VARUA

Real Name: Mira

Identity/Class: Human (Polynesian, 15th century to present), mutate

Occupation: Pupil of the Celestials, former priestess

Group Membership: Young Gods

Affiliations: Avengers, Celestials, Delta Force, Gaea, Juniper, Katos, Spider-Man

Enemies: Deviants, Eternals (Ajak, Ikaris, Legba, Makkari, Sersi, Thena), Ghaur, High Evolutionary, Karygmax, Nauda

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Celestial Mothership, mobile in space
formerly Ruk Island, 1405-1419

First Appearance: (unnamed) Thor I#300 (October, 1980); (named) Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#8 (1988)

Powers/Abilities: Varua possesses telepathy, teleportation, flight, and the ability to generate the Blue Flame, which can transform herself and other into the Uni-Mind, a psionic entity with the combined strength of all its members.

History: (Thor I#301 (fb)/Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#8/3) - Mira was born in 1405 on Ruk Island, and became a priestess. In 1419, she was contacted by the goddesses of Earth's pantheons, who recruited her into the Young Gods. She was watched over by the goddesses while they awaited the Fourth Host of the Celestials.

(Thor I#300) - Mira joined the 12 assembled Young Gods as they were presented to the Celestials by Gaea, and Arishm the Judge determined that, based on them, humanity should endure. The Young Gods were all taken aboard the Celestial Mothership with the Fourth Host.

(Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#8 (fb) - BTS) - Mira adopted the name "Varua" and began her training aboard the mothership under the guidance of Katos, who favoured a philosophy of defense. She also developed a rivalry with Daydreamer.

(Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#8) - Varua was training aboard the mothership with the other Young Gods when they were spied upon by the High Evolutionary. Daydreamer became determined to halt his plans to reshape humanity's evolution. When Juniper's students all returned to Earth to fight the High Evolutionary, Katos sent Varua and his other students to stop them. After Daydreamer accidentally harmed Calculus with her powers, the Young Gods all stood down. Varua returned to the mothership with the other Young Gods.

(Spectacular Spider-Man Annual#8/2) - Varua joined Mindsinger, Harvest, Genii and Brightsword to Jerusalem, Israel, to investigate an unusual psychic presence Daydreamer had sensed. They discovered a artificial creature powered by the anger found in Israel, and it attacked the Young Gods. Varua formed a Uni-Mind with Harvest and Mindsinger, and cut it off from its access to psychic energies, forcing the creature to consume and destroy itself. Daydreamer examined the creature's remains, and informed the others that it was created by one of the gods of Earth's pantheons.

(Marvel Comics Presents#101/2) - After Sea Witch had a dream which was invaded by an evil spirit, Varua and Daydreamer became convinced it was tied to the creature they had fought in Israel. They decided that they would have to return to Earth to investigate, but Katos and Juniper told them they would have to bring their petition to the Celestials.

(Marvel Comics Presents#102/2) - Juniper and Katos led the Young Gods to the Celestials to present their request. They were granted 3 days on Earth in which to investigate the matter. Daydreamer and Varua determined that the places they should investigate were Sri Lanka, Ireland, and Central Bend, Wisconsin.

(Marvel Comics Presents#106/2) - Brightsword, Splice, Calculus and Varua investigated the evil threat in Sri Lanka, and fought a bull animated by the rogue god Nauda. Brightsword destroyed the bull, but they were then incapacitated by villagers who followed Nauda, and turned over to him.

(Marvel Comics Presents#107/2-109/2) - Brightsword, Splice, Calculus and Varua were held captive by Nauda, who forced the other Young Gods to turn over the mystical stones they had found in Ireland and Wisconsin. However, Daydreamer gave Nauda illusionary stones instead, and the reunited Young Gods formed a Uni-Mind with Varua which destroyed Nauda.

(Avengers I#370 (fb)) - Varua was captured by the Deviants and placed under their control with a brain mine. Karygmax of the Deviant priesthood had her collect blood from members of the Avengers they had captured, and used the blood of Varua, Hercules, Sersi, Crystal and Captain America to revive the priestlord Ghaur.

(Avengers I#370-371) - Ghaur forced Varua to form a Uni-Mind with the other captives and transfer its power to him, but the Black Knight cut open the Uni-Mind, setting everyone free. Varua departed Lemuria with Delta Force, a band of honorable Deviants led by Kro.

(Eternals Annual II#1 (fb) ) - Ignored by the Celestials the Young Gods slowly went mad. To get the Celestials' attention the Young Gods fought each other in vicious battles and had decadent bacchanals. Eventually Varua thought they were empowered to turn Earth's populace into a new Celestial. The Young Gods led by Varua returned to Earth and created an ever-growing Uni-Mind from the minds of Madripoor, which soon expanded ot other islands, consuming the minds of citizens in Indonesia and Singapore to its mass.

(Eternals Annual II#1) - Alerted by the growing Uni-Mind the Eternals Ajak, Ikaris, Makkari, Sersi and Thena went to Madripoor. Legba found Varua in a restaurant in full control of the Uni-Mind and telepathically linked to all the other Young Gods. Legba didn't attack her like she expected and just wanted to know why the Young Gods were doing what they were doing. Varua told Legba about how the Celestials had ignored them and how she realized what they really wanted from them, but Legba placed some doubt in her mind when he suggested that probably the Celestials just wanted the Young Gods to do nothing. Varua lost her concentration for a moment and Legba vaporized her head with an energy blast. Due to their telepathic connection to Varua all the other Young Gods dropped unconscious. Their plan had failed.

Comments: Created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, Keith Pollard and Gene Day; fleshed out by Gerry Conway, Mark Bagley and Keith Williams.

by Prime Eternal

CLARIFICATIONS:
Varua should not be confused with:

• Varia of the Hyborian Era, queen of Ophir, daughter of Varis, @ Savage Sword of Conan#68

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