| Black Mamba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Ralph Macchio |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Tanya Sealy |
| Species | Human Mutate |
| Team affiliations | BAD Girls, Inc. Femizons Masters of Evil Secret Avengers Serpent Society Serpent Squad Women Warriors Assassins Guild |
| Notable aliases | Tanya Sweet |
| Abilities | Darkforce energy control Illusion generation Limited telepathy |
Black Mamba (Tanya Sealy) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. She first appeared inMarvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980) created by writersMark Gruenwald andRalph Macchio. The character is most closely associated as a founding member of both theSerpent Society andBAD Girls, Inc. but has also been a member of theMasters of Evil, theFemizons and the Women Warriors.
Black Mamba first appeared inMarvel Two-in-One #64 (June 1980), and was created byMark Gruenwald andRalph Macchio.[1] Black Mamba received an entry in the originalOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe #2, andThe Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #2.
Tanya Sealy was born inChicago. A formercall girl, she was chosen under unknown circumstances by theRoxxon Oil Company to partake in a covert operation to retrieve theSerpent Crown. The executives at Roxxon had a device surgically implanted in Sealy's brain which granted her superhuman abilities. Working together with three other snake-themed villains,Sidewinder,Anaconda, andDeath Adder, she became a founding member of theSerpent Squad. During her first mission, Black Mamba nearly overcame theThing, but was defeated.[2] She also encounteredIron Man while searching for a powerful weapon known as the microscanner.[3]
Invited by Sidewinder to join his criminal organization, theSerpent Society, Black Mamba accepted.[4] Before working with Roxxon, she was a call-girl, and while the money was satisfying, it was not a steady income, so she jumped at the opportunity to earn vast amounts of money with Sidewinder. While in the Serpent Society, Black Mamba gained great friendships inDiamondback andAsp, and also became romantically involved with Sidewinder. DuringViper's infiltration of the group, Black Mamba stood loyally with Sidewinder, which Viper was ready to kill her for. When Diamondback turned over a new leaf, it sparked something in Black Mamba. She joined her friends Diamondback and Asp in formingBAD Girls, Inc.[5] and worked several mercenary-for-hire missions. She also briefly served inSuperia's all-female group, theFemizons, but betrayed the group to aidCaptain America andPaladin.[6]
For some time, Black Mamba served inCrimson Cowl's Masters of Evil in hopes of a large profit while battling theThunderbolts.[7]
Black Mamba eventually went back to the Serpent Society.[8] She also foughtLuke Cage andIron Fist, and was shocked to realize her group had been hired byCable himself.[9]
During the "Civil War" storyline, Black Mamba appears along with Diamondback and Asp as a member of Captain America's anti-registration group.[10] She took part in the final battle of the "war", but did not accept the offer of amnesty that came with Captain America's surrender.[11][12]
Later, Black Mamba and the other BAD Girls were captured byThe Mighty Avengers in a New York City street mall.[13] She escaped captivity and was later seen with several other villains in "The Bar With No Name".[14]
In "Secret Invasion," Black Mamba rejoined the Serpent Society. The Serpent Society held a number of civilians hostage in a compound in theAmerican Midwest claiming they were protecting themselves from theSkrulls. However, they were easily defeated byNova and his newNova Corps.[15]
Later, several Serpent Society members including Anaconda, Black Mamba,Bushmaster and Cottonmouth, fought members of theNew Avengers in a semi-tropical locale. She was defeated byCaptain America.[16]
During the "Dark Reign" storyline, Black Mamba is revealed as a member of the Initiative's new team for the state of Delaware called theWomen Warriors.[17]
Black Mamba is one of the assassins tasked by theAssassins Guild to collect the bounty onDomino's head. She attempts to use her powers onWolverine, causing him to perceive Mariko. She is later stabbed in the chest byX-23, but ultimately healed byElixir, albeit to Wolverine's chagrin.[18]
In "All-New, All-Different Marvel", Black Mamba appears as a member ofViper's Serpent Society under its new name Serpent Solutions.[19]
During the "Secret Empire" storyline, Black Mamba was with Serpent Solutions whenHelmut Zemo recruits them into the Army of Evil.[20]
Black Mamba was next seen once again alongside the Assassins Guild as they attackedDeadpool. During the battle, Black Mamba was shocked by one of Deadpool's gadgets, incapacitating her and several other villains.[21]
In the "Hunted" storyline, Black Mamba and several members of the Serpent Society are captured byKraven the Hunter,Taskmaster, andBlack Ant and forced to participate in a murderous hunt set up byArcade.[22]
Black Mamba possesses two separate superhuman abilities which she most often uses in tandem for a unique effect. Her powers are both presumably the result of a cranial implant given to her byRoxxon.
Black Mamba has limitedtelepathic abilities that allow her to scan the minds of others nearby. The extent of her telepathy is unrevealed; it is unknown if she possesses other abilities possessed by most telepaths, such as mental communication. She uses this power to extract and project illusions of loved ones into her victims' minds while placing her target in a sedated trance-like state in which they are fixated upon the mental image she has created.
Mamba can generate a cloud of tangibleDarkforce energy that she uses to ensnare her victim, constricting them with potentially fatal force. The victim, however, is unaware, and views the Darkforce energy as the loved one she has projected into their mind. Trapped in Mamba's ecstatic trance, the victim is completely unaware that they are being strangled and can die in minutes. Mamba can generate Darkforce without first using her telepathic power on an opponent, but with much less efficiency as the target is aware and can avoid the relatively slow-moving Darkforce cloud easier. The full extent of Mamba's control over Darkforce energy has not been revealed. She can also use her Darkforce to surround herself, disguising herself as whomever she wishes to look like. She can use this ability on others, though the field begins to dissipate when it leaves her sight.
Beings with sufficient willpower can break free of Mamba's telepathic grasp, and physical attacks of sufficient force can dispel her Darkforce manifestations. Because of this, Black Mamba usually employs her powers on those who are unaware of her presence.
During the "Secret Wars" storyline, a zombified version of Black Mamba appeared in theMarvel Zombies universe as an inhabitant of theBattleworld domain of the Deadlands.[23]
Black Mamba appears in theUltimate Marvel universe as a member of theSerpent Squad, a group of female mercenaries.[24]
Black Mamba appears in theMarvel Future Avengers episode "Mission Black Market Auction", voiced by Hana Takeda in the original Japanese version and byColleen O'Shaughnessey in the English dub.[25] This version is a member of B.A.D. Girls, Inc.[26]
| Characters | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publications |
| ||||||
| Storylines | |||||||
| In other media |
| ||||||
| Related | |||||||
