| Ruby Thursday | |
|---|---|
_from_Defenders_Vol_1_32_001.webp) | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Defenders #32 (February 1976) |
| Created by | Steve Gerber Sal Buscema Jim Mooney |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Thursday Rubinstein |
| Team affiliations | Headmen |
| Abilities |
|
Ruby Thursday (Thursday Rubinstein) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a member of theHeadmen. She is named forThe Rolling Stones song "Ruby Tuesday".
Ruby Thursday first appeared inThe Defenders #32-33 (February–March 1976), and was created bySteve Gerber,Sal Buscema andJim Mooney.
The character subsequently appears inDefenders #35 (May 1976),Defenders Annual #1 (October 1976),Omega the Unknown #9-10 (July, September 1976),Defenders #76-77 (October–November 1979),The Sensational She-Hulk vol. 2 #1-3 (May–July 1989),Web of Spider-Man #73 (February 1991),Deathlok #2-5 (August–November 1991),Marvel Comics Presents #97 (December 1992),The Defenders vol. 2 #5 (July 2001), 8-10 (October–December 2001),I ♥ Marvel: Outlaw Love (April 2006),She-Hulk vol. 2 #10 (October 2006), andHeroes for Hire #6-8 (March–May 2007).
Ruby Thursday appeared as part of the "Headmen" entry in the originalOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe #5, and inThe Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89 #3, and she received an entry inThe All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #4 (2007).
Thursday was a scientist who grafted an organic computer to her head composed of malleable plastic that can assume any form she wills it to. She was recruited byArthur Nagan into the supervillain group known as theHeadmen.[1] Her residence at the time was a mansion inLaurel Canyon.[2] Her intentions at the time of joining the headmen were to replace the head of every human with a plastic head like hers.[3]
She ran forPresident of the United States as the candidate of the "Global Head" political party under the slogan "New heads for old".[4] She was forced to drop out after Jack Norriss (associated with the superhero team known as theDefenders) tricked her into revealing her non-human self at a public campaign event.[2] Shortly after the end of her presidential campaign, she was defeated by the Hulk and captured along with the rest of the Headmen by the Defenders.[2]
She later partners with a large purple creature called Dibbuk (named after, but unrelated to adybbuk) and bases herself in Las Vegas. She robsOmega the Unknown of $55,000 in casino winnings in a Las Vegas hotel room. Omega chases her on foot in Las Vegas. Police arriving on the scene see a superhuman man in costume (Omega) appearing to assault a normal woman (Ruby) in her car. Omega starts brawling with the police and they open fire killing him.[5]
After the death of Omega, Ruby notices that his body is made up of advanced organic cybernetics. She steals his body from a Las Vegas morgue and attempts to dissect it intending to incorporate its technology into her head. Confronted by the Defenders, her plastic head is struck by theWasp's bio-electric "sting". The head breaks open and Dibbuk teleports a seriously wounded Ruby away.[6] When next seen, her plastic head appears much smaller.
Ruby later participates in the plan to gain her allyChondu the Mystic a new body; specifically, the body of a clone ofShe-Hulk. The Headmen hire the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, then laterMysterio in order to test She-Hulk for compatibility. She is subdued and cloned, but escapes with the aid of Spider-Man.[7] Ruby is arrested by the New York city police.
Ruby begins running weapons procurement scams againstA.I.M. She partners with and becomes romantically involved with theAnswer. After having stolen money from A.I.M. on five occasions, A.I.M. hires the assassinBullseye to kill Ruby. He uses her relationship with Answer to draw her out of hiding and throws the Rolling Stones albumFlashpoint (which contains the song "Ruby Tuesday") into her chest apparently killing the biological portion of her body. The Answer saves her head after Bullseye leaves in hopes of reviving her later.[8]
During theCivil War, Ruby later is involved in a high-speed 'chase' through the streets of Manhattan. The super-heroineHellcat ends up clinging to her bumper. Ruby uses her malleable head to fire a gun at Hellcat during the pursuit. The fight is ended with the intervention of She-Hulk and her allies. She-Hulk does not actually go for Ruby, she takes down Hellcat first for being an unlicensed superhero. The results of Ruby's rampage are shown in the forms of cars being shot up, people traumatized by this, and a cab ending up through the front window of a bookstore. Ruby herself is subdued by the weaponry ofTwo-Gun Kid, a licensed bounty hunter for the state of New York.[9]
Ruby and the Headmen then fought theHeroes for Hire while attempting to transplant Chondu's head ontoHumbug's body.[10] At some point, she was imprisoned in theRaft, which Wolverine broke her out of in his plan against Romulus. Ruby was contacted by Romulus and her daughter's life was threatened, forcing her to give Romulus the information to Wolverine's plans. When confronted by Wolverine, Ruby attacked, defeating him by impaling him with the tentacles she had formed with her head. Soon,Cloak,Silver Samurai,Skaar, andBruce Banner appeared, all battling Ruby Thursday. She held her own, but was eventually caught by Skaar and teleported back to the Raft by Cloak. It was later discovered that Answer had planned her escape.[11]
Following theAvengers vs. X-Men storyline, Ruby Thursday is among the villains who are imprisoned at an unnamed prison. She participates in a prison riot until she and the other villains are defeated byMimic andRogue.[12]
As part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" branding, Ruby Thursday appears robbing a police station withGibbon,Griffin, andShriek. The quartet is subdued bySpider-Woman's apprentice,Porcupine.[13]
Ruby Thursday's head had been replaced with a mass of "organic circuitry". The red spherical mass has the ability to alter its shape so she can formappendages or weapons, replenish herself, and project different bursts of energy. If the sphere is separated from her body, she can still control it, no matter how far. Ruby is also a scientific genius, with knowledge inengineering and robotics.[14]