Warrior Woman
Encyclopedia
Warrior Woman is a fictional character
that appears in comic book
s published by Marvel Comics
. The character first appears in Invaders
#16 (May 1977) and was created by Roy Thomas
and Frank Robbins
.
, posing as a servicewoman
dating an American
soldier
in London
during World War II
. Koenig is revealed to be a Nazi spy
, code named Madame Rätsel (Madame Mystery), who is sent to obtain infortmation from a soldier who was also a cartoonist
, and is suspected of knowing the secret of the Super-Soldier Serum
, which originally empowered hero Captain America
. The soldier is captured and interrogated
by Koenig, who attempts to replicate the experiment in a laboratory
. The materials used are unstable, and when a superior officer intervenes, trying to stop Koenig using the formula on herself, she whips him, accidentally throwing him into the machinery, causing an explosion that transforms Koenig into a female version of fellow Nazi agent Master Man
(although courtesy of a higher level of exposure to the Serum, Master Man is physically superior). Koenig dubs herself Warrior Woman.
To celebrate the capture of superhero
team the Invaders (in a prison in the German city of Berlin
, Hitler insists Koenig and Master Man marry, his logic being that they are the progenitors of a new race. The ceremony, however, is interrupted when the priest is killed by rubble from a building damaged during a battle between the Invaders and German
troops. Warrior Woman and Master Man retreat when confronted by the Human Torch, who becomes enraged when his ward Toro
is wounded by gunfire. The character reappears in the final issue of the Invaders as part of a team formed by the Japanese
spy
Lady Lotus
to battle the heroes - the Super-Axis
.
It is revealed in flashback
in the title Namor the Sub-Mariner
that near the end of World War II, Nazi Baron Strucker
placed Warrior Woman and Master Man in suspended animation
in a hidden laboratory, thereby "preserving" the Nazi dream for use at a later time. Master Man is revived by Axl Nacht's scientists, and at Nacht's direction, the character abducts the original Human Torch and Ann Raymond (Toro
's widow
) - their blood
being necessary to help revive Warrior Woman, who had suffered brain damage
. Nacht betrays Master Man when it is revealed that his father first cared for the two superbeings while in suspended animation, and unknowingly instilled in the younger Nacht an obsession with Warrior Woman.
When Namor the Sub-Mariner, former founding member of the Invaders, finds the laboratory, he battles Master Man, until the Nazi loses his abilities and reverts back to Wilhelm Lohmer. Nacht steals Master Man's abilities for himself, and has apparently also won the affections of the revived but unstable Warrior Woman. Namor rescues the prisoners as Lohmer destroys the laboratory, although no bodies are found in the wreckage.
Later she resurfaces along side Nacht (now wearing armor) as one of the leaders of Axis Mundi, a resurgent fascist terrorist organisation who was opposed by the New Invaders. Other members of Axis Mundi included U-Man, Baroness Blood (female heir to Baron Blood) and the Pterrorists, an army of cloned insectoid warriors whose mind and DNA were derived from Agent Axis.
and hypnotism, and when exposed to a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum receives enhanced strength and stamina.
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...
that 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...
. The character first appears in Invaders
Invaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
#16 (May 1977) and was created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Frank Robbins
Frank Robbins
Franklin "Frank" Robbins was a notable American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his paintings was featured in the 1955 Whitney Annual Exhibition of American...
.
Fictional character biography
Julia Koenig first appears in a multi-issue storyline in the title InvadersInvaders (comics)
The Invaders is the name of two fictional superhero teams in the . The original team was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Sal Buscema in The Avengers #71 . A present-day incarnation was introduced by writer Chuck Austen and artist Scott Kolins in The Avengers vol...
, posing as a servicewoman
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
dating an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Koenig is revealed to be a Nazi spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
, code named Madame Rätsel (Madame Mystery), who is sent to obtain infortmation from a soldier who was also a cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, and is suspected of knowing the secret of the Super-Soldier Serum
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, which originally empowered hero Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
. The soldier is captured and interrogated
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
by Koenig, who attempts to replicate the experiment in a laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
. The materials used are unstable, and when a superior officer intervenes, trying to stop Koenig using the formula on herself, she whips him, accidentally throwing him into the machinery, causing an explosion that transforms Koenig into a female version of fellow Nazi agent Master Man
Master Man (Marvel Comics)
Master Man is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original Master Man first appears in the title Giant-Size Invaders #1 and was created by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins. The second version , first appears in Namor the Sub-Mariner #11 ...
(although courtesy of a higher level of exposure to the Serum, Master Man is physically superior). Koenig dubs herself Warrior Woman.
To celebrate the capture of 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 —...
team the Invaders (in a prison in the German city of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Hitler insists Koenig and Master Man marry, his logic being that they are the progenitors of a new race. The ceremony, however, is interrupted when the priest is killed by rubble from a building damaged during a battle between the Invaders and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
troops. Warrior Woman and Master Man retreat when confronted by the Human Torch, who becomes enraged when his ward Toro
Toro (comics)
Toro is the name of two characters from Marvel Comics. The first Toro was originally featured in Timely Comics and later as a Marvel Comics superhero who appeared as the partner of the original Human Torch.-Publication history:...
is wounded by gunfire. The character reappears in the final issue of the Invaders as part of a team formed by the Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
Lady Lotus
Lady Lotus
Lady Lotus is a fictional character from Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Invaders #37 .-Fictional character biography:...
to battle the heroes - the Super-Axis
Super-Axis
The Super-Axis is a group of fictional characters and supervillains that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters first appear in Invaders #40 and were created by Roy Thomas and Alan Kupperberg.-Fictional team history:...
.
It is revealed in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
in the title Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe, and one of the first superheroes, debuting in Spring 1939. The character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for Funnies Inc., one of the first "packagers" in the early days of comic books that supplied...
that near the end of World War II, Nazi Baron Strucker
Baron Strucker
Baron Wolfgang von Strucker is a fictional character created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #5...
placed Warrior Woman and Master Man in suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
in a hidden laboratory, thereby "preserving" the Nazi dream for use at a later time. Master Man is revived by Axl Nacht's scientists, and at Nacht's direction, the character abducts the original Human Torch and Ann Raymond (Toro
Toro (comics)
Toro is the name of two characters from Marvel Comics. The first Toro was originally featured in Timely Comics and later as a Marvel Comics superhero who appeared as the partner of the original Human Torch.-Publication history:...
's widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
) - their blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
being necessary to help revive Warrior Woman, who had suffered brain damage
Brain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
. Nacht betrays Master Man when it is revealed that his father first cared for the two superbeings while in suspended animation, and unknowingly instilled in the younger Nacht an obsession with Warrior Woman.
When Namor the Sub-Mariner, former founding member of the Invaders, finds the laboratory, he battles Master Man, until the Nazi loses his abilities and reverts back to Wilhelm Lohmer. Nacht steals Master Man's abilities for himself, and has apparently also won the affections of the revived but unstable Warrior Woman. Namor rescues the prisoners as Lohmer destroys the laboratory, although no bodies are found in the wreckage.
Later she resurfaces along side Nacht (now wearing armor) as one of the leaders of Axis Mundi, a resurgent fascist terrorist organisation who was opposed by the New Invaders. Other members of Axis Mundi included U-Man, Baroness Blood (female heir to Baron Blood) and the Pterrorists, an army of cloned insectoid warriors whose mind and DNA were derived from Agent Axis.
Powers and abilities
Julia Koenig was a normal human who excelled at espionageEspionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and hypnotism, and when exposed to a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum receives enhanced strength and stamina.