Origin
Ajak was chosen as the representative of the Mayan gods, under his ancient moniker of Tecumotzin, to help Hercules and the God Squad defeat the Skrull empire.
As a member of the Eternals, Ajak fought Warlord Kro‘s Deviants in Babylon, 2500 years ago. He also had a strong presence in Central America, where the Aztecs believed him to be Quetzalcoatl and the Incas worshiped him as Tecumotzin, Lord of Flight. Ajak once met the Norse god Thor and fought Dromedan alongside him. During the Third Host of the Celestials, Ajak acted as a liaison between the Celestials and Earth and was present in Peru when they arrived. Ajak, with Zuras, arranged the flight plan the Celestials used to leave Earth. Ajak then put himself into storage as atoms within the City of the Space Gods, to await their eventual return. Under Zuras’ order, Ikaris awoke Ajak when the Fourth Host of the Celestials arrived. Ajak befriended human archaeologist Dr. Daniel Damian, and let him live in the City of the Space Gods. Ajak was sealed with Doctor Damian behind the force barrier surrounding the site of the Fourth Host’s arrival. Ajak was attacked by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. who he then converted to stored atoms. He was also known for battling an Incan wrestler.
Ajak then had another encounter with Thor at the Fourth Host site in Peru. This time Ajak opposed him, but Thor won their battle. Ultimately Ajak found himself battling Zeus who saw the Eternals as the Celestials’ pawns. He was also among the Eternals captured by Brother Tode, and was later set free by Iron Man.Ajak joined the space-faring Eternals’ Uni-Mind, but eventually returned to Earth. A maddened Dr. Damian transformed Ajak into a monster through the use of Celestial technology, and sent him to kill Thena and Kro’s twin children, Donald & Deborah Ritter. The monstrous Ajak killed many sets of twins along the way. After the Eternals restored him to his true form, he was so grief-stricken with his deeds that he disintegrated himself along with Dr. Damian. However, he was still alive due to his brother Arex.
Powers and Abilities
Ajak is able to levitate (like all Eternals) by mentally manipulating gravitons (gravity particles) around him. He is able to fly at approximately 650 miles per hour, an average rate of speed for his kind.
Like all Eternals, he does not tire from physical exertion due to his highly advanced metabolic process. His strength, average for an Eternal, is superhuman. He is able to press approximately 1,600 pounds.
Ajak can also mentally manipulate molecules, an ability shared by a number of Eternals. As a third level adept on a five level scale, Ajak can rearrange the molecules of a mass up to 990 pounds, the period of manipulation lasting up to a minute. He must have approximately an hour of recovery time before using this power again.
Like all Eternals, who long ago were endowed with self-regenerating cosmic life-force, Ajak ages incredibly slowly, marking his lifetime in centuries rather than years. His powers of regeneration make him virtually impervious to harm. Only an injury of such magnitude that it disperses a major portion of his bodily molecules could cause death. The act of molecular manipulation causes an enormous drain on his cosmic life force, rendering him more vulnerable than normal.
Ajak is also able to speak directly to Celestials. This has earned him the name “He Who Speaks To Celestials”.
Characteristics
Height : 6’1″
Weight : 220 lbs
Eyes : Gray
Hair : Black
In Other Media
Film
- Ajak appears as one of the main characters of the live-action Eternals movie, portrayed by Salma Hayek. In a departure from the comics, Ajak is depicted as a woman, a development that was subsequently ported back to the comics during Kieron Gillen‘s run. In the film, Ajak is the leader of the Eternals (taking the role from Zuras, who had to be cut from the script due to the sheer amount of characters being introduced), and sets out to gather and reunite them in the present day to save Earth from the Celestials.
Merchandise
- Ajak was featured in the HeroClix figure game.
- The movie version of Ajak was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as a Walmart exclusive.
- Ajak was featured in Funko’s Pop! line of bobbleheads.
- Ajak was featured in Lego’s line of products for the Eternals movie.