#alpha primitives

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Fantastic Four (1961) #82 — Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

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the cover to Inhumans (1998) #3 by Jae Lee and Dave Kemp

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Let’s Get To Know The Alpha Primitives

The Alpha Primitive entails a dark and shameful aspect of the history of Attilan and The Inhumans in general.  Their story is highly problematic, disturbing and even offensive.  Yet, just as it in the real world, to omit follies of the past is a mistake and heightens the chances of similar travesties occurring int he present or future.  Be warned, however, that while this story is important and in many ways interesting it is also quite sad and angry-making.

Thousands of years ago, an Inhuman scientist named Avadar attempted to devise a means of addressing the substantial dearth of manual laborer on Old Attilan.  The city itself was highly advanced yet all of the various machines that maintained the city required near constant service and tending to.  The Inhuman peoples themselves had grown accustomed to a life of greater luxury and the pursuits of art and science.  Many felt that manual labor was simply below them.  

In an effort to rectify this issue, Avadar created a group of robotic-like drones cloned from the DNA of prehistoric cro magnum man.  The ways in which Avadar went about creating these beings was later retconned in a new story.  In the retcon, the Alpha Primitives were created by exposing captured humans to the mists of the Xerogen Crystals.  This was facilitated byway of an ancient Kree device known as the ‘Slave Engine.’ Subsequent tales have vacillated back and forth on how exactly the Alpha Primitives were created.  

Originally, the Alpha clones were meant to be mindless and emotionless automatons who could perform the various manual tasks needed to keep the city of Attilan functioning.  The duties these clones performed ranged from servicing the various machines that kept the city running, sanitation, food preparation, and waste management.  They performed these tasks diligently.  Over time, these drones slowly cultivated a sense of sentience and it gradually became clear that they were not akin to robots, but were rather living creatures forced into servitude.  In other words they were slaves.   (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1.)

By then, Attilan had become all but entirely dependent on the function that the Alphas provided and the citizens of Old Attilan essentially deluded themselves into thinking that the Alphas were lower lifeforms and hence it was acceptable to maintain their city as a slave state.  

There had been a vast underground to Old Attilan, a network of darkened tunnels, catacombs and caverns that housed all of the various machines, dynamos and plumbing arrays extending down from the city.  This underground had been the home to the Alpha Primitives.  As the clones cultivated a greater sense of consciousness and sentience, they also developed their own particular kind of spirituality.  To the Alphas, Attilan was referred to as ‘The Great Machine.’  Servicing this machine was more than just a duty, but a kind of divine responsibility.   The Alphas hated The Inhumans, but they loved Attilan, viewing the city as a nurturing god that they tended to with a holy sense of purpose.    (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #1)

Old Attilan adhered a strict caste system, with the royalty and aristocracy at the very top and the Alpha Primitives at the very bottom.  The Inhumans were fully reliant on the Alphas, but many treated then with absolute contempt.  There were Inhumans who were assigned the job of being minders to the Alpha Primitive, making sure that the clones did their jobs and stayed in line.  The Inhuman known as Dominus was the sole Alpha Primitive taskmaster to be shown on page.  He appeared to be a cruel and vicious minder, equipped with a whip.  He threatened those Alphas who stepped out of line with being sent to the ‘area of pain.’   What this area of pain actually entailed was never shown, but it sounds terrible.  (Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #131) These taskmasters were clearly terrible sorts, yet no worse than the other Inhumans in terms of how the Alphas were treated.  By shouldering the responsibility of being cruel and authoritarian towards the Alphas, the taskmasters allowed the other Inhumans to shirk their sense of being just as guilty regarding the deplorable act of having their needs attend to by slaves.  

