URANUS BLISS
Real Name:
Uranus Bliss (no
really! see comments)
Identity/Class:
Human civilian
Occupation: Urevealed
Group Membership: None
Affiliations:
Ted Calloway, Dr. John Ehrmann, Edwin Jarvis, Anthony Stark
Enemies:
None (although she
wasn't too fond of Anthony Stark)
Known Relatives:
Alison Arbogast (niece),
Bambina Arbogast-Bliss (sister), Fred (first cousin, twice removed),
Norman Arbogast (brother-in-law, deceased)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Apparently mobile;
formerly
Long Island, Atlantic City, USA
First Appearance:
Iron Man I#120 (March 1979)
Powers/Abilities:
Uranus Bliss possessed no known superhuman abilities. Considering
herself a proper woman accustomed to being treated with regard, Uranus
could grow incensed when she felt offended or disrespected. After
repeated, rough run ins with Anthony Stark, she was ready to belt him
for his boorish behavior. She also had a seemingly unlimited supply of
derogatory terms to describe Stark's perceived lack of manners. A
recreational gambler, Uranus wore orthopedic shoes, sometimes used a
cane and was aware of air pockets' effects on kidneys during
airplane travel. Bliss liked to wear oversized hats, even indoors
and on planes. She always adorned them with a single, white decorative
marguerite.
Height: 5" (by
approximation)
Weight: 115 lbs (by approximation)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Iron Man I#120 - BTS) - Deciding she had earned a vacation, Uranus Bliss booked a trip to the Mediterranean and boarded a Boeing 747 jumbo jet bound for France along with, among others, Anthony Stark.
(Iron Man I#120) - Uranus was in the aircraft's rest room when somewhere over the Atlantic, the plane was struck by a tank (hurled by the Sub-Mariner during an unrelated conflict on a nearby island). Stark immediately rushed to the lavatory to change into his Iron Man gear, but found it was still occupied by Uranus, who finally responded to Stark's frantic banging on the door, by telling him to hold his horses even if all those air pockets were wreaking havoc on his kidneys. Not giving her a moment to finish, Stark grabbed Uranus and moved her out of the way, toppling over the startled woman in the process. Even as Tony apologized, an annoyed and enraged Bliss called him a philistine.
(Iron Man I#123 - BTS) - Despite
the fact her plane was forced to make a sea landing, Uranus finally
made it back to the United States. She then decided to visit Atlantic
City for a bit of gambling at the local casinos. Unbeknownst to her,
Tony Stark and his friend Bethany Cabe were also present.
(Iron Man I#123) - Hoping to win big at the casino so she could afford a new pair of orthopedic shoes, Uranus played the slotmachines. Just as she hit the jackpot, the casino vault's alarm system went off. Overjoyed and unaware of the crisis, she used her hat to catch the coins the machine was spewing out, only to once again be bowled over by Tony Stark who raced past her to investigate the source of the alarm. Recognising Stark from the plane, his quick apology didn't cut it with Bliss who called him an old lady mugging heathen.
(Iron Man I#137 - BTS) - While visiting her sister Bambi Arbogast, Uranus was invited to attend the third annual Stark International Employee Appreciation Party.
(Iron Man I#137) - At the party,
Bambi introduced Uranus, who was using a cane, to her colleagues.
Meeting Iron Man, Yvette Avril, James Rhodes and others, she was barely
acknowledged by physician John Ehrmann, who was looking for Tony Stark.
When Stark briefly stepped out of the Iron Man armor to make an
appearance at the party, Uranus recognised him as the one who
had pulled her out of the plane toilet and bowled her over in
Atlantic City. Bambi dismissed her sister's claims, explaining that he
was indeed her boss Anthony Stark. Convinced she was right, Bliss
sarcastically begged Bambi's forgiveness, claiming she hadn't realised
huns were put in positions of responsibility these days. The party was
briefly interrupted by Stark employee Ted Calloway who, via satellite,
preceeded over the official activation of the new Stark sonic borer.
Uranus and the others watched in horror as the device exploded mere
moments after countdown. Stark immediately ran off to don his Iron
Man armor, inadvertently knocking over Bliss who was just getting some
punch. Launched into the bowl and covered in hors d'oeuvres, the
furious Uranus called Stark a thimblewitted bully and promised he would
die the next time she saw him. That next time came several hours later,
when Stark returned to the party after investigating the explosion. Her
clothes still stained with food, Bliss wanted to belt Tony, but was
restrained by Edwin Jarvis who had trouble keeping the fighting mad
Uranus from clobbering his boss.
Comments: Created by David Michelinie (writer), Bob Layton (plot & inks), John Romita Jr. (pencils).
Ms. Bliss' tenure as a character might well be the first time someone literally became the butt of a running joke since Stark ran her over on no less than three seperate occassions (uttering "sorry ma'am, no time to explain" every single time). Having her turn out to be Mrs. Arbogast's sister was a nice little touch given their similar personalities, but hardly necessary in the long run. We should have seen more of her, if only because getting away with a character named like that in a Comics Code approved book. After all, even if you're past 12, try and *not* smirk a little at a name like 'Uranus Bliss'...
...
Told ya.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Uranus Bliss should not be confused with
images:
(without ads)
Iron Man I#123, p22, pan4 (main image)
Iron Man I#120, p9, pan4 (in the airplane bathroom)
Iron Man I#137, p13, pan2 (slammed into the punch)
Appearances:
Iron Man I#120 (March 1979) - David Michelinie (writer), John Romita
Jr. (pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Iron Man I#123 (June 1979) - David Michelinie (writer), John Romita Jr.
(pencils), Bob Layton (inks), Roger Stern (editor)
Iron Man I#137 (August 1980) - David Michelinie (writer), Bob Layton
(pencils & inks), Jim Salicrup (editor)
Last updated: 01/31/14
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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