Power Princess
Encyclopedia
Zarda, more commonly known as Power Princess, is a fictional comic book
character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics
. Two different versions of the character have appeared in two separate continuities
.
Earth-616
which is populated by classic Spider-Man
, the original version of the Fantastic Four
, etc.) and is a member of the superhero group, the Squadron Supreme
. More recently, she has also joined the Exiles
. Her character was originally developed as a thinly disguised analog of DC Comics
' Wonder Woman
.
Since the debut of Marvel's MAX
title Supreme Power
, the Squadron Supreme characters have been reintroduced in a new, previously unexplored continuity (an alternate universe later designated as Earth-31916). The Supreme Power continuity has a version of Power Princess as well.
. The Utopians believe themselves to be the result of genetic experimentation conducted upon Homo sapiens by the alien Kree
; they are, indeed, the equivalent on the Squadron's Earth of the Inhumans
. While the rest of Homo sapiens were making flint
spearheads, the Utopians developed an advanced culture
based on peace, fellowship and experience or learning. On their little island community, people knew no poverty
, injustice
, war
, crime
, or sexual discrimination. After the outside world made the first atom bomb, the Utopians believed their way of life was in jeopardy. Building a starship, they left Earth to find a new home. Princess Zarda chose to remain behind as their sole emissary to the earth, a role she had assumed some years earlier as Power Princess. During this time, she was a member of the World War II team known as the Golden Agency, along with fellow members American Eagle
and Professor Imam, the Sorcerer Supreme
of the Squadron's Earth.
Living in Capitol City, she became the common-law wife of Howard Shelton (mirroring the relationship between Steve Trevor
and the Golden Age
Wonder Woman
), a sailor whom she met during "the war" (possibly World War II
). Howard was the sole survivor of a sinking ship and the first outsider Zarda met. Howard aged normally while Zarda appears to be the same age as she was when they met, 50–60 years earlier.
As a member of the Squadron Supreme
, Zarda became brainwashed by the Overmind
. She battled the Defenders
, but was cured. She then battled the Overmind and Null, the Living Darkness
alongside the Defenders.
To prevent such a thing from happening again, she resolved with the Squadron to assume control of the government of the United States of her world. With the Squadron, she battled the Institute of Evil
. For a time, the Hyperion
of Earth-616 masqueraded as his Squadron Supreme counterpart and developed an attraction to Zarda. Disgusted that she was already committed to the elderly Shelton, the villainous Hyperion suffocated Shelton and began romancing Zarda. Upon the return of the Earth-712 Hyperion, the truth was revealed and the impostor was destroyed. Although initially confused about her feelings for her teammate, Zarda and Hyperion eventually began a romantic relationship. Zarda then assumed leadership of the Squadron. Zarda participated in the final battled between Nighthawk
, who had turned against the Squadron, and his Redeemers
. She then disbanded the Squadron.
Defending the Earth-712 against an attack by the Nth Man
, Power Princess and the Squadron Supreme were stranded on Earth-616. They encountered Quasar, and relocated to Project Pegasus
. Power Princess was among the Earth heroes trying to save New York City from Eon
's dying body. Some time later, with the help of the Avengers
, the Squadron Supreme were returned to Earth-712.
When Proteus
, the Exiles'
archenemy, showed up one day, he tricked the Squadron Supreme into battling the Exiles. While the Exiles were distracted, Proteus fled to another reality. When Hyperion decided to join the Exiles, Power Princess stopped him, saying that Hyperion is needed in his own world. Power Princess then left with the Exiles to catch Proteus, despite the objections of Blink
. However, under her guidance and direction, the Exiles came the closest they have ever been to beating Proteus. Unfortunately, when she threw one of the blades of Longshot
, she missed Proteus and hit the Maestro instead, setting him off. The Maestro fought the Exiles, and then Proteus fought Maestro. Proteus took the body of Morph and fled, despite Zarda's plan she considered foolproof. After finally defeating Proteus by trapping him in Morph's body, Power Princess remained an Exile to continue fixing damaged realities. She also suggested that Blink bury Mimic in his home reality. Otherwise Blink would have buried him in the desert of Panoptichron. Power Princess left the team to return to the Squadron Supreme
, making her the first member to voluntarily quit the Exiles. She was replaced by Psylocke
.
She can fly, although her upper limits are not established. She possesses a great deal of physical resilience and durability: she is able to withstand repeated blows redirected from Hyperion. She sometimes wears a suit of golden battle armor made of a steel alloy, built by Tom Thumb, to enhance her natural resilience.
