Martha Johansson
Encyclopedia
Martha Johansson, also known as No-Girl, is a fictional
mutant
character, an isolated brain
, from the New X-Men comic book
series, set in the Marvel Universe
and published by Marvel Comics
.
. Their founder John Sublime had her brain removed from her body, keeping the disembodied brain alive in a capsule. Sublime controlled her through drugs and syringes and used her to telepathically subdue his opponents, the two X-Men
Cyclops
and Emma Frost
. Emma eventually freed herself and Cyclops from Martha's psionic control, allowing Martha to take revenge on Sublime by mentally forcing him to fall to his death.
She later becomes a student in the Xavier Institute
's Special Class. Quentin Quire
invents a special hovering case to hold her brain, allowing her a level of mobility. She befriends another student, Ernst
, a mysterious and timid mutant girl with the appearance of an old woman who often serves as Martha's means of communicating with the rest of the world by voicing her telepathic speech to others.
When Xorn
destroys the school and forms a new Brotherhood of Mutants
under the guise of Magneto
, Martha joins alongside Ernst. However, Martha's loyalty does not last; she accurately predicts that Xorn's scheme to murder every human in Manhattan and turn the planet upside down will fail. Following Xorn's death, Martha returns to life as a student at the X-Mansion, appearing infrequently as part of the student body.
After the X-Men abandon the X-Mansion and relocate to San Francisco, Beast
finds Martha in his old lab and retrieves her from the ruined Xavier Institute in a carrying case, bringing her to the new X-Men headquarters.
, able to communicate mentally and manipulate the minds of other beings. In her introduction as an isolated brain Martha uses her telepathy to communicate through others near her, but typically only directs her telepathic speech to her classmate Ernst, who then repeats her comments to others. She is able to telepathically override and control the motor functions of others. This allows her to temporarily negate the powers of other mutants, though she must be at close range to do so. She can also project her consciousness into the minds of others, taking complete possession of their bodies while leaving her brain unconscious and vulnerable.
Martha can broadcast disruptive psionic distortion (called "psycho-chaff") into her immediate environment that clouds the minds of others, inhibiting their concentration and autonomic nervous functions to the point of stupor
. Her abilities in this area are shown to be strong enough to overpower the subconscious defenses of Emma Frost, a high-level telepath, when Emma was in her diamond form and unable to access her own telepathy. However, Martha's "psycho-chaff" is not strong enough to bypass Emma Frost's conscious telepathic abilities, as Emma was able to overpower Martha and regain control of her motor functions after shifting out of her diamond form and regaining her telepathy.
Without a body, Martha is limited in all other areas. She, as a brain, travels in a fluid-filled jar with technology (invented by fellow Xavier Institute student Quentin Quire) that allows it to float, and is anchored via a metal chain. The floats offer her some level of mobility, moving in the direction of her choosing.
It was also stated that, in her original body, Martha's blood had luminescent properties; Martha wrote a note to her parents using her own glowing blood when she ran away from home.
reality, Martha Johansson was shown incarcerated in Fortress X's X-Brig.
future timeline, Martha is still alive 150 years from now. She is still close friends with Ernst, who is revealed to be a benevolent reincarnation of Cassandra Nova
. Along with Nova, she stands alongside Wolverine
, E.V.A., the Three-In-One
, and Beak's Grandson Tito Jerome Bohusk against a Sublime-possessed version of the X-Man Beast, who prematurely revives Jean Grey
in order to control her and the Phoenix Force.
During a conversation with Cassandra Nova, it is confirmed that Martha was No-Girl all along, as well as the fact that Martha knew Nova was Ernst all along as well. As having no body limits her range of actions, Martha is Cassandra's pilot of the X-Plane and the two die after reviving Jean Grey's true personality and freeing her from the Beast's control. Dying, Martha's last telepathic words are to a dying Wolverine, telling him that they are going to the "White Hot Room," the higher plane of existence for all those touched by the power of the Phoenix Force.
