Being the ruler of an empire requires a great degree of courage and power, and not everyone is capable of handling the duties that come with the position. Grand Regent Thragg is one of the rare individuals who has proven himself worthy of leadership and has controlled the Viltrum Empire with an iron grip. Thragg was initially presented in the ‘Invincible Returns comics and is one of the most prominent characters in the Invincible Universe, created by Robert Kirkman.
Though this cosmos was vast, the Viltrumites were an important part of it and one of the most powerful races ever. Thragg commanded this vast empire with all of his strength, ensuring their survival even under the direst of circumstances. He is an all-powerful being with strength and abilities beyond comprehension, as well as the strongest Viltrumite ever. Let us delve into his past and learn more about this tenacious foe from the Invincible world!
The journey into becoming the Grand Regent
Grand Regent Thragg, also known as the leader of the Viltrumites, faced many challenges to reach the top. He was not handed the title of Grand Regent on a silver platter, and he fought off many entities and faced many obstacles to achieve this position. Thragg was one of the most ancient Viltrumites, who was born on the Viltrum planet thousands of years ago. He went through extensive training and mastered many forms of combat and war tactics to become the strongest among the Viltrumites.
After the tragic death of Viltrum’s king ‘Argall’ at the hands of ‘Thaedus,’ Thragg fought in the Viltrumite Civil War and led many troops to emerge as one of the most powerful races in the Invincible Universe. He was then given the title of ‘Grand Regent’, and was also handed the responsibility of avenging Argall’s death and finding his next of kin.
However, the spread of the ‘Scourge Virus’ that infected almost the entire Viltrumite population made it hard for Thragg to find the heir. He then assumed that there was a good chance the heir died due to the virus, and he crowned himself as the leader of the Viltrumites.
How Thragg changed the destiny!
Thragg had once handed the responsibility of killing Invincible, also known as Mark Grayson, to the vitrinite warrior known as ‘Conquest.’ However, Conquest failed to kill the superhero and returned to Thragg to ask for his forgiveness. Thragg was enraged, and he even threatened to kill Conquest himself. However, he soon saw Conquest’s potential and teamed him up with Lucan and another powerful Viltrumite to end Invincible’s life and get rid of all his supporters.
As the Grand Regent, Thragg also played a significant role in the ‘Viltrumite War.’ When Thaedus led the Coalition of Planets, he waged war against Viltrumites. Thadeus argued that the powerful Viltrumite by the name ‘Nolan’ had betrayed his Viltrum Empire, and the Coalition also had the weapons to destroy the Viltrumites. As they make their way to Viltrum, we learn that Grand Regent Thragg is aware of their plans since he has a double agent working in the Coalition. This double agent was also handed the responsibility of destroying the planetary barrier on ‘Talescria,’ which was the capital of the Coalition and the only place where Viltrumites could not do any harm.
Thragg tries to visit Talescria but soon retreats after Invincible destroys his warship. He prepares for battle and is ready to lead the Viltrumites against the Coalition as well as Invincible. Thragg even keeps the skull of the dead ‘Lord Argall’, and promises to avenge his death.
As the war wages in full force, Invincible goes up against Thragg, who effortlessly manages to defeat the superhero. He was then cornered by Invincible’s half-brother Oliver, but Thragg once again managed to overpower him without much difficulty. Thragg attacked the young superhero, almost killing him and leaving him critically injured.
Though Invincible had already fallen in defeat, he witnesses Oliver’s injured state and once again goes up against Thragg with all his strength. He hits Thragg with full force, but the powerful Grand Regent only gets a mild nosebleed, and he makes fun of Invincible’s weakness in combat. The two fight for a long time and Invincible even reveals that he has killed Conquest and is determined to kill Thragg.
In the meantime, the Viltrum empire seems to be falling as Thaedus, Nolan, and Invincible manage to destroy Viltrum’s heritage sites and cause havoc on the planet. As the leader of the empire, Thragg steps up and finally goes up against Thadeus as he had once promised. He gives Thadeus one last chance to surrender and then decapitates his head from his body. After finally avenging Lord Argall’s death, Thragg swears to protect the Viltrumites and announces that anyone who goes up against the Viltrum Empire will die.
