DRAGONFLY
Real Name: Cornelia van der Valk
Identity/Class: Human technology user;
Dutch citizen
Occupation: S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, combat specialist attached to rapid response unit
Group Membership: Task Force (Argento/Michele Argento, Blue Condor/Emilie Scholz, Iceboy/Hamish Carlyle, Tiger/Hughes Aït-Kaci)
Affiliations: Director François Borillon, EuroLab (Danger/Dolph Dongen, Deep Sight/Jane Melville, Key/Geyr Kluge, Nuage/Silvie Rouge, Picaro/Antonio Rey), EuroMind, European Union, Salomé, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate) European Branch, Moloid Subterraneans
Enemies: A.I.M., Lords of War (Kaneda, Oda, Sakuragi, others), S.H.A.P.E. (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) Commission, "Skrullified" subterranean Inhumans
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: EuroMind base, Spain
First Appearance: Europa#0 (April 1996)
Powers/Abilities: Dragonfly was a highly trained and expert fighter, skilled both in hand-to-hand combat and a variety of weapons, including a range of firearms and explosives. She wore form-fitting armor over her torso, and was armed with at least two high-tech pistols (with which she was skilled enough to fire with both hands simultaneously at two separate targets), a large shotgun with attached grenade launcher, and a pair of adhesive-backed explosive charges with timers on her back. She also wore a computerized heads-up display connected to unspecified sensors, which, for example, allowed her to detect numerous incoming foes approaching while said foes were both some distance away and hidden in the darkness of an underground cave system. Dragonfly was an excellent tactician, and acrobat of sufficient caliber to be able to leap over a flying enemy and twist in the air to attach an explosive charge to their back without their noticing.
Height: 5'7" (by approximation)
Weight: 126 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Green.
Hair: Red
History: (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z#4, Euroforce entry) - Cornelia van der Valk was a Dutch S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran codenamed Dragonfly.
(Europa#0/2 (fb) - BTS) - Cornelia apparently had a somewhat antagonistic history with fellow agent Key. Though she seemed to like him, she enjoyed winding the straitlaced scientist up.
(Europa#0/text (fb) - BTS) - When S.H.I.E.L.D. assembled Task Force, a team of "intervention-ready" combat specialists recruited mostly from Europe's elite special forces, Dragonfly was appointed its field leader.
(Europa#0/2 (fb) - BTS) - At Dragonfly's request, Italian Military Academy graduate Michele "Mike" Argento, codename Argento, was recruited to the team.
(Europa#0/text (fb) - BTS) - Task Force was loaned to a European section of the agency called EuroMind, assigned to provide security and acting in emergencies as a rapid-response unit. EuroMind (and Task Force) were based in a secret location in Spain. Task Force was sometimes instructed to protect EuroMind's scientific research group, EuroLab, which was led by Key.
(Europa#0/2 (fb) - BTS) - While there was respect for each others' abilities, Key viewed Task Force as heavy-handed barbarians with no sense of scientific values, while Dragonfly in return resented her unit having to "baby-sit a Boy Scout troop."
(Europa#0/2) - EuroLab were sent to an archeological site in Spain to investigate alleged monster sightings, but Key was less than impressed to learn that Task Force were present to monitor their mission. Key's arguing against Task Force being brought in, worried they might destroy frail geological structures, annoyed Dragonfly, who took some pleasure in telling Key that for all she cared, EuroLab could spend the next year underground photographing stalactites.