Power Princess carries a transparent circular shield made of an undisclosed substance which is extremely durable. In some as yet undisclosed manner the shield provides lift and propulsion to enable Power Princess to fly while in contact with it. Its flight speed is subsonic. She wears bracelets and armbands on both arms; the left arm's pair attaches itself to her invisible shield when flying.
As a Utopian, she ages far more slowly than normal humans. In the Exiles series, she states that she does not age at all.
Power Princess has extensive experience in hand-to-hand combat (according to her, she has over five centuries of combat experience), and is skilled in discus
throwing. She has undergone advanced graduate level studies in both Utopia Isle and Cosmopolis.
The Utopians are an experiment by the alien Kree
of the Earth-Squadron's dimension to produce a genetically superior breed of human being. On the mainstream Earth
, this genetic offshoot became known as the Inhumans
following the use of the Terrigen Mist
upon the populace. On Earth-Squadron, the Utopians never discovered the Terrigen Mist.
#2. Apparently a Greek goddess who sleeps in a mausoleum
, at one point she wakes up and finds the injured Hyperion, healing him. She alludes to having similar origins to Hyperion (they are both aliens) and a mission to colonize and conquer the planet, but she is quite erratic, confusing her memories with allegory
.
After separating, Zarda goes on a rampage, disregarding human life and private property. She attempted to remove Doctor Spectrum
's power prism but the crystal's intellect contacted her. It informed her that she was "broken" in some way (apparently referring to her seeming insanity) and that it could not fix her despite her request to do so. She then was attacked by Amphibian
in retaliation for harming Spectrum. We are shown through Amphibian's eyes, that both Doc Spectrum and Zarda have energy halos around them that bear an obvious resemblance to alien beings (Spectrum only exhibits this when the prism crystal takes control of him, revealing its origin and intelligence). After, Doc has no memory of the exchange, revealing further that his prism has the ability to control him when it wants to. Later, Zarda kills a woman and steals her identification in hopes of starting anew, while working in a women's clothing store.
After that she made herself known to the federal government of the United States
, as Claire Debussy (it is implied that Zarda murdered the real Claire Debussy and assumed her identity, as a scorch mark in the shape of a young human female is seen on a wall overlooking a pile of ash in her apartment.) But running her background down is hard. She said that her codename is Zarda, but at her power level the government did not push it. Later a liaison officer asked her to fill in some Identification and non-disclosure forms, but Zarda lied to the officer saying she can not remember details due to an "accident". After General Richard Alexander asked why she called herself Zarda, thinking it to be an old nickname
, he informed her that focus groups came up with Power Princess. After he asked her what she thought about the name, she said Princess of Power would be better, but the General said that it was already copyrighted (referring to She-Ra: Princess of Power
, a cartoon related to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
).
An African general named John M'Butu, a fast-rising tribal leader gifted with a powerful psychic suggestion ability and calling himself the Voice, is leading a genocidal campaign in the Salawe region of Uganda. The US government identifies him as a super-human after he survives an assassination attempt. The team is sent to the region "to take him out
", but early in the fight, Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum and Amphibian are affected by M'Butu's power to control anyone who hears his voice. M'Butu commands the trio to hunt down their comrades. Zarda immediately notices that there is another voice in Hyperion's head and not the One True Voice. Zarda manages to free Doctor Spectrum by calling to the voice within the Power Prism, which takes control of Spectrum, and frees Hyperion.
Later the Squadron are then ordered to take down insurgents in Ilam Province in Iran, an operation called "Long Walk". Zarda goes on a killing rampage. After Stanley Stewart sees her killing three unarmed soldiers, calling them harmless, Zarda says "Harmless, yes, for that minute. Now they are harmless tomorrow". After seeing Inertia
help a little girl find and kill four men of her tribe who stoned her mother and older sisters to death after they were raped by insurgents, Zarda said Inertia is now like her.
Mark Milton gives a press conference of the "Long Walk" mission; at the interview, Hyperion meets Redstone
and a fight starts. Zarda steps into the fight after watching from her government residence. She flies to Los Angeles
, beating Redstone badly. Hyperion stops her from killing him to tell her to take Redstone's nuclear warhead out of Los Angeles up to the stratosphere so it won't detonate in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, which she does. Apparently she even survived the direct nuclear blast, something Hyperion obviously would not survive so easily.
The Squadron Supreme invade the Ultimate universe
after their world is devastated by a threat that originated there. At the resolution of this conflict
, Zarda decides to remain in the Ultimate universe to keep an eye on things.
