Lyja
Encyclopedia
Lyja is a fictional character
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. As a Skrull
, she possesses the ability to shapeshift into almost any humanoid or animal form. Modifications on her body gave her the power to generate energy blasts.
, the Skrull
empire embarked on a plan to infiltrate the Fantastic Four via seduction. The author of the plan, Paibok the Power Skrull
, selected the warrior Lyja to be the spy and espionage agent, possibly because they had once had a failed affair.
Unbeknownst even to readers, during the Secret Wars
Lyja replaced Alicia Masters
, blind sculptor and love interest of the Thing
. Posing as Alicia Masters, she greeted the Fantastic Four on their return to Earth from the Secret Wars. The Skrull plan almost hit a snag when Lyja discovered that the Thing opted to stay behind at the end of the war, instead of returning home to Earth. Lyja instead seduced Johnny Storm
, and when the Thing learned that Johnny and "Alicia" were lovers, they became estranged. She eventually married Johnny, under the false pretenses of being Alicia Masters.
Eventually, however, Alicia's stepfather (the villain known as the Puppet Master
) realized that the woman claiming to be his stepdaughter was an imposter, and took his suspicions to the Thing. Lyja was forced by the Thing to transform back to her true Skrull appearance. She disclosed her true identity, as well as the fact that the real Alicia was a captive of the Skrulls. She aided the Fantastic Four in finding the real Alicia Masters in the Skrull Empire, but was believed to be slain when she threw herself in the path of a blast which Paibok had meant for the Human Torch.
In actuality, Paibok recovered Lyja and revealed to Devos the Devastator
that she was still alive. Paibok, with the assistance of Devos, awoke Lyja from her comatose state, and bestowed her with the power to fly and fire energy blasts from her hands (becoming "Lyja the Lazerfist"). These powers were later revealed to come from a special device implanted into her. Joining them in search of vengeance, the three arrived on Earth, and isolated and battled the Torch at Empire State University
. Panicking, the Torch burst into his Nova Flame and destroyed the campus. Alongside Devos and Paibok, Lyja witnessed a battle between the Fantastic Four and an alternate Fantastic Four. However, Lyja still bore feelings for the Torch and once again betrayed her cohorts to side with the Four.
Lyja then first encountered Uatu
the Watcher
, and aided the Fantastic Four against Doctor Doom
. Alongside the Fantastic Four, Lyja battled Devos, Paibok, Klaw, and Huntara
. Lyja impersonated Bridget O'Neil, and became jealous on discovering Johnny Storm's affection for Bridget.
After returning to the Fantasic Four and Johnny, Lyja claimed she was pregnant with Johnny's child. Over time, Lyja and Johnny began to grow close again. When Lyja delivered the "child" (an egg), the implant that gave her the "Lazerfist" powers was also removed, returning Lyja to an ordinary Skrull with no extra powers beyond her shapeshifting. The implant was subsequently absorbed by a normal human, apparently an electronics expert named Raphael Suarez, who gained the "Lazerfist" powers, and attempted to contact the Fantastic Four for their assistance. However, after the hectic events that followed the hatching of the "egg", Raphael wandered off, realizing the Fantastic Four were not going to be of any help in their current state, and has not been referenced since.
Although Lyja and Johnny were growing close, Lyja was continuously torn about telling Johnny something. She was too scared to risk shattering the bonds they had managed to form again, and kept putting it off. Ultimately, it was too late. The "egg" was revealed, not to be their child, but rather a Skrull bio-weapon, which Lyja subsequently destroyed after it hatched. Johnny, enraged at being betrayed and deceived again by Lyja, broke things off with her again.
However, still in love with Johnny, Lyja stalked him while as a human, Laura Green. Johnny was initially interested in a fellow college student but when he realized nothing was going to materialize with her his focus shifted to Laura/Lyja. Lyja, having learned her lessons well, decided to eventually reveal herself before Johnny felt betrayed again. However, after sharing a kiss with Laura, Johnny already knew that his ex-wife was in fact Laura Green.
During the Onslaught
crisis when Lyja was injured she attempted to tell Johnny the truth but he informed her that he already knew. The couple seemed to be on track to reconciling their relationship but then the Fantastic Four were thought dead after fighting Onslaught, and Lyja left to attempt a normal life, masquerading again as a human woman.
storyline, Lyja poses as the Invisible Woman
in order to send the Baxter Building
to the Negative Zone
.
