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RAPUNZEL

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutant or mutate or genetically-engineered being or human variant or android or something else (pre-modern era)

Occupation: Adventurer

Group Membership: First Line (Dr. Mime, Effigy/Velmax, Eternal Brain/William Carmody, Firefall, Mr. Justice/Tim Carney, Morph, Oxbow, PixieWalkabout, Yeti; see comments)

Affiliations: Mary Carmody, Jim Fitzpatrick, Cassandra Locke, Nick Fury, see comments

Enemies: Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards), Warlord Kro and his Deviant troops, Nocturne, Skrull invasion forces (Zankor and unrevealed others);
    presumably Yeti (see comments)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Carmody Institute, New England, Maine

First Appearance: Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11 (March 2000)

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Powers/Abilities: Through unrevealed means, the woman calling herself Rapunzel could actively control the growth cycles and movement of her body's hair follicles. This allowed her to rapidly grow out (parts of (see comments)) her supernaturally thick and dense hair, which she used in a variety of offensive and defensive ways. She was seen using it as a whip or to trip people up. Her body seemed geared towards this, granting increased strength, endurance and stamina to the muscles in her head and neck--this provided Rapunzel's frame sufficient durability to comfortably accommodate the impact of the weight added to it whenever she rapidly grew out more hair. Rapunzel's hair was far more durable than that of a baseline human being, though its exact limits were never revealed. It had a captivating--borderline mesmerizing--shine to it, which she repeatedly used to distract and calm down her volatile teammate Yeti. Rapunzel's wristbands each housed a retractable blade that she used to cut off strands of hair as needed. Once cut, the hair lost most of its shine and, presumably, enhanced properties. Not afraid to either risk her life or speak her mind, Rapunzel was strong willed, sassy and referred to other African-American women as "sister".

Height: 5'5" (by approximation)
Weight: 127 lbs. (by approximation)

Eyes:
Unrevealed, possibly brown
Hair: Crimson red with a white streak in the middle

History: main image
(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Rapunzel joined the First Line, a team that at the time was little more than a loose knit band of undercover operatives gathering at the Carmody Institute located off the coast of Maine. She signed up at around the same time as Morph, Walkabout and Yeti. Together, they joined First Line mainstays Effigy, Nightingale, Oxbow and Pixie in opposing various enemies like Nocturne and Kang the Conqueror. It soon became apparent that Rapunzel's shiny hair could calm down the easily outraged savage Yeti.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#10 - BTS) - Unbeknownst to Rapunzel and the others, CIA operative Nicholas Fury was trying to infiltrate the Carmody Institute in an attempt to get a handle on the new First Line. At the same time, Deviant Warlord Kro decided it was high time to investigate and deal with the rumors an Eternal (most likely Pixie, possibly Makkari) was trying to encourage humanity's interest in "super-heroics"--he assembled a small army and headed for the Carmody institute via the Deviants' subterranean tunnel network. even as 22nd century historian Cassandra Locke from Earth-700 time-warped towards the First Line's base.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#10) - At the same time Walkabout detected and apprehended Nick Fury when he tried to enter the Carmody Institute, Warlord Kro ordered his Deviant forces to attack after his gouger located Pixie. When the Deviant troops burst through the ground, klaxons went off, alerting new recruits Rapunzel and Morph to the crisis. They came a-running, with an obviously startled Rapunzel growing out her hair while Morph shifted into a battering ram-type form, determined to knock back the intruders. In the midst of this confrontation, time-traveling historian Cassandra Locke popped up and immediately decided to stay out of the way. She soon realized from observing the action that Rapunzel's presence proved she had time-jumped several years before what would become known as "the Rapunzel tragedy" (see comments). While Morph, Rapunzel and Walkabout routed the remaining Deviants (forcing the unseen Kro to retreat), Effigy started grilling Pixie about her obvious connection to these mysterious assailants. Before he could force her to answer, the battle-crazed Yeti went totally berserk, forcing Rapunzel to once again calm him down by using her hair; attracting the incensed Inhuman's attention, she waved her long locks in front of him until he became completely mesmerized. Just then, Cassandra Locke revealed herself to tell the team about the Skrulls and their involvement in future events. This news was too much for Effigy (secretly the Skrull Velmax) who had to be restrained by his teammates or else he'd have literally shaken Locke for more information. As Effigy dodged questions as to just why this news upset him so much, Rapunzel noted how he had just given Pixie a hard time about not sharing her secrets. The point was moot, for moments after that, Cassandra Locke deemed it time to resume her journey into the past. After her departure, Rapunzel and everyone else who met Locke instantly forgot about her due to a counter-effect set in motion in the 22nd century (designed to limit the risk of temporal divergences caused by visiting the past).

