sign in sign up
<<
Home , Avengers Mansion, Blue Marvel, Captain Marvel, Ironheart (character), Monica Rambeau, Shuri (character)

Powers of a gIRL 65 Marvel Women Who Punched the Sky & Changed the Universe

WRITTEN BY Lorraine Cink ILLUSTRATED BY Alice X. Zhang

LOS ANGELES . NEW YORK For you. You have everything you will ever need already inside of you. You are a universe. –Lorraine Cink Table of Contents

For my parents.

Thank you for your support since my childhood. 74 Introduction ...... 4 Ms. Marvel ...... For anyone giving this book to a child. 78 ...... 8 Hellcat ...... Thank you for being someone’s real-life hero. 82 America Chavez ...... 12 Animal Companions ...... –Alice X. Zhang 84 Quake ...... 16 The ...... 88 She- ...... 20 ...... 92 ...... 24 Daughters of the Dragon ...... 96 Science Squad ...... 28 & S.H.I.E.L.D. 102 Black Widow ...... 30 ...... Copyright © 2019 MARVEL 106 Spider-Woman ...... 34 Unstoppable ...... 110 All rights reserved. Published by Marvel Press, an imprint of ...... 38 Mentors & Matriarchs ...... Disney Book Group. No part of this book may be reproduced 112 or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or ...... 42 Moon Girl ...... mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any Mockingbird ...... 116 information storage and retrieval system, without written ...... 48 permission from the publisher. For information address Marvel 120 -Spider ...... 52 ...... Press, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023. 126 ...... 56 ...... Designed by Elizabeth H. Clark and Scott Petrower 130 ...... 60 Witch ...... First Edition, February 2019 134 Terrific Twosomes ...... 64 Silk ...... 138 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 ...... 66 ...... 144 FAC-038091-18355 Mantis ...... 70 Portraits Poster ......

