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Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman.png
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961)
Created by Stan Lee (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards
Species Human Mutate
Team affiliations Fantastic Four
Lady Liberators
Avengers
Fantastic Four Incorporated
Future Foundation
Notable aliases Invisible Girl, Captain Universe, Susan Benjamin, Malice, Mistress of Hate, Baroness Von Doom, Tabitha Deneuve
Abilities
  • Invisibility
  • Projected invisibility
  • Invisible force field projection (which bestows the ability to generate protective invisible shields and invisible energy constructs as well as the power to control and manipulate objects)
  • Competent martial artist

The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards), previously known as the Invisible Girl, is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during the Silver Age of Comics.

Sue Richards received her powers after being exposed to a cosmic storm. Her primary power deals with light waves, allowing her to render herself and others invisible. She can also project powerful fields of invisible psionic energy which she uses for a variety of offensive and defensive effects. Richards plays a central role in the lives of her hot-headed younger brother Johnny Storm, her brilliant husband Reed Richards, her close friend Ben Grimm, and her children (Franklin and Valeria).

An object of infatuation for Doctor Doom and, most notably, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Sue's passive invisibility power translated into her frequent deployment as a damsel in distress during the team's early adventures. Upon developing the ability to project powerful fields of energy, Sue Storm became a more powerful member of the Fantastic Four, and the team's second-in-command with a growing assertive confidence. While Sue operated somewhat in the shadow of her brother and her husband in the early years, she is now the soul of the Fantastic Four and one of the primary heroes in the Marvel Universe.

The Invisible Woman was portrayed by Rebecca Staab in the 1994 film The Fantastic Four, Jessica Alba in the 2005 film Fantastic Four, and its 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Kate Mara in the 2015 film Fantastic Four.

Publication history

Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Stan Lee did not want Sue to have super strength, "to be Wonder Woman and punch people", so eventually he came to invisibility, inspired by works such as The Invisible Man.

Invisible Woman has primarily appeared in issues of Fantastic Four. Susan's initial power of invisibility proved to be of minor consequence in the team's early missions, especially compared to the abilities of the others in the group. In issue 22 (January, 1964), the creators expanded Sue's abilities, giving her the power to render other objects and people invisible and create strong force fields and psionic blasts. Despite her enhanced abilities, Susan served primarily as an assistant and second-in-command to Reed in the early years of the series. This changed when John Byrne began his run on the title. Under his authorship, Sue became more confident and assertive in her abilities which became more versatile and impressive. For instance, she found she could use her force field abilities to manipulate matter through the air, immobilize enemies, or administer long-range attacks. Susan changed her nom de guerre to Invisible Woman, and is now recognized as one of the more powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.

Sue can shape her psionic force fields into invisible constructs, usually simple shapes such as barriers, columns, cones, cylinders, darts, discs, domes, platforms, rams, ramps, slides and spheres. By generating additional force behind her psionic constructs, Sue can turn them into offensive weapons, ranging from massive invisible battering rams to small projectiles such as spheres and darts. She can generate solid force constructs as small as a marble or as large as 100 feet (30 m) in diameter, and her hollow projections such as domes can extend up to several miles in area. By forming one of her force fields within an object and expanding the field, Sue can cause her target to explode. She can also travel atop animated constructs such as ramps, stairs, slides, columns and stepping discs, enabling her to fly. She can manipulate the energy of her force fields around other objects to simulate telekinetic abilities. It has been said on numerous occasions, including by the Fantastic Four's greatest opponent, Doctor Doom, that Sue is the single-most powerful member of the quartet and she is one of the few beings able to rupture the shell of a Celestial. She is capable of generating and manipulating multiple force fields simultaneously. This power is only limited by her concentration; once she stops concentrating on a field, it simply ceases to exist.

Susan is also a competent hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist, having been trained by Iron Fist, and having received additional coaching from both the Thing and She-Hulk. Her unparalleled sense of compassion makes her a natural-born leader, and she usually acts as the Fantastic Four's second-in-command, usually taking over complete leadership of the team during Mister Fantastic's absence.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mujer Invisible para niños

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