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Silhouette (comics)
Encyclopedia
Silhouette is a fictional character
, a superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. She first appeared in New Warriors
(vol. 1) #2, (August 1990), and was created by Fabian Nicieza
and Mark Bagley
. Silhouette and her brother Aaron Chord (Midnight's Fire
) are mutants.
, an American recon patrol in Cambodia
stumbled upon an ancient, hidden temple
of a cult known as the Dragon's Breath, which had remained hidden for centuries. It had been built upon a well-spring of raw, primal energy called the "Well of All Things". The inhabitants decided to breed a superior race that would one day unite with the ways of the west. They believed that this union would produce children capable of harnessing the power of the Well. The members of the recon patrol were to be the fathers of these children; one of these men was Andrew Chord, the man who would become Silhouette's father.
) are the only children of Andrew Chord
, the former guardian of Dwayne Taylor (Night Thrasher
) and his wife Miyami (Tai
's only daughter), and were born in New York City
. Silhouette and Midnight's Fire were operating as independent vigilantes in the streets of New York, when they met Dwayne (before he had become Night Thrasher), and the three began an organized effort to take down various New York City criminal street gangs. She began a romance with Night Thrasher during this time.
This partnership ended when Silhouette was shot by police gunfire and paralyzed from the legs down in a sting gone wrong. Midnight's Fire blamed Dwayne, becoming a cop killer
and druglord in order to lure Dwayne into a physical confrontation he could not possibly win, and Silhouette ultimately turned away from Midnight's Fire. Later the partially paralyzed Silhouette reunited with Dwayne, distancing herself from her brother's evil actions.
Years later, Silhouette fought the Bengal
, and sought aid from the New Warriors
. Upon reuniting with Dwayne, she revealed her "shadow-melting" power to him. She was attacked by the Punisher
, but made peace with him. With the New Warriors, she battled the White Queen
and the Hellions. Silhouette then joins with the New Warriors as an adventurer full time. The problem with her loss of clothes caused by her shadow powers is solved by the illegal use of unstable molecules for her costume. She first clashed with Psionex
, and then with the New Warriors and the Fantastic Four
, battled Terrax
. Silhouette helped Night Thrasher investigate corruption in the Taylor Foundation, and witnessed Chord's suicide attempt. With the New Warriors, she was captured by Gideon
, and then first battled the Sphinx
. Reed Richards
, the owner of the patent for unstable molecules, gives his personal blessing for her to use them because he understands the heroic work the New Warriors do.
. The Circle attempted to take control of the Well away from Tai. Members of the Circle, together with the New Warriors, managed to defeat Tai, but the Well was sealed, Cassias and Tai were apparently killed, and the surviving members of the Circle escaped in a stolen Avengers' Quinjet.
The remaining members of the Folding Circle later crashed in Madripoor
and attempted to usurp the role of local drug-lord (Aardwolf
, a mutant
crime-lord). They succeeded, but were later taken down by Night Thrasher and Silhouette.
It was around this time Silhouette became the brainwashed assistant/bodyguard to the cosmic villain Goddess in the limited series Infinity Crusade
. She saves most of the cosmos from the power-mad fantasies of Pip the Troll
, unfortunately just in time for the homicidal fantasies of the Goddess to prevail. The Goddess ends up defeated by other forces.
Silhouette and Bandit moved to Chicago
together, and for a long time, nothing was heard from either of them until Bandit showed up in New Orleans, attempting to con Belladonna into helping him destroy the Thieves Guild. It is during this story that Gambit
reveals the fact that Bandit and Silhouette are still together, and that he was only manipulating Belladonna. The Guild was destroyed and Bandit left New Orleans and presumably returned to Chicago.
but unlike her grandmother Tai who derived powers from the Universal Wellspring.
's "Secret Avengers," declaring her stance against the Superhuman Registration Act
. Silhouette is part of the backup team when Iron Man wants to meet Captain America on the field at Yankee Stadium, at night when it is empty. During the meeting, all the stadium's lights turn on at once. While Ultra Girl, Spider-Man and Luke Cage attack Iron Man, Silhouette takes Captain America away via the shadows.
