MARVEL SUPERHEROINES OF THE 1970s

This weekend’s escapist, light-hearted superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog deals with some of Marvel’s superheroines.

THE CAT – Greer Nelson caught on to a conspiracy to take over the world via armies of women clad in superpower-granting costumes. She donned the prototype and called herself the Cat before taking down the entire sinister organization. 

Operating out of Chicago, the Cat also clashed with the Owl, Commander Kraken, Man-Bull and the supervillainess called Man-Killer. Click HERE.

TIGRA THE WERE-WOMAN – After the Cat’s series got canceled from low sales Marvel added Greer Nelson to their 1970s horror characters as Tigra. The Cat was mortally wounded in a battle with Hydra, but Marvel’s race of cat-people saved her life by granting her an amulet that turned her into Tigra the Were-Woman.

Now with far greater powers, she thrived in this new identity and is still in the Marvel universe to this day. Click HERE. 

SPIDER-WOMAN – Jessica Drew’s origin was retconned a few times, but it involved the High Evolutionary and Wundagore Mountain. She was as strong as Spider-Man but could fly/ glide and could shoot bio-electric energy blasts from her hands.

After starting out as a villain she quickly reformed and her series was Marvel’s longest-running female title for a few decades before being outperformed. She had a great Rogues Gallery of foes. Click HERE.

SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL – Dr. Shanna O’Hara, a scholar of zoology and animal husbandry, fought poachers and other villains in Africa. She took on “Ivory Dan” Drake, the human trafficker El Montano, Phobotaurus, the African dictator General Elam and, with her colleague Charles Xavier, the evil mutants Nekra and the Mandrill.

That blood feud led Shanna to the Savage Land and ultimately America, where she teamed up with Daredevil and the Black Widow to thwart Mandrill & Nekra and their terrorist organization Black Specter. Click HERE.

BLONDE PHANTOM – Created by Stan Lee back in 1946, so she’s not from the 70s, this costumed heroine was really secretary Louise Grant. The Blonde Phantom fought fugitive Nazi war criminals, Communist supervillains and costumed criminals.

Louise’ boss, private detective Mark Mason, was infatuated with the famous Blonde Phantom, little realizing she was in the same office with him every day. Click HERE.

SHE-HULK – Bruce Banner’s cousin, attorney Jennifer Walters, was mortally wounded by the thugs of California gangster Nick Trask. Her fugitive cousin Bruce saved her life with a blood donation but that caused Jennifer to periodically become the gamma-powered heroine She-Hulk.

She-Hulk’s original series saw her battle She-Droid, the Silver Serpent, Man-Thing, immortal ogres in the Florida Everglades, Ultima and many more. Click HERE.

THUNDRA – A warrior of the Femizons, Thundra was as strong as the Fantastic Four’s Thing and was eventually revealed to be from an alternate future. She held secrets which threatened to wipe out the planet Earth.

Thundra started as a villainess but became a heroine, clashing with the Frightful Four, Sub-Mariner, the Grapplers, the Nth Man, Hulk, Mahkizmo and others. Click HERE.

DAZZLER – Mutant Alison Blaire got caught up in the X-Men’s first war with the Hellfire Club then eventually starred in her own series. She pursued a career as a singer while superheroing as needed.

Dazzler fought the Enchantress, Dr. Doom, Galactus, plus some of her own foes like Techmaster, Blue Shield, the Terror Tank, Project Pegasus plus others. Click HERE. 

MS. MARVEL – Carol Danvers, security chief at Cape Canaveral, was exposed to Kree radiation and gained superpowers. She became Ms. Marvel (and later the new Captain Marvel) and saved the world from aliens, supervillains and more.

Ms. Marvel balanced her superheroics with her new career as editor for Woman Magazine, at time struggling to maintain her secret identity. Click HERE.