GOLDFIRE
Real Name: Ameiko Sabuki
Identity/Class: Human mutate, citizen of the United
States
Occupation: Adventurer
Group Membership: Penance
Council, V-Battalion (Citizen V/John Watkins III, Fred Davis,
Destroyer/Roger Aubrey, Iron
Cross/Helmut Gruler, Isadora Martinez, Nuklo/Robert Frank Jr,
Silver Scorpion/Elizabeth Barstow, Topspin/Darren Mitchell)
Affiliations: Atlanteans/Homo
Mermani, Valerie Cooper, Jim Hammond (Human Torch), Andrea
Sterman, Thunderbolts (Atlas/Erik Josten, Charcoal/Charlie
Burlingame, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, Moonstone/Karla Sofen,
Songbird/Melissa Joan Gold), Uatu
the Watcher;
formerly Baron Helmut Zemo (while posing as Citizen
V)
Enemies: AIM, Aqhat, Collective
Man, Crimson
Cowl (Justine Hammer), Hydra, MODOK, Sandman (William Baker/Flint
Marko), Baron (Wolfgang von) Strucker,
Known Relatives: Gwenny Lou Sabuki (grandmother,
deceased), Dr. Hijiri "Sam" Sabuki (great-grandfather, deceased), Kenji
Sabuki (father, deceased), Ryoko Sabuki (sister)
Aliases: "Kind" (German for 'child', used by Iron
Cross)
Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly Castle Masada,
Symkaria;
formerly mobile on the
Vanguard carrier
First Appearance: Thunderbolts I#38 (May, 2000)
Powers/Abilities: Ameiko Sabuki inherited metahuman
powers similar to her grandmother, father and sister. She could generate
intense heat which she unleashed as powerful plasma bolts potent enough
to melt steel or turn sand to glass. Through undetermined ways,
Goldfire's flame was able to sustain itself both underwater and in
outerspace. Goldfire could fly, leaving a fiery trail in her wake.
Height: 5''3"
Weight: 95 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (fb) - BTS) -
Sabuki's great grandfather Sam Sabuki was one of the co-founders of the
V-Battalion. Both her grandmother and father have served on the
Battalion's ruling body the Penance Council as Golden Woman and Golden
Sun.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (fb) - BTS) - Ameiko
Sabuki lost her father Kenji Sabuki when she was just five years old.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (fb) - BTS) - When
she was a teenager, Ameiko was asked to take her father's seat on the
Penance Council. Taking the name Goldfire, Ameiko served alongside World
War 2 era heroes like the Destroyer, Silver Scorpion and Iron Cross as
well as other 'legacy heroes' such as Topspin (Darren Mitchell).
(Thunderbolts I#38) - Chasing their rogue operative Citizen V (Dallas
Riordan), Ameiko and the other members of the Penance Council ordered
their mobile air fortress the Vanguard to surround the Thunderbolts'
headquarters at Mount Charteris. Soon, armed members of the V-Battalion
began to swarm the mountain in their attempt to apprehend Riordan.
Ameiko appeared with the other Council members projected as huge
holograms, with the Destroyer ordering her surrender. In defiant
response, Citizen V removed her mask and revealed her true identity.
(Thunderbolts I#39) - Ameiko, the other members of the Penance Council
and the Thunderbolts were shocked when Dallas Riordan was suddenly
enveloped by the Crimson Cowl's teleportation cloak that quickly
spirited away to parts unknown.
(Thunderbolts I#40) - With Riordan gone, the Penance Council ordered the
V-Battalion back on board the Vanguard that hastily left orbit. Aboard,
Ameiko and the Penance Council quietly took their failure in stride,
unaware Atlas (Erik Josten) had managed to sneak on board.
(Thunderbolts I#40 - BTS) - The tracer in Atlas' costume allowed the
Thunderbolts to determine the V-Battalion's headquarters was located in
Symkaria, near the Latverian border. Planning a rescue mission, they
decided to enlist the aid of Sandman, who once worked for Symkaria's
lead mercenary Silver Sable. Sandman agreed to help and proved
instrumental in uncovering the cloaked Vanguard.
(Thunderbolts I#40) - The Penance Council was alerted when Sandman tore
through the hull of the Vanguard even as the newly discovered Atlas was
fighting inside the vessel. Given the unusual circumstances, Roger
Aubrey ordered Ameiko and the others to suit up and deal with the
situation hands on. Minutes later, Ameiko (as Goldfire) emerged outside
the Vanguard with Iron Cross, Nuklo, the Destroyer and Topspin, ready to
meet the approaching Thunderbolts.