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018958057

ISBN 978-1-368-02526-3

Reinforced binding

Visit Marvel.com and DisneyBooks.com Sorry about that. Now, where was I? awkward. Even the most powerful Super !Warning! Flaws Spider-Woman. Perhaps this is a after deciding that lady scientists Oh, yeah! Hero is stronger with the help of her allies. I just want to get this out in the harder kind of responsibility because weren’t getting enough attention. Before Gwenpool interrupts again, I So, join me and other True Believers who open now: This isn’t going to be one there is no glory, but it doesn’t make Even the greatest super-genius invests should mention that I’m Lorraine. I live in dare to seek the wisdom of Marvel Super of those books where all the heroes it any less brave. in her mind with education, reading, , the home of Super Heroes. Hero Girls. do everything right all the time. In exploring, getting messy, and stoking I can almost see Mansion* from As I was saying, girls have many , fact, sometimes these girls mess up. Empathy the flames of her curiosities. At only my ofce window! Well . . . kinda. There’s which we’ll explore in this book. And Big-time. Sometimes they mess up Acknowledging the sufering and nine years old, Lunella Lafayette is a building in the way. while, yes, some of these girls can fly, and bad things happen to them and needs of others is the first signal to the smartest character in the entire Since I was a girl, Super Heroes have punch hard, embiggen, talk to squirrels, to the people they love. Sometimes any hero that she must dive into , but she still has a been a big part of my life, and now I get to and occasionally emit dangerous sparkles, bad things happen and it’s not even action. These girls see their fellow lot to learn. talk about them every day as part of my that is far from what makes them super. their fault and they still have to deal humans, aliens, and sometimes whole work. I live and breathe this stuf on the Super Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, with the fallout. No girl is perfect, planets, and feel their pain, outrage, Being Brave daily! I know, right?! But, I’ve always wished races, religions, genders, sexualities, outfits, no matter how super. A lot more can and fear. Only then will they truly Girls do brave things! Being brave a book existed not just celebrating heroic and musical tastes, but there is one thing be learned from failures than from know how to spring into action and can mean everything from standing women in the Marvel Universe, but sharing that they all share. always winning, so appreciate these save the day. When Captain Marvel up for what one believes in to simply LIONHEARTED LADIES. their struggles, victories, and the lessons we GWEN. NO. Anyways, this brings failures! Learning from mistakes sees the aliens displaced by , saying no to something one doesn’t Galactic galS. can learn from these laudable ladies. These us to: An and moving on is one heck of a she knows she cannot return to Earth want to do. Honestly, the latter is girls and women can teach us so much unbridled super-power. until they have homes because she often harder than the former. But Daring dameS. bloodlust?! Bad baeS. more than how to punch hard (though I am Girls: knows how it must feel to have don’t be mistaken. Being brave HERE for that, too). They can teach us The Story Sacrifices and nowhere to go. This also means she doesn’t mean she always feels imper- his is the Marvel Universe. about growth, passion, our innermost No Super Hero is born a champion. Even Hard Work must have empathy for herself, vious or is never scared. In fact, what Where the personalities, powers, and selves, and how to become our own heroes. if you just so happen to tumble out of the Sometimes doing what is right means which can be a boatload harder at makes her so brave is that she keeps straight-up legends of countless heroic So what exactly are the powers of a girl? womb flying, punching hard, embiggen- giving up other things. Spider-Gwen times. This is why bubble baths were going when she feels the most afraid. women have captivated readers for genera- Whether you were born a girl, identify as a ing, talking to squirrels, or emitting danger would much rather hang out with her invented.* Ms. Marvel was petrified that she’d tions. Whether they consider their super- girl, or just appreciate how darn cool girls sparkles, the path to heroism requires a ax-grinding bandmates, the Mary disappoint her family by taking on I love natural abilities a blessing or a curse, these and former girls (or as you might call them: choice. The choice to use your powers for Janes, than save NYC from the , team-ups her Super Hero persona—not to punch women) just so happen to be, we know good. That’s why none of these stories AND women have gifts as diverse as these heroic but you know, not everything can be Asking for help when you need it is mention putting herself in personal punching! ladies themselves. From the powerful that being a girl can bring you great and really start at birth. They begin when some- rock-star jam sessions. Super-powers definitely a super-power. Girls know peril—but she knew she had to do punches of America Chavez to the godly unforetold powers. And as Spider-Man’s thing awful, amazing, clandestine, or all of won’t do all the work for you. that a super-squad gets it done way what was right to protect the lives of zeal of Valkyrie, there’s an entire universe of once said, with great power the above happens. What these girls faster than going it alone, and that her fellow New Jersey teens. women here to teach us how we all have the comes great—Eh, you know the rest. choose to do with that something is what Responsibility sometimes a job takes more than one power within ourselves to be extraordinary. That reminds me . . . from time to makes them great. Heck, some of these It’s not just for Spider-Men anymore. lady. Whether it’s having equally super Okay, are you ready? These girls are Even as extraordinary as Squirrel Girl. time, I might mention boys, or even men, ladies were heroes before they were even Girls can take responsibility for their backup like BFFs Captain Marvel and going to do some awesome things. Perhaps the most powerful hero in the or sometimes boys who put “man” in their super. actions and their communities. A Spider-Woman, or having a whole They’re going to beat up baddies, entire Marvel Universe, Squirrel Girl has name to sound cool. Boys and men are Life is full of these choices, and that is hero sees the world she lives in and crew of confident baes like She-Hulk, break through to other dimensions, defeated villains as omnipotent as Thanos welcome here, too. Everyone is welcome. where our heroes begin. Girls have choices knows she can use her powers to or the HERoes of A-, girls get and save the fricking universe! and as titanic as the city-crushing mon- Hey, we’re all in it together, right? Well, to do the right thing, and that is their first improve it. It’s her responsibility to the job done—together. Obvi! strosity . Although the except for maybe the Super Villains. super-power. SPOILER ALERT: When make her world better if she can. Ooooo, did she just name Squirrel Girl may not immediately Hopefully, if any Super Villains are reading they start out, some girls may even work When Quake sees that the world is Using Her Smarts say the name of evoke fear, Doreen Green has a surpris- this, they will learn to turn over a new with some pretty reprehensible people being overtaken by evil, instead of Girls use their minds. Take fifteen- the book? ingly formidable set of gifts. She is said to leaf and stop being Grade-A jerks. Any- doing some pretty not-cool things and end submitting, she leads a team of elite year-old Riri Williams, who created have all the powers of a squirrel and all the way, while this book will focus on girls and up becoming heroes, like Black Widow forces to save the day. Responsibility her own suit in her dorm powers of a girl. former girls, everybody is welcome to the and Gamora. Sorry to call you out, ladies, also means taking responsibility for room at MIT. Or Nadia Van Dyne, Stop breaking the fourth wall, girl party because a party alone is . . . well, but . . . you know what you did. her own actions; even Captain the second-generation Wasp who And me, Gwenpool! Gwenpool. We haven’t gotten to you yet. Here are attributes of a girl that, as Marvel has made some major mis- started her own lab of girl geniuses * is based on a real building in we’ll see, will make super people become But I can’t wait! NYC, a museum called the Frick House. Which is pretty takes that meant a major (. . . military GWEN! Okay, okay. Sheesh! Frickin’ awesome. Super Heroes. humor) apology to her bestie, * Not really, but they are straight-up magic.

