Songbird (character)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Songbird
Avengers Idea Mechanics
Lethal Legion
Mighty Avengers

Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation
Notable aliasesScreaming Mimi, Mimi Schwartz
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability, and reflexes
  • Sonic screams, waves, and burst projection
  • Ability to create "solid sound" constructs
  • Sound and vocal manipulation
  • Hypnotic song
  • Echolocation
  • Flight

Songbird (Melissa Gold), formerly known as Screaming Mimi, is a

supersonic
sound abilities that can cause a variety of effects.

Publication history

The character first appeared with the name Screaming Mimi in Marvel Two-in-One #54 (August, 1979), and was created by Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and John Byrne.[1]

She made numerous appearances as a supervillain before taking on a new role as a superhero in the Thunderbolts series.

After some time away from the team, she returned as a regular character in Thunderbolts beginning with issue #144, and appeared as a supporting character when the title transitioned into Dark Avengers beginning with issue #175.

In June 2015, Songbird was announced as a team member in the relaunched New Avengers, part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" branding.[2]

Fictional character biography

Melissa Gold was a

Letha.[4]

The Grapplers as a team became known for both their colorful personalities as well as their antices ringside, however the wrestling federation did not give the Grapplers an opportunity to earn as much money as their male counterparts. The group instead decided to earn more income agreeing to perform a covert operation that the

Ryker's Island prison. Mimi and the Grapplers victimized Dazzler after she was incarcerated with them.[7]

Some time later the Grapplers were paroled, and they learned that women's wrestling had lost momentum without the Grapplers, so they resumed work as professional criminals for financial support. Mimi and the Grapplers attacked the

Auntie Freeze, made arrangements for the Grapplers to enhance their abilities artificially with through the Power Broker. While most of the Grapplers were given superhuman strength, the vocal enhancements for Mimi were instead implanted in her throat.[4] (It was long believed that Mimi was also given superhuman strength, however by her own account to Mach-1 it was only the other Grapplers that were augmented.[4]
)

The all-new team of Grapplers became a legitimate professional success although this was short-lived.

Letha,[10] and the Grapplers then broke up.[4]

Mimi was later contacted by the criminal

Beetle
. Ultimately, the Thunderbolts turned against Zemo, foiling his attempt at world domination and rescuing the Avengers in the process. Melissa continued to serve with the team, who operated as a team of outlaw superheroes.

Melissa was a consistent part of the Thunderbolts through several different incarnations; she co-led the team with Hawkeye and eventually became sole leader when he departed. Her sonic equipment was replaced several times, both by criminal organizations and by S.H.I.E.L.D. During the superhero "Civil War" event, the Thunderbolts under her leadership were contracted by the U.S. government to capture supervillains and rehabilitate them in response to public fears of a spike in superhuman crime.[15]

Having turned up alive after his apparent death, Lemuel Dorcas developed an obsession for Songbird where he kidnapped her and repaired her vocal cords so she would be his slave. However, Songbird was able to escape from Dorcas's clutches, as with the surgery restoring her persuasive powers as well, she turned the doctor's henchmen against him.[16]

During the "Secret Invasion" event, Songbird was attacked by a Skrull who not only had her powers, but also had the powers of Atlas and the rest of the original Thunderbolts.[17] The Thunderbolts saved her by forcing the Skrull to merge into a nearby building, killing him.[18]

During the "Dark Reign" event, Norman Osborn orders Melissa killed by other members of the Thunderbolts team so he can usurp control, forcing her to go into hiding for a time.[19] She gathers allies to resist Osborn.[20]

After the "Siege" event and Osborn's subsequent downfall, Songbird is appointed by the government to supervise female inmates at the "Raft". She later resigns in order to rejoin the Thunderbolts, now led by Luke Cage, in large part to keep a close eye on Moonstone (whom Cage has offered a chance for freedom in exchange for her serving on the team). When Songbird objects to Moonstone's inclusion on the team due to her history of manipulation and deceit, Cage counters that Songbird herself used to be regarded the same way and that she should give Moonstone the same chances she was given by others.[21]

