The year was 1988. In the poorly organized magazine section of a local grocery store sat a small variety of Marvel and DC comics. This was in the days before newsstand distribution system was abandoned by the comics industry. Back then, comic books were in grocery stores. I was nine years old. I stared at this rack of books and thought to myself “I should be reading comics books.” The memory is foggy. There is one part that's distinct. In amongst these newsprint prisons was a Marvel comic book called Solo Avengers (starring Hawkeye). To be honest, it was probably there because no one wanted to buy it.
A few days later, after finding five dollars in the gutter, I purchased this comic book. Hawkeye, I discovered, was the leader of a super hero team called The West Coast Avengers. The West Coast Avengers also had their own comic book series. I sought out this series and acquired a few issues. In the series was a character named Firebird. I didn't pay much attention to her, as a character. That's not surprising. A female character is doomed to be ignored by a nine year old boy. Also, my reading comprehension at the time was about as abysmal as my catechesis.
Poly bagged and boarded, those comic books sat in storage for about a decade. It was at this time, I revisited what I read all those years ago. I found these comics books to be more interesting as an adult. As a kid, you focus on action. As an adult, you focus on strange things like “character development” and “plot.” Unencumbered by my nine year old mind, I rediscovered Firebird.
Firebird was part of Marvel's attempt to bring Latino characters into the Marvel universe. She was Catholic. I imagine it just came with the ethnicity, in the minds of the editors. I doubt if much more consideration was given to it beyond that. I can just imagine a cigar chomping editor saying something along the lines of: “We need mo Latinos in dese funny books! Let's make one! …What are Latinos like? ...oh, I know! Latinos are Catlick! We can make a Catlick Latino lady who can fly and has fire or something!”
Firebird was not just a background character. She played an important part in the story arcs. She saved most of the West Coast Avengers team through the intercession of her ancestors. She reported that her powers came from God. She wanted Hawkeye to ask her to join the team. When he did not, she brought her problems before God and went away for a while.
It was an odd time in comics. Marvel started their comics universe about 20 years prior to this era. The fans grew up. There was a line to walk between pleasing long time fans and retaining interest for the younger readers. One solution was more self-awarenes on the part of the characters. The villain Whirlwind is a perfect example of this. He also, happens to be part of the Firebird storyline.
In issue 17, Whirlwind has a skirmish with the West Coast Avengers. There is a moment when Dr. Hank Pym (Ant Man, Giant Man, Goliath, Yellow Jacket) is left alone with the criminal. As Whirlwind confronts Dr Pym, Whirlwind brings up the absurdity of his own origin ( Whirlwind’s origin is simply that he's a regular guy with no powers who can spin around real fast). However, Whirlwind still thinks his existence is more worthwhile than Dr. Pym's and lets Pym know as much. This lecture from the whirlwind pushes Pym over the edge. Paired with Pym's recent divorce from The Wasp and his banishment from the east coast team of the Avengers, Pym attempts suicide.
While all of this happened, Firebird becomes Espirita through some kind of rebirth process. Espirita comes along and intervenes in Dr. Pym’s suicide attempt. Not only that, she also gives Dr. Pym a new way to contribute to the team. His shrinking/ growth powers no longer work on his body, but he can still grow and shrink objects. Because of this, he has the ability to hold an arsenal of shrunken weapons in his pockets. When needed, the wepons regain their natural size, through the use of his growth powers. Dr. Pym becomes an active member of the West Coast Avengers, with the help of Firebird/ Espirita.
Sadly Firebird/ Espirita’s potential was not utilized. You get the idea they just didn't know how to write the character. The theology behind her prayers always seemed thin and poorly researched. The church scenes look like they were either a testament to poor 1970s architecture or just lack of reference. To be fair, either is possible. Once Firebird is the more devout Espirita and she saves Dr. Pym, her mission is a big question mark. So Espirita flies off, never to be seen again in the title. Eventually, the Marvel writers gutted her back story. These powers that she thought came from God become some kind Alien toxic waste accident. The management of this character seemed to be a form of backpedaling. As if they knew they were under qualified to write a religious character. And, instead of doing some research and making it work, they just retooled her to be more like the other characters.
The Firebird/ Espirita character had a lot of potential. Making a Catholic superhero poses some challenges. The solutions could be interesting. Obviously you can't go around shooting people up or breaking their spines. On the other hand, street evangelisation makes for a dull story.
So, what was the unrealized potential? When arriving a culture, The Church baptizes what is good and puts aside what is bad. Is the superhero genre is something that could be baptized? It's a good question. Imagine having an actual Catholic superhero. Not just the superheroes that exist, now, that claim to be Catholic. Not just a member of the Catholic church in the same way that your aunt is a member of Costco. The usual superhero tropes need to change, accordingly. The writing needs to take a different direction. The art must follow suit. It had a small chance of happening with Firebird/Espirita. But there was potential.
It didn't happen. But that does not mean that it could not still happen. Unfortunately, it cannot happen in mainstream comics with the way things are now. If a Catholic superhero were to exist, it's up to Catholic creators to make one. Considering the current trend in comics, the cigar chomping ( kombucha guzzling?) editors of our day wouldn't make one for all of the money in the world.
So, Catholic cartoonists, what do you say? Are you up to the task?
-George Tautkus
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