Creation

Moonglow is a character developed for the Squadron Supreme mini series produced bu Marvel Comics. She first appeared in the 1986 release of Squadron Supreme Squadron Supreme #10 - The Dark From Within. She was created by Mark Gruenwald and Paul Ryan.

Origin

Little is known about Melissa Hanover's life before being recruited by Nighthawk to serve in his team of super powered "Redeemers" to fight the influence of the Squadron Supreme's "Utopia Program" on their alternate universe of Earth-712. Moonglow, along with other Redeemers Inertia, Thermite, Haywire and Redstone, infiltrated the Squadron and was elected to full membership. She served for a month before the Redeemers openly opposed the Squadron.

Moonglow is a highly manipulative member of the Redeemers, she's a powerful illusionist to the point where both sides are convinced of various things about herself which she has created with her illusions. She creates a statuesque, blond, and beautiful woman as a guise to be amongst both groups. In reality Melissa she's a portly woman who spends all her time hiding in the background of actual fights, because she can't handle them physically. She's also shown as one of the nastier characters on the Redeemer's side.

When Moonglow snuck into the Squadron’s labs to find, retrieve, and transmit data on the Behavior Modification Devices to her fellow Redeemers, AIDA notified Ape X of the transgression. Because Ape X’s own behavior modification included a clause that she could never turn on or act against a fellow Squadron member, her mind was trapped in the contradiction of the necessity of betraying Moonglow’s actions and the impossibility of her being able to do just that. Her mind shut down and she became a vegetable. She even manipulates the retarded Shape into serving her needs when he came to visit Ape-X.

During the final battle, Melissa was knocked unconscious and her true figure was revealed to be an overweight, frumpy woman. Embarrassed by her true form, Melissa remained invisible while the Squadron began dismantling the Utopia Program.

When the team left to confront the Nth Man, whose existence threatened the Squadron's Earth, Melissa agreed to let Arcanna go in her place, as Arcanna's own powers of illusion would mask herself. The final fate of Melissa Hanover remains unrevealed.

Power and Abilities

Moonglow has the ability to create completely lifelike three dimensional Illusion's to cause an excellent effect. Her illusions are not stationary Illusions, meaning she can do it while doing other things freely and does not need complete focus on them. She had used her illusionary powers to portray her "Moonglow" powers as gravity controlling. She made people think they're floating by casting illusionay images. In this way she causes a paralysis-type effect on her targets at a far range as they are completely convinced they are floating. She also used her illusions to seemingly induce "Heavy Gravity", making others feel immobilized by intense weight. She also can appear to fly, glow or cause bursts of light, and at one time made Lamprey think she could become immaterial. Moonglow has also used her illusions to mask her presence and she can be invisible, or allow others the same invisibility. Moonglow can maintain her illusions from going indefinitely as long as she is conscious.

Attributes

Weight: 202 lbs (as Moonglow, 130 lbs)

Height: 5'5" (as Moonglow, 6'0")

Eyes: Brown (as Moonglow, blue/white)

Hair: Brown (as Moonglow, blond)

Moonglow appears as a tall blond bombshell, as attractive a any supermodel. However she is actually a much older, frumpier woman when not wearing her illusory disguise.