Later she fought and easily beat the Ultimate Universe's equivalent of the Wrecking Crew as well as the Hulk. After the short battle with the Hulk, she and the Hulk later have sex. She also contemplates how the local heroes keep her from simply killing those who annoy her. She recalls how she often goes naked in her homeworld, not seeing a need to cover up her own beauty.
, each with an explosive yield of 1 kiloton. While it is possible to hurt her, as shown when the superhuman strong Kingsley Rice
cut her, she apparently even survived a direct nuclear explosion through a combination of her nigh-invulnerability and her life-force transference capabilities. While it is safe to say that she is able to drain almost any living being it still has to be revealed if she is able to use her life-force transference capabilities to heal a normal human or any other being besides herself and Hyperion. Like Hyperion she is able to survive the vacuum of space unaided for a considerable time, enabling at least interplanetary travel via her flight capabilities, but unlike him, she seems to be in need of regular nutrition through food like a common human.
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...
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...
. Two different versions of the character have appeared in two separate continuities
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
.
Various incarnations
The more traditional one resides on Earth-712 (not the traditional Marvel UniverseMarvel 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...
Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
which is populated by classic 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...
, the original version of the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, etc.) and is a member of the superhero group, the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
. More recently, she has also joined the Exiles
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
. Her character was originally developed as a thinly disguised analog of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
.
Since the debut of Marvel's MAX
MAX (comics)
MAX is an imprint of Marvel Comics aimed at a niche 'adults only' audience, launched in 2001 after Marvel broke with the Comics Code Authority and established its own rating system...
title Supreme Power
Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
, the Squadron Supreme characters have been reintroduced in a new, previously unexplored continuity (an alternate universe later designated as Earth-31916). The Supreme Power continuity has a version of Power Princess as well.
Power Princess: Squadron Supreme
Fictional character biography
Princess Zarda of Earth-712 lived on Utopia Isle, a small island in the southern sea, untouched by outside civilizationCivilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
. The Utopians believe themselves to be the result of genetic experimentation conducted upon Homo sapiens by the alien Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
; they are, indeed, the equivalent on the Squadron's Earth of the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
. While the rest of Homo sapiens were making flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
spearheads, the Utopians developed an advanced culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
based on peace, fellowship and experience or learning. On their little island community, people knew no poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, injustice
Injustice
Injustice is the lack of or opposition to justice, either in reference to a particular event or act, or as a larger status quo. The term generally refers to misuse, abuse, neglect, or malfeasance that is uncorrected or else sanctioned by a legal system. Misuse and abuse with regard to a particular...
, war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, or sexual discrimination. After the outside world made the first atom bomb, the Utopians believed their way of life was in jeopardy. Building a starship, they left Earth to find a new home. Princess Zarda chose to remain behind as their sole emissary to the earth, a role she had assumed some years earlier as Power Princess. During this time, she was a member of the World War II team known as the Golden Agency, along with fellow members American Eagle
Blue Eagle (comics)
Blue Eagle is a fictional comic-book character in the Marvel Comics multiverse.The character debuted as a member of the team of superheroes called the Squadron Supreme in The Avengers #85 as American Eagle, then as Cap'n Hawk in The Avengers #148 , and finally as Blue Eagle in Squadron Supreme #1...
and Professor Imam, the Sorcerer Supreme
Sorcerer Supreme
Sorcerer Supreme or Sorceress Supreme is a title granted in the fictional Marvel Universe to the "practitioner of the mystic or magic arts who has greater skills than all others or commands a greater portion of the ambient magical energies than any other organism on a given world or dimension". By...
of the Squadron's Earth.
Living in Capitol City, she became the common-law wife of Howard Shelton (mirroring the relationship between Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
and the Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
), a sailor whom she met during "the war" (possibly World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). Howard was the sole survivor of a sinking ship and the first outsider Zarda met. Howard aged normally while Zarda appears to be the same age as she was when they met, 50–60 years earlier.
As a member of the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
, Zarda became brainwashed by the Overmind
Overmind (comics)
-Fictional character biography:The Overmind is an alien belonging to the Eternals of Eyung, and was born uncounted millennia ago on the planet Eyung . Grom acted as one of their warlords, leading massacres of entire species. He was also the reigning champion in their gladiatorial arenas...
. She battled the Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
, but was cured. She then battled the Overmind and Null, the Living Darkness
Null, the Living Darkness
Null, called also Null the Living Darkness, is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.Null is a demon and enemy of the Defenders and Squadron Supreme.-Fictional character biography:...
alongside the Defenders.
