| Vamp | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Captain America #217 (Jan 1978) |
| Created by | Roy Thomas, Don Glut, and John Buscema |
| In-story information | |
| Team affiliations | Corporation S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| Notable aliases | The Animus, Femme Force |
| Abilities | limited telepathy, telekinesis and psionic bolts |
Vamp is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.
Contents |
Using her absorbo-belt, the Vamp joined the S.H.I.E.L.D. Super-Agent program along with Blue Streak, Texas Twister, and Marvel Man.[1] The Vamp had an additional alter-ego: the Animus, a huge-headed pink-skinned primitive with great powers. Animus embodies both ends of the evolutionary scale, the savagery of early man, coupled with the massive mental capacity of future man. Animus attacked Captain America with an animated Volkswagen and Abraham Lincoln statue. Animus battled Captain America and then escaped.[2] The Vamp was later revealed as a professional criminal, a secret agent working as a double agent for the Corporation. The Vamp was also revealed as Animus, and with Moonstone, Curtiss Jackson, and Senator Eugene Stivak, Animus battled Captain America, Hulk, and Marvel Man. Her club was destroyed by the Hulk, causing her to fall into a catatonic state; she was placed in the custody and medical care of S.H.I.E.L.D.[3]
The Vamp eventually recovered, and attended the villain meeting at the "Bar With No Name" in Medina County, Ohio, called by Firebrand. With her absorbo-belt confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D., and lacking the device which allowed her to transform into the Aninmus, Vamp was easily killed by the Scourge of the Underworld with explosive bullets along with the rest of the villains present.[4]
The Vamp/Animus would eventually (and inexplicably) resurface again some months later, however, when she was hired by Typhoid Mary for a jailbreak. However, she ended up being opposed by Deadpool, who had been hired by Mary's more benign personality to kill Mary instead. Deadpool's partner, Weasel, killed Animus with an ambulance while helping Deadpool to kidnap Mary.[5]
The Vamp had limited telepathic abilities. She seemed unable to clearly read the thoughts of conflicted people unsure of what they were doing. The Vamp wore the absorbo-belt, a S.H.I.E.L.D. device which allowed her to duplicate within herself the powers and skills of any opponent within certain limits. The Vamp was an excellent hand-to-hand combatant, with a black belt in judo. A device held by the criminal Corporation controlled her transformation from Vamp to Animus.
As Animus, she had the ability to project psionic bolts of concussive force, the ability to levitate and to animate inanimate objects by telekinesis; Animus had the inability to project psionic energy without remaining physically still. Animus had the ability to cause a huge crystalline club provided by the Corporation to materialize; this device served to store, focus, and project psionic energy, but Animus had the inability to withstand the psionic backlash resulting from the destruction of the club. Animus had an oversized cranium, inhuman features, and no female sexual characteristics.