Maximus The Mad has manipulated and used The Alpha Primitives on many occasions.  Indeed they were pivotal to one of his more successful campaigns to gain the Throne of Attilan.  From his cell, Maximus used his psychic powers to augmented the intellectual functioning of three Alpha Primitives.  He then instructed them to sneak into the chamber of Terrigenesis and subject themselves to the Terrigen Mists.  Somehow, this caused the three Alphas to merge into a singular being known as The Trikon.  Resembling three connected orbs of energy, The Trikon was vastly powerful and Maximus used it to depose the Royal Family and take over control of all of Attilan.  It was only with the aide of the Fantastic Four that Maximus was finally defeated.  The Trikon ventured off into space ultimately becoming a part of the menagerie of the cosmic being known as The Collector.  (Inhuman Special #1; Fantastic Four vol. 1 #47 ; Quasar #15.)

More time went on and while many still viewed The Alphas as inferior, seeing it as acceptable to sustain their servitude.  May others, however, began to feel a great deal of guilt and shame over the moral conflict of such a deplorable situation.  As time continued, these feelings of guilt, anger and moral conflict gradually pervaded and continued to mount. (Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #131)

Some time later, Maximus devised a machine that somehow channeled and amassed the collective shame and guilt the Inhumans felt over The Alpha Primitives; using this collected psychic energy to power a giant robot named Omega The Ultimate Alpha.  Maximus then utilized Omega to engender a revolt among the Alpha Primitives; all part of an intricate scheme that would allow him to seize control of Attilan and dethrone his hated brother, Black Bolt.   With the aide of The Avengers and The Fantastic Four, The Inhumans were able to defeat Omega and put down the revolt among the Alphas.  In the aftermath, Black Bolt issued a Royal Decree abolishing slavery on Attilan.  (Fantastic Four Vol;. 1 #133; Avengers vol. 1 #127.)

This noble albeit long overdue gesture ended up doing little to improve The Alphas’ situation.  They were freed from servitude, but did not have anywhere else to go.  They still felt a divine sense of responsibility to tend to the mechanisms of the city and continued to reside in the darkened catacombs below Attilan.  In some respects their freedom actually made things worse for The Alphas.  Having been enslaved for thousands of years left The Alphas entirely ill-equipped to fend for themselves in terms of basic needs.  Although free, The Alphas remained at the far low end of the caste system on Attilan and few were at all concerned with how these beings would adjust to the change.  Sadly, many Alphas died of illness and starvation and it was only after Princess Crystal dared to venture into the catacombs that this was discovered and new accommodations were made to better ensure the Alphas wellbeing.  

The Inhumans had lived for countless generations in seclusion and, as a result, they developed a relatively limited resistance to environmental toxins and pollutants.  Widespread industrialization within the human world led to grossly heightened levels of such pollutants in the air and many Inhumans begin to fall greatly ill.  With the assistance of Reed Richards, the entire city of Attilan left earth and relocated to the oxygen-rich blue area of the moon.   Prior to leaving, King Black Bolt offered the Alphas the choice of remaining behind on earth or staying with Attilan and traveling to the moon.  The Alphas opted for the latter, staying with the city and maintaining their quasi-religious sense of obligation to the great machine.  (Fantastic Four vol. 1 #240.)

Relocating to the moon proved to be a difficult transition for the Inhumans, made all the more burdensome by the fact that they could no longer rely on many of the services provided by The Alpha Primitives.  Those of the higher echelons of the caste system felt especially begrudged by the loss of their labor force.   So much so that a secret plot was enacted to reinitiate the Alphas’ indentured servitude.  Surprisingly (and disappointingly) this plot was actually formulated by Gorgon and Karnak of the Royal Family.  Black Bolt eventually discovered his cousins’ treachery and put a stop to the matter; the Alphas were once more freed. (Black Panther #20)

Something quite remarkable occurred to the Alphas while Attilan was located on the moon.  Previously, the Alphas reproduced strictly through the process of cloning.  Once slavery was abolished and the Alphas were freed, no new clones were created.  Eventually, the Alphas would die out and become extinct.  Yet a naturally occurring mutation resulted in the Alphas developing secondary sexual characteristics and the ability to reproduce through procreation.  Although it was difficult to discern the difference by way of the human eye, The Alphas were now bifurcated into male and female subsects.   (Marvel Knights: Fantastic Four #20.)