However, the fight is far from over as Invincible still stands undefeated. Thragg lunges into an attack on the superhero, but they are soon interrupted by Nolan Grayson, son of Lord Argall. Though Nolan has Viltrumite blood, he believes that the Viltrume empire deserves to go extinct to pay for their crimes. Thragg finds himself fighting against Nolan and Invincible when a third villain named ‘Battle Beast’ appears at the scene. The Coalition recruited battle Beast to fight in the Viltrumite War, and he gave a tough fight to Thragg. Eventually, Thragg uses his superstrength to kill Battle Beast and then returns to Nolan and Invincible.
However, instead of attacking the duo once again, Thragg states that they will need all the Viltrumites to come together to prevent their extinction. He ends up in talks with Invincible and explains that all the Viltrumites who survived the Scourge virus are now on Earth. Thragg also readily agrees to surrender on the condition that the Viltrumites can stay on Earth and live among humans.
Invincible refuses to hear more about this proposal, but Thragg insists that he hears him out. Thragg intends to have the Viltrumites stay in hiding on Earth without them interfering with any human activities. Though Invincible is not keen on this plan, he eventually accepts it for the sake of the survival of his species. This agreement brings an end to the Viltrumite War, wherein Thragg proves himself to be worthy of the title of the Grand Regent.
What makes him such a tough opponent?
As a Viltrumite, Thragg has inherited many powers and abilities, such as superhuman strength and speed. He also has superhuman stamina and can endure pain and injuries with much more ease than other beings. Thragg can also fly across the universe, and he also has the ability to hold his breath for up to a fortnight, making it very easy for him to survive in outer space.
He quite literally has a thicker skin than other beings, and only other Viltrumites or higher entities can physically cause him any harm or injure his skin. He is highly skilled in combat, including all forms of wielding weapons as well as hand-to-hand combat. Even when injured in combat, Thragg heals from deadly injuries in no time as he possesses an enhanced ability to heal. Just like all the other Viltrumites, Thragg only has one weakness in the form of vulnerable ears. High-frequency sounds or an imbalance in his ear’s equilibrium can cause him intolerable pain and even be
fatal to his being. Despite this weakness, he has been alive for thousands of years and is still at the peak of his physique. For centuries, he has also successfully led the Viltrumites and possessed excellent leadership skills.
Additionally, he was also a strategic leader, and he used tactics and complex strategies to defeat his opponents and protect Viltrum. It was established that he was the strongest Viltrumite to have ever lived, and he possessed a strength level of ‘class 100 plus’. The record of powerful villains that he has defeated is clear evidence of the fact that he is quite a formidable opponent!
How Thragg fares opposite the likes of Battle Beast and Superman!
Thragg has gone up against many powerful entities, such as the likes of Battle Beast. Battle Beast was considered to be a ruthless fighter of the Invincible Universe, who finally saw his death at the hands of Thragg. The duo fought each other for days and weeks, and eventually, Thragg overpowered this predator and emerged victoriously.
Though Thragg is the strongest Viltrumite in the Invincible Universe, his powers fall short in front of Superman. Of course, this also depends on which Superman we are talking about here. Most Supermans have powers that are just a level above Thragg, though there is always a chance for this badass Viltrumite to defeat the superhero if their universes ever collide. However, this is quite unlikely since Superman has extreme superhuman strength and could, at one point, hold the Earth’s weight for five days and even hold a black hole in his hand. Of course, Thragg has many deadly powers that make him a deadly opponent, but if he is here to go against Superman, the odds are not in his favor!
Conclusion
As a leader of the Viltrumite, Thragg has faced many challenges and led the species for decades. He has never backed down from a challenge and even went up against some of the most powerful entities in the Invincible Universe. With his experience, Thragg emerges as one of the strongest villains that Invincible has had to face, and it is best to stay out of his way!