If there's one thing Star-Lord knows how to do, it's making very powerful enemies, and it appears that trend is continuing in Eidos-Montréal's Guardians of the Galaxy. The Canadian developer has just released another trailer revealing the next cosmic foe players can expect to encounter in the upcoming sci-fi adventure -- the Grand Unifier Raker.
The Grand Unifier Raker isn't the first antagonist that Eidos-Montréal has showcased ahead of Guardians of the Galaxy's October 26 release date, with a previous trailer giving fans a closer look at the intimidating Lady Hellbender. With the expansive cast of characters the developer has to pull from, the Grand Unifier Raker is another fairly obscure pick from Marvel Comics' deep catalog. But, in the Raker's brief appearances in print, he and the Universal Church of Truth have definitely left an impression.
To begin with, the Grand Unifier Raker is a fairly recent addition to Marvel's cosmic cast. Known in the comics as Cardinal Raker, or simply Raker, the character made their first print appearance in 2008's Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2) #2, created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Paul Pelletier. Raker was quite a short-lived character, having only made a few appearances in the Guardians series before meeting his end. However, the roots of the Universal Church of Truth are much deeper in Marvel's history.
The Universal Church of Truth itself first appeared in February 1975's Strange Tales #178, which was written and illustrated by Jim Starlin, the man behind so many of Marvel's intergalactic characters and stories. The Church is a mighty religious force that has members from all sorts of alien races under the worship of the Magus, the evil incarnation of Adam Warlock. They travel the galaxies looking to bring harmony to the stars, but if their 'peaceful' rule is rejected by a planet, they exterminate every inhabitant that refuses to convert to the Universal Church of Truth. The leader of the Church, the Matriarch, is also alluded to in the game's new trailer, though it is uncertain in just what form she will take.
Raker is a fairly high-ranking member of the Universal Church of Truth, with the Cardinals acting as the organization's strike force, their first line of offense in hunting down those who dare resist the Church. Raker's first appearance came as a result of the Guardians of the Galaxy destroying one of the Church's Templeships, drawing the ire of the Matriarch. A group of Cardinals were sent to dispatch of the Guardians, led by Raker himself, acting under the direct command of the Matriarch.
Along with his innate abilities of flight, teleportation and producing powerful blasts from his hands, Raker and the Cardinals also harness the power of the belief-battery. The Universal Church of Truth's greatest tool are their Faith Generators, powered by the faith and belief of their followers. These generators are used to power the Church's Templeships, as well as enhance the power of the Cardinals. By tapping into these belief-batteries, Raker and the Cardinals are able to do whatever they believe they can do, literally. Powered by their own faith in themselves, the Cardinals are able to unleash superhuman feats of strength, speed, stamina, durability, and anything else they put their minds to, making these religious fanatics a very dangerous threat indeed.
Whilst Raker's end came at the hands of Drax the Destroyer in defense of the Matriarch, it appears that Eidos-Montréal's take on the Universal Church of Truth is very different from their comic appearances. As such, who knows what the players could have in store for them when they dive into Guardians of the Galaxy later this year. As the release date approaches, who knows what other obscure cosmic threats Eidos-Montréal has yet to reveal.