While she may not have won the Avengers’ Phoenix tournament, a little Marvel heroine turned out to be a steadfast, capable, and heroic warrior.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers # 44 by Jason Aaron, Javier Garrón, David Curiel, and Cory Petit of VC, which are on sale now.
The tournament to control the Phoenix Force has ended. And while the victor is the heroic echo, she wasn’t the only worthy competitor to take part in the fateful duels – with a relatively small heroine who proved herself throughout the event, and especially in her final battle against a deadly opponent.
As Avengers # 44 confirms, Shanna the Devil was quietly the MVP of the Phoenix Tournament, holding her own without forgetting that she is a heroine.
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Shanna the Devil has been a longtime ally of the heroic corner of the Marvel Universe since she was created by George Tuska in 1972. Shanna, the wife of Ka-Tsar and a co-protector of the Wild Land, has grown in prominence in recent years, and Shanna is even strengthened by the waters of the Wild Land imbued with Man-Thing’s lifeblood. This connection made them suspicious of the influence of the vegetable Cotati when they penetrated the earth in Empyre. After this event, Shanna (along with Zabu, her and Ka-Zar’s loyal companion Sabertooth Tiger) were selected as potential new avatars for the Phoenix Force. Her first opponent was Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, with Shanna quickly gaining a victory. Despite the fiery powers of the phoenix, she showed restraint and allowed Moon Girl to escape relatively unscathed to help.
Shanna next met and defeated American Eagle, who had actively sought out the Phoenix Force. Her final opponent, however, was the far more formidable and ruthless Red Widow, who previously nearly killed Howard the Duck and the Black Knight during their duels and promised to use the Force to become a killer on a cosmic level who threatened, “that To murder whole “planets. “The Russian villain would be a terrible and potentially ruinous host to the Phoenix Force and would make Shanna give everything during their duel. Even when Zabu was injured and removed from battle, Shanna never gave up. In particular, she made sure of that.” that civilians involved in the mayhem were saved – even if it left them open to the same type of attack that felled the Black Knight.
But Shanna – likely due to her own augmented abilities coupled with the fiery power of the Phoenix Force – was able to brush that injury aside and keep fighting, keeping Red Widow at bay while the Phoenix Force eventually selected Echo as their new host. Resuscitation after her technical loss to Namor. In particular, the reborn Echo chose to attack Red Widow and steal her power by force, while Shanna’s energy could be transmitted more carefully and safely, sparing her any further serious injury. For what it’s worth, Shanna also showed some reluctance to lose the fight and asked to have a minute before picking up where she left off.
While Shanna couldn’t win the tournament for the Phoenix, she was able to stop one of the more dangerous competitors from claiming it. In doing so, she reminded everyone of what a real heroine she has in her heart, how skilled she is in a fight and how unwilling she is to surrender. Shanna did an amazing job during the tournament, reaching the finals and taking on someone who got entire lists of heroes into trouble. If the Avengers ever decide to recruit more members again, maybe next time they should turn to Shanna instead of her more famous husband.
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