Tabitha Smith
Encyclopedia
Tabitha Smith is a fictional character
, a comic book
superhero
in the Marvel Comics
universe
. Created by Jim Shooter
and Al Milgrom
, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II
#5 (November 1985). She later appeared as a member of the X-Force
and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave
. Since her first appearance, Tabitha has used a number of different codenames, including Time Bomb, Boom-Boom, Boomer, and Meltdown. Tabitha is one of the mutants to have kept her powers after House of M
.
and Al Milgrom
, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II
#5 (November 1985). She next appears as a main character in the Fallen Angels
limited series. This leads to her becoming a supporting character in the X-Factor
series beginning with issue #11, which then leads to her becoming a member of the short-lived X-Terminators
team in the X-Terminators limited series. Following this series, she appears as a member of the New Mutants
for the remainder of the New Mutants title; the team then became X-Force
and she remained a member of the team for most of the X-Force series. Some time later, she appears as a member of Nextwave
throughout the Nextwave series.
. She is depicted as a rebellious but normal teenager in her first appearance. Daughter of divorced parents, Tabitha's mutant
powers manifest at 13, and her parents immediately show their disgust, her father even beating her. She runs away from home, giving herself the alias "Time Bomb," and meets the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder
. He brings her to Charles Xavier, headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters
, who ignores her to combat the Beyonder. Just before she can commit suicide over this second rejection, the Beyonder stops her, taking her with him on his cosmic trip. The Beyonder confronts the Celestials
, and at her behest, returns Tabitha to Earth. She helps the Avengers
ambush the Beyonder. She leaves the battlefield when she learns that the Beyonder felt betrayed by the actions of "his only friend."
then recruits her for his band of thieves, called the Fallen Angels, and she officially takes on her codename "Boom-Boom." She eventually betrays the Vanisher, calling in the help of X-Factor
, whom she stays with afterwards. Tabitha's former teammate in the Fallen Angels, the alien Ariel
kidnaps the Angels to her home planet, to be experimented on by her planet's scientists. Ultimately though, she can't go through with the plan and helps them escape. The Angels return to Earth and go their separate ways. Tabitha is kidnapped by the Right, an anti-mutant organization. Tabitha, X-Factor, and other mutants regain their freedom. Later, Tabitha joins her fellow X-Factor trainees as the X-Terminators
. The team battles N'astirh
's demons. During her tenure with the team, she convinces Rictor not to commit suicide.
saga, Tabitha and some members of the X-Terminators, Rusty
, Skids
and Rictor
, join the New Mutants
. During her time with the New Mutants, Tabitha falls in love with her teammate, Cannonball
. When the team is transported to the mythical realm of Asgard, it is partially through Tabitha that the team is able to foil a plot to kill Odin. They encounter the man known as Cable
, and when he starts to mentor the team, Tabitha gains greater control of her powers. Tabitha is captured by Stryfe
and the Mutant Liberation Front
, but is rescued.
During "The X-Tinction Agenda" crossover, in which the mutant-hating country of Genosha
begins attacking mutants in the United States in retaliation for an earlier fight with the X-Men, the Genoshan Magistrates kidnap Boom-Boom and some of her teammates, namely Rictor, Wolfsbane and Warlock, transporting them to Genosha. The incident receives international coverage, and Tabitha's father is even interviewed, still voicing his disgust for his daughter. Although stripped of their powers, she and Rictor manage to escape, whereas Wolfsbane had been processed as a mutate slave. Warlock does not survive. On the streets of Genosha, Rictor and Tabitha meet Jubilee
, and Tabitha and Jubilee's similar attitudes clash. They eventually make their way to the Genoshan citadel, where the other X-Teams gather to defeat Cameron Hodge
, the villain who orchestrated the entire ordeal. Once returned to the United States, Tabitha spreads the ashes of her friend Warlock over the grave of Warlock's best friend Doug Ramsey
, a New Mutant that had died.
. The team undergoes a revamp, employing new, more aggressive methods. During this time, Tabitha acts on her crush on Cannonball, and the two have a relationship. Although questioning the team's new methods, Tabitha sticks with the team, rechristening herself "Boomer." She battles the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
alongside her new team in one of their early missions.
During the "X-Cutioner's Song" crossover, the X-Men confront X-Force, whom they believe are involved in an attempted murder of Professor X
. Boomer was defeated in combat by Rogue
, and taken prisoner by X-Factor. When her team is jailed by the X-Men, Cannonball chooses Tabitha to fight with him alongside the X-Men, against the Mutant Liberation Front
. Soon they discover that Rusty and Skids have joined the MLF, and Boomer's jaw is broken in combat by Skids. After this event, Tabitha is confronted by Cannonball's ex Lila Cheney
, who gives the couple her blessing. Showing how serious Cannonball is himself, he takes Tabitha along for a vacation on his family's farm, during which they are confronted by the Gamesmaster
and the Upstarts
, and team up with the New Warriors
to defeat them.
Eventually, the team's headquarters are blown up twice, and without a home the team moves back into Xavier's mansion. Shortly after, Cannonball graduates into becoming an X-Men member, and their relationship waters down. Seeking comfort, Tabitha spends most of her time caring for the lobotomized Sabretooth, also confiding in him. Her teammates attempt an unsuccessful intervention.
Sabretooth reveals that he's faking the ordeal however, and fully healed, escapes by deceiving Tabitha into destroying his bonds. In his escape, he eviscerates the X-Man Psylocke
, who barely survives her wounds.
In an effort to deal with the guilt from this incident, Tabitha travels home to visit her father. The two reconcile, but in a fight with Sebastian Shaw
and Holocaust
, her father is critically injured. With more guilt on her mind, Tabitha underwent a radical change, renaming herself "Meltdown," designing a new costume and gaining better control of her powers along with a more brash and assertive attitude. This new attitude is displayed by Meltdown when she fights the Blob
, threatening to kill him, and eventually having two time-bombs explode near his eardrums.
With Cannonball spending his time with the X-Men, Tabitha grows closer to Sunspot
and they have a short fling. Cannonball finds out and is initially angry but reconciles with both his friends, rejoining X-Force in the process. After an incident in which the High Evolutionary
shut off all mutant powers, Tabitha and Cannonball come close to rekindling their relationship.
and Bedlam
, agreed to enter into this new arrangement, and they took up residence in an abandoned Nevada Hulkbuster base for extensive retraining for martial combat and the use of their powers. In particular, Tabitha learned how to direct the explosive force of her power into streams of guided energy, and was also heavily trained in computer hacking and manipulating digital information. The revamped X-Force fought the shadow wars that other people couldn't even see, against the likes of meat-spore storm-troopers, mutagenic bioreactors and assassins who carried the mutant gene for murder. After she almost lost Sam to that last threat, Meltdown confessed she couldn't bear to see him die, and the two of them became lovers again. While most of their missions were successful, they weren't without their share of troubles - Wisdom was apparently killed on their first mission back in San Francisco since leaving, and on two separate occasions their enemies tried to kill them in massive explosions.
