====== Superia ======
===== Part 1: The Dossier: An At-a-Glance Summary =====
  *   **Core Identity:** **Deidre Wentworth, known as Superia, is a genius-level geneticist, radical feminist supervillain, and charismatic leader whose singular goal is to eradicate men from power and establish a global matriarchy through scientific conquest and terrorism.**
  *   **Key Takeaways:**
  * **Role in the Universe:** Superia serves as a major ideological antagonist, primarily for [[captain_america]] and the [[avengers]]. She represents a militant, supremacist brand of feminism, using her formidable intellect and superhuman abilities to organize large-scale threats against the established world order, which she views as an irredeemable patriarchy.
  * **Primary Impact:** Her most infamous and defining act was the "Superia Stratagem," a complex plot to sterilize the entire male population of Earth. This event established her as a global-level threat and brought together the largest known gathering of female supervillains in history under her banner as the [[femizons]].
  * **Key Incarnations:** Superia is a character almost exclusively confined to the Earth-616 comic book continuity. As of now, **she has no counterpart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)** or its associated television series, making her a villain whose complex and controversial ideology has yet to be adapted for the screen.
===== Part 2: Origin and Evolution =====
==== Publication History and Creation ====
Superia first appeared in **//Captain America// #387**, published in July 1991. She was co-created by the prolific writer **Mark Gruenwald** and artist **Rik Levins** during their celebrated run on the title. Gruenwald's tenure on //Captain America// was known for its deep exploration of political and social ideologies, often personified by the hero's adversaries. Villains were not simply evil; they represented a flawed or extreme philosophical viewpoint that directly challenged Steve Rogers's ideals.
In this context, Superia was conceived as the ultimate embodiment of radical feminism pushed to a supervillainous, misandrist extreme. Her creation in the early 1990s reflects the ongoing cultural conversations of the era, including the "third-wave" feminist movement that was gaining prominence. Gruenwald used Superia to explore themes of gender inequality, power dynamics, and the dangers of extremism, creating a villain who believed her genocidal plans were a necessary and righteous step toward a better world. Her name itself, "Superia," leaves no doubt about her belief in female superiority. She was designed not just as a physical match for Captain America, but as a formidable intellectual and ideological opponent whose worldview was a dark mirror of the fight for equality.
==== In-Universe Origin Story ====
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
The complete history of Deidre Wentworth is shrouded in a mix of deliberate mystique and unconfirmed claims. What is known is that she is a brilliant scientist with unparalleled expertise in genetics and biology. Her profound disillusionment with a world dominated by men—a "patriarchal cage" as she saw it—drove her to extreme measures. She dedicated her life and intellect to a singular, audacious goal: the complete liberation of women and the establishment of a global matriarchy.
To achieve this, she subjected herself to extensive and dangerous genetic self-experimentation. Through these procedures, she augmented her own physiology, granting herself superhuman strength, durability, and a dramatically extended lifespan, effectively halting her aging process. This transformation was not just for power, but to become a living symbol of female potential unshackled from biological and societal limitations.
Adopting the name Superia, she began to build her power base. For a time, she worked for the male-dominated scientific-terrorist organization [[advanced_idea_mechanics|A.I.M.]], likely to acquire resources and knowledge while observing their methods and weaknesses. Her time there culminated in a conflict that led to the creation of **MODAM** (Mental Organism Designed for Aggressive Maneuvers), a female counterpart to the grotesque MODOK, whom Superia considered her "daughter" and a key lieutenant.
Superia's most audacious claim, often used to rally her followers, is that she is a time traveler from the 23rd century. In her telling, she hails from a future timeline called **Femizonia**, a utopian Earth ruled by genetically superior women. In this future, men are a rarity, used only for procreation and labor. She claims her mission in the present is to accelerate the arrival of this "inevitable" future, saving centuries of suffering under male rule. While it's never been definitively proven, this origin story serves as a powerful piece of propaganda, lending her cause a sense of historical destiny and inspiring fanatical devotion among her followers. Whether a literal truth or a calculated lie, this narrative is central to the Superia mystique.