Silhouette has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who have registered after the Civil War.
She later confronts the 'new' Night Thrasher about his new set-up of the New Warriors and finds out he is in fact Bandit.
dimension. She can "melt" into any shadow or area of darkness, thus entereing the Darkforce dimension, and then reemerge on Earth through another shadow or area of darkness.
Like Nightcrawler
, Silhouette originally had the power to shadow-meld, thereby becoming nearly invisible while under the cover of darkness, as well as the ability to teleport via dimension hop, using any available shadow as a portal. She could also open small portals anywhere shadows existed and use them to attack distant enemies by extending her crutches through them.
After a disturbance in the Darkforce that affected everyone who used it, she found that her powers had increased to the point where she could now teleport others. She has demonstrated this ability by teleporting small groups of people along with herself, although it is painful and leaves her exhausted. She can also now become 'living darkness', and can cause extreme pain by phasing through the bodies of her enemies.
Like her brother Midnight's Fire, Silhouette also has enhanced speed, strength, agility, and sensory perception. She is a superb hand-to-hand combatant and capable martial artist, and master of an unspecified martial art.
Later in New Warriors (Vol 4) she now has the ability to manipulate the dark force energies to create tendrils much in the same manner as Asylum
, another dark force user.
A later design had retractable braces in specially designed open metal gauntlets.
She wears a costume made from unstable molecules
, because initially she could only teleport herself and any inanimate matter composed of unstable molecules; therefore, her clothes fell off whenever she shadow-melded.
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...
, a 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 first appeared in New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
(vol. 1) #2, (August 1990), and was created by Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza
Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...
and Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley is an American comic book artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics and DC Comics on such titles as The Amazing Spider-Man, Thunderbolts, New Warriors, and Ultimate Spider-Man.- Early life and career :...
. Silhouette and her brother Aaron Chord (Midnight's Fire
Midnight's Fire
Midnight's Fire is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New Warriors #2, , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley...
) are mutants.
Origin
In 1966 during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, an American recon patrol in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
stumbled upon an ancient, hidden temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of a cult known as the Dragon's Breath, which had remained hidden for centuries. It had been built upon a well-spring of raw, primal energy called the "Well of All Things". The inhabitants decided to breed a superior race that would one day unite with the ways of the west. They believed that this union would produce children capable of harnessing the power of the Well. The members of the recon patrol were to be the fathers of these children; one of these men was Andrew Chord, the man who would become Silhouette's father.
Midnight's Fire/Paralyzed
Silhouette and her brother Aaron (Midnight's FireMidnight's Fire
Midnight's Fire is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New Warriors #2, , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley...
) are the only children of Andrew Chord
Andrew Chord
Chord is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is African American. His first appearance was in Thor #411. Chord was the mentor of Night Thrasher and the New Warriors...
, the former guardian of Dwayne Taylor (Night Thrasher
Night Thrasher
Night Thrasher is a fictional character, a superhero published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Thor #411 , and was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.-Publication history:...
) and his wife Miyami (Tai
Tai (comics)
Tai is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. A Cambodian, Tai was something of a mentor for the New Warriors in the first 25 issues of their first series.-Fictional character biography:...
's only daughter), and were born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Silhouette and Midnight's Fire were operating as independent vigilantes in the streets of New York, when they met Dwayne (before he had become Night Thrasher), and the three began an organized effort to take down various New York City criminal street gangs. She began a romance with Night Thrasher during this time.
This partnership ended when Silhouette was shot by police gunfire and paralyzed from the legs down in a sting gone wrong. Midnight's Fire blamed Dwayne, becoming a cop killer
Cop Killer
Cop Killer or cop killer may refer to:*A person who kills a police officer*"Cop Killer" , a 1992 song by Body Count*Cop Killer , the English translation of the ninth book in the detective series written by Sjöwall and Wahlöö...
and druglord in order to lure Dwayne into a physical confrontation he could not possibly win, and Silhouette ultimately turned away from Midnight's Fire. Later the partially paralyzed Silhouette reunited with Dwayne, distancing herself from her brother's evil actions.