The team's undercover status turned out to be a weakness, though, for some new organization consisting of mutants that wanted to get rich and famous thought the name was up for grabs. After buying legal rights to use "X-Force" as their name, this group went public and soon became popular. When the original X-Force learned of this, they came out of hiding and confronted the new guys about the name and violating the original concept behind the team, it was already too late. Apparently, the original X-Force disbanded after this, retreating from their recent hardcore offensive stance on mutant issues. Sam and Tabitha also went their separate ways.
discovers hints regarding the existence of a revamped Weapon X
program, one designed to use mutants to hunt down and intern other mutants, he creates an organization to investigate the program and the existence of its internment camp, Neverland. He dubs the organization the Underground, and invites Meltdown to join his elite group. Ultimately, Cable's Underground group is joined by Weapon X agent Brent Jackson
, who hopes to stage a coup against the project's Director and has formed his own resistance group with fellow agents Washout
, Marrow
, Wild Child
, and Sauron
. Jackson betrays the Underground team however after the coup is successful and alters/wipes their memories of the events.
Sometime thereafter, Cable learns of another threat to mutant-kind, the voracious creatures known as the Skornn
, a creature that was going to threaten Earth. He gathers and reunites X-Force in order to deal with them. Meltdown is among the former members he recruits. While both Cannonball and Sunspot are also involved in the conflict, Tabitha’s feelings for either weren’t brought up. However, she reveals to have learned a new trick with her mutant powers when she channeled one of her time bombs through Shatterstar's blade straight into the chest of a seemingly unbeatable opponent. After the Skornn was also defeated, some of X-Force remains together, assisting Cable on Providence, an island nation he created. Afterwards, she helps them attack the headquarters of the Black Box, though the occupant turns out to be a robot.
Tabitha is one of the few mutants who retain her powers after the events of M-Day
.
Shortly afterwards, after an initial period of wild arrogance, Tabitha seems to mellow out and settle back into her earlier, more bubbly personality. She even develops a tendency to use chat room-like short-hand when speaking out loud, such as "OMG," "ZOMG," and "OH NOES!" She also begins to start saying "Tick, tick, tick, tick-- BOOM!" when using her powers. Tabitha also grows her hair long and eschewed her codename and re-appears as a founding member of Nextwave
, a new off-beat and more than slightly satirical super-hero team featured in an eponymous comic book series created by Warren Ellis
and Stuart Immonen
. The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, or H.A.T.E.
(a subsidiary of the Beyond Corporation©
) formed the team. Tabitha Smith's new team includes other second-string characters taken from Marvel limbo, including Monica Rambeau
(formerly Captain Marvel, the leader of the Avengers), Elsa Bloodstone
, Aaron Stack
, and new character The Captain
.
Everything seemed on the up-and-up until Tabitha began snooping around, and discovered the marketing plan of the Beyond Corporation, H.A.T.E.'s financial backers. It turned out that Beyond Corp evolved out of the former terrorist cell known as S.I.L.E.N.T., and was planning to use H.A.T.E. and Nextwave to further its own sinister agendas. Tabitha brought the files she stole to the squad leader, Pulsar, and Nextwave hijacked a Shockwave Rider transport ship and defected from H.A.T.E. Tabitha and the others fought against their former employers, and defended the country from the unusual WMDs
unleashed by the Beyond Corporation on the general populace; the first biological weapon was revealed to be Fin Fang Foom
, a giant lizard which clambered from underground and proceeded to wreck the building site.
After putting an end to the threat of Fin Fang Foom in Abscess, North Dakota
, Nextwave moved on to Illinois
. Tabitha manages to subdue Mac Mangel, a corrupt police officer who had been taken as a host by the Ultra Samurai Seed. The Ultra Samurai metallic shell disintegrates, leaving Mangel crushed. Upon learning that he was a police officer, Tabitha and Aaron began to beat Mangel before Rambeau intervened.
The team were later attacked by The New Paramounts, a team consisting of Not Brand Echh
characters including Forbush Man
, The Inedible Bulk and Charlie America. Forbush Man attempted to use his mind control powers on Tabitha, but was shocked to find they didn't work on her as she apparently has no mind. Tabitha subsequently killed Forbush Man, saving her teammates. When they awoke, she explained "The little guy did something to your heads. I gave him the explodo because I am clever." Not long after, they eventually exposed and destroyed the true mastermind behind S.I.L.E.N.T.
Writer Warren Ellis
said that he picked Boom-Boom to be in Nextwave, because Boom-Boom is his favorite super hero name in the history of comics for its sheer oddness and silliness, and he loved it when she was in Uncanny X-Men when Joe Madureira was the artist.
Despite the appearance of Nextwave characters in other Marvel titles, in 2006 Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada
stated that Nextwave's setting was in a universe separate from the main Marvel continuity. However, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
and Civil War: Battle Damage Report
consistently place Nextwave's activities in mainstream continuity. To further complicate matters, Nextwave's entry in Civil War: Battle Damage Report states: "Recent intelligence suggests some or all Nextwave members unknowingly had their memories and/or personalities altered by their new employers (H.A.T.E.)."
.
. Forced by the Beast
to confront Nuwa through research, instead of strength alone, she discovers using a thinly veiled parody of MySpace
and Facebook
called FaceSpace the true nature of Nuwa's sedation powers, then nullifies them by consuming large quantities of stimulant
s, namely the caffeine
in an unspecified number of espresso
s.
emerges from the timestream seconds before the Leper Queen is about to kill Tabitha and shoots her in the head. With the Leper Queen dead and Boom-Boom saved, X-23 collapses in exhaustion just as a team of H.A.M.M.E.R. agents storm the building, providing Tabitha with medical care while taking X-23 into custody. The agents are given the order to take a genetic sample from Tabitha and then kill her, but one agent plans to rape her before killing her. She is saved from death yet again by Warpath, who kills the agents before they are able to defile her and takes her to the X-Force safehouse to see if she remembers anything else about her kidnapping.
," amongst the mutants assembled in Nightcrawler
's chapel as they all prepare to abandon San Francisco for the base that the X-Club has raised from the bottom of the ocean. She is among the first group of mutants teleported by Pixie
to the new base. Boom-Boom was also one of the X-Men who defeated the invading Predator Xs who attacked Utopia. Boom-Boom, Iceman, and Colossus teamed up to defeat the first Predator.
who originally had the power to create psionic balls of energy, which she calls her "time bombs." These "bombs" explode with concussive force. She can produce marble-sized "bombs" which have little concussive impact and which she uses for playing pranks. She has produced "time bombs" ranging up to the size of beach balls, which have been shown to detonate with sufficient force to destroy highly durable objects including a Predator X, and a futuristic Nimrod
. Tabitha can control the amount of time between the creation of one of her "bombs" and the time it detonates. She can mentally muffle the sound of the detonation.
