| Marrina Smallwood | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Art by John Byrne | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Alpha Flight #1 (August 1983) |
| Created by | John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Plodex |
| Team affiliations | Alpha Flight Beta Flight Avengers |
| Notable aliases | Leviathan |
| Abilities | Underwater breathing Transformation Superhuman speed while swimming, Limited water control |
Marrina Smallwood is a fictional character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. She is a member ofAlpha Flight and an honorary member of theAvengers.
Marrina Smallwood first appeared inAlpha Flight #1 (August 1983) and was created byJohn Byrne.[1] Byrne has clarified that Marrina was created after theAlpha Flight title was greenlit, and was not a character he had thought up earlier.[2]
Namor writerGlenn Herdling said that issue #61 was his favorite of the series. He stated: "I had never been comfortable with how Namor had used theBlack Knight's Ebony Blade to slay Marrina, even though she was a mindless leviathan at the time. Being slain by the Ebony Blade is a fate worse than death. The enchanted blade actually traps the souls of its victims in its obsidian void rather than allowing them to roam free to meet their eternal reward. In one fell stroke, Namor had condemned his wife's soul to an eternity of hell. Two years earlier, I had created a character calledBloodwraith, who was the new (and nastier!) wielder of the blade. The connection that Namor had to the Ebony Blade made the Blood Wraith's presence an organic progression of the story rather than a forced guest appearance. In the end, Namor got to free his wife's soul. By redeeming Marrina, he redeemed himself."[3]
Marrina is a member of an alien species called thePlodex, which sends its eggs to various planets. When the eggs hatch, young Plodex take the forms of the native species they encounter.
As an egg, Marrina landed in theAtlantic Ocean about 40,000 years ago, at the turn between theMiddle Paleolithic and theUpper Paleolithic, and remained dormant for thousands of years. This incubation place was responsible for her adaptations to aquatic environments. The egg was found by fisherman Tom Smallwood as he was drowning during a storm. It proved buoyant enough to bring him to the surface and thus save his life. Tom took it home toNewfoundland, Canada. The egg was opened prematurely by his wife Gladys, causing Marrina to imprint a humanoid female form. The Smallwoods accepted her as their daughter.[4][5][6]
Marrina left home at sixteen years of age to joinBeta Flight, a team of superheroes trained and funded by the Canadian government. After performing well in Beta Flight, Marrina is promoted to Alpha Flight, although her field duties only begin after the team went freelance.[7] She learns of her alien origin when captured by theMaster of the World, and is rescued by Alpha Flight andNamor alongside theInvisible Woman.[8] Following this she leaves Alpha Flight and stays with Namor. Marrina is captured byAttuma, and reverts to savagery for the third time but overcomes it. Marrina marries her lover, Namor.[9][5][6] She serves alongside him on Avengers missions and receives honorary membership,[volume & issue needed] and also serves as the queen of Deluvia.[volume & issue needed]
When Marrina begins exhibiting pregnancy-like symptoms, the Plodex DNA reacts to her condition by turning her into aLeviathan-like monster. Namor is forced to kill her with theBlack Knight's Ebony Blade.[10][11]
It is later revealed that Marrina survived and had entered a state of hibernation. During theDark Reign event,Norman Osborn recovers Marrina's body and splices her with shark DNA, transforming her into a bloodthirsty Leviathan-like form. Once released, Marrina wreaks havoc inAtlantis, forcing Namor to kill her once more.[12]
During theChaos War storyline, Marrina and Alpha Flight membersGuardian,Vindicator, andShaman return from the dead whenDeath leaves the underworld, enabling them to escape.[13][14]
Thanks to her genetic structure that is a hybrid combination of Plodex and EarthDNA, Marrina's body isamphibious, and she has pale yellow skin, large fish-like eyes, and webbed hands and feet. Possessing both lungs and gills, she can breathe and exist indefinitely on land or under the sea. She is able to withstand freezing temperatures and underwater pressures without harm. Her hydrodynamic proportions, sleek skin, webbed extremities, and superhuman strength aid in her swimming.[4] She can sustain underwater speeds approaching 51knots (roughly 59 mph) for several hours and is capable of massive acceleration by shedding her skin to expose a nearly frictionless inner skin layer, allowing her to briefly reach speeds in the 800–900 kn (1,500–1,700 km/h; 920–1,040 mph) range. She has further demonstrated some ability to control water — in combination with her massive underwater speed, she was able to raise and ride the crest of a huge waterspout, letting her travel from an ocean shore up to three miles inland.[7] After such feats, her outer skin layer can quickly regenerate to normal. Her skin also secretes an oil which can cause extreme constriction of the pupils — with one slap, she was able to temporarily blindNamor,[11] himself superhumanly adapted to underwater existence. On dry land, she can sprint at tremendous speeds.
Although Marrina has a friendly personality, thanks to her upbringing by her foster parents, her mental programming by the Plodex repeatedly emerges from her subconscious mind. Her savage instincts can even be triggered by chemical stimuli given off by other Plodex. When her Plodex DNA takes over, she takes on a more beast-like appearance, gaining claws that easily cut through most material.[15] Marrina can change shape to an unknown degree under the influence of her savage instincts.[volume & issue needed] During her pregnancy, Marrina resembled a sea serpent and was over a mile in length. She also displayed the ability to discharge eye beams of pure kinetic force while in leviathan form.[12]