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FIREFALL

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate or mutant or genetically engineered being or human variant or android or something else  (pre-modern era)

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: First Line (Black Fox/Robert William Paine, Blackjack, Doctor Mime, Effigy, Flatiron/Russell, Frank, Katyusha/Anya, Liberty Girl/Beverly, Major Mercury/Makkari, Mr. Justice/Timothy "Tim" Carney, Morph, Nightingale, Oxbow, Pixie, Positron/Veronica, Rapunzel, Rebound, Reflex, Squire, Templar, Vulcan, Walkabout/William Carmody, Yankee Clipper/Patrick "Pat" Carney, Yeti)

Affiliations: None identified

Enemies: Axis, Chimera (Zuhn), Howler (Luke Garrow), Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) Nocturne (vampire), Scimitar, the Scythe, Skrull invasion forces, Typhoon, Yellow Claw (Plan Chu), Fritz von Voltzmann (Karl von Horstbaden), zombie Invaders, zombie Red Skull;
    formerly Blackjack, Positron

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed
    formerly Carmody Institute, New England;
    formerly First Line Headquarters, Colorado Rockies;

First Appearance: Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12 (March 2000)

Powers/Abilities: Firefall could generate massive heat and flame, which she could project through her hands. When she used her powers, she could envelop herself in a sheath of fire, her hair permanently ablaze as soon as it came into contact with oxygen (see comments). Firefall could fly at considerable speeds. Her pointed ears suggest she might not be completely human (see comments).

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Height: 5'5" (by approximation)
Weight: 110 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: White (sometimes red)
Hair: Red and orange (continuously on fire)

History:
(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6 - BTS) - At some unrevealed point in the mid-1960s, the woman calling herself Firefall joined the First Line.

main image(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6) - On July 20th, 1969 at 4:58 AM, Firefall and the other members of the First Line answered a summons from their leader, Effigy (Velmax). After cursing out Black Fox for being incommunicado (he was enjoying a romantic interlude with the Russian defector Katyusha), Effigy explained that he had sufficient evidence the alien race that had built the ship the team had encountered back on Long Island in 1958 was planning to destroy Apollo 11, scheduled to land on the Moon. Firefall and the others boarded the semi-restored ship to reach the Moon (see comments), where they fought the super-villains Positron, Typhoon, Howler, Axis, and the Scythe, all of whom had been hired by three disguised Skrull agents to make sure the Apollo mission would end in disaster. Firefall faced Typhoon, whom she slightly underestimated, given his name--Firefall reasoned that with no weather to warp, Typhoon would be easily defeated; however, the Asian assailant revealed his actual power was control over particulate matter. As Typoon almost choked Firefall with moon dust, she realized he only chose that particular codename because he liked the sound. Despite this lapse in judgment, Firefall and the other First Liners proved victorious. In the aftermath, Nightingale healed Mr. Justice, who had sustained a minor injury to his left arm, while Firefall looked on with visible dismay (see comments).

 

 

 

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11 (fb) - BTS) - The First Line's nemesis Nocturne hatched a new scheme to destroy his enemies when he finished the development of the unique organic technology he dubbed Alchem-Tech. He covertly took over the top floors of the Baxter Building in New York, planning to unleash the fast spreading, continuously mutating virus-like technology from there. Nocturne took the building's occupants prisoner, locking them into containment capsules. He then managed to lure the First Line to the Baxter Building, though only Firefall, Pixie and Walkabout (without Carmody inside him) were available. Ordered by Effigy to maintain a low profile, they quietly entered the building, but soon found themselves besieged by the virus. Pixie and Firefall were overtaken, while Walkabout was hit in mid-air by a blast that short-circuited his systems. Alongside Pixie, Firefall was placed inside a liquid-filled stasis tube that doused her flame.



