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Although the alien race known as the Shi’ar were initially associated with the X-Men, one of their number, Deathcry, was a member of the Avengers.
From rubbing shoulders with some of Marvel’s greatest heroes to embarking on a suicide mission in exchange for freedom, the Avenger known as Deathcry had a rather interesting, if short, run.
Deathcry (Sharra Neramani) was first mentioned in issue #363 of Bob Harras and Steve Epting’s mid-nineties Avengers series. The young yet highly-skilled warrior was the teenage niece of Shi’ar Empress Lilandra Neramani who, having brought dishonor through participation in a drunken brawl, was stripped of her birth name by royal decree and given the new moniker of Deathcry.
An elite member of the Shi’ar race, Deathcry’s superhuman feats deemed her superior to most others of her kind. Well-equipped with advanced senses and reflexes, she also possessed retractable fingertip claws capable of cutting through Omnium steel, and later gained cosmic awareness as well. Deathcry’s abilities also extended to her skills in armed and unarmed combat as well