Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California
Aliases: Madame MacEvil, Priestess Selene, H.D. Steckley
First Appearance: Iron Man #54 (1973)
Becomes an Avenger: Avengers vol. 1 #151 (1976)
Best Moment: Aiding in the first major defeat of Thanos in Captain Marvel #33 (1974).
Worst Moment: Becoming corrupted and killing many fellow Defenders in Defenders #152 (1986).
Background: Young Heather Douglas was travelling with her parents when they witnessed the starship of Thanos, the mad Titan crash land on Earth. Not wanting any witnesses, Thanos destroyed the car, killing Douglas’ parents. Mentor, the father of Thanos took Douglas to Titan, where she was raised among the monks of Shoa-Lom (Daredevil #105, 1973).
Under the tutelage of the monks, Douglas became proficient in martial arts, genetic engineering and a master of telepathic and psionic abilities. Her new powers allowed her to come in contact with a being known as the Dragon of the Moon. The entity tried to corrupt her, but seemingly failed.
Douglas was present when Thanos attacked and slaughtered the citizens of Titan. She boarded a starship and fled to Earth. On Earth, Douglas came in contact with many heroes including the Iron Man and Daredevil, the latter of whom she fell in love with.
When Thanos threatened Earth, she joined the Avengers to thwart his plans along with her father, who was resurrected as Drax the Destroyer. She went on to fight with the team against major threats including Korvac (Avengers #177, 1978).
After leaving the Avengers, Douglas unwillingly joined the Defenders; and began and became corrupted by the Dragon of the Moon, who lay dormant in her brain. The Dragon took over completely, leading to both Douglas’ death as well as important Defenders such as Valkyrie.
After her spirit inhabited a new lone body, Douglas went on to adventure in the cosmic portion of the Marvel universe. She was involved in both the Annihilation and Thanos Imperative storylines, and continues to fight against cosmic threats.
Analysis: Moondragon may not have served in the Avengers ranks for long, but her telepathic skills were crucial in the defeat of some of their biggest threats such as Korvac and Thanos.
Willie’s Avenger Rating: 7 out of 10