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The Acanti are a race of fictional whale-like, extraterrestrial beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They have appeared in Uncanny X-Men within the Marvel Comics universe. They were created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Dave Cockrum. Many of them were enslaved by the Brood empire.
| Acanti | |
|---|---|
 A herd of Acanti. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Uncanny X-Men #156 (April 1982) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont (writer) Dave Cockrum (artist) |
Physical characteristics
editThe Acanti are colossal whale-like creatures with several pairs of fins and as well as green eyes widely spaced on their heads. An adult Acanti can grow to a few kilometers in length, and even an infant is large enough to swallow a 15-person spaceship with room to take in at least four more. They communicate through psionic sounds referred to as songs and can fly faster than the speed of light without assistance.
Fictional race biography
editThe Acanti are an ancient species who peacefully wander through space and are benevolent and compassionate by nature. They are led by one individual known as the Prophet-Singer who serves as a vessel for the Soul, a collective semi-mystical force that links and motivates the species. As death approaches, the Acanti typically hurl themselves into stars. The Prophet-Singer of each generation also does so, releasing the Soul to inhabit their successor.
After migrating to the Milky Way galaxy, the Brood enslave the Acanti to take advantage of their ability to travel at light-speed, transforming their bodies into living starships. The Brood succeed in enslaving the Acanti Prophet-Singer, and when he eventually dies and crashes on a planet, his body is reconstructed as the capital of a planet that becomes the center of the Brood empire. As such, the Soul is trapped in the Prophet-Singer's skull before the X-Men free it and enable it to re-merge with the Prophet-Singer.[1][2]
The Brood later attempt to invade Earth using a fleet of Acanti before being repelled by an illusion of the Phoenix Force and Galactus.[3]
The Roxxon Energy Corporation later obtain an Acanti and have an unidentified Brood-infected human pilot it in an attempt to hire Weapon H into Roxxon before being defeated.[4]
Other versions
editAn unidentified creature that resembles the Acanti appears in Ultimate Fantastic Four #35.
In other media
editThe Acanti appear in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "Love in Vain".