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SILVER

Real Name: Jhimon Zhou

Identity/Class: Human (Chinese) mutant

Occupation: Former adventurer, government operative

Group Membership: None; formerly China Force (Auric, Dog, Horse, Monkey, She-Devil), Gamma Flight (Auric/Zhao Thang, Nemesis/Jane Thorne, Wildchild/Kyle Gibney, Witchfire/Ananym)

Affiliations: Alpha Flight (Aurora/Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, Box/Madison Jeffries, Laura Dean, Diamond Lil/Lilian Crawley, Goblyn, Northstar/Jean Paul Beaubier, Purple Girl/Kara Killgrave, Shaman/Michael Twoyoungmen, Talisman/Elizabeth Twoyoungmen, Vindicator/Heather Hudson), Doctor Hedison, New Warriors (Firestar/Angelica Jones, Namorita Prentiss, Night Trasher/Dwayne Taylor, Nova/Richard Rider, Silhouette Chord, Speedball/Robbie Baldwin), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wolverine (James "Logan" Howlett)
                     formerly Teng Yun-Shuan

Enemies: Asp (Cleo Nefertiti), Brass Bishop, Chess Set, Llan the Sorceror, Nekra (Nekra Sinclair), Owl (Leland Owlsley), Scorpion (Mac Gargan), Sphinx (Anath-Na Mut), Target Technologies' "Hero Killers"

Known Relatives: Zhao Thang (brother)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
                                  formerly Target Technologies complex, Rutherford,New Jersey:
                                  formerly a wharf in Sault, St. Marie, Canada;
                                  formerly Gamma Flight headquarters, Winnipeg, Canada;
                                  formerly Hong Kong;
                                  formerly China

First Appearance: Alpha Flight I#76 (November, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: Silver was a mutant whose cold manipulating powers manifested at a young age. She could generate optic blasts of intense cold, capable of covering an entire house within a solid block of ice within moments and fly. Reborn as a composite being with her brother Auric and Dr. Hedison, he wielded part of the massive superpowers of the Sphinx. In this new form, she was powerful enough to take out half a dozen supervillains with effortless ease.

Height: 5'8" (by approximation)
Weight: 130 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Black
Hair: Black

Silver with China Force

History:

(Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent (fb) - BTS) - Chinese born Jhimon Zou and her brother Zhao Thang were mutants whose powers manifested at a remarkably early age. They were soon taken from their home by the authorities and assigned to join the country's premiere superhero squad: China Force as Gold and Silver.

(Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent (fb) ) - Hong Kong officials correctly suspected Silver and the other members of China Force might be working to overthrow the government. China Force was working for Teng Yun-Shuan and his ally the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk), though they didn't carry out their plot. However, the Agent (Rick Mason), had been made aware of China Force and Silver's involvements thanks to an information package he received from a Hong Kong official.

(Alpha Flight I#76 (fb) - BTS) - Fed up with their life in communist China, Silver and Auric decided to defect. Using Hong Kong's relative freedom to reach Canada, they were quickly naturalized by the authorities who wanted them to join their newest government funded superhero team: Gamma Flight (Alpha Flight had been off world for months at the time and were presumed dead.) In the weeks that followed, Zhao, now known as Auric, Silver and their teammates Nemesis, Wild Child and Witchfire went on several succesful missions and quickly made a name for themselves.

Using her powers (Alpha Flight I#76) - Gamma Flight was sent to a suburb of Montreal where a mysterious force had killed dozens of inhabitants while freezing countless others in their tracks (caused by a small girl possessed by Llan the Sorceror and forced to serve as his messsenger). Auric and Silver were told by Nemesis to take to the air and patrol the area. Silver used heir powers to put out a house that had caught fire, only to be surprised the charred inhabitants came out and attacked them, even flying to reach them. Cornered, the brother and sister team had no choice but to attack their opponents with all their might. That still proved insufficient, as the dead were about to overtake them. Only the arrival of Alpha Flight saved them, with Box turning his arm into a giant turbine that blew the undead away. Thanks to Alpha's resident mystic Talisman, Llan's messenger was defeated. However, Nemesis announced to the stunned Alpha Flight that Gamma Flight were now the only superheroes allowed to operate within Canadian borders. If Alpha didn't disband immediately, they would be arrested.

(Alpha Flight I#79) - When Alpha Flight members Vindicator and Diamond Lil ignored the government's orders that the team would disband (they were summoned by Shaman to fight Scorpion and Nekra), Gamma Flight was alerted. Auric and Silver looked on as their leader Nemesis declared it was time to bring them in.

