History
Marlene Alraune was the daughter of Dr. Peter Alraune, a noted archaeologist. Once, while on a site together, the mercenary terrorist Bushman attacked them in order to seize the gold they had found. During Bushman's raid, he savagely murdered the archaeologist.[1] His partner, Marc Spector punched Bushman to protect Marlene. Furious, Bushman mortally wounded him and left him to die, leading Spector to encounter the spirit of Khonshu and adopt the identity of Moon Knight.[2]
_from_What_If...%3F_Dark_Moon_Knight_Vol_1_1_001.jpg){kind=link}
Looking after herself
Later, Marlene became romantically involved with Spector and they went on several adventures together. Once, she found herself in the African nation of Burunda, being held captive by Bushman, and Moon Knight came to her rescue. However, while fighting Bushman, Spector was impaled by his sword and killed. Marlene still managed to escape, but there was nothing she could do for Spector.[1]
After his funeral, back in the US, Marlene unleashed her anger towards a statue of Khonshu, for failing to save his avatar. In her moment of most despair, she was reached by Ra, who invited her to be his avatar and avenge Spector's death as the Luminary, who would light to the darkness.[1]
_from_What_If...%3F_Dark_Moon_Knight_Vol_1_1_002.jpg){kind=link}
Becoming the Luminary
For a while, she patrolled the cities of New York, but eventually decided to settle her score with Bushman. She traveled to Cambodia and faced him at the Burunda embassy, where he severely injured her with the same dagger he had used to kill her father. Yet, as he gained the upper hand and prepared to kill her, Luminary unleashed a beam of light against him, effectively ending his life.[1]
After she was taken to the hospital to recover, she started having visions about reuniting with Marc, and Ra took over her body.[1]Attributes
Powers
Divine Empowerment: After Marlene was imbued with a sliver of Ra's power, she began displaying the following powers:
- Light Generation: She was capable of generating intense light to temporarily startle her enemies.[1]
- Heat Generation: Her fists would heat up to temperatures capable of causing skin burns when in contact with human skin.[1]
- Light Manipulation: She could also create light constructs, including swords, which she used to fight.[1]
- Energy Blasts: As a last resort, she could also unleash powerful beams against her enemies.[1]