- For the Amazon version of the character, see Nubia.
Nubia is a minor character in the comic book series The Boys. She was an African American Supe and one of the six original members of the G-Men.
Background[]
Manufactured origin story and actual childhood[]
In Victory Comics' fictional G-Men back story presented by Vought-American, they were born with powers, seen as a new human race, feared and persecuted by normal society for their abilities. Despite this, they vowed to protect humanity. Nubia, however, stood out in this narrative, portrayed as having been revered as a thunder-and-lightning-wielding goddess in an African village.
In reality, "Nubia" was actually an American child kidnapped by cult leader and serial child rapist John Godolkin, just one of the countless victims Godolkin lured to his mansion in upstate New York in order to create his so-called "superhero" team. She endured abuse and brainwashing before gaining powers from Compound V and joining Godolkin's primary team, the G-Men. As the only black woman on the team, Nubia faced racial insults from her own teammates such as Critter and Five-Oh, as well as widespread sexism and misogyny.
Death and Reanimation[]
Nubia's life darkened as she rose in popularity within the G-Men. Believing her visibility allowed her to challenge Godolkin's authority, she made a grave mistake by questioning his decisions. Godolkin had discovered Vought-American's use of Compound V to resurrect Supes, starting with Lamplighter - who after resurrection was not in his right mind, but proved more subservient. Godolkin secretly instructed Silver Kincaid, his personal assassin, to kill her colleague Nubia in response.
Nubia was then subjected to Compound V once again, reviving her but reducing her to a semi-mindless zombie, constantly whispering the plea, "Kill me," in the hope that someone would end her suffering. However, no one granted her wish. Because the reanimation procedure left Nubia with severe brain damage, she required assistance even for basic needs such as eating, for which G-Force members Luckless and PussPuss were forced to become her personal caregivers.
Second Death at the Hands of Red River[]
While Hughie Campbell (undercover as the Supe "Bagpipe") was planting bugs in one of the G-Mansion's restrooms in 2007, he is suddenly confronted by Nubia, repeatedly begging him to end her life. Completely horrified by Nubia's zombified state, Hughie screams so loud that attracts the attention of the other G-Men, including John Godolkin. Displeased by Nubia meandering unsupervised, he then instructs Europo to tell Luckless and Puss Puss that he wants to see both of them at once before asking the Divine to help Nubia back to her room.
Nubia is seen again during the G-Men brunch, where Puss Puss and Luckless assist her in eating her meal.
At Silver Kincaid's memorial service, as Gondolkin gives his eulogy, he states at one point that "those that fall may rise again", implying that Silver Kincaid may be reanimated. This causes Puss Puss to ponder the dreadful possibility of having to take care of yet another fallen teammate be brought in a vegative state, as she cleans drool off of Nubia's mouth.
During the standoff between the Boys and the G-Men, Nubia is once again killed along with the rest of her teammates after Vought-American determines that Godolkin and the G-Teams were a public relations liability and sends heavily armed Red River operatives to brutally massacre them, as well as had whatever remained of the G-Men franchise completely annihilated.
Known powers[]
- Thunder Manipulation: Nubia can manipulate thunder and lightning. Before her death and reanimation, she most likely could use her powers in combat.
Trivia[]
- Nubia is a grim parody of iconic X-Men character Storm, who is also a black woman with the ability to control lightning and was revered in Africa as a deity (the later of which in Nubia's case, was a fabricated backstory by Vought's marketing team).