History
A long-forgotten Shi'ar god perceived/worshipped to be a predator to the enigmatic and ever-living Phoenix Force. Although the entity was lost to the annals of history, a secretive sect within the imperium retained an ancestral memory of their lost deity due to having been modeled after, and designed to act as vessels for it; The Fraternity of Raptors.
Upon his release from Null Space, Gyre of the Raptors sought to use this entity in order to destroy Earth, as the datasong of his collective forewarned him of the threat it posed to their plans of universal conquest. To that end he initiated a ritualistic offering on Arcturus IV where the sacrificial altar which paid tribute to the enclave's lost idol was located. For it to take effect a duel sacrament was required to awaken him; one willing, that being the brainwashed Talonar of the Raptor Fraternity to act as Ratha'kon's host. Finally, one forced which pertained to Darkhawk as Gyre needed his Raptor Amulet as a focusing point to channel the entity.
Upon completion of this blood offering Gyre transplanted the gem freshly ripped from Powell's being into Robbie, creating an entity he believed to be more powerful than the Phoenix itself, though this was never proven to be true. The combined being, under the apparent control of Talonar, was named Dark Starhawk.[1] And with him as Fraternity's ultimate weapon, Gyre and the Raptors set off to attack the Earth.[2]
However, they were accosted by regenerated Darkhawk, Razor, Death's Head, and Nova. For a moment, the Raptors appeared to be victorious and Ratha'kon asserted control over Dark Starhawk. However, a powerful explosive planted by Death's Head altered the course of the battle. When Dark Starhawk was weakened, Chris reclaimed his amulet by ripping it out of Robbie's chest. With one of the required components gone, the fusion was ended and the entity left Robbie.[3]Notes
- Ratha'kon is one of many oppositional entities to the Phoenix Force.[1] Others include the First Fallen,[4] the Goblin Force,[5] le Bete Noir,[6] and the Tiger God.[7]
- Resurrection of Magneto #3 suggests that they may just be different aspects of the same thing, and others include the Shadow King, the Adversary, and Annihilation.