main image (Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11) - After Nocturne set the Alchem-Tech virus loose, the event was covered by CNN, which in turn brought in First Line member Walkabout, who breached the Baxter Building. While he was fighting off the Alchem-Tech quickly draining his systems, Walkabout spotted Firefall in a nearby stasis tube. He managed to free his teammate by jettisoning his right hand, which shattered her tube. Free and immediately ablaze again, Firefall was instructed by Walkabout to free Pixie. Together, they faced Nocturne, who gleefully ensured the heroes that his Alchem-Tech virus was designed specifically to deal with them. Firefall, to her surprise, noticed the virus' ebon tendrils had grown fireproof when they began to bind and constrict her. However, the virus's continued evolution eventually led to a form of sentience that Pixie's petrifaction powers could affect. Firefall watched as the Eternal turned both the virus and Nocturne (who had tied his lifeforce into the Alchem-Tech) to stone. She was also present when Mr. Justice, despite her warnings, touched Nocturne's stone form and caused it to shatter. As she left the Baxter Building with Walkabout carrying Nocturne's crumbled remains in a lockbox, Firefall noted that whoever owned the skyscraper would have to rebuild the top floors. Walkabout assured her this would be no problem--the building's structure was otherwise sound, and future attacks seemed most unlikely.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12 - BTS) - Firefall was among the past and present First Line members summoned when Effigy learned a Skrull fleet was headed for Earth and an invasion was imminent. She boarded one of the ships bound to meet the armada in space.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12) - Uatu the Watcher and the time-traveling historian Cassandra Locke from the future of Earth-700 watched from Uatu's lunar domicile--they saw how Firefall and the First Line engaged the Skrulls on the lead vessel of their armada. Locke later teleported herself onto the ship and witnessed Firefall and the others struggling against the  superior alien forces. By all accounts, Firefall was still fighting the Skrull troops when Effigy and Pixie activated the ship's self-destruct system, which caused the entire fleet to be destroyed--it remains unrevealed if  Firefall survived.

 

 

 

Comments: Created by Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks).

    Precious little is known about Firefall, which is a little odd, because by all accounts, the fiery female was a mainstay of the team. The fact she has pointed ears might, well, point... to her not being completely human (as if being permanently ablaze wasn't enough of a hint). But her contemporary speech patterns pretty much rule out her being a refugee from some sort of mystical realm, alien world or other exotic locale. Because there is so very little known about Firefall, one has to rely on little clues and tell-tale signs to conclude anything about her personality. For instance, the background scene in Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6 shows her looking more than a little annoyed at the fact Nightingale is touching Mr. Justice--this might suggest she had a fling with him, or was at the very least very jealous and protective. Then again, she could also be holding a torch for Nightingale (Heck, she's one herself).

    Firefall could be a member of the Flame-Men [ Mystic Comics # 5( 3/41 ), Sub-Earth Man( a giant flaming subterranean being )] or depending on what they look like, one of these races( then again, Johnny Storm learned how to control how his fiery form looks like ) : The Fire-People who live inside a volcano [ Mystery Tales # 23( 11/54 ) "The Burning Truth" http://www.comics.org/issue/211814  ] or the alien creatures of Living Flame ( would-be invaders of Earth )[ Journey Into Unknown Worlds # 6( 8/51 ) "The Day That Saturn Struck!"  http://www.comics.org/issue/173686 ].
--John Holstein

Maybe Firefall had some connection to the Flame Witch, who also had similar powers and pointed ears.--Ron Fredricks

    On the moon, all were sustained by Velmax's 1947 Skrull saucer's "lifeboat technology." Apparently, this fortified and oxygenized the body to such a degree they could not only withstand the vacuum of space without a suit, but also allowed Firefall to burn. Then again, she didn't exactly seem surprised about her flames working there. So, given that we know so little about the origin of her powers, her flames might be magic-based in origin or even cosmically powered--Nova (Frankie Raye) was able to burn in outer space as well, same as the Human Torch when his flame was altered and augmented during the Inferno crisis.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Firefall should not be confused with

images: (without ads)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#6, p17, pan1 (main image)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#6, p17, pan2 (versus Typhoon on the moon)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#6, p21, pan3 (annoyed at Mr. Justice being healed)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#11, p11, pan4 (freed from Nocturne's stasis tube)

Appearances:
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#12 (March 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11 (April 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#6 (September 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)

First Posted: 03/09/2014
Last updated: 07/03/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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