Cloud 9 (comics)
Encyclopedia
Cloud 9 is a fictional
teenage comic book
superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. She was created by writer Dan Slott
and artist Stefano Caselli
, and first appeared in Avengers: The Initiative
#1 (June 2007).
. She was spotted by the Initiative
program and was recruited into it by War Machine
, who told Abby that if she wanted to keep on flying, she needed a license. Once at the base, Abby was discovered to actually be a very shy girl and self-conscious about her body, comparing it to the other girls' bodies there who she felt looked like they came right out of Vogue
magazine. During a uniform exchange, Abby accidentally slipped into the boys' showers and was found by fellow new hero MVP
. He took a liking to Abby and watched her train. However, when the training with another new hero, Armory
, went wrong, MVP was shot by one of Armory's blasts while he was trying to protect Abby from harm. Armory was grounded from superhero-ing and expelled out of the base. Abby is one of the cadets sent on an emergency mission to protect the President from an assassination attempt by HYDRA
. It is revealed that she is the top marksman among the Initiative cadets, and she shoots down a HYDRA fighter with a pulse rifle. She becomes distressed when she realizes the Hydra pilot actually perished in the explosion. Her drill instructor, Gauntlet
makes sure to drive this point home. Later, in a fight with the Warbound
, she intentionally tries to kill her opponent, Elloe Kaifi
. She is talked out of her actions.
She has stated that she has no intention of superhuman heroics. As she puts it, "I'm only here because I want to fly. Man, this blows."
During the "Killed In Action" story arc, Abby learns that the Initiative had secretly made clones of MVP, and that one of them, who dubs himself KIA, has gone on a rampage. She and a group of fellow Initiative members travel to the Van Patrick home, attempting to convince the first MVP clone to download his memories into a device that will transmit them into KIA's brain, essentially reprogramming KIA, but possibly leaving the first clone mindless. Cloud 9 manages to distract KIA by playing on the latent memories of the original MVP, and kissing him, allowing her to fill his lungs with her vapor. The MVP clone, rather than wipe his own mind, instead places the helmet on KIA, leaving him an empty shell. Abby and the clone decide to start things over, with Abby acknowledging that the clone is not the MVP she knew.
When Cloud 9 completed her Initiative training, she was assigned to Freedom Force
; the Montana
team. She is then seen in action alongside Challenger
, Think Tank, Equinox
, and Spinner. When Equinox is revealed to be a Skrull infiltrator, it is Cloud 9 who kills Equinox.
Initiative instructor Tigra
has expressed concerns about Cloud 9 having developed an outwardly cold attitude towards killing in the line of duty after graduating to active service. Believing that Cloud 9 is merely bottling up her emotions rather than dealing with them, Tigra worries about the psychological trauma that may result if Cloud 9 is forced to confront those feelings.
orders Freedom Force to attack the Heavy Hitters
after they secede from the Initiative. Cloud 9 is ordered to assassinate Night Thrasher but she misses on purpose. Even though she claims that she genuinely missed, Taskmaster sees through her lie and places her on probation. She joins Hardball in battling the demon Nightmare after he took over Trauma. Nightmare has Abby plagued by visions of undead with bullet wounds to the head. She fights them off and yells at Trauma to fight off his possession. Trauma hears her but Nightmare knocks her out. Following the events of the Siege
storyline, Cloud 9 comes to the assistance of a depowered Komodo in capturing Baron Von Blitzschlag
.
, but declines when Steve tells her that it is optional and that the Superhuman Registration Act was abolished. She tears up her superhero registration card, and removes her costume as she flies away, now that she can do anything she wants.
regarding magical hammers that have crashed into the earth. However, when Thor Girl
is apprehended and accosted by men outside her holding cell, Cloud 9 arrives to rescue her and subdues the men.
, one of the Hulk's Warbound
by filling her lungs with it.