Her master plan came to fruition in the "Superia Stratagem." Using her charisma, resources, and compelling vision, she sent invitations to nearly every known female supervillain on Earth. She gathered them aboard her luxurious cruise ship, the //SS Superia//, promising them a future of power and dominion. It was here she unveiled her plan: to launch a sterility bomb from her private island that would render all men on Earth infertile, leaving the planet's future in the hands of the women she had gathered in her "ark."
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
To date, **Superia (Deidre Wentworth) has not appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe**. There have been no direct references to her, her Femizons, or her specific ideologies within any of the films or Disney+ series. This makes her a character with significant, untapped potential for future adaptation.
Should she be introduced, it's likely her origin would be modernized to fit the established MCU continuity. Several potential avenues exist for her introduction:
  *   **A Disillusioned A.I.M. Scientist:** Building on the organization's appearance in //Iron Man 3//, Deidre Wentworth could be a brilliant but overlooked scientist who worked under Aldrich Killian. Seeing his hubris and the destructive nature of the men around her, she could have defected with stolen Extremis research or other advanced technology to start her own movement.
  *   **A Political Extremist:** In the world of //The Falcon and The Winter Soldier//, which explored radical ideologies like the Flag Smashers, Superia could emerge as the leader of a well-funded and technologically advanced political movement. Her ideology could be presented as a dark, supremacist response to global injustices and gender inequality, mirroring the MCU's tendency to ground its villains in complex, real-world issues.
  *   **A Rival to Sharon Carter:** With Sharon Carter revealed as the Power Broker, a shadowy figure dealing in advanced weaponry and super-powers, Superia could be introduced as a direct competitor or a splinter faction leader. Both characters represent a cynical turn from idealism, but Superia's motivations would be purely ideological rather than mercenary, creating a compelling foil.
An MCU adaptation would likely downplay the more comic-book elements like her unconfirmed time-traveler backstory, instead focusing on her genius-level intellect, her role as a charismatic cult-like leader, and her access to cutting-edge technology that allows her to challenge heroes like Captain America (Sam Wilson) or Captain Marvel on a grand scale. The core concept of the Femizons—a unified army of powerful women—could serve as the basis for a major event-level threat.
===== Part 3: Abilities, Equipment & Personality =====
=== Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) ===
Deidre Wentworth's threat level stems from a potent combination of a first-rate mind, self-enhanced superhuman physiology, and access to immense technological resources.
==== Powers and Abilities ====
  * **Superhuman Strength:** As a result of her genetic self-augmentation, Superia possesses strength far beyond that of a normal human. While not on the level of Thor or the Hulk, she is strong enough to physically contend with peak-human combatants like Captain America and has been shown lifting several tons. Her strength allows her to overpower most opponents in close-quarters combat.
  * **Superhuman Durability:** Her body is significantly more resistant to physical injury than an ordinary person's. Her skin, muscle, and bone tissues are denser, allowing her to withstand impacts, blunt force trauma, and energy blasts that would cripple or kill a normal human.
  * **Superhuman Stamina:** Superia's augmented musculature produces far fewer fatigue toxins than a normal human. She can exert herself at peak capacity for many hours before the onset of fatigue becomes a factor.
  * **Extended Longevity:** Her most significant biological enhancement is the complete cessation of her aging process. She remains perpetually in her physical prime, granting her a functional form of immortality against the ravages of time.
  * **Genius-Level Intellect:** This is arguably her most dangerous weapon. Superia is one of the premier scientific minds on Earth, with doctoral-level expertise in a wide range of fields, most notably:
    *   **Genetics and Biology:** She is a master geneticist, capable of manipulating DNA to create and bestow superpowers, as she did for herself and her agents.
