Black Mamba (Marvel)

**Black Mamba** appeared in 1980 Marvel Comics called *Marvel Two-In-One*.

Tanya Sealy was born in Chicago. She worked as a call girl for some time until she was chosen by the Roxxon Oil Company to partake in a covert operation to retrieve the mystical Serpent Crown. The executives at Roxxon surgically implanted a special component in her brain which enables her slight telepathic abilities. Under unknown circumstances, she also gained the ability to project a cloud of energy known as Darkforce. She most often uses her combined abilities to use the image of her opponent's loved one and suffocate them with the darkforce projection. As part of her first mission, she was assigned to work with other snake-themed villains Sidewinder, Anaconda, and Death Adder as part of the Serpent Squad. Their search for the Serpent Crown put them in conflict with the Thing, Stingray, and Triton. The Serpent Squad found the crown, but Sidewinder accidentally trapped Black Mamba, Anaconda, and Death Adder underwater.

Anaconda managed to free herself and her teammates, and the trio plotted to steal a weapon simply known as the microscanner from Stark Enterprises. Iron Man discovered their plan and defeated the Serpent Squad.

Black Mamba, Anaconda, and Death Adder then sought out Sidewinder for revenge for abandoning them during their first mission. However, when confronted, Sidewinder gave the trio their earnings from the Serpent Crown mission and proposed a way for them to earn far more money as long as they'd put aside their desire for revenge and listen to his pitch. Black Mamba, Anaconda, and Death Adder agreed to attend Sidewinder's gathering of serpent-themed criminals.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Darkforce Manipulation:** Black Mamba possesses the ability to project an inky cloud of extradimensional energy known as the Darkforce. This energy is manifested by Black Mamba as a limited quantity of viscous semi-solid matter. It is not known how far Black Mamba can project this energy manifestation, but her control over it seems limited by her line of sight. It is also not known how much of it she can manipulate at once: so far she has not been observed using it against more than one person at a time. Black Mamba uses the Darkforce (a process she refers to as "shedding her skin") to surround, constrict, and suffocate her opponents. The maximum amount of pressure she can generate through her Darkforce-projection is not known. However, the superhumanly strong Thing seemed unable to break its grip when he was encompassed by it. During the Superia crisis, after a suggestion by Captain America, Black Mamba discovered that she could surround herself (or someone else if they remained within her line of sight) with a cloud of darkforce, she could alter its appearance to disguise herself as someone else.

* **Hypnosis:** Black Mamba also possesses some form of hypnotic ability, enabling her to mesmerize her opponents into perceiving her Darkforce projection in the image of someone they love or trust. It is not known how irresistible this ability is, but the Thing, Iron Man, and Captain America have proven susceptible to it. As part of the hypnotic illusion, her opponent imagines him or herself in the embrace of his or her self-chosen loved one, and the implausibility of the loved one's sudden materialization and provocative behavior is overwhelmed by the sensation of euphoria she triggers in most human brains, if one remains in the grip of her illusory Darkforce projection for too long, he or she will succumb to suffocation. The amount of time this takes varies according to the stamina and breath control of her opponent. The victim dies, however, overwhelmed by ecstasy. Black Mamba may need to be within line of sight of her opponent not to direct the Darkforce, but to use it in conjunction with her hypnotic power.