Real name: Bonita Juarez
First Appearance: Incredible Hulk
#265
Base of Operations: New Mexico
Occupation: Social worker
Place of Birth: Taos, New Mexico
Classification: Humanoid
Marital Status: Single
Membership Status: Inactive
Affiliations: West Coast Avengers
Powers:
Firebird has the ability to control heat on a fundamental level,
usually using this to create a fiery aura, project flame, and to
fly. She is also capable of raising ambient temperature, controlling
convenction currents (like warm currents of air) and increasing
catalytic combustions. All these powers stem may stem from an alien
accident, but this doesn't explain the miraculous powers she has
also exhibited-detecting demonic presences, being able to drink a
poison that killed even the Silver Surfer but left her unaffected,
and being able to breathe and fly even in the outer reaches of our
atmosphere.
History:
Bonita Juarez's legacy extends to the Old West of Spanish occupation
of what is now the American Southwest. Her ancestor, Carlotta, was
similar to Bonita in many ways, travelling to a New Mexico mission
when she stopped to aided the time-lost Avengers when Hawkeye was
severly hurt. Her later ancestors were similarly devout, and Bonita
grew up to become a capable social worker for her community.
Distraught over not helping her people enough, Bonita fled her
Priest's car, running into the desert, where she met a flaming
fireball falling from the sky. The fireball gave Bonita her powers,
and she saw this a sign from God to fight injustice as Firebird,
eventually teaming up with other southwestern heroes in the Rangers.
With the Rangers, Firebird came in contact with the Avengers' west
coast branch and fought the demonic Shooting Star alongside them.
She stayed with them briefly, hoping to be asked to join their
vacant membership slot, but was never asked, and she eventually left
the team. While the Avengers came looking for her to ask her to
join, Firebird was starting a spiritual journey which led her to
breifly adopt the name La Espirita. As Espirita, she returned to the
Avengers' west coast mansion just in time to stop Hank Pym from
committing suicide. Together, they found the time-lost Avengers'
message (given way back when to Carlotta) and helped rescue them and
defeat the villainous alien computer, Dominus. Espirita did not stay
with the Avengers long, but parted good company and presumably
accepted their membership offer.
Bonita was later captured by various assembled aliens, who revealed
to her that the flaming fireball that gave her powers was a
discarded child's experiment. Briefly engaging a crisis of faith,
Bonita nonetheless decided that God was still responsible for her
powers, but still returned to her other code-name, Firebird.
Firebird was among the assembled Avengers who have appeared at
various membership meetings, and was called in to help clean up
Hydrobase during the so-called "Acts of Vengence" affair, which
brought her and other Avenging women against several berserk
androids.
Firebird retains her Avengers status, and while preferring to
adventure in the Southwest and do social work, she has teamed up
with them for various adventures, notably when the Avengers reformed
after many of their number had been believed dead, and when the
Avengers and the Thunderbolts teamed up to stop the alien Dominex, a
remnant of the Dominus computer.
Firebird