Miraclewoman
Real Name: Avril Lear
Identity/Class: (superhuman form) Mutant human; (normal human form) cyborg
Occupation: Ruler, former doctor
Affiliations: Marvelman, John Galloway
Enemies: Gargunza, Young Nastyman, Kid Marvelman
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Dr. McCarthy
Base of Operations: Olympus, built on the site of the ruined London
First Appearance: Miracleman #10 (Eclipse, December 1986)
Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, speed, invulnerability. Able to fly and to sense auras.
History: Having already experimented on three orphaned boys on behalf of the U.K. government, using technology retrieved from a downed alien (Qys) spaceship to create three superhumans, the "Marveleman family" Marvelman, Young Marvelman and Kid Marvelman, Dr. Emil Gargunza sought to expand his experiments, this time without government supervision limiting his vision. He arranged for two further kidnappings, snatching teenagers Terrance Rebbeck and Avril Lear, and, as he had with their predecessors, he grew them superhuman bodies which were then stored in "Underspace" (an interdimensional void); a switching mechanism in their brains allowed them to change between their normal forms and these new ones. He also used a third test subject, a dog. He placed all three in computer simulated adventures to test and train them; Rebbeck became the supervillain Young Nastyman, while Avril was Miraclewoman, experiencing simulations heavy with bondage and sado-masochism while Gargunza sexually assaulted her sleeping body. Eventually a constant stream of virtual reality depravity drove Trebbeck insane, and he escaped from Gargunza's lab. The Marvelman family were released for their first real world mission, to capture Trebbeck; Gargunza also released Miraclewoman, hoping she would meet and mate with one of them to create a naturally born superhuman. She allied with the Marvelman family in their search, but her tracking ability led her to Gargunza's lab, where she discovered the truth of her situation. Soon afterwards she caught up with Young Nastyman in Iceland, and revealed to him what she had learned, offering an alliance and suggesting they fake their deaths. Too far gone to care, Trebbeck attacked her, and the pair appeared to be destroyed while battling inside a volcano. However Avril, at least, survived, and studying medicine, created the new identity of Dr. McCarthy.
Meanwhile the Marvelman family had their memories of this mission wiped, and soon after the military ordered their destruction. However, both Marvelman and Kid Marvelman survived, the former amnesiac and in his human form of Mike Moran. Decades later he rediscovered his powers and resumed adventuring, alerting Avril to his survival. When the Qys arrived on Earth, seeking to destroy the "debased" beings created using their stolen technology, Avril fled to Moran to both warn him and seek his help. The Qys retreated upon learning Marvelman had fathered a superhuman child, Winter, which by their code altered the terms of engagement. Avril swiftly became Marvelman's close ally, especially when his wife, Liz Moran, left him, unable to cope with the reality of his new life. She assisted him battling the murderously immoral Kid Marvelman, then helped him rebuild London, ruined during by their foe, into a modern Olympus, with Miracleman and his allies as rulers. Soon after they had completed this task, she and Miracleman became lovers.
Comments: Created by Alan Moore and Rick Veitch.
Thanks to Darci for providing Miraclewoman's real name.
CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with
Miracle Man, Marko, a 1920's character
The Miracle Man, from Archie Comics
Miracleman, what they called the 1980's Marvelman in his American reprints
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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