Silverclaw

Silverclaw (Maria De Guadalupe "Lupe" Santiago) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted as a reserve member of the Avengers and regards Edwin Jarvis as an uncle figure.

Silverclaw
Silverclaw of the Avengers
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Avengers vol. 3 #8 (September 1998)
Created by	Kurt Busiek (writer) George Pérez (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Maria De Guadalupe "Lupe" Santiago
Team affiliations	Avengers Empire State University
Notable aliases	La Garra Argentado, Daughter of the Volcano God
Abilities	Ability to change into various metal were-animal forms

Publication history

Silverclaw first appeared in Avengers vol. 3 #8 (September 1998) and was created by writer Kurt Busiek and artist George Pérez.

Fictional character biography

Maria de Guadalupe Santiago was born near the village of the Kamekeri in the country of Costa Verde. The Kamekeri formerly worshiped their own pantheon of gods until Spanish missionaries taught them Christianity. As a result, most of the Kamekari's gods left them, except for the volcano goddess Peliali, who vowed to remain with and protect them.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Lupe is the daughter of Jaime Santiago, who studied the ancient beliefs and pantheon and claimed that she was the daughter of him and Peliali. At a young age, she developed the ability to transform into various animals, leading her to be ostracized.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Following Jaime's death, Lupe is taken to live in an orphanage that is partially sponsored by Edwin Jarvis. The two regularly communicate and become friends, with Lupe regarding him as an adoptive uncle.^[1]

Meeting the Avengers

Years later, Lupe comes to the United States to attend Empire State University and meet Jarvis.^[2] However, her plane is hijacked by terrorists led by Moses Magnum. She works with the Avengers to stop them and becomes an honorary member of the group.^[3]

Kulan Gath

Silverclaw later discovers that the wizard Kulan Gath has conquered Costa Verde and intends to kill Peliali to gain her power. She and the Avengers manage to stop him, but are unable to stop him from killing Peliali. Afterwards, Silverclaw becomes a full member of the Avengers.^[4][5][6][7]

Civil War

During Civil War, Silverclaw battles Ms. Marvel when she attempts to make her support the Superhuman Registration Act. She is later captured by the Puppet Master before Marvel frees her.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

Powers and abilities

Silverclaw possesses the superhuman ability to mimic the physical characteristics of various animals native to rainforests and jungles: jaguar, anaconda, cockatoo, monkey, sloth, puma, cheetah, and crocodile. She additionally possesses silver-like skin, but it is unknown if it is merely cosmetic or possesses superhuman qualities.

Reception

Newsarama ranked Silverclaw as the sixth worst Avengers member, describing her story as "a little better than Triathlon's, but the character was infinitely lamer" and that she had the power to "dress like an extra from a Tarzan film".^[13] Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly ranked her 20 out of 85 when ranking every Avenger, calling her an uninteresting character but praising her unusual powers.^[14]

References

1. Avengers, Vol. 3 #28
2. Sanderson, Peter (2007). The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 30–33. ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8.
3. Avengers Vol. 3, #8
4. Avengers Vol. 3, #28
5. Avengers Vol. 3, #29
6. Avengers Vol. 3, #39-40
7. Avengers Vol. 3, #48
8. Fantastic Four #538
9. Civil War Files one-shot
10. Civil War Battle Damage Report one-shot
11. Ms. Marvel #18
12. Ms. Marvel #20
13. Marston, George (July 25, 2012). "The 10 WORST AVENGERS of All Time". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2013-05-13. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
14. Franich, Darren (April 29, 2015). "Let's rank every Avenger ever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 27, 2024.