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11 -BTS) - Rapunzel joined the newest First Liner Dr. Mime on an unrevealed mission, while the other members of the team stopped Nocturne's plans for destroying New York with a multitech amalgam virus. Upon completing said mission, they returned to the Carmody Institute to find Effigy and the others questioning the recently apprehended Skrull spy Zankor.
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(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11) - Rapunzel teased Effigy, calling Zankor a Martian and even suggested the shape-shifting alien might actually be his distant cousin. Not amused, Effigy pointed out to her there were no Martians and continued the interrogation, assuring Zankor the First Line would call on every super-powered ally available to oppose the aliens' plans.

(Marvel: The Lost Generation I#10 (fb) - BTS) - Rapunzel was possibly slain, crippled, maimed and/or assaulted in some fashion (see comments). These events were logged by an unrevealed source (possibly the time-warped Yankee Clipper). Those writings were eventually unearthed in a "time capsule" discovered by 22nd century historians of Reality-700's Tranquility City on Earth's moon--one of them, Cassandra Locke examined the files and learned about what had become known as the "Rapunzel tragedy."

 

(X-Men: The Hidden Years I#16 (fb)) - Several years after their deaths, the First Line (Rapunzel among them) was remembered by Pixie following an encounter with the X-Men--the Eternal revealed the fate of the First Line to the team when the young mutant adventurers after they had a run-in with wayward First Liner Yeti.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments: Created by Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks).

    Leave it to Roger Stern and John Byrne to turn a character like Rapunzel--a  leftover '70s blaxsploitation bargain-basement Medusa if ever there was one--into someone you actually want to read more about. She is most likely named after the well known fairy tale character created by the Brothers Grimm (no, not *those* Brothers Grimm).

I noticed that Rapunzel's ponytail holder at the back of her head didn't change its relative position, so it would appear as though that extra length of hair didn't grow out of her scalp, but rather somehow formed at the end of her existing ponytail (Unless it was just an art oversight by Byrne). Also, she required rest and nourishment after exercising her power--following the battle with Kro's Deviant troops, she told her teammates, "After all that hair I've shed...I need more protein...and a nap!"--Ron Fredricks

    As Rapunzel was only in #10-11, we have only listed her confirmed First Line under First Line membership. She may well have been a member alongside other members, extending into some characters last seen in #9 or seen again in #12...she could have worked with the First Line on other cases for a few years before joining, and/or other former First Line members could have worked with her or the rest of the team on one or more occasions during her period of activity.

The Rapunzel Tragedy:

Thanks to Ron Fredricks for a couple of corrections.

Profile by Norvo.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Rapunzel should not be confused with


images: (without ads)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#10, p8, pan2 (main image)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#10, p10, pan1 (cuts her own hair)
Marvel The Lost Generation I#10, p17, pan2 (calms down Yeti)
X-Men: The Hidden Years I#16, p18, pan3 (flashback)


Appearances:
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#10 (May 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Marvel: The Lost Generation I#11 (April 2000) - Roger Stern (writer), John Byrne (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Ralph Macchio (editor)
X-Men: The Hidden Years I#16 (March 2001) - John Byrne (writer, pencils), Tom Palmer (inks), Jason Leibig (editor)


First Posted: 02/23/2014
Last updated: 10/23/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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