(Alpha Flight I#80) - Auric, Silver and the other Gamma Flighters arrived in Winnipeg to arrest Vindicator and Diamond Lil, who were struggling to hold their own against Nekra, Scorpion and the other, newly arrived American villains Owl and Asp (all part of Llan the Sorceror's convoluted scheme). Auric and Silver did their best to prevent the crazed villains from killing innocent people while Vindicator correctly guessed at Llan's involvement. After Sasquatch and Box showed up to help out the other heroes, Heather told Witchfire to use her mystical powers to break the connection between Llan and the villains. This eventually led to their defeat. In the aftermath, Gamma Flight arrested the Alphans.

(Alpha Flight I#84) - Gamma Flight was called in when Alpha Flight escaped from prison, slaying several of Llan the Sorcerer's henchmen in the process (they were disguised as guards, leading the authorities to believe the heroes had become killers). Gamma soon discovered Alpha's hiding place and attacked, with Auric failing to hitAurora and Northstar with his heat rays, while Silver briefly managed to encase Sasquatch in ice. Eventually, Gamma Flight was brought to its knees, with Auric proving no match for Northstar's speed. It was then that Nemesis and the others were finally willing to listen to reason: Alpha wasn't their enemy, the unseen menace of Llan was. At that exact moment, the Sorceror opened the dimensional portal hidden in the Eye of the World to bring his army of demons to Earth. Auric, Silver and the other Alphans learned of this through a mystical message sent by Talisman who had failed to stop Llan at the Eye.

(Alpha Flight I#85) - Thanks to the Alphan Laura Dean opening up a portal, both Alpha and Gamma Flight made their way to the Eye of the World. There, they fought against Llan's forces who emerged from the Eye in seeming endless waves. In the end, Auric, Silver and the others were fighting a losing battle. Before a gloating Llan could deal with the captured Talisman, she sent a message to the lightning fast Aurora and Northstar to find Doctor Strange and get his help.

(Alpha Flight I#86) - As Alpha and Gamma's last stand against Llan's forces continued, Auric and Silver were among the last of the heroes standing. They continued to fight while Dr. Strange involved himself behind the scenes. Using his mystical might in concert with Talisman and Witchfire, he managed to open the Gateway of Day hidden within the Eye of the World. Once the portal was open, the armies of light came forth to combat Llan's evil forces. Overwhelmed, the Sorceror was driven out, ending the conflict.

(Alpha Flight I#87 (fb) ) - Following Llan's defeat, Auric, Silver and all the other members of Alpha and Gamma Flight willingly surrendered to the authorities, pending the government's decision about the team's future. The Chinese siblings attended the hearings that ended with the government deciding to reinstate Alpha Flight as the nation's official superhuman force. However, when they further announced Gamma Flight would be demoted, its members serving as a new Beta Flight under Alpha's supervision. Fearing this would mean he'd end up on the streets again, Wild Child lost all control and attacked the politician delivering the verdict before fleeing the building.

(Alpha Flight I#87) - Silver, Auric and the Alphans searched for Wild Child. When they found him, he injured Laura Dean before running off again. While Laura was rushed to the hospital, Auric and Silver resumed their search under command from Vindicator. After hours of fruitless searching, they reconvened only to be surprised by Wolverine who had traced and captured the wayward Wild Child himself.

(Alpha Flight I#88) - Silver and Auric watched as Wild Child was carted off to prison, where he would soon escape from.

(Alpha Flight I#89 - BTS) - While Wolverine and Vindicator searched for Wild Child, the vengeful Nemesis assembled Gamma Flight to search for their wayward teammate. They eventually found him in an abandoned wharf in Sault, St. Marie.

(Alpha Flight I#89) - Silver, Auric and the other Gamma Flighters confronted Wolverine and Vindicator when they came to the wharf to bring in Wild Child.

Silver and Auric want back home

(Alpha Flight I#90) - Vindicator effortlessly took out both Auric and Silver with a single shot when she and Wolverine took on Gamma Flight. After the far more experienced duo defeated Gamma Flight, Nemesis was ready to die for the cause. Auric and Silver didn't care for this and simply requested they'd be allowed to return home to China. According to Silver, all they wanted was to serve the cause of freedom and democracy, which they could do better in their homeland than in jail. Vindicator allowed them to go free, telling the sibling to beat it, adding that they knew where to find Alpha if they ever needed help.

Rescued from Target Technologies

(Amazing Spider-Man Annual I#26) - Silver and Auric were still in Vancouver when they were attacked by the Hero Killers, a band of mercenaries working for Target Technologies. They were captured within impenetrable energy capsules and brought to Target's New Jersey laboratories for study (the company was analyzing superhumans and their abilities to find a way to empower their employer, the Sphinx).

