Emi Ishida (Power Broker recipient; Hawkeye character)

Emi Ishida

Real Name: Emi Ishida

Identity/Class: Human mutate and technology (exoskeleton) user

Occupation: Doctor (unspecified field)

Group Membership: Power Broker Inc. mutates from Dr. Forrest's research trials

Affiliations: Alicia (formerly Marcia Guzman), Millie Collins, Hanover Modeling Agency, Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Tulio Guzman, Jake (formerly Nita Young), Melanie, Toni Turner;
allegedly Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) and others

Enemies: Chance (Nicholas Powell), Power Broker Inc. (Angela Golden, Dr. Seth Forrest), Dr. Forrest's mutates, Trapster (Peter Petruski)
formerly Hawkeye (Clint Barton)

Known Relatives:

Aliases: Trace

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly "Jake's friend's place," New York City (accessible via the Number Three subway/train);
formerly an unidentified base in an abandoned building in New York City

First Appearance: (As Trace) Avengers: Solo#1 (December, 2011);
(as Emi) Avengers: Solo#2 (January, 2012)

Powers/Abilities:

While wearing the Trace armor, Emi was seen to project energy from her hand that could knock a man off of his feet, and she could form energy fields to block Hawkeye's arrows; Hawkeye described her (as Trace) as throwing energy around like Sue Storm (more correctly, Sue Richards, the Invisible Woman).

Even though she was not shown to use this power out of armor, I believe this was a power present within Emi rather than the armor.

While wearing the Trace armor, Emi was seen to vanish in a field of light (perhaps opening a warp portal, teleporting, or making herself camouflaged or invisible and then escaping in the distraction).
I believe this was a power present within the armor, perhaps similar to the way Alicia changed her size/conformation; or, again, perhaps she just generated a blinding light and escaped in the distraction.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'10"; she doesn't seem that much shorter than the 6'3" Hawkeye); as Trace: approximately 6'4"
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 138 lbs.); (Trace exo-skeleton weight) approximately an addtitional 47 lbs. (for a total of 188 lbs.)
Eyes: Apparently brown (not clearly shown)
Hair: Black

History:

(Avengers: Solo#1-5 (fb) - BTS) - Power Broker Inc. employed Dr. Seth Forrest at Great Northern University to pay test subjects in a seemingly benign study involving calcium treatments in; however, the study actually treated the subjects with four different formulae designed to cause the women's children to have one of four superhuman powers (strength, metabolism control, telekineses/energy field manipulation, incendiary power). Instead, however, a percentage of the women eventually began developing powers themselves (by accident or design on the part of Forrest).

(Avengers: Solo#2 (fb) - BTS) - Emi Ishida was a resident at the university hospital in which Dr. Forrest was running his study. She joined the study because it seemed suspect to her, and she wanted to find out why they were paying.

She found that a corporate entity had become involved and replaced a lot of the staff, that Dr. Forrest had stopped coming in, and that the screening and histories had become much more detailed. Emi initially thought they were fronting an illegal organ donating ring. She was unable to determine their true goals.

(Avengers: Solo#4 (fb) - BTS) - Emi and her husband, Dave, argued the last time they spoke.

(Avengers: Solo#2 (fb) - BTS) - Emi received a call telling her her husband had been killed the same day she took her board exams. She disappeared out of "a great residency" to continue her investigations covertly.

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) - Emi joined with other test subjects Melanie, Jake (formerly Nita Young, who had been secretly undergoing hormone therapy as part of a planned gender reassignment), and Alicia (formerly Marcia Guzman) to investigate the research and find other victims. As what Alicia had learned made it seem that Captain America was involved with the research, Emi and her allies distrusted super-heroes in general, and Captain America and the Avengers specifically.

(Avengers: Solo#5 (fb) - BTS) <6 months prior to the main story> - Emi, Alicia, Jake, and Melanie arranged -- perhaps via someone owing a friend a favor -- for the Black Cat (although the thief's identity is not confirmed) to steal a suit of armor from a private research facility in Estonia.

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS / Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) - The armor not only granted them its powers, but also allowed the wearer to appear to be male, since Power Broker Inc. was only looking for women. They wore the armor as needed as Trace.

(Avengers: Solo#2 (fb) - BTS) - With Power Broker Inc. after them for over 6 months, Trace helped the group investigate their pursuants and push them back.

