SuperVillain/Hero Origins: Gamora

a She started out working for the villainous Thanos, but she ended up siding with the good guys - eventually. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we will explore the comic book origin of Gamora. As with most comic book characters, there are often re-imaginations and different versions to a character’s past. We have chosen primarily to follow the storyline which unfolded in 1975's Warlock #10 and was expanded upon in 1992's Warlock and the Infinity Watch #9. "The deadliest woman in the whole galaxy," as she dubbed herself on one occasion, is the adopted daughter of the death-worshipping overlord known as Thanos. With her superstrength, speed and rapid healing power, she certainly can be deadly. Fortunately, she now tends to use her powers for good, often as a key member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Gamora first appeared in a Warlock story arc from 1975. This multi-part epic found Adam Warlock battling his nemesis, the Magus – who turned out to be a corrupted version of Warlock from the future. Thanos, for reasons of his own, wanted Magus stopped and had sent Gamora to bring the villain down. Due to some convoluted manipulations, Gamora was in a special position. She was an unknown factor whose presence should not have registered with the Magus. Thus, she should have been able to strike a fatal blow to the menace. Unfortunately, things did not work out as planned. Later in the story, Thanos himself joined the fray. He then gave a brief summary of Gamora's origins. Thanos had found Gamora some years in the future, after the Magus had gained tremendous and deadly power. Magus's followers were called the Universal Church of Truth. The Church came to Gamora's planet and wiped out her entire race. Only Gamora, who was then a young girl, survived. Thanos took advantage of the hatred Gamora felt for the Universal Church. He raised her as a weapon to use against Magus, and endowed her with enhanced strength, speed and the ability to heal quickly. Under his tutelage, she became a force to be reckoned with. Thanos had hoped that since Gamora was from the future, she might slip in undetected and defeat Magus. Gamora may have failed at this task, but she stuck around to continue the fight. In 1992, readers learned a bit more of Gamora's origin story. While once again seeking to destroy the Magus, she reflected back to her early days with Thanos. As a teenager, Thanos took her to the intergalactic port known as Tartoonla 7. Left on her own while Thanos attended to business, Gamora wandered the streets drinking in the sights. Distracted, she was set upon by a gang who beat and raped her. Thanos found the nearly dead Gamora and took her back to his ship. There, he used his advanced technology to save her life – and to add some "improvements" that would make her even more of skillful and powerful fighter. The surgery left Gamora more machine than human – and at the same time made her more malleable for Thanos. And it was these modifications to her body that provided Gamora with the super abilities she would need in her adventures to come. In recent years, Gamora has become even more powerful. Taking possession of the weapon known as the Black Vortex, her abilities have been enhanced exponentially. That's good news for her allies, the Guardians of the Galaxy - and bad news for anyone who gets in her way. The fact that she was raised by the infamous Thanos to be a weapon of destruction makes Gamora's conversion to the good guys pretty impressive. Of course, sometimes old habits die hard – so don't be surprised if Gamora slips back to her old ways occasionally. Are you a fan of the galaxy-hopping Gamora? For more comic book origins, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.