The Wyngarde Family Tree

I honestly have no idea what's wrong with me. Why did I pick another X-Men related family?! WHY? Without further ado, here is the Wyngarde Family Tree for the MC2.

I learnt a few interesting tidbits while researching the X-Men villain Mastermind aka Jason Wyngarde. For starters Mastermind first appeared way back in Uncanny X-Men #4 as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. It wasn't until Uncanny X-Men #122 that his real name of Jason Wyngarde was uttered. It was unclear at the time whether this was intended as Mastermind's real name or if it was simply an alias he created along with his illusions.Apparently the behind the scenes situation was just as confused with writer Chris Claremont referring to it as though it was both an alias and his real name (see link). Either way, the name stuck. Unfortunately, Wyngarde would contract the Legacy Virus and eventually died in the pages of  Uncanny X-Men Annual #17.  Fortunately, that's not the end of the story.

In Wolverine/Gambit: Victims #2 we meet a woman named Martinique Jason who, it transpires, is the Mastermind's illegitimate daughter. Martinique not only inherited her father's illusionary abilities, but also has some telepathic powers. Adopting her father's villainous identity as Mastermind, Martinique is manipulated by Arcade into framing Wolverine for several murders in London. After discovering the manipulation, Martinique turns on Aracade, leaving him trapped in his own mental prison, before escaping. The only other strictly MC2-relevant appearance featuring Martinique Jason is in Daredevil #352 in which she takes possession of Arcade's extensive files on various super heroes. Later appearances refer to this character as 'Martinique Wyngarde' but given these are later retcons (or honest mistakes?) and she's never called 'Wyngarde' in these early appearances prior to the divergence of the 616 and MC2 I've gone with the surname Jason.

It's again worth pointing out that more recent main Marvel Universe stories establish Jason Wyngarde has other daughters, but these are not part of the purview of this MC2 family tree. No need to tell me I forgot them, okay?

Apparently Jason Wyngarde had a sibling because, as we learn in J2 #2, he also has a niece who follows in his criminal footsteps. All we know about Enthralla is that she had prior run-ins with the X-People before encountering J2 in her first appearance. She later teams with Sabreclaw in a ploy to lure Magneta into a trap. Unfortunately for Enthralla, Magneta was accompanied by Wild Thing and J2, which leads to her defeat (J2 #8). Enthralla encountered Spider-Girl and Wild Thing while attempting to break-out Sabreclaw following his defeat at the hands of the Avengers before surrendering when faced with the Fantastic Five. Having checked through all of these appearances, I can't find a definitive mention of Wyngarde as her surname, but both The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 and The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 7 identify her as 'Enthralla (Wyngarde)' so that's good enough for me.

Well, that's it. While it looks fairly straight forward, a few naming inconsistences and relatives did throw a wrench into the works for me.

Until I stop covering X-Men characters, I remain

frogoat

The Forest Family Tree

A quick but tangentially relevant family tree, given the season.

 Betty Forest aka Bitter Frost made her first and to-date only appearance in Amazing Spider-Girl #3 (which incidentally has one of my favourite covers of all time) where we also learn her tragic origins. Betty came to the attention of social worker Caitlan Leiber after being abused by her boyfriend, Wayne. At the time new to the job, Caitlan learned that not only was Betty in an abusive relationship, her home life was no better. Betty's father, Mr Forest (first name unknown) was a widowed alcoholic with a temper. After repeated attempts to convince Betty to make a new start by leaving 'Mr Wonderful' aka Wayne, Caitlan turned her attention to those who were accepting of her help.

Sometime later, Wayne severely beat Betty, causing her to run away and seek refuge in a deserted factory. The leaky old chemical containers stored within gave Betty ice abilities. Betty, considering her herself dead and now transformed into 'Bitter Frost' sought revenge. Beginning by killing her abusive father, Frost then confronted Caitlan Leiber for letting her slip through the cracks in the system. The arrival of Mayday stopped Frost from killing Caitlan, after which Frost turned her attention toward killing Wayne. Due to the intervention of Caitlan, Spider-Girl and Detective Drasco, Wayne is spared and flees and Bitter Frost reverts back into Betty Forest after exposure to the intense heat of a fire.

