Libra (Marvel Comics)
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| Libra | |
 Libra, art by Rob Liefeld |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers #72 (January 1970) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas Sal Buscema |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Gustav Brandt |
| Team affiliations | The Zodiac Avengers |
| Notable aliases | Master of the Balance, Lloyd Willoughby |
| Abilities | Psychic senses; teleportation into the Between. |
Libra (Gustav Brandt) is a former super villain in the Marvel Comics Universe, most notably a member of the Zodiac Cartel.
Contents |
[edit] Fictional character biography
German soldier Gustav Brandt served with the French forces during the Vietnam War. While in Saigon, he met and fell in love with a Vietnamese woman named Lua, and eventually had a daughter with her. However, Lua's brother, Khruul, was enraged with the interracial coupling of his sister and a European man. He and his men attacked Gustav and his family with flamethrowers. Lua was killed in the ensuing battle, and Gustav lost his eyesight. He and his daughter took shelter in Pama, where he was trained by the priests, but was forbidden to communicate with his daughter.
Joining the Zodiac Cartel, Gustav adopted the codename Libra, and served as a terrorist. Battling the Avengers on several occasions, he eventually discovered that Mantis was the daughter he had left in Pama, and turned himself in to the authorities. He then vanished mysteriously, later turning up in Ho Chi Minh City, where the Swordsman revealed to everyone Mantis' transformation into the Celestial Madonna. Libra then witnessed the marriage of Mantis and the Swordsman, and returned to prison shortly after. He did not stay in prison long, though, as he escaped and committed illegal acts alongside the Zodiac once more.
After the Zodiac's death at the hands of a Life Model Decoy, Libra served alongside the Avengers briefly as they battled Kang. He is presumably residing in the The Between, a mystical world.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Libra is physically blind, but possesses psychic senses, and is also a skilled martial artist. He has the ability to shift into the Place Between Places, a mystical dimension that is untraceable to most life-forms.
[edit] Bibliography
- Avengers #72, 120-125, 130-135
- Avengers Forever #1-4, 7, 9, 11-12
- Giant Sized Avengers #3-4
- Iron Man #35, 184
- West Coast Avengers #26
[edit] Other Media
Libra appears in The Avengers: United They Stand as a member of the Zodiacs. In this show, Libra is a female alien who wields a weighing scale-like weapon.
