| Indra | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Indra as depicted inNew X-Men: Academy X Yearbook (December 2005). Art byGeorges Jeanty (penciler),Don Hillsman II (inker), Tom Chu (colorist), and Dave Sharpe (letterer). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | New X-Men: Academy X #7 (January 2005) |
| Created by | Nunzio DeFilippis Christina Weir |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Paras Gavaskar |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Alpha Squadron training squad Xavier Institute X-Men in training Jean Grey School Students |
| Abilities | Retractable armored plates Psionic matter manifestation |
Indra (Paras Gavaskar) is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Indra attended theXavier Institute and was a member of theAlpha Squadron before its closing. He first appeared inNew X-Men: Academy X #7. He became an X-Men trainee inX-Men: Legacy #238.
Paras Gavaskar is anIndianmutant. As a teenager, he enrolls in theXavier Institute. Paras takes the codename Indra and is assigned toAlpha Squadron, a training squad mentored byNorthstar. He is a top achiever in his classes. Indra and his fellow team membersAnole,Loa,Rubbermaid,Network, and Kidogo are informed that Northstar has been killed in the line of duty, unaware of Northstar's resurrection. Following the assumed death of Northstar,Karma becomes the group's advisor.
Following the events of "House of M", almost all of the institute's studentslose their powers, which leads to the dissolution of the school's training squads. Indra is one of twenty-seven students to retain their mutant abilities. He participates inEmma Frost's battle to determine who will train to join the X-Men. Later, forty-two of Indra's former classmates die when their bus is attacked byWilliam Stryker, an anti-mutant crusader.[1][2]
Indra is captured byBelasco and held inLimbo with most of the other students. WhenX-23 orchestrates an attempt at escaping, Indra is beaten badly by the demonS'ym when the attack fails.[3] After returning home, Indra discovers that he is the youngest surviving mutant at the Xavier Institute and most likely to be targeted. WhenPredator X attacks the institute,Surge defends Indra,Trance, andWolf Cub.[1]
Indra later relocates toSan Francisco along with all the otherX-Men.[4] Soon, the city enters a state of chaos due to the anti-mutant and pro-mutant movements.Cyclops sendsRogue,Gambit, andDanger to find any missing students, Indra being among them. Rogue finds some beatenH.A.M.M.E.R. agents and after absorbing their memories to see if they know where Paras is, it is revealed they attacked him when he was trying to go home to check on his friends. In self-defense, he attacked them and knocked them out.[5] This act of self-defense causes Paras to have an internal crisis, believing that he violated the most important tenet of hisJain faith—absolute nonviolence.[6] Attempting to access his powers causes him great pain, which Paras believes is divine punishment for betraying his beliefs. Rogue attempts to counsel him, suggesting that his inability to access his powers ispsychosomatic. Rogue confronts him with the fact that he chose the codenameIndra, the Hindu god of war, despite his pacifist beliefs, and states that she believes he did so out of belief in his own potential. She further states that rather than embrace that potential, he is choosing to back away from it. This causes Paras to lose control, claiming that his Indra form is "not him" before his powers fully resurface, revealed as a suit of armor and weaponry.[7][8]
Following the events of "X-Men: Second Coming", Rogue andMagneto bring Indra, Anole, and Loa to Indra's home inMumbai to visit his family. Unknown to anyone at the time, Indra's parents plan for him to take his comatose brother's place in anarranged marriage. The X-Men and students visit a local market where strange storms had been placing people. During one such storm, the mutants encounter a young girl who tells them that her name is Luisa and that she is a mutant with the ability to paint with light. They do not have time to question Luisa beforeSentinels arrive to capture her. Anole and Loa manage to finish the Sentinels off, and the X-Men take Luisa back to Indra's family home.[9][10][11]
After being questioned by Magneto, Luisa reveals that her name was really Luz, she is not a mutant, and she is from Quitado; a high-tech floating city where she was a student meant to be a part of a device called Angelfire. At that moment, theChildren of the Vault attack Indra's family home. Indra is attacked by a member of the Children of the Vault, who enters his body and causes him severe pain. After Luz gives herself up, the Children of the Vault take Rogue and Magneto back to Quitado. Indra plans on going after them but his father demands that he stay and marry instead. Indra then asks for Vaipala to marry him that day, to which she agrees so he can rescue his friends. During the ceremony, Vaipala reveals that she is actually Luz, having switched places with her during the attack.[12][9]
Suiting up, disobeying his father and leaving Luz behind because she did not want to go; Indra, Loa and Anole go after the Children of the Vault when Luz changes her mind and catches up, together forming a plan. Sneaking into Quitado, Luz hands herself over while Indra, Loa and Anole get away with Rogue, Magento and an unconscious Vaipala. During the escape, Indra attacks Olvido to protect Rogue. Returning home, Indra turns his back on his family and religion because the path of non-violence is not the way of fighting against evil.[13] Later, Indra leavesUtopia withWolverine to enroll as a student at theJean Grey School for Higher Learning.[14]
Indra possesses retractable armored plates that he uses to cover himself in protective armor. Though he religiously believes in absolute non-violence, he is later forced to act in self-defense and attack a corrupt military officer, resulting in an internal struggle that causes him to lose access to his powers. When trying to access his armor plating, he experiences great pain and believes this to be a punishment from theYakshas for his transgression. After receiving mentoring from Rogue, Indra's powers return significantly changed and stronger than before, allowing him to manifest a full suit of armor and psionic weaponry.[8]
Indra was highlighted as underrated byWhatCulture[15] and forgotten byCBR multiple times.[8][9][16]The Comics Vault website listed Indra as an example of a teenager going through crisis of faith as depicted by his struggles beingJain.[17]
