PHTHIRAPHTHIRA
Real Name: Phthira
Identity/Class: Terrestrial insect mutate (? -
see comments)
Occupation: Queen of the World Hive
Group Membership: The Bug Lords (Crematrix,
Ve'trock)
Affiliations: The Bug Lords, Macrothrax
Enemies: Swarm
(Fritz Von Meyer);
(while under Macrothrax's control): Ant-Man (Scott
Lang), Stinger (Cassie Lang)
Known Relatives: None (see comments)
Aliases: "Queen of the Biting Wingless"
Base of Operations: The Husk-Place, Savage
Land, Antarctica
First Appearance: (cloudy image seen): Ant-Man
II#3 (May, 2020);
(fully seen): Ant-Man II#4 (July, 2020)
Powers/Abilities: Phthira is a gigantic insect
with large claws and horns capable of completing rending and devouring
other gigantic insects. Due to her size and form, Phthira also
possessed an unspecified degree of superhuman strength and durability.
Height: 12'0" (by approximation)
Weight: 575 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Red
Hair: None
History: (Ant-Man II#3 -
BTS) - After their agent Macrothrax failed to retrieve Swarm on their
orders, Phthira and the other Bug Lords sent a message to Macrothrax
using scents. When the insect carrying the message surrounded
Macrothrax in the message scent, Macrothrax saw cloudy images of
Phthira and the other Bug Lords expressing their anger at Macrothrax
for losing Swarm and drawing the attention of the heroic Ant-Man. The
message also ordered Macrothrax to stop Ant-Man and his allies from
finding the Bug Lords.
(Ant-Man II#4) - Macrothrax traveled to the Savage
Land, where he met with the Bug Lords Phthira, Ve'trock and Crematrix
as ordered. While Ve'trock expressed contempt for Macrothrax, Phthira
expressed confusion and asked if Macrothrax had now succeeded in
retrieving Swarm. When Macrothrax informed Crematrix that the human
Ant-Man and his allies were no longer a threat, Phthira expressed
contempt for Macrothrax as well and accused Macrothrax of speaking
muddled thoughts, reminding Macrothrax that the Bug Lords thrive
outside of humanity. Macrothrax then revealed his plan to use Pym
Particles to make all insects as powerful as the Bug Lords and lead
them in conquering humanity, which only angered Phthira and the Bug
Lords, who accused Macrothrax of blasphemy.
When Ant-Man and his daughter
Stinger followed Macrothrax to the Savage Land, Macrothrax stole
Stinger's helmet and ventured back into the Husk-Place base of the Bug
Lords, who accused Macrothrax of leading humans to them. Instead of
obeying Ve'trock's orders, however, Macrothrax used Stinger's helmet to
control the minds of Crematrix and Phthira, ordering them to remove
Ve'trock's head. Forced to comply, Phthira and Crematrix turned on
Ve'trock and Macrothrax offered up Pym Particles, referring to them as
Phthira and Crematrix's "communion." Enlarged to roughly the size of a
continent by the Pym Particles, Phthira and Crematrix exploded from the
Husk-Place and, under the control of Macrothrax, began a rampage across
the Savage Land.
(Ant-Man II#5) - Phthira and Crematrix continued to
rampage through the Savage Land, traveling the Antarctic mainland. When
Stinger confronted Macrothrax atop Crematrix, Macrothrax ordered
Phthira to squash Stinger. Before Phthira could succeed, however,
Ant-Man, covering in a giant armor made of insects on the dying
Ve'trock's wishes, grabbed Phthira and piledrove Phthira into the
nearby waters. As the downed Phthira lay in the water, Crematrix
attacked Ant-Man in Phthira's defense while Stinger reacquired her
helmet. Using her helmet to order Crematrix and Phthira to deal with
Macrothrax, Stinger watched as both Crematrix and Phthira willingly
agreed with Stinger's orders. Turning on Macrothrax, Crematrix and
Phthira announced their demands for justice regarding Macrothrax's
perceived blasphemy and the two queens devoured Macrothrax before
departing.
Comments: Created by Zeb Wells and Dylan Burnett.
It was not clear what exactly the Bug Lords were. They were obviously insects of some sort and rulers of the insect World Hive but it was not clear whether they were extraterrestrial insect gods that somehow made it to Earth and decided to rules the insects, or perhaps ancient terrestrial insect mutates, or what exactly. Their agents were insect hives mutated into humanoid form.
In terms of relatives, Ve'trock was explained as the
World Hive king with Phthira and Crematrix the queens, but who knows if
insects have marriages like humans so I chose not to list Ve'trock or
Crematrix as actual relatives of Phthira.
Profile by Proto-Man.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Phthira has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Ant-Man II#4, p7, pan3 (Phthira in her base, main image)
Ant-Man II#4, p8, pan2 (Phthira, headshot)
Ant-Man II#4, p18-19, splash page (Phthira enlarged by Pym Particles)
Appearances:
Ant-Man II#3 (May, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art),
Darren Shan (editor)
Ant-Man II#4 (July, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art),
Darren Shan (editor)
Ant-Man II#5 (August, 2020) - Zeb Wells (writer), Dylan Burnett (art),
Darren Shan (editor)
First Posted: 01/31/2021
Last updated: 01/31/2021
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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