by Bevan Thomas
Real Name: Katherine “Kate” Pryde
Occupation: Reporter for the New York Defender
Group Affiliation: Leader of the Sentinels of Liberty. Former leader of the Liberators.
image by Reetta Linjama
Katherine Pryde grew up a Jew in Germany in the 20s and 30s, but the increased persecution made her family decide to send her to America to stay with her aunt. Unfortunately, they had only enough money to send her, so she had to make the crossing alone, leaving behind everyone, including her twin sister Theresa. The first thing she saw when coming to America was the Statue of Liberty, an imposing figure that impressed her in its serene majesty.
Katherine kept up correspondence with her family in Germany, and through that gained some personal understanding of the horrors of the Nazis. Then eventually the letters stopped, and Katherine realized something terrible had happened to her family. She waited and waited as news of Hitler’s atrocities increased, and the stress caused her nights to be filled with horrific nightmares in which she and her family were pursued by monsters formed of darkness. Then one night she dreamed that she was filled with a powerful light that banished the monsters and saved her family. When Katherine awoke, she found herself floating above her bed, bathed in the same light.
Soon the nights of New York were lit by a new figure, one of the first superheroes, a woman who shone bright as the sun and who sent criminals and monsters scurrying for the shadows. Calling herself the Human Torch in honour of the Statue of Liberty, and to provide a guiding light in these dark times, Katherine Pryde became a harbinger of things to come as soon as other superheroes appeared, following in her path.
Eventually she led a team of heroes, dubbed the Liberators, into Nazi-occupied Europe and to do battle with the Nazis own ubermensch, including the Human Torch’s greatest enemy, the villainess known as Nox, the Dweller in Darkness. However, though Katherine did rescue many people from the concentration camps, she was never able to find those of her family who had remained in Germany.
Soon after World War II, the Human Torch vanished, though when a new age of heroes dawned, she returned, not having aged a day. In the present time, she leads the Sentinels of Liberty with the same dedication that she once led the Liberators, and is the most respected and beloved of all heroes. Because of her idealism and unwillingness to compromise on her morality, she sometimes clashes with Mystique and other agents of Cloak & Dagger, though they have developed a grudging, mutual respect.
Powers
The Human Torch is filled with a mysterious force that she calls “the light of liberty,” and which she believes was imparted to her by the spirit of the Statue of Liberty, though others have theorized that it derives instead from mutant DNA. She can project this white light from her hands or eyes or surround herself in an aura of energy. This light can be used to affect the emotions of those around her, creating hope and courage in her allies and fear in her enemies. The light can also heal or blind, either temporarily or permanently, can be focused into a laser, and can be “hardened” to become a force field around the Human Torch that can be expanded to protect others as well. The Human Torch can also fly, leaving a trail of light behind her and can transform into “living light,” which makes her intangible.
Limitations
Though the Human Torch’s powers drive away the darkness, certain powerful forms of darkness can suffocate her light. Furthermore, her powers are tied to her faith in her abilities. If she loses hope, she can be overcome.
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