I would assume 'Betty' is short for Elizabeth but as there is nothing to confirm this, I've stuck with what's on the page. I find Betty's story both tragic and far to real and would love to see her make a return someday. Not only would it be interesting to see these real world themes explored more, her power-set and victimhood despite her murder of her father also makes for an interesting dramatic foil.


Until I run out of family trees in the MC2 to explore, I remain

frogoat

A Merry MC2 Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The Logan Family Tree

This one was an eye opener. I now understand why X-Men fans tear their hair out. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the combined kin of Natchios and Logan...with a few asterisks.

Wolverine has presented me with a conundrum. For the purposes of these family trees, I accept that MC2 characters share their published history (up to a point) with their 616/Main Marvel Universe counterparts. I make exceptions for any retcons implemented after the point the MC2 diverges from the 616 and in cases where it's explicitly or implicitly different (Aunt May really died) or when a writer later introduces a previously unheard of relative (the Lang family and likely the Pym family) who is never mentioned, seen or heard of in the MC2. With the last exception, I would add them to the family tree in later updates should they be mentioned in MC2 material at any point.

Wolverine presents a new case of a previously unresolved plot point (his true name and origin) being resolved post-MC2 but due to it being a long standing pre-MC2 mystery and it not at face value contradicting elements of the MC2. So, information revealed in the Origin mini-series can be accepted as MC2 canon also. I personally feel I need only list James Howlett as his real name and leave out his family members, at least for now. If later MC2 works utilize these story elements, I'll add them.

As for post-Origin relatives of Wolverine, including potential offspring such as X-23 and Daken and his half-dozen other kids from one storyline who die, I have decided that these are all later retcons not directly affiliated with his MC2 counterpart. Further, the Wolverine: Origins ongoing series apparently revealed that several significant characters throughout Wolverine's past were related to him, specifically by his mother's own extended family. Character's such as the Professor involved with the Weapon X program (Professor Andre Thorton) were retroactively made Wolverine's long lost relatives-the Hudson's- despite some of these characters having established names. I will not be referring to these characters in the family as they were later retconned relatives, not pre-established.

With all of that out of the way, let's start in earnest. Logan aka the mutant known as Wolverine first appeared in the final panel of The Incredible Hulk #180 with his first full appearance the following issue in The Incredible Hulk #181.  For decades, Logan's true name and origin was a mystery. It wasn't until the mini series Origin that we got the answers that had been long teased. We learn that the man we know as Logan was born 'James Howlett' as a result of an affair between Elizabeth Howlett and Thomas Logan, the grounds-keeper on the Howlett's estate. Thomas Logan had another son, 'Dog' Logan, making him James' half-brother. As stated above, I have decided to leave them off this MC2-centric family tree for now.


During an adventure in the Savage Land, seen in Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure, Logan find's spends a period of time with the leader of Tribe of Fire, a woman named Gahck. At the conclusion of the story, she is seen holding an infant. Logan's status as the child's father and the child's name (Erista) were only implied, at least until being confirmed in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2004.

Logan also adopted a young girl named Amiko Kobayashi following her mother's death during a giant monster attack in Tokyo in Uncanny X-Men #181. Amiko was eventually left in the care of a woman named Yukio, which led to an encounter with the assassin Elektra, which is as good a transition as any to the other half of this family tree.


Elektra Natchios is another character with a somewhat convoluted family history. First appearing in Daredevil #168, Elektra was reportedly intended as a one-off character, but proved popular enough to make regular appearances in the series until her first death in Daredevil #181. Elektra returned from the dead soon after and has gone onto be a consistent fan favourite character.

Elektra's first appearance in Daredevil #168 is also her father's first appearance and death, as he is shot to during a terrorist hostage situation. It's not until the Elektra Assassin mini that we learn his name is Hugo Natchios. Through the story, Elektra attempts to recall her past by revisiting memory fragments, some of which seem to be partially imagined, such as her recollection of her own birth during her mother Christina's assassination as depicted in Elektra Assassin #1.

Christina Natchios proves to be an interesting case of multiple characters providing differing accounts of her personality, character and even the events surrounding her death. A later mini-series called Elektra: Root of Evil features Hugo telling a young Elektra his version of the events of Christina's death and Elektra's birth. According to Hugo, his wife openly had affairs, embarrassing the newly appointed ambassador. When Christina became pregnant, Hugo drunkenly shared his shame with his son Orestez (more on him later) who -enraged- organised the assassination which injured his father and killed his mother who gave birth to Elektra as she died (Elektra: Root of Evil #2). When Hugo learned Elektra was in-fact his daughter by blood, he threw himself into raising her.

