REBECCA TAYLOR

Real Name: Rebecca Taylor

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Government agent;
formerly police lieutenant

Group Membership: Paranormal Law Enforcement Team (Michael Badilino, Sam Buchanan, Uno, others);
formerly New York City Police Department

Affiliations: Annex, Vengeance (Michael Badilino)

Enemies: Big Game Posse, Mike Clemson, Diabolique, Foolkiller (Greg Salinger), Psiphon, Revengers, Reverend Nice, Sachs, Joey Starrs;
formerly Sam Buchanan

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile;
formerly New York City

First Appearance: Marvel Comics Presents I#152 (April, 1994)

Powers/Abilities: Rebecca is a trained police officer, who rose to the rank of a lieutenant. She was a versatile undercover agent, could ride motorcycles like a madwoman, fly helicopters and was trained in the use of a wide range of firearms. She was a very empathic and smart person, though she was a bit too trusting of children. Though she had no superhuman abilities of her own she was a quick healer due to her fit physical condition.

History:

(Marvel Comics Presents I#152/3 (fb) - BTS) - NYPD Lt. Rebecca Taylor went on an undercover assignment to bring down crime boss Joey Starrs.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#152/3) - Targeted by the Big Game Posse, Taylor's cover was blown when the BGP blew up Starrs' limousine, killing Starrs and his driver Sachs. Taylor escaped the limousine alive and ran into Vengeance, who told her the BGP was behind the attack, but Taylor believed them to be a myth. The BGP further attacked them and Vengeance attempted to protect Taylor from the BGP, but one BGP member shot Vengeance's bike, seriously injuring Taylor. The BGP then faced Vengeance and their injured target--Rebecca Taylor.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#153/3) - Vengeance protected Taylor from the BGP, but Annex, mistakenly believing Vengeance had killed Taylor, attacked him as well. Vengeance convinced Annex of his innocence and asked Annex to bring Taylor to a hospital. Annex flew her to Mercy Hospital where she was immediately prepared for the operating room.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#154/3) - Badilino visited Taylor at Mercy Hospital, but the BGP attacked her room. Badilino transformed into Vengeance to protect her.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#155/3) - After defeating the BGP Vengeance returned Rebecca to tell her that she was safe now (she was still unconscious, but at least he tried to be nice and not scary....she would've freaked out if she wasn't out cold)

(Marvel Comics Presents I#156/3) - Badilino visited Taylor once again at her room at Mercy Hospital. She was still feeling weak and soon fell asleep.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#164/3 (fb) - BTS) - Mostly healed Taylor was released from hospital, but the NYPD put her on leave.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#164/3) - Taking a walk at a promenade in Brooklyn Heights with Badilino she got angry with Badilino because he had left the NYPD permanently. When Taylor nearly fainted Badilino decided to take her home. Joking they weren't even dating yet, Taylor offered Badilino to go on a first name basis from now on. Seconds later an armored individuum attacked them, asking for Vengeance. Michael pushed Rebecca out of the way and then transformed into Vengeance. The armored villain broke open his armor to reveal Psiphon. Rebecca returned from getting help and found Vengeance fighting Psiphon. (Her common sense seemed to be tingling at that moment.)

(Marvel Comics Presents I#165/3) - Rebecca and Michael went to Washington D.C. to attend a Law Enforcement Symposium by Uno. When Uno informed the audience that Psiphon was attacking the Pentagon City Mall, Michael suddenly left and Rebecca followed him (but didn't see him transforming because she was tooooooo slow). At the mall Rebecca protected Vengeance because he had saved her life from Sam Buchanan, who attempted to slay Vengeance with a version of Frank Drake's Exorcist gun. Rebecca convinced Buchanan to leave Vengeance alone and work with him to stop Psiphon, who had become threat to all of them, powered up by all their emotions.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#166/3) - Watched by Uno from a helicopter Buchanan and Rebecca worked together against Psiphon, aiding Vengeance to defeat him. Rebecca did her part by leading cops against Psiphon, hurting his hypersensitive tendrils with bullets. Unable to do further damage she stayed behind while Buchanan and Vengeance finished the job. After the fight Rebecca asked Vengeance about Badilino, who was missing, and Vengeance promised to look for him.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#167/3 (fb) - BTS) - Uno was impressed with Buchanan and Taylor and asked them to join her Paranormal Law Enforcement Team.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#167/3) - On their first mission Taylor and Buchanan joined Badilino to interfere in a gangwar between the Revengers and War Machines in Los Angeles. The Revengers knocked out Taylor and the rest of the PLET while Badilino transformed into Vengeance and was assaulted by War Machine, who believed Vengeance was the Revengers' leader.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#168/3) - Taylor and Buchanan regained consciousness and the former pulled an unconscious Revengers member away from the fight and took off his mask.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#169/3) - Taylor (becoming a blonde for this issues) showed Buchanan the unmasked Revenger, whose face was distorted due to steroids and adrenaloids being pumped through his body. Taylor planned to inform Uno about the drugs and effective countermeasures against the Revengers.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#170/3) - Uno sent in Taylor and others for cleanup after the fight with the Revengers and she kicked Badilino when he pretended to have been knocked out during the fight. (Her common sense was more than just tingling at this point.)