(Thunderbolts I#41) - When diplomacy failed, mainly because Atlas came
smashing through the hull, the Penance Council attacked the
Thunderbolts. Goldfire was quickly cold-cocked by MACH-2 but recovered
in time to witness Moonstone losing control over her powers, turning all
the combatants temporarily intangible before flying off. The incident
got everyone talking and their focus shifted to the missing Sandman.
Realizing he was on a mission to kill his old boss Silver Sable, the
Penance Council and Thunderbolts teamed up to capture the villain. In
the end, Songbird managed to trap Sandman in a solid sound bubble, which
led to Goldfire, Nuklo and Charcoal using their heat based powers to
turn his sentient silicone form into immobile glass.
(Thunderbolts I#49) - Ameiko
attended a Penance Council meeting at Castle Masada along with
psychologist Andrea Sterman and Valerie Cooper. Topic of discussion
was the ongoing conspiracy within the Commission on Superhuman Affairs
that had led to the creation of a new Scourge who had assassinated
(among others) Jolt
(who survived), Gayle Rogers and Roberta Haggert. In the end, Valerie
Cooper managed to conclude that Henry Peter Gyrich was responsible for
the string of Scourge killings.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#1 - BTS) -
Thanks to Citizen V's field work, the Penance Council learned of the
existence of a Voice Modulation Program that could control human
beings through nannites that had already been spread. The Vanguard
tracked the source of the technology to an AIM island base.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#1) - Ameiko appeared in holographic
form with the other Penance Council members, ordering AIM to surrender
the VMP and the nannites lest they be destroyed. Much to their dismay,
MODOK replied that VMP testing was currently underway in
Atlantis. widely disseminated nano-probes, making those infected
with the nannites subject to the holder of the VMP. Tracking the VMP
via the nannites
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#2 - BTS) - After getting
the VMP technology from MODOK, the Penance Council made their way to
Atlantis. They arrived too late to rescue a Russian submarine from the
mind controlled Attuma and his forces. This led Roger Aubrey to decide
the V-Battalion had to attack Atlantis itself. Iron Cross, Goldfire,
Nuklo and Topspin were sent in to lead the V-Battalion in their
underwater assault.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#2) - Goldfire soon realized the mind
controlled Atlanteans were so vicious, nothing short of genocide would
stop them. Though Iron Cross was not unopposed to the idea, the final
solution came from Roger Aubrey who had made a deal with Namor the
Sub-Mariner to get his hands on pertinent Atlantean bio specs. Because
sound travels better in warmer water, Goldfire, Nuklo and Topspin were
ordered to raise the temperature of the sea surrounding Atlantis. Roger
Aubrey then used the VMP tech to take control of the Atlanteans,
shutting them down. A little later, Goldspin and the others returned to
MODOK's AIM base where the Destroyer forced the villain to reveal the
true mastermind behind the nannites and VMP technology: Baron Wolfgang
von Strucker.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#3 - BTS) - Thanks to MODOK's
information, the Penance Council unraveled the scope of Strucker's plan:
there were 104 satellites in orbit loaded with mind controlling
nannites. If they were unleashed into the atmosphere, all of mankind
would be under his command.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#3) - Taking the Vanguard out into
orbit, it quickly became apparent it was impossible to destroy them all
with raw firepower. As a result, the 103 year old Iron Cross took his
younger associates Goldfire, Nuklo and Topspin for a spacewalk near one
of the nannine satellites. They planned to hack one of the satellites in
order to prevent the entire array from firing their payload. After Iron
Cross successfully hacked a satellite, he sent the 'kinder' (German for
'children') out to destroy one of the others to trigger the firing
sequence. Goldfire, thrilled to fly through space, was beat to the punch
by Nuklo who blasted a nearby satellite. Goldfire and the others then
helplessly watched as Iron Cross was forced to use the power of his
life-sustaining armor to make sure the override sequence held. Their
mission a success, they returned the lifeless Iron Cross armor to the
Vanguard where everyone mourned the loss of their fellow member. A
little later, Ameiko was on hand to watch Roger Aubrey order Citizen V
back to Earth to rejoin the Thunderbolts.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (fb) - BTS) -
Following the death of Iron Cross, Sabuki noticed a change in their
leader Roger Aubrey's behavior. He grew short tempered and seemed tired
and fed up with life, with only his sense of duty keeping him going.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1) - Ameiko and the
other Penance Council members monitored Citizen V's fight against the
mysterious Aqhat in Bosnia-Herzogovina from the Vanguard's bridge. When
Aqhat and his forces teleported away, the Vanguard followed them to a
location in China where they were stunned to find seemingly all the
citizens of China inhabitants had fallen into a deathlike state.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The
Everlasting I#2) - Investigating the comatose Chinese people and Aqhat's
ongoing plans, the Penance Council was faced with the sudden emergence
of the Collective Man, mutated to towering proportions and seemingly
channeling the combined traits of the entire Chinese population. Flanked
by two Hawkflight squads Goldfire, Nuklo and Topspin went out to face
the giant. However, the combined breath of over a billion Chinese
liquefied Goldfire within an instant, splattering the Penance Council
with her remains. Shocked, Roger Aubrey ordered his troops to
retreat.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#3 - BTS) - Ameiko's
death rattled Topspin. After the mission, he returned to his quarters
aboard the Vanguard while he wistfully held a photo of the two of them
together. Discussing the matter with his grandfather, Darren wondered if
the price they had to pay for this line of work was worth it.
(Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#4 - BTS) - After Aqhat
and the Everlasting were dealt with, the Penance Council had a funeral
service for Ameiko, laying her to rest near her family.
Comments: Created by Fabian Nicieza, Mark Bagley,
Scott Hanna.
When Fabian Nicieza came up with the V-Battalion, he not only gave the
original Golden Woman a granddaughter, but also a son who had powers
similar to her and served on the Penance Council as Golden Sun. It's not
been established how he died, all that's been confirmed is that his
daughter Ameiko was five when he perished. How she spent her time
between her childhood and the day she joined the V-Battalion as
Goldfire, we'll never know for sure.
Ameiko is mentioned as a mutant, but since the original Golden Woman was
mutated and her abilities appeared hereditary, that technically does not
make Goldfire a mutant.
Since the Penance Council rarely 'suited up' to fight in the
V-Battalion's various missions, one wonders how much practical
experience and training Ameiko and the other legacy members of the
Council received. That might also explain her rather unceremonious
departure from this plane of existence. Just why her sister Ryoko was
not invited to to take Ameiko's place on the Penance Council will
probably remain a mystery as well. Apparently, you can say no to the
gig. It's a shame we never got to see more of the V-Battalion's exploits
over the decades.
Ameiko Sabuki's age, height and weight were revealed in an
editorial in Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1.
The piece listed her as 21 at the time of writing with a line wondering
just how devoted she could be to a cause that already cost the life of
her father, grandmother and great-grandfather. In #4 of that miniseries,
it was revealed she was 23 at the time of death.
Thanks to Ron Fredricks for the cleaned up main image.
This profile was completed 08/10/2021, but its
publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20th
anniversary's celebratory event.
Profile by Norvo.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Goldfire should not be confused with:
- Nova, Frankie Raye, @ Fantastic Four I#244
- Charcoal,
@ Thunderbolts I#19
- or any other "Goldfire" characters
images: (without ads)
Thunderbolts I#40, p20, pan2 (main image)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion The Everlasting I#1, p19, pan6 (human
close up)
Thunderbolts I#41, p4, pans5&6 (knocked out by Mach-2)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#2, p17, pan1 (fighting Atlanteans)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#3, p19, pan4 (returning with Iron Cross
body)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion The Everlasting I#2, p6, pan3&4
(liquified)
Appearances:
Thunderbolts I#38 (May, 2000) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley
(pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#39 (June, 2000) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley
(pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#40 (July, 2000) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark
Bagley (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#41 (August, 2000) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley
(penciler), Greg Adams (inker), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Thunderbolts I#49 (April, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza (writer), Patrick
Zircher (penciler), Al Vey (inker), Mark Sumerak (assistant editor), Tom
Brevoort (editor)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#1 (June, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Michael Ryan (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#2 (July, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Michael Ryan (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion I#3 (August, 2001) - Fabian Nicieza
(writer), Michael Ryan (pencils), Sean Parsons (inks), Tom Brevoort
(editor)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#1 (March, 2002) -
Fabian Nicieza (writer), Lewis LaRosa (pencils), Jim Royal (inks), Mark
Tom Brevoort (editor)
Citizen V and the V-Battalion: The Everlasting I#2 (April, 2002) -
Fabian Nicieza (writer), Lewis LaRosa (pencils), Jim Royal (inks), Mark
Tom Brevoort (editor)
First Posted: 09/25/2021
Last updated: 09/24/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info
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.!
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