She is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, coached in unarmed combat by Cable
. She is an excellent player of video games. She is an accomplished thief, trained by the Vanisher
.
Under the direction of Pete Wisdom she learned to focus her power as streams of concussive force.
In Nextwave, her powers are summarized as "the mutant ability to blow things up and steal all your stuff." She also has access to technological support, such as jetpacks. She was apparently immune to Forbush Man
's mind-warping abilities, because she supposedly had no mind to warp.
#3 with her Nextwave team, all uninfected, in order to save Ash
from a zombified Power Pack. The entire team is "humiliatingly and ruthlessly dispatched off panel" moments later.
and Wolverine
in Rahne of Terra and Knight of Terra, Geshem is an otherdimensional realm of medieval magic. The land is ruled by Queen Rain, a counterpart of Wolfsbane, and that dimension’s Tabitha is her most loyal and trusted maid. Rain confided in Tabitha with her deepest secrets. She has no known powers.
, a series set ten to fifteen years in the future, Meltdown is once again a member of X-Force along with Warpath, Domino, Shatterstar, Feral, and Rictor when the team meets their end. After their aircraft is shot out of the sky, (which X-Force barely survives), Meltdown is absorbed by the strange entity called Divinity, who uses Tabitha’s powers against her teammates. Not much later, though, Divinity is killed by Apocalypse
while Meltdown is still trapped inside him.
, in an alternate universe where Spiral has conquered and now rules Earth. On that Earth, Spiral has also killed most of that world's heroes and mutants. Together, the team eventually defeats Spiral. Tabitha also seems to have developed telepathic powers in this timeline.
animated series as a young child, along with Rusty
, Whiz-Kid
, and Skids
in the episode "No Mutant is an Island". She was among the mutant children that Cyclops' old friend Sarah takes care of, and Scott has to rescue her and the other kids from The Purple Man, Kilgrave
. A mutant himself with telepathic abilities, he wanted to use the children to make them his army to destroy all humans in the world so that mutants are accepted. Killgrave brainwashes the four and uses them to storm the governor's mansion so he can make the governor his mind-controlled slave. Scott was able to snap Boom-Boom and the others out of Kilgrave's hypnotic brainwashing in the end and saves the mutant children.
animated TV series, Boom-Boom was voiced by Megan Leitch
. Originally one of the New Mutants, Tabitha has a troubled past and a criminal father. Her father took advantage of her mutant abilities to commit crimes when she was younger. She eventually found a home at the Xavier Institute, although her stay was short-lived. While not evil or malicious, the lack of discipline and mischievousness made her a troublesome guest for anyone willing to take her in. She spent an episode bonding with Kurt Wagner
, whom she saw as someone similar to her since they were kind of outcasts (him, because of his looks; her, because of her family life and her rebelliousness).
At the end of this episode, she felt that she didn't fit in and moved in with the Brotherhood of Mutants
, who were more her style, saying that there were too many rules at the Institute. She often played practical jokes on the boys (such as shaving off Blob's Mohawk while he slept) and abused their hospitality, though they did little to stop her. Also, at times she'd aid them; she took the always rejected and laughed at Blob and Toad
as her dates for the party in Shadow Dance. Tabitha never actually took up a villainous role, though, and she was evicted upon the return of Mystique
. She even discovered some of Mystique's plans and, after blowing up her bedroom, she went to the X-Men manor and tried to tell them, but failed.
Her role in the series was significantly diminished afterward; she appeared to rejoin the X-Men and is seen in uniform in the episode "Stuff of Heroes" appeared mostly in the company of her best friend, Amara a.k.a. Magma
from the New Mutants, appearing in several episodes of the series afterwards with no serious loyalties (noticeably, in Cruise Control, she travels along with the rest of the New Mutants, under the care of Jean, Scott and Ororo, though not reintegrated into the X-Men). Finally, according to the season finale, she took the decision of returning to the X-Men's side.
. She is seen as a captive of the Mutant Response Division. She and others are freed by Wolverine and even helps to repel the soldiers with Pyro
manipulating her psionic energy balls.
produced by WizKids
, Inc. where each player constructs a "team" of heroes and villains. She was also included in the new Giant Size X-Men Heroclix set in her Nextwave costume.
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 comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
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...
. Created by Jim Shooter
Jim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
and Al Milgrom
Al Milgrom
Allen "Al" Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West...
, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom....
#5 (November 1985). She later appeared as a member of the X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
and, more recently, as a member of Nextwave
Nextwave
Nextwave is a comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics between 2006 and 2007.-Concept:The series was written exclusively in two-issue story arcs, a choice deliberately bucking the trend in modern American comics toward decompression...
. Since her first appearance, Tabitha has used a number of different codenames, including Time Bomb, Boom-Boom, Boomer, and Meltdown. Tabitha is one of the mutants to have kept her powers after House of M
House of M
House of M is an eight-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics in 2005. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel, its first issue debuted in June 2005 as a follow-up to the events of the Planet X and Avengers Disassembled...
.
Publication history
Created by Jim ShooterJim Shooter
James Shooter is an American writer, occasional fill-in artist, editor, and publisher for various comic books. Although he started professionally in the medium at the extraordinarily young age of 14, he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comics' ninth...
and Al Milgrom
Al Milgrom
Allen "Al" Milgrom is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of Marvel Fanfare; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker on Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man; his four-year tenure as West...
, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II
Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom....
#5 (November 1985). She next appears as a main character in the Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels (comics)
Fallen Angels is a team of fictional comic book superhuman teenagers in the Marvel Comics universe. The team's only appearances were in the Fallen Angels eight-issue limited series, written by Jo Duffy, which ran from April 1987 to November 1987....
limited series. This leads to her becoming a supporting character in the X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
series beginning with issue #11, which then leads to her becoming a member of the short-lived X-Terminators
X-Terminators
The X-Terminators are fictional characters in the Marvel Universe.-History:The name "X-Terminators" was originally used by X-Factor at that group's inception. The five original X-Men had founded X-Factor Investigations, and posed as normal humans purported to be an organization of mutant-hunters...
team in the X-Terminators limited series. Following this series, she appears as a member of the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
for the remainder of the New Mutants title; the team then became X-Force
X-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
and she remained a member of the team for most of the X-Force series. Some time later, she appears as a member of Nextwave
Nextwave
Nextwave is a comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics between 2006 and 2007.-Concept:The series was written exclusively in two-issue story arcs, a choice deliberately bucking the trend in modern American comics toward decompression...
throughout the Nextwave series.