Alternatively, as recounted in Elektra (vol. 1) #18, we are given an entirely different account of Christina by a man named Stavros who knew the Natchios family well. He tells an adult Elektra that as a teenager Christina used to work for a resistance cell led by Hugo, showing cold determination and kindness. While eight months pregnant Christina was shot during a hostage situation, but managed to disarm the shooter and prevented him from being killed by the angry crowd before she dying as Elektra was born. While it's perhaps possible that parts of Stavros' story could be true (how Hugo and Christina met) it's impossible to reconcile the two different series of events leading to Christina's death. As such, I'm inclined to go with the earlier telling of events given they connect to much of Elektra's family history, including Orestez, who goes completed unmentioned in this new telling.

Orestez Natchios is the older brother of Elektra, and son to Hugo and Christina who first appeared in flashbacks in Elektra: Root of Evil #2. As mentioned above, a drunken and disgraced Hugo tells Orestez of his mother's infidelity and the likelihood of her current pregnancy being to another man. Orestez hires mercenaries to kill his mother as punishment while she vacationed, unaware his father had joined her. When Orestez learns his beloved father was injured during the attack, he left the family out of guilt. Years later, Orestez saved his young sister Elektra from an attack and returned her home to their father, telling him she needed to learn to protect herself, choosing to remain in his self-imposed exile.

Finally, we arrive at the MC2 section of this write-up! Rina Logan aka Wild Thing, daughter to Logan and Elektra first appeared in J2 #5. Seeking out the titular character for information about his father the previous Juggernaut, Rina battled J2 until Wolverine put a stop to the fight. Though young, Rina is frequently depicted as adventuring far and wide, even sending her parents letters from her travels. At some point in her past, Rina was brutally attacked and left to die on a mountain top by her half-brother, Hudson.

The animalistic Hudson aka Sabreclaw first appeared in J2 #8, working alongside the villainous Enthralla against the combined efforts of J2, Magneta and his half-sister Wild Thing. Following his initial appearance, Sabreclaw would join various teams, including The Revengers and The Savage Six before finally seeing the light and joining The Avengers. There is no information on the identity of Sabreclaw's mother.

It's not immediately clear whether Hudson is Sabreclaw's first or last name, nor if he shares the surname 'Logan' with his half-sister. The only name we are given in-story is simply 'Hudson' in his first appearance so that leaves secondary sources, so let's explore those. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 identifies Sabreclaw as 'Hudson Logan', while the following year's All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 Wild Thing profile back-tracks to 'Hudson (surname unrevealed)'. The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #3 (2007) features a Sabreclaw profile entry in which his real name is given as 'Hudson (full name unrevealed)', suggesting the name could be either his given name or surname whereas The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 7 refers to him as Hudson Logan. However, the Wild Thing profile published in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 13 (2010) reverts to 'Hudson (surname unrevealed)'. Personally, I'd assume Hudson is Sabreclaw's first name, based on the context of it's usage in J2 #8 and it's debatable whether Logan is his surname.

This entry took a lot of time and effort to research and I am still uncertain if I've done it justice. Hopefully my rationale regarding the use of family members and names discussed at the top makes sense and holds up to your scrutiny. I've given this a lot of thought.

Until I take up a nice relaxing hobby like bee-keeping, I remain

frogoat

The Dillon Family Tree

Here's another family tree I was inspired to pump out after completed my last post: The Dillon Family Tree! Electro is one of Spider-Man's most iconic enemies and has always been a personal favourite of mine. So, as you can imagine I was pleasantly surprised when not only did we get an Electro-themed MC2 character, but we also learned she was indeed related to the original.

Maxwell 'Max' Dillon first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #9 but we didn't get much insight into his life or personal history until Amazing Spider-Man #422. It's in this issue that we learn pretty much everything we could want to know about what makes Max the man he is: a man with great potential who never really tried to push himself. Max was born in Endicott, New York but his father Jonathan Dillon made them move frequently as result of being fired often. Jonathan was a tightly wound man prone to violent outbursts who abandoned his young family when Max was around 8 years old. This event caused Max's mother, Anita Dillon to become overprotective of her son, actively discouraging him from taking risks even when he reached adulthood. When Max announced his plans to go to college to pursue a career as a scientist or electrical engineer, Anita discouraged him, insisting he lacked the intelligence and discipline. Clearly, Max never stood a chance.

