Real (or full) name: Crystalia Amaquelin Maximoff
First Appearance: Fantastic Four
#45
Base of Operations: Attilan, Blue Area of the Moon
Occupation: Wife and mother
Place of Birth: Island of Attilan, Atlantic Ocean
Classification: Inhuman
Marital Status: Separated, but may be reunited now
Membership Status: Inactive
Known Relatives: Medusa (sister), Quicksilver (husband), Luna
(daughter), Scarlet Witch (sister in-law), Black Bolt (brother
in-law)
Team affiliations: Avengers, Fantastic Four, Inhumans
Powers:
After exposure to the Terrigen Mist, Crystal developed elemental
powers, meaning she was able to control the four classical elements
of earth, wind, fire, and water. This control appears to be psionic
in nature, although she often accesses her powers by shooting energy
beams out of her hands. She can generate small earthquakes, control
waves, and whip up gale force winds as needed. Ironically she
refused to allow her daughter to be exposed to the same treatment,
knowing that the mutations caused by the Mist were unpredicable and
fearing that Luna might turn into something very much other than
Inhuman. The result is that Magneto's granddaughter, the offspring
of a powerful mutant and a mutated Inhuman, is herself only human.
Also, when necessary, Crystal periodically ingests a serum (invented
by Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four) that allows her to tolerate
environmental impurities.
History:
Crystal was the second child born to the Inhuman nutritionists
Quelin and Ambur. Her father Quelin was the brother of Rynda, wife
of Agon, king of the Inhumans, and as such she was considered part
of the Royal Family of Attilan. Like her older sister, Medusa,
Crystal was subjected to the Terrigen Mist when she was an infant,
and the process endowed her with certain mental powers.
While she was still a child, war erupted, forcing Crystal and her
kinsmen to flee Attilan. Crystal passed through adolescence into
young adulthood while wandering with her kinsmen through Asia,
Europe, and finally America in search of Crystal's amnesiac sister
Medusa. When they finally caught up with Medusa in New York, Medusa
had sought refuge with the Fantastic Four, mistaking her kinsmen for
her enemies. Crystal then met Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four and
the two began a romantic relationship that survived Crystal's return
to Attilan and a lengthy separation.
Crystal eventually returned to New York and served as a substitute
member of the Fantastic Four during the Invisible Girl's first
pregnancy and post-childbirth. Crystal was forced to return to
Attilan when her health became impaired by prolonged exposure to
pollutants in the atmosphere. However, enroute to Attilan, Crystal
became a pawn in a plan by the alchemist Diablo, and then happened
upon the mutant Quicksilver, who had been wounded in battle with the
Sentinels. She brought Quicksilver back to Attilan, nursed him back
to health, and became romantically involved with him. The Human
Torch soon learned of Crystal's change in affections, and after a
futile battle with Quicksilver, terminated his relationship with
her. Crystal and Quicksilver were wed shortly thereafter, theirs
being the first marriage between an Inhuman and a human (albeit a
human mutant) in recorded history. Crystal and Quicksilver conceived
a child, a girl bearing no apparent Inhuman or mutant
characteristics, whom they named Luna after the world on which she
was born. While Quicksilver wanted to exercise the father's right to
have his child subjected to the Terrigen Mist, Crystal convinced him
to let her grow up normal.
Eventually, Crystal and Quicksilver's marriage began to deteriorate,
due to Quicksilver's temper, which may have been aggravated by the
evil Inhuman, Maximus the Mad. Crystal left Quicksilver and Attilan
with Luna and her nanny, Maya, and returned to the Fantastic Four.
Although she searched for the relationship she once had with Johnny,
he was then married. Dissatisfied, Crystal briefly had an affair
with another man. Crystal returned to Attilan to deal with a crisis
posed by Medusa and Black Bolt's child. Amidst the troubles, she and
Quicksilver reconciled.
Later, the Inhumans were attacked by the alien Brethren, and Crystal
sought out the Avengers for their help. Shortly there after she
joined them, moving into the Avengers Mansion with Luna and nanny,
Marilla. During her tenure with the Avengers, she developed a crush
on teammate Dane Whitman (the Black Knight,) although she soon
reconciled with Quicksilver yet again. Crystal was among the
Avengers who seemingly sacrificed themselves to end the menace
called Onslaught. Actually transported to a different reality
created by Franklin Richards, Crystal was restored when the heroes
returned.
When the heroes, who were believed dead, returned to Earth, Crystal
and Quicksilver were reunited. Both helped the Avenges reassemble
and accepted the status of reserve members. Crystal returned to
Attilan, where she remained aside the Royal Family, raising Luna.
Quicksilver would return to assist the Avengers on occasional
missions.
Ealier, Quicksilver had revived the Knights of Wundagore (actually
animals mutated into humanoids by the High Evolutionary) and
encountered Black Knight and his hero team, the Heroes for Hire. The
two would eventually fight over Crystal's affections, whereupon an
embittered Crystal estranged herself from Quicksilver again.
Later, Crystal was on hand during the Inhuman's emmigration from the
moon to the recently-raised continent of Atlantis. At this point,
her relationship with Quicksilver was no longer strained, although
the two would still spend large amounts of time apart.
More recently, the Inhumans were captured by the alien Kree, the
original creators of the Inhumans. The Kree judge and warrior, Ronan
the Accuser, hoped to use the Inhuman Royal Family to assassinate
the Kree's enemy, the Shi'ar empress Lilandra. Black Bolt
singlehandedly dueled and defeated Ronan, but the Inhumans turned
away from him, deposing him by decree and exiling him. The Royal
Family returned to Earth, monarchs with no people.
Crystal rejoined the Royal Family on their return to Earth. However,
they were all met with a wave of xenophobia as every nation rejected
the Family's appeals for sanctuary. In fact, the only nation
offering the Inhumans a place in its lands was Latveria, ruled by
the villain Doctor Doom, and the Inhumans reluctantly accepted.
Crystal