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) - Emi and the others discovered that the project involved five clinics, each with approximately 400 subjects; that at least 15 women died, while over a hundred women...had unspecified issues; and that it had involved four formulae meant to produce specific traits in the subject's future children. They planned to find any information connecting subjects from each of the four formulae to the subjects' names, and to locate the other subjects showing enhancements from the processes, but they found the clinics had all been stripped by the time they could investigate them. The New York office lacked the information they sought, but referred to a central lab, but they couldn't find any hint of where the central lab might be.

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) - Emi and the others learned that only Nita Young was confirmed to have received the incendiary formula.

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) - Emi, Alicia, Melanie, and Jake suspected that Power Broker Inc. had framed "Nita Young" (Power Broker Inc. had no idea Nita was now Jake) for setting fire to researcher Seth Forrest's home in hopes of drawing out "Nita" , as they really wanted the subject with the incendiary power.

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) <1 week before the main story> - Emi, Alica, Jake, and Mel stoles files stating that 6% of the test subjects developed some sort of enhancement.

(Avengers: Solo#1 (fb) - BTS) - Alicia's brother, Tuli, compiled a computer disc of all the information he had on the research project, as well as a photograph of "Marcia."

(Avengers: Solo#1 (fb) - BTS) - Apparently knowing that the exoskeleton-wearing Trace was associated with his missing sister but not realizing she was one of the ones to wear the armor, Tulio apparently threatened to go to the police when Trace (apparently Emi; see comments) refused to take him to see Marcia. Trace tried to force Tulio not to do this, and Tulio fled down an alley off 11th avenue by the Hudson river.

(Avengers: Solo#1) - Trace pursued Tuli down an alley, ultimately blasting him off his feet to make him stop running and so he would not go to the police. While Tuli argued that he had a right to know, Trace told him that he knew too much already, and that his sister didn't want him to get hurt. When Hawkeye interrupted the confrontation, Trace warned him that the situation was none of his business; and when Hawkeye fired a net arrow, Trace used an energy field to deflect it. Hawkeye tried to confront Trace, but the vigilante generated a blinding flash of light and vanished.

(Avengers: Solo#1 - BTS) - Tuli gave Hawkeye a disc with all the information he had on the research investigation.

(Avengers: Solo#1 (fb) - BTS) - Tuli was slain by Chance under orders from Angela Golden of Power Broker Inc.

(Avengers: Solo#1 - BTS) - After discovering Tuli's death, Hawkeye was ambushed by Chance, but briefly assisted by Trace (Alicia), facilitating Hawkeye's capture of Chance.

(Avengers: Solo#2 (fb) - BTS) - Trapster and a group of armored Power Broker agents were instructed to monitor their primary target (Trace and/or the Power Broker augmentees Emi, Alicia, Jake (they did not know Jake was formerly Nita, so they would have only been after him if they knew he was associated with this group, like Tulio), and Melanie).

(Avengers: Solo#2) - Having defeated Trapster (who had ambushed him as he approached a meeting with Melanie and the others), Hawkeye observed Trace (Alicia) entering an apartment window, closely followed by multiple ski mask-wearing Power Broker agents. Alicia changed back into her civilian garb upon meeting with the others, and she chastised Melanie for bringing in an outsider. Emi advised them to stop wasting time arguing and to get out, but she swiftly realized their foes were coming from both ends of a building; she instructed the others to take cover and to get out if they got the chance. As the Power Broker agents entered the room, Hawkeye broke in through a window and began taking out the agents.

(Avengers: Solo#2 (fb) - BTS) - Hawkeye placed a tracer on one of Power Broker's agents.

(Avengers: Solo#2) - Melanie alerted Hawkeye to their location, and Emi instructed Alicia to "find Trace" and get Jake and Mel out of there, while she helped Hawkeye; he was upset that the others had not listened to his instruction for them to stay together, but Emi assured him that they listened to her because they knew her.

When Power Broker command reported tracking on "the signal," which was now moving, and ordered all teams to converge on the signal, Hawkeye realized they were tracking Trace. Hawkeye then told Emi he suspected Chance had tagged Trace during the previous night's encounter. However, Emi told Hawkeye Trace and the others could handle them for a few minute, and insisted Hawkeye allow her to suture up a skin repair to keep him healthy. He thanked her, and After Emi had shared how she had gotten into the study and how she had become accustomed to "this running-jumping-fighting" stuff, she explained what had happened to her and her fiance; but when he didn't believe her when she stated she did not know what had really been going on in the study, the conversation ended.
Emi then received a message from Jake, who she referred to as Mel's boyfriend, that Mel had been hurt, and that Jake was getting her away from the fight. Hawkeye used the tracking signal he had placed to lead Emi on a shortcut back to find Jake and Mel; Emi sent Hawkeye to "Trace and Alicia."