Early life
Tabitha was born in Roanoke, VirginiaRoanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
. She is depicted as a rebellious but normal teenager in her first appearance. Daughter of divorced parents, Tabitha's 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...
powers manifest at 13, and her parents immediately show their disgust, her father even beating her. She runs away from home, giving herself the alias "Time Bomb," and meets the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
. He brings her to Charles Xavier, headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters
X-Mansion
In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, the X-Mansion is the common name for Professor Xavier's mansion. It is the base of operations and training site of the X-Men and the location of a school for mutant teenagers, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, formerly Xavier's School for Gifted...
, who ignores her to combat the Beyonder. Just before she can commit suicide over this second rejection, the Beyonder stops her, taking her with him on his cosmic trip. The Beyonder confronts the Celestials
Celestial (comics)
The Celestials are a group of fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Eternals #1 and were created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
, and at her behest, returns Tabitha to Earth. She helps the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
ambush the Beyonder. She leaves the battlefield when she learns that the Beyonder felt betrayed by the actions of "his only friend."
Fallen Angels
Living on the streets, Tabitha becomes involved with Maurice "Tiger" Antonini and, after he threatens Tabitha and murders her friend Gina, she uses her powers to kill him. The villain known as the VanisherVanisher
The Vanisher is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain of the Marvel Universe, and an opponent of the X-Men. The Vanisher is one of the X-Men's oldest enemies having first appeared in X-Men #2...
then recruits her for his band of thieves, called the Fallen Angels, and she officially takes on her codename "Boom-Boom." She eventually betrays the Vanisher, calling in the help of X-Factor
X-Factor (comics)
X-Factor is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is a spin-off of the popular X-Men franchise, featuring characters from X-Men stories. The series has been relaunched several times with different team rosters, most recently as X-Factor Investigations.X-Factor launched in...
, whom she stays with afterwards. Tabitha's former teammate in the Fallen Angels, the alien Ariel
Ariel (comics)
Ariel is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in Fallen Angels #1...
kidnaps the Angels to her home planet, to be experimented on by her planet's scientists. Ultimately though, she can't go through with the plan and helps them escape. The Angels return to Earth and go their separate ways. Tabitha is kidnapped by the Right, an anti-mutant organization. Tabitha, X-Factor, and other mutants regain their freedom. Later, Tabitha joins her fellow X-Factor trainees as the X-Terminators
X-Terminators
The X-Terminators are fictional characters in the Marvel Universe.-History:The name "X-Terminators" was originally used by X-Factor at that group's inception. The five original X-Men had founded X-Factor Investigations, and posed as normal humans purported to be an organization of mutant-hunters...
. The team battles N'astirh
N'astirh
N'astirh is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics as a demonic inhabitant of Limbo. He first appeared in X-Factor #32 and was created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove.-Fictional character biography:...
's demons. During her tenure with the team, she convinces Rictor not to commit suicide.
New Mutants
After the events of the InfernoInferno (Marvel Comics)
Inferno was a Marvel Comics company-wide crossover in 1989 that mainly involved the mutant titles, namely The Uncanny X-Men, X-Factor, X-Terminators, Excalibur, and The New Mutants...
saga, Tabitha and some members of the X-Terminators, Rusty
Rusty Collins
Russell "Rusty" Collins, formerly known as Firefist, is a fictional character, a superhero from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice, Rusty Collins first appeared in X-Factor #1 ....
, Skids
Skids (comics)
Skids is a Marvel Comics mutant. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, she first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #7 .-Morlocks:...
and Rictor
Rictor
Rictor is a fictional comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe, who appears in the X-Men family of books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Walt Simonson and first appeared in X-Factor vol.1 #17...
, join the New Mutants
New Mutants
The New Mutants are a group of teenaged mutant superheroes-in-training published by Marvel Comics. They have been the main characters of three successive comic book series, which were spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise....
. During her time with the New Mutants, Tabitha falls in love with her teammate, Cannonball
Cannonball (comics)
Cannonball is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, Cannonball first appeared in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: The New Mutants ....
. When the team is transported to the mythical realm of Asgard, it is partially through Tabitha that the team is able to foil a plot to kill Odin. They encounter the man known as Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
, and when he starts to mentor the team, Tabitha gains greater control of her powers. Tabitha is captured by Stryfe
Stryfe
Stryfe is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . The character was created by Louise Simonson and Rob Liefeld, and first appears in The New Mutants #87...
and the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant Liberation Front
The Mutant Liberation Front, or MLF, is a Marvel Comics supervillain group, primarily enemies of X-Force. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld, the original MLF first fully appeared in The New Mutants #87 ....
, but is rescued.
During "The X-Tinction Agenda" crossover, in which the mutant-hating country of Genosha
Genosha
Genosha is a fictional country that has appeared in numerous comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It is an island nation that exists in Marvel's main shared universe, known as "Earth 616" in the Marvel Universe. The fictional nation served as an allegory for slavery and later for South...
begins attacking mutants in the United States in retaliation for an earlier fight with the X-Men, the Genoshan Magistrates kidnap Boom-Boom and some of her teammates, namely Rictor, Wolfsbane and Warlock, transporting them to Genosha. The incident receives international coverage, and Tabitha's father is even interviewed, still voicing his disgust for his daughter. Although stripped of their powers, she and Rictor manage to escape, whereas Wolfsbane had been processed as a mutate slave. Warlock does not survive. On the streets of Genosha, Rictor and Tabitha meet Jubilee
Jubilee (comics)
Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine associated with the X-Men.A mutant, Jubilee had the superhuman power to generate "fireworks" of explosive plasma. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing sidekick to...
, and Tabitha and Jubilee's similar attitudes clash. They eventually make their way to the Genoshan citadel, where the other X-Teams gather to defeat Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge
Cameron Hodge is a fictional comic book supervillain and opponent of the X-Men, as seen in Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bob Layton and artist Jackson Guice, Hodge first appeared as a supporting character in X-Factor #1 , and was later revealed to be secretly acting against that group as the...
, the villain who orchestrated the entire ordeal. Once returned to the United States, Tabitha spreads the ashes of her friend Warlock over the grave of Warlock's best friend Doug Ramsey
Cypher (comics)
Cypher is a fictional mutant character, a superhero from Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Mutants vol. 1 #13 .-Fictional character biography:Doug Ramsey was born to Philip and Sheila Ramsey...
, a New Mutant that had died.
X-Force
The New Mutants team, under the continued tutelage of Cable, is soon reformed into X-ForceX-Force
X-Force is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero team, one of several spin-offs of the popular X-Men franchise. Conceived by writer/illustrator Rob Liefeld, the team was formed in New Mutants, vol. 1 #100 and soon afterwards was featured in its own series.The group was a new incarnation of the 1980s...
