rod.
Plus, his status as the Supreme Accuser means Ronan's mind is as sharp as his body.