I’m such #PREACH #BOOM an artist! That’s me! science squad

N THESE PAGES, prepare to meet some of Marvel’s greatest scientific minds! Elsa Anna Maria IFrom Lunella Lafayette, the smartest person in the world, to the S.H.I.E.L.D. research scientist Bloodstone Marconi Mockingbird, to Riri Williams, the fifteen-year-old dynamo who reverse engineered her own Iron Archaeologist, Chemistry, Physics, Man armor—these ladies have got STEM on lock! Let’s do some research of our own, shall we? Monster Hunter and Cybernetics This straight-shooting Brit Specialist G.I.R.L. Vivian was born into a long line Though some may underesti- of monster hunters, mate her due to her small Scientific Research “Viv” which means she doesn’t like to just track down horrific stature, Anna Maria Marconi is a genuine scientific genius. Collective Synthezoid beasts, she studies them, too! In order to pursue these She first met Peter Parker while he was finishing his doc- This badass lab was founded Technology Expert oft-antediluvian beings, she has become an expert in an- torate. (He was actually under the control of the villain by Nadia Van Dyne with Imagine if you had a friend cient civilizations, dead languages, folklore, and monster at the time, but let’s not worry too much the help of her stepmother, who emitted Wi-Fi! Viv is the biology. All of which she uses to track down malicious about that.) She became his chemistry and physics tutor. Janet Van Dyne! In Nadia’s ultimate technological mind, creatures and obliterate them. Her achievements have Yes, she straight-up schooled Spider-Man! She was imme- own words, G.I.R.L. (Genius In action Research Labs) is because she IS technology. When her father, Vision, found even landed her a professorship at the Braddock diately hired by Parker Industries, where she became “dedicated to finding the girls and women who will himself single but ready to settle down, he just created an Academy in her home country of Great Britain. one of the world’s most advanced research scientists. She not just save the world, but change it.” LaShayla “Shay” android family of his own. Viv is a microchip of even helped Doctor Octopus take on more heroic Smith, Priya Aggarwal, Taina Miranda, and Ying (G.I.R.L.’s the old block with a brain out of a super computer! cybernetic works, which she continued after faithful members) are housed at Pym Labs, where Nadia She comes complete with internet access and a search Moon Girl his control over Peter Parker’s body ceased. works in her father ’s old laboratory. (You might engine at the ready. No wonder she knows it all! Genius Inventor remember him as the original Ant-Man.) In addition, the Though Lunella Lafayette is lab has some of the greatest research tech around. It has only nine years old, she is the IronHeart also been outfitted with dorm rooms for the girls and their Dr. Wilma smartest person on Advance Technologies overseeing scientist, Mockingbird, aka the legendary Calvin Earth! Her Super Hero Riri Williams’s true super- S.H.I.E.L.D. agent/scientist/adventurer Bobbi Morse! S.H.I.E.L.D. Biochemist name, Moon Girl, was origi- power is her genius as an Meet one of Marvel’s earliest nally what her peers used to mockingly call her, for her engineer. Graduating high notable scientists who has love of space. She’s still just a kid, but her youthful imagi- school at fifteen years old, Xiaoyi been breaking barriers for nation often results in ingenious inventions adults might she headed of to college at “Iso” Chen women of color in never even consider! From her spring-loaded skates to her MIT where she was able to reverse engineer her own Engineer, STEM since 1972! Dr. Wilma Calvin was assisted by fully functioning cybernetic Lego triceratops, Lunella Iron Man armor in the school lab. With the blessing of Terrigen Expert none other than Bobbi Morse in her early days as a sci- never limits her creativity. Oh, and she’s even been Tony Stark and added bonus of her own personal Stark Iso, a New Inhuman, is a entist. This position would later inspire Bobbi to be- featured as a guest speaker at the interdimensional Artificial Intelligence system, Riri now fights crime as mechanical and engineering come one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s greatest agents—Mockingbird. Super Hero college Sotomayor University! Ironheart. She continues to improve the functionality of genius. She was selected by Wilma also uncovered the greatest secrets of the her Ironheart tech, because any machine can always be the Inhuman Queen Medusa to work on a cure for a super-soldier serum that gave better, faster, and smarter. disease plaguing mutants. A huge job for a his famed strength. Dr. Calvin has created the serum’s burgeoning scientist! Iso was more than up to closest approximation since its inception with her the task. Especially when you consider her Inhuman work for “Project: Gladiator.” ability to control pressure systems. You might even say Iso works best under pressure.