    *   **Mechanical and Weapons Engineering:** She personally designed and built her advanced arsenal, her flying fortress, and her sophisticated doomsday devices.
    *   **Strategy and Tactics:** Superia is a brilliant long-term planner and field commander. She successfully organized hundreds of independent, often ego-driven, supervillains into a cohesive army, a feat of logistics and leadership few could accomplish.
  * **Master Combatant:** While she often relies on her intellect and technology, Superia is a formidable hand-to-hand fighter. She has trained herself in various martial arts, and when combined with her superhuman strength and durability, she is a match for some of Earth's most skilled fighters.
==== Equipment and Technology ====
  * **Body Armor:** Superia wears advanced, full-body armor of her own design. It provides further protection against physical and energy-based attacks and is likely equipped with a personal force field generator and internal sensors.
  * **Energy Blasters:** Her primary weapons are powerful concussive energy blasters, typically mounted on her gauntlets, capable of incapacitating or killing targets.
  * **The //Her-ricane//:** Superia's mobile headquarters was a massive, technologically advanced flying island. It served as her base of operations, laboratory, and the launch platform for her sterility bomb. It was equipped with powerful defenses, cloaking technology, and a full complement of support craft.
  * **The Sterility Bomb:** Her ultimate weapon of mass destruction. It was a sophisticated biological agent designed to be dispersed into the atmosphere, which would specifically target and neutralize the Y-chromosome in all human males on a global scale, rendering them sterile and ending natural human procreation under male contribution.
==== Personality and Ideology ====
Superia is defined by her unwavering belief in female superiority and her absolute conviction in the righteousness of her cause. She is incredibly arrogant, viewing nearly everyone—male or female—as her intellectual inferior. This arrogance is, however, backed by genuine genius. She is a charismatic and persuasive leader, able to articulate her vision of a female-led utopia in a way that inspires fanatical loyalty.
Beneath the charisma lies a core of pure ruthlessness. She feels no remorse for her actions, viewing genocide and terrorism as necessary tools to achieve the "greater good." To Superia, the current world order is a disease, and she is the surgeon performing a radical, painful, but ultimately life-saving operation. Her misandry is profound; she views men as genetically and emotionally flawed, responsible for all of history's wars, violence, and oppression. This makes her incapable of compromise, as her entire worldview is predicated on the idea that men are a problem to be eliminated, not partners to be negotiated with.
=== Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ===
As Superia is not present in the MCU, her abilities and equipment are purely speculative. An adaptation would likely ground her in the MCU's established technological landscape.
==== Potential Powers and Abilities ====
  * **Intellect as Primary Weapon:** An MCU version would almost certainly retain her genius-level intellect as her defining feature. She would be a scientific rival to figures like Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, or Shuri.
  * **Tech-Based Enhancements:** Rather than pure genetic mutation, her powers could stem from a technologically advanced battle suit of her own design, putting her in a similar category to Iron Man or War Machine. Alternatively, she could have perfected a new version of the Super-Soldier Serum or the Extremis virus, granting her physical abilities that are scientifically explained within the MCU's rules.
==== Potential Equipment and Technology ====
  * **Stolen or Reverse-Engineered Tech:** Her arsenal could be derived from stolen Stark Industries arc reactor technology, Pym Particles, or even Chitauri technology scavenged after the Battle of New York. This would root her capabilities in the history of the MCU.
  * **Drone Army:** In line with villains like Vulture and Mysterio, Superia could command a sophisticated army of advanced drones, allowing her to project power globally without a massive human army.
  * **Bio-Technology:** An MCU version of her "sterility bomb" could be reimagined as a targeted genetic weapon, perhaps a virus developed using CRISPR-like technology, making her a direct threat to the world's population and a challenge for heroes with scientific backgrounds.