Just three weeks before Max's twenty-fifth birthday, Anita passed away. Six months later, Max married Norma Lynn, a secretary he met working at the local electric company. Max went from job to job until he became a lineman, and rather than pursue a management position or his dream of being an engineer, he stayed where he felt safe. Refusing to settle for a man with no ambition, Norma left Max who threw himself into his work-the only thing he had left. It was while (selfishly) doing his lineman job that Max would gain his electrical powers.

Fast forward to the MC2 and an unnamed female villain clad in an Electro-inspired costume makes an appearance in Spider-Girl #51. This particular issue has the distinction of being the only one written by someone other than Tom Defalco and the gang. Written by Sean McKeever with art by Casey Jones, the issue was commissioned as a fill-in issue in the event a deadline couldn't be met but after sometime, it was published regardless. While this issue was published directly after the big anniversary issue #50, it obviously does not follow these events with the collected digests placing the story between Spider-Girl #35 and #36. None of this is strictly relevant, but I felt a little context might help. The aforementioned Electro-styled villainess who briefly appears goes unnamed, though Spider-Girl does point out the apparent connections to Electro and jokingly refers to her opponent as 'Electra', quipping that it's already taken.

We wouldn't learn anymore about this character until she was re-visited by Tom and Ron in Spider-Girl #81 in what has to be one of the best stand-alone issues of the series. We learn that years ago Max fell in love with a woman named Marilyn, though the two never married. They had a daughter together named Allison Dillon who was born with similar electrical powers. Sadly, Max and Allison were never able to make physical contact due to their 'electrical auras' causing one another extreme pain. Marilyn told Max to stay out of Allison's life and he obliged, later winding up in prison. While there, Marilyn died, leaving Allison to be shuffled between foster homes, eventually donning a costume and starting a life of crime like her father before her. Only recently learning of Allison's situation, and apparently having served his time, Max reaches out to the Avengers to obtain help from his old enemy Spider-Man. With Spider-Man and Spider-Girl's help, father and daughter are reunited and fight through the pain of their electrical auras, finally overcoming the barrier between them.

As a sidenote, I found references to Max having a sister but this seems to ignore established continuity.As near as I can tell this 'sister' only appears in the Spider-Man: Web of Shadows video game.The last thing left to mention is the unusual instance of Allison being mistakenly referred to as Samantha Dillon in Spider-Girl #100. Or maybe Samantha is her middle name?!

That's about it for this one. Hopefully we'll see more of this electrified family someday. Until I can maintain a regular schedule for this blog, I remain

frogoat

The Robertson Family Tree

After a bit of break, the Family Tree's are back! A personal favourite fictional family: The Robertson's! Since the introduction of Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson way back when, the Robertson's have been a consistent and stable feature of the Spidey titles.

Despite the insistence of several reputable sources which tell me Joe Robertson first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #51, I'm not entirely convinced. But I can definitely agree that Robbie appears in the very next issue Amazing Spider-Man #52, as he's identified by name. While we learn a lot of Robbie's past through flashbacks in Spectacular Spider-Man #139, including his unfortunate relationship with Tombstone, we never do learn how he met his dear wife. Martha Eleanor Robertson makes her first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #71, though she does make a small appearance in a photo beforehand in Amazing Spider-Man #68. Martha and Joe are the proud parents of Randolph 'Randy' Robertson, who first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #67.  

While I can't find a primary source for their names, Joe's parents are identified as Alice and Samuel Robertson in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 9, both deceased at some point prior to meeting Martha, as Robbie recounts in Amazing Spider-Man #196. It is also in ASM #196 where we learn Robbie and Martha's first child Patrick Henry Robertson tragically died at only six months old. The enormity of this event stills affects them to this day.

After moving away to Pittsburg, Robbie met and married a Jewish woman named Amanda 'Mandy' Batavides, as we learn in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #112. While I can't find a reference for Amanda Robertson's surname pre-marriage in primary sources, it is given in the OHOTMU Vol. 9. Randy neglected to tell his parents of his hasty marriage, leading to some initial misgivings from Robbie. 