. The team undergoes a revamp, employing new, more aggressive methods. During this time, Tabitha acts on her crush on Cannonball, and the two have a relationship. Although questioning the team's new methods, Tabitha sticks with the team, rechristening herself "Boomer." She battles the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
alongside her new team in one of their early missions.
During the "X-Cutioner's Song" crossover, the X-Men confront X-Force, whom they believe are involved in an attempted murder of Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
. Boomer was defeated in combat by Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
, and taken prisoner by X-Factor. When her team is jailed by the X-Men, Cannonball chooses Tabitha to fight with him alongside the X-Men, against the Mutant Liberation Front
Mutant Liberation Front
The Mutant Liberation Front, or MLF, is a Marvel Comics supervillain group, primarily enemies of X-Force. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist/co-writer Rob Liefeld, the original MLF first fully appeared in The New Mutants #87 ....
. Soon they discover that Rusty and Skids have joined the MLF, and Boomer's jaw is broken in combat by Skids. After this event, Tabitha is confronted by Cannonball's ex Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney
Lila Cheney is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. She is a mutant with the ability to teleport, but only over vast intergalactic distances.-Publication history:...
, who gives the couple her blessing. Showing how serious Cannonball is himself, he takes Tabitha along for a vacation on his family's farm, during which they are confronted by the Gamesmaster
Gamesmaster (comics)
Gamesmaster is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics Universe. His first appearance was in Uncanny X-Men #283 .-Fictional character biography:...
and the Upstarts
Upstarts (comics)
The Upstarts were a group of fictional comic book supervillains in the Marvel Comics with strong ties to the Hellfire Club. They first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #281 and were created by Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio.-Fictional team biography:...
, and team up with 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:...
to defeat them.
Eventually, the team's headquarters are blown up twice, and without a home the team moves back into Xavier's mansion. Shortly after, Cannonball graduates into becoming an X-Men member, and their relationship waters down. Seeking comfort, Tabitha spends most of her time caring for the lobotomized Sabretooth, also confiding in him. Her teammates attempt an unsuccessful intervention.
Sabretooth reveals that he's faking the ordeal however, and fully healed, escapes by deceiving Tabitha into destroying his bonds. In his escape, he eviscerates the X-Man Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
, who barely survives her wounds.
Sebastian Shaw (comics)
Sebastian Hiram Shaw is a fictional comic book supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe, and an adversary of the X-Men.A mutant, Shaw possesses the ability to absorb energy and transform it into raw strength...
and Holocaust
Holocaust (comics)
Holocaust is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men Alpha , and was created by Scott Lobdell and Roger Cruz.-Fictional character biography:...
, her father is critically injured. With more guilt on her mind, Tabitha underwent a radical change, renaming herself "Meltdown," designing a new costume and gaining better control of her powers along with a more brash and assertive attitude. This new attitude is displayed by Meltdown when she fights the Blob
Blob (comics)
The Blob is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #3 ....
, threatening to kill him, and eventually having two time-bombs explode near his eardrums.
With Cannonball spending his time with the X-Men, Tabitha grows closer to Sunspot
Sunspot (comics)
Sunspot is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero most commonly associated with X-Men-related groups the New Mutants and X-Force....
and they have a short fling. Cannonball finds out and is initially angry but reconciles with both his friends, rejoining X-Force in the process. After an incident in which the High Evolutionary
High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The High Evolutionary was first mentioned in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #133 , and first appears in The Mighty Thor vol. 1 #134 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
shut off all mutant powers, Tabitha and Cannonball come close to rekindling their relationship.
Peter Wisdom
In the meantime, the sudden power loss really hit home for Cannonball, as to just how little they had been doing lately to help mutant-kind. He got back in touch with Pete Wisdom, and together they devised a plan for reactivating X-Force as a covert strike team. Meltdown, along with WarpathWarpath (comics)
James Proudstar, previously known as the second Thunderbird but also known as Warpath, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero associated with the X-Men....
and Bedlam
Bedlam (comics)
Bedlam is a fictional character, a mutant superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He originally possessed the mutant ability to create and project a bio-EM field. This has the effect of temporarily disabling any similarly powered technology in the vicinity. He can also utilize his power to scan...
, agreed to enter into this new arrangement, and they took up residence in an abandoned Nevada Hulkbuster base for extensive retraining for martial combat and the use of their powers. In particular, Tabitha learned how to direct the explosive force of her power into streams of guided energy, and was also heavily trained in computer hacking and manipulating digital information. The revamped X-Force fought the shadow wars that other people couldn't even see, against the likes of meat-spore storm-troopers, mutagenic bioreactors and assassins who carried the mutant gene for murder. After she almost lost Sam to that last threat, Meltdown confessed she couldn't bear to see him die, and the two of them became lovers again. While most of their missions were successful, they weren't without their share of troubles - Wisdom was apparently killed on their first mission back in San Francisco since leaving, and on two separate occasions their enemies tried to kill them in massive explosions.
The team's undercover status turned out to be a weakness, though, for some new organization consisting of mutants that wanted to get rich and famous thought the name was up for grabs. After buying legal rights to use "X-Force" as their name, this group went public and soon became popular. When the original X-Force learned of this, they came out of hiding and confronted the new guys about the name and violating the original concept behind the team, it was already too late. Apparently, the original X-Force disbanded after this, retreating from their recent hardcore offensive stance on mutant issues. Sam and Tabitha also went their separate ways.
Weapon X and the X-Force mini
When CableCable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
discovers hints regarding the existence of a revamped Weapon X
Weapon X
Weapon X is a fictional clandestine government genetic research facility project in the Marvel Universe conducted by the Canadian Government's Department K, which turns willing and unwilling beings into living weapons. The project often captures mutants and experiments on them to enhance their...
program, one designed to use mutants to hunt down and intern other mutants, he creates an organization to investigate the program and the existence of its internment camp, Neverland. He dubs the organization the Underground, and invites Meltdown to join his elite group. Ultimately, Cable's Underground group is joined by Weapon X agent Brent Jackson
Brent Jackson
Brent Jackson is a fictional Marvel Comics character. He first appeared in Wolverine #163 and was created by Frank Tieri and Sean Chen.-Fictional character biography:...
, who hopes to stage a coup against the project's Director and has formed his own resistance group with fellow agents Washout
Washout (comics)
Washout was a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Universe of comics. The character first appeared in a one-page cameo in X-Force vol...
, Marrow
Marrow (comics)
Marrow , is a Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She is a mutant whose bones grow out of her skin and can be removed from her body, providing her with potential knives and clubs as well as body armor....
, Wild Child
Wild Child (comics)
Wild Child alternately spelled Wildchild and also known as Weapon Omega and Wildheart, is a fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics publications. The character has been active as both a superhero and a supervillain. He has been a member of Alpha Flight, X-Factor, and Weapon X...
