NUMBER NINE

Real Name: Unrevealed

Identity/Class: Human mutate

Occupation: None

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Brandy Ash, Skip Ash, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Inhumans (Gorgon, Karnak, Lockjaw, Pope/Ahura), Lucy (Lucifer), Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)

Enemies: Blackheart, Mephisto, Shotgun (J.R. Walker), Ultron-13

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unknown;
   formerly Billboard Heaven, Mephisto's Hell;
   formerly mobile;
   formerly Skip Ash's lab;
   formerly unknown

First Appearance: Daredevil I#271 (October, 1989)

Powers/Abilities: After being genetically modified into Skip Ash's idea of a "perfect woman", a process using Inhuman genetics, Number Nine was altered into a tall, shapely, blonde woman with thick long hair. Though she has a strong independent streak, Nine's programming included a disposition to cater to men and seek their attention, to clean and cook, and to keep herself beautiful. Nine has an advanced healing factor, capable of healing cuts or even multiple gunshots in mere moments, as well as enhanced speed, strength, and agility. When actively criticized by Brandy Ash for being programmed, Nine reacted with frustration and violence, but she is normally very agreeable to those around her. Nine was briefly transformed into an angel with wings during manipulations in Hell by Mephisto.

Height: 5'8"
Weight: 101 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde

History:
(All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe#8 (fb) - BTS) - A teenage girl responded to an ad in a magazine, wanting to become a perfect woman. She'd been raised to believe she should be the perfect girl in a society full of gender norms. Several other girls responded to the ad as well.

(Daredevil I#271 (fb) - BTS) - Skip Ash's scientists experimented on the young ladies, seeking to genetically engineer the perfect wife for Ash. The women took on new forms, and Number Nine grew long blonde hair, but the scientists detected problems in her design. She developed a healing factor, an inability to feel pain, and a seeming immunity to death as her memories were wiped.

(Fantastic Four Unlimited#2 (fb) ) - Nine and the other women were in stasis as Skip Ash did business.

(Daredevil I#271) - Ash came to see his test subjects, and he felt Number Nine was perfect, like a Barbie doll and a cheerleader in one. The scientist stated the problems with Number Nine: "This model would only be trouble. She cooks, cleans, is obedient, and of complete ethical character yet is independent, reckless, fiery, impulsive---". Ash didn't care and wanted her woken up just for a few hours, but didn't get a chance. That night, Brandy Ash set off an explosion that obliterated the lab. Number Nine fell out of her holding tank and on to the ground. As she saw Brandy Ash and Daredevil rush by, Nine's first word was "Daddy".

(Daredevil I#272) - Number Nine, naked, went running from the building with joy, with the genetically altered pigs and chickens all around her. The police closed in and shot her multiple times; Nine fell seemingly dead, but Daredevil and Brandy realized she was still breathing. Nine sat up, completely healed, and laughed at the worried looks on their faces. They returned Nine to Brandy's home. Nine immediately started cooking in the kitchen, making huge mistakes. When she burned her own hand, she healed. Nine tried removing Daredevil's mask, but he pulled it back. Cutting vegetables in the kitchen, Nine cut herself and healed again, she realized something was wrong with her and began to cry, wanting to know who she was. Daredevil battled Shotgun, who had been sent by Skip to reclaim Nine, before Shotgun fled. Inside, Nine doted over Daredevil, but the hero said they needed to get ready for war.

(Daredevil I#273 (fb) - BTS) - Number Nine found a red-white-and-blue exercise outfit to wear. She, Daredevil, and Brandy began fortifying a truck with shielding, and creating oil and glue weapons.

(Daredevil I#273) - As they worked on fortifications, Brandy continued complaining about Nine as she doted over Daredevil. As Brandy and Daredevil argued, Nine began to cry and cut herself (though she healed) as she processed through her false memories of wanting to be a cheerleader and please her daddy. Shotgun attacked in an expensive one-man tank and he chased after Daredevil, Brandy, and Nine, who used the glue and oil mixtures to knock his tank off the road; Daredevil then defeated Shotgun in combat. Nine gave Daredevil a sandwich she'd made and was pleased when he liked it.

(Daredevil I#274) - The trio got to safety and began preparing for battle again. Brandy continued to berate Nine for her tendency to dote on Daredevil. When Nine slapped Brandy, the two began fighting, and Daredevil gave up and walked away until they ran out of steam. Nine was building bombs and making lemonade when Skip used his spare key and just walked in. He immediately attacked Daredevil with a baseball bat, but the hero hit him with a series of punches. Skip drew a gun and shot Nine by accident. Brandy begged Daredevil not to hit her father anymore. After Skip was defeated, they worked on building an alliance with him, but just then Lockjaw, Gorgon, and Karnak arrived from Attilan.

(Daredevil I#275) - After Lockjaw departed, Nine flirted with Gorgon as she showed him around the house. After helping Daredevil unpack, Nine talked about being aware that many of her impulses were due to her programming. She went running outside and came across a garden of Ultron skulls. Ultron-13 himself demanded to know where Daredevil was, but Nine refused to say, so he burnt her to a crisp. Nine's healing factor kicked in, but she screamed when Ultron-13 grabbed her and stated he wasn't sure if he loved her or wanted to kill her. Daredevil, Gorgon, and Karnak attacked Ultron-13.

