Cotati (comics)

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The Cotati first appeared in The Avengers #133 (March 1975), and were created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema.

The Cotati are telepathic plant-like aliens who were once humanoid, but eventually lost their anthropomorphic traits and came to resemble Earth trees. They originate from the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud, the same planet as the Kree.

Approximately one million Earth years ago, Hala was visited by the Skrulls, who wished to include Hala in their empire and offered its inhabitants their knowledge and technology in exchange for their loyalty and Hala's resources. They transported a group of Kree and Cotati to two separate planets and left them with complete supplies for one year. During this time, the Kree built a gargantuan city on Earth's Moon, which would later be known as the Blue Area of the Moon.^[1] However, the Skrulls were more impressed by the Cotati terraforming their barren moon to be full of plant life. Enraged, the Kree killed the Skrull delegation and most of the Cotati and took the technology of the former.^[2]

Unbeknowst to the Kree, a new generation of Cotati were born from seeds dropped by the previous generation as they died. Centuries later, the Cotati made contact with a pacifistic Kree group known as the Priests of Pama, who agreed to protect them.^[3]

The eldest of Earth's Cotati possessed and resurrected the Swordsman, becoming the father of the Celestial Messiah Sequoia.^[4]

In Empyre, General G'iah and her daughters Alice, Ivy, and Madison break into a lab and steal a Cotati sample to preserve the Cotati species.^[5] Sequoia requests the Avengers' help in protecting the Cotati from the Kree and Skrulls.^[6] However, it is later revealed that the Cotati have abandoned their peaceful nature and aim to kill all animal life. This causes the Avengers and the Fantastic Four to work with the Kree and Skrulls to fight them.^[7][8][9] Afterwards, Franklin Richards brings the Cotati to an uninhabited planet where they can live safely.^[10]

• Ru'tuh-Baga – A Cotati who operated in Genosha.^[11]
• Qqoi – A Cotati science minister who worked for Ru'tuh-Baga.^[11]
• Shi Qaanth – A Cotati spellcaster who fought Captain America in Arlington and later attacked Mexico City.^[12]
• Sequoia – Also known as "Quoi", Sequoia is the Celestial Messiah and the child of Mantis and an Elder Cotati who possessed Swordsman's corpse.^[4]
• Swordsman – After being killed by Kang the Conqueror, the Swordsman was possessed by a Cotati before being killed again by Black Panther.^[13][9]
• Trrunk – A Cotati priest at the Temple of Pama. He was killed by Va-Sohn.^[14]
• Veltri – A Cotati spellcaster who operated in the Savage Land.^[15]

The Cotati are alluded to in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War.^[16]