Tara (comics)
Encyclopedia
Tara is a fictional gynoid
superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. She was a member of the New Invaders.
, Jim Hammond. She was placed on the newly-formed team of New Invaders, accompanying them on their first field mission. At that time, she did not have full control of her incendiary powers, and was placed in a special containment chamber when not in combat.
Eventually, she actually met her predecessor Hammond, who protested her treatment and insisted that she be treated more like a team member. A special costume was constructed to allow her to better control her powers, and she awkwardly began to experience social interaction and relationships for the first time.
Tara joined the Invaders on several missions, but during a battle against the Atlantean
supervillain U-Man
, a sleeper program inside Tara was activated, revealing that she had in fact been created by the Red Skull
, the Nazi
villain who (disguised as the Secretary of Defense
"Dell Rusk") had secretly been behind the creation of the New Invaders. The programming activated her self-destruct
systems, nearly killing the Invaders, but the Human Torch sacrificed his life to absorb her excess heat and shut her down. Whether or not she can ever be reactivated is unknown.
Tara's name was most likely derived from "Toro
", the golden age sidekick of the original Human Torch.
similar to fire
, and use it to propel herself like a rocket
. Originally she could not consciously turn this power off, but she was given a "skinsuit" designed by the Thin Man
which gave her far greater control. Later, she learned to shut off her powers at will.
While under the Red Skull's control, she was able to project a hologram of him, and her power would have built up to a thermonuclear explosion had the Human Torch not prevented it.
Aside from her hidden programming, Tara's greatest flaw was her lack of understanding of human social interaction. Having spent her entire previous existence in a tube, she did not, for example, comprehend why (some of) her teammates insisted she wear clothing.
Gynoid
A gynoid is anything which resembles or pertains to the female human form. It is also used in American English medical terminology as a shortening of the term Gynecoid ....
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 a member of the New Invaders.
Fictional character biography
Tara, an "Eve-series synthetic humanoid", was apparently created by the U.S. government to serve as a special agent and/or weapon. Her technology was derived in large part from that of the original Human TorchHuman Torch (Golden Age)
The Human Torch, also known as Jim Hammond, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics-owned superhero. Created by writer-artist Carl Burgos, he first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 , published by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics....
, Jim Hammond. She was placed on the newly-formed team of New Invaders, accompanying them on their first field mission. At that time, she did not have full control of her incendiary powers, and was placed in a special containment chamber when not in combat.
Eventually, she actually met her predecessor Hammond, who protested her treatment and insisted that she be treated more like a team member. A special costume was constructed to allow her to better control her powers, and she awkwardly began to experience social interaction and relationships for the first time.
Tara joined the Invaders on several missions, but during a battle against the Atlantean
Homo mermanus
Homo mermanus is a fictional race of gilled aquatic humanoids that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. This race is best known as the people who live in the Atlantis of Marvel's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe...
supervillain U-Man
U-Man
U-Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Invaders #3 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins.-Publication history:...
, a sleeper program inside Tara was activated, revealing that she had in fact been created by the Red Skull
Red Skull
The Red Skull is a name shared by several fictional characters, all supervillains from the Marvel Comics universe. All incarnations of the character are enemies of Captain America, other superheroes, and the United States in general....
, the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
villain who (disguised as the Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...
"Dell Rusk") had secretly been behind the creation of the New Invaders. The programming activated her self-destruct
Self-destruct
A self-destruct is a mechanism which causes a device to destroy itself under a predefined set of circumstances.Self-destruct mechanisms are also found on devices and systems where malfunction could endanger large numbers of people...
systems, nearly killing the Invaders, but the Human Torch sacrificed his life to absorb her excess heat and shut her down. Whether or not she can ever be reactivated is unknown.
Tara's name was most likely derived from "Toro
Toro (comics)
Toro is the name of two characters from Marvel Comics. The first Toro was originally featured in Timely Comics and later as a Marvel Comics superhero who appeared as the partner of the original Human Torch.-Publication history:...
", the golden age sidekick of the original Human Torch.
Powers and abilities
Tara was an artificial lifeform (synthezoid) and did not require air, food or water to survive. She was able to generate and control a high-temperature plasmaPlasma (physics)
In physics and chemistry, plasma is a state of matter similar to gas in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. Heating a gas may ionize its molecules or atoms , thus turning it into a plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions...
similar to fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
, and use it to propel herself like a rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
. Originally she could not consciously turn this power off, but she was given a "skinsuit" designed by the Thin Man
Thin Man (comics)
The Thin Man is a fictional, American comic book character in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. Created by artist Klaus Nordling and an unknown writer in Mystic Comics #4 , published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the time fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books, the...
which gave her far greater control. Later, she learned to shut off her powers at will.
While under the Red Skull's control, she was able to project a hologram of him, and her power would have built up to a thermonuclear explosion had the Human Torch not prevented it.
Aside from her hidden programming, Tara's greatest flaw was her lack of understanding of human social interaction. Having spent her entire previous existence in a tube, she did not, for example, comprehend why (some of) her teammates insisted she wear clothing.