Thena

Superherobox|

caption=Cover art for "Eternals" (vol 2) #3.
Art by Daniel Acuña.
comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name=Thena
real_name=Azura
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut= "Eternals" #5 (Nov 1976)
creators= Jack Kirby
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
alliances=Eternals
aliases=Thena Eliot, Athena, Corona
powers=
*Superhuman speed, strength, durability, and healing
*Energy blasts
*Flight
*Illusion generation
*Matter transmutation
*Mind control
*Telekinesis
*Telepathy
*Teleportation|

Thena (born Azura) is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is a member of the Eternals.

Fictional character biography

Originally born under the name Azura, but her father Zuras had her name changed to resemble that of Zeus' daughter Athena to seal the treaty between their two peoples. Due to this, she has often been mistaken for Athena. The city of Athens was apparently built for her, not the goddess, although Thena later allowed it to be conquered by the Spartans in 404 B.C.

Encountered Kro in Babylon 2,500 years ago. He had a chance to slay her, but did not; as the years passed, the two of them grew closer together. Thena and Kro made love during the Vietnam War, resulting in Thena becoming pregnant with twins. She placed them inside of Ms. Ritter, an infertile woman, who raised them as her own twin children, Donald and Deborah.

When Kro led his armies in an attack on New York, Thena opposed him. After Kro called a truce, he showed her Ransak the Reject, a genetically stable Deviant. Thena was convinced by the Deviant Karkas to grant both of them sanctuary. After Zuras' death & the subsequent departure of most of Earth's Eternals, Thena became Prime Eternal, but she was traumatized by her father's death & was being subtly influenced by a Brain-Mine Kro had placed upon her. She turned against Ikaris to help save Kro's life, but later relinquished her title to Ikaris. When she learned of the Brain-Mine, she was furious with Kro, but has since forgiven him.

The Eternals (2006)

In the 2006 Eternals title, Thena is married to Thomas Eliot, with a son, and is a researcher at Stark Enterprises. Like Sersi and Makkari, she was affected by Sprite's reality warping to have no memory of her past as an Eternal.

Recently, she was released from a hostage situation by Iron Man in relation to the recent Civil War Comics Event. Afterwards, she began to suffer terrible Nightmares in which she was indeed Immortal, and fought off various multicoloured Deviants with ease. When she awoke from one of these dreams, she found she had gained back her costume and powers. She is then enlisted by Ikaris to help stop 'The Dreaming Celestial' from awaking in his sleeping place beneath Los Angeles.

By the end of the story, she remains one of the Eternals, keeping her (human) child with her in their home after a heated argument with Ikaris.

Other versions

MC2

In Avengers-Next issue #2, It is revealed that Thor had a daughter in the alternate timeline, who is also called Thena, and possesses her father's storm god powers.

Bibliography

*"Red Raven" #1
*"Eternals" vol. 1 #5-6, 8-10, 12-14
*"Eternals: Herod Factor" #1
*"Eternals Annual" #1
*"Thor" vol. 1 #285-289, 291-292, 300-301
*"Contest of Champions" vol. 1 #1-3
*"Iron Man Annual" #6
*"Iron Man" vol. 1 #179
*"Eternals" vol. 2 #1-12
*"Avengers" vol. 1 #246-248, 299, 308-310, 361, 374-375
*"Silver Surfer Annual" #1
*"Starblast" #1
*"Quasar" #58
*"Fantastic Four Unlimited" #10
*"Heroes for Hire" vol. 1 #5-9, 11-12
*"Eternals: Apocalypse Now"
*"Eternals" #1-3 (limited series; Jun. 2006 - Nov. 2006)

As Corona

*"Eternals: Apocalypse Now"

As Athena

*"Red Raven Comics" #1

Notes

Thena is not the only character to use the identities of Corona or Athena. These include:
*Dagny Forrester, a former scientist, took on the identity of Corona after she was mutated by her own experiments. She first appeared in "Spectacular Spider-Man" vol. 2 #176
*A mutant from the alternate future of Here Comes Tomorrow was called Corona and first appeared in "X-Men" vol. 2 #152.
*The actual Olympian goddess, Athena first appeared in "Thor" vol. 1 #164. She is often mistaken for Thena.
*A member of the Warheads was called Athena. She was first seen in "Warheads" #6 but was killed in "Warheads" #7 by Ghengis.

References