, and Sauron
Sauron (comics)
Sauron is a comic book character, a supervillain in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. An enemy of the X-Men, the character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Neal Adams. He first fully appeared as Sauron in X-Men #60 ....
. Jackson betrays the Underground team however after the coup is successful and alters/wipes their memories of the events.
Sometime thereafter, Cable learns of another threat to mutant-kind, the voracious creatures known as the Skornn
Skornn
The Skornn is a fictional character created by writer Fabian Nicieza for Marvel Comics.-History:The Skornn is an ancient evil demon. The monster was very well known throughout the universe, and its horrors were even known in the Shi'ar Empire. On Earth, the Skornn's evil plans were mostly thwarted...
, a creature that was going to threaten Earth. He gathers and reunites X-Force in order to deal with them. Meltdown is among the former members he recruits. While both Cannonball and Sunspot are also involved in the conflict, Tabitha’s feelings for either weren’t brought up. However, she reveals to have learned a new trick with her mutant powers when she channeled one of her time bombs through Shatterstar's blade straight into the chest of a seemingly unbeatable opponent. After the Skornn was also defeated, some of X-Force remains together, assisting Cable on Providence, an island nation he created. Afterwards, she helps them attack the headquarters of the Black Box, though the occupant turns out to be a robot.
Tabitha is one of the few mutants who retain her powers after the events of M-Day
Decimation (comics)
Decimation is the late 2005 Marvel Comics storyline spinning off from the House of M limited series. It focuses on the ramifications of the Scarlet Witch stripping nearly all of the mutant population of their powers, thereby reducing a society of millions to one of scant hundreds.This event, which...
.
Nextwave
Nextwave
Nextwave is a comic book series by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen, published by Marvel Comics between 2006 and 2007.-Concept:The series was written exclusively in two-issue story arcs, a choice deliberately bucking the trend in modern American comics toward decompression...
, a new off-beat and more than slightly satirical super-hero team featured in an eponymous comic book series created by Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
and Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen
Stuart Immonen is a Canadian comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Nextwave, Ultimate X-Men, The New Avengers and Ultimate Spider-Man...
. The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, or H.A.T.E.
H.A.T.E.
The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, better known by its acronym H.A.T.E., is one of two antagonistic organizations in Marvel Comics' Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., a series created by Warren Ellis....
(a subsidiary of the Beyond Corporation©
Beyond Corporation©
The Beyond Corporation© is a fictional multinational corporation that appears in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. The corporation acts as a recurring antagonist in the Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. series, appearing in every story arc....
) formed the team. Tabitha Smith's new team includes other second-string characters taken from Marvel limbo, including Monica Rambeau
Monica Rambeau
Monica Rambeau is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Initially known as Captain Marvel, the character became a leader of the Avengers...
(formerly Captain Marvel, the leader of the Avengers), Elsa Bloodstone
Elsa Bloodstone
Elsa Bloodstone is a fictional character, appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appears in Marvel's Bloodstone mini-series of 2001 written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning...
, Aaron Stack
Machine Man
Machine Man is a fictional character, an android superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. The character was created by Jack Kirby for 2001: A Space Odyssey #8 , a comic written and drawn by Kirby featuring concepts based on the eponymous Stanley Kubrick film and Arthur C. Clarke novel...
, and new character The Captain
Captain (comics)
The Captain is a fictional character, a satiric Marvel Comics superhero appearing in the book Nextwave...
.
Everything seemed on the up-and-up until Tabitha began snooping around, and discovered the marketing plan of the Beyond Corporation, H.A.T.E.'s financial backers. It turned out that Beyond Corp evolved out of the former terrorist cell known as S.I.L.E.N.T., and was planning to use H.A.T.E. and Nextwave to further its own sinister agendas. Tabitha brought the files she stole to the squad leader, Pulsar, and Nextwave hijacked a Shockwave Rider transport ship and defected from H.A.T.E. Tabitha and the others fought against their former employers, and defended the country from the unusual WMDs
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
unleashed by the Beyond Corporation on the general populace; the first biological weapon was revealed to be Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang Foom is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Strange Tales #89 Fin Fang...
, a giant lizard which clambered from underground and proceeded to wreck the building site.
After putting an end to the threat of Fin Fang Foom in Abscess, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, Nextwave moved on to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Tabitha manages to subdue Mac Mangel, a corrupt police officer who had been taken as a host by the Ultra Samurai Seed. The Ultra Samurai metallic shell disintegrates, leaving Mangel crushed. Upon learning that he was a police officer, Tabitha and Aaron began to beat Mangel before Rambeau intervened.
The team were later attacked by The New Paramounts, a team consisting of Not Brand Echh
Not Brand Echh
Not Brand Echh was a satiric comic book series published by Marvel Comics that parodied its own superhero stories as well as those of other comics publishers. Running for 13 issues , it included among its contributors such notable writers and artists as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Gene Colan, Bill...
characters including Forbush Man
Forbush Man
Forbush Man , is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. Originally the mascot of Marvel Comics' Not Brand Echh, he is the alter-ego of Irving Forbush, a fictional employee of Marvel Comics...
, The Inedible Bulk and Charlie America. Forbush Man attempted to use his mind control powers on Tabitha, but was shocked to find they didn't work on her as she apparently has no mind. Tabitha subsequently killed Forbush Man, saving her teammates. When they awoke, she explained "The little guy did something to your heads. I gave him the explodo because I am clever." Not long after, they eventually exposed and destroyed the true mastermind behind S.I.L.E.N.T.
Writer Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
said that he picked Boom-Boom to be in Nextwave, because Boom-Boom is his favorite super hero name in the history of comics for its sheer oddness and silliness, and he loved it when she was in Uncanny X-Men when Joe Madureira was the artist.
Despite the appearance of Nextwave characters in other Marvel titles, in 2006 Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
stated that Nextwave's setting was in a universe separate from the main Marvel continuity. However, Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
and Civil War: Battle Damage Report
Civil War (comics)
Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...
consistently place Nextwave's activities in mainstream continuity. To further complicate matters, Nextwave's entry in Civil War: Battle Damage Report states: "Recent intelligence suggests some or all Nextwave members unknowingly had their memories and/or personalities altered by their new employers (H.A.T.E.)."
The Initiative
Tabitha Smith has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the solicited cover of the comic book Avengers: The InitiativeAvengers: The Initiative
Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series from Marvel Comics. Written by Dan Slott and Christos Gage with artwork initially by Stefano Caselli, Steve Uy and Harvey Tolibao, the series dealt with the aftermath of Marvel's Civil War crossover Avengers: The Initiative was a comic book series...
.