28 29 Monica Rambeau Powerhouse. Electric personality. Bright.

ONICA RAMBEAU is a pioneer- from the bad ones. Furthermore, she puts the needs of Ming woman in the Marvel Universe. This others before herself, because above all, Monica is here woman is powerful! She is a , a force to be reck- to serve and protect. oned with, oh, and she’s made up of pure energy Monica Rambeau was part of the New Orleans from the . She broke the mold Harbor Patrol, where she dreamed of climbing to the rank as a lieutenant in the New Orleans Harbor Patrol, and as of captain, but her boss had no intention of promoting the first African American Woman Super her to such heights. Monica was an outspoken live wire Hero to join the Avengers. She even went on to become who played by her own rules, and on top of all that, she the Avengers’ official chairperson. Heck yes! That’s was a woman of color. Passed over again and again for right—she was one of the few women to lead the promotions, Monica was furious and frustrated. So, Avengers! when she was asked for help by her grandfather’s old What makes her such an amazing leader? Monica isn’t work associate, Professor Andre LeClare, she figured just an insanely powerful Super Hero with all of the she didn’t have much to lose. He was in deep trouble forces of and energy behind her; she’s because his research into interdimensional energies was also never afraid to the status quo and shut taken by his old assistant in hopes of weaponizing down bad behavior. She stood up to Iron Man, letting it. The energy and technology was incredibly volatile, him know in no uncertain terms her name isn’t “babe.” not to mention it had the potential to rip a hole between She’ll call out sexism in a snap, because sometimes people dimensions. need to know that even well-intentioned behavior can be Together, LeClare and Rambeau took her patrol boat entirely uncool. Monica doesn’t tolerate bad to find the assistant on an old Roxxon oil rig out in the behavior, even from the good guys, and especially not ocean. Posing as a sexy sunbather, she convinced the

Name: Monica Rambeau Skills: Boat driver Combatant Aliases: Captain Marvel, Pulsar, Photon, Spectrum Detective leader