And now comes the part of the post where I discuss divergent timelines and bore you all to death. Or I could just show you this scene from the post-reboot Peter Parker: Spider-Man (vol. 2) #17: 

As this occurs in a comic outside of the MC2's established timeline, we can assume Randy and Amanda are either still happily married or worked through there problems and reconciled. Now, why did I bring this plot point up? 

Because in The Buzz #1 we meet Richie Robertson, son of Randy and grandson of Joe Robertson. I reached out to Richie's co-creator, consummate professional and all-round-good-guy Mr Ron Frenz for some behind the scenes information and he confirmed that 'Richie' is short for Richard. Additionally, Ron also revealed that he and Tom Defalco didn't have anyone in particular in mind for Richie's mother. They've kindly given me permission to indulge myself by putting Amanda in this role. Thank you, gentlemen! 

Sadly when we catch up with Richie, we learn that the Robertson's suffered a terrible loss not long after Spider-Man finally hung up his webs. Joe Robertson was murdered by Doctor Octopus during an attack on Bugle. We also learn that Richie's father, Randy works for the New York City Council, while Richie put his considerable intellect to use working on Project: Human Fly along side Dr Marla Jameson and the treacherous Dr Sonja Jade. The project was the brainchild of J Jonah Jameson following Joe's murder, largely to ensure there was a hero who could be controlled and accountable for their actions.

Richie goes on to become The Buzz's closest ally in his fight for justice, despite their sometimes prickly relationship. When confronted with the man who killed his grandfather, Richie insists JJ aka The Buzz brings him in to face justice, but when given the choice between proving Dr Jade's involvement and saving Doc Ock, he was more than happy for The Buzz to leave Ock to die. 

Richie is honestly one of the most interesting supporting characters in the MC2 and I would love to have seen more of him and the Robertson's. The impact the family has on the mythos can't be understated. 

Special thanks to Mr Ron Frenz, Josh Bertone and Alex Evangeli for their help with this one.

Until I start working on theses family tree's more regularly again, I remain

frogoat

The Morgan Family Tree

I'm surprised I haven't covered this family before! Here's a look at the Morgan Family Tree. Ladyhawk is the crime-fighting identity shared by identical twin sisters Rosetta and Regina Morgan, who first appeared in Spider-Girl #6.

A recurring crime boss who often had run ins with the Falcon, 'Boss' Morgan first appeared in Captain America (vol. 1) #152 and would go on to hold a grudge against the winged crime-fighter. At some point, Morgan (who's first name is still unrevealed) married and had twin daughters, Rosetta and Regina. What little we do know of the sisters childhood is revealed in Spider-Girl #60. When their parents divorced as a result of Morgan's temper, the two sister were separated, with Regina going to live with her mother and Rosetta with her father. Despite his criminal career and temper, Rosetta describes her father treating her like a little princess-a warrior princess.

Supposedly, 'Boss' Morgan died in a shoot-out while Rosetta and Regina were still in high school, with a later police investigation revealing he was responsible for the death of the Falcon. When the sisters were reunited, they set about using their father's estate to fund their war on crime as. Or...at least that's what Rosetta tells Spider-Girl.

But it would seem the reports of Mr Morgan's demise were greatly exaggerated because he appears in Amazing Spider-Girl #7, very much alive and still in charge of his criminal organisation. So what gives? I think, either we can chalk it up to Rosetta not feeling comfortable to share certain details with Spider-Girl or Morgan faked his own demise. Based on Rosetta's reaction to hearing mention of her father's name and their tense interaction later in the issue, I'm inclined to believe Rosetta was not aware, or there's more going unsaid than we know about.

I have not been able to find a name for Rosetta and Regina's mother, but Rosetta tell's Spider-Girl that their mother died a few years prior. If anyone has a suggestion as to her name or identity, feel free to send me a message and let me know. I've always wanted to see the Ladyhawks' get their own mini-series at the least because there is a lot of fertile territory to explore both with the pair's superhero lives and the nature of their own familial relationships.

Until I stop enjoying this series of posts, I remain

frogoat

The Drew Family Tree

This time around I thought I'd shine a little 'spotlight' on the first Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew and her family. The best part about doing these little projects is it gives me the chance to read and discover new facets of the Marvel Universe. In delving into the family history of Jessica Drew, I discovered that her mother and father (Meriem and Jonathan Drew) are deeply entrenched in other areas of Marvel lore.

