Super-Nova

Bursting onto the scene in 1989's The Avengers #301 — courtesy of the creative team of Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, and Bob Hall — Super-Nova is a Copper Age Marvel creation with some seriously stellar company on their résumé, sharing adventures with the likes of Reed Richards, Susan Storm Richards, and Garthan Saal. Affiliated with both the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers, this character landed right at the heart of Marvel's mightiest assembly. Rare in the catalog and tied to a single landmark debut issue, Super-Nova is exactly the kind of deep-cut discovery that makes hunting through late-'80s Marvel back issues such a rewarding adventure.