DRAGONFLY

dragonfly-93060-pop2-fullReal Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Alternate Reality (Earth-93060/Ultraverse) human mutate (ultra);
    presumably an American citizen;

Occupation: Unrevealed (possibly a student)

Group Membership: "Gross Babies" (Culebra/Jay Alvaros, Duey, Elven/Elvia, Gunk, Prime/Kevin Green, Wicca/Stephanie),

Affiliations: Culebra (Jay Alvaros), Elven (Elvia), Gunk, Phade, Prime (Kevin Green), Turbocharge (Michael Hardaway), Wicca (Stephanie), the Prime race (notably the Primogenitor)

Enemies: Doc Gross (Vincent Gross), Duey;
    formerly the Prime race (notably the Homebringer and Primogenitor)

Known Relatives: Presumably unidentified family members (or just people with whom she lived)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: At least formerly a shack in an unspecified bayou (likely Louisiana or Mississippi), USA, Earth-93060

First Appearance: (Unidentified) Prime I#26 (August, 1995);
     ( identified) Power of Prime#2 (August, 1995)

.

 dragonfly-93060-pop4-faceprof

Powers/Abilities: The young woman who became Dragonfly could adopt a green humanoid-insectoid form with four arms, four wings and a tail for a lower body (no separate legs).

    She could fly at unspecified speeds. Her wings sometimes made a buzzing sound, and at least in her most recently seen form she buzzed somewhat when speaking.

    She could apparently alter her Dragonfly appearance somewhat at will.

    Initially these arms ended in a single digit/claw, while in the latter appearances, she had multiple digits (apparently two fingers and a thumb; see comments).

    She had two pairs of veined/insectoid wings on her back.

    She had solid plates over both of her eyes, varying from a more solid green color to a more white color.

    Earlier appearances showed her with a ridge running down the top and back of her skull, plates surrounding and between her eyes, a pair of small nostrils and a pair of antennae or pincers of some sort that extend from behind a ridged/jagged plate on the posterior aspect of her neck.
    Latter appearances lacked the central ridge, plates around and between the eyes, nostrils and posterior neck plate. In this form, her antennae were small structures atop her head, and she had more prominent, human-like red lips.

    Earlier appearances showed her with segmental plating/scutes running down her abdomen and tail, while latter appearances showed a more smooth body, with some lines/circular markings on the tail.

    Her tail length varied markedly, perhaps indicating that she could extend it at will. The tail ends in two points. Earlier appearances had thinner points, which looked more like some sort of stinger (although she did not demonstrate any stinging abilities), while latter appearances showed what looked more like a forked tail.

dragonfly-93060-pop4-humanform.jpg

    It had an unspecified degree of superhuman strength and durability.

    The Dragonfly formed as an external body around her, with it both protecting her true body and supplying her with oxygen, etc. When she was done with a body, she would tear out of it, and it would eventually decompose into liquid (presumably within minutes to hours). Presumably if she remained in her Culebra form long enough and/or expended too much energy, the form would degenerate on its own.


Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8" in human form; perhaps 8-12' in Dragonfly form)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 130 lbs. in human form; weight in Dragonfly form unrevealed as it was likely full of an unidentified fluid in addition to containing Jay's form)
Eyes: Unrevealed; (as Dragonfly) green or white
Hair: Black or dark brown; (as Dragonfly) none



History:
dragonfly-93060-postview (Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS) - Via a combination of science and sorcery, a collection of alien beings on the Godwheel created god-like forms for themselves as an homage to the gods that had vanished following a cataclysmic war. These aliens then considered themselves to be of one race, the Prime race, though every score of years they had to rest and renew their godlike forms, returning briefly to their original forms, which now disgusted them.

(Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS) <Over 15 years before Prime I#1> - The Prime race's renewal cycle became accelerated, so that some bodies lasted only minutes or seconds, and many of their number perished.
    The Prime sent their Homebringer to Earth, carrying genetic samples from their oldest records. They sought out Dr. Vincent Gross, a brilliant and daring geneticist, whom they hoped could cultivate a fresh code.

(Power of Prime#1 (fb) - BTS) - Gross had been working in genetic manipulation for some time without success before receiving the information from Homebringer. 

(Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS) - Gross promised to cultivate a new code but said it would take years to develop. Homebringer periodically returned to Earth to examine Gross' progress.

(Power of Prime#1 (fb) - BTS / Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS / other sources) - Gross used these techniques on a number of women, leading to numerous children who developed the ability to generate a second, superhuman form around their bodies. These included the youths who would become Culebra, Dragonfly, Duey, Elven, Gunk, Prime, and Wicca.

(Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS) - Finally, Homebringer discovered that Gross' work had come to fruition in Prime (Kevin Green).

(Power of Prime#1 (fb) - BTS) - Considering the other "Gross Babies" to be monstrous and defective, the Primogenitor ordered their destruction.dragonfly-93060-stasis

(Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS) - Homebringer opened a portal and pulled Dragonfly into the Prime region of the Godwheel ignoring his questions of who he was or his instruction to stay away.

    Dragonfly was imprisoned in a stasis tube alongside a number of other "Gross Babies" (Culebra, Gunk, Wicca) and slated for incineration.

(Prime I#26 - BTS) - Homebringer opened a portal to transport Prime to the Godwheel. Apparently false images of Culebra, Dragonfly, Duey, Gunk, and Wicca urged him to come join them, giving his essence back to his creators rather than wandering the world confused. However, Phade and Turbocharge were able to pull Prime back to Earth.

    As Phade and Turbocharge did some research and tracked down the location of other "Gross Babies" (children of women manipulated by Doc Gross, apparently via the material given to him by Homebringer), Prime sought out Elven and convinced her to join him in investigating their origins.

    After Prime and Elven met up with Phade and Turbocharge, Elven called out a challenge to the Homebringer, who opened a portal and pulled her in, after which Prime, Phade, and Turbo followed her through the breach. Phade temporarily destroyed Homebringer when he assaulted the heroes.

(Power of Prime#2) - As the Primogenitor discussed the origins of the Prime race and the Gross Babies, Turbocharge elected to check out the infirmary, where he found a pair of Primes (or guards, if they weren't primal beings) dragging the woman they had taken away toward a fiery chamber. Subduing the guards, Turbocharge asked the woman what they were going to do to her. Although he could not understand her words, she pointed to a pile of bodies beside a number of chambers containing Culebra, Dragonfly, Gunk, and Wicca. Correctly surmising that the pile was people whose Prime bodies had failed and were going to be destroyed and that those in the tanks were the "Gross Babies," Turbocharge opened Gunk's chamber.

(Power of Prime#2 (fb) - BTS) - Turbocharge freed the rest of the "Gross Babies."

(Power of Prime#2) - Turbocharge brought the "Gross Babies" back to Prime and the others, warning that the Primogenitor was not some benevolent god. dragonfly-93060-pop4-final

(Power of Prime#3) - Turbocharge further explained that the other Gross Babies -- who were considered "flawed" -- had been slated to be incinerated along with the members of the Prime race who could no longer generate primal bodies. At Elven's query, Primogenitor confirmed this, explained their reasons, and punctuated his point by tearing open Culebra's form to expose the young Jay inside: "Look upon this shrunken, scrawny mockery in the form of the gods! Why should it be cursed with life?"

    Prime ultimately agreed to let the Primogenitor use his genetic code to help his people and make him Prime forever on the condition that they also send home the Gross Babies and helped fix their powers however they wanted them to be. 

    As Primogenitor prepared to accept these terms, however, Duey (Doc Gross' early creation who had absorbed and controlled Gross) interrupted, advising Primogenitor to refuse to let the others dictate their terms but rather take the genetic material that they needed. As the Primogenitor resolved to discuss the matter with the council, Duey revealed his alliance with the Homebringer, who subsequently grabbed Jay and Dragonfly and then exclaimed that the genetic material they sought was their legacy and that he would not see it dispersed to "the world of these feeble imitations" (Earth).

    Elven and Wicca swiftly assaulted Homebringer, allowing Dragonfly to escape his grasp, after which she proclaimed, "All I ever wanted was to fly free! I won't let nobody catch ahold of me now!"