===== Part 4: Key Relationships & Network =====
==== Core Allies ====
  * **The Femizons:** This is less an alliance and more a movement with Superia as its absolute leader. The organization consists of a vast number of female super-criminals whom Superia united with the promise of power in her new world order. Key members have included **Asp, Black Mamba, Anaconda, Ferocia, Impala, Nightshade, and Screaming Mimi**. While united by Superia's vision, many members are self-serving, and the alliance's stability depends entirely on Superia's leadership and the perceived likelihood of her success. [[diamondback]] was also a reluctant member while acting as an informant for Captain America.
  * **MODAM (Mental Organism Designed for Aggressive Maneuvers):** A female counterpart to MODOK, MODAM was created by Superia's faction within A.I.M. and is fiercely loyal to her creator. She serves as Superia's powerful enforcer and second-in-command, sharing her creator's misandrist views and possessing a powerful psionic mind and advanced weaponry.
  * **Norman Osborn / H.A.M.M.E.R.:** During the //Dark Reign// saga, Superia accepted an offer from Norman Osborn to join his new team of [[dark_avengers]]. She posed as the original **Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers)**, complete with a similar costume. This was an alliance of pure convenience. Superia used Osborn's resources to further her own agenda, biding her time for an opportunity. The irony of a fervent feminist supremacist working for an egomaniacal misogynist like Osborn highlighted her pragmatism and the depths of her strategic patience.
==== Arch-Enemies ====
  * **Captain America (Steve Rogers):** Superia's primary and most personal adversary. Their conflict is a clash of fundamental ideologies. Captain America represents the ideal of equality, unity, and liberty for all people, regardless of gender. Superia represents supremacy, division, and liberation for one group at the expense of another. Their battles are as much philosophical debates as they are physical confrontations. He sees her as a perversion of the fight for equality, while she views him as the ultimate symbol of the patriarchal system she seeks to destroy.
  * **The Avengers:** As Earth's premier superhero team, the Avengers represent the greatest obstacle to Superia's plans for global conquest. She views them as the enforcers and protectors of the very system she despises. She has clashed with the team on multiple occasions, seeing their defeat as a necessary step in her revolution.
  * **A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics):** While she was once a member, Superia has a contentious relationship with A.I.M. as a whole. She views the traditionally male-dominated leadership of the organization as emblematic of the problems she fights against. She has both fought against them and, in later years, strategically rejoined a reformed A.I.M. council, demonstrating her willingness to use any structure to her advantage.
==== Affiliations ====
  * **Femizons:** Founder and absolute leader.
  * **A.I.M.:** Former scientist and, much later, a member of the High Council under Scientist Supreme Andrew Forson.
  * **H.A.M.M.E.R.:** Formerly a field agent as part of Osborn's Dark Avengers.
===== Part 5: Iconic Events & Storylines =====
==== The Superia Stratagem (//Captain America// #387-392) ====
This is Superia's debut and defining storyline. The plot begins with Captain America and his ally Paladin investigating the disappearances of numerous female supervillains. They discover the villains are all accepting an invitation to board the //SS Superia// for a mysterious cruise. Disguising themselves as criminals, they infiltrate the vessel alongside Captain America's ex-girlfriend, Diamondback, who is torn between her loyalty to him and the allure of Superia's promises.
Onboard, Superia reveals her grand vision to her assembled Femizons. She preaches a future free from men, a world where women will finally hold their rightful place as rulers. The culmination of this plan is her sterility bomb. The story is a tense thriller as Captain America and Paladin work from the shadows to sabotage the plot, while Diamondback must choose a side. The arc climaxes in a massive battle on Superia's flying island headquarters. While Captain America manages to destroy the bomb, Superia engages him in a fierce one-on-one battle. Though her plan is foiled, Superia manages to escape, cementing her status as a major new threat in the Marvel Universe.
==== Dark Reign (//New Avengers//, //Ms. Marvel// series) ====
Years later, in the wake of the Skrull Secret Invasion, Norman Osborn rose to power as the director of the global security force, H.A.M.M.E.R. He assembled his own team of Avengers, composed of villains disguised as heroes. Superia was one of his recruits, chosen for her power and intellect. She was given the costume and title of the original Ms. Marvel.