Jessica first obtains her powers as a result of exposure to radiation when she was a child living with her parents on Wundagore Mountain. The reason her parents were there? Jonathan Drew was a scientist specializing in arthropods who partnered with the man who would become the High Evolutionary. Together, they moved to the nation of Transia onto land inherited by Meriem Drew from her maternal Uncle and, after discovering a vast deposit of Uranium, build a futuristic scientific laboratory to further their research. When Jessica is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, she is placed into cryogenic stasis and injected with a serum derived from Jonathan's spider research.

Oh, and then Meriem is killed by a Werewolf (who just so happens to be the father of Jack Russell) and Jonathan eventually becomes possessed by the sorcerer Magnus due to exposure to the Elder God Chthon before later becoming involved with a group called the Pyrotechnics who brainwashed and later killed him on the orders of a Congressmen. So yeah, pretty well connected, and that's not even mentioning Jessica's connection to the Puppet Master. Seriously, look into it.

On the MC2 side of things, it appears that following a loss of her powers, Jessica pursued her private investigator career before marrying an old boyfriend (apparently Gerald 'Jerry' Hunt, a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent she encountered early in her costumed days). Two years later, Jess gave birth to her son Gerald 'Gerry' Drew who was soon diagnosed with a rare and apparently fatal blood disease. Hunt blamed Jessica for Gerry's condition and abandoned his family but Jessica never gave up on her son, using her own father's old research to recreate the process that saved her I hopes of saving Gerry.

The process was painful and long, so to distract Gerry, Jessica would entertain him with stories of various heroes including Spider-Man, who would become Gerry's favourite. Gerry emerged from the treatment with spider-powers and become obsessed with replicating his hero Spider-Man. Despite giving him superhuman abilities, the process had not cured him of his blood disease and Gerry was still, in fact, dying.

A few tidbits that don't really fit anywhere: Jessica's mother's name is spelt various different ways including Meriem, Merriam and Miriam, sometimes in the same story. I've gone with Meriem for the family tree, as that is the original spelling from Spider-Woman #1. Also, you may have noticed I mention that Meriem inherited land from her maternal Uncle, despite not including him in the Family Tree above. I am aware. Curiously, there is a slight discrepancy regarding the timeline of events surrounding when Jerry Hunt abandoned his family, as he is seen in a recounting of Gerry's treatment, but absent in another telling. Considering both are told by people who either weren't present (Julia Carpenter) or were too young to remember (Gerry himself), it's unclear whether Jerry left before or after his son began the experimental treatment. Spider-Girl #42 gives Gerry his full first name of Gerald and also mentions that his surname was legally changed after his mother  divorced his father. So, Gerry was formerly Gerald Hunt, after his father.

Until I find a more succinct and streamlined method of pawing through Marvel Minutia, I remain

frogoat

The Lang Family Tree

While digging for another family to highlight, I hit upon the Lang Family. Initially, this seemed like a bigger challenge due to the fairly extensive list of relatives I discovered for Scott Lang. As it turned out, the list of relatives pre-MC2 is really quite small.

Obviously, the reason for this entry in the MC2 Family Tree is one Cassandra 'Cassie' Lang aka Stinger of the Avengers. Cassie is the daughter of Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, who I'm sure most are now at least somewhat aware of thanks to the titular movie. Scott made his first appearance in Avengers (vol. 1) #181 and stole the Ant-Man identity in Marvel Premiere #47. Cassie also makes her first appearance in the latter title, along with her Aunt Ruth and (I'm assuming they're married) Uncle Carl.

There's really only a few tidbits to address. Despite my initial belief that Cassie's mother ( Peggy Rae) was a fairly long-established character, I discovered that she makes her first appearance well after the MC2 branching point in Avengers (vol. 3) #62. As a result, Peggy is not identified by name in the Family Tree above.

With the increase in audience recognition for the Scott Lang iteration of Ant-Man arising from the recent movie, the character has been the subject of a few solo titles which have introduced several new members to the Lang extended family....all of whom are not included for the same reasons I've mentioned previously. So with all that said, I think that's a wrap, people.