(Web of Spider-Man Annual I#8 - BTS) - Silver and Auric were subjected to gruesome experiments, poked and prodded with knives and needles to find out the source of their powers. Auric didn't survive the brutal experimentation. Silver, heartbroken, watched as the New Warrior Speedball was brought in as part of the ongoing experiments.

(Web of Spider-Man Annual I#8) - Silver was discovered in her prison cell by Spider-Man and the New Warriors who had come to find Speedball. She told them what had become of her and Auric and guided the Warriors to Speedball's location. She refused to let any of the heroes stay with her, promising them she'd be fine.

(Alpha Flight I#121 (fb) - BTS) - After the New Warriors and Spider-Man defeated the empowered Sphinx, all his energies were released in a massive explosion. Silver was killed in the blast, but both her body and that of Auric absorbed a massive amount of energy that somehow restored them to a state of dormant consciousness. When the government sent a team of scientists months later to excavate the site, one doctor Hedison stumbled on the energized remains of the two who instinctively latched on to his lifeforce, merging with his mind.

(Alpha Flight I#121) - News of the Sphinx's energies surviving, reached the Brass Bishop who figured out that the energies could still be transferable. He ordered his Chess Set to steal the corpses of Auric and Silver, replacing their bodies with dummies placed in the coffins). They also kidnapped Hedison, whose wild story about merging with the dead Chinese metahumans had caused him to be ridiculed. The Brass Bishop planned to sell the stored energy to the highest bidder, inviting various supervillains to attend the auction at a local airfield. Auric and Silver's remains were displayed prominently, connected to Hedison in a complex contraption called the nexus. Before a final deal could be made, the proceedings were interrupted by Alpha Flight and Spider-Man (who had discovered the Bishop's trickery at the siblings' funeral). During the fight, Nemesis noticed the Chess Set was protecting the nexus, prompting her to damage it with her sword. This caused the machine to malfunction, merging the energies and personalities of Auric, Silver and Hedison into one extremely powerful entity. This new lifeform was furious over what had been done to it and ready to kill the Brass Bishop, the Chess Set and the remaining supervillains. Alpha Flight's leader Heather Hudson managed to reason with the newborn creature, reminding it that Auric and Silver always fought for life and that its creation gave their senseless deaths meaning. Moved by Hudson's plea to let Auric and Silver rest in peace, knowing their legacy is life, not death... the entity teleported away, claiming it had much to consider.

Comments: Created by James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks).

Auric and Silver just might be the most underdeveloped characters ever. They had about as many lines between them as appearances. Ending with the two of them merging with a scientist who barely had time to finish even one sentence was fitting. A waste, but fitting.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Silver should not be confused with


images: (without ads)
Alpha Flight I#76, p1, pan1 (main image)
Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent, p10, pan8 (China Force member)
Alpha Flight I#76, p8, pan3 (uses powers)
Alpha Flight I#90, p18, pan3 (want to go home)
Web of Spider-Man Annual I#8, p25, pan4 (rescued by New Warriors)


Appearances:
Alpha Flight I#76 (November, 1989) - James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Marvel Graphic Novel: The Agent (December, 1989) - James Hudnall (writer), John Ridgway (pencils & inks), Carl Potts & Marc McLaurin (editors)
Alpha Flight I#79 (Mid-December 1989) - James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Alpha Flight I#80 (January, 1990) - James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Alpha Flight I#84 (May, 1990) - James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Alpha Flight I#85 (June, 1990) - James Hudnall (writer), John Calimee (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Alpha Flight I#86 (July, 1990) - James Hudnall (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Carl Potts (editor)
Alpha Flight I#87 (August, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Michael Bair (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Alpha Flight I#88 (September, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Michael Bair (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Alpha Flight I#89 (October, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Michael Bair (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Alpha Flight I#90 (November, 1990) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Michael Bair (pencils), Mike Manley (inks), Danny Fingeroth (editor)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual I#26 (June, 1992) - David Michelinie (writer), Scott McDaniel (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Danny Fingeroth & Eric Fein (editors)
Web of Spider-Man Annual I#8 (June, 1992) - David Michelinie (writer), Scott McDaniel (pencils), Keith Williams (inks), Danny Fingeroth & Eric Fein (editors)
Alpha Flight I#121 (June, 1993) - Simon Furman (writer), Craig Brasfield (pencils), Frank Turner (inks), Rob Tokar (editor)


First Posted: 07/21/2015
Last updated: 07/08/2015

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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