Miriam Sharpe
Encyclopedia
Miriam Sharpe is a fictional
comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
. Created by writer Mark Millar
and artist Steven McNiven, she first made her appearance during the 2006 crossover event Civil War
#1 as an anti-superhero protestor modeled after activist Cindy Sheehan
.
has stated that, at one point during the planning of Civil War, Miriam Sharpe was intended "to shoot Cap right after he puts his hands up to be handcuffed". Mark Millar has confirmed that Sharpe's concept came, in part, from Cindy Sheehan
, although other statements have tied her creation to the four widows of firefighters from New Jersey who died on September 11th
and who pushed for the creation of the 9/11 Commission
. Others point to Sharpe as representing public opinion in the Marvel Universe.
, Connecticut
and had a young son named Damian who attended Stamford Elementary.
Her son was at school the day that the New Warriors
attacked the supervillain
known as Nitro
. During that battle, Nitro used his powers to destroy much of Stamford, including the elementary school. After her son's death, Mrs. Sharpe became the most powerful voice in the emerging Pro-Registration Movement
. At a memorial service for the victims of the Stamford attack, Mrs. Sharpe had a highly publicized confrontation with Tony Stark where she blamed him for funding the Avengers
so that he could "Play Hero". It was this confrontation that convinced Stark to also champion the Registration Act as Iron Man
. However, Stark had in fact already been covertly supporting Registration Act even before the Stamford disaster.
Sharpe is widely noted by pundits
as a brilliant political operator. In the weeks following the Stamford disaster she managed to create a support base that would gather hundreds to march on the White House, influence super-humans and eventually convince congress
and the president to pass the superhuman registration act.
During Civil War #2, Sharpe appeared on stage at the press conference where Spider-Man
unmasked as one of his first public supporters. In Civil War #4 she attended Bill "Black Goliath" Foster's
funeral. She would again speak with Iron Man, this time to bolster his commitment to the SHRA. She also gave him an Iron Man model, her son's favourite toy, to remind him of what he was fighting for.
Wolverine would also seek her out to tell her the story of how he brought justice to Nitro and to Walter Declum, CEO of Damage Control Inc.
, who gave Nitro Mutant Growth Hormone pills to boost his power, thus destroying Stamford and giving Declum many profitable contracts for rebuilding.
In Civil War #6, Tony Stark shows her a series of gardens created as a memorial to the children lost in the Stamford incident. It is here Mrs. Sharpe thanks both Stark and Reed Richards for backing her idea of superhero registration despite its negative side effects. In Civil War #7, she joins Tony Stark following the climatic battle to discuss the future in the wake of the Pro-Registration victory. As they discuss future plans, including Stark's recent promotion to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
, Sharpe tells Stark that she has finally started to believe in superheroes again, thanks to him.
Sharpe is later on hand to support the appointment of Ultra Girl
as director of the Junior Guardsmen, a youth branch of the Initiative, akin to the JROTC program.
She later appears in Fear Itself: The Home Front #2 (2011), in which she saves surviving New Warrior, Robbie Baldwin, who involved in Stamford Incident, from an angry mob.
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...
comic book character appearing in books published by 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...
. Created by writer Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
and artist Steven McNiven, she first made her appearance during the 2006 crossover event Civil War
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
#1 as an anti-superhero protestor modeled after activist Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
.
Publication history
Marvel editor-in-chief Joe QuesadaJoe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
has stated that, at one point during the planning of Civil War, Miriam Sharpe was intended "to shoot Cap right after he puts his hands up to be handcuffed". Mark Millar has confirmed that Sharpe's concept came, in part, from Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
, although other statements have tied her creation to the four widows of firefighters from New Jersey who died on September 11th
Jersey Girls
The Jersey Girls or Jersey Widows refers to four American women who lost their husbands in the September 11 attacks. All four, Kristen Breitweiser, Patty Casazza, Lorie Van Auken, and Mindy Kleinberg, were residents of New Jersey, and helped lobby the U.S...
and who pushed for the creation of the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
. Others point to Sharpe as representing public opinion in the Marvel Universe.
Fictional character biography
All that is known about Sharpe prior to the "Civil War" storyline that she was married, was a resident of StamfordStamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and had a young son named Damian who attended Stamford Elementary.
Her son was at school the day that the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
attacked the supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
known as Nitro
Nitro (comics)
Nitro is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Captain Marvel #34 and was created by Jim Starlin....
. During that battle, Nitro used his powers to destroy much of Stamford, including the elementary school. After her son's death, Mrs. Sharpe became the most powerful voice in the emerging Pro-Registration Movement
Registration Acts (comics)
The Registration Acts—the Mutant Registration Act and Superhuman Registration Act —are fictional legislative bills that have been plot points used in various comic books published by Marvel Comics which, when passed into law, enforce the mandatory registration of superpowered individuals with...
. At a memorial service for the victims of the Stamford attack, Mrs. Sharpe had a highly publicized confrontation with Tony Stark where she blamed him for funding the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
so that he could "Play Hero". It was this confrontation that convinced Stark to also champion the Registration Act as Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
. However, Stark had in fact already been covertly supporting Registration Act even before the Stamford disaster.
Sharpe is widely noted by pundits
Pundit (politics)
A pundit is someone who offers to mass media his or her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area on which they are knowledgeable. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities...
as a brilliant political operator. In the weeks following the Stamford disaster she managed to create a support base that would gather hundreds to march on the White House, influence super-humans and eventually convince congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the president to pass the superhuman registration act.
During Civil War #2, Sharpe appeared on stage at the press conference where Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
unmasked as one of his first public supporters. In Civil War #4 she attended Bill "Black Goliath" Foster's
Bill Foster (comics)
Dr. Bill Foster, also known as Black Goliath, the second Giant-Man, and the fourth Goliath, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:...
funeral. She would again speak with Iron Man, this time to bolster his commitment to the SHRA. She also gave him an Iron Man model, her son's favourite toy, to remind him of what he was fighting for.
Wolverine would also seek her out to tell her the story of how he brought justice to Nitro and to Walter Declum, CEO of Damage Control Inc.
Damage Control (comics)
Damage Control is a fictional construction company appearing in Marvel Comics, which specializes in repairing the property damage caused by conflicts between superheroes and supervillains...
, who gave Nitro Mutant Growth Hormone pills to boost his power, thus destroying Stamford and giving Declum many profitable contracts for rebuilding.
In Civil War #6, Tony Stark shows her a series of gardens created as a memorial to the children lost in the Stamford incident. It is here Mrs. Sharpe thanks both Stark and Reed Richards for backing her idea of superhero registration despite its negative side effects. In Civil War #7, she joins Tony Stark following the climatic battle to discuss the future in the wake of the Pro-Registration victory. As they discuss future plans, including Stark's recent promotion to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
, Sharpe tells Stark that she has finally started to believe in superheroes again, thanks to him.
Post-"Civil War"
In light of the public relationship between Stark and Maya Hansen, the creator of the Extremis virus, who Sharpe considers a "Mass Murderer", Sharpe went on the television program Viewpoint to publicly attack the government for supporting her.Sharpe is later on hand to support the appointment of Ultra Girl
Ultra Girl
Ultra Girl , also known as Ultra-Girl, is a fictional superhero published by Marvel Comics...
as director of the Junior Guardsmen, a youth branch of the Initiative, akin to the JROTC program.
She later appears in Fear Itself: The Home Front #2 (2011), in which she saves surviving New Warrior, Robbie Baldwin, who involved in Stamford Incident, from an angry mob.