To prevent such a thing from happening again, she resolved with the Squadron to assume control of the government of the United States of her world. With the Squadron, she battled the Institute of Evil
Institute of Evil
The Institute of Evil is a fictional organization, owned by Marvel Comics.-Fictional team history:The Institute of Evil existed in the Earth-712 universe and served as the Squadron Supreme’s arch-foes...
. For a time, the Hyperion
Hyperion (comics)
Hyperion is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The first character debuted in The Avengers #69 Hyperion is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. The first character debuted in...
of Earth-616 masqueraded as his Squadron Supreme counterpart and developed an attraction to Zarda. Disgusted that she was already committed to the elderly Shelton, the villainous Hyperion suffocated Shelton and began romancing Zarda. Upon the return of the Earth-712 Hyperion, the truth was revealed and the impostor was destroyed. Although initially confused about her feelings for her teammate, Zarda and Hyperion eventually began a romantic relationship. Zarda then assumed leadership of the Squadron. Zarda participated in the final battled between Nighthawk
Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)
Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character: a supervillain-turned-superhero from the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, Kyle Richmond, who belonged to the team Squadron Sinister;...
, who had turned against the Squadron, and his Redeemers
America Redeemers
The America Redeemers, or Redeemers, as the team is more commonly known, is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe. The Redeemers existed in the Earth-712 universe, the same place from which the Squadron Supreme originated...
. She then disbanded the Squadron.
Defending the Earth-712 against an attack by the Nth Man
Nth Man
Nth Man is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Thomas Lightner first appeared as Blacksun in Marvel Two-in-One #21-23 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Ron Wilson....
, Power Princess and the Squadron Supreme were stranded on Earth-616. They encountered Quasar, and relocated to Project Pegasus
Project Pegasus
Project Pegasus is a fictional scientific base in the Marvel Comics universe which has been the location of a variety of stories for superheroes and supervillains, most notably in the title Marvel Two-in-One...
. Power Princess was among the Earth heroes trying to save New York City from Eon
Eon (comics)
Eon is one of the fictional cosmic entities in Marvel Comics' universe.-Publication history:Eon was created by Jim Starlin, and first appeared in Captain Marvel #29 to proclaim Mar-Vell as the Protector of the Universe...
's dying body. Some time later, with the help of 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...
, the Squadron Supreme were returned to Earth-712.
When Proteus
Proteus (comics)
Kevin MacTaggert, best known as Proteus and also called Mutant X, is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men.Kevin was the mutant son of Scottish genetic researcher Moira MacTaggert and politician Joseph MacTaggert...
, the Exiles'
Exiles (Marvel Comics)
The Exiles are a group of fictional characters that feature in three Marvel Comics series, Exiles, New Exiles, and Exiles vol. 2. The Exiles consists of characters from different dimensions, or realities, which have been removed from time and space in order to correct problems in various alternate...
archenemy, showed up one day, he tricked the Squadron Supreme into battling the Exiles. While the Exiles were distracted, Proteus fled to another reality. When Hyperion decided to join the Exiles, Power Princess stopped him, saying that Hyperion is needed in his own world. Power Princess then left with the Exiles to catch Proteus, despite the objections of Blink
Blink (comics)
Blink is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero featured in various X-Men-related series. Created by Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #317 .-Publication History:...
. However, under her guidance and direction, the Exiles came the closest they have ever been to beating Proteus. Unfortunately, when she threw one of the blades of Longshot
Longshot
Longshot is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero best known as a member of the X-Men. He was created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist Art Adams.-Publication history:...
, she missed Proteus and hit the Maestro instead, setting him off. The Maestro fought the Exiles, and then Proteus fought Maestro. Proteus took the body of Morph and fled, despite Zarda's plan she considered foolproof. After finally defeating Proteus by trapping him in Morph's body, Power Princess remained an Exile to continue fixing damaged realities. She also suggested that Blink bury Mimic in his home reality. Otherwise Blink would have buried him in the desert of Panoptichron. Power Princess left the team to return to the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
, making her the first member to voluntarily quit the Exiles. She was replaced by Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
.
Powers and abilities
Power Princess possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes as a result of the advanced eugenic practices of the Utopians. Zarda is considered the third strongest super-being on her Earth, with Hyperion and Redstone being first and second, respectively.She can fly, although her upper limits are not established. She possesses a great deal of physical resilience and durability: she is able to withstand repeated blows redirected from Hyperion. She sometimes wears a suit of golden battle armor made of a steel alloy, built by Tom Thumb, to enhance her natural resilience.
