Indian Origin Superheroes In The Marvel Universe

There are several references and depictions of characters that belong to India or are of Indian origin in the Marvel Universe. Although mainly confined to

By Mohit Srivastava
June 30,2022
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There are several references and depictions of characters that belong to India or are of Indian origin in the Marvel Universe. Although mainly confined to the pages of comics, they still await their live-action debut. We are here listing some of their noticeable mentions in Marvel comics so far. We really hope that someday in the future they will make their awesome debut alongside our favorite MCU heroes.

1. Raz Malhotra / Giant Man

Raz Malhotra as Giant Man
Raz Malhotra as Giant Man

Created by – Nick Soencer and Brent Schoonover

First Appearance – Ant-Man Annual #1 (2015)

Born to Indian parents in Denver, Colorado, Raz Malhotra received the Giant-Man suit from Scott Lang after he saved Raz from the attack of the villain named, Egghead. Raz worked in the field of A.I. Raz has, in the past, worked in various superhero groups like the Ultimates, and Agent of Atlas. He had even once joined the rebel coalition called, the Underground. He is a skilled hacker and has expertise in A.I. and robotics. Once he dawns on the Giant-Man suit, he gets superhuman strength and durability and can grow to 100 feet in height.

2. Paras Gavaskar / Indra (Earth 616)

Paras Gavaskar aka Indra
Paras Gavaskar aka Indra

Created by – Nunzio DeFilippis, Christina Weir, and Michael Ryan

First appearance – New X-Men Vol. 2 #7 (2005)

Born to a wealthy family in Mumbai (India), Paras Gavaskar was raised in Jain tradition and was taught to never harm a living being. When his mutant powers manifested, he joined the Xavier Institute and moved to the United States. Later on, he joined the Alpha Squadron under the mentorship of Northstar and acquired the codename – Indra, derived from the Hindu God of war and weather of the same name.

He possesses powers like – having a physically retractable exoskeleton and superhuman durability. But once he lost the exoskeleton ability, he developed psionic powers. He also has ornate, Hindu-stylized armor, and wields levitating weapons such as swords, knives, and axes.

3. Shakti Haddad / Cerebra (Earth 928)

Shakti Haddad aka Cerebra
Shakti Haddad aka Cerebra

Created By – John Francis Moore and Ron Lim

First appearance – X-Men 2099 #1 (1993)

Daughter of Zail Haddad, Shakti Haddad was a brilliant young woman. She became an expert in genetics. As a result of her compassionate nature, she opposed her father’s cruel genetic experiments. She became a founding member of the X-Men of 2099 and X-Nation. Possessing superhuman powers like the ability to sense mutants (similar to Professor X’s Cerebro), she can connect with mutants’ minds. Also, Cerebra has the ability to manipulate a person’s nervous system and paralyze or stun them instantly.

4. Dinesh Deol / Grid (Earth 616)

Dinesh Deol aka Grid
Dinesh Deol aka Grid

Created By – Charles Soule and Brandon Peterson

First Appearance – Free Comic Book Day Vol. 2015

An Indian engineer by profession, Dinesh Deol developed the ability to see and psionically control the electromagnetic spectrum after being exposed to the Terrigen Mist. He can interact with and understand even the most complex working of advanced technologies. His other abilities include electromagnetic vision and pulse emission. He can even channel a device to siphon or redirect its energy to his desire.

5. Pavitra Prabhakar / Spider-Man (Earth 50101)

Pavitra Prabhakar as Spider-Man
Pavitra Prabhakar aka Spider-Man

Created By- Jeevan Kang, Suresh Seetharaman, and Sharad Devarajan

First Appearance – Spider-Man: India #1 (2005)

Perhaps the most talked-about of all the Indian Marvel heroes is this Indian take on the Spider-Man story. An orphaned and poor village in Mumbai, Pavitra Prabhakar received the powers of a spider to fight evil from an ancient Yogi. His origin is similar to that of Peter Parker of Earth 616, reimagined in an Indian setting. All of his powers, abilities, and weaknesses are similar to that of Peter Parker. He is set to make his debut in Marvel’s upcoming animated movie – Spiderman: Across the Spider-verse (Part 1), set to release in mid-2023.

6. Chakra

Apart from these, an honorable mention is that of Chakra which was created by Stan Lee with Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra.

Chakra: The Invincible
Raju Rai aka Chakra: The Invincible

The character made his independent debut in form of an animated movie named Chakra: The Invincible in 2013 on Cartoon Network in English and Hindi. Chakra aka Raju Rai is gifted a powerful suit by his mentor Dr. Singh. The suit has the ability to weaponize all the Chakras in the body. The movie was followed by two sequels in 2016 and 2017.

 

 

 

 

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