Until I run out of ideas or get something terribly wrong and collapse into a puddle of shame, I remain

frogoat

The Masterson Family Tree

I honestly thought this one would be harder to research, but it turns out I had most of the necessary information rattling around in my noggin. Here is a look at the family Thunderstrike itself, the Masterson Family Tree.

Eric Masterson first appeared in Thor #391 during the wonderful Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz's run on the title. Eric later became bonded to the Asgardian, transforming into the thunder God for a time. Eventually, Eric would gain his own heroic identity as Thunderstrike before eventually dying in Thunderstrike #24. Eric's young son, Kevin, would grow up and eventually take on his father's moniker as the second Thunderstrike in A-Next #1.

As a child Kevin found himself caught between his divorced parents as a rather painful custody battle played out. Kevin's mother, Marcy re-married football celebrity, Robert 'Bobby' Steele. Kevin's relationship with his step-father remained strained even as Kevin reached adulthood, as mentioned in A-Next #5. Kevin's paternal grandparents appear (unnamed) in Thunderstrike #2.

Hopefully I've done the Masterson's justice here, and I hope if I've made any errors that Messers Defalco and Frenz won't go to hard on me.

Until I find time to tackle the massive family trees I know everyone wants to see, I remain

frogoat

The Carter Family Tree

Oh, boy! This one was a headache and half, let me tell you! For the latest installment of MC2 Family Trees, I present the Carter Family Tree. Yes, the very same family who gave us the much-loved Agent Peggy Carter, Agent 13 and American Dream also gave me a whopper of a headache.  Let's take a look, shall we?

So, when Sharon and Peggy Carter were introduced, the former was the younger sister of the latter. Margaret 'Peggy' Carter was established as a French Resistance fighter Captain America met and fell in love with during World War II (first appearing in Tales of Suspense #75 or  #77, depending on who you ask). When Cap reawakened in the 'present' (at the time the 60's and later the 70's) he met a woman who looked strikingly similar (Agent 13 aka Sharon Carter also first appearing in Tales of Suspense #75) who it was later revealed was his wartime lover's little sister.

Fast forward to the early 2000's and you can now see the continuity headache beginning to manifest. If Peggy and Sharon are siblings....how could one have been active during WWII, some 70-odd years ago, while the other appears to be active and youthful in the present day? I mean, how old must their parents have been?!

Speaking of Peggy and Sharon's parents, we are introduced to Amanda and Harrison Carter in Captain America (vol. 1) #162 wherein we learn the familial connection between Cap's two love interests. I have not been able to find a definitive issue that identifies Peggy and Sharon's parents as Amanda and Harrison but as near as I can tell, it's likely a new piece of information introduced in a Marvel Handbook entry.

In recent years, Captain America writer Ed Brubaker introduced a retcon to alleviate the knots of continuity by instead making Peggy Carter Sharon's Aunt. I have to admit this does go some way toward helping the problem, but I wonder how future generations will fix this? Great Aunt? Great-great Aunt? Some dialog in Captain America (vol. 5) #49 suggest that Brubaker's intention was to make Sharon's father (Harrison Carter) Peggy's brother and that Sharon was a 'late surprise' for her parents.

Of course, any retcons introduced after the MC2 began aren't considered canonical unless otherwise mentioned and so, for the purposes of this Family Tree....Sharon and Peggy would still be- somehow- siblings! In fact, it's even expressly stated during flashbacks to Shannon Carter's origins in both Spider-Girl #32 and American Dream #2.

Despite being referred to colloquially as 'Aunt Peggy', Peggy herself clarifies that she is a cousin of Shannon's father. As for Shannon's parents, they have not been given names, neither on-panel nor in any Handbook entries. The little that we do know of Shannon's parents comes from a single panel in American Dream #1. Shannon's mother was a second grade teacher and Shannon's father was a police officer in their small Midwestern hometown.

So, based on the evidence in front of me, I have put together the Family Tree as presented at the top of this post. I have assumed that there are no other generations in the line between Harrison and Shannon's paternal grandfather, but frankly it's all supposition.

While it's really hard to reconcile a WWII veteran like Peggy being seen in the same panels as future generation hero American Dream without suggesting Infinity Formula's or the like, I do have a possible No-Prize explanation. Simply put: the MC2's Peggy Carter is not WWII veteran. I know it seems silly, but notice that no mention is ever made to her knowing Captain America during the second World War. Mention is made only of her time working with the Avengers on-staff, events which chronologically would take place roughly 20-30 years prior to the present of the MC2. Considering that Peggy is of an advanced age, but not an impossibly old age I think it can be argued that this particular point of continuity is different in the MC2.