Power Princess carries a transparent circular shield made of an undisclosed substance which is extremely durable. In some as yet undisclosed manner the shield provides lift and propulsion to enable Power Princess to fly while in contact with it. Its flight speed is subsonic. She wears bracelets and armbands on both arms; the left arm's pair attaches itself to her invisible shield when flying.
As a Utopian, she ages far more slowly than normal humans. In the Exiles series, she states that she does not age at all.
Power Princess has extensive experience in hand-to-hand combat (according to her, she has over five centuries of combat experience), and is skilled in discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
throwing. She has undergone advanced graduate level studies in both Utopia Isle and Cosmopolis.
The Utopians are an experiment by the alien Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
of the Earth-Squadron's dimension to produce a genetically superior breed of human being. On the mainstream Earth
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
, this genetic offshoot became known as the Inhumans
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
following the use of the Terrigen Mist
Terrigen Mist
The Terrigen Mist is a fictional substance from the Marvel Comics universe. It plays a prominent role in the stories of the Inhumans, a fictional race of super-humans...
upon the populace. On Earth-Squadron, the Utopians never discovered the Terrigen Mist.
Power Princess: Supreme Power
Fictional character biography
The new Princess debuted in Supreme PowerSupreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
#2. Apparently a Greek goddess who sleeps in a mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
, at one point she wakes up and finds the injured Hyperion, healing him. She alludes to having similar origins to Hyperion (they are both aliens) and a mission to colonize and conquer the planet, but she is quite erratic, confusing her memories with allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
.
After separating, Zarda goes on a rampage, disregarding human life and private property. She attempted to remove Doctor Spectrum
Doctor Spectrum
Doctor Spectrum is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character to date - three supervillains from the mainstream Marvel Universe belonging to the team Squadron Sinister and two heroes from different...
's power prism but the crystal's intellect contacted her. It informed her that she was "broken" in some way (apparently referring to her seeming insanity) and that it could not fix her despite her request to do so. She then was attacked by Amphibian
Amphibian (comics)
Amphibian is the name of two different fictional characters that have appeared in publications from Marvel Comics.The first debuted as a member of the team of superheroes called the Squadron Supreme in Avengers #147 . The other first appeared in Supreme Power #2 , later joining a team of super...
in retaliation for harming Spectrum. We are shown through Amphibian's eyes, that both Doc Spectrum and Zarda have energy halos around them that bear an obvious resemblance to alien beings (Spectrum only exhibits this when the prism crystal takes control of him, revealing its origin and intelligence). After, Doc has no memory of the exchange, revealing further that his prism has the ability to control him when it wants to. Later, Zarda kills a woman and steals her identification in hopes of starting anew, while working in a women's clothing store.
After that she made herself known to the federal government of the United States
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, as Claire Debussy (it is implied that Zarda murdered the real Claire Debussy and assumed her identity, as a scorch mark in the shape of a young human female is seen on a wall overlooking a pile of ash in her apartment.) But running her background down is hard. She said that her codename is Zarda, but at her power level the government did not push it. Later a liaison officer asked her to fill in some Identification and non-disclosure forms, but Zarda lied to the officer saying she can not remember details due to an "accident". After General Richard Alexander asked why she called herself Zarda, thinking it to be an old nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, he informed her that focus groups came up with Power Princess. After he asked her what she thought about the name, she said Princess of Power would be better, but the General said that it was already copyrighted (referring to She-Ra: Princess of Power
She-Ra: Princess of Power
She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated television series produced in 1985 by Filmation. It is a spinoff of Filmation's highly successful He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, aimed primarily at a young girls' audience to counter-balance the latter show's popularity with boys...
, a cartoon related to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
).
An African general named John M'Butu, a fast-rising tribal leader gifted with a powerful psychic suggestion ability and calling himself the Voice, is leading a genocidal campaign in the Salawe region of Uganda. The US government identifies him as a super-human after he survives an assassination attempt. The team is sent to the region "to take him out
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
", but early in the fight, Hyperion, Doctor Spectrum and Amphibian are affected by M'Butu's power to control anyone who hears his voice. M'Butu commands the trio to hunt down their comrades. Zarda immediately notices that there is another voice in Hyperion's head and not the One True Voice. Zarda manages to free Doctor Spectrum by calling to the voice within the Power Prism, which takes control of Spectrum, and frees Hyperion.