    Primogenitor insisted that Homebringer must not be harmed and that Prime stop his friends or all deals were off. Though not wanting to lose his chance to be Prime all the time, Prime ultimately sided with his friends and joined the fight against Homebringer. Dragonfly cheered when Wicca delivered a blast that -- aided by Turbocharge's binding his feet -- knocked Homebringer to the ground. In the ensuing fight, Dragonfly was struck from behind by one of the Prime race.

   Duey eventually drew out Doc Gross from within his own body and then cut into Prime's body and pulled out his heart, which was the source that generated his Prime bodies.

(Power of Prime#4) - Elven and Wicca assaulted Duey and Homebringer, causing Prime's heart to fall back into his body, after which Gunk flowed over Prime, sacrificing his form's energy to restore Prime's body.

    However, Homebringer then stripped Steffi of her Wicca body and then tore off Dragonfly's wings, causing her to drop the ground below. Steffi helped Dragonfly escape her dying Prime form.

    As the Primogenitor used the Prime race's fading power to briefly adopt a giant form and subdue Homebringer and Duey, Dragonfly considered that all she had ever wanted was to be free, to escape their shack and the bayou and being so poor. Having never realized that there were worlds beyond worlds, she wondered what other places and wonders were out there.

Culebra considered that he hated his snake body and hated being a freak. He resolved that as soon as he got home he was going to try to forget this had ever happened.

    After Primogenitor transported the group to an island on Earth, Dragonfly noted that the heroes had something to come back for, but what were they (referring to herself, Culebra, Gunk & Wicca).

Comments: Created by Gerard Jones, Len Strazewski, John Statema, Mark Pacella, Bob Smith, and Chris Ivey.

    Dragonfly was very minimally developed. She was consistently called Dragonfly in the Cast of Characters story summaries that I believe started in Power of Prime#2, but I don't think she was actually called that in-story. She did mention her life of poverty in a shack in the bayous, which I believe implies Mississippi or Louisiana.

    Any plans for the Gross Babies at the end of the Power of Prime fell to the wayside as the Ultraverse was restructured during Black September.

    As can be seen in the credits below, there were different artists in Prime#26, Power of Prime#2 and Power of Prime#3-4, which explains the variation in appearance somewhat. The first two appearances were very similar despite different artists, but the latter two were different. Artistic license in the real world, but as we've seen Prime modify his appearance somewhat over time (especially with Rogue Prime and the space form), I don't see any reason to think Dragonfly may not have at least subconsciously modified her own form.

Prime#26 and Power of Prime#2 had Dragonfly with a single digit/talon on the end of each arm, whereas Power of Prime#3-4 had multiple digits (perhaps two fingers and a thumb).

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Dragonfly should be distinguished from:


images: (without ads)
Prime#26, pg. 4 (posterior view);
Power of Prime#2, pg. 16, panel 3 (in stasis);
        pg. 19-20 (full-ish; slightly obscured by others; in flight);
    #4, pg. 2, panel 2 (face profile and full body with extended tail);
       pg. 12, panel 5 (human form, very distant; helped out of degenerating skin by Steffi);
       final page/panel (full, standing on tail)

Appearances:
 Prime I#25 (July, 1995) - by Len Strazewski & Gerard Jones (writers), John Statema (penciler), Bob Smith (inker), Hank Kanalz (editor)
Prime I#26 (August, 1995) - Gerard Jones & Len Strazewski (writers), John Statema (penciler), Bob Smith (inker), Hank Kanalz (editor)
Power of Prime#1 (July, 1995) - Len Strazewski & Gerard Jones (writers), Mark Pacella (penciler), Chris Ivey (inker), Hank Kanalz (editor)
 Power of Prime#2 (August, 1995) - Len Strazewski & Gerard Jones (writers), Kevin West and Tim Hamilton (pencilers), Bob Almond (inker), Scott Bernstein (assistant editor), Hank Kanalz (editor)
 Power of Prime#3-4 (August-September, 1995) - Len Strazewski & Gerard Jones (writers), Mark Pacella (penciler), Chris Ivey (inker), Scott Bernstein (assistant editor), Hank Kanalz (editor)

First posted: 03/30/2025
Last updated: 03/30/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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