She reveals herself to her former spouse and attacks him, feeling angry that he had forgotten her. During the course of their battle, Johnny saves Lyja from being hit by a police car, pulled in through the portal. The two reconcile after that, but a Negative Zone creature attacks them. They manage to defeat the creature, but Lyja passes out from her injuries. A bit later, when the "new" Fantastic Four fly off to the prison, Franklin
and Valeria
are grabbed by Negative Zone creatures, but Lyja saves them. She tells Johnny that she was working in a book store when a Skrull approached her, telling her to join them. They told her to blow up the Baxter Building, but instead she suggested sending them all to the Negative Zone, in hopes of keeping them from harm's way. When Ben, Johnny, Franklin, Val and the Tinkerer
were ready to leave the Negative Zone she refused to leave, because she wanted to find out who she is.
heritage give her the ability to change size, shape, and color at will, taking on the appearance but not the characteristics of other beings and objects. Skrulls cannot duplicate the superhuman powers of the beings they use their shape-shifting powers to impersonate.
For a brief time, because of genetic alteration (really an implant) by Paibok the Power Skrull, Lyja had the ability to project blasts of laser-like beams called her "bio-blasts" from her hands without harm to herself. She could suspend herself in the air by firing her bio-blasts beneath her. These powers were lost when her body rejected the power-generating implant during her giving "birth".
Lyja wears body armor of unspecified materials. She wore special contact lenses that rendered her blind while she impersonated Alicia Masters.
Lyja has been trained in armed and unarmed combat by the Skrull military. She is also trained in acting and educated in Earth culture and history and the English language by Skrull tutors. She is also talented as a creator of abstract sculpture.
In the Secret Invasion storyline, she has recently regained her energy powers through unspecified means, as well as the ability to resist the incredible levels of heat and flame the Human Torch can generate. Lyja has also been seen manifesting dragonlike wings through her shape-shifting powers, enabling her to fly.
Universe on a planet besieged by the Zombie Galactus- consisting of zombie versions of Giant-Man
, Spider-Man
, Iron Man
, Luke Cage
, Wolverine
and the Hulk
during a Black Panther
crossover. Here she possesses the power of the Invisible Woman
as part of an experiment following the death of the Super-Skrull
in this universe; unable to replicate the Super-Skrull, the Fantastic Four's powers were instead given to four different Skrulls. She is loyal to the Skrulls and seems insulted when the Johnny Storm of the regular Marvel Universe admits to knowing her.
She is shortly thereafter infected with the zombie virus, along with the rest of her team. During the subsequent conflict between the two teams, she is decapitated by a vibranium
dagger thrown by the Black Panther, and her head is subsequently destroyed by Black Panther
before she can bite Johnny.
, under the name Ms. Fantastic. The couple has a son, Torus Storm, who inherited both Lyja's shape-shifting abilities and the Torch's flame powers. She remains active among the Fantastic Five and is sporadically seen in the Spider-Girl
series and related mini-series. Spider-Girl mentions in their first encounter that if she was not fighting Lyja she would probably ask for her autograph, as she was a fan.
, as well as being a commander under the orders of Warpriest Kh'oja; in which he framed the Power siblings by stealing special treasures from Patchworld.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
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...
. As a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
, she possesses the ability to shapeshift into almost any humanoid or animal form. Modifications on her body gave her the power to generate energy blasts.
Fictional character biography
Longtime enemies of the Fantastic FourFantastic 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...
, the Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
empire embarked on a plan to infiltrate the Fantastic Four via seduction. The author of the plan, Paibok the Power Skrull
Paibok
Paibok the Power Skrull is a fictional alien, a comic book supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a foe of the Fantastic Four. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four Vol...
, selected the warrior Lyja to be the spy and espionage agent, possibly because they had once had a failed affair.
Unbeknownst even to readers, during the Secret Wars
Secret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
Lyja replaced Alicia Masters
Alicia Masters
Alicia Reiss Masters is a supporting character to the Marvel Comics superheroes the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in The Fantastic Four #8 ....
, blind sculptor and love interest of the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
. Posing as Alicia Masters, she greeted the Fantastic Four on their return to Earth from the Secret Wars. The Skrull plan almost hit a snag when Lyja discovered that the Thing opted to stay behind at the end of the war, instead of returning home to Earth. Lyja instead seduced Johnny Storm
Human Torch
The Human Torch is a fictional character and superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, he is a member of the superhero team the Fantastic Four, debuting in The Fantastic Four #1...
, and when the Thing learned that Johnny and "Alicia" were lovers, they became estranged. She eventually married Johnny, under the false pretenses of being Alicia Masters.
Eventually, however, Alicia's stepfather (the villain known as the Puppet Master
Puppet Master (comics)
The Puppet Master, real name Phillip Masters, is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Fantastic Four comics. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four volume 1 #8...
) realized that the woman claiming to be his stepdaughter was an imposter, and took his suspicions to the Thing. Lyja was forced by the Thing to transform back to her true Skrull appearance. She disclosed her true identity, as well as the fact that the real Alicia was a captive of the Skrulls. She aided the Fantastic Four in finding the real Alicia Masters in the Skrull Empire, but was believed to be slain when she threw herself in the path of a blast which Paibok had meant for the Human Torch.