Hometown: New Orleans, LA Brightness Meter: 11 out of 10 sunglasses

Super-powers: Transforms into energy Couple: The semi-silver fox Adam Brashear, Flight aka the , possesses Moves at of light similar energy absorption powers Energy blasts Intangibility Squads: Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Cosmic awareness monica rambeau monica rambeau sailors to let her board the ship to enjoy the view. How- Hero costume, eh?) There, she saved LeClare, closed a Monica’s clear potential, they invited her to stick around themselves doubt their own abilities because of ever, when LeClare got impatient and decided to stow strange, growing portal between dimensions, called in for training. After only a few weeks, the Avengers’ leader, unspoken societal constructs. The only way for women away to find the machine, he blew her cover. In a last- the Navy to help shut down Roxxon’s rig, and saved the Janet Van Dyne (aka the Wasp), asked her to join the to grow into leadership roles is to lift each other ditch efort to dismantle the dangerous machine, Monica day! The men of the ship called her both Captain and a team, making her the first African American woman to up by cheering on capable ladies with diverse voices punched into its circuits. Something strange took place. marvel, so she took it as her first Super Hero name: become one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. and gifts. Like Monica, you may not realize that you’re A flash of light coursed through her body as she Captain Marvel. If people think you’re marvelous, Monica Rambeau took the name of Captain Marvel, the leader a team needs until someone brings it to your absorbed interdimensional energies. In an you have to own it. And own it she did. not knowing it belonged to a recently deceased Super attention! It’s never too late to take a stand as a leader in instant, she was turned into pure electromagnetic Not long after Monica’s transformation into a being Hero named Captain Mar-Vell. (Awkward!) Her fellow your community. energy! Suddenly able to fly, she headed back to the composed of interdimensional energies, she had a heroes initially encouraged her to keep the name, Emboldened by She-Hulk’s words and Captain mainland at the speed of light. Confused, she found her- chance encounter with Spider-Man in NYC that intro- because her immense ability was considered an honor to America’s nomination, Monica accepted. Monica was self in a warehouse full of Mardi Gras costumes. She duced her to the Avengers. She needed to channel her the fallen hero. However, the son of Captain Mar-Vell, the first woman of color to lead Earth’s Mightiest grabbed her classic white outfit to cover her swimsuit literal energies or she might cause an explosion! The Genis-Vell, came back to Earth using his father’s old Heroes. and flew back to the rig. (Convenient way to get a Super Avengers helped her to disperse her energies. Seeing name. Monica gracefully agreed to take the name Monica led the Avengers against a serious gallery of Photon instead. But when Genis-Vell abandoned the rogues, including actual gods. But an encounter with a name, he then took on the name Photon. Say what?! He sea monster named Leviathan left Monica stretched managed to take her name twice! Monica had to again thin. She had literally spread her energy so greatly that it change her , but this time the two hashed it out over left her depleted and nearly depowered. Monica was in a cofee and decided she’d take the name Pulsar. bad shape. Her parents took her home to convalesce and Later she would embrace her full colors under the name eat some delicious home cooking. Monica had to step Spectrum. But let’s just call her Monica away from the Avengers to heal, but when she was back Rambeau. She does have a real spectrum of names, on her feet she would be ready to again answer the call. though. Monica was far from finished leading the hero team, Only a few weeks later, the Wasp stepped down as though. It was only the beginning. chairwoman of the Avengers for a little rest and relax- Monica was a born leader and returned to the helm ation. As you can imagine, leading the team was a lot of of the Mighty Avengers alongside the man with work. Captain America himself nominated Monica unbreakable skin, , magical martial artist Rambeau for the role of chairwoman. At first, Monica , the insanely powerful Blue Marvel, and was reluctant to accept; she was new to the team, after others. She also joined the Ultimates alongside the all. Thor immediately jumped in, questioning Monica’s king of , Black Panther, the teen titan America capability, and ofered himself instead, but She-Hulk Chavez, and Captain Marvel ( this time). quickly interceded. She-Hulk slowed everyone down, On some teams Monica led, on others she followed. and with her vote of confidence gave Monica an oppor- But on all of her teams, Monica remains a beacon tunity to actually accept. Women in leadership need each of integrity. Her wise words are matched only by her other’s support, and this was truly a beautiful moment of veracity and dedication. Not to mention, her body is encouragement and sisterhood among made of pure energy—so she continues to be literally Avengers. powerful. And maybe her Super Hero names never really It is important to encourage our friends to fulfill stuck, but what’s in a name, anyway? Monica Rambeau their potential. In today’s world, women are still over- by any other name is still one of the most powerful looked for leadership positions, and sometimes ladies people on Earth.

63