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| Kate Waynesboro | |
| Aliases: | Katherine Waynesboro Kate Oldstrong Ms. M.O.D.O.K. |
| Continuity: | Marvel Universe |
| Notability: | Supporting character |
| Type: | Scientist |
| Gender: | Female |
| Race: | Altered human |
| Associations: | Warbound S.H.I.E.L.D. |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | Incredible Hulk #287 |
Katherine "Kate" Waynesboro is a fictional scientist & government agent and a supporting character featured in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is associated with the Hulk line of comic titles and first appeared in Incredible Hulk #287 in September, 1983.
Biography[]
When the mind of Bruce Banner appeared to take permanent control of the Hulk, he was offered a presidential pardon for his past offenses. To insure that the Hulk no longer posed a threat to National Security, S.H.I.E.L.D. assigned scientist Katherine Waynesboro to monitor Banner's condition. Surprisingly, Waynesboro found herself attracted to the Hulk, much to the chagrin of Banner's jealous sentient Recordasphere. The Recordasphere discovered that Waynesboro was an undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and attempted to kill her by sabotaging her car. Kate survived the attack, but later found herself the victim of the Hulk's old nemesis, the Abomination. [1]
The Abomination kidnapped Kate and brought her to an AIM facility in Maine in the hopes of baiting the Hulk into a trap. A.I.M. scientists injected Kate with implants designed to make her subservient to their commands. They then placed her inside of a conversion chamber, transforming her into Ms. M.O.D.O.K. They ordered Ms. M.O.D.O.K. to kill her predecessor, the original M.O.D.O.K. The mind-control implants failed however, and she turned against her A.I.M. creators. Instead of killing M.O.D.O.K., she instead bonded with him, seeing him as an intellectual equal. This changed however, when she witnessed M.O.D.O.K.'s brutal assassination of the helpless Abomination. She turned against him and attacked him with blasts of mental energy. M.O.D.O.K. returned fire, driving Ms. M.O.D.O.K. back into the conversion chamber. The chamber reversed the alteration process, transforming Ms. M.O.D.O.K. back into the form of Kate Waynesboro. [2]
Shortly after this incident, Kate resigned her position as a scientist for S.H.I.E.L.D. She pursued a romantic relationship with Bruce Banner, but Bruce was unnerved by the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. initially sent Kate to spy on him.
The two traveled to Mexico City where Banner was offered financing in the further development of gamma ray technology. During the trip, Kate painfully watched her lover become a puppet of the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime. Although the Hulk proved victorious, Kate had to console Bruce over the fact that the Ringmaster forced him to revert into a monstrous savage once again. [3]
Returning to the United States, Kate became Doctor Banner's lab assistant at Northwind Observatory. She aided him in the construction of a large device called the Gammascope. The Gammascope possessed the ability to collect ambient gamma ray particles from outer space and concentrate them for medical uses.
A dying crime lord named Max Hammer hired the mercenary Boomerang to kidnap Kate in order to blackmail Dr. Banner into using his Gammascope technology to save Max's life. It was at this time that the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder kidnapped the Hulk (among other heroes) to participate in his "Secret Wars". Several weeks later when the Hulk returned, Kate was still a prisoner of Boomerang.
The Hulk fought with Boomerang and rescued Kate, but a large portion of Northwind Observatory was destroyed during the battle.
When it became apparent that the Hulk was reverting to his former savage self, Kate returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and collaborated with agent Gabe Jones in determining a means of stopping him. She provided Gabe with Banner's Gamma Gun in the hopes that a dose of gamma radiation might enable Banner's psyche to reassert dominance over the Hulk, but this tactic proved futile and the Gamma Gun was destroyed. [4]
Kate tried once again to draw Banner's psyche out from under the Hulk's control, but the Hulk retaliated and attacked her. When the last vestiges of Banner's consciousness disappeared, Kate began to realize that the man she loved was gone forever, and that there was nothing left of him but the Hulk. [5]
Kate stayed out of the limelight for several years, but rumors circulated that she may have resumed the identity of Ms. M.O.D.O.K. on at least on occasion. While she is no longer formally connected to S.H.I.E.L.D., she has maintained contact with Gabriel Jones and is believed to have worked with him on several projects. [6]
Abilities[]
- On the average, Kate Waynesboro does not possess any superhuman abilities. As Ms. M.O.D.O.K. she was capable of producing concentrated blasts of pure psychic energy, and could transmit her thoughts into the minds of others.
- Kate Waynesboro was an accomplished scientist with advanced knowledge of gamma radiation theory. Although she never served as a field agent, Kate was also skilled in various S.H.I.E.L.D. related protocols including basic training and hand to hand combat.
- Kate Waynesboro possessed the strength level of a woman her age, size and weight who engaged in moderate regular exercise.
Weaknesses[]
- Kate's faith in Bruce Banner's ability to control the Hulk nearly caused her grave injury on at least three separate occasions. In both instances, the Hulk rebuked Kate's affecton and struck with the back of his hand.
Equipment[]
- S.H.I.E.L.D. issue holographic communications watch.
- As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, she carried an ion-disruptor weapon
- Katherine Waynesboro drove a sports car.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Kate Waynesboro was created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Sal Buscema.
- Kate's Ms. M.O.D.O.K. identity is not to be confused with M.O.D.A.M., another female variant of M.O.D.O.K..