LIGHTNING BUG

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Human mutant

Occupation: None

Affiliations: Marvel Girl, Morlocks

Enemies: Marvel Girl, Marauders

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Phoenix, Professor Xavier

Base of Operations: Morlock Tunnels in NY

First Appearance: Marvel Comics Presents I#15/3 (late March, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Telepathy and leaving its body in an astral-from (mostly the form of Phoenix but it was able to change it too)

History: Lightning Bug was born a mutant and probably was a member of the Morlocks since its birth.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#15/3 (fb), X-Factor#10 - BTS) - Lightning Bug's body was among the Morlocks who were killed by the Marauders.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#15/3 (fb) - BTS) - Lightning Bug returned to its body and found it slaughtered. Lightning Bug began to search for another body in its astral-form

(Marvel Comics Presents I#15/3) - Lightning Bug found Marvel Girl and turned his astral-form from Phoenix into Professor X to lure Marvel Girl through the subway tunnels into a hidden cave. It turned back into Phoenix and tried to take over Marvel Girl. Marvel Girl blocked it and Lightning Bug told her that it read Marvel Girl's mind and knew that she was a friend of Phoenix. After that it told Marvel Girl its story from the day it left its body to the day of the massacre. Marvel Girl found its energy source coming from a pile of ashes beneath them. Lightning Bug tried to stop her from coming nearer to the source. Marvel Girl attacked the source, accidentally producing another Phoenix with the energy. The birds attacked each other and they exploded. The remaining energy returned into the ground and Marvel Girl followed it. In another cave she found the skeleton of a dead child wearing a necklace with the name Lightning Bug on it. Marvel Girl realized knew that this child had been her opponent, and that she was just searching for a way to survive. Marvel Girl swore that she would return with her friends to bury the skeleton.

Comments: Created by Bobbie Chase and Dwayne Turner.

It was never made clear if Lightning Bug was a boy or a girl. And I won't call it a girl just because it wore a necklace (even I wear a necklace). X-Factor#10 was given as a footnote in the story itself for the destruction of Lightning Bug's body between the scenes.

by Markus Raymond

CLARIFICATIONS:
Lightning Bug should not be confused with:

• Legion of the Living Lightning, lead by the Lord of the Living Lightning @ Tales to Astonish @97
• Lightningbolt, a second generation Spaceknight @ Rom#73
• Lightningbolt, a third generation Spaceknight @ Spaceknights#2
• Lightningbolt, alias used by Absorbing Man @ Amazing Spider-Man#429
• Lightning Fist, member of the Wicked Brigade @ Peter Parker: Spider-Man#16 (April, 2000)
• Lightning Force, a Nazi super-team of Earth-597 @ Excalibur#9
• Lightning Lancers, operatives of Solomon Prey @ Black Panther: Panther's Prey#1
• Lightning Lord, aka. the Lord of the Living Lightning @ Tales to Astonish#97
• Living Lightning, weapon of the Legion of the Living Lightning @ Tales to Astonish#97
• Lightning Rays, operatives of the Legion of the Living Lightning @ Tales to Astonish#98
• Lightning Rods, formerly known as the Great Lakes Avengers @ Avengers West-Coast#46
• Living Lightning, aka. Miguel Santos @ Avengers West-Coast#63
• all other people with Lightning in their name