However, after EuroLab descended into the cavern system via a natural gorge, they were attacked both by Moloid Subterraneans and by unidentified monsters. Though Key remained determined not to call Task Force into the caverns, EuroMind's Director Borillon deployed them, and Task Force dropped down into the caverns and into the fray. Task Force ignored the protestations of EuroLab's Danger about their use of lethal force, gunning down the monsters, but Nuage, EuroLab's telepath, shouted to them that the Subterraneans were not hostile, merely frightened and disoriented. Accepting this, and with more monsters than they could handle anyway, Task Force began defending the Subterraneans too, gunning down the monsters attacking them. Reaching out telepathically, Nuage convinced the Subterraneans that the monsters were a common enemy. Despite this, the heroes and Subterraneans risked being overwhelmed as more and more creatures arrived. Dragonfly detected thirty more creatures inbound, but also fresh air that hinted at an exit to the surface, and they fled to another part of the caverns. Dragonfly warned the others to keep an eye on their Subterranean allies, insisting she didn't trust them, but Nuage vocally disagreed.
The creatures pursued, and Dragonfly ordered Iceboy to join her in targeting a rock arch they had passed through, though he responded that the arch seemed too solid for gunshots to bring down. Key protested that doing so might destroy the entire cavern they had just left, and shouted that they could use Bengal lights (flares) to buy time. Seeing the creatures already clambering into the new cave, Dragonfly thanked Key for giving her an idea, switched to her shotgun's grenades, and blew up the arch in an impressive pyrotechnic display. Noticing Key's visible annoyance, Dragonfly smiled and admitted her concept of Bengal lights might seem a bit strange. Observing the interaction and picking up on the underlying sexual tension between Key and Dragonfly, EuroLab's Picaro commented that they seemed like a perfect couple to his teammate Deep Sight.
Afterwards EuroLab and Task Force discovered inscriptions explaining that the "monsters" were descendants of Inhumans who had been captured by the Spanish Inquisition, and thrown into the gorge to die. A few survived the fall, and, unable to escape the caves, scraped a living, eating whatever they could find. Then the Inquisition dropped another group of "demons" into the precipice; the remains of a crashed Skrull ship and its crew. Eating the dead Skrulls caused a mutagenic change in the remaining Inhumans, driving them insane, and they had degenerated into a colony of predators.
(Europa#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Across Europe, there were several reported
incidents of individuals undergoing spontaneous mutations, but the mutations
always vanished before EuroMind could find them. When a report came in of
a similar mutation incident taking place in Kuantan, the capital of the Pahang
district of peninsular Malaysia, EuroMind tapped into local sources, including
radar. A U.F.O. was detected, just as reports from the market announced the
mutate's abrupt disappearance, but vanished near Mount Mulu, Sarawak (a Malaysian
state on the island of Borneo). Task Force were swiftly deployed to
investigate.
(Europa#1/2) - On the Malacan peninsula near Mount Mulu, Task Force found plane wreckage with the insignia of French multinational Nadir, Inc. Insisting that "big fish" like that didn't leave traces, Tiger warned Dragonfly that he suspected a trap. She reported their discovery to EuroMind via the radio, then, heeding Tiger's advice, instructed Iceboy and Blue Condor to patrol the perimeter, warning them that the team was in a "hot zone." Up in a nearby tree, Argent announced he had found a corpse, too normal to be the mutate but wearing a uniform with the Nadir logo. Dragonfly told him to procure a DNA sample anyway, feeling it was too big a coincidence for Nadir to be unconnected to the mutate sighting.
Meanwhile, in the jungle nearby, Iceboy and Blue Condor were attacked by a trio of armored mercenaries, the Lords of War, sent by Nadir to clean up the evidence. Hearing the sounds of battle, the rest of Task Force raced to their friends' aid, but reached the battle site to find the Lords standing over their fallen comrades, with Iceboy at minimum incapacitated and Blue Condor seemingly slain. One of the assailants (Kaneda) wryly told his compatriots that it seemed their job wasn't finished yet, and another, a female (Sakuragi), cockily replied it should only take them a few seconds. Launching into the air, Kaneda opened fire on Tiger, and Argento, Dragonfly and Tiger responded in kind.
