VIRAGO

Real Name: Virago

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Zephyrland), unclassified

Occupation: Warrior, Conqueror

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Orka, warriors of Zephyrland, worshipped an unnamed god

Enemies: Namor and natives of Atlantis, Tamara Rahn; "The Four" of Zephyrland (Ariel, Ibbar, Kabal, Zargus)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: She-Beast, She-Devil, Demon Queen of Zephyrland

Base of Operations: currently unknown;
    formerly the ocean floor outside Atlantis;
    formerly Zephyrland

First Appearance: Sub-Mariner I#64 (August, 1973)

Powers: Class 100 strength (she overpowered Namor underwater) and durability. She can transform from a seemingly harmless form to a large, 10' tall form of great destructive power. In either form, she is able to breathe underwater, and is adapted to the ocean depths, much like an Atlantean. It is not known whether she can survive outside of water.

She apparently has some mental or magical powers that assist her in the ability to drive others into a warrior frenzy. The vast majority of the population of Zephyrland was driven to fierce bloodlust by her. After she departed, it was found that those driven to this state could be killed by the sound of music.

Height: 5' 8"; (She-Beast) 10'
Weight: 146 lbs.; (She-Beast) 692 lbs.
Eyes: Orange
Hair: Green

History: Virago's origins are unknown. She was a warrior queen, accustomed to the pursuit of power.

(SubM#64(fb))-Virago was exiled from the barbaric outlands and came to a peace-loving city of the realm of Zephyrland. She quickly filled the city with strife, convinced the athletes and warriors that they should be ruling, and led them to revolt and overtake the city. "The Four" escaped her wrath, fleeing to Earth in search of help.

(64-67)-"The Four" brought Namor, the Sub-Mariner back to Zephyrland, but all five were captured by the warriors of Zephyrland. Virago challenged Namor to combat for the right to rule both Zephyrland, and Atlantis if he lost. Initially he refused to battle the woman, but in the arena, she transformed into her massive warrior state, and quickly convinced him to fight back. Nonetheless, even underwater, she clearly outmatched him, and beat him unconscious. She planned to execute him, but decided instead to travel to Earth, take over Atlantis, and order his execution from its throne.

Virago used the Golden Submarine of the Four to breach the dimensional wall and travel to Earth, but Namor revived in time and stowed away on the ship. Virago assaulted Atlantis, but between Namor and the entire warrior force, she was intially fought off. As she threw a tantrum some distance from Atlantis, she broke open the rock which had imprisoned Orka. She joined forces with him (and his army of killer whales), and returned to attack Atlantis anew. These two (three) powerful forces overpowered Namor, and all of his allies. Orka's killer whales threatened to crush Namor against a reef, and so he fled by quickly tunneling through the reef like a human drill. As he broke free form the reef, his momentum carried him until he crashed into a sunken U.S. Navy ship , carrying a deadly nerve gas. His impact shattered the cannisters of gas, which quickly spread through the waters, incapacitating Namor. Virago and Orka claimed victory over Atlantis, but all (except the alien Tamara) were swiftly incapacitated by the effects of the nerve gas. Even Virago and Orka succumbed.

Comments: Created by Steve Gerber and Don Heck.

    Weak, weak, weak finish. She's not dead, she's resting...Perhaps she returned to her human state, and her alien physiology (like Tamara) allowed her to recover, although with some memory loss. The amnesiac Virago is wandering the ocean floor, waiting for someone to find her and restore her memory, so she can open another can of whup-ass on Namor.

    I'm pretty sure that Virago could easily lay the smack down on Titania (MacPherran), Thundra, She-Hulk, or any of the other great women warriors of current fame.

    The Atlanteans recovered from their comatose states @ Super-Villain Team-Up#13 (thanks to Robert McKinney for the info assist). Apparently via the work of Dr. Doom.

Virago has an entry in Marvel Legacy: The 1970's Handbook.