Later the Squadron are then ordered to take down insurgents in Ilam Province in Iran, an operation called "Long Walk". Zarda goes on a killing rampage. After Stanley Stewart sees her killing three unarmed soldiers, calling them harmless, Zarda says "Harmless, yes, for that minute. Now they are harmless tomorrow". After seeing Inertia
Inertia (Marvel Comics)
Inertia is the name of two separate, but related superheroes from the fictional Marvel Universe.-Various incarnations of Inertia:The first Inertia was a character from Earth-712 . Like most of the newer characters created for the Squadron Supreme mini-series, she bore no DC counterpart...
help a little girl find and kill four men of her tribe who stoned her mother and older sisters to death after they were raped by insurgents, Zarda said Inertia is now like her.
Mark Milton gives a press conference of the "Long Walk" mission; at the interview, Hyperion meets Redstone
Redstone (comics)
Redstone is the name of two characters from Marvel Comics.-Various incarnations of Redstone:The first Redstone is a superhero who is a native to the alternate universe of the original Squadron Supreme...
and a fight starts. Zarda steps into the fight after watching from her government residence. She flies to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, beating Redstone badly. Hyperion stops her from killing him to tell her to take Redstone's nuclear warhead out of Los Angeles up to the stratosphere so it won't detonate in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, which she does. Apparently she even survived the direct nuclear blast, something Hyperion obviously would not survive so easily.
The Squadron Supreme invade the Ultimate universe
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
after their world is devastated by a threat that originated there. At the resolution of this conflict
Ultimate Power
Ultimate Power is a nine-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics.The series is a crossover that ties the Supreme Power universe into the Ultimate Marvel universe and is written by Brian Michael Bendis, J...
, Zarda decides to remain in the Ultimate universe to keep an eye on things.
Later she fought and easily beat the Ultimate Universe's equivalent of the Wrecking Crew as well as the Hulk. After the short battle with the Hulk, she and the Hulk later have sex. She also contemplates how the local heroes keep her from simply killing those who annoy her. She recalls how she often goes naked in her homeworld, not seeing a need to cover up her own beauty.
Powers and abilities
In addition to similar physical abilities she shares with Hyperion, such as supersonic flight, super-strength, greatly enhanced reflexes, superhuman senses and nigh-invulnerability, her powers also include some life-force based healing abilities; Zarda's first appearance is as an extremely aged crone. After killing a man that sees her, she then appears as her current form of a youthful woman. Twice in the series, after noticing a gray hair or a scratch from a fight, she killed a human female, somehow absorbing her life energy (or some similar effect). Both times, her "imperfection" was removed. On the opposite end of the scale, she used a similar life force transfer to heal Hyperion when he received life threatening injuries through a simultaneous ground zero detonation of 20 'daisy cutter' bombsBLU-82
The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, known under program "Commando Vault" and nicknamed "daisy cutter" in Vietnam and in Afghanistan for its ability to flatten a forest into a helicopter landing zone, is a 15,000 pound conventional bomb, delivered from either a C-130 or an MC-130 transport aircraft....
, each with an explosive yield of 1 kiloton. While it is possible to hurt her, as shown when the superhuman strong Kingsley Rice
Amphibian (comics)
Amphibian is the name of two different fictional characters that have appeared in publications from Marvel Comics.The first debuted as a member of the team of superheroes called the Squadron Supreme in Avengers #147 . The other first appeared in Supreme Power #2 , later joining a team of super...
cut her, she apparently even survived a direct nuclear explosion through a combination of her nigh-invulnerability and her life-force transference capabilities. While it is safe to say that she is able to drain almost any living being it still has to be revealed if she is able to use her life-force transference capabilities to heal a normal human or any other being besides herself and Hyperion. Like Hyperion she is able to survive the vacuum of space unaided for a considerable time, enabling at least interplanetary travel via her flight capabilities, but unlike him, she seems to be in need of regular nutrition through food like a common human.
Television
- Power Princess (alongside the Squadron Supreme) appears in The Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad ShowThe Super Hero Squad Show is an American cartoon series by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed-style...
episode "Whom Continuity Would Destroy" voiced by Susan EisenbergSusan EisenbergSusan Eisenberg is a professional voice-over artist known for her animation, commercial and promotional work. Her breakout role was that of Wonder Woman in the acclaimed Justice League and Justice League Unlimited television series, as well as the direct-to-DVD films Superman/Batman: Apocalypse and...
.
External links
- Power Princess at Marvel.com