(Avengers: Solo#3 (fb) - BTS) - Hawkeye told Emi that she and the others should get rid of their phones so they could not be tracked by them.

(Avengers: Solo#2 - BTS) - Hawkeye found Trace (Alicia) engaged in battle with Power Broker, Inc's forces. After Hawkeye helped defeat the PBI forces and identify the transmitter stuck in the armor's left arm by Chance, Trace trusted him sufficiently to unmask.

(Avengers: Solo#3 - BTS) - Alicia (still in Trace armor) told Hawkeye her story about Cap's apparent involvement in the project that experimented on her, after which they took down Trapster and the Power Broker agents. Alicia brought Hawkeye to meet the others.

(Avengers: Solo#3) - At the place, after Hawkeye swore not to involve any other Avengers unless they changed their minds; Alicia, Jake, and Mel agreed to trust Hawkeye. Figuring it was too late, Emi asked what would happen if they asked Hawkeye to walk away from them; he told her he would stay clear of them and keep their secrets, but that he would still have to go after the people involved, as they were doing something evil and framing his friend.

After noting his plans for a high profile meeting with authorities (after which Alicia planned to meet up with him as Trace), Hawkeye -- sympathizing how this group had been constantly on guard -- suited up and allowed them to rest while he watched over them.

(Avengers: Solo#3 - BTS) - At Ryker's Island, Hawkeye learned from Chance about the company employing him ("PBI"), his only contact being Golden and that most of the mercs were paid with a drug.

(Avengers: Solo#3 - BTS) - Figuring his longer-than-expected absence indicated problems and that he might need a doctor, Emi replaced Alicia as Trace for their meeting.

(Avengers: Solo#3 - BTS) - When Hawkeye left Ryker's Island he was assaulted by Forrest-empowered mutates directed by Golden.

(Avengers: Solo#3) - Trace (Emi) located and assisted Hawkeye. When Golden ordered the mutates to capture Trace, she blasted Hawkeye away to stop him from protecting her and allowed the mutates to capture her so they could learn more about the study from Golden.

(Avengers: Solo#4) - Within Golden's vehicle, the mutates tried to tear Trace out of the armor. As Emi fought back, she was surprised to hear Dr. Forrest discourage fighting the cruel brutes; Forrest further warned that it was safer not to resist as there was a tamper-protected device that dampened energy powers and fogged the mind. When Emi asked if he was hurt, Forrest claimed to have been badly beaten but seemed surprised Trace knew him; Emi told him his death was in all the papers. After Forrest claimed to have been a prisoner for 6 months and marked for death, Trace vowed to protect him and get him out of there.

Hawkeye then blew off the back of the van, and when Emi refused to leave without Forrest, whom she felt needed medical attention, Hawkeye boarded the van. After Hawkeye took out a couple mutates, they jumped out of the back of the van, sandwiching Forrest between them to protect him, with Trace on bottom to absorb the bulk of the impact as they hit street. They expected Golden to turn around, but were surprised when she kept going. Emi assessed that Forrest was stable enough not to need a hospital, and Hawkeye had her arrange for the others to meet them at a cabin he co-owned with Bobbi Morse (Mockingbird).

(Avengers: Solo#4 (fb) - BTS) - As Jake did not trust Forrest and could not trust himself to remain calm in the cabin with him, he took a walk while the others met with Forrest.

(Avengers: Solo#4) - Hawkeye agreed that is was likely that Alicia and the others' assessment that Forrest was trying to decieve/trap them was correct but that they couldn't be sure. As Emi's examination determined that Forrest appeared to have been beaten and had evidence of lung damage, the group considered that he may be being truthful.

Forrest related an account of how he had been coereced into working for Power Broker when he was only trying to do his innocent research.

Everyone doubted Forrest's story, but Forrest told them that while Golden had sent him to bring her to the former test subjects, he was instead offering to get them to the Power Broker base to take them by surprise.

(Avengers: Solo#4 (fb) - BTS) - Hawkeye figured out a plan that could take down the whole Power Broker operation.

(Avengers: Solo#5) - Forrest brought Alicia and Emi by boat to the Power Broker ship, turning them over to Golden and some mutates, with the plan for Hawkeye and Trace (Jake) racing to save them.

(Avengers: Solo#5 (fb) - BTS) - Alicia and Emi were imprisoned with the other female prisoners of Power Broker Inc.