In actuality, Paibok recovered Lyja and revealed to Devos the Devastator
Devos the Devastator
Devos the Devastator is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a foe of the Fantastic Four. His first appearance was in Fantastic Four #359 ; he was created by Tom DeFalco, Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi.-Fictional character biography:Devos is an...
that she was still alive. Paibok, with the assistance of Devos, awoke Lyja from her comatose state, and bestowed her with the power to fly and fire energy blasts from her hands (becoming "Lyja the Lazerfist"). These powers were later revealed to come from a special device implanted into her. Joining them in search of vengeance, the three arrived on Earth, and isolated and battled the Torch at Empire State University
Empire State University
Empire State University is a fictional university in the Marvel Comics Universe, a mixture of New York University and Columbia University . It is located somewhere in New York City, in Greenwich Village near the site of New York University...
. Panicking, the Torch burst into his Nova Flame and destroyed the campus. Alongside Devos and Paibok, Lyja witnessed a battle between the Fantastic Four and an alternate Fantastic Four. However, Lyja still bore feelings for the Torch and once again betrayed her cohorts to side with the Four.
Lyja then first encountered Uatu
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
the Watcher
Watcher (comics)
The Watchers are a fictional race of extraterrestrials that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the first Watcher - named Uatu - appears in Fantastic Four #13 .-Fictional history:...
, and aided the Fantastic Four against Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
. Alongside the Fantastic Four, Lyja battled Devos, Paibok, Klaw, and Huntara
Fantastic Force
Fantastic Force was a superhero team in the Marvel Universe, a spin-off of the Fantastic Four. The team had its own title, which lasted for eighteen issues from November 1994 to April 1996...
. Lyja impersonated Bridget O'Neil, and became jealous on discovering Johnny Storm's affection for Bridget.
After returning to the Fantasic Four and Johnny, Lyja claimed she was pregnant with Johnny's child. Over time, Lyja and Johnny began to grow close again. When Lyja delivered the "child" (an egg), the implant that gave her the "Lazerfist" powers was also removed, returning Lyja to an ordinary Skrull with no extra powers beyond her shapeshifting. The implant was subsequently absorbed by a normal human, apparently an electronics expert named Raphael Suarez, who gained the "Lazerfist" powers, and attempted to contact the Fantastic Four for their assistance. However, after the hectic events that followed the hatching of the "egg", Raphael wandered off, realizing the Fantastic Four were not going to be of any help in their current state, and has not been referenced since.
Although Lyja and Johnny were growing close, Lyja was continuously torn about telling Johnny something. She was too scared to risk shattering the bonds they had managed to form again, and kept putting it off. Ultimately, it was too late. The "egg" was revealed, not to be their child, but rather a Skrull bio-weapon, which Lyja subsequently destroyed after it hatched. Johnny, enraged at being betrayed and deceived again by Lyja, broke things off with her again.
However, still in love with Johnny, Lyja stalked him while as a human, Laura Green. Johnny was initially interested in a fellow college student but when he realized nothing was going to materialize with her his focus shifted to Laura/Lyja. Lyja, having learned her lessons well, decided to eventually reveal herself before Johnny felt betrayed again. However, after sharing a kiss with Laura, Johnny already knew that his ex-wife was in fact Laura Green.
During the Onslaught
Onslaught (comics)
Onslaught is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Man #15 , and was co-created by writers Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artist Andy Kubert....
crisis when Lyja was injured she attempted to tell Johnny the truth but he informed her that he already knew. The couple seemed to be on track to reconciling their relationship but then the Fantastic Four were thought dead after fighting Onslaught, and Lyja left to attempt a normal life, masquerading again as a human woman.
Secret Invasion
During the Secret InvasionSecret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series and several tie-in books published by Marvel Comics from April through December 2008....
storyline, Lyja poses as the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
in order to send the Baxter Building
Baxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
to the Negative Zone
Negative Zone
The Negative Zone is a fictional setting, an antimatter universe depicted in publications from Marvel Comics, most frequently in Fantastic Four and Captain Marvel. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, it first appeared in Fantastic Four #51 .-Fictional description:The Negative Zone in the Marvel...
.