Cloud 9 has a rating of below class 50. However, Abigail is one of the better marksmen in the Initiative with War Machine
stating she had the highest cadet score on the shooting range.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
teenage comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. She was created by writer Dan Slott
Dan Slott
Dan Slott is an American comic book writer best known for The Amazing Spider-Man, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and She-Hulk. He is the current writer of the twice monthly The Amazing Spider-Man.-Early writing:...
and artist Stefano Caselli
Stefano Caselli
Stefano Caselli is an Italian comic book artist best known for his work on the Marvel Comics title Avengers: The Initiative, the mini-series Civil War: Young Avengers/Runaways and Secret Warriors...
, and first appeared in Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
#1 (June 2007).
Fictional character biography
Abby first demonstrated her powers while flying on the cloud in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. She was spotted by the Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
program and was recruited into it by War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
, who told Abby that if she wanted to keep on flying, she needed a license. Once at the base, Abby was discovered to actually be a very shy girl and self-conscious about her body, comparing it to the other girls' bodies there who she felt looked like they came right out of Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
magazine. During a uniform exchange, Abby accidentally slipped into the boys' showers and was found by fellow new hero MVP
Michael Van Patrick
Michael "Mike" Ian Van Patrick is a fictional comic book character created by Dan Slott and Stefano Caselli. Although the character himself is deceased, and in fact died in the issue he first appeared in, the character is said to have been cloned after his death, with his clones continuing to play...
. He took a liking to Abby and watched her train. However, when the training with another new hero, Armory
Armory (comics)
Armory is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. Armory was one of the new Initiative recruits that arrived at Camp Hammond with Cloud 9, Hardball, Komodo, MVP, Trauma and others.-Fictional character biography:...
, went wrong, MVP was shot by one of Armory's blasts while he was trying to protect Abby from harm. Armory was grounded from superhero-ing and expelled out of the base. Abby is one of the cadets sent on an emergency mission to protect the President from an assassination attempt by HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
. It is revealed that she is the top marksman among the Initiative cadets, and she shoots down a HYDRA fighter with a pulse rifle. She becomes distressed when she realizes the Hydra pilot actually perished in the explosion. Her drill instructor, Gauntlet
Gauntlet (comics)
The Gauntlet , is a comic book superhero in the . Created by Dan Slott, he first appeared in She-Hulk #100.-Publication history:...
makes sure to drive this point home. Later, in a fight with the Warbound
Warbound
The Warbound is a group of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics. They first joined forces in The Incredible Hulk vol. 3, #94 as a combination of new and existing characters, the former created by Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan.-Planet Hulk:...
, she intentionally tries to kill her opponent, Elloe Kaifi
Elloe Kaifi
Elloe Kaifi is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #92 in the 2006 Hulk storyline Planet Hulk.-Fictional character biography:...
. She is talked out of her actions.
She has stated that she has no intention of superhuman heroics. As she puts it, "I'm only here because I want to fly. Man, this blows."
During the "Killed In Action" story arc, Abby learns that the Initiative had secretly made clones of MVP, and that one of them, who dubs himself KIA, has gone on a rampage. She and a group of fellow Initiative members travel to the Van Patrick home, attempting to convince the first MVP clone to download his memories into a device that will transmit them into KIA's brain, essentially reprogramming KIA, but possibly leaving the first clone mindless. Cloud 9 manages to distract KIA by playing on the latent memories of the original MVP, and kissing him, allowing her to fill his lungs with her vapor. The MVP clone, rather than wipe his own mind, instead places the helmet on KIA, leaving him an empty shell. Abby and the clone decide to start things over, with Abby acknowledging that the clone is not the MVP she knew.
When Cloud 9 completed her Initiative training, she was assigned to Freedom Force
Freedom Force (comics)
Freedom Force is the name of two teams within Marvel Comics' universe.The original was a supervillain team, though they occasionally acted in a heroic capacity as well. It was a government-sponsored team originally composed mainly of Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants...
; the Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
team. She is then seen in action alongside Challenger
Challenger (comics)
The Challenger is a fictional superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics, beginning with the company's 1940s iteration as Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Publication history:...
, Think Tank, Equinox
Equinox (comics)
Equinox is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in publications from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:...
, and Spinner. When Equinox is revealed to be a Skrull infiltrator, it is Cloud 9 who kills Equinox.
