Persuasion (comics)

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caption =
comic_color =background:#ff8080
character_name =Persuasion
real_name =Kara Killgrave
species=Human Mutant
publisher =Marvel Comics
debut = "Alpha Flight" #41 [Vol.1] (Dec 1986)
creators = Bill Mantlo & David Ross
alliance_color =background:#ffc0c0
status =Unknown
alliances =
previous_alliances =Alpha Flight, Beta Flight
aliases = The Purple Girl
relatives =Melanie Killgrave (Mother), Zebediah Killgrave aka Purple Man (Father)
powers =Pheromone manipulation

Persuasion (Kara Killgrave, formerly known as the Purple Girl) is a Marvel Comics mutant superhero.

Fictional character biography

The Purple Man has been known to use his powers on unsuspecting women so he can engage in various sick games and fantasies. One woman named Melanie was seduced into marrying Killgrave (or believing she did). The two had a daughter named Kara.

For the first thirteen years of her life, Kara Killgrave led a pretty uneventful existence. That was until the onset of puberty when her whole body turned purple. Panic stricken, as anyone in that situation would be, she ran home and tried to scrub the color off in the bath. When she revealed her plight to her mother, Melanie Killgrave, her mother revealed to Kara the identity of her father. Fourteen years earlier, while in New York, she had fallen under the influence of Zebediah Killgrave. He used his mind controlling powers to get her to marry him. They settled down into married life, but Melanie remained under the control of Killgrave. Eventually, Killgrave realized that he actually was in love with Melanie and released her from his control. Upon being released from his control and becoming aware of what he had done, Melanie rejected Zebediah and he left in a highly emotional state. Soon after, Melanie returned to Toronto, but was dismayed to learn she was pregnant. When Kara was born, she was relieved to see that the child looked normal and raised her wholeheartedly. Unable to cope with her change in appearance and the circumstances of her conception, Kara ran off.

She made her way to a skiing exhibition, where her sporting hero Jean-Paul Beaubier was scheduled to make an appearance. While in a washroom, preparing herself to meet him, she was aggravated by a young woman who repeatedly banged on the cubicle door. In anger, she told the woman to, "go jump off a cliff." The woman, unable to control herself, did exactly that and had to be saved by Beaubier. In doing so, he had no choice but to reveal his secret identity as Northstar to everyone in the vicinity. This was the first time that Kara's powers manifested themselves. When Beaubier realised that Kara was responsible for the woman's actions, he berated her, but she took control of him and commanded him to take her to a desert island. While swimming on the island, Northstar had to rescue Kara from a crocodile. In the process, Kara lost her control over him when he went underwater. Northstar took her to Tamarind Island, the headquarters of Alpha Flight. Believing that Alpha Flight intended to harm her, she took control of the whole team and escaped, taking Madison Jeffries with her. While on the run, they were captured by the Auctioneer. Alpha Flight rescued them, and Heather Hudson decided to recruit Kara as the first member of a new Beta Flight. Kara started a brief romance with the second member to be recruited, Whitman Knapp.

Kara became a valued member of Beta and Alpha Flights and fought alongside them in battle against such foes as the Dreamqueen, the Great Beasts, the Derangers, Scramble, China Force and what she believed to be her own father's reanimated corpse. After being injured in battle with China Force and being left behind by Alpha Flight, who had gone to confront the Dreamqueen, she decided to quit the team, believing she had been abandoned.

When she decided to return to the group, she was contacted by Talisman, who was recruiting a team to rescue Northstar from Asgard. After the completion of this mission, she became a member of Beta Flight again under a re-structured Department H. She struck a close friendship with most members, especially Goblyn, Pathway and Witchfire. In a supposed training team, she found herself in battle on a number of occasions. During this time, she fought against villains such as Firebug, the Jackal, Omega Flight, the Master and the Hardliners.

Following the Joshua Lord incident and the disbanding of Department H, she was imprisoned in Neverland the mutant concentration camp created by Weapon X. She currently is one of the exceptions after House of M that retained her powers. It is not known if she is aware that her father is still alive.

While still in training, Box (Madison Jeffries) had her assist him against the composite being known as Omega. Kara was able to compel it to separate back into Box (Roger Bochs) and Scramble, but Scramble then lobotomized Bochs and reformed Omega. Madison was then forced to kill Omega.

Kara returned home with her friends Goblyn and Laura Dean. Much later, Persuasion was one of the mutants who had retained their mutant abilities after M-Day.

Powers and abilities

Persuasion can control a person through the use of pheromones, rendering them in a near-mindless state, extremely receptive to suggestion. A side effect of her power is that the people she controls turn purple temporarily. Upon recovery from Kara's power, her victims usually have a splitting headache. Persuasion's powers apparently cannot affect the body's involuntary systems. An order to "drop dead" would only result in the loss of consciousness. She can steal control of people from other mind controllers such as Mesmero. Her power can be nullified by encasing Kara in plastic, as does submerging the affected person.

Over time, her powers grew to the extent that she could control people without saying a word. She also extended her range of control for several miles. At one point, Kara controlled all of Alpha Flight. Kara can create a mindlink with Goblyn, making their minds one. This was never fully explained, but it was stated that she could merge her mind with whoever she wanted. She once merged her mind with a living planet, but it was too much for her and couldn't keep the connection for long.