Powers and abilities

As Screaming Mimi, Gold's enhanced vocal cords were bionically altered and enhanced by technicians in the employ of Roxxon. As such, she had the ability to generate a high-pitched, supersonic scream with a variety of effects.[22] She was capable of emitting a sound equivalent in decibels to the noise of a jet engine passing five feet from one's ear. She has perfect pitch, the ability to hear in her mind the correct frequency for every musical note on the scale. Every note on the scale she screams induces a different effect upon those who hear it. Low C causes low-level anxiety and shortness of breath, D causes high-level anxiety and panic attacks, E causes dizziness and vertigo, F causes nausea and stomach cramping, G causes severe headaches and fatigue, A causes blindness, B causes euphoria and eventual stupor, and high C causes the listener to visually hallucinate. By rapid oscillation between two notes, she can combine effects. In addition, she could produce certain vocal effects in harmony with her lover, Angar the Screamer, such as specific sustained illusions. Her nervous system is immune to her own vocal powers. At the upper limit of her scream's power, it could actually damage physical objects. Faced with Angar's death, she screamed for 43 minutes in a fit of hysteria, creating a large blast crater and literally liquefying nearby plant life.[23] This outburst nearly destroyed her vocal cords, and depowered her briefly until she used new technology to assume the Songbird alias.[14] During a later encounter with the Hand, Songbird unintentionally reactivated her incredibly strong supersonic scream ability.[24]

As Songbird, Melissa uses a derivation of technology created by Klaw that converts sound into a malleable form of energy that has physical form and mass, termed "solid sound." She could initially create simple three-dimensional sound/mass constructions, though as she has gained experience in her new supersonic sound abilities, she has learned to create more complex forms.[22] She shapes and animates these by mental command, and they only remain in existence for as long as she wills them to. She can "fly" by generating solid sound "wings" attached to her body; initially, these were created as glider-style wings, stretching from wrists to feet, though more recently they are shown attached to her back.[25]

Songbird has also occasionally exhibited an ability to influence others through sub-vocal (below the level of conscious human hearing) sonics, but this is more of a subtle "nudge" or subconscious suggestion rather than outright mind control. This is apparently an effect generated by the remnants of her original sonic enhancements.[22]

As a former wrestler, she is extensively skilled in hand-to-hand combat using wrestling techniques and was well trained by Titania.

Reception

Critical reception

Devon Lord-Moncrief of

CBR.com stated, "Once a lower tier villain, Songbird masqueraded as a hero in the Thunderbolts before having a real change of heart and becoming a true hero. Not every person with superpowers starts as a hero, even if they have a good heart. Such is the unfortunate case of Melissa Gold, the former D-list villain known as Screaming Mimi. After a roller coaster of a career as a powered individual, [Melissa] Gold has become a formidable force to be reckoned with, growing from petty criminal to redeemed hero. [...] Over time Melissa became a force of redemption for reforming villains. Her ventures weren't always met with great success or trust, but she ultimately proved herself to heroes such as Luke Cage. At one point she became a member of A.I.M., Avengers Idea Mechanics, Robert de Costa's reformed version of the former criminal organization Advanced Idea Mechanics. Since her adventures alongside Robert de Costa, Melissa decided to take a vacation in Belmar Beach, New Jersey. But a good hero never rests long as she was asked yet again to join The Thunderbolts, now led by the Winter Soldier. From her humble beginnings to becoming a super villain and eventually becoming a respected hero, Melissa Gold has had one of the most colorful careers in Marvel. In some ways she exists as the ultimate Marvel superhero story: a child with no future who could have traveled a hard path of crime chose instead to redeem herself and become a hero. Melissa Gold, aka Songbird, is living proof that we are the masters of our destinies and that we are all capable of greatness, regardless of our pasts."[26]

Accolades

Other versions

JLA/Avengers

Screaming Mimi appears in JLA/Avengers as a brainwashed minion of Krona.[31][32]

Avengers Forever

An alternate timeline variant of Songbird who joined the Avengers appears in Avengers Forever.[33]

Marvel Zombies

A zombified alternate universe variant of Songbird from Earth-2149 appears in the one-shot Marvel Zombies: Dead Days.[34]

Old Man Logan

An alternate universe variant of Songbird from Earth-807128 appears in Old Man Hawkeye. This version is a former member of the Thunderbolts who quit the team after they killed the Avengers and became a nun at the Sanctuary of the Silent Sisterhood.[35][36]

