Cloud

Origin

Cloud was formerly a nebula in space millions of years from forming into a star. It became aware that the stars around it's space where disappearing, and the fear that it felt attracted the newly formed Cosmic Cube. After describing the amazing events it had experienced on the planet Earth cloud resolved herself to an idea. Expelling mass amounts of its stellar gaseous form, Cloud traveled to the blue planet to seek help from its human population.

Arriving on Earth the Cloud happened upon two young teenage lovers, Carol Faber and Danny Milligan. Causing an accident while they were driving due to Cloud attempting first contact, both teens were badly hurt. Cloud tried to assist but when it entered their minds and was bombarded with the unique human psyche. Transformed into a replica of Carol, Cloud bubbled away but was quickly located and taken by the Secret Empire.

After brainwashing her into believing she had a happy family who knew and accepted her powers, until the day Secret Empire agents gunned them down in front of her eyes. They also planted in her mind that one of their agents, her "big sister" Seraph came flying in and rescued from the assailants.

Soon going on a mission with Harriden and Seraph to defeat the Vision and take him to the secret Empire she met and fought the Defenders. Cloud burst through the wall in a blast of lightning. When the Scarlet Witch hit her with a hex, it knocked her into human form, but she turned to vapor and knocked the Witch out by depriving her of oxygen. Cloud helped stop Harridan from killing Beast and Iceman. The Gargoyle blasted Seraph and Cloud with bio-electricity, knocking them unconscious. The Gargoyle would subsequently defeat Harridan by letting her absorb his bio-energy thereby overloading her. After being defeated and taken to SHIELD, they escaped and returned to the Empire.

Creation

Cloud was created by JM DeMatteis and Don Perlin in 1983 and first appeared in The Defenders # 123.

Mayor Story arcs

Joining the Defenders

However Clouds memories were in flux and she sought out help from her former foes the Defenders.

When she did reach the brownstone home of the super team the Secret Empire had sent Man-Droid agents to bring her back. Defeating the Defenders and returning Cloud to the Empire were they began brainwashing treatments again on her.

They also employed the super powered criminals such as Mad-Dog, the Mutant Force, and again agents Harridan, Seraph and also Cloud. Cloud however was rescued by the Defenders and helped foil the Secret Empires plan to launch a satellite into Earths orbit that would dominate the world inhabitants by using a satellite with mind control technology that would force countries into engaging in war. The Empire and their leader Professor Power planed to have governments toppled due to war with each other so that once their arsenals were depleted, the Secret Empire would rule over what was left. Originally captured, they escaped with the help of Seraph and Cloud and prevented the launch of the satellite.

Cloud than would join as an adventurer for a while with the Colorado based super team the Defenders and would soon see them as family. Cloud would feel close ties towards Bobby Drake, Ice-Man, who actually was falling in love with her. However cloud would find herself strongly attracted to the cool tempered resident mentalist Moondragon. Confused by this ever growing attraction to her Cloud first changed forms into Danny Milligan's sex. Confronting Moondragon with his/her love for her the two would go through a complex evolution of their perception of love.

Cloud

However, Cloud's love was not enough to prevent Moondragon from falling prey to the evil influence of the Dragon of the Moon. While Cloud, still troubled by this new ability and unsure of what it meant regarding her/his true nature, later turned her/his attention to another fellow Defender, Iceman. Eventually circumstances would cause Cloud to regain long lost memories and discovered her/his origins as a stellar nebula. With the help of the Defenders,Cloud returned the mysteriously vanished stars which had been disappearing. Cloud than decided to attain her/his true nature and returned to her/his original state as a nebula.

Sometime later Cloud also appeared briefly in a Solo Avengers story arc to help the recovering Moondragon, Cloud evidently prefers her female manifestation, since she uses it to interact with humans on this occasion. Convincing the distraught Moondragon to believe in her inner strength and resolve her shortcoming, abandon her shame. With cloud's help Moondragon regains her senses and the two share a reconnection of sorts.

Cloud later traveled through space for a time with Moondragon, Gargoyle, Sundragon, and the Eternal Demeityr, who had become Sundragons lover. Presumably Cloud continues to exist somewhere in the further regions of space, being part of the cosmic order.

Fear Itself: The Deep

Attuma has become one of the Worthy and is transformed into Nerkkod, Breaker of Oceans after he comes into possession of one of the mystic hammers. Nerkkod destroys New Atlantis with his army and Namor is forced to retreat. Namor would eventually liberate the occupied city of New Atlantis with the help of Silver Surfer, Loa, Dr. Strange and Lyra the Savage She-Hulk. Nerkkod would bolster his army and prepare to conquer the oceans but is confronted by Namor and company. Dr. Strange would conjure up a spell and call upon the Defenders from the past and present including Cloud for reinforcements. Nerkkod is forced to retreat and his army is defeated.

Return

Cloud was summoned by the Tarot of the Secret Flame to the Sixth Cosmos to join a new group of Defenders. Doctor Strange called on the tarot after a new Masked Raider came to him for help capturing Carlo Zota, who was time traveling through the various cosmos that came before their own.

Cloud found a new sense of self when they reached the Fourth Cosmos, a multiverse made of patterns and inhabited by archetypes that were still searching for a "tradition." Due to their duality, Cloud always struggled living within the boundaries of their home cosmos' traditions. In the Fourth Comos, they are able to remake themselves as a singular entity.

When it came time for the Defenders to continue their chase into the Third Cosmos, the personification of the fourth could only permit five of them to go. Cloud was more than happy to remain in the Fourth Cosmos, finally finding a home that makes sense.

Powers & Abilities

The entity named Cloud, in her nebula forms, possesses great power, including manipulation of matter and energy on a planetary scales, instantaneous travel across space, and the ability to hold a breathable atmosphere in her form. She/He can also shrink or expand her form as needed, usually a small cloud formation the size of an average sports car while in Earths atmosphere. She/He also possessed the ability to take on human form, short term and long term memory, individual thought process and emotions. In her human form, she/he could turn into a living cloud formation with the power to fire bolts of lightning and mild telepathy. She could also shift her/his form from the template of Carol to the template of Danny.