With the Alpha’s new ability to reproduce through a natural process of procreation, there came to be a younger generation of Alphas.  This younger generation appeared to be more advanced and much more complex in terms of their cognitive and emotional functioning.    These younger Alphas were less dedicated to the ‘great machine’ as well as less satisfied to remain hidden in the darkened catacombs below the city.  Rather than referring to one another by way of a clone-batch numerical designator, The Alphas began to adopt the use of individual names.  

Shortly after Attilan’s relocation to the moon, The Alpha Primitive known as Alphan was made the official liaison between the Alphas and The Royal Family.  Alphan served in this role until he perished valiantly in a battle with the Kree warrior, Thane Ector, sacrificing himself in order to save Quicksilver’s life.  (Avengers Vol 1 #334.)

By way of some unspecified means, a young Alpha named Reyno became close friends with an Inhuman youth named Alecto (who as it turned out is actually the daughter of Gorgon).  Reyno and Alecto’s friendship quickly blossomed into a romance and the two became quite afraid that their romance would be found out and that the two would be forcibly separated.   Hoping to avoid such a thing, Alecto and Reyno stole a spacecraft and traveled down to earth where they hoped to find amnesty among the Inhuman’s longtime allies, The Fantastic Four.  

Reed Richards and his wife, Susan Storm, were quite torn as to what to do in terms of the two youngster’s request for amnesty.  Neither agreed with the cultural values of Attilan, yet both Alecto and Reyno were minors and neither had been the victims of demonstrable abuse.  Reed Richards did not feel it was his place to interfere and tell a parent how he or she should raise a child.  Ultimately, Richards informed Gorgon of the whereabout of his daughter.  Enraged, Gorgon traveled to earth and forcibly removed Alecto from the Baxter Building.  Richards decision created a great deal of consternation between him and his wife, Susan. Reyno also retuned to Attilan.  Later, he tried to approach Alecto yet Alecto shunned him and stated that the two could no longer be friends.  Alecto had entered into the service of the Royal Guard and , although it clearly pained her, she felt responsible to maintain the social order in which Inhumans and Alphas did not fraternize. (Marvel Knights: Fantastic Four #’s 19-20.)

Some time later, Crystal informed Reed Richards and Sue Storm that things had changed for Reyno and Alecto.  Alecto changed her mind and resigned her post among the guard.  Defying her father’s wishes, Alecto rekindled her romance with Reyno.  On top of that, King Black Bolt gave their union his blessing and sanctioned that a portion of the blue area of the moon be made into a sanctuary settlement where Alpha Primitives were free to live on their own; and that those Inhumans who wished to could live there as well.  Reyno and Alecto helped to create this settlement and, presumedly, the two continue to live there among other progressively minded Alphas and Inhumans.   (Marvel Knights: Fantastic Four #30.)

Some time later, the city of Attilan was conquered by Ronan The Accuser and a large army of Kree soldiers.  Ronan was intent on using the Inhumans as a weapon against the burgeoning conflict arising between the Kree and Shi’Ar Empires.  Transforming Attilan into a mobile, space-faring battle station, Ronan was briefly successful in manipulating The Inhumans into doing his bidding.  During Ronan’s occupation of Attilan, Maximus attempted a coup to unseat his power.  Maximus rallied a large force of Alpha Primitives, hoping to overrun the Kree army.  The effort was unsuccessful and Ronan used his specialized weapon to transport Maximus and the Alpha Primitive forces to the Negative Zone.  Maximus was eventually able to return from he Negative Zone, but the large group of Alphas who had been transported there with him did not and their collective fate remains unknown.   Ronan was ultimately defeated and Attilan was freed.  What was left of The Alpha Primitives accompanied Attilan as it continued to be mobile city traversing the galaxy.   Eventually, Attilan returned to the moon although how The Alphas adjusted to this was not revealed.  (Inhumans: Sons of Hala and Rhiannon #’s 1-4)

Following the Secret Invasion event, The Inhumans became embroiled in the Kree/Shi’Ar War.  The Inhumans ultimately became the leaders of the Kree people and succeeded in defeating The Shi’Ar Empire.  The Inhumans maintained dominion over the Kree Empire, having relocated Attilan to the new Kree Throne-World of Kon-Tar.  