Franklin Richards
Franklin Richards is a fictional comic book character appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in Fantastic Four.Franklin is an Omega-Level mutant with vast psionic and reality-manipulating powers...
and Valeria
Valeria Richards
Valeria Meghan Richards is a fictional character of Marvel Comics, the daughter of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman , husband and wife and two original members of the superhero team the Fantastic Four. She is the younger sister of Franklin Richards...
are grabbed by Negative Zone creatures, but Lyja saves them. She tells Johnny that she was working in a book store when a Skrull approached her, telling her to join them. They told her to blow up the Baxter Building, but instead she suggested sending them all to the Negative Zone, in hopes of keeping them from harm's way. When Ben, Johnny, Franklin, Val and the Tinkerer
Tinkerer
The Tinkerer is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in comic books set in the Marvel Comics Universe...
were ready to leave the Negative Zone she refused to leave, because she wanted to find out who she is.
Powers and abilities
Lyja's Deviant SkrullSkrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
heritage give her the ability to change size, shape, and color at will, taking on the appearance but not the characteristics of other beings and objects. Skrulls cannot duplicate the superhuman powers of the beings they use their shape-shifting powers to impersonate.
For a brief time, because of genetic alteration (really an implant) by Paibok the Power Skrull, Lyja had the ability to project blasts of laser-like beams called her "bio-blasts" from her hands without harm to herself. She could suspend herself in the air by firing her bio-blasts beneath her. These powers were lost when her body rejected the power-generating implant during her giving "birth".
Lyja wears body armor of unspecified materials. She wore special contact lenses that rendered her blind while she impersonated Alicia Masters.
Lyja has been trained in armed and unarmed combat by the Skrull military. She is also trained in acting and educated in Earth culture and history and the English language by Skrull tutors. She is also talented as a creator of abstract sculpture.
In the Secret Invasion storyline, she has recently regained her energy powers through unspecified means, as well as the ability to resist the incredible levels of heat and flame the Human Torch can generate. Lyja has also been seen manifesting dragonlike wings through her shape-shifting powers, enabling her to fly.
Marvel Zombies
Lyja appears in the Marvel ZombiesMarvel Zombies
Marvel Zombies is a five-issue limited series published from December 2005 to April 2006 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips and covers by Arthur Suydam. It was the first series in the Marvel Zombies series of related stories...
Universe on a planet besieged by the Zombie Galactus- consisting of zombie versions of Giant-Man
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
, 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...
, Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
, Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
and the Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
during a Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
crossover. Here she possesses the power of the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
as part of an experiment following the death of the Super-Skrull
Super-Skrull
The Super-Skrull is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #18 The Super-Skrull (Kl'rt) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The...
in this universe; unable to replicate the Super-Skrull, the Fantastic Four's powers were instead given to four different Skrulls. She is loyal to the Skrulls and seems insulted when the Johnny Storm of the regular Marvel Universe admits to knowing her.
She is shortly thereafter infected with the zombie virus, along with the rest of her team. During the subsequent conflict between the two teams, she is decapitated by a vibranium
Vibranium
Vibranium is a fictional metal that appears in the Marvel Universe. It is most commonly known as one of the materials used to construct Captain America's shield, but it is also noted for its connection to the Black Panther and his native homeland of Wakanda .-Publication history:Vibranium first...
dagger thrown by the Black Panther, and her head is subsequently destroyed by Black Panther
Black Panther (comics)
The Black Panther is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and penciller-co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #52...
before she can bite Johnny.
MC2
In the MC2 universe, Lyja is once again married to the Human Torch and is a member of the Fantastic FiveFantastic Five
Fantastic Five is the name of superhero team that exists in the MC2 Universe, an alternate future to the Marvel Universe. A continuation of the Fantastic Four, the team was originally composed of the Human Torch, his wife Ms.Fantastic/Lyja , the Thing, Big Brain , and Psi-Lord .-Fictional team...
, under the name Ms. Fantastic. The couple has a son, Torus Storm, who inherited both Lyja's shape-shifting abilities and the Torch's flame powers. She remains active among the Fantastic Five and is sporadically seen in the Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl is a superheroine in Marvel Comics' MC2 universe. The character was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz as the teenage daughter of Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, and first appeared in What If #105...
series and related mini-series. Spider-Girl mentions in their first encounter that if she was not fighting Lyja she would probably ask for her autograph, as she was a fan.
Power Pack - All Ages
Lyja is introduced within the Skrulls vs. Power Pack miniseries as a young Skrull who is impersonating Katie PowerKatie Power
Energizer , is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' universe. She first appeared in Power Pack #1 and was created by Louise Simonson and June Brigman.-Publication history:...
, as well as being a commander under the orders of Warpriest Kh'oja; in which he framed the Power siblings by stealing special treasures from Patchworld.
Television
- Lyja appeared in the 1994 Fantastic FourFantastic Four (1994 TV series)Fantastic Four is the third animated television series based on Marvel's comic book series of the same name. Airing began on September 24, 1994, until ending on February 24, 1996...
TV series voiced by Katherine Moffat. She is shown as a commander to the Skrull army.