Pretty sporadic updating here, I know. There are still quite a few readers according to whatever Typepad tells me, but hey, for all I know you are all phishing robots or something. Shrug. Do people even read blogs anymore?
Anyway, my entry for Comic Book Runway last week got me thinking about Ms. Marvel (again,) and I did a bit of sketch of Ms. Marvel enemies. A very rough, quick sketch I might add. I'll be updating this post throughout the week with a selection of rogues from the pages of Ms. Marvel.
First up, Deathbird!
Ms. Marvel #9 (1977) by Chris Claremont, Keith Pollard, Joe Sinnott, and Sam Grainger
Did you know Deathbird started as a Ms. Marvel villain? It was never made clear what her origin was at the time-- that is, her background as member of the alien Shi'ar royal family, her traitorous act, her exile on earth, etc. It was all very mysterious and enigmatic-- although she certainly talked as if she were not human, calling Ms. Marvel a "hatchling" and talking about something called "the Aerie." For some reason, she was working with A.I.M. and MODOK, so when Ms. Marvel investigated A.I.M.'s headquarters underneath a department store (?), they naturally battled it out. Deathbird immediately after abandoned A.I.M./MODOK and showed up battling Hawkeye before ending up as a regular X-Men villain.
The ship has probably sailed to have Deathbird as a true archenemy for Ms. Marvel. D-Bird is on a whole 'nother scale at this point, wheeling and dealing at the level of interstellar empires. She's now become a boss-level villain that Ms. Marvel would have to get to only after several side-scrolling screens of lackeys and underlings. Still, these two would have been great rivals-- the exiled Shi'ar empress versus the Earth-born Kree warrior.
Next, Mystique!
Ms. Marvel #17 (1978) by Chris Claremont, Jim Mooney, and Tony De Zuniga
Did you know Mystique ALSO started as a Ms. Marvel villain? I never realized it in my early years of reading Marvel Comics, but in retrospect it makes Mystique's order for Rogue to attack Ms. Marvel (and subsequent absorption of all her powers) make more sense.
Mystique appeared in her then-often-used but now-abandoned secret identity of Raven Darkholme, who had infiltrated a high position in the U.S. government. She helped some guy in SHIELD steal armor and weaponry to become the Centurion and attack Ms. Marvel, only to have to take on the whole Avengers (and lose.) Mystique was only refered to as "Raven Darkholme," and also to be working on behalf of someone she had to call "lord." I have no idea how that was resolved; as far as I know, she next showed up with a Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to call her own, and she's been an X-Villain ever since. (See a pattern developing here?)
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