Shalla-Bal
| Shalla-Bal | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Silver Surfer #1 (Aug 1968) |
| Created by | Stan Lee and John Buscema |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Shalla-Bal |
| Species | Zenn-Lavian |
| Notable aliases | Helena |
Shalla-Bal is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.
Shalla-Bal is the Empress of her utopian planet, Zenn-La (in the Deneb System, Milky Way Galaxy), and was the lover of Norrin Radd. When the planet-eating Galactus came to their planet, Norrin Radd volunteered to become the herald of Galactus in exchange for sparing Zenn-La. Norrin Radd was given the Power Cosmic and became the Silver Surfer, thus separating him from Shalla-Bal for a long time.
Eventually, the Surfer rebelled against Galactus, who trapped him on the planet Earth as a punishment. The demon Mephisto who desires to defeat the Surfer and steal his noble soul, sensed the anguish of this separation within him, and used Shalla-Bal as a pawn in his conflict with the Surfer. As part of a conspiracy Mephisto replaced the consciousness of Shalla-Bal so that she believed herself to be a regular citizen of Latveria named Helena, and Doctor Doom organized a false marriage celebration with her in order to make the Surfer fight the Fantastic Four.
Meanwhile, Galactus consumed the life energies and ecosphere of Zenn-La because of Silver Surfer's betrayal, but spared the lives of its people by warning them of his coming beforehand, allowing them to return to the lifeless husk afterwards. When Mister Fantastic freed the Surfer from his imprisonment, he returned to Zenn-La to find it in this state and learned that Shalla-Bal had been abducted by Mephisto. Finally understanding the conspiracy Surfer returned to Latveria to find Shalla-Bal meanwhile imprisoning himself once again on the Earth. The Surfer bestowed a portion of his Power Cosmic to Shalla-Bal while Mephisto was sending her back to her planet, and she was able to use this power to restore the life on Zenn-La. She was thus accepted as an Empress by her people. However the responsibilities of her office made Shalla-Bal refuse marriage with the Surfer when he eventually broke free from Earth for good, and he told her that their romance was over. However, she was then held hostage by the Elders, but was rescued by the Silver Surfer.
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