| The Blue Diamond | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Daring Mystery Comics #7 (April 1941) |
| Created by | Ben Thompson |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Elton T. Morrow |
| Team affiliations | Liberty Legion Crazy Sues New Invaders |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength Nigh-invulnerability Diamond hard skin Flight Slow aging Ability to survive the vacuum of space |
Blue Diamond is a fictionalsuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics, debuting under the company's 1940s forerunner,Timely Comics. The character was created in 1941 by Ben Thompson, who also drew the first comic book adventures ofKa-Zar the Great andCitizen V for Timely, as well asthe Masked Marvel forCentaur Publications and Dr. Frost forPrize Comics.[1]
An unrelatedsupervillain called the Blue Diamond appears as anantagonist in Timely'sThe Human Torch #11 (Spring 1943).
The Blue Diamond first appeared inDaring Mystery Comics #7 (April 1941), published by Marvel's 1940s predecessor,Timely Comics, during the period fans and historians call theGolden Age of Comic Books.[2] During that time, he appeared only in that issue and its subsequent, final issue, #8 (January 1942).[3]
More than thirty years later, Marvel launchedThe Invaders in 1975, an intentionally nostalgic comic featuring star characters from the Golden Age —Captain America,Bucky Barnes,the Human Torch andthe Sub-Mariner — inWorld War II-era adventures. Writer and editorRoy Thomas wanted to expand the franchise, so he created theLiberty Legion with a group of second-string Golden Age heroes, including the Blue Diamond, along withMiss America,the Whizzer,the Patriot,the Thin Man,Red Raven andJack Frost.[4]
In a 2018 interview, Thomas said, "I played around a little bit with the Blue Diamond. I made him bigger and stronger. In the original comics, he's just a guy about the same size as everyone else, and I bulked him up to make him a little more unique for that series."[4]
The Blue Diamond fought with the Legion for five stories in 1976. The team was introduced inMarvel Premiere #29 and 30 (April and May 1976), as well as an issue ofThe Invaders and two issues ofMarvel Two-in-One. The Liberty Legion returned for another four issues ofThe Invaders in 1978–1979, and then the team disappeared from the canvas. Thomas said that there were plans for aLiberty Legion series, but by that point, the sales figures on theInvaders comic were dropping, and Marvel decided against launching a spin-off.[4] He returned in 1981 for a one-on-one team-up with the Thing inMarvel Two-in-One #79 (Sept 1981).
In the 2000s, the Blue Diamond returned in two issues ofNew Invaders (2004-2005), andCitizen V and V Battalion: The Everlasting #1 (March 2002). He also appears in flashbacks as a member of theCrazy Sues inAll-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes (2011).[5]
Elton T. Morrow is an archaeologist who finds a mysterious blue diamond on an expedition toAntarctica. The diamond is a piece of the Lifestone Tree, which powers the alien Chosen Eight of Fate. A German sub attacks Morrow's ship on the way home and Morrow is the only survivor. An explosion shattered the diamond during the battle, forcing innumerable tiny diamond particles into Morrow's body.[6] After he is rescued by a British ship, he finds that the shards of the diamond gave him diamond-hard skin, giving him superhuman strength and nigh-invulnerability.[7] Dubbing himself the Blue Diamond, he battlesNazi spies duringWorld War II as part of theCrazy Sues.[8]
After spending years in retirement, the Blue Diamond returns to assist theFantastic Four'sThing againstShanga, a crystal based alien. Shanga falls in love with Blue Diamond, and turns him into a living humanoid diamond creature as her consort.[9] Morrow returns to Earth to join the newInvaders.[10]
The strange blue diamond particles embedded in Blue Diamond's body have made his skin as strong as a diamond, giving him superhuman strength and nigh-invulnerability. After his body was altered by Shanga, Blue Diamond gains the power of flight and the ability to survive in the vacuum of space. The alterations to his body also reversed the effects of aging.
InGolden Age Daring Mystery Masterworks Vol. 2, journalist and comics writerWill Murray describes the Blue Diamond as "an obvious attempt to imbue some ofSuperman's strength and invulnerability to a lawsuit-proof character".[11]
