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| Songbird | |
|---|---|
 Songbird Art byMarko Djurdjević | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Marvel Two-in-One #54 (August, 1979) |
| Created by | Mark Gruenwald Ralph Macchio John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Melissa Joan Gold |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Thunderbolts Grapplers Masters of Evil Femizons Avengers Idea Mechanics Lethal Legion Mighty Avengers Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation |
| Notable aliases | Screaming Mimi, Mimi Schwartz |
| Abilities |
|
Songbird (Melissa Gold), formerly known asScreaming Mimi, is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Originally asupervillain, she possessessupersonic sound abilities that can cause a variety of effects.
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The character first appeared with the name Screaming Mimi inMarvel Two-in-One #54 (August, 1979), and was created byMark Gruenwald,Ralph Macchio, andJohn Byrne.[1]
She made numerous appearances as asupervillain before taking on a new role as a superhero in theThunderbolts series.
After some time away from the team, she returned as a regular character inThunderbolts beginning with issue #144, and appeared as a supporting character when the title transitioned intoDark Avengers beginning with issue #175.
In June 2015, Songbird was announced as a team member in the relaunchedNew Avengers, part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" branding.[2]
Melissa Gold was arunaway from home and her alcoholic father while her mother was incarcerated. To survive while homeless, Melissa took on a hard edge for her personality, calling herself "Mimi".[3] She was ultimately imprisoned, and while there she met cellmate and female wrestlerPoundcakes, who invited Melissa to become a member of the all-female wrestling teamGrapplers using the ring name "Screaming Mimi", joining withTitania andLetha.[4]
The Grapplers as a team became known for both their colorful personalities as well as their antics ringside; however, the wrestling federation did not give the Grapplers an opportunity to earn as much money as their male counterparts. The group then turned to illegal mercenary work, taking on a mission for theRoxxon Oil Company.
Roxxon gave the Grapplers special paraphernalia that granted them superhuman abilities; Mimi was given an apparatus that converted her voice into high frequency sonics to perform various effects.[4] They tested these new powers while fightingThundra inside a wrestling ring.[5] While the Grapplers were on their mission, they followed Thundra intoProject Pegasus where Roxxon wanted them to smuggle the Nth Projector into the facility. The mission failed because the heroesQuasar andGiant-Man defeated them.[6] The Grapplers were convicted at trial and were sent toRyker's Island. Mimi and the other Grapplers later victimizedDazzler after she was incarcerated with them.[7]
As Screaming Mimi, every note on the scale she screams induces a different effect upon those who hear it. Low C causes low-level anxiety and shortness of breath, D causes high-level anxiety and panic attacks, E causes dizziness and vertigo, F causes nausea and stomach cramping, G causes severe headaches and fatigue, A causes blindness, B causes euphoria and eventual stupor, and high C causes the listener to visually hallucinate.
As Songbird, Melissa uses a derivation of technology created by Klaw that converts sound into a malleable form of energy that has physical form and mass, termed "solid sound." She could initially create simple three-dimensional sound/mass constructions, though as she has gained experience in her new supersonic sound abilities, she has learned to create more complex forms.[8] She shapes and animates these by mental command, and they only remain in existence for as long as she wills them to.
She can "fly" by generating solid sound "wings" attached to her body; initially, these were created as glider-style wings, stretching from wrists to feet, though more recently they are shown attached to her back.[9]
Devon Lord-Moncrief ofCBR.com stated, "Once a lower tier villain, Songbird masqueraded as a hero in the Thunderbolts before having a real change of heart and becoming a true hero. Not every person with superpowers starts as a hero, even if they have a good heart. Such is the unfortunate case of Melissa Gold, the former D-list villain known as Screaming Mimi. After a roller coaster of a career as a powered individual, [Melissa] Gold has become a formidable force to be reckoned with, growing from petty criminal to redeemed hero."[10]
Screaming Mimi appears inJLA/Avengers as a brainwashed minion ofKrona.[15][16]
An alternate timeline variant of Songbird who joined the Avengers appears inAvengers Forever.[17]
A zombified alternate universe variant of Songbird from Earth-2149 appears in the one-shotMarvel Zombies: Dead Days.[18]
An alternate universe variant of Songbird from Earth-807128 appears inOld Man Hawkeye. This version is a former member of the Thunderbolts who quit the team after they killed the Avengers and became a nun at the Sanctuary of the Silent Sisterhood.[19][20]