TANYA ANDERSSEN

Real Name: Tanya Anderssen

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Unrevealed;
formerly Peace Corps worker

Group Membership: None;
formerly Peace Corps

Affiliations: Angel (Warren Worthington), Collins, Fall People, Ka-Zar, Mr. Lykos, Sammy, Shanna the She-Devil, Candy Southern, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Tongah, X-Men (Angel (Warren Worthington), Beast (Henry McCoy), Colossus, Cyclops, Havok, Iceman, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Nightcrawler, Professor X, Storm, Wolverine), Zabu;
formerly Sauron (Karl Lykos)

Enemies: Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Blob, Toad), Sauron, Savage Land Mutates (Amphibius, Barbarus, Brainchild, Gaza, Timberius, Vertigo), Sun People, Zaladane

Known Relatives: Herr Anderssen

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New York City, New York

First Appearance: X-Men I#60 (September, 1969)

Powers/Abilities: None.

History:

(X-Men I#60 (fb)) - Young Tanya Anderssen took a trip with her father, Herr Anderssen, and their guides, Mr. Lykos and his young son Karl, to the frozen "land of fire", Tierra del Fuego, on the southern border of South America. Tanya became lost and was attacked by pteranodons, leaving Karl to save her, though he was injured in the attack. He soon recovered, but neither he or Tanya could recall what had happened. Years later, Karl came to live with the Anderssens after his father died. Karl later moved off to school, and Anderssen disapproved of Tanya's love for Karl as Karl had no money.

(X-Men I#61 (fb) - BTS) - Ignoring her father's rules against seeing Karl, Tanya traveled to New York from Scarsdale to find him. He didn't answer his phone, so she decided to go see him, having a premonition something was wrong.

(X-Men I#61) - At Karl's medical practice, Tanya stood at the bedside of Alex Summers (Havok) just as Karl came in, shocked to see her. Alex awoke, refreshed, just as his friends Scott Summers (Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast), Robert Drake (Iceman), and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl) came to pick him up. Proud of Karl, Tanya said that she wanted to marry him just as her father entered and forbid it. Karl turned her away, too, saying he would marry her when he had means, and she rushed from the room in tears. A large pteranodon-man, Sauron, attacked she and her father at their home, and she immediately recognized it as Karl. Beast, Cyclops, and Marvel Girl from the X-Men fought Sauron off and he fled. Tanya realized he'd be returning to Tierra del Fuego. Days later, she found Karl there, but he fled from her and fell off a cliff, seemingly to his death. The three X-Men, who'd followed her, consoled her.

(X-Men I#62) - While the X-Men searched for Karl's body, Tanya waited. She directed the Angel to where his teammates were.

(Marvel Fanfare I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Tanya left her father, never speaking to him again, and joined the Peace Corps. After two years of working hard in the Andean Highlands, she began to feel more guilty about leaving Karl behind. She read a magazine article about the Savage Land and saw a picture of Ka-Zar and Zabu in it with Karl standing by them.

(Marvel Fanfare I#1) - Seeking to travel to the Savage Land to find Karl, Tanya sought the aid of Warren Worthington, the mutant billionaire Angel. She traveled to his home in New Mexico by helicopter and was greeted by Worthington's girlfriend, Candy Southern. Angel soon joined them, flying down from the sky, and she told them of her quest and her history with Karl. Angel was reluctant, but Tanya persuaded him by promising to pay a million dollars to his favorite charity and professing her love for Karl. They soon chartered a flight to the Savage Land and were joined by Peter Parker, a photographer for the Daily Bugle. Pilots Sammy and Collins flew them in, and a pterosaur hit their craft, causing them to fall. The pilots landed safely, but Angel, Tanya, and Parker ended up far below in the Savage Land with no way out. Tanya convinced Angel to stay and help her look for Karl, and Peter suggested they find shelter for the tonight. They hiked a ways and found a vast monument which had been partially destroyed. They were surprisingly attacked by warriors from the cult of Zaladane and Angel was swiftly defeated. Parker and Tanya were pushed up against a cliff edge and Parker pushed her over into the river after assuring she could swim. He was also captured, then. Tanya ran and swam as far and as fast as she could, only to be attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

