- —Iron Maiden[src]
History
Melina Vostokova (Russian: Мелина Востокова), also known as the Iron Maiden, was originally an agent of the Russian government. She was forced to live in the shadow of the legendary Black Widow. This caused her to develop a deep hatred for the Widow. Eventually, she left the service of Russia and became a freelance assassin and mercenary.[2]
Iron Maiden was one of a group of assassins sent by Damon Dran to assassinate the Black Widow. The Iron Maiden outlasted the other assassins, and was on the verge of overpowering the Widow when she was interrupted by Jimmy Woo and a squadron of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Melina fled, and was followed into the sewers by Woo and the Widow. She ambushed them, but Woo used his energy blaster to blow a hole in the floor she was standing on, which generated a powerful whirlpool and sucked her down to the next level.[3]
Iron Maiden was one of the army of superhuman female criminals, the Femizons, gathered by Superia as part of her plot to sterilize the rest of the world and gain power for her potential nation of all women. She was part of the army that defeated and captured Captain America and Paladin when they tried to sneak aboard the ship to Superia's island Femizonia. Melina was one of the small group that stayed by Superia, as her "lieutenants" following the defeat of her initial plot.[4]
Iron Maiden accompanied Superia and the other remaining Femizons to Boca Caliente for the AIM Weapons Expo. Superia attempted to execute AIM's head Alessandro Brannex, to take over AIM for her own uses, which brought her group into conflict with M.O.D.A.M. and the other security forces of AIM. In addition, the assassination failed because Superia did not realize Brannex was an Adaptoid. M.O.D.A.M. overpowered Superia and Blackbird, and Iron Maiden was unable to reach her to even try to stop her.[5]
When the U.S. became embroiled in its Superhuman Registration Act, Iron Maiden attempted to obtain a fake ID and sneak into Canada. She was pursued by the Fixer, Joystick, and Mach IV of the Thunderbolts, and Joystick brought down Iron Maiden, while the Fixer and Mach IV made wagers on the fight.[6]Attributes
Abilities
Master Martial Artist: Melina has mastered many fields of hand-to-hand combat.[1]
Master Assassin: Melina is heavily skilled in assassination techniques.[7]
Master Spy: Melina is a dangerous secret agent trained in espionage, stealth, disguise, infiltration, and demolitions.[7]
Weapons Expert: Melina is an expert with most weapons and vehicles.[7]
Multilingual: Melina is fluent in Russian, English and many other languages.[7]Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Trivia
See Also
- 15 appearance(s) of Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
- 3 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) of Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
- 11 image(s) of Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
- 2 quotation(s) by or about Melina Vostokoff (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #2
- ↑ Marvel Fanfare #11
- ↑ Marvel Fanfare #12
- ↑ Captain America #389–391
- ↑ Captain America #411–412
- ↑ Thunderbolts #105
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #5
- ↑ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update #2
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 5