Although The Kree people were thankful that The Inhumans had facilitated victory over the Shi’Ar, many bristled over the idea of their people being ruled by The Inhumans (beings who themselves had originally be created as slaves to the Kree).  In order to quell tensions among The Kree and reenforced the sentiment of the Kree people being reliant on the protection that The Inhumans provided, Medusa and Maximus manufactured an artificial threat whereby the Kree were attacked by a reanimated version of the giant robot, Omega.  Maximus had used his mental powers to manipulate The Alpha Primitives to build this robot and participate in the feigned threat to the Kree peoples.  Crystal and Gorgon eventually discovered the truth of Medusa and Maximus’ Machiavellian manipulations and both expressed dismay that Medusa would stoop to such ends to maintain peace on Kon-Tar.  Maximus released the Alphas of his mental control and this story entailed the last time that The Alpha Primitives have been shown on-page.  (Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1-5.)

The Inhumans eventually relinquished their lordship over The Kree Empire and Attilan Returned to Earth.  Shortly thereafter, The Mighty Avengers encountered a renegade Inhuman threat known only as The Unspoken.  The Unspoken had been a king of Attilan deposed by Black Bolt due to his power hungry ways.  Now resurfaced, The Unspoken had somehow unearthed an ancient Kree machine called ‘The Slave Engine.’  This machine had the ability to render Xerogen Crystals into a gaseous form which transformed regular humans into Alpha Primitives.  The story in and of itself acted as a retcon of many aspects of preexisting Inhuman continuity, including the origins of the Alpha Primitive themselves.  

Instead of being clones created by Avadar, The Alphas were now regular humans who were abducted by The Inhumans and transformed into Alphas by way of the Xerogen Mists.  (Mighty Avengers #’s 27-31.)

This retcon creates many anomalies in the overarching continuity of The Inhuman mythos.  Although it is likely that these matters will be addressed and ironed out in the upcoming miniseries, Inhumans: The Once and Future Kings.   In any case, The Unspoken was ultimately defeated by The Avengers and the humans he had enslaved were transformed back from their devolved state.  The Unspoken has returned on subsequent occasions to bedevil The Inhumans, but no further reference has been made to the slave engine.  Again, the official, canonical status of the slave engine and the origins of the Alphas are likely to be addressed int he upcoming miniseries, Inhumans: The Once and Future Kings.  

During the Infinity Event, the city of Attilan was evacuated prior to Black Bolt’s triggering of the Terrigen Bomb.  The majority of the city were evacuated by way of the Door of Eldrac which teleported the population to various places unknown.  Eldrac is actually an Inhuman for whom Terrigenesis transformed into an enormous doorway with the ability to teleport beings anywhere in the cosmos (and even to other dimensions).  Quite often Eldrac will use these powers to transport beings to where it feels they should go and not always where they want to go.  (Infinity #3) Although it was not shown on page, it is likely that those remaining Alpha Primitives additionally fled Attilan via the Door of Eldrac.  Where Eldrac transported these Alphas remains unrevealed, yet it is this writer’s hope that they were transported to the safety of the Blue Area of Moon where Reyno and Alecto had established a settlement where Alphas could live in peace.  

Fantastic Four creators, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first devised the Alpha Primitives as a metaphorical allegory to the United States’ own sordid history as a nation built by way of slavery.  It is a somewhat problematic metaphor in that the underdeveloped cavemen-like Alphas make for something of an offensive stand-in for the African men, women and children who were brought to America as slaves.  

