Origin
During the Vietnam War in 1966 an American military recon patrol which were stationed in Cambodia stumbled upon a hidden ancient temple. The temple belonged to a centuries old secret cult known as the Dragon’s Breath. This temple was built upon a powerful energy source called the “Well of All Things” which the inhabitants used for a specific breeding process. It was their hope that this new race of superior humans would harness the power of the well and one day be able to unify with the culture of the west. They would make the fathers of these children the members of the recon patrol, Andrew Chord was one of these men and would be the father of Silhouette.
Character Creation
Silhouette is a Marvel Comics character who first appeared in the New Warriors comic (vol.1) #2 August of 1990. She was created by Fabian Nicieza and Mark Bagley.
Major Story Arcs
Children of Dragons Breadth!
Miyami, Silhouette’s mother, was a descendant of the Dragon’s Breadth and Silhouette’s father, Andrew Chord, had been coerced into conceiving children to spawn mystical offspring with access to an interdimensional gateway. Miyami wanted to free her twins from the cult and faked her and their deaths, placing them in an orphanage to protect their identities.
Silhouette was abandoned in Chinatown along with her twin brother Aaron, having to learn to grow up and survive in a dangerous urban city the two soon discovered their mutant abilities. Silhouette joined the Concrete Dragons gang where she learned to defend herself and used her shadow teleportation power to combat the rival gang, Poison Memories. At 14 years of age, Silhouette watched as the other members of her gang were killed off by Poison Memories because of her refusal to submit herself as their leader’s slave.
Silhouette’s brother than went by the name Midnight’s Fire. As for their long-lost father Andrew Chord, became a guardian of Dwayne Taylor (Night Thrasher) and was unaware of having any children. Silhouette and Midnight’s Fire decided to leave their gang and started operating as independent vigilantes in New York City. It was during this time that they met Dwayne Taylor before he took up the identity of Night Thrasher. The three decided to join forces and started an organized effort to stop various New York City street gang violence by force. However, during one of their outings taking down a group of gang members. Silhouette was shot at and unable to dodge the bullet it ruptured her spine, paralyzing her from the waist down.
The New Warriors
Undaunted, Silhouette utilized her braces in combat and joined Night Thrasher’s New Warriors. Amidst their adventures, the team encountered the Folding Circle, revealing an intricate cult following a bloodline of power called Dragon’s Breadth which Silhouette, and her brother had inherited. Silhouette acquired the help of the New Warriors and finishes instigating the Taylor Foundation revealing Chord to be her father who sends the team to Cambodia to aid Night Trasher in defeating Tai.
She soon became a staple of the members of the New Warriors. Moving into the warehouse base of the Warriors in the docks of New York City. She assisted Trasher in running the operations of the New Warriors and would also be in the front lines as a field member.
Sometime later Silhouette would find herself in Cambodia again this time in the Temple of the Dragon’s Breath full of worshippers and a youthful, reanimated Tai. After returning from Cambodia, she would stay with the team for a while even after Trasher’s departure. After the newly recruited roster by Hindsight-Lad both Silhouette and another member Bandit left the team. Silhouette has sense than come into more recent association with the newest incarnation of the New Warriors.
Powers and Abilities
Due to Silhouette’s genetic heritage developed through many generations of selective breeding, she has the ability to teleport over small distances by traveling via the so called Darkforce dimension. She can seemingly meld into any area of shadow in this way entering the Darkforce dimension, and then able to reappear in any other shadow.
Silhouette originally was able to shadow-meld, thereby becoming nearly invisible while in shadows. She also had the ability to teleport using the Darkforce dimension by entering shadows and exiting through another shadow as she desired. She was also capable of using these shadows to attack enemies from a distant appearing from them and utilizing her crutches as a weapon through the shadows.
The Darkforce dimension was changed at some time and this disturbance affected all those that were able to utilize the dimension. Her powers than manifested themselves to a much greater extent and she was now able to teleport others along with herself. She can now teleport small groups however this does cause pain and leaves her spent and weak after doing so. Her shadow-melding powers also increased, and she can now become a living shadow herself. In this state she is capable of phasing and can use this form to pass through the bodies of other organic beings and thereby causing them extreme pain. Lastly her dark force powers were enhanced to the point of allowing her to create shadow tendrils from the dark force matter itself.
Silhouette also has enhanced physical attributes including speed, strength, agility, and a type of enhanced sensory perception. She is a master hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist using her crutches as weapons while in combat.
Personal Data
Characteristics
- Weight: 118 lbs.
- Height: 5’5″
- Eyes: Brown
- Hair: Dark Brown
Status
- Identity: Secret Identity
- Place of Birth: Cambodia
- Citizenship: Cambodian, United States Citizen
- Marital Status: Single
- Occupation: Former Vigilante, Former Gang Member
- Known Relatives: Miyami (Mother, deceased); Andrew Chord (Father); Aaron (Brother)
- Base of Operations: New York, New York