The Shadow People are a humanoid race that hail from an unknown planet. They dwell on various planets throughout the galaxy, among them Sakaar.^[1] Ten thousand years ago, the Shadow People created the Old Power, an artificial version of the Power Cosmic. They hoped to use this power to conquer reality but it soon grew unstable and threatened to destroy a quarter of the known universe. The Shadows began to journey to the many planets they had seeded with the Old Power, such as Giausar and Doarj'n in order to fix the destruction it had wrought and to teach the natives to control it.^[2]

The Shadow People inhabiting the Matrix of Mamadou, alongside the Kronans and the Symbiotes, were conquered by the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda. Under Wakandan governorship, the Shadow People having no other choice accepted their Emperor's rule.^[3] The Wakandans learned from the Shadow People knowledge of governance and hierarchy which helped shape their empire.^[4]

A group of Shadow People arrived to the dying world of Sakaar and imbued it with the Old Power to revitalize it, with the elders apparently sacrificing themselves as their bodies turned to stones which would be known as Kama Va'al.^[5] In addition to this, one Shadow Person, Old Sam, opened a wormhole in an attempt to bring a savior for Sakaar.^[6] That wormhole came to be known as the Great Portal which began bringing in various valuable debris from outer space.^[1] They then established several villages in the steppes in the north of the Great Desert on Sakaar which were of little interest to the Imperials, and as a result the Shadow People were left out of the Wars of Empire.^[7] Two hundred years ago, Sakaar was swept by the Dust Plague which affected the Shadow People. This caused them to revert to mysticism and drive out the Clear-Eyed Shadow who had white sclera and were more focused on science. The Clear-Eyed Shadow isolated themselves in Vanishing Towers where they preserved their ancestral science and knowledge.^[6]

Most of the villages were later eradicated by the parasitic Spikes, forcing the Shadow People to unite their forces under the leadership of Hiroim the Shamed. Hiroim was able to save his people on numerous occasions from destruction, thanks to his great warrior skills and strategies. However, this wasn't enough, which forced the Shadow People to make a treaty with the Father Emperor. As part of the Shadow Treaty, the Shadow People would act as the Imperials' warriors, though retained political independence, and in exchange for the Father Emperor wiped the Spikes. Caiera the Oldstrong, the only survivor of her village, would serve her part of the treaty by servings the Father Emperor's son, the Red King.^[7] Once the Hulk overthrew the Red King and became the new governor of Sakaar, he formed a new treaty with the Shadow People.^[8]

Skaar went through several devastating events: first Hulk's shuttle exploded, destroying the planet's mantle and killing countless Sakaarans;^[9] following Hulk's departure a succession of power ensued which erupted in chaos;^[10] and lastly Galactus devoured the planet.^[11] The surviving refugees, including a number of Shadow People, were forced to move to a new planet in the Andromeda Galaxy which they named Sakaar En Nevo.^[12] Skaar was eventually restored thanks to the Time Stone's reemergence,^[13] but its people came to be oppressed by the Warlord.^[10] The Doka'abi Clan summoned Amadeus Cho to help overthrow the Warlord, and together fought through his forces. They were successful in killing the Warlord and after Cho departed the Doka'abi helped rebuild civilization.^[14]

Various, as there are different races, here is a list of the powers of the Oldstrongs

• Old Power: The Old Power is an artificial version of the Power Cosmic with special connection to stones.^[15][16] Select individuals can channel this power, who are known as Oldstrongs. Oldstrongs can willfully channel the Old Power for the purpose of increasing some of their natural attributes to superhuman levels. Not all Shadow People have the ability to channel the Old Power, but could be transferred to members of other species.^[7]
• Superhuman Strength: Oldstrongs can channel the Old Power through their bodies for the purpose of granting themselves superhuman strength of undefined limits. While the upper limit of their strength wasn't revealed, they could lift somewhere between 75 and 100 tons.^[7]
• Superhuman Stamina: While using the Old Power, the Oldstrong's musculature is considerably advanced to the point where it produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a human being. While the limits of their stamina weren't revealed, they can physically exert themselves at peak capacity for at least several hours before the build-up of fatigue toxins in their blood begins to impair them.^[7]
• Superhuman Durability: The Old Power renders an Oldstrong's body highly resistant to most forms of physical injury. They can withstand powerful blows from the Hulk, exposure to temperature and pressure extremes, falls from great heights, and powerful blasts of energy without sustaining injury^[7]

