Origin
Once the warden of Tsavo East National Park in Kenya, Matu Makalani was snatched up by a selection beam from the Worldmind just as he was in the process of aiming a warning shot at some poachers in his park. He had been scanned and deemed worthy for selection into the Nova Corps, as were thousands of other humans in a massive recruitment drive occurring all over Earth. Unknown to Matu and the rest of the recruits, the Worldmind was tainted by Ego and using mind manipulation to coerce everyone into loyal service. Like all prospective recruits, Matu was happy to become part of the Nova Corps thanks to the endorphines and soothing suggestions in his brain.
Creation
Matu Makalani was created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Andrea Di Vito and first appeared in Nova Vol. 4 issue 22 (2009).
Major Story Arcs
War of Kings and Death
After a crash course in being a Nova Centurion, Matu was rushed into active duty along with the rest of the Nova Corps to intercede in the War of Kings between the Shi’ar and the Kree. He and other Centurions gated into a warzone that was already going badly for the Nova Corps, and they became pinned down in the wreckage of an orbital platform by a Shi’ar Star Destroyer Ionclad and the Imperial Guard. Matu was caught by a blast from the Ionclad and incinerated.