Initiative instructor Tigra
Tigra
Tigra is a fictional American comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Introduced as the non-superpowered crime fighter The Cat in Claws of the Cat #1 , she was co-created by writer-editor Roy Thomas, writer Linda Fite, and penciller Marie Severin...
has expressed concerns about Cloud 9 having developed an outwardly cold attitude towards killing in the line of duty after graduating to active service. Believing that Cloud 9 is merely bottling up her emotions rather than dealing with them, Tigra worries about the psychological trauma that may result if Cloud 9 is forced to confront those feelings.
Dark Reign
New Initiative leader Norman OsbornGreen Goblin
The Green Goblin is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #14 ....
orders Freedom Force to attack the Heavy Hitters
Heavy Hitters (comics)
Heavy Hitters is a fictional superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. The group of heroes first appear as the official Nevada Fifty State Initiative team and were created by Christos Gage and Stefano Caselli.-Fictional history:...
after they secede from the Initiative. Cloud 9 is ordered to assassinate Night Thrasher but she misses on purpose. Even though she claims that she genuinely missed, Taskmaster sees through her lie and places her on probation. She joins Hardball in battling the demon Nightmare after he took over Trauma. Nightmare has Abby plagued by visions of undead with bullet wounds to the head. She fights them off and yells at Trauma to fight off his possession. Trauma hears her but Nightmare knocks her out. Following the events of the Siege
Siege (comics)
Siege is a fictional character, owned by Marvel Comics, who exists in the Marvel Universe.-Creative origins:John Kelly was initially created by Dwayne McDuffie and Gregory Wright as a pseudo-preview of their then-upcoming relaunch of Deathlok as well as to provide existing in-continuity backstory...
storyline, Cloud 9 comes to the assistance of a depowered Komodo in capturing Baron Von Blitzschlag
Baron Von Blitzschlag
Baron Werner Von Blitzschlag is a comic book character in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. Created by writer Dan Slott and artist Stefano Caselli, the Baron's last name is German for "Lightning-Strike."-Publication history:...
.
Heroic Age
Following Steve Rogers's replacing Norman Osborn, he offers her the opportunity to become a trainer at Avengers AcademyAvengers Academy
Avengers Academy is a Marvel Comics comic book series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age". The series is written by Christos Gage, with artwork by Mike McKone and tells the story of a group of young super-powered persons who were selected to join a training academy for the...
, but declines when Steve tells her that it is optional and that the Superhuman Registration Act was abolished. She tears up her superhero registration card, and removes her costume as she flies away, now that she can do anything she wants.
Fear Itself
Cloud 9 refuses to attend a meeting held by ProdigyProdigy (Ritchie Gilmore)
Prodigy is the name of a superhero in Marvel Comics.-Fictional character biography:Ritchie Gilmore is a typical jock, captain of his college wrestling team, and one of the most popular guys in school. But Ritchie wants more from life; he wants to be stronger and more powerful...
regarding magical hammers that have crashed into the earth. However, when Thor Girl
Thor Girl
Thor Girl is a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Dan Jurgens and artist John Romita, Jr., she first appeared in Thor vol...
is apprehended and accosted by men outside her holding cell, Cloud 9 arrives to rescue her and subdues the men.
Powers and abilities
Abigail has the ability to create an unidentified cloud-like gas form on which she, and others, can fly on. She can also use this gas in an offensive manner, asphyxiating Elloe KaifiElloe Kaifi
Elloe Kaifi is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She first appeared in Incredible Hulk vol. 3 #92 in the 2006 Hulk storyline Planet Hulk.-Fictional character biography:...
, one of the Hulk's Warbound
Warbound
The Warbound is a group of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics. They first joined forces in The Incredible Hulk vol. 3, #94 as a combination of new and existing characters, the former created by Greg Pak and Carlo Pagulayan.-Planet Hulk:...
by filling her lungs with it.
Cloud 9 has a rating of below class 50. However, Abigail is one of the better marksmen in the Initiative with War Machine
War Machine
War Machine is a fictional character, a comic book superhero appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics universe. The character of James Rhodes first appeared in Iron Man #118 by David Michelinie, John Byrne and Bob Layton...
stating she had the highest cadet score on the shooting range.