Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been a breath of fresh air for comic book movies. Not only is it a purely enjoyable film, but it shows us that movies don’t need endless sequels to make a good story. We may have seen some of the Guardians leave for new journeys, but we also got a few new faces. One of these was a child called Phyla. While she may not seem like an obvious choice at the moment, she’s a pretty powerful character who has a rich history. So, who exactly is Phyla-Vell? And why is she a great addition to the team?
From Great Beginnings
Phyla-Vell has been part of the Marvel Universe for almost 20 years. She’s a powerful character who has some incredible abilities. But given who her family is, it’s no surprise at all that Phyla is as powerful as she is.
If you’re looking for the perfect way to make a superhero, then an artificial Titanian created to the same specification as the Eternals, and an all-around good guy and military captain is a good place to start. Phyla-Vell is the daughter of Elysius, a Titanian created by the supercomputer ISAAC, and Mar-Vell, also known as Captain Marvel.
Elysius and Mar-Vell met when he travelled to Titan to challenge ISAAC. Seeing his good heart and noble intentions, Elysius helps the Kree captain (and his friend, Drax the Destroyer) rid the plant of Thanos’ corruption. The pair fell in love and spent quite a lot of time together. After Mar-Vell’s death, Elysius took some of his preserved DNA and conceived a son. To protect him, she accelerated his ageing to a young adult and implanted false memories of his childhood. After some death, resurrection, and altered reality, Elysius decided it was time for another child, and used more of Mar-Vell’s preserved DNA to conceive a daughter; Phyla-Vell.
Phyla-Vell’s brother, Genis-Vell, took over the title of Captain Marvel, but his cosmic awareness eventually drove him mad. Believing that her brother had disgraced the name of Captain Marvel, she took it upon herself, and travelled to Titan, along with her Mother and family friend Eros (Starfox), to try and contain Genis and stop his outburst. But Phyla’s presence only made things worse, as Genis-Vell was battling with skewed perceptions of reality. When you’re struggling to figure out what’s real or not, battling a sister you remember having but simultaneously know never existed can be a lot!
A New Protector
After the Titanian family took a little trip to the N-th Space and managed to fix Genis’ mental state, they all returned to Titan. But Phyla believed she was more deserving of the title of Captain Marvel, and refused to give it back to her brother once he fully recovered. As the two argued over this, they were attacked by an alternate future and super-powered version of Marlo Jones, the wife of Rick Jones.
The siblings divided the tasks of protecting those in the present, and travelling through time to stop the future actions. Phyla kept the title of Captain Marvel, convinced of her worthiness to hold it. Genis eventually adopted the name Photon and joined the Thunderbolts. When Phyla-Vell learnt that her brother had apparently been killed by Baron Zemo, she returned to earth to visit his grave. As she was there with her beloved, Moondragon, they were attacked by Thanos and his aide Skreet, who kidnapped Moondragon.
Phyla-Vell pursued the mad Titan and found herself in an intergalactic crisis known as the Annihilation Wave. She made some new friends along the way, as well as a few new enemies. While helping her new friends in battle, she retrieves the Quantum Bands that Annihilus had seemingly stolen from the original Quasar, Wendell Vaughn, after killing him. Eventually, Phyla is reunited with Moondragon, and vows to become the new Quasar, protector of the Universe, after bonding with the Quantum Bands.
The Birth of a Martyr
Moondragon and Phyla would go on to have many more adventures, and Phyla would also take her place as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. She started to doubt if she was worthy of the title of Quasar but continued to do her best anyway. But after a run-in with the High Evolutionary, Moondragon was killed by Ultron, sending Phyla-Vell into heavy grief. She would follow her teammates into battle and try her best to stay as the protector of the universe.
After separating from the Guardians to help Drax locate his long-lost friend, Phyla is given the news that Moondragon still exists, and is on an accessible plane of existence. As they tried to seek more information on Titan, both Phyla and Drax were murdered to let their souls access Oblivion’s realm, but now they were trapped, and the Quantum Bands were left behind.
But never fear! Because no Marvel superhero stays dead for very long. The original Quasar (Wendell Vaughn) has been existing in a quantum light form all this time! And he arrives just in time to help save the day. Once they were all freed and returned homes, Phyla-Vell realises that Wendell is more suited to the title of Quasar. Instead, she chooses a new moniker, one that symbolises all of her adventures, Martyr.
Cosmic Powers
So, what, exactly, can a humanoid created by a Titan using the DNA of the original Captain Marvel do? Well, to begin with, she has superhuman speed, strength, and durability. Phyla has gone head-to-head with Carol Danvers on a few occasions and can keep up with her, taking very little damage.
On top of that, she can channel energy in a few different ways. She can use it to fly and can send out energy blasts. But she can also absorb energy that’s directed at her, and use it in any way she wants to.
In her brief stint as Quasar, the quantum bands she borrowed enhanced her already existing abilities, as well as allowed her to access the Quantum Zone’s energies ad create structures with it, including weapons.
But Phyla isn’t all superhuman abilities and energy blasts. She’s also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and the use of weapons. Her last act as Quasar was to create the Quantum Sword. When she took on the title of Martyr, the sword started to exist independently from the power of the bands and is now called the Oblivion Sword.
Perhaps one of Phyla’s most interesting abilities is her cosmic awareness, which allows her to use knowledge from throughout space and time. When she uses this, it changes her skin to match the blackness of space. While it isn’t as powerful as her father’s or brother’s, she can still use this to enhance her abilities. However, when she took the Quantum Bands, she supposedly lost this ability.
Friends & Enemies
Phyla-Vell has worked alone and as a part of a few different teams. She’s made a lot of friends over her time as a cosmic guardian, but a few enemies as well. From Warlock to Nova, The High Evolutionary to Thanos, Phyla has met them all and fought alongside or against them.
Most notably, she has been an on-and-off member of the Guardians of the Galaxy for some time. She helped them in trying to rescue Gamora when she was being hunted by Eros. She’s taken on the evil form of Adam Warlock known as Magus. She’s had some wild adventures including time travel, high-power enemies, and unfortunately a great loss.
Perhaps the most important person Phyla-Vell meets on her adventures is Heather Douglas, aka Moondragon. Heather and Phyla fell madly in love with each other, and it was a love that could survive anything! Even when Heather apparently died and then her soul was absorbed by the Dragon of the Moon. No matter what happened, Martyr and Moondragon would always have the strongest love.
The Future Guardian?
Phyla-Vell has the potential to become one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. Although, as we meet Phyla as a child, it will be interesting to see how her story is changed on-screen. What we can guarantee though, is that she’ll be a fantastic addition to the cosmic side of the MCU.
