Contrary (comics)
Encyclopedia
Contrary was a character from Malibu Comics
' Ultraverse
. She was created by Gerard Jones
and Martin Egeland and first appeared in the series Freex
, though she was better known as the founder of Ultraforce
.
Though it has never been truly confirmed, it is heavily implied in Freex that the nurse nicknamed "Wetware Mary" (the one responsible for creating the Freex and other superhuman Ultras by injecting babies with nanotechnology
) was the same woman who would eventually become Contrary. Both were humans who had access to the advanced technology of the Fire People
, and both manipulated people in various ways for their own agendas.
and Flygirl
) living inside a high-tech base hidden in Mount Shasta
. She arranges events so that the Freex
(the presumed result of her genetic tampering) would find their way to Mt. Shasta and engage in combat with the Academy trainees, just so she could observe their powers and fighting abilities. When the Freex proved more capable than she thought, they escape, even convincing one of Contrary's Academy students (Cayman) to leave with them. Boomboy, one of the group, stays behind in order to gain an education. Needless to say, Contrary was quite furious at Cayman leaving.
Later, she meets the newest Academy member, Pixx
, and encounters Hardcase
and Ghoul
. They had all independently discovered that the Fire People had stolen nuclear missiles and were planning to "take back" the surface world their ancestors had abandoned millennia ago. The group join together to form Ultraforce, but it was not a seamless fit.
The Ultraforce recruited first Prototype
, and then Prime
, who fit Contrary's bill perfectly; powerful, young, not too bright, and easily manipulated. Contrary essentially tricked Hardcase into becoming the leader, and the group received official sanction from then-President
Bill Clinton
. Contrary tried to make peace with the Freex in order to recruit them, but they were uninterested in her offer.
Contrary puts aside her differences when she helps the Freex bury one of their own, Michael Rafani AKA Plug. She offers space at her facility for his grave. During the funeral she also meets the new hero Nightman and ancient warrior known only as the 'Old Man'. When the Old Man asks why she doesn't take the Freex in under the 'wing' of the Ultraforce, Contrary says that she must be quiet about her role as a teacher of young Ultras in order to protect them.
Contrary's mind games cause a jealous Prime to leave the Ultraforce group. However, when the Ultraforce engages in conflict with the Fire People, Prime returns to render his aid. Contrary manages to calm the angry team members, and they implement a new plan; The Fire People agree to a truce, and are allowed ownership of their island kingdom.
Contrary suffers the death of her student Flygirl in the dimension spanning odwheel] incident. Flygirl had been working with Hardcase and doesn't survive a meeting with Lord Pumpkin
.
used his sunsword to shatter Nemesis' crown and destroy the Ego Gem). However, it is possible, that much like the Jimmy Ruiz Prototype, she may have been shunted into the merged pocket universe containing both Ultraverse and Marvel Universe elements, such as a Janet Van Dyne whose superhero identity is the Black Widow
, an Alec Swan whose nickname is the Black Night, and a Thor who looks more like the Norse interpretations of the character rather than his Marvel Universe counterpart.
airship.
animated cartoon. She works with heroes such as Prime, Hardcase and Ghoul; they confront villains that include Lord Pumpkin and Rune.
Malibu Comics
Malibu Comics was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. The company's headquarters was in Calabasas, California. Malibu imprints included Aircel Comics and Eternity Comics...
' Ultraverse
Ultraverse
The Ultraverse was the name given to a comic book imprint published by the American company Malibu Comics. The Ultraverse was a shared universe in which a variety of characters — known within the comics as "Ultras" — acquired super-human abilities.-History:...
. She was created by Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and Martin Egeland and first appeared in the series Freex
Freex
Freex was a short-lived comic book series from Malibu Comics. Created By Gerard Jones and Ben Herrera, it concerned a team of teenage superheroes in the Ultraverse.Its roster over the series consisted of Anything ,...
, though she was better known as the founder of Ultraforce
Ultraforce (comics)
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
.
Though it has never been truly confirmed, it is heavily implied in Freex that the nurse nicknamed "Wetware Mary" (the one responsible for creating the Freex and other superhuman Ultras by injecting babies with nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
) was the same woman who would eventually become Contrary. Both were humans who had access to the advanced technology of the Fire People
Fire People
The Fire People were a fictional race from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. They first appeared in Ultraforce #1, but were also involved in the creation of the Freex.The Fire People are an ancient hominid species which evolved alongside Homo Sapiens...
, and both manipulated people in various ways for their own agendas.
Fictional character biography
Contrary was first seen (under that name) as leader of the Academy of the New Elite, a small group of teenage Ultras (including FelineFeline (comics)
Feline is a fictional character from the Malibu comics line. She first appeared in Malibu Comics' Freex #10 , as a member of the Academy of the New Elite, an organization created by Contrary to teach young Ultras to use their powers...
and Flygirl
Flygirl (comics)
Flygirl is a fictional character. She was introduced in Malibu Comics' Freex #10 as a member of the Academy of the New Elite, an organization created by Contrary to teach young Ultras to control their powers.-Character biography:...