The Shadow People are an interstellar species who had developed their own advanced technology. Example of their technology included the Stone Ships capable of space travel,^[1] and an organic device resembling the Obedience Disk.

The Sakaaran Shadows were hunter-gatherers, and did not adopt outside technology that fell through the Great Portal. They did produce a limited number of nearly unbreakable "Shadowforged" weapons and tools each year, such as unbreakable chains, armor, and weaponry. These items were highly priced in the Sakaaran Empire as they were made of a special metal and stone alloy and couldn't be reproduced.^[7] Some of the weapons included the javelin, and a seven-foot-long staff with blades running along its entire length.^[17]

The Shadow People were nomads who settled on various worlds to heal them with the Old Power. The Sakaaran Shadow People formed a few permanent structures and cities in mountains and deserts, though most tribes lived in villages or camps. These settlements contained less than hundreds of individuals, and can be translocated to another location in an instant. The pattern of their relocations was mostly unknown though it appeared to be based on the seasons and the migration of the trizelle, a local animal hunted by the Shadow. Shadow tribes were dependent on hunting and combat, and as result all of the Shadow People were raised since childhood to be hunters and warriors regardless of gender. They didn't cultivate any crops, though they occasionally harvested wild roots and vegetables.^[7]

The tattoos sported by the Shadow People are symbolic and mark an individual as a member of the Shadow People.^[5][18] The Shadow People and the other Sakaaran races believed in a common religion that revered two prophesied figures that would change their world, the silver-coated Sakaarson and the Worldbreaker who would destroy Sakaar.^[19] The Shadow People had Saka Priests who lived in the Saka Temples where they ministered to the pilgrims who visited them. At least one Saka Priest was present in Shadow village who would go on a pilgrimage to a Saka temple at least once a year. A minority group of Shadows later emerged, known as the Clear-Eyed due to lacking the black sclera and intricate tattoos characteristic of tribal Shadows. These Clear-Eyed Shadows didn't worship any gods, instead focusing on technology, which caused them to be excommunicated by the mystic priests.^[6]

The Shadow People colonized by the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda appeared to have willingly or forcefully adopted the culture of their suppressors as some of them revered the empire's goddess Bast.^[20]

• Caiera the Oldstrong
• Hiro-Amin
• Hiroim
• Skaar (hybrid)
• Hiro-Kala (hybrid)
• Koaam
• Ol-Sahm

• Shadow People mature at a far more rapid rate than humans. A Shadow Child will be born only days after being conceived, and can run within minutes of birth. They also live longer than humans, some living as long as 200 years.^[21][7]
• The tears of Shadow People are black.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #101
2. ↑ Son of Hulk #13–15
3. ↑ Black Panther (Vol. 7) #4
4. ↑ Black Panther (Vol. 7) #7
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Skaar: Son of Hulk Presents - Savage World of Sakaar #1
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Skaar: Son of Hulk #6
7. ↑ ^{7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11} Planet Hulk: Gladiator Guidebook #1
8. ↑ Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #102–103
9. ↑ Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #105
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Incredible Hulk (Vol. 5) #709
11. ↑ Son of Hulk #13
12. ↑ Imperial #1
13. ↑ Incredible Hulk (Vol. 5) #713
14. ↑ Incredible Hulk (Vol. 5) #710–713
15. ↑ World War Hulk #4
16. ↑ Skaar: Son of Hulk #8–9
17. ↑ What If? Planet Hulk #1
18. ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #2
19. ↑ Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #95
20. ↑ Black Panther (Vol. 7) #8
21. ↑ Skaar: Son of Hulk #1