During this time, Superia served Osborn, though she clearly held him and her male teammates in contempt. Her primary motivation was to use H.A.M.M.E.R.'s vast resources to rebuild her power base and search for advanced technology. She clashed with the real New Avengers and had a particularly noteworthy confrontation with the real Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers. Her tenure on the team ended with Osborn's defeat during the Siege of Asgard, after which she went back underground. This storyline showcased her pragmatic and opportunistic side, proving she was willing to temporarily serve a man she despised if it advanced her long-term goals.
==== Rise of A.I.M. (//Secret Avengers//, //Avengers World//) ====
In a surprising turn, Superia re-emerged as a key figure in the restructured A.I.M. After the organization was bought out and reorganized by the new Scientist Supreme, Andrew Forson, it became a sovereign nation of science. Forson assembled a new High Council to lead A.I.M., and Superia was granted a seat.
This marked a significant evolution in her methods. Instead of trying to conquer the world from the outside, she chose to gain power from within a recognized (albeit villainous) nation-state. As Minister of Education for the A.I.M. nation, she had access to incredible resources and the ability to influence the next generation of scientists. This role demonstrated her adaptability, shifting from overt terrorist to a political figure on the world stage, making her more dangerous and influential than ever before.
===== Part 6: Variants and Alternative Versions =====
Superia is a character with a relatively small footprint outside of the main Earth-616 continuity. Unlike major villains, she does not have numerous well-known counterparts in major alternate realities.
  * **Video Game Adaptation (//Marvel: Avengers Alliance//):** Superia appeared as a boss character in the now-defunct Facebook and mobile game, //Marvel: Avengers Alliance//. In the game, she was featured in a storyline where she allied with other masterminds to gain control of Iso-8, a powerful substance. Her appearance and abilities in the game were heavily based on her comic book incarnation, complete with energy blasts and her signature arrogance. This remains her most significant appearance in any media outside of the comics.
  * **Legacy of Femizonia:** While not a direct variant of Superia, the concept of Femizonia and an army of Femizons predates her. The character **Thundra** hails from a 23rd-century alternate future (Earth-715) also known as Femizonia, which is ruled by powerful warrior women. It is highly likely that Mark Gruenwald drew inspiration from this pre-existing concept when creating Superia's backstory. Superia's Femizons can be seen as her attempt to create Thundra's world in the present day, making her a spiritual successor to that legacy, albeit through much more villainous means.
To date, Superia has not been featured in any major animated series or alternate comic book universes like the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610). Her story is deeply tied to the specific political and social commentary of the main Marvel Universe.
===== See Also =====
  * [[captain_america]]
  * [[femizons]]
  * [[advanced_idea_mechanics]]
  * [[dark_avengers]]
  * [[mark_gruenwald]]
===== Notes and Trivia =====
((Superia's first appearance is in //Captain America// #387 (1991).))
((The "Superia Stratagem" storyline ran from //Captain America// #387 to #392.))
((Her real name, Deidre Wentworth, was revealed in the //Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update// #1 (2010).))
((Despite her supremacist ideology, Superia has shown moments of pragmatism, such as saving Captain America's life from a mob of her own Femizons because she refused to let her grand duel be interrupted by a "common lynching." This speaks to her immense ego and sense of order.))
((Superia was briefly killed by the Red Skull's S-Men but was quickly resurrected by A.I.M. using their advanced technology, showcasing the benefits of her affiliation with the scientific nation.))
((The name of her island base, the //Her-ricane//, is a pun on the word "hurricane," reflecting the naming conventions of her feminist-separatist theme.))
((The roster of the Femizons she assembled was one of the largest gatherings of a specific demographic of villains ever depicted, including characters from nearly every major Marvel title at the time.))