FIRESTAR: Page 4 of 6

BIOGRAPHY - Page 4

Over the next few months, the Warriors went through a number of changes, with Firestar's best friend Nita kidnapped by the Soldiers of Misfortune, and the team's founder Night Thrasher being kicked off the Warriors for not being around to help when it happened. Justice took over as the new team leader, which put some pressure on his relationship with Firestar as he adjusted to the burden of command. [New Warriors (1st series) #54-60] There was also a bit of personal strain between the two of them because of some unexpected flirtations. When Captain America recommended the New Warriors as superhuman security for Middle East peace talks at the United Nations, they encountered the Israeli Super-Agent named Sabra. The beautiful and assertive Sabra made Angelica feel inadequate with Vance, particularly because the two of them shared their Jewish faith, while Angel did not. Justice tried to assure her that faith wasn't an issue for him or their relationship, but Firestar was still jealous, not to mention a bit trigger happy when Sabra was temporarily overtaken by an outside force. [New Warriors (1st series) #58-59]

Of course, the situation was soon reversed when Angel met the Scarlet Spider. The Warriors were caught up in the deadly Carrion Virus outbreak due to their ties to GeneTech, and crossed paths with Scarlet several times as he opposed the plots of his arch-nemesis, the Jackal. After he and the Warriors teamed up to defeat the rampaging loose end known as Helix, Firestar impulsively invited Scarlet to join the Warriors as a full member without consulting with Justice. Scarlet's protective attitude reminded Angelica of Randall Chase, her Hellfire bodyguard who died trying to protect her, and she couldn't help but feel open and trusting around him. (For that matter, Angelica reminded Scarlet of a young Mary Jane Watson, thanks to Peter Parker's memories.) Still, Justice was already uneasy with his role as team leader, and he felt that having an older hero and self-proclaimed loner like the Scarlet Spider around undermined his authority. The underlying attraction between Angel and Scarlet only created further tension between the three of them. [New Warriors (1st series) #61-62, Spider-Man: Maximum Clonage Alpha]

Unfortunately, Angelica's problems weren't limited to relationship drama. After casually tossing around her power, Angel's friend Jupiter pointed out the potential hazards of microwave energy, like sterility and cancer. Taking Jupiter's words to heart, Angel became far more hesitant about cutting loose with her powers, and eventually made an appointment to get medical advice about her problem. A eugenics terrorist named Genecide attacked the clinic during Angel's examination, but ended up confirming Angelica's worst fears anyway — that excessive use of her power would cause her radiation poisoning, and even sterilization. Vance was more than sympathetic when Angel told him about her health problems, and felt guilty about always asking her to "cut loose" in battle with her powers. However, Angelica still caught him off guard when she mentioned that their "someday" plans might have to be accelerated. If they wanted to have children, she said, her powers meant that sooner rather than later was their best option. Only an international terrorist attack by a paramilitary strike force kept Vance from having to respond to Angelica's unspoken question. [New Warriors (1st series) #63-65]

Meanwhile, their love triangle with the Scarlet Spider came to an unexpected resolution. Scarlet's private war with the Lady Octopus led to him being pitted against a virtual reality doppelganger, programmed to destroy Scarlet's reputation as publicly as possible. Seeing one of their own members "gone rogue," the Warriors got involved in hunting "Scarlet" down. Justice was now convinced that every bad feeling he had about Scarlet Spider had been right, but Firestar was just as convinced that there must be a rational explanation for his behavior. She caught up with "Scarlet" on the George Washington Bridge, and her affection for the real Scarlet Spider almost got her killed. The ensuing fight caused the Spider to morph into a larger robotic form, and he escaped after Justice showed up. Meanwhile, the real Scarlet Spider had taken up the then-available identity of Spider-Man after the virtual reality debacle, and soon met up with the Warriors to hunt down his evil counterpart. Still a loner by nature, "Spidey" chose not to explain the situation fully to the New Warriors or reveal his previous identity to them, although Firestar managed to figure it out anyway. In the end, however, the evil Scarlet Spider was turned over to the authorities, and Spider-Man broke off his ties to the Warriors, leaving no one but Firestar any wiser about who or what the Scarlet Spider really was. [Nightmare in Scarlet crossover]

The Warriors began to drift apart after a battle with Volx, the Dire Wraith queen, working together less frequently than before. While preparing for the battle with Volx, Angelica and Vance had a heart-to-heart talk. Her diagnosis had led Angel to think about what she really wanted in life, and she realized it didn't matter if she was able to have her own children, as long as she was still with Vance. Floating over the planet in a Xandarian scout ship, the formerly timid 17 year old Angelica Jones proposed marriage to her boyfriend, and he quickly accepted. [New Warriors (1st series) #75]