In other media

Television

Video games

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0
    .
  2. ^ "All New, All Different Marvel: Your Guide to the Avengers Team Books". Archived from the original on 2015-07-06.
  3. ^ Thunderbolts: Distant Rumblings one-shot. Marvel Comics.
  4. ^ a b c d e Thunderbolts #21
  5. ^ Marvel Two-In-One #54. Marvel Comics.
  6. ^ Marvel Two-In-One #56. Marvel Comics.
  7. ^ Dazzler #13. Marvel Comics.
  8. ^ Marvel Two-In-One #96. Marvel Comics.
  9. ^ Thing #33. Marvel Comics.
  10. ^ Captain America #319. Marvel Comics.
  11. ^ Avengers #271. Marvel Comics.
  12. ^ Avengers Spotlight #28. Marvel Comics.
  13. ^ Captain America #389-390. Marvel Comics.
  14. ^ a b Thunderbolts #1. Marvel Comics.
  15. ^ Thunderbolts #103. Marvel Comics.
  16. ^ Thunderbolts #171. Marvel Comics.
  17. ^ Thunderbolts #123. Marvel Comics.
  18. ^ Thunderbolts #124. Marvel Comics.
  19. ^ Thunderbolts #126. Marvel Comics.
  20. ^ Thunderbolts #134. Marvel Comics.
  21. ^ Thunderbolts #144. Marvel Comics.
  22. ^ a b c d Harn, Darby (June 13, 2022). "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Thunderbolts". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  23. ^ Thunderbolts Annual 1997. Marvel Comics.
  24. ^ Thunderbolts #149. Marvel Comics.
  25. ^ Pendurkar, Rohan (August 2, 2022). "Who is Marvel's Songbird? Comic origin and powers explained". SportsKeeda. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  26. ^ Lord-Moncrief, Devon (January 23, 2021). "Thunderbolts: How Songbird Went From D-List Villain to Avenger". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  27. ^ Franich, Darren (April 29, 2015). "Let's rank every Avenger ever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  28. ^ Kaye, Deirdre (November 16, 2020). "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic". Scary Mommy. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  29. ^ Beaty, Drew (July 23, 2021). "Marvel Comics: The 10 Greatest Redemptions, Ranked". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  30. ^ Eckhardt, Peter (April 16, 2022). "Marvel: The 10 Best Masters Of Evil Members, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  31. ^ JLA/Avengers #4. Marvel Comics.
  32. ^ JLA/Avengers #6. Marvel Comics.
  33. ^ Avengers Forever #1. Marvel Comics.
  34. ^ Marvel Zombies: Dead Days (2007). Marvel Comics.
  35. ^ Old Man Hawkeye #4. Marvel Comics.
  36. ^ Old Man Hawkeye #10. Marvel Comics.
  37. ^ "Comics Continuum: Marvel Super Hero Squad". Comics Continuum. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Screaming Mimi Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 17, 2025. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  39. ^ a b c "Songbird Voices (Marvel Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved February 17, 2025. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  40. ^ Weiss, Josh (March 31, 2019). "WonderCon: Three new Marvel Rising shorts will feature Shuri, Inferno, and Ghost-Spider later this year". SYFY WIRE. SY FY. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  41. ^ Dinh, Christine (March 31, 2019). "Ghost-Spider, Shuri, Inferno, and America Chavez Headline Three New Animated Marvel Rising Specials". Marvel.
  42. ^ Paget, Mat (March 17, 2016). "Lego Avengers DLC Season Pass Detailed". GameSpot.
  43. ^ @MAAInsiders (April 11, 2016). "Twitter post" (Tweet) – via Twitter. [dead link‍]
  44. ^ "GWENPOOL CRASHES INTO 'MARVEL FUTURE FIGHT'". Justin Snyder, marvel.com. August 17, 2016. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  45. ^ Tylwalk, Nick (September 2, 2016). "Marvel Tsum Tsum Character Guide: Who's in the Game and How to Get Them All". Gamezebo. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  46. ^ "Characters". IGN Database. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Songbird_(character)&oldid=1280153383"