Fantasma

Fantasma is a Soviet-era operative who debuted as a member of the Supreme Soviets, a Russian government-sponsored super-team that came into conflict with the Avengers. She possesses illusion-casting abilities rooted in mystic or psychic manipulation.

Stepping out of the early Copper Age Marvel Universe in 1990, Fantasma is one of those intriguing figures who rewards the dedicated collector willing to dig beneath the surface of the big crossover eras. Debuting in The Avengers #319 — a key issue in the catalog — she was brought to life by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Richard Levins, and her Marvel career spans a remarkable thirty years across titles including The Avengers and Incredible Hulk. She carries the distinction of dual team affiliations with both the Avengers and Alpha Flight, placing her in genuinely elite Marvel company, and she shares her adventures with heavy-hitters like Captain America, Steve Rogers, and the Crimson Dynamo. Rare enough to feel like a discovery but substantial enough to have earned her own entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005, Fantasma is exactly the kind of character that makes Marvel's deep roster so endlessly worth exploring.