Marrina

Marrina Smallwood
Art by John Byrne
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Alpha Flight #1 (Aug 1983)
Created by	John Byrne
In-story information
Species	Plodex
Team affiliations	Alpha Flight Beta Flight Avengers
Notable aliases	Leviathan
Abilities	Underwater breathing Transformation

Marrina Smallwood is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a member of Alpha Flight and an honorary member of the Avengers.

Marrina first appeared in Alpha Flight #1 (August 1983) and was created by John Byrne. Byrne has clarified that Marrina was created after the Alpha Flight title was green lit, and was not a character he had thought up earlier.

Namor, the Sub-Mariner writer Glenn Herdling said that issue #61 was his favorite of the series, because "I had never been comfortable with how Namor had used the Black Knight's Ebony Blade to slay Marrina, even though she was a mindless leviathan at the time. Being slain by the Ebony Blade is a fate worse than death. The enchanted blade actually traps the souls of its victims in its obsidian void rather than allowing them to roam free to meet their eternal reward. In one fell stroke, Namor had condemned his wife's soul to an eternity of hell. Two years earlier, I had created a character called Bloodwraith, who was the new (and nastier!) wielder of the blade. The connection that Namor had to the Ebony Blade made the Blood Wraith's presence an organic progression of the story rather than a forced guest appearance. In the end, Namor got to free his wife's soul. By redeeming Marrina, he redeemed himself."

Marrina is a member of the alien species the Plodex, which sends its eggs to various planets. When the eggs hatch, young Plodex take the forms of the native species they encounter.

As an egg, Marrina landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 40,000 years ago, at the turn between the Middle Paleolithic and the Upper Paleolithic and remained dormant for thousands of years. This incubation place was responsible for her adaptations to aquatic environments. The egg was found by fisherman Tom Smallwood as he was drowning during a storm. It proved buoyant enough to bring him to the surface and thus save his life. Tom took it home to Newfoundland, Canada. The egg was opened prematurely by his wife Gladys Smallwood, causing Marrina to imprint a humanoid female form. The Smallwoods accepted her as their daughter.

...
Wikipedia