The Vrangs were a warlike, conquering race of aliens who came to the planet Krypton thousands of years ago with plans of conquest.
History
Earth-One Krypton Incursion
In the year 6819[1] the Kryptonian astronomer Sul-El was the first to take notice of their presence when Rao's light reflected from their fleet of approaching ships. Sul-El voiced his concerns to Usk-Mar, the governor of Kandor, but he disregarded Sul-El's observations, and the Kandorians were taken unprepared. The Vrangs found the Kryptonians easy prey.[2]
The Vrangs quickly conquered the continent of Lurvan and enslaved hundreds of Kryptonians, torturing them for sport and putting them to work mining the Jewel Mountains. The crystals contained a large amount of power, and its volatility meant that it could only be worked by hand tools. At the time, the Vrangs kept secret that they also mined the Jewel Mountains because the material was deadly to them.[1]
Deprived of his telescope, Sul-El and his young son, Hatu-El, spent many years toiling in the mountains until Hatu was a man. On pain of death, they would have to thank the Vrangs, and express how happy they were. Finally, in an act of resistance that would galvanize the world, Hatu-El's fellow slave Val-Lor openly defied the Vrangs and spoke the truth,
- "I will not lie! My name is Val-Lor! I hate and despise you Vrangs!"[3]
Val-Lor was executed on the spot by the Vrangs. And though one man fell, Hatu-El and others like him to rose up and rebelled against the Vrangs; killing their guards and smashing their machines. But without the technology, the electrical charge soon ran out in the rebel's Vrang weaponry, and Hatu-El had to utilize asbestos[4] and the Fire Falls to generate the power they needed. The newly emboldened Kryptonians quickly turned the tide against the Vrangs, forcing their alien masters to flee Krypton, never to return.[2]
The Day of Truth
Through the ages, the name of Val-Lor was venerated. Every Kryptonian city erected a statue of Val, and spent a day telling nothing but the brutal truth; all to honour the Kryptonian that died for his words and their freedom from the Vrangs. Even after the cataclysm that destroyed Krypton; Kal-El, Kara, and the people of the Bottle City of Kandor continued to celebrate the Day of Truth on Earth.[3]
The Vrangs on Argo
Decades in the future, the Vrangs found a large piece of space debris that was radioactive, coated in torn lead sheating and had been stripped of life — Argo City! From viewing old recordings, the Vrangs learned that there were two living Kryptonians on Earth and they vowed to stamp them out. Unknown to them, there would soon be six Kryptonians, as the Phantom Zone Criminals had located the last speck of Jewel Kryptonite and escaped the Zone.[5]
General Zod and Faora's hatred for Kal-El was dwarfed by their ancestral antipathy for the Vrangs, and they vowed on the Colossus of Hadrad[6] to eliminate them. A temporary truce saw the Zoners mount what seemed to be a rescue mission when the Vrangs teleported Superman into a "Nullo-Field". But first the attackers had to contend with the "Staxic Rings" which surrounded the ship in a "Mota Dispersal" - the high technology of the Vrangs - which killed two of the Zoners.[1]
While Superman disrupted the Vrangs from inside their craft, Faora and Zod detonated the remaining shard of Jewel Kryptonite, killing the Vrangs, and blasting the three Kryptonians back into the Phantom Zone.
Powers and Abilities
Weaknesses
Miscellaneous
Level of Technology:
Interstellar
Cultural Traits:
Warlike, Predatory
Representatives:
Notes
- The Day of Truth is celebrated or mentioned in Superman #176, Superman #709 and Supergirl (Volume 7) #8.
- While the Kryptonians originally had to learn the language of the the Vrangs[2]; the Vrang also learned to read Kryptonian.[5]
Trivia
- The Vrangs particular choice of "Staxic rings" as their form of space-craft defence[5] combined with their oath sworn on the "Rings of Druvru"[1] conveys that they place a great deal of importance on the ringed world of Druvru. It may be inferred that their home planet was named Druvru.
See Also
- Appearances of Vrangs
- Race Gallery: Vrangs
- Images of Vrangs
Links and References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Action Comics #549
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Krypton Chronicles #2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Superman #176
- ↑ Asbestos on Krypton was named Hatuar in honour of Hatu-El, in Krypton Chronicles #2
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Action Comics #548
- ↑ Jax-Ur first swore an oath on the Colossus of Hadrad in Superman #205