(Daredevil I#276) - Ultron-13, leaving Daredevil, Karnak, and Gorgon unconscious, seized Nine, obsessing over her being a "perfect woman". Daredevil jumped in a truck to pursue and try to save Nine, but Ultron-13 seemingly killed the hero. He held tightly to Nine as he climbed a hill full of his robotic skulls, claiming he must protect the perfect woman, but Nine yelled that she just wanted to be normal and flawed like anyone else. Nine was horrified when Ultron-13 began yanking out his own wiring systems to try and control his programming, then Daredevil, Karnak, and Gorgon attacked again, shattering Ultron-13 into pieces. Nine, having sensed some nobility in Ultron-13, found his skull and vowed to revive him someday.

(Daredevil I#278) - Nine and the others bid farewell to Gorgon and Karnak, who were on to look for their leader's son; Nine made them lunches to take with them. When they invited Nine to go with them, she enthusiastically agreed. As Nine fawned over Gorgon, rubbing his back and feeding him sandwiches as he drove, they stopped to pick up a hitchhiker, not realizing it was the demon Blackheart in human form. The hitchhiker influenced the two Inhumans to pull over and start fighting, as Nine cried for them to stop. Daredevil and Brandy soon arrived. Brandy and Nine huddled together, protecting themselves from projectiles from the fight, until the fight ended abruptly. Daredevil returned, having battled Blackheart, but he couldn't remember.

(Daredevil I#279) - At Golden Coach Breakfast, Daredevil sat with Brandy, Nine, Karnak, and Gorgon, and they debriefed about the hitchhiker incident. When the waitress approached, Nine screamed that she saw blood all over her, but no one else saw it, and the waitress fled. They soon went to Pottersville to help the young Pope, who'd been accused of murdering a goat by an angry crowd; Gorgon and Karnak believed the boy to be the lost son of their ruler. Blackheart began influencing the group into fighting, and he taunted Nine into feeling like Gorgon had lots of women she should be jealous of; he used demonic flies to raise her insecurities. Then Blackheart attacked, opening the ground underneath them.

(Daredevil I#280) - Nine fell among the demonic flies, who taunted her. Trying to convince her that she was in Heaven, the flies made wings for Nine and dressed her in white before flying her up in the air, where she saw magazine covers of women everywhere.

(Daredevil I#281) - Nine found herself pushed into a corset and forced to undergo beauty regiments. Then she walked among seeming angels, all of them seemingly perfect. Nine got a crush on Gabriel, a pretty blonde angel, while a skinnier nerdy angel named Lucifer, or Lucy, tended to Nine. When Gabriel offered her fruit, Nine was repelled, feeling his expectation that she be perfect, and she rushed from him, not realizing Gabriel was Blackheart in disguise. Lucy told Nine that her real white knight was in her own heart, and she kissed him in gratitude.

(Daredevil I#282) - Lucy walked with Nine, giving her advice about good and evil, then bid her farewell. Nine was soon reunited with Brandy, Pope, Gorgon, Karnak, and Daredevil. A stray blast from Mephisto reduced Brandy to ash, then Silver Surfer arrived to fight the devil. Daredevil returned with his living allies to Earth, and they grieved Brandy.

(Daredevil I#283) - Nine was sad to see Daredevil break off from the group, even as the Inhumans discussed going home.

Comments: Created by Ann Nocenti (writer), John Romita Jr (penciler), Al Williamson (inker).

Number Nine was given a 99999 branding on her abdomen as part of the experiment.

It's sad to see that, aside from the brief cameo in F4U, no one's done anything with Number Nine since Nocenti and Romita's time on the book. Considering her possession of an Ultron head and her interest in possibly restoring him some day, one would think at the very least there would have been some throw away line during Kurt Busiek/George Perez's time on AVENGERS explaining that she had been tracked down and utterly disintegrated while Ultron (or was it Alkhema?) was gathering all his various past models and divergent personalities together. Of course, considering the genetic experiments performed on her along with her other...assets, there's a real possibility of her popping up in DEADPOOL someday.
--astrocitizen













Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Number Nine should not be confused with:

Lucifer should not be confused with:

Lucy/Lucifer

(Daredevil I#281 (fb) - BTS) - In a Mephisto-controlled realm meant to replicate Heaven, Lucifer, who went by Lucy, was a nerdy and pants-less angel with glasses, wings, and a green shirt. He was jealous of the perfect angel, Gabriel.

(Daredevil I#281) - When the perfect woman, Number Nine, joined the angelic realm, Lucy was jealous when she initially gave her attention to Gabriel. Later, Nine ran from Gabriel and talked to Lucy, who helped her realize that her own white knight was within her; she kissed Lucy for being sweet.

(Daredevil I#282) - Lucy and Nine discussed good and evil as they wandered through Hell. Lucy soon bid her farewell, giving her advice as she foraged on on her own.

--Daredevil I#281 ([Daredevil I#281 (fb)], 281-282

images: (without ads)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#8, p22, pan1 (main, in Red, White and Blue)
Daredevil I#274, p2, pan4 (face)
Daredevil I#271, p14, pan1 (in stasis)
Daredevil I#272, p2, pan1 (running with the animals)
Daredevil I#272, p7, pan4 (99999 branding)
Daredevil I#275, p22, pan1 (vs Ultron)
Daredevil I#281, p5, pan5 (Nine with Lucy/Lucifer)

Appearances:
Daredevil I#271-276 (October, 1989-January, 1990) - Ann Nocenti (writer), John Romita Jr (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Daredevil I#278-282 (March-July, 1990) - Ann Nocenti (writer), John Romita Jr (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Daredevil I#283 (August, 1990) - Ann Nocenti (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), Al Williamson, Tom Morgan (inkers), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Fantastic Four Unlimited I#2 (June, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), Herb Trimpe (pencier), Steve Montano (inker), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe I#8 (June, 2009) - various writers, Jeff Youngquist (editor)

First Posted: 05/08/2019
Last updated: 05/14/2019

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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