) living inside a high-tech base hidden in Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
. She arranges events so that the Freex
Freex
Freex was a short-lived comic book series from Malibu Comics. Created By Gerard Jones and Ben Herrera, it concerned a team of teenage superheroes in the Ultraverse.Its roster over the series consisted of Anything ,...
(the presumed result of her genetic tampering) would find their way to Mt. Shasta and engage in combat with the Academy trainees, just so she could observe their powers and fighting abilities. When the Freex proved more capable than she thought, they escape, even convincing one of Contrary's Academy students (Cayman) to leave with them. Boomboy, one of the group, stays behind in order to gain an education. Needless to say, Contrary was quite furious at Cayman leaving.
Later, she meets the newest Academy member, Pixx
Pixx
Pixx was a fictional character from Malibu Comics, created by Gerard Jones and Jeff Parker. She first appeared in Giant-Size Freex #1.Penny Burka was a normal child until her powers surfaced, causing her to uncontrollably project hallucinatory images to those around her. Her terrified parents...
, and encounters Hardcase
Hardcase
Hardcase is a comic book series written by James Hudnall for Malibu Comics’ Ultraverse imprint, which lasted 26 issues. The series was about Tom Hawke, who became one of the first publicly known Ultras ....
and Ghoul
Ghoul (Ultraverse)
Ghoul is a character from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse continuity. He was created by Steve Gerber, R.R. Phipps, Dave Olbrich, Chris Ulm, and Tom Mason. Ghoul first appeared in Exiles #1.-Fictional character biography:...
. They had all independently discovered that the Fire People had stolen nuclear missiles and were planning to "take back" the surface world their ancestors had abandoned millennia ago. The group join together to form Ultraforce, but it was not a seamless fit.
The Ultraforce recruited first Prototype
Prototype (comics)
Prototype was the name of two characters from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse. The original Prototype was Bob Campbell, who was replaced by the second Prototype, Jimmy Ruiz...
, and then Prime
Prime (comics)
Prime is a superhero created by Bob Jacob, Gerard Jones, Len Strazewski, and Norm Breyfogle. He debuted in Prime #1 under Malibu Comics' Ultraverse imprint, and was one of its flagship characters along with Mantra and Hardcase . The character design was credited to Bret Blevins...
, who fit Contrary's bill perfectly; powerful, young, not too bright, and easily manipulated. Contrary essentially tricked Hardcase into becoming the leader, and the group received official sanction from then-President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Contrary tried to make peace with the Freex in order to recruit them, but they were uninterested in her offer.
Contrary puts aside her differences when she helps the Freex bury one of their own, Michael Rafani AKA Plug. She offers space at her facility for his grave. During the funeral she also meets the new hero Nightman and ancient warrior known only as the 'Old Man'. When the Old Man asks why she doesn't take the Freex in under the 'wing' of the Ultraforce, Contrary says that she must be quiet about her role as a teacher of young Ultras in order to protect them.
Contrary's mind games cause a jealous Prime to leave the Ultraforce group. However, when the Ultraforce engages in conflict with the Fire People, Prime returns to render his aid. Contrary manages to calm the angry team members, and they implement a new plan; The Fire People agree to a truce, and are allowed ownership of their island kingdom.
Contrary suffers the death of her student Flygirl in the dimension spanning odwheel] incident. Flygirl had been working with Hardcase and doesn't survive a meeting with Lord Pumpkin
Lord Pumpkin
Lord Pumpkin is a fictional being from Malibu Comics' Ultraverse continuity. He was created and later written by Dan Danko, with additional development by Steve Gerber, Aaron Lopresti, and Gary Martin including his first published appearance, with which Danko was not involved. Lord Pumpkin first...
.
Black September
In the aftermath of the Black September Event, Contrary was confirmed to no longer exist due to the "Infinity Effect" (the wave of reality-altering energy released when the Black KnightBlack Knight
The black knight is a literary stock character, often contrasted with the white knight. The character famously appeared in Arthurian literature and has been adapted and adopted by various authors, in cinema and popular culture...
used his sunsword to shatter Nemesis' crown and destroy the Ego Gem). However, it is possible, that much like the Jimmy Ruiz Prototype, she may have been shunted into the merged pocket universe containing both Ultraverse and Marvel Universe elements, such as a Janet Van Dyne whose superhero identity is the Black Widow
Black Widow
Black widow is a common name of some spiders in the genus Latrodectus.Black Widow may also refer to:-Fiction:* Black Widow: A Novel, a 1981 novel by Christina Crawford...
, an Alec Swan whose nickname is the Black Night, and a Thor who looks more like the Norse interpretations of the character rather than his Marvel Universe counterpart.
Powers and abilities
Contrary can stimulate the pain and pleasure centers of the brain. She is also highly skilled in the repair and use of Fire People technology, such as her anti-gravityAnti-gravity
Anti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
airship.
Appearances in Other Media
Contrary also appeared in the UltraforceUltraforce
The Ultraforce is a fictional superhero group that appears in comic books published by Malibu, and later Marvel, as well as an animated series produced by DIC. Their purpose was to protect the public and keep other Ultras from getting out of line...
animated cartoon. She works with heroes such as Prime, Hardcase and Ghoul; they confront villains that include Lord Pumpkin and Rune.