Manifest Destiny
Tabitha moves to San Francisco to help with the X-Men's new relocation plans, and has resumed using the codename Boom-Boom. While shopping in San Francisco she confronts the mutant NuwaNuwa (comics)
Nuwa is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance was in X-Force Annual #3.-Fictional character history:...
. Forced by the Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
to confront Nuwa through research, instead of strength alone, she discovers using a thinly veiled parody of MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
called FaceSpace the true nature of Nuwa's sedation powers, then nullifies them by consuming large quantities of stimulant
Stimulant
Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...
s, namely the caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
in an unspecified number of espresso
Espresso
Espresso is a concentrated beverage brewed by forcing a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee. Espresso is widely known throughout the world....
s.
Kidnapping, death and salvation
Tabitha is later kidnapped along with Surge and Hellion by the Leper Queen and her Sapien League. The Leper Queen attempts to inject her with a modified version of the Legacy Virus, a virus which had been cured years before that afflicted mostly mutants, when the members of X-Force arrive to try and save her, Surge and Hellion. After Cyclops refuses to wait long enough for Wolverine and Domino to kill the Leper Queen, they are sent through time to help Cable, leaving the Leper Queen and Tabitha all alone. The Leper Queen reveals to Tabitha that she had intended using X-Force to kill her, since Bastion will not let her commit suicide and that the plan was for Wolverine to kill her and rescue Tabby. The Leper Queen shoots Tabitha between the eyes, saying that X-Force "failed them both." After X-Force's mission in the future is complete, X-23X-23
X-23 is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine.-Publication history:...
emerges from the timestream seconds before the Leper Queen is about to kill Tabitha and shoots her in the head. With the Leper Queen dead and Boom-Boom saved, X-23 collapses in exhaustion just as a team of H.A.M.M.E.R. agents storm the building, providing Tabitha with medical care while taking X-23 into custody. The agents are given the order to take a genetic sample from Tabitha and then kill her, but one agent plans to rape her before killing her. She is saved from death yet again by Warpath, who kills the agents before they are able to defile her and takes her to the X-Force safehouse to see if she remembers anything else about her kidnapping.
Utopia
Boom-Boom is later seen during the events of "UtopiaUtopia (comics)
"Utopia" is a 2009 comic book crossover story arc written by Matt Fraction and published by Marvel Comics, starring the X-Men and the Dark Avengers...
," amongst the mutants assembled in 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...
's chapel as they all prepare to abandon San Francisco for the base that the X-Club has raised from the bottom of the ocean. She is among the first group of mutants teleported by Pixie
Pixie (comics)
Pixie is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Her mutation grants her pixie-like eyes, colorful wings that allow her to fly, and "pixie dust" which causes hallucinations...
to the new base. Boom-Boom was also one of the X-Men who defeated the invading Predator Xs who attacked Utopia. Boom-Boom, Iceman, and Colossus teamed up to defeat the first Predator.
Second Coming
Boom-Boom is seen fighting along side Husk, Avalanche and Sunspot against Bastion's minions.Powers and abilities
Tabitha Smith is a mutantMutant (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...
who originally had the power to create psionic balls of energy, which she calls her "time bombs." These "bombs" explode with concussive force. She can produce marble-sized "bombs" which have little concussive impact and which she uses for playing pranks. She has produced "time bombs" ranging up to the size of beach balls, which have been shown to detonate with sufficient force to destroy highly durable objects including a Predator X, and a futuristic Nimrod
Nimrod (comics)
Nimrod is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #191 , and was created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Romita, Jr. Hailing from the "Days of Future Past" timeline, Nimrod is a powerful, virtually...
. Tabitha can control the amount of time between the creation of one of her "bombs" and the time it detonates. She can mentally muffle the sound of the detonation.
She is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, coached in unarmed combat by Cable
Cable (comics)
Cable is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared as an infant in Uncanny X-Men #201...
. She is an excellent player of video games. She is an accomplished thief, trained by the Vanisher
Vanisher
The Vanisher is a fictional character, a mutant supervillain of the Marvel Universe, and an opponent of the X-Men. The Vanisher is one of the X-Men's oldest enemies having first appeared in X-Men #2...
.
Under the direction of Pete Wisdom she learned to focus her power as streams of concussive force.
In Nextwave, her powers are summarized as "the mutant ability to blow things up and steal all your stuff." She also has access to technological support, such as jetpacks. She was apparently immune to Forbush Man
Forbush Man
Forbush Man , is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. Originally the mascot of Marvel Comics' Not Brand Echh, he is the alter-ego of Irving Forbush, a fictional employee of Marvel Comics...
's mind-warping abilities, because she supposedly had no mind to warp.
Marvel Zombies
Tabitha is also shown in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of DarknessMarvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness
Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness is a five-issue 2007 comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in association with Dynamite Entertainment, an intercompany crossover in which Ash Williams, hero of the popular Evil Dead film and comic book, finds himself in the Marvel Zombies...
#3 with her Nextwave team, all uninfected, in order to save Ash
Ash Williams
Ashley J. "Ash" Williams is the protagonist in the Evil Dead horror film franchise, played by Bruce Campbell, and created by director Sam Raimi. Throughout the series, Ash has to face off against his loved ones inside an abandoned cabin as they are possessed by "deadites", the evil souls of the dead...
from a zombified Power Pack. The entire team is "humiliatingly and ruthlessly dispatched off panel" moments later.
Rahne of Terra
In the "heroic fantasy" universe visited by WolfsbaneWolfsbane (comics)
Wolfsbane is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men.A Scottish mutant, Wolfsbane possesses the ability to transform into a wolf or into a transitional state somewhere between human and wolf...
and 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...
in Rahne of Terra and Knight of Terra, Geshem is an otherdimensional realm of medieval magic. The land is ruled by Queen Rain, a counterpart of Wolfsbane, and that dimension’s Tabitha is her most loyal and trusted maid. Rain confided in Tabitha with her deepest secrets. She has no known powers.
X-Men: The End
In X-Men: The EndX-Men: The End
X-Men: The End is a 2004-2006 trilogy of miniseries detailing the last days of the X-Men and their adventures in a noncanon future, part of their The End series...
, a series set ten to fifteen years in the future, Meltdown is once again a member of X-Force along with Warpath, Domino, Shatterstar, Feral, and Rictor when the team meets their end. After their aircraft is shot out of the sky, (which X-Force barely survives), Meltdown is absorbed by the strange entity called Divinity, who uses Tabitha’s powers against her teammates. Not much later, though, Divinity is killed by Apocalypse
Apocalypse (comics)
Apocalypse is a fictional character who is an ancient mutant that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Factor #5 , created by writer Louise Simonson and designed by artist Walter Simonson...
while Meltdown is still trapped inside him.
