| Tara | |
|---|---|
Tara makes her first appearance (upper right) alongside the new Invaders. From Avengers v3 #83. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Avengers (volume 3) #83 (July 2004) |
| Created by | Chuck Austen, Scott Kolins |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Invader-1 |
| Team affiliations | New Invaders |
| Notable aliases | Human Torch, Lady Torch, "naked flaming girl" |
| Abilities | Generation and control of flames |
Tara is a fictional gynoid superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She was a member of the New Invaders.
Tara, an "Eve-series synthetic humanoid", was apparently created by the U.S. government to serve as a special agent and/or weapon. Her technology was derived in large part from that of the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond. She was placed on the newly-formed team of New Invaders, accompanying them on their first field mission. At that time, she did not have full control of her incendiary powers, and was placed in a special containment chamber when not in combat.
Eventually, she actually met her predecessor Hammond, who protested her treatment and insisted that she be treated more like a team member. A special costume was constructed to allow her to better control her powers, and she awkwardly began to experience social interaction and relationships for the first time.
Tara joined the Invaders on several missions, but during a battle against the Atlantean supervillain U-Man, a sleeper program inside Tara was activated, revealing that she had in fact been created by the Red Skull, the Nazi villain who (disguised as the Secretary of Defense "Dell Rusk") had secretly been behind the creation of the New Invaders. The programming activated her self-destruct systems, nearly killing the Invaders, but the Human Torch sacrificed his life to absorb her excess heat and shut her down. Whether or not she can ever be reactivated is unknown.
Tara's name was most likely derived from "Toro", the golden age sidekick of the original Human Torch.
Tara was an artificial lifeform (synthezoid) and did not require air, food or water to survive. She was able to generate and control a high-temperature plasma similar to fire, and use it to propel herself like a rocket. Originally she could not consciously turn this power off, but she was given a "skinsuit" designed by the Thin Man which gave her far greater control. Later, she learned to shut off her powers at will. While under the Red Skull's control, she was able to project a hologram of him, and her power would have built up to a thermonuclear explosion had the Human Torch not prevented it.
Aside from her hidden programming, Tara's greatest flaw was her lack of understanding of human social interaction. Having spent her entire previous existence in a tube, she did not, for example, comprehend why (some of) her teammates insisted she wear clothing.