Enigma (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Enigma is a fictional character
, a superheroine who appears in comic book
s published by Marvel Comics
. Tara is a native of Bangladesh
and through her mutation
from a nano-virus, she gained superhuman powers giving her some sort of connection to the Buddhist goddess, Tara
.
in order to seek his help in bringing justice to the people infected and killed by the nano-virus. The AGK corporation was commissioned by the CIA to create an intelligent metal nano-virus capable of enhancing latent mutant abilities. AGK tested the virus on Malpura, killing four thousand people. Tara survived, but was infected with the virus, which granted her superhuman abilities.
Years later, Tara moved to New York City
and adopted the identity of Enigma, patterning herself after the Buddhist goddess, Tara. She stole the fifty-million-dollar Star of Persia diamond from AGK's vaults and encountered Spider-Man, who she contacted mentally, giving him flashes of her memories of the Malpura disaster. The following night, she tracked Spider-Man to his apartment and led him on a chase across the city, ending when she presented him with a scarf and head-butted him. Upon waking, Spider-Man found that she had led him to AGK's headquarters.
Enigma met AGK head, Kirkland, and his security director, Corman, at AGK's headquarters. She demanded that an additional fifty million dollars in compensation be paid to the Malpura survivors in return for the Star of Persia. Corman refused and threatened her with a squirt-gun filled with the control virus, which would kill her instantly. Spider-Man soon arrived to break the standoff and the two heroes pursued Corman into a research lab, where they battled until Corman accidentally shattered a number of test tubes of the virus onto himself, which transformed him into the Virus. The Virus melted through the floor and Enigma disappeared. She later had a brief encounter with Peter Parker on the streets of New York. She thanked him for his help, and then melted into the crowd.
.
The Malpura disaster is likely based on the 1984 methyl isocyanate leak in Bhopal, India, which killed thousands of people. Union Carbide, the owner of the chemical plant, has been heavily criticized for providing insufficient compensation to the victims of the disaster.
"Tara" is an actual Buddhist deity, who was said to have risen from a lotus flower, and has multiple aspects, each represented by a color. The red and yellow scarves used by Enigma symbolize her fierce, violent aspect. Enigma may have a literal, mystical connection to Tara, or she may just have patterned her superhuman identity after Tara.
Character (arts)
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 superheroine who appears in 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...
s published by 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...
. Tara is a native of Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and through her mutation
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...
from a nano-virus, she gained superhuman powers giving her some sort of connection to the Buddhist goddess, Tara
Tara (Buddhism)
Tara or Ārya Tārā, also known as Jetsun Dolma in Tibetan Buddhism, is a female Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism who appears as a female Buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. She is known as the "mother of liberation", and represents the virtues of success in work and achievements...
.
Character history
Enigma makes her comic debut in Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #48. Tara seeks revenge against those who infected the Bangladeshi village of Malpura: AGK, Inc. She contacts Spider-ManSpider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
in order to seek his help in bringing justice to the people infected and killed by the nano-virus. The AGK corporation was commissioned by the CIA to create an intelligent metal nano-virus capable of enhancing latent mutant abilities. AGK tested the virus on Malpura, killing four thousand people. Tara survived, but was infected with the virus, which granted her superhuman abilities.
Years later, Tara moved to 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...
and adopted the identity of Enigma, patterning herself after the Buddhist goddess, Tara. She stole the fifty-million-dollar Star of Persia diamond from AGK's vaults and encountered Spider-Man, who she contacted mentally, giving him flashes of her memories of the Malpura disaster. The following night, she tracked Spider-Man to his apartment and led him on a chase across the city, ending when she presented him with a scarf and head-butted him. Upon waking, Spider-Man found that she had led him to AGK's headquarters.
Enigma met AGK head, Kirkland, and his security director, Corman, at AGK's headquarters. She demanded that an additional fifty million dollars in compensation be paid to the Malpura survivors in return for the Star of Persia. Corman refused and threatened her with a squirt-gun filled with the control virus, which would kill her instantly. Spider-Man soon arrived to break the standoff and the two heroes pursued Corman into a research lab, where they battled until Corman accidentally shattered a number of test tubes of the virus onto himself, which transformed him into the Virus. The Virus melted through the floor and Enigma disappeared. She later had a brief encounter with Peter Parker on the streets of New York. She thanked him for his help, and then melted into the crowd.
Special note
Enigma is never referred to as such in the two issues she appears in. Her "Enigma" alias and her real name were revealed by Tony Stark in Civil War: Battle Damage ReportCivil 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...
.
The Malpura disaster is likely based on the 1984 methyl isocyanate leak in Bhopal, India, which killed thousands of people. Union Carbide, the owner of the chemical plant, has been heavily criticized for providing insufficient compensation to the victims of the disaster.
"Tara" is an actual Buddhist deity, who was said to have risen from a lotus flower, and has multiple aspects, each represented by a color. The red and yellow scarves used by Enigma symbolize her fierce, violent aspect. Enigma may have a literal, mystical connection to Tara, or she may just have patterned her superhuman identity after Tara.