Argento noted the Lords of War had enough artillery to destroy an army. Agreeing, Dragonfly responded by telling her teammates to use every weapon they had, and to aim for joints and exposed flesh. Leaping up and dropping one pistol so the freed hand could snatch an explosive charge from the small of her back, she vaulted over Kaneda, her right hand briefly touching his back as she used him to complete her jump, and surreptitiously placed the charge on his back. As she landed alongside Tiger and Argento, the latter suggested they deploy an E.M.P. to take out their opponents' armor, but Dragonfly told him it was too risky, because it would also disable their weapons too. Smiling, she pulled out a remote control trigger and noted she had another solution, then pressed her thumb down. An explosion engulfed Kaneda, but when the smoke cleared it revealed her target unscathed but angry. He ordered the other Lords to stop wasting time and switch to "armor B." Shocked at Kaneda's survival, Dragonfly noted her charge could have taken out a building, and she and Tiger watched as the Lords' armor bulked up, covering them more fully and extruding even more weapon ports.
Then Dragonfly noticed that Argento was crouched, ignoring this new turn of events as energy poured from his hands and eyes. He responded to her cry of concern to confirm he wasn't hurt, but that a malaise that had been afflicting him recently had now exploded inside him. Just then Tiger leapt forward, telling his distracted teammates to stay behind him as he blocked an energy blast from their temporarily forgotten foes. Kaneda reminded the other Lords that he wanted the fight ended with the next shot, and Tiger warned his fellows that he didn't think they would survive another blast like the last one.
As the Lords flew towards them, Dragonfly told Tiger to keep his composure, adding that they needed to figure out a way to make a run for it. Fighting against the pain inflicting him, Argento found a way to relieve the pressure building up inside him, unleashing it as an energy shield that blocked the Lords and their assault, while simultaneously ripping up the ground between them, opening a portal elsewhere. Slamming into the momentary barrier, the Lords were knocked to the ground, and Tiger seized the opportunity to pick up the now unconscious Argento and grab Dragonfly's arm, urging her to jump into the portal. Dragonfly hesitated, pausing to glance back at their opponents and shouting she thought she had identified something on their armors, but before she could complete her thought, an energy blast ripped through her midriff. Emerging from the other side of the portal a few feet up in the air, Tiger plumetted to the ground, his weight and strong grip on Dragonfly's arm pulling her through after him.
The portal closed as soon as they were through. Leaving the unconscious Argento to sleep, Tiger cradled the fatally wounded Dragonfly, telling her to resist and telling her that though they didn't know where they were, they had escaped. Smiling, Dragonfly told Tiger this was good, and promised him the team would be more the Lords' match next time they clashed, more prep....Her voice trailed off as she died in Tiger's arms, and a mournful Tiger promised his "little one" that yes, next time they would.
Comments: Created by Xavier Marturet and Paco Diaz for Marvel Italia.
Dragonfly's nationality and true name were revealed in Euroforce's updated entry in the hardcover handbooks. Her surname is a nod to the eponymous TV show Van der Valk, about a Dutch detective.
Profile by Wolfhead and Loki, with invaluable aid from comic translator Angelo Mammone
CLARIFICATIONS:
Dragonfly has no known connections to
images: (without ads)
All images from Europa issues, 2nd (Euroforce) stories:
#0, p20, panel 5 (main, with shotgun)
#0, p4, panel 2 (headshot)
#0, p15, panel 3 (firing both pistols at different targets)
#0, p18, panel 2 (clear shot of pistol)
#1, p20, panel 4 (tropical uniform)
#1, p18, panel 3-4 (acrobatics, plus clear view of where she carried her
explosives)
#1, p22, panel 2 (fatally wounded)
#1, p22, panel 6-7 (dies in Tiger's arms)
Euroforce#0-1 (April-July, 1996) - Xavier Marturet (writer), Paco Diaz (art), Enrico Fornaroli; Marco M. Lupoi; Miguel Carrasco (editors)
First Posted: 05/23/2017
Last updated: 05/23/2017.
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Special thanks to
www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix,
Master List, etc.!
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099
Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you
should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at:
http://www.marvel.com
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!