(Marvel Comics Presents I#172/4) - When Foolkiller went on a killing spree Uno sent Taylor and Badilino after him. They arrived at Golden Gate Park where Foolkiller's last murder took place and ran into him, after Foolkiller killed a cop, who was aiding them. Taylor and Badilino fled to their helicopter, which Taylor used to push Foolkiller, who stole a car, from the street. Foolkiller shot down the helicopter and when he tried to shoot Taylor, Badilino pushed her out of the way and transformed into Vengeance. After Vengeance knocked out Foolkiller, Taylor revealed that she had known he was Vengeance for weeks and that it didn't matter to her because he had fallen in love with Badilino.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#173/3 (fb) - BTS) - Because Taylor had seen many orphaned children during her time at the hospital she volunteered to spend some time with them. A weird new girl asked Taylor for a locke of hair.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#173/3) - Badilino allowed Taylor to drive him around on his motorbike in Brooklyn. She asked him to transform into Vengeance the next time so she could drive the supernatural version of the bike as well. Taylor took Badilino to her volunteer work at the hospital and introduced him to the weird girl. Recognizing the girl as Diabolique Badilino transformed into Vengeance. Diabolique fled from him, followed by a film crew and Taylor, who tried to convince Vengeance that the girl was no threat. Diabolique took a voodoo doll with Taylor's hair and stabbed the doll through the chest to kill Taylor. Vengeance lost control and exploded, apparently killing Diabolique for his girlfriend's murder.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#174 (fb) - BTS) - Taylor was buried at the Heavenly Cloud cemetery in Brooklyn.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#174 - BTS) - Badilino stayed at her grave and fell under the control of Mike Clemson, who was working together with Diabolique and Reverend Nice, to turn Vengeance into a killing machine once again. Taylor's death was part of their plan. Clemson used machines to split Vengeance from Badilino and sent Vengeance on a rampage through the US.

(Marvel Comics Presents I#175/2 - BTS) - Kneeling on Taylor's gravestone, Badilino was freed from Clemson's control by Buchanan and Doc Samson, who told him that he was not a child murderer, and that he should continue his heroic life in memory of Taylor. Badilino reunited with Vengeane and left with Buchanan and Samson the cemetery to go after Diabolique and Clemson, but first he wanted to celebrate life like Taylor would've wanted him to.

Comments: Created by Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils) & Fred Harper (inks).

Becky Taylor, the damsel in distress during Vengeance's Marvel Comics Presents run. Poor thing was killed by voodoo and once even became a blonde (a coloring snafu in #169)!

BTW her death in 1994 is obviously topical due to the sliding timescale.

Profile by Markus Raymond.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Rebecca Taylor has no known connection to:

images: (without ads)
Marvel Comics Presents I#170/3, p2, pan1 (main image)
Marvel Comics Presents I#166/3, p4, pan4 (headshot)
Marvel Comics Presents I#174, p, pan (gravestone with Badilino)

Appearances:
Marvel Comics Presents I#152 (April, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#153-155 (May, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#156 (June, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#164-166 (October, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#167-168 (November, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#169-170 (December, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#172 (January, 1995) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (pencils), Fred Harper (inks), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#173 (February, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (artist), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#174 (February, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Fred Harper (artist), Richard Ashford (editor)
Marvel Comics Presents I#175 (March, 1994) - Chris Cooper (writer), Reggie Jones (artist), Richard Ashford (editor)

First Posted: 06/15/2012
Last updated: 06/14/2012

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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