Soyuz (comics)
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Soyuz is a fictional DC Comics Russian superteam introduced in Firestorm v.2 #70, (April 1988). They were created by John Ostrander and Joe Brozowski. Soyuz is the Russian word for "Union" or "Alliance".
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[edit] Fictional history
Soyuz is a team of teenaged Russian metahumans who were influenced to become superheroes by the example set by Serafina Arkadin's uncle Mikhail Arkadin, the hero known as Pozhar. The members' code names are taken from various characters in Russian mythology.
According to Firestorm issue #70 the members of Soyuz first came together in order to rescue Mashenka Medviedenko's (Rusalka) boyfriend Ilya Trepilov (Perun). They later plan to rescue Mikhail, his children and his wife Nina from the local KGB office after Nina is thrown out a window during a harsh interrogation and only saved by Vikhor's timely intervention.
The members of Soyuz adopted their masked identities for the first time just before attempting to rescue Mikhail and his family from a Soviet fortress. While attempting to free Mikhail they are drawn into battle at Firestorm's side against the creature known as Zuggernaut. Later in order to alleviate the patriotic Rusalka's fears, Firebird declares that Soyuz would never be used against Russia, but would instead fight against anyone who sought to harm innocent people.
[edit] Membership
- Firebird - Serafina Arkadin (also referred to as Arkadina) is the team's leader. Serafina is a powerful telepath and a minor telekinetic. She can communicate mentally with others, and place hypnotic suggestions, scramble sensory information, or even alter their memories. She also has demonstrated eidetic memory. Her codename comes the Russian myth of the Firebird
- Morozko - Igor Medviedenko is a cryokinetic, who can mentally create bitter cold by absorbing environmental heat. Named after a Russian ice demon named Morozko.
- Perun - Ilya Trepilov Perun is an electrokinetic, who can mentally control electricity, he can draw it into himself and then release it at will, but he is incapable of internally generating electricity. His codename comes from the Russian thunder god Perun.
- Rusalka - Mashenka Medviedenko is a hydrokinetic, who can mentally control environmental water or the water present in her own body. It was more difficult for her to manipulate frozen water and snow. Her codename comes from a mythical water nymph named Rusalka.
- Vikhor - Feodor Piotrovich Sorin is a gravitakinetic and aerokinetic, who appears to rotate air around his lower body rapidly while reducing his specific gravity. Thus he can create a whirlwind and float in the center of it. His codename comes from a mythical demonic spirit named the dukh-vikhor.[1]
[edit] Trivia
- When Serafina Arkadin (Firebird) is first introduced in Firestorm #69 she refers to her team as the "Red Stars".
- While the Soyuz entry in Who's Who stated that Vikhor spun about rapidly to create his whirlwhinds. The printed art in all his appearances did not support this statement. In fact Vikhor appears to be manipulating his specific gravity while sustaining a stable column of fast rotating air around the lower half of his body, similar to those created by the Red Tornado.
[edit] References
- ^ A malignant "spirit of the whirlwind" which congealed instead of melting, and was invoked by evil conjurors in order to produce coldness between man and wife.
