Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara)

Rita DeMara is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The second Yellowjacket, she is initially a reluctant supervillainess and later superheroine.

For the first Yellowjacket, see Hank Pym.
Yellowjacket
Rita DeMara models her second Yellowjacket costume. Art by Kevin West.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceThe Avengers # 264 (February 1986)
Created byRoger Stern
John Buscema
In-story information
Alter egoRita DeMara
Team affiliationsGuardians of the Galaxy
Masters of Evil
Femizons
Avengers
AbilitiesCybernetics expert
Suit grants:
High-speed flight
Size manipulation
Electrical bolt projection via stinger blasts

Publication history

Yellowjacket first appeared in The Avengers #264 (February 1986), and was created by Roger Stern and John Buscema.[1]

Years later, she was featured as a regular character in the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers titles. Guardians of the Galaxy writer/artist Jim Valentino reminisced, "It was my group's first foray into the 20th Century. I knew they were going to meet the Masters of Evil ... She was a member of the Masters of Evil at the time and I liked her. I thought it would be nice to have someone see the 31st Century through present-day eyes. It would give a new perspective, so I asked if I could have her. They said yes, and even though I never got the chance to write her in, they put her in the group after I was gone."[2]

Yellowjacket was one of the feature characters in the 2011 three-issue limited series Chaos War: Dead Avengers.

Fictional character biography

Criminal career

When first seen, Rita DeMara was a reluctant supervillainess who had stolen one of Hank Pym's Yellowjacket costumes, and modified it, making it more feminine (and removing the insect emblem). However, when she clashed with the Wasp, she became terrified upon shrinking, and was captured.[3]

Yellowjacket participates in a takeover of the Avengers Mansion, assisting one of the more powerful versions of the Masters of Evil as a professional criminal.[4] Defeated, Yellowjacket is sent to prison but is freed by the Fixer with amorous intentions. She flees and tries to gain revenge on the Wasp, but is distracted by the sight of Black Knight. Furious at being rejected, the Fixer tries to kill her. Black Knight helps Yellowjacket defeat him and the two part on possibly romantic terms.[5]

During a time when no Avengers were active, her costume receives a call for help from an automated system at an old Avengers base. She finds herself teaming up with the Beast, The Captain, Falcon, Hercules, the Hulk and Jocasta. They battle the High Evolutionary wishing to jumpstart humanity's evolution through worldwide catastrophe. Yellowjacket helps battle through the Evolutionary's underground submarine base, fighting against dozens of his soldiers. Eventually the Evolutionary is defeated by Hercules, the two evolving out of reality.[6] She later briefly serves as a member of Superia's Femizons.[7]

Her second affiliation with the Masters of Evil begins and ends during the Infinity War. Her team, led by Doctor Octopus, confronts the Guardians of the Galaxy inside the Avengers Mansion as the Masters had wished to take it over. Yellowjacket is soon betrayed by her side. Moments later, both teams are overwhelmed by waves of evil aliens. These aliens were impersonating all the super-powered beings involved. Each double wishes to take over the relevant body. Despite many aliens being slain, more show up.

The Guardians and the Masters both work together to stay alive. Events in the Infinity War series stop the flow of aliens. When Doctor Octopus desires to continue the fight, his men turn on him, not wanting to hurt those who had helped them. Yellowjacket is left behind and joined the Guardians.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Yellowjacket went to the 31st century with Guardians of the Galaxy. She further proves her worth when she saved the life of Charlie-27 by shrinking, flying inside his throat, and performing "surgery" on a massive blood clot with her stings. She forms a close friendship with Nikki. She later uses 31st century technology to redesign her costume, making it look less like Henry Pym's design (she even found a way to fly without installing wings on her costume).

She used her powers as a valued member of the team, until, homesick, she attempts to return to the 20th century. On the way, she stops in the near future and learns that a disaster was about to happen to the Avengers in her target time. On her return to the present, she confronts Iron Man under the control of Immortus, a powerful time-traveling being in the guise of Kang the Conqueror. Iron Man kills Yellowjacket.[8]

Resurrection

During the Chaos War storyline, Yellowjacket is among the dead people released by Pluto to defend the Underworld from Amatsu-Mikaboshi.[9] Because of what happened to the death realms, Yellowjacket is among the dead people that return from the dead.[10] Yellowjacket joins with the other resurrected Avengers as they fight Grim Reaper and Nekra.[11] Yellowjacket, along with the Swordsman, and the Shi'ar warrior Deathcry are given a second chance to live when the three of them survive Grim Reaper's attacks.[12] After the defeat of the Chaos King, resurrected members of Alpha Flight were seen having been fully restored to life but there has been no sign of Yellowjacket.[13]

Powers and abilities

Rita DeMara has no superhuman powers, but possesses expertise in cybernetic technology. Yellowjacket's helmet contains subatomic "Pym particles" which she can release by mental command cybernetically through the helmet's circuitry, enabling her to shrink in size from one-half inch in size and return to normal; the helmet also contains manual override controls. Her costume is equipped with "disruptor sting" blasters enabling her to shoot electrical bolts from her gloves. She can generate enough electricity to severely damage a car in a single blast. Her costume also permits flight at high speeds through the use of the suit's artificial "wings." She also demonstrated growing powers on occasion. However, due to the strain this placed on her heart, she rarely used them.

Other versions

Mutant X

In the Mutant X reality, Rita joins with Doc Samson and Stingray to create the Defenders, a team intended to take up the slack left by the defeated Avengers.[14]

Like many of that world's heroes, she is killed off-panel; her corpse is shown in the final issue along with the other defeated heroes.

In other media

Video games
gollark: My new compact machines rack.
gollark: All mods and complicated interactions all the way!
gollark: 60k.
gollark: I made a crazily overkill setup for that which ran 64 lasers and fed them using a builder.
gollark: They make mana from wool, IF you provide all the colors in the right sequence.

References
  1. Brevoort, Tom; DeFalco, Tom; Manning, Matthew K.; Sanderson, Peter; Wiacek, Win (2017). Marvel Year By Year: A Visual History. DK Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 978-1465455505.
  2. Buttery, Jarrod (July 2013). "Explore the Marvel Universe of the 31st Century with... the Guardians of the Galaxy". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (65): 30–31.
  3. Avengers #264
  4. Avengers #273-277
  5. Solo Avengers #12
  6. Avengers Annual #17
  7. Captain America #389-391
  8. Avengers: The Crossing #1
  9. Chaos War #2
  10. Chaos War: Dead Avengers #1
  11. Chaos War: Dead Avengers #2
  12. Chaos War: Dead Avengers #3
  13. Chaos War #5
  14. Mutant X #32 (June 2001)
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