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 Captain Marvel ......................... 8 Hellcat ........................................... Thank you for being someone’s real-life hero. 82 America Chavez ........................ 12 Animal Companions ................. –Alice X. Zhang 84 Quake ........................................... 16 The Runaways ............................. 88 She-Hulk ...................................... 20 Dora Milaje .................................. 92 Thor .............................................. 24 Daughters of the Dragon ......... .... 96 Science Squad ............................ 28 Peggy Carter & S.H.I.E.L.D. 102 Black Widow ............................... 30 Ironheart ...................................... Copyright © 2019 MARVEL 106 Spider-Woman ............................ 34 Unstoppable Wasp .................... 110 All rights reserved. Published by Marvel Press, an imprint of Mary Jane Watson .................... 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 Gamora ......................................... 42 Moon Girl .................................... mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any Mockingbird ............................... 116 information storage and retrieval system, without written Medusa ......................................... 48 permission from the publisher. For information address Marvel 120 Ghost-Spider ............................... 52 Shuri ............................................. Press, 125 West End Avenue, New York, New York 10023. 126 Valkyrie .........................................56 Hawkeye ...................................... Designed by Elizabeth H. Clark and Scott Petrower 130 Monica Rambeau .......................60 Scarlet Witch .............................. First Edition, February 2019 134 Terrific Twosomes ......................64 Silk ................................................. 138 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Squirrel Girl.................................66 Gwenpool .................................... 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, New York City, the home of Super Heroes. Hero Girls. do everything right all the time. In exploring, getting messy, and stoking I can almost see Avengers Mansion* from As I was saying, girls have many powers, 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 Marvel Universe, 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 Thanos, 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 Origin 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 Lizard, 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 Uncle Ben 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-Force, 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 Fin Fang Foom. Although the except for maybe the Super Villains. super-power. SPOILER ALERT: When make her world better if she can.