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Quote1 The hard part... well, that's what it always is: looking at ourselves in the mirror. Quote2
Dr. Charlene McGowan[src]

History

Dr. Charlene McGowan was a scientist that formerly worked for CalTech but was fired for drug use, justified by her later as self-medicating due to the stress of her gender transition. She later began working for a MGH lab owned by the Kingpin, to whom she proposed the lab be repurposed for black-market hormone production, helping the transgender community while still making a tidy profit due to the difficulty of acquiring them legally. Fisk and her superiors were interested, but Daredevil subsequently raided the lab, leading to her arrest. She was subsequently approached by General Reginald Fortean to join the U.S. Hulk Operations, a secretive government organization set up to capture or kill the Hulk and other gamma mutates, in exchange for clemency.[2] She oversaw experiments conducted on Del Frye when he was brought to Shadow Base for examination.[1]

Following the gruesome demise of her colleague Dr. Clive,[3] McGowan became Shadow Base's head of research and was subsequently involved in the creation of Subject B, a creature made from the corpse of Rick Jones and genetic material from the remains of the Abomination.[4] During the battle between the U.S. Hulk Operations against the combined forces of Gamma Flight and the Hulk and his allies, McGowan was confronted by Rick Jones over her actions done not only to him but to Del Frye as well. McGowan revealed that she felt guilty over what she had done and that she was actually trying to relieve Fry of his suffering. This convinced Jones to spare her life.[5] When Fortean began losing control due to the gamma-grafted tissue, McGowan decided to relieve him of his command and ordered everyone to stand down. Fortean was later killed by the Hulk, who decided to take command of the Hulk Operations and believed that McGowan was someone he could work with.[2]

McGowan aided the Hulk, most notably by operating the Shadow Base's translocator to bring him in and out of different locations. When the Hulk's feud with Roxxon prompted its CEO Dario Agger to hire the alien Xemnu to use his psychic powers to brainwash the public into hating Hulk and even make Banner go insane, Charlene was able to resist Xemnu's brainwashing and alert Doc Samson to Xemnu's scheme.[6] The Hulk's popularity skyrocketed following Xemnu's defeat, and McGowan and Doc Samson monitored a PR event that the Hulk and Rick Jones attended. Having taken possession of Jones, the Leader overloaded the Hulk with gamma radiation, causing him to unleash a burst of gamma energy that devastated the area.[7] The Leader also took control of Del Frye and wreaked havoc on Shadow Base, killing Doc Samson in the process. McGowan managed to only retrieve Rick back to Shadow Base, but the Leader revealed his control over both him and Del Frye, and tried to entice Charlene into joining his side. She refused and ordered the evacuation of Shadow Base, while also using the translocator to split Rick in two.[8]

With Shadow Base dissolved, Charlene began figuring out how to assist the Hulk.[9] She decided to recruit other gamma mutates, starting with reporter Jackie McGee, a survivor of the Hulk's gamma blast who had gained powers from the radiation.[10] Freed from the Leader's control, the bodies of Rick and Del fused together and broke out of the abandoned Shadow Base.[11] When investigating their resurgence, Charelene and Jackie crossed paths with Gamma Flight's Puck and Doc Samson, the latter having resurrected in the body of Sasquatch.[12] They all agreed to help the Hulk after learning that he was fighting the U-Foes,[13] and by the time they arrived to assist as the reformed Gamma Flight, they helped the Hulk and Harpy evade the Avengers.[14] Once they parted ways with the Hulk and his allies, Gamma Flight went into hiding. They resurfaced after a new gamma mutate codenamed Stockpile went on a rampage, leading to the discovery that a rogue government agency called Project Green Spring was experimenting with gamma on the townsfolk of Thomasville. Gamma Flight allied themselves with Stockpile and shut down Green Spring's operations.[15]

Personality

Unlike General Fortean and fellow scientist Dr. Clive, Charlene has shown a little bit more sympathy for her subjects. She asked for approval to adjust the mixture in Del Frye's holding tank to lessen his pain,[1] and she apologized to Rick Jones for what she turned him into.[16] According to her, the hardest part of her job is looking at herself in the mirror.[17] She also demonstrated concern for Fortean's well-being when he translocated through space to the Alpha Flight space station, and when he bonded with the Gamma-Activated Tissue.[18] When the Leader tried to convince her to side with him, she vehemently refused, not wanting to carry out inhumane experiments again.[8]

Attributes

Abilities

Genius Intelligence: Charlene is a brilliant scientist with knowledge of chemistry and engineering and she has built her own teleporter.

Paraphernalia

Transportation

Translocator, translocator rifle

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

References

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