Supervillain Origins: Moonstone
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VOICE OVER: Dan Paradis
Script written by Craig Butler
Moonstone, Meteorite, Ms. Marvel. Call her what you want – as long as you always watch your back. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Karla Sofen, the villainous Moonstone. As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character's past.
Special thanks to our users hugo_atencia for submitting the idea using our interactive suggestion tool at http://www.WatchMojo.comsuggest
Watch on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_S42qw8i0
Moonstone, Meteorite, Ms. Marvel. Call her what you want – as long as you always watch your back. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Karla Sofen, the villainous Moonstone. As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character's past.
Special thanks to our users hugo_atencia for submitting the idea using our interactive suggestion tool at http://www.WatchMojo.comsuggest
Watch on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG_S42qw8i0
Script written by Craig Butler
Moonstone, Meteorite, Ms. Marvel. Call her what you want – as long as you always watch your back. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Karla Sofen, the villainous Moonstone.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which was set up in 1974’s Captain America #170 and 1975’s Captain America #192, was expanded on in 1978’s Incredible Hulk #228, and again in 1999’s Thunderbolts #25 and 2009’s Dark Avengers #1.
Karla Sofen has taken on a number of identities throughout her career and her powers have changed somewhat through the years. But Sofen is most identified with her ability to phase through matter, fly and deliver devastating blasts of power, Even the Hulk has had a hard time battling this blond powerhouse.
Sofen herself first appeared as Moonstone in 1978 issue of The Incredible1 Hulk, but her history goes back a little further. In 1974, another character named Moonstone fought Captain America. This Moonstone was originally a small-time criminal named Lloyd Bloch. When he attempted to steal a moonstone, it fused into his hand, granting him mighty powers. He was eventually defeated by Captain America and put in jail.
A year or so later, Captain America in his at-the-time still secret identity Steve Rogers, found himself on a charter plane filled with criminals and headed by the villainous Dr. Faustus. The woman assisting Faustus on this flight was Karla Sofen, although that fact would not be revealed for a few years.
When Sofen appeared again, it was as a psychologist who was allegedly trying to help the Hulk. In fact, Sofen was now the newMoonstone and was actually trying to steal a secret weapon kept at the facility where Hulk was being treated. During her fight with Hulk, she revealed a keen ability to use psychology to manipulate people as well as expertise at voice control.
Sofen also revealed how, after leaving Dr. Faustus, she had visited Lloyd Bloch in jail in her civilian profession as a psychologist. Using her skills – and a hallucinogenic gas – on him, she convinced him that his moonstone made him a monster. She forced him to give her the moonstone – resulting in his death.
Over the years, Karla’s powers changed and increased somewhat. So did her secret identity. In 1997, a new group of superheroes named the Thunderbolts arrived on the scene. Their member, Meteorite, was none other than Karla Sofen using a new name. It turned out the whole crew was a bunch of villains posing as heroes, put together by the evil Baron Zemo. But the Thunderbolts eventually tried to go straight and be real heroes.
In one of their 1999 adventures, Karla revealed more details about her pre-Moonstone past. She was the daughter of a butler and maid who worked for a Hollywood millionaire. Karla herself was the paid playmate of the millionaire’s daughter, Deanna Stockbridge. When Karla’s father died, her mother worked multiple jobs to put Karla through school. But Karla didn’t feel gratitude, only contempt and a determination to always put her own needs first. And it was that determination that led to her life of crime.
Karla underwent yet another change to her public persona in 2009. Norman Osborn, now the director of a reformed S.H.I.E.L.D., was creating a new team of Avengers and chose Karla to become the new Ms. Marvel. He ordered her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation with a psychic named Gerald Wright. During that evaluation, Karla revealed that she had killed her mother soon after becoming Moonstone. The reason she gave is that she couldn’t stand her mother thinking of her as a criminal – and so she suffocated her and set fire to her home.
