Allen the Alien

Lore & Background

Allen the Alien is an agent of the Coalition of Planets, an organization that safeguards planets from threats. He first appears after Mark has been a hero for some time, not immediately after his powers manifest, and becomes a recurring ally. Allen is beaten nearly to death by three Viltrumites, but due to a Unopan breeding program designed to create a specimen strong enough to defeat a Viltrumite, he grows stronger upon healing. He later comes to Earth to recruit Mark and Nolan to the Coalition, but learns Nolan is incarcerated. Mark gives Allen Nolan's books, which are simply his personal journals and research, not secret hints about the Viltrumite empire. Allen is then captured by the Viltrumite Anissa, having allowed himself to be captured specifically to find Nolan. On the Viltrumite prison ship, he convinces Nolan to join the Coalition, and the two escape. They kill two Viltrumite guards, while Battle Beast—imprisoned on the same ship—kills the guards and security forces. Nolan reveals to Allen that fewer than fifty pure-blooded Viltrumites remain. Allen takes Nolan to the Coalition homeworld, Talescria, and introduces him to Thaedus, who tasks them with finding weapons against the empire. Before the Viltrumite War, Allen reveals to Nolan that a new strain of the Scourge Virus could kill the Viltrumites hiding on Earth, but also every human. Nolan disagrees, believing Earth can change the Viltrumites as it changed him.

In Their Own Story

Allen the Alien first meets Mark Grayson after Mark's powers manifest and he begins fighting crime. Allen is an agent of the Coalition of Planets, which safeguards planets from threats. He is beaten nearly to death by three Viltrumites, but grows stronger upon healing due to a Unopan breeding program designed to create a specimen strong enough to defeat a Viltrumite. Later, Allen comes to Earth to recruit Mark and Nolan to the Coalition, but Mark reveals Nolan's incarceration. Mark gifts Allen Nolan's books, which he believes secretly hint at weapons that can be used to kill Viltrumites. Equipped with new information, Allen thanks Mark and leaves to find Nolan. Allen runs into the Viltrumite Anissa and allows himself to be captured to find Nolan aboard a Viltrumite prison ship. Allen convinces Nolan to join the Coalition, and the two escape from prison with the help of Battle Beast, who was also imprisoned on the ship. The three kill the two Viltrumite guards, along with most of their security forces. Battle Beast disappears in the chaos, and Nolan reveals to Allen that there are fewer than fifty pure-blooded Viltrumites left. Allen takes Nolan to the Coalition homeworld, Talescria, and introduces him to Thaedus. Thaedus tasks the two of them with finding weapons to aid in their fight against the empire. Allen and Tech Jacket are able to return to Talescria in secret and spend months helping the Coalition fight the Viltrumites. After the Viltrumite War ends in a truce, Allen reveals to Nolan that a new strand of the Scourge Virus has the potential to kill the Viltrumites hiding on Earth, but also the potential to kill every human on Earth. Nolan disagrees with Allen, as he believes that Earth can change the views of the Viltrumites as it did for him.

Reader's Guide

Allen the Alien is an agent of the Coalition of Planets, first appearing after Mark Grayson's powers manifest. He is beaten nearly to death by three Viltrumites but grows stronger upon healing due to a Unopan breeding program designed to create a specimen strong enough to defeat a Viltrumite. He comes to Earth to recruit Mark and Nolan to the Coalition, but learns Nolan is incarcerated. Mark gives Allen Nolan's books, which he believes secretly hint at weapons that can kill Viltrumites. Allen allows himself to be captured by the Viltrumite Anissa to find Nolan aboard a Viltrumite prison ship. He convinces Nolan to join the Coalition, and the two escape with Battle Beast, killing two Viltrumite guards and most of their security forces. Nolan reveals to Allen that fewer than fifty pure-blooded Viltrumites remain. Allen takes Nolan to the Coalition homeworld, Talescria, and introduces him to Thaedus, who tasks them with finding weapons against the empire. Allen and Tech Jacket return to Talescria in secret and spend months helping the Coalition fight the Viltrumites. After the Viltrumite War ends in a truce, Allen reveals to Nolan that a new strand of the Scourge Virus could kill the Viltrumites on Earth but also every human. Nolan disagrees, believing Earth can change the Viltrumites as it changed him.

Did You Know?

• Allen is beaten nearly to death by three Viltrumites but grows stronger upon healing due to a Unopan breeding program designed to create a specimen strong enough to defeat a Viltrumite.
• Allen allows himself to be captured by the Viltrumite Anissa to find Nolan aboard a Viltrumite prison ship.
• Allen, Nolan, and Battle Beast escape from a Viltrumite prison ship, killing two Viltrumite guards and most of their security forces.
• Nolan reveals to Allen that there are fewer than fifty pure-blooded Viltrumites left.
• Allen reveals to Nolan that a new strand of the Scourge Virus could kill the Viltrumites on Earth but also every human on Earth.