STEEL WIND

Real Name: Ruriko Tsumura

Identity/Class: Human (Japanese) cyborg technology user; possible magical nature

Occupation: Warrior; former mercenary, former painter

Group Membership: Sisters of Steel (Steel Vengeance);
formerly Superia's Femizons

Affiliations: Adam, Carver, Centurious, Freakmaster, Lilin, Lilith, Reverend Styge and his Demons of Styge, formerly Ralph Quentin (forced to work with her);
rebuilt by Quinn McIntyre

Enemies: Asp, Black Mamba, Johnny Blaze, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Centurious, Ghost Rider (Alejandra Jones), Ghost Rider (Dan Ketch/Noble Kale), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Mephisto, Paladin, Quentin Carnival/Carnival Quentino (Kody, Eli McIntyre, Vincenzo, Wolf, Miranda Woods), Scourge (see clarifications), Vengeance (Michael Badilino)

Known Relatives: Sadae Tsumura (Steel Vengeance, sister)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Tokyo, Japan;
   formerly Femizonia Isle;
   formerly Quentin Carnival/Carnival Quentino;
   formerly unidentified Caribbean Island

First Appearance: Ghost Rider II#75 (December, 1982)

Powers/Abilities: Steel Wind was a cyborg. She possessed superhuman strength (enhanced human to Class 5) and durability. As she was injured, she was rebuilt with more and more cyborg parts, eventually including all four limbs and her left eye (and possibly more of her body). Her primary weapon was her cycle. It could fire laser beams, heat-seeking missiles, generate whirlwinds. Her later cycles were gigantic engines of destruction.
She has also been seen to use energy swords, gigantic energy guns, and Wolverine-like claws from her wrists.

Height: 5' 9" Weight: 130 lbs.
Eyes: Red (left eye cybernetic)
Hair: Black; dyed magenta or pink with white streak

History: (Ghost Rider II#75(fb)) - Originally she lived a gentle life in her native Japan. She was a painter, dedicated to capturing beauty's essence on canvas. That life came to an abrupt end when she took a pleasure cruise and the boat was destroyed in a freak explosion. She washed ashore on a small Caribbean isle--half-dead, bones shattered, arms mangled beyond repair. There she was taken under the wing of a mysterious benefactor, the Freakmaster, whose team of advanced surgeons rebuilt her into a cyborg warrior. Bound by honor, she vowed to serve the man who had reconstructed her..."and eventually tainted her immortal soul!"

(Ghost Rider II#75(fb)-BTS) - Steel Wind was sent to a number of carnivals, all of whom suffered from disaster and economic ruin shortly thereafter.

(Ghost Rider II#75) - The Freakmaster sent Steel Wind to the Quentin Carnival, and used Ralph Quentin's guilt over his past involvement with the Freakmaster to force him to allow her to have her way. Johnny Blaze was fired soon after, but the Carnival people stood up for Johnny. Quentin agreed to a stunt race between Johnny and Steel Wind. Blaze managed to keep pace with her, despite some foul play on her part, but he was knocked out by an obstacle when distracted by the Ghost Rider, who appeared in his thoughts demanding to be released.
Vincenzo, a magician at the Carnival, attempted to confront Steel Wind, and inadvertently discovered her cyborg nature. She captured him and sent him to the Freakmaster, who mutated him into a much more docile person (among other things). Steel Wind continued to push the Carnival, working its members into the ground, and filling them with fear. Eventually they again confronted Quentin, but Steel Wind arrived to drive them off. Blaze returned and challenged her again. This time she sought to kill Blaze, who was forced to turn into the Ghost Rider to survive. The Ghost Rider reversed the chase, and, despite some powerful attacks on her part, subjected her to his hellfire, leaving her virtually catatonic.

(Spirits of Vengeance#2 - BTS) - Steel Wind's sister became associated with Centurious and Reverend Styge. In return for rehabilitating the comatose Steel Wind, they transformed her sister into a cyborg. Centurious apparently also took their souls (or at least Steel Vengeance's) as part of the deal. As Steel Vengeance, her sister worked for them. She attacked Blaze and Ghost Rider/Ketch, but was forced to flee and faked her own death.

(Captain America I#394 (fb) - BTS) - Scourge made a failed attempt to assassinate Steel Wind. (see comments)

(Captain America I#387-388 - BTS, 389-391, 392-BTS) - Steel Wind (see comments) was present on the S. S. Superia and later Femizonia Isle, as part of Superia's Femizons. She was part of the group that attacked Captain America and the Paladin en masse when they were caught spying on them.

(Captain America I#394/2, 395-BTS, 395/2) - Steel Wind (see comments) joined with Battleaxe and Golddigger at "The Bar" in an effort to capture the Asp and Black Mamba for the bounty placed by Superia. She was quickly dropped by a stun blast from the Asp

(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#7) - Steel Wind, now physically a part of her cycle, returned at the side of Steel Vengeance and the demons of Styge to attack the Quentin Carnival. They started to tangle with Blaze and Ghost Rider, but the fight was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Mephisto, who teleported Blaze and Ghost Rider away.