Additions to Karla’s origin certainly demonstrated her selfishness and one-track mind when it came to doing whatever she needed to in order to get ahead. But they also indicated that deep inside, she might just feel some guilt and remorse.
Karla Sofen is decidedly ruthless and a master of manipulation. Yet she does seem to have some conflicting feelings when posing as a hero. Who knows what is really going on deep down inside the mind of Karla Sofen.
Are you a fan of Moonstone? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
Supervillain Origins: Moonstone
Moonstone, Meteorite, Ms. Marvel. Call her what you want – as long as you always watch your back. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Karla Sofen, the villainous Moonstone.
As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginings and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which was set up in 1974’s Captain America #170 and 1975’s Captain America #192, was expanded on in 1978’s Incredible Hulk #228, and again in 1999’s Thunderbolts #25 and 2009’s Dark Avengers #1.
Karla Sofen has taken on a number of identities throughout her career and her powers have changed somewhat through the years. But Sofen is most identified with her ability to phase through matter, fly and deliver devastating blasts of power, Even the Hulk has had a hard time battling this blond powerhouse.
Sofen herself first appeared as Moonstone in 1978 issue of The Incredible1 Hulk, but her history goes back a little further. In 1974, another character named Moonstone fought Captain America. This Moonstone was originally a small-time criminal named Lloyd Bloch. When he attempted to steal a moonstone, it fused into his hand, granting him mighty powers. He was eventually defeated by Captain America and put in jail.
A year or so later, Captain America in his at-the-time still secret identity Steve Rogers, found himself on a charter plane filled with criminals and headed by the villainous Dr. Faustus. The woman assisting Faustus on this flight was Karla Sofen, although that fact would not be revealed for a few years.
When Sofen appeared again, it was as a psychologist who was allegedly trying to help the Hulk. In fact, Sofen was now the newMoonstone and was actually trying to steal a secret weapon kept at the facility where Hulk was being treated. During her fight with Hulk, she revealed a keen ability to use psychology to manipulate people as well as expertise at voice control.
Sofen also revealed how, after leaving Dr. Faustus, she had visited Lloyd Bloch in jail in her civilian profession as a psychologist. Using her skills – and a hallucinogenic gas – on him, she convinced him that his moonstone made him a monster. She forced him to give her the moonstone – resulting in his death.
Over the years, Karla’s powers changed and increased somewhat. So did her secret identity. In 1997, a new group of superheroes named the Thunderbolts arrived on the scene. Their member, Meteorite, was none other than Karla Sofen using a new name. It turned out the whole crew was a bunch of villains posing as heroes, put together by the evil Baron Zemo. But the Thunderbolts eventually tried to go straight and be real heroes.
In one of their 1999 adventures, Karla revealed more details about her pre-Moonstone past. She was the daughter of a butler and maid who worked for a Hollywood millionaire. Karla herself was the paid playmate of the millionaire’s daughter, Deanna Stockbridge. When Karla’s father died, her mother worked multiple jobs to put Karla through school. But Karla didn’t feel gratitude, only contempt and a determination to always put her own needs first. And it was that determination that led to her life of crime.
Karla underwent yet another change to her public persona in 2009. Norman Osborn, now the director of a reformed S.H.I.E.L.D., was creating a new team of Avengers and chose Karla to become the new Ms. Marvel. He ordered her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation with a psychic named Gerald Wright. During that evaluation, Karla revealed that she had killed her mother soon after becoming Moonstone. The reason she gave is that she couldn’t stand her mother thinking of her as a criminal – and so she suffocated her and set fire to her home.
Additions to Karla’s origin certainly demonstrated her selfishness and one-track mind when it came to doing whatever she needed to in order to get ahead. But they also indicated that deep inside, she might just feel some guilt and remorse.
Karla Sofen is decidedly ruthless and a master of manipulation. Yet she does seem to have some conflicting feelings when posing as a hero. Who knows what is really going on deep down inside the mind of Karla Sofen.
Are you a fan of Moonstone? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
