| Raza | |
|---|---|
 Raza Longknife. Art byBilly Tan. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The X-Men #107 (Oct. 1977) |
| Created by | Dave Cockrum[1] |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Raza Longknife |
| Species | Extraterrestrialcyborg |
| Team affiliations | Starjammers |
| Notable aliases | ZZZXX |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, enhanced agility, speed, reflexes Skilled hand-to-hand combatant. |
Raza Longknife is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character is usually seen in theX-Men series and various spin-offs. He is the last known surviving member of his unnamed alien race (which chose to die en masse in one final battle against theShi'ar empire as the culmination of their warrior culture), and a member of theStarjammers.
Dave Cockrum created the Starjammers with the intent of having them star in their own series. However, when he submitted the concept for Marvel's two try-out series,Marvel Spotlight andMarvel Premiere, he was repeatedly informed that these series were booked for two years solid. Running out of patience, Cockrum showed the Starjammers toX-Men writerChris Claremont, and convinced him to use the characters for this series.[1]
While imprisoned on Alisbar, Raza Longknife (his last name is an English translation of his true last name) met and formed the band of smugglers and space pirates known as theStarjammers; withCorsair,Hepzibah, andCh'od, and associated himself with the group.[2] He is a cyborg, being partly living flesh and partly machine. Because Raza speaks an archaic dialect of his native language, his words are translated into an equally archaic form of English. Raza is the last surviving member of his species, who were killed in combat against theShi'ar.[3]
With the Starjammers, Raza comes to the aid of theX-Men againstD'Ken'sImperial Guard.[4] With the Starjammers, he aids theNew Mutants in combat againstMagus.[5] AlongsideBinary, Raza seeks the "map-rod" holding information on the location of the "Phalkon" power source, which is later revealed to be thePhoenix. With the Starjammers, he aids in a rebellion againstDeathbird on a Shi'ar border world.[6]
Alongside Hepzibah and Ch'od, Raza battlesWonder Man during theKree/Shi'ar War while escorting a Shi'ar nega-bomb to the Kree.[7] With Hepzibah, Raza accepts an assignment from a former Kree admiral to killBlack Knight in hopes of being reunited with his son. With the Starjammers, Raza visits theAvengers and Binary on Earth, and seriously injures Black Knight in combat. Raza then battlesHercules, but is defeated byVision. Raza confides in Binary, who reconciles him with the Avengers.[8]
Raza is deeply affected withVulcan kills Corsair.[9][3] He has also dealt with Hepzibah being stranded on Earth although several X-Men have remained with the Starjammers.[10]
In the "X-Men: Kingbreaker" miniseries, Raza becomes the reluctant host of the aliensymbioteZZZXX. The symbiote-controlled Raza joins Emperor Vulcan's Imperial Guard. In the concluding events of "War of Kings", Raza is incapacitated by theNova Corps and has the symbiote removed.[11]
Raza has been converted into a cyborg, with various bionic body parts, including his left eye, his left arm and hand, and much of his face and thorax. This gives him superhuman strength, enhanced agility, speed, and reflexes thanks to his robotic parts. Raza's cyborg body contains computers that he can utilize for various tasks. Raza can convert his bionic left hand into a bladed weapon at will. His cyborg body contains advanced sensor systems and atmosphere processing systems that enable him to breathe in various alien environments. He is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, trained in various forms of combat known in the Shi'ar galaxy. He is a brilliant swordsman and marksman, with various forms of Shi'ar weaponry. He wears battle armor of unspecified composition, and uses Shi'ar knives, swords, and energy guns.
InAge of Apocalypse, Raza Longknife appears as a member of the Starjammers, which are led byDeathbird.[12]
Raza Longknife makes non-speaking appearances inX-Men: The Animated Series as a member of the Starjammers.[13]
Like Ch'Od, the cyborg Raza Longknife was one of the founding members of the Starjammers. His robotic parts greatly increased Raza's effectiveness in physical combat as well as enhanced his senses. His initial grudge against the Shi'Ar came about when their former emperor, D'Ken, slaughtered Raza's race of people, but Vulcan became the focus of Raza's rage after he murdered Raza's friend Corsair. In the recent "X-Men: Kingbreaker" miniseries, Raza was infected and became reluctant host to an alien symbiote that appears to be of the same race as the Spider-Man villain known as Venom.