Marvel's New Avenger is Already Sacrificing What Makes Her Unique
Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers #54!
The newest Avenger in Marvel Comics, the Star Brand, has already sacrificed what makes her unique. The Avengers recently confronted a new Masters of Evil, culled from across the multiverse, and when Star Brand used her powers in the battle, she suddenly aged from a little kid to a young woman—in effect robbing her of everything that made her unique, as seen in Avengers #54, on sale now in print and digital.
A number of people throughout the multiverse have held the title of Star Brand; the most recent is Brandy Selby. When the Brand’s previous host, Kevin Connors, died, the object chose a human woman in a distant galaxy, Suzanne Selby, who was pregnant at the time. The power of the Star Brand proved too much for Suzanne, ultimately leading to her death. Before she died, she gave birth to a young girl—who had the Star Brand imprinted upon her. The Avengers brought the child back to Earth for safekeeping, and as little more than an infant, proved invaluable in stopping Phil Coulson and the Squadron Supreme in the last year’s Heroes Reborn event. Since then, the Avengers have been keeping an uneasy eye on Brandy, not sure what to expect next. Avengers #54 is written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Juan Frigeri, colored by David Curiel and lettered by Cory Petit.
In the previous issue, Brandy unleashed the full potential of the Star Brand, and once the dust settled, she had aged to a young woman. The issue opens with the team returning to Avengers Mountain. The team is shaken from their encounter with the Masters of Evil, as well as Brandy suddenly aging. Brandy assures her teammates she is fine and just taller, but Captain Marvel is not so sure, saying that they (the Avengers) are not sure what Brandy’s rapid aging means. The Deathlok traveling with them tells Brandy it means she sacrificed the best years of her life, shortly before the team is attacked by a dark version of Thor.
The Star Brand is not only the newest member of the Avengers, but also one of its most unique—but now that has been lost. The Star Brand is one of the most powerful, and mysterious, objects in the Marvel Universe, commonly described as a “planetary defense system.” The Deathlok was correct in his assessment that the Star Brand caused Brandy to lose what would be some of the most formative years of her life. Brandy tells her teammates she is OK with this, but how might this impact her later? Brandy has already been shown to be short-tempered—could her rapid aging push her over the edge? If Brandy, and the Star Brand, were to go rogue, it could be a very difficult fight for the Avengers.
The Star Brand is the newest member of the Avengers, a once superpowered toddler who grew to young adulthood in a matter of seconds, robbing her of everything that made her unique.