(Marvel Fanfare I#2) - Though Ka-Zar and Zabu rushed to Tanya's aid, she fainted in fright and exhaustion. When she awoke later, Karl was there to greet her. They happily embraced, their doubts about each other absolved, and spent time getting reacquainted. Tanya later told Karl, Ka-Zar, and Tongah of the Fall People about her friends being captured. . Just then, the camp came under attack by the cult and a devolved Angel and Spider-Man. Lykos was hit by a swipe from Angel's claws. Tanya realized the attackers included her former companions just before Angel grabbed her and returned her to the Mutates. She was strapped in restraints and placed before a genetic transformer, and Brainchild devolved her into a cavewoman before she could be freed, even as Ka-Zar, Karl, and the Fall People arrived to rescue her. The Mutates were defeated, and Karl willingly drained the energies of the machine from Tanya, Parker, and Angel, though it turned him back into Sauron, who quickly flew away proclaiming war on the Savage Land. She slowly recovered from the effects of the machine, but decided to stay in the Savage Land with Ka-Zar until she could find a cure for Sauron. She entered the Savage Land again with Ka-Zar, wondering if she'd done the right thing.

(Marvel Fanfare I#4 (fb) - BTS) - Tanya and Shanna the She-Devil were captured by Sauron and his new allies Zaladane and the Mutates (Amphibius, Barbarus, Brainchild, Gaza, Timberius, Vertigo). They were devolved again and kept in a cell.

(Marvel Fanfare I#4) - The X-Men (Angel, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Wolverine) defeated the villains, changed Sauron back into Karl, and evolved Tanya and Shanna to their natural states. Karl worried that he would never be free from Sauron. The X-Men returned to their mansion with the pair, who met Cyclops, Shadowcat, and Professor X. Professor X conducted a series of experiments on Karl, and effectively rendered his mutant virus inert. Karl and Tanya embraced, finally having a chance at a normal life together.

(X-Force I#5) - Lykos, who'd settled into a peaceful normal life with Tanya in Manhattan, returned from grocery shopping to find Blob and Toad in his home, holding Tanya threateningly. Blob slammed Lykos into the wall as Toad explained they were there to recruit him for the new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants team. They took Lykos and Tanya to an abandoned warehouse and strapped them into a siphoning machine. Toad forced the machine to drain Tanya's life into Lykos, restoring him into Sauron and leaving Tanya dead.

Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Neal Adams and Tom Palmer.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Tanya Anderssen has no known connections to

• any other "Tanya" or "Anderssen" characters

Herr Anderssen

(X-Men I#60 (fb)) - Former physician Herr Anderssen and his young daughter Tanya took a trip to the frozen "land of fire', Tierra del Fuego, on the southern border of South America, hiring the guide Mr. Lykos and his son Karl to watch over them. When Tanya became lost, the men split up to find her, and Karl managed to save her from a mysterious and deadly attack. Karl was wounded, and Anderssen used his skills to help stabilize him. Years later, Anderssen allowed Karl to live with them after Mr. Lykos died, grateful to Karl for his daughter's life. Karl later moved off to school, and Anderssen disapproved of Tanya's love for Karl as Karl had no money.

(X-Men I#61) - Herr Anderssen followed Tanya to New York when she ignored his rules against seeing Karl. He entered the practice just as Tanya was saying she wanted to marry Karl, and he forbid it. Karl turned Tanya away, saying that he would only marry her if he had means. They stormed out, leaving several students (Alex Summers (Havok), Scott Summers (Cyclops), Hank McCoy (Beast), Robert Drake (Iceman, and Jean Grey (Marvel Girl)) shocked by the emotional display. Back at their home, the Anderssens were attacked by a pteranodon-man, Sauron, and Tanya recognized him as Karl. Cyclops, Beast, and Marvel Girl of the X-Men fought Sauron off, and Tanya ran after him.

(X-Men I#62 (fb)) - Angel approached Anderssen, who was distraught over Tanya's absence, not knowing where to find her.

--X-Men I#60 (X-Men I#60 (fb), 61, 62 (fb)

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X-Men I#62, p22, pan3-4 (main)