Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.

Today we look at the girl that believes her powers come from God: Firebird

Appearances in Heroclix: Avengers Assemble

First Appearance: Incredible Hulk #265

Team Affiliations: Rangers, Avengers West Coast, Avengers

Created By: Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema

Bonita Juarez is a devout Roman Catholic from Taos, New Mexico. While walking in the desert she comes into contact with a radioactive meteorite fragment. The radiation alters her DNA and gives her the powe to generate flames and heat as well as fly. She believes that these powers are a gift from god and takes the name Firebird. She receives a distress call from the Avengers and accidentally battles the Hulk. She then joins with other local heroes, calling themselves the Rangers, before fighting the Corruptor and saving Rick Jones who had sent the distress signal.

Firebird goes on to fight Master Pandemonium to the point of exhaustion before falling to the headquarters of the West Coast Avengers. She is found by the Thing and asks for the Avengers help in battling Master Pandemonium. She goes on to help the Avengers on several adventures, desperately wanting to be invited to join only to be ignored by Hawkeye (who is desperately trying to recruit the Thing). After several more adventures with the West Coast Avengers without becoming an official member, Firebird vanishes on a spiritual journey.

She eventually returns, calling herself Espirita and helps Hank Pym move past some issues. She then helps the Avengersr, as well as Moon Knight and battles Dominus as well as Sunstroke. She has also helped battle Awesome Andy as well as Atlantean invaders. She adventures part time, spending most of her time as a social worker.

Her immunity to radiation is indispensable during the Kang War, allowing her to travel into a strange energy field cast over a Russian nation. During the superhero civil war, Firebird joins Captain America’s Secret Avengers after the death of Bill Foster. Afterwards, she has joined the Rangers as part of the 50 States Initiative.

Firebird’s teammate Red Wolf’s cub is replaced by a Skrull who reveals himself while attacking Red Wolf, Delroy Garrett, Eric O’Grady and the Rangers. Red Wolf never learns what happened to his cub, though he later adopts another. Red Wolf, alongside the Rangers, come into conflict with the Scarlet Spider in Houston before they all join forces to battle a creature made of pure energy.