Those Americans who owned slaves must have felt the pang of such a morally atrocious situation.  Yet it appears that many coped with the matter by deluding themselves into believing that these slaves were lessor beings and that because they were looked at as sub-human it was acceptable to maintain their servitude.  

This is what occurred on Old Attilan.  The Inhumans were aware that The Alphas had gained sentience, that they were not robots nor animals, and that keeping them as slaves was morally repugnant.  Yet they were so reliant on the Alphas that it became all but necessary to delude themselves into thinking these beings were lessor evolved primitives and that this made it acceptable that Attilan remain a slave state.

The Taskmasters, such as Dominus, acted as quick reference to the terrible, terrible things that were done to American slaves in order to maintain their forced obedience.  Corporal punishment and murder were all too often used as a deterrent so to prevent slaves from stepping out of line.  This matter is sort of skimmed over in the story of the Alpha Primitives wherein the reader’s imagination is asked to fill in what exactly the ‘area of pain’ actually entails.  

Even after Black Bolt abolished slavery on Attilan the difficulties faced by The Alphas continued to persist.  Many Inhumans maintained bigoted, racist views toward the Alphas.  Gorgon refused to allow his daughter fraternize with an Alpha youth; Karnak conspired to reinstate the Alphas servitude; and Maximus continued to manipulate the Alphas to further his dastardly schemes.  These features act to highlight the ways in which racial prejudice continued (and continues) well past America’s abolishment of slavery.  

Furthermore, simply freeing the Alphas and then subsequently neglecting them proved a terrible error.   No efforts were offered to help the Alphas adjust to their new freedom.  Many starved and succumbed to illness.  This acts to illustrate how the specter of slavery and racism can maintain well beyond emancipation.  An institutionalized racism existed on Attilan in the same way that it still exists in America to this day.  Extreme disadvantage acts as an invisible force that keeps the oppressed group down.  America’s use of slavery was abolished in 1865… closing in on two hundred years later and the specter of it all continues to persist.  Racism (both in its institutional and interpersonally-mediated forms) continues to exist and many Black Americans remain disadvantaged by social, educational and financial policies that greatly hinder one’s ability to succeed and prosper.  Just as the Inhumans had deluded themselves into not feeling bad over the plight of the Alphas, so too do many white Americas rely on self-delusion so to avoid the guilt and shame over the racial inequality that continues to persist in our nation.  

Although a strange and alien realm, Attilan is not all that different when compared America.  It acts as an allegory, a fun-house mirror that provides slightly tweaked reflection of the same difficulties, problems and injustices that exist in the real world.  When Marvel Comics first propelled The Inhumans into a place of greater prominence it seemed as though the entire matter of The Alpha Primitives were purposefully sept under the carpet.  There was no mention of The Alphas throughout the runs of Inhuman, All New Inhumans and Uncanny Inhumans.  It was only with Inhuman Prime #1, published just this spring, that Attilan’s history as a former slave state was finally name-checked.  

My suspicion is that editorial may have wanted to skirt over the matter of the Alpha Primitives as a means of making The Inhumans seem a more appealing franchise to the mainstream comic-reading public.  I feel that this was a mistake.  America should not be allowed to merely forget or omit the shameful aspects of its past and neither should the fictional world of The Inhumans.  Indeed such efforts to ignore and deny such travesties in the real world may be a central component to the ways in which racism continues to so terribly bedevil our own societies.  

Having stories where The Inhumans of Old Attilan more fully own up to their past misdeeds and make true reparations (or even just apologies) to The Alphas could act as a profound model for how something similar might occur in the real world.  There is now a whole new generation of Inhumans created by the Terrigen Bomb.  This included Inhumans from a highly diverse range of races, creeds and walks of life.  It provides a very cool opportunity wherein the sins of the past can be addressed and worked toward rectification by those in the present.  

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