Rancor

Like in many other timelines the Sentinels hunted down mutants in the 20th century, the few survivors came under the leadership of Magneto. Magneto believed it was time for mutant kind to find a new home, so they left Earth in order to seek the sanctuary of another world. Among the mutants that accompany him were the X-Man Wolverine. Magneto led them first to Europa, a water-bearing moon of Jupiter. There they decided to build three starships to carry them away from Earth. However, only two of the ships were finished when Apocalypse approached and attacked in an attempt to enslave the fleeing mutants. Magneto battled Apocalypse alone, giving the mutants the time they needed to evacuate Europa. Both Magneto and Apocalypse perished in the battle.

The third starship was left behind, unfinished, and was discovered in the 31st Century by the fledgling Guardians of the Galaxy. This ship became known as the original U.S.S. Captain America. After several generations of travel, the mutants found a world barely capable of sustaining life. It was only through the skills of the last original survivor, the mutant Wolverine, that the mutants were able to find a valley where they could survive. They named the planet Haven.

Haven became ruled by the children of Wolverine; each new ruler was more vile and ruthless than the last. The fifth descendant of Wolverine, a woman named Rancor, became ruler of Haven when she killed her own father. Over the course of time, the planet’s mutants became fewer and fewer, until only nine were left, including Rancor when she assumed the throne. All of Haven feared them. Over time, two developments occurred in the human population.

First, an underground resistance movement began to form. Second, a legend was created that “Overmen” from the stars were destined to descend upon Haven and liberate them. The legend gave the oppressed humans hope, yet hampered the ability of the Resistance to recruit a large following to defeat the mutants. Finally in the 31st Century, the Guardians of the Galaxy arrived on Haven searching for the “Lost Colony” of humanity. Starhawk of the Guardians rescued Giraud, a member of the Resistance, from Rancor’s lieutenants. Giraud told the Guardians about his world. The Guardians inspired the people to protest against Rancor’s rule.

An enraged Rancor and her lieutenants flew out to massacre the protesters. Many innocent people were killed, but two of Rancor’s lieutenants, Blaster and Rhodney, were slain. Rancor’s downfall occurred shortly thereafter, when Starhawk of the Guardians bonded the rebel leader Giraud with the Phoenix Force, creating the 31st century version of Phoenix. The Phoenix devoured the planet of Haven in its hunger, but not before the Guardians used their ship’s teleporters to transport the human population of Haven to safety. Unfortunately, Rancor and her followers also escaped.

Rancor and her lieutenants came to the desolated Earth, on the island of Madripoor, where she is trying to find the ancient remains of the mutant, Wolverine. She and her crew were forced into siding with the powerful Doctor Doom in his plan to reinstate a control device known as Realitee-Vee. Rancor followed his orders for the time being and gained position of one of Wolverine’s claws.

She would betray Doom but in the process she would be nearly killed, learning that Doom had killed Wolverine and his mind placed in his adamantium skeleton. Once captured by the Guardians, she and the others escaped once again aboard their medical shuttle. Rancor headed to the Moon and enslaved the Inhumans (who had recently been freed of their master Loki by the Guardians). With his technology and the Inhuman slave force, they built a massive ship and found a new planet she dubbed Haven II.

She arranged a trap for the Guardians and had them face off against her mutants to distract them. Her secret goal was to continue her lineage and she forced Talon to help her provide an heir to the Wolverine legacy.

Creation

Rancor was created by Jim Valentino in 1991 and first appeared in Guardians Of The Galaxy # 8.