X-Force: Shatterstar
In the X-Force: Shatterstar miniseries, Tabitha is still known as Boomer and she is seen as a part of Cable's rebel forces against SpiralSpiral (comics)
Spiral is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in the Longshot miniseries by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
, in an alternate universe where Spiral has conquered and now rules Earth. On that Earth, Spiral has also killed most of that world's heroes and mutants. Together, the team eventually defeats Spiral. Tabitha also seems to have developed telepathic powers in this timeline.
X-Men
Tabitha appears in the X-MenX-Men (TV series)
X-Men, also known as X-Men: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series which debuted on October 31, 1992, in the United States on the Fox Network as part of its Fox Kids Saturday morning lineup...
animated series as a young child, along with Rusty
Rusty Collins
Russell "Rusty" Collins, formerly known as Firefist, is a fictional character, a superhero from Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Created by Bob Layton and Jackson Guice, Rusty Collins first appeared in X-Factor #1 ....
, Whiz-Kid
Taki Matsuya
Takashi "Taki" Matsuya or sometimes called the Wiz Kid is a fictional mutant character from Marvel Comics. Created by Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, his first appearance was in X-Terminators #1 .-Fictional character biography:...
, and Skids
Skids (comics)
Skids is a Marvel Comics mutant. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jackson Guice, she first appeared in X-Factor vol. 1 #7 .-Morlocks:...
in the episode "No Mutant is an Island". She was among the mutant children that Cyclops' old friend Sarah takes care of, and Scott has to rescue her and the other kids from The Purple Man, Kilgrave
Purple Man
The Purple Man is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Originally a foe of Daredevil, he was introduced in Daredevil vol. 1 #4...
. A mutant himself with telepathic abilities, he wanted to use the children to make them his army to destroy all humans in the world so that mutants are accepted. Killgrave brainwashes the four and uses them to storm the governor's mansion so he can make the governor his mind-controlled slave. Scott was able to snap Boom-Boom and the others out of Kilgrave's hypnotic brainwashing in the end and saves the mutant children.
X-Men: Evolution
In the X-Men: EvolutionX-Men: Evolution
X-Men: Evolution is an American animated television series about the Marvel Comics superhero team the X-Men. In this incarnation many of the characters are teenagers rather than adults...
animated TV series, Boom-Boom was voiced by Megan Leitch
Megan Leitch
Megan Leitch is a Canadian actress probably best known for playing Samantha Mulder on The X-Files.- Roles :*Samantha Mulder in The X-Files*Brenda Cosgrove in The Highwayman episode of Dead Man's Gun*Librarian in It...
. Originally one of the New Mutants, Tabitha has a troubled past and a criminal father. Her father took advantage of her mutant abilities to commit crimes when she was younger. She eventually found a home at the Xavier Institute, although her stay was short-lived. While not evil or malicious, the lack of discipline and mischievousness made her a troublesome guest for anyone willing to take her in. She spent an episode bonding with Kurt Wagner
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...
, whom she saw as someone similar to her since they were kind of outcasts (him, because of his looks; her, because of her family life and her rebelliousness).
At the end of this episode, she felt that she didn't fit in and moved in with the Brotherhood of Mutants
Brotherhood of Mutants
The Brotherhood of Mutants, originally known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, is a fictional Marvel Comics supervillain team devoted to mutant superiority over normal humans. They are among the chief adversaries of the X-Men...
, who were more her style, saying that there were too many rules at the Institute. She often played practical jokes on the boys (such as shaving off Blob's Mohawk while he slept) and abused their hospitality, though they did little to stop her. Also, at times she'd aid them; she took the always rejected and laughed at Blob and Toad
Toad (comics)
Toad is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #4 ....
as her dates for the party in Shadow Dance. Tabitha never actually took up a villainous role, though, and she was evicted upon the return of Mystique
Mystique (comics)
Mystique is a fictional character associated with the Marvel Comics' franchise X-Men. Originally created by artist David Cockrum and writer Chris Claremont, she first appeared in Ms...
. She even discovered some of Mystique's plans and, after blowing up her bedroom, she went to the X-Men manor and tried to tell them, but failed.
Her role in the series was significantly diminished afterward; she appeared to rejoin the X-Men and is seen in uniform in the episode "Stuff of Heroes" appeared mostly in the company of her best friend, Amara a.k.a. Magma
Magma (comics)
Magma is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics series New Mutants, also associated with various X-Men-related comics. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Bob McLeod, and debuted in New Mutants #8...
from the New Mutants, appearing in several episodes of the series afterwards with no serious loyalties (noticeably, in Cruise Control, she travels along with the rest of the New Mutants, under the care of Jean, Scott and Ororo, though not reintegrated into the X-Men). Finally, according to the season finale, she took the decision of returning to the X-Men's side.
Wolverine and the X-Men
Tabitha appears in the first episode of the animated TV series "Wolverine and the X-Men", voiced by Crystal ScalesCrystal Scales
Crystal Scales is an Actress, Singer, and Rapper. She voices the character Liberty "Libby" Danielle Folfax on the television show The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and lent her voice to the André 3000 Cartoon Network series Class of 3000 as Tamika Jones.-Filmography:*Scooby-Doo!...
. She is seen as a captive of the Mutant Response Division. She and others are freed by Wolverine and even helps to repel the soldiers with Pyro
Pyro (comics)
Pyro is a fictional character in Marvel Comics and an enemy of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne, he first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #141 ....
manipulating her psionic energy balls.
X2: X-Men United
While Mystique goes through the files on Yuriko's computer, closer inspection reveals that Stryker is keeping Boom-Boom's files.Toys and games
While Boom-Boom was not included in the X-Force action figures collection from the X-Men series produced by Toy Biz in the 1990s, she was later included in the series Xplosion (released March 2003-retired December 2004) by HeroClix a collectible miniatures gameCollectible miniatures game
Collectible miniatures games or CMGs are a form of miniature wargaming that is also similar to collectible card games — the primary difference being that while CCGs are card-based games, CMGs feature miniature figures....
produced by WizKids
WizKids
WizKids, Inc. is an American New Jersey-based company that first made its mark in the game industry producing collectible miniatures wargames. WizKids was purchased by and is a subsidiary of National Entertainment Collectibles Association. The company was founded in 2000 by Jordan Weisman, a...
, Inc. where each player constructs a "team" of heroes and villains. She was also included in the new Giant Size X-Men Heroclix set in her Nextwave costume.
In other languages
- In Brazil, Tabitha Smith had only two codenames: she is better known by the codename Dinamite instead of Time Bomb, Boom-Boom, or Boomer; and later changed it to Fusão (Fusion) instead of Meltdown.
- In France, Tabitha was known by the codename Big Bang before she changed it to Meltdown.
- In Spain, Tabitha was known as Bum-Bum and then shortened to Bumi instead of Boomer. Later, she was known as Meltdown.