(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#9-10) - Steel Wind (no longer part of her cycle) stood by and watched as Centurious killed his sister, Steel Vengeance, as punishment for failing to bring in Blaze. Centurious then gave Steel Wind a magic trinket and sent her back to capture Blaze. Steel Wind used the trinket to summon the Demons of Styge, double their numbers, and send them back after the Quentin Carnival. This battle was interrupted by Vengeance, who was sent by Mephisto. When Steel Wind continued to attack the Ghost Rider, Vengeance ripped off her right arm and tossed her aside. She quickly recovered and rejoined the fight. Angry over her inability to engage her hated enemies, she took out her rage by slaying Eli McIntyre, the Carnival's techno-wizard. Blaze, in response, blew off her other arm. This didn't stop her either. "I will have his (Blaze's) heart even if I have to tear it out with my teeth!" (ever see the Monty Python's The Holy Grail?). Another member of the Carnival, Miranda Woods, distraught over the disappearance of her son, released an energy burst which incinerated the rest of the Demons of Styge, and put the final kibosh on Steel Wind...for that fight, anyway.

(Ghost Rider III#41) - Good as new, she was present as Centurious announced his plans to seek the Medallion of Power.

(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#14) - Allied with the Lilin, she attacked Ghost Rider, Blaze, and the Carnival anew. After a short battle, she and the Lilin fled through a rift in space.

(Ghost Rider III#42) - Steel Wind notified Centurious that the Ghost Rider had arrived to rescue the captive John Blaze.

(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#20-21) - Blaze found a limbless Steel Wind being held at a "top secret military base tucked away in the Adirondack Mountains." She begged him to kill her, but he decided that she was still human and worth a shot at redemption. He took her back to the Carnival, where Quinn McIntyre, the son of the man she had murdered a few days before, was only too happy to rebuild her cyborg form, good as new.

(Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#23)-The rebuilt Steel Wind joind Blaze on a mission of revenge against Centurious. Centurious thought she'd join him against Blaze, and was surprised when she blasted him instead. Together they overcame Centurious and his Demons of Styge. Steel Wind put a gun to Centurious' head and prepared to put execute him, but Blaze convinced her that doing so would make her as bad as him. She got on her cycle and drove off, and then Blaze blasted Centurious himself.

(Ghost Rider VI#7 (fb) - BTS) - Steel Wind had her sister Steel Vengeance buried in Tokyo, Japan with her cycle attached (not sure when Steel Vengeance got connected to her cycle, but this is the way she was in her grave).

(Ghost Rider VI#7) - Steel Wind made a deal with Adam (presumably the Biblical version; see Adam K'ad-Mon) to bring Ghost Rider (Alejandra Jones) to him. In return he resurrected Steel Vengeance for Steel Wind. Steel Wind was glad her sister was back even though she looked different.

   Adam used a spell to bring the Ghost Rider to Steel Wind and Steel Vengeance in a desert near Tokyo, Japan. To their surprise the spell brought Alejandra and the former Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze to them. The Steel sisters attacked both with Steel Wind spouting commands at her decomposed sister. Steel Wind rode her cycle at Ghost Rider (Alejandra), who jumped at her from her bike and choked Steel Wind with burning nunchaku. Steel Wind shot Ghost Rider off her cycle then looked at her sister fighting Blaze and finally realized Steel Vengeance was still dead. Steel Wind decided her deal with Adam was off and let Ghost Rider (Alejandra) go and instead take her revenge on Blaze.

(Ghost Rider VI#8 (fb) - BTS) - Steel Wind bound Blaze with four chains to her own and Steel Vengeance's cycle.

(Ghost Rider VI#8) - The Steel sisters headed with Blaze hanging between them headed for a Japenese bullet train and Steel Wind asked her sister if Blaze, whom Steel Wind blamed for Steel Vengeance's death and their mutilation, would truly experience the "bike pain explosion", but before Blaze could be impaled by the train the Avenger Hawkeye's arrows severed the chains on Steel Wind's side. Steel Wind ordered Steel Vengeance to open fire on Hawkeye, who shot Steel Vengeance in the eye. Steel Wind knocked out Hawkeye and bound him with a chain to her cycle and dragged him to Downtown Tokyo while Steel Vengeance dragged Blaze behind her. Ghost Rider (Alejandra) took control over the bullet train and went after the Steel sisters. Blaze and Hawkeye jumped on to the train and ripped the sisters off their cycles using the chains still attached to them. Ghost Rider (Alejandra) picked up Steel Wind's upper body from the street and was going to kill her once and for all, but Blaze stopped her because he didn't want Ghost Rider to become a monster like the Sisters of Steel. Ghost Rider (Alejandra) showed mercy.

Comments: Created by J. M. DeMatteis and Bob Budiansky. Turned into generic gun-toting, vengeance seeking two-dimensional character by Howard Mackie.

It would make a lot more sense for the character if the Captain America appearances took place AFTER the Spirits of Vengeance ones. Since Steel Wind was brought out of her coma by Centurious to kill Blaze, it seems unlikely that she would be hanging out with Superia and her group on a mission for women to take over the world. That would be a stretch, since the Cap stories were written in 1991, and the Spirits of Vengeance ones went from 1992-1994, but it's possible. Another possibility is that the Cap appearances were actually her sister, Steel Vengeance.

Remember when everyone had guns that were too big to hold or carry? If you think that was bad, check out Steel Wind's cycle from Spirits of Vengeance#23------>

The third Scourge of the Underworld (see clarifications) was killed by the Red Skull in Cap#394 for a series of failed assassinations which included Gamecock, the Shocker, and Steel Wind.

Steel Wind has a profile in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update#1. Her real name was revealed in Ghost Rider (Blaze)'s entry in OHOTMU A-Z Hardcover#4.

Profile by Snood. Ghost Rider VI update by Markus Raymond.

Clarifications: Steel Wind should not be confused with:

• Steel Vengeance, her sister @ Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance#2
• any other steel or wind