Years later, Silhouette fought the Bengal
Bengal (comics)
Bengal is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe who first appeared in Daredevil #258 in September 1988. He was created by Fabian Nicieza and artist, Ron Lim.-Fictional character biography:...
, and sought aid from the New Warriors
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a Marvel Comics superhero team, traditionally consisting of young adult heroes. They first appeared in The Mighty Thor #411 .-General publication history:...
. Upon reuniting with Dwayne, she revealed her "shadow-melting" power to him. She was attacked by the Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
, but made peace with him. With the New Warriors, she battled the White Queen
Emma Frost
Emma Grace Frost is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne....
and the Hellions. Silhouette then joins with the New Warriors as an adventurer full time. The problem with her loss of clothes caused by her shadow powers is solved by the illegal use of unstable molecules for her costume. She first clashed with Psionex
Psionex
Psionex are a team of comic book supervillains and occasional anti-heroes in the Marvel Comics universe. They were created by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley, first appearing in New Warriors vol. 1 #4.-Profiles:*Pretty Persuasions - Heidi P...
, and then with the New Warriors and the Fantastic Four
Fantastic 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...
, battled Terrax
Terrax
Terrax the Tamer is a fictional character that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #211 and was created by Marv Wolfman and John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...
. Silhouette helped Night Thrasher investigate corruption in the Taylor Foundation, and witnessed Chord's suicide attempt. With the New Warriors, she was captured by Gideon
Gideon (comics)
Gideon is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza...
, and then first battled the Sphinx
Sphinx (comics)
The Sphinx is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the Sphinx first appeared in Nova #6 and was created by Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema...
. Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
, the owner of the patent for unstable molecules, gives his personal blessing for her to use them because he understands the heroic work the New Warriors do.
Folding Circle and the Infinity Crusade
Diego Casseas, one of the other members of the recon patrol, now calling himself the Left Hand, stole the power of the Well from his own child, then gathered the other children of the pact into a group called the Folding CircleFolding Circle
The Folding Circle is a team of comic book supervillains in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe. They were created by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley in New Warriors Volume 1 #21...
. The Circle attempted to take control of the Well away from Tai. Members of the Circle, together with the New Warriors, managed to defeat Tai, but the Well was sealed, Cassias and Tai were apparently killed, and the surviving members of the Circle escaped in a stolen Avengers' Quinjet.
The remaining members of the Folding Circle later crashed in Madripoor
Madripoor
The Principality of Madripoor is a fictional island located in Southeast Asia in the Marvel Comics universe. Based on illustrations, it is in the southern portion of the Strait of Malacca, southwest of Singapore.-Publication history:...
and attempted to usurp the role of local drug-lord (Aardwolf
Aardwolf (comics)
Aardwolf is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Night Thrasher vol. 2, #3, released in October 1993...
, a mutant
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
crime-lord). They succeeded, but were later taken down by Night Thrasher and Silhouette.
It was around this time Silhouette became the brainwashed assistant/bodyguard to the cosmic villain Goddess in the limited series Infinity Crusade
Infinity Crusade
Infinity Crusade is a six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1993. The series was written by Jim Starlin and penciled by Ron Lim, Ian Laughlin, Al Milgrom and Jack Morelli....
. She saves most of the cosmos from the power-mad fantasies of Pip the Troll
Pip the Troll
Pip the Troll is a fictional character who appears in publications of Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Pip the Troll was introduced by Jim Starlin in Strange Tales vol 2 #179 to be a comic foil to the story's main protagonist, Adam Warlock...
, unfortunately just in time for the homicidal fantasies of the Goddess to prevail. The Goddess ends up defeated by other forces.