(Avengers: Solo#5) - Noting she had been grabbed on the streets maybe 2 months ago, one of the other prisoners asked how Emi had been caught, but Emi noted they were there on purpose, intending to get them all out tonight. Almost immediately after Alicia prepped the prisoners to follow their lead to escape upon receiving the signal, Hawkeye fired an arrow that shorted out the Power Broker ship's power. Hawkeye and Trace then arrived and began taking down the guards who were preparing to stop the prisoners from escaping.

As Hawkeye battled Forrest (who revealed his own super-powers), Mel and Emi helped the prisoners aboard their boat, while Trace and Alicia held off the guards. As Mel announced they had everyone, Golden then arrived, ordering them men to go after the women; Emi advised they leave before the ship smashed their small craft, and Alicia agreed, instructing them to get clear while they could.

(Avengers: Solo#5 - BTS) - Alicia subsequently escaped with Golden after learning she was powerless and had been betrayed by Golden, while Hawkeye and Trace were thrown clear when the ship exploded.

(Avengers: Solo#5) - As a bus took the rescued women to somewhere safe, Hawkeye promised to take Golden and the two mutates to the police. Alicia, Emi, Melanie, and Jake headed to stay with Millie Collins and Toni Turner. The former four planned to help get the women they had rescued back to their lives, after which they would try to find the ones that were still missing; once they knew who had been identified, they planned to go to the police. Hawkeye gave them Forrest's notes (and Golden assured them that Forrest did not have copies).

Golden planned to tell everything she knew to the authorities because she knew how to survive in the world.

Alicia, Mel, Emi, and Jake each thanked Hawkeye for his help, and he assured Emi that he was easy to reach and that if any of them ever needed him, they should just call.

(Avengers: Solo#5 - BTS) - Hawkeye told Captain America and Iron Man about his experiences. However, he told them Forrest had sterilized all of the clinics and that any other records would have been destroyed with the ship.

Comments: Created by Jen Van Meter and Roger Robinson.

This story is REALLY hard to follow...I've been through it 4 times now to gain the understanding that I now have.
I had thought it was Alicia in the Trace armor in the initial encounter with Tulio, but Markus explained how/why it was Emi...and that it was Emi who was the telekinetic and Alicia the one with super-strength.

I think it was Emi in #1. The way Trace talked about Tuli's sister didn't seem like it was Alicia herself. In #5 when Forrest attacks them Nita/Jake mentions he was using the same powers as Emi (telekinesis) and in #1 that was exactly what Trace was doing. Emi was also very pro Hawkeye when he met the subjects. Marcia/Alicia aided Hawkeye on the roof after her brother. She is the one with the superhuman strength.

On the subject of the Trace armor's powers, Markus concluded:

The features of the armor? Flight! Physical protection! It seemed like it could switch between a form fitting mode and an additional body armor mode (making them appear masculine). I doubt holograms were involved. Actual size-changing sounds reasonable.

Emi's ethnicity was not discussed. She certainly appeared Asian, and her name sounds somewhat Japanese to me, but we don't have anything more to go on than that.

I'm always annoyed by ridiculous movie and story scenes involve placing sutures in a skin laceration or digging out a bullet and causing someone to instantly get better. The damage caused by the laceration or the bullet, or the hemorrhage or existing blood loss, or the infection if it's been there for a day or so is the problem. Getting rid of a bullet or sewing up skin in some half-ass non-sterile fashion isn't helpful.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Emi Ishida should be distinguished from:

other Emi or Ishida characters

images: (without ads)
Avengers: Solo#1, story pg. 1, panel 2-3 (projecting energy from glove to knock Tuli off of his feet);
        pg. 2, panel 3 (forming shield to block arrow);
    #2, pg. 12, panel 4 (face);
        pg. 14, panel 5 (running);
    #4, pg. 12, panel 2 (full)

Appearances:
Avengers: Solo#1 (December, 2011) - Jen Van Meter (writer), Roger Robinson (artist), Tom Brennan (editor)
Avengers: Solo#2 (January, 2012) - Jen Van Meter (writer), Roger Robinson (artist), Tom Brennan (editor)
Avengers: Solo#3 (February, 2012) - Jen Van Meter (writer), Al Barrionuevo (pencils), Raul Lopez (inks), Tom Brennan (editor)
Avengers: Solo#4 (March, 2012) - Jen Van Meter (writer), Roger Robinson (artist), Tom Brennan (editor)
Avengers: Solo#5 (April, 2012) - Jen Van Meter (writer), Roger Robinson & Declan Shalvey (artists), Tom Brennan (editor)

Last updated: 02/26/15

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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