Something else that jumped out at me is the fact that it was Peggy who was the next of kin to Shannon, rather than Sharon. In fact, Sharon is only ever referred to in the past-tense, leaving me to wonder if perhaps....Sharon remained 'dead' in the MC2. You see, back in Captain America #237, Sharon apparently died. It wasn't until the Mark Waid penned Captain America #445 that readers learned that she had not actually perished. Considering the later story came out shortly before the Marvel Universe suffered a dramatic shake up and the wibbly nature of this period of time in relation to the MC2's own history and point of divergence, an argument could be made either way.

*UPDATE* Upon further investigation, it would appear that Sharon Carter did, in fact, die at some point in the past. Or at the very least Captain America believes her dead and she hasn't resurfaced in the 10 or more years since his absence. From A-Next #10:

Until I find a more convoluted and pointless reason to scrub through half-century-old comics, I remain

frogoat

The Jameson Family Tree

For the latest installment of MC2 Family Trees, I present the storied Jameson Family. J Jonah Jameson's family has something of a potted and potentially contradictory history, but luckily for you (and me!) this series only covers characters introduced in the MC2 universe or comics published before it branches off from the main Marvel universe. So I don't have to deal with how Jameson has two daddies but maybe one of them is also his uncle/step-father too....

Both J Jonah Jameson and his son John first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #1. Something that required some digging to discover was the identity of Jonah's first wife and John's mother, Joan. At first I assumed she hadn't been seen or mentioned prior to Spider-Man's Tangled Web #20, which would have rendered her non-canon for the purposes of this list. But as it turns out she makes a brief appearance way back in Amazing Spider-Man #190 where we learn she died at sometime after John graduated high school. Jonah later meets Dr Marla Madison in Amazing Spider-Man #162 when he employs her to create a new Spider-Slayer. The two would become romantically involved and eventually marries in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #18.

As for John Jameson, the famous astronaut and part-time Man-Wolf would go on to marry Dr Ashley Kafka, the head Psychologist  at the Ravencroft Institute for the Criminally Insane during John's stint as Head of Security. Isn't it interesting that the Jameson men seem to end up with intelligent women who have doctorates?  For the purposes of being thorough, I've included Dr Ashley Kafka's family; her younger sister Norma who was born disabled and was rejected by their mother for her appearance (Spectacular Spider-Man #196). Finally, John and Ashley's son, Jack Jameson (better know as JJ) would go on to become the misunderstood hero The Buzz. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Until I become truly stumped by a family tree (huh, you get it, huh, huh?!), I remain

frogoat

The Crazy/Face Family Tree

A slight departure from the norm today. The Crazy/Face Family Tree, because I have no idea what else to call it when none of the family members have an established name...unless 'Angel Face', 'Crazy Eight' and 'Funny Face' are their real names?

Angel Face first appeared during Phil Urich's Green Goblin series where she claim to be both an only child or the youngest of six sisters, with an abusive father and a loving mother....or loving father and abusive mother. So....her information is suspect at best and unreliable or completed fabricated at worst. It seems after her run in's with Phil as the Green Goblin (wherein she was scarred), in the MC2 she was eventually brought in by Daredevil. It's unclear at which point she had her two sons, but we do know that Crazy Eight is the older brother.

Crazy Eight is identified in the script for Spider-Girl #41 as being a 'twenty-something year old man,' so it seems he was already born around the time of Angel Face's appearances in Green Goblin #8 and #11. We also learn upon his death that Crazy Eight's white/green skin is simply make up and beneath he is Caucasian in appearance. Crazy Eight appears to have more confidence and maintains his composure far better than his younger brother, Funny Face, who he occasionally checks up on  on behalf of their dear mother.

Funny Face has at times made references to these childhood traumas which he has apparently transfers to his dearest friend and confidant, Bunky, a hand-held puppet. Funny Face mentions 'Bunky' having claustrophobia as result of 'his' mother tying 'him' up and locking 'him' in a closet for days. I'll leave the analysis to the experts, but I think it's pretty clear that the young Funny Face suffered as a child.

Until I do a more thorough look at this mixed up family of fun, I remain

frogoat