Relationships
For a time, Silhouette and Night Thrasher were lovers; in fact, Dwayne had been in love with her for a very long time, but his anger and single-minded obsession with his "mission" eventually pushed her away. Silhouette later hooked up with Dwayne's half-brother Bandit, and they both left the team.Silhouette and Bandit moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
together, and for a long time, nothing was heard from either of them until Bandit showed up in New Orleans, attempting to con Belladonna into helping him destroy the Thieves Guild. It is during this story that Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
reveals the fact that Bandit and Silhouette are still together, and that he was only manipulating Belladonna. The Guild was destroyed and Bandit left New Orleans and presumably returned to Chicago.
Universal Wellspring
Silhouette is a mutant like her brother Midnight's FireMidnight's Fire
Midnight's Fire is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New Warriors #2, , and was created by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley...
but unlike her grandmother Tai who derived powers from the Universal Wellspring.
Civil War
Silhouette is seen as a member of Captain AmericaCaptain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
's "Secret Avengers," declaring her stance against the Superhuman Registration Act
Registration Acts (comics)
The Registration Acts—the Mutant Registration Act and Superhuman Registration Act —are fictional legislative bills that have been plot points used in various comic books published by Marvel Comics which, when passed into law, enforce the mandatory registration of superpowered individuals with...
. Silhouette is part of the backup team when Iron Man wants to meet Captain America on the field at Yankee Stadium, at night when it is empty. During the meeting, all the stadium's lights turn on at once. While Ultra Girl, Spider-Man and Luke Cage attack Iron Man, Silhouette takes Captain America away via the shadows.
Silhouette has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who have registered after the Civil War.
She later confronts the 'new' Night Thrasher about his new set-up of the New Warriors and finds out he is in fact Bandit.
Powers and abilities
Thanks to her genetic heritage developed through many generations of selective breeding, Silhouette has the ability to teleport herself over short distances on Earth by traveling through the DarkforceDarkforce
-Description:It is a powerful, extra-dimensional energy that can be manipulated in slightly different ways by a handful of beings that are attuned to it. There are slight yet inconclusive hints that it may be a corruptive influence of some kind and perhaps even sentient...
dimension. She can "melt" into any shadow or area of darkness, thus entereing the Darkforce dimension, and then reemerge on Earth through another shadow or area of darkness.
Like Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
, Silhouette originally had the power to shadow-meld, thereby becoming nearly invisible while under the cover of darkness, as well as the ability to teleport via dimension hop, using any available shadow as a portal. She could also open small portals anywhere shadows existed and use them to attack distant enemies by extending her crutches through them.
After a disturbance in the Darkforce that affected everyone who used it, she found that her powers had increased to the point where she could now teleport others. She has demonstrated this ability by teleporting small groups of people along with herself, although it is painful and leaves her exhausted. She can also now become 'living darkness', and can cause extreme pain by phasing through the bodies of her enemies.
Like her brother Midnight's Fire, Silhouette also has enhanced speed, strength, agility, and sensory perception. She is a superb hand-to-hand combatant and capable martial artist, and master of an unspecified martial art.
Later in New Warriors (Vol 4) she now has the ability to manipulate the dark force energies to create tendrils much in the same manner as Asylum
Asylum (comics)
This article is about the Marvel Comics characters. For the Image Comics anthology, see Asylum .Asylum is the name of two characters in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Fictional character biography:...
, another dark force user.
Equipment
After her legs were crippled due to injuries inflicted by gunfire, Night Thrasher designed and built a special pair of combat-capable crutches and leg braces for her. Thrash designed the crutches to include both a hidden electric tazer that can emit electrical charges to stun an adversary, and a slim anesthetic needle injector that delivered paralytic chemicals. The crutches are also equipped with "smoke gas" and metal firing pellets.A later design had retractable braces in specially designed open metal gauntlets.
She wears a costume made from unstable molecules
Unstable molecules
Unstable molecules are a piece of fictional technology featured in Marvel Comics. They exist as a configuration of unknown atomic nuclei and electrons that are responsive to certain energized matter around them...
, because initially she could only teleport herself and any inanimate matter composed of unstable molecules; therefore, her clothes fell off whenever she shadow-melded.