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...
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...
character, an isolated brain
Isolated brain
Isolated brain refers to keeping a brain alive in-vitro. This is done either by perfusion by a blood substitute, often an oxygenated solution of various salts, or by submerging the brain in oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid . It is the biological counterpart of brain in a vat...
, from the New X-Men 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...
series, set in the Marvel 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...
and 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...
.
Fictional character biography
Martha was a mutant runaway who was captured by the human supremacist group, the U-MenU-Men (comics)
The U-Men are a fictional group of villains, owned by Marvel Comics and existing in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:In the Marvel Universe the U-Men are a collection of characters that first appeared in Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. Their name is an allusion to the early Seattle...
. Their founder John Sublime had her brain removed from her body, keeping the disembodied brain alive in a capsule. Sublime controlled her through drugs and syringes and used her to telepathically subdue his opponents, the two X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
Cyclops
Cyclops (comics)
Cyclops is a fictional character, the leader of the X-Men superhero team in the . A mutant, Cyclops emits a powerful energy beam from his eyes...
and Emma Frost
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....
. Emma eventually freed herself and Cyclops from Martha's psionic control, allowing Martha to take revenge on Sublime by mentally forcing him to fall to his death.
She later becomes a student in the Xavier Institute
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...
's Special Class. Quentin Quire
Quentin Quire
Quentin Quire, also known as Kid Omega, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in New X-Men #122 , although he went unnamed until New X-Men #134...
invents a special hovering case to hold her brain, allowing her a level of mobility. She befriends another student, Ernst
Ernst (comics)
Ernst is a fictional character, a mutant in the Marvel Comics Universe. Her first appearance as Ernst was in New X-Men vol. 1 #135 .-Fictional character biography:...
, a mysterious and timid mutant girl with the appearance of an old woman who often serves as Martha's means of communicating with the rest of the world by voicing her telepathic speech to others.
When Xorn
Xorn
Xorn is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. First appearing in New X-Men Annual 2001, Xorn was a new addition to the X-Men membership during writer Grant Morrison's revamp of the franchise....
destroys the school and forms a new 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...
under the guise of Magneto
Magneto (comics)
Magneto is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the central villain of the X-Men comic, as well as the TV show and the films. The character first appears in X-Men #1 , and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby...
, Martha joins alongside Ernst. However, Martha's loyalty does not last; she accurately predicts that Xorn's scheme to murder every human in Manhattan and turn the planet upside down will fail. Following Xorn's death, Martha returns to life as a student at the X-Mansion, appearing infrequently as part of the student body.
After the X-Men abandon the X-Mansion and relocate to San Francisco, 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...
finds Martha in his old lab and retrieves her from the ruined Xavier Institute in a carrying case, bringing her to the new X-Men headquarters.
Nation X
Martha is later featured in a one-shot story entitled "Martha Johansson vs. Quentin Quire: 7½." Now relocated to the mutant safe haven of Utopia, Martha finds herself the appointed "arch-nemesis" for a newly revived Quentin Quire. Finding life on a higher plane to be "boring," Quentin revives himself and decides to become a villain and secretly destroy Utopia, claiming that the X-Men stole his idea to create a mutant nation. Making a game of his master plan, he gives Martha seven and a half minutes to attempt to stop him. Martha attempts to alert the X-Men and locate Quentin, but he manages to intercept and taunt her at each attempt, ultimately smashing her container and leaving her to die. Martha realizes that Quentin has infiltrated Cerebra to destroy the island and take revenge on the Cuckoos by trapping them in a mental loop. Martha outsmarts Quentin's plans by using her powers to tip off Celeste to an error in Quentin's mental loop. The Cuckoos are able to break free and quickly defeat him. They send help for Martha and thank her for saving them. Martha reflects on the experience, finding that she enjoyed it, and contemplates the possibility of taking up superheroism.Curse of the Mutants
Following her path in superheroism Martha possessed a sleeping Rogue to experience further heroics. In Rogue's body, followed by Ernst who looked after her unconscious brain, she met Damen, a vampire claiming she was his lover Rue reincarnated. As the event culminated Martha kissed him to experience vampirism via Rogue's absorption powers, but realized he was soulless. Distraught, Damen allowed Martha to end his existence.Powers and abilities
Martha is a telepathTelepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, able to communicate mentally and manipulate the minds of other beings. In her introduction as an isolated brain Martha uses her telepathy to communicate through others near her, but typically only directs her telepathic speech to her classmate Ernst, who then repeats her comments to others. She is able to telepathically override and control the motor functions of others. This allows her to temporarily negate the powers of other mutants, though she must be at close range to do so. She can also project her consciousness into the minds of others, taking complete possession of their bodies while leaving her brain unconscious and vulnerable.
Martha can broadcast disruptive psionic distortion (called "psycho-chaff") into her immediate environment that clouds the minds of others, inhibiting their concentration and autonomic nervous functions to the point of stupor
Stupor
Stupor is the lack of critical cognitive function and level of consciousness wherein a sufferer is almost entirely unresponsive and only responds to base stimuli such as pain. This is often mistaken for delirium and treated with Haldol and or other anti-psychotic drugs...
. Her abilities in this area are shown to be strong enough to overpower the subconscious defenses of Emma Frost, a high-level telepath, when Emma was in her diamond form and unable to access her own telepathy. However, Martha's "psycho-chaff" is not strong enough to bypass Emma Frost's conscious telepathic abilities, as Emma was able to overpower Martha and regain control of her motor functions after shifting out of her diamond form and regaining her telepathy.
Without a body, Martha is limited in all other areas. She, as a brain, travels in a fluid-filled jar with technology (invented by fellow Xavier Institute student Quentin Quire) that allows it to float, and is anchored via a metal chain. The floats offer her some level of mobility, moving in the direction of her choosing.
It was also stated that, in her original body, Martha's blood had luminescent properties; Martha wrote a note to her parents using her own glowing blood when she ran away from home.
Age of X
In the Age of XAge of X
"Age of X" is a comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics which features an alternate reality of the X-Men. The first issue of the storyline, Age of X: Alpha, was published in January 2011. Publication continued in February, March, and April 2011...
reality, Martha Johansson was shown incarcerated in Fortress X's X-Brig.
Here Comes Tomorrow
In the Here Comes TomorrowHere Comes Tomorrow
"Here Comes Tomorrow" is the eighth and final story arc in Grant Morrison's run on the Marvel Comics series New X-Men, which ran from issues #151-154...
future timeline, Martha is still alive 150 years from now. She is still close friends with Ernst, who is revealed to be a benevolent reincarnation of Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova
Cassandra Nova is a fictional enemy of the X-Men in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, Cassandra first appeared in New X-Men #114 . Cassandra is a "mummudrai," a parasitic life form born bodiless on the astral plane...
. Along with Nova, she stands alongside 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...
, E.V.A., the Three-In-One
Stepford Cuckoos
The Stepford Cuckoos are a set of fictional mutant psychically linked quintuplets . They are students at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning and appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics...
, and Beak's Grandson Tito Jerome Bohusk against a Sublime-possessed version of the X-Man Beast, who prematurely revives Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
in order to control her and the Phoenix Force.
During a conversation with Cassandra Nova, it is confirmed that Martha was No-Girl all along, as well as the fact that Martha knew Nova was Ernst all along as well. As having no body limits her range of actions, Martha is Cassandra's pilot of the X-Plane and the two die after reviving Jean Grey's true personality and freeing her from the Beast's control. Dying, Martha's last telepathic words are to a dying Wolverine, telling him that they are going to the "White Hot Room," the higher plane of existence for all those touched by the power of the Phoenix Force.