Origin
Paras is a mutant from India. After enrolling at the Xavier Institute, Paras was assigned to Alpha Squadron, a training squad advise by Northstar. As a member of a training squad, Paras took the codename of Indra, after the Hindu god of War. He participated in the field events of open day along with his teammates but they lost out to the Hellions and New Mutants. Indra and his fellow team members suffered an even greater loss when they were told that Northstar had been killed by Wolverine. Following the assumed death of Northstar, Karma became their new adviser.
Creation
Indra was created by Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir and first appeared in New X-Men #7 published in 2004.
Major Story Arcs
After M-Day
Tragedy struck once again the vast majority of the world’s mutant population, including a large percentage of the Xavier Institute’s student body, was de-powered. Indra was confirmed to be one of a handful of mutants who retained their mutant powers. He was present when Emma Frost had the remaining powered students do battle for the right to become new X-men. Indra was defeated by Dust during this confrontation. He remained at the school though not trained as an X-man.
When the Xavier Institute was sent to Limbo, Indra was one of the students captured by Belasco. When X-23 orchestrated an attempt at escaping, Indra was beaten badly by the demon called S’ym when the attack failed.
Messiah Complex
After returning home, Indra discovered that he was one of youngest mutants on the planet and the most likely to be targeted. When Predator X attacked the School, Indra along with Trance and Wolf Cub stood by the window watching. Predator X then dived through the window to attack them. The three scattered and Indra fell in front of Predator X. As the murderous monster edged closer to eat him, Predator X was suddenly thrown back by a blast of electricity.
Surge had stepped between the creature and Indra. Surge then told Indra to get out of there and join the others in the infirmary with Beast. Indra asked what she was going to do and Nori replied, “Not let you die.”
Wolverine then kills the beast. After the events of Messiah Complex, Cyclops decides to close down the Institute. Indra, along with the rest of the students, were sent back home.
Utopia
He then later relocates to San Francisco with the rest of the X-Men and the students. When the city goes into a state of chaos due to the anti-mutant and pro-mutant movements. Cyclops sends Rogue, Gambit and Danger to find any missing students, Paras being among them. Rogue finds some beaten H.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 attacks them and knocks them out. After this all Paras wants is to be left
alone, after attacking the H.A.M.M.E.R agents, Paras feels ashamed because of his peaceful ways. Rogue tells him all that he’s going through is test and that she’ll help him through it.
Indra has had trouble activating his powers, whenever he tries to transform, it causes him great pain. He says that it’s punishment from the Yakshas for betraying his beliefs (fighting the H.A.M.M.E.R agents). Rogue counsels him, telling him that his inability to access his powers might be psychosomatic. Rogue confronts him with the fact that he chose the codename Indra, which comes from the Hindu name god of war, and that he chose it out of his beliefs and his own potential. After more counseling from Rogue, Indra loses control and says that his Indra form is not him. His powers suddenly returns, but in a new form ( as an indigo Hindu-stylized armor) and with weapons ( indigo swords and daggers).
Collision
Later, in the aftermath of the events of Second Coming, Rogue finds out that she must take Indra back to India back to India as his parents have asked for him due to his brother falling into a coma. Rogue then takes Indra to Mumbai along with Magneto, Loa and Anole. After they have arrived Indra learns that his parents want him to cease his life with the X-Men and marry his brothers fiancé, since they don’t know if his brother will awake from his coma.
While everyone except Indra was in town, another wave was about to hit. Magneto was able to deflect most of it. Then they find a young girl, Luz. After they discover her, Sentinels attack the team. The X-Men are able to defeat them with minimal effort. Luz comes with the team back to Indra’s home. His father is not pleased at all by this and when Luz uses her powers to make a nude sculpture of her and Indra in an embrace, she is almost thrown out on the spot. Luz has feelings for Indra, and he seems to reciprocate, but will not act against his family and the arranged marriage.
Powers and Abilities
Indra possess retractable sectional armored plates that afford him with the ability to cover himself in armor. Indra also has purple skin and red hair. He also has a red bindi-like marking on his forehead, though this marking may be cosmetic and not part of his mutation. Ever since he used his powers for violence (fighting the H.A.M.M.E.R. agents in act of self-defense), he has lost control of his powers. Whenever he tries to turn his power on it causes him great pain, saying the Yakshas are punishing him for betraying his beliefs. After Rogue counsels and mentors him, Indra’s powers return, but returns in a new form and much stronger. His armor takes the form of a full-body, Hindu-stylized suit of armor. He is also able to generate swords and daggers that are also is Hindu-stylized .
This suggests that his powers are more subjective in nature. When he just needed the defensive powers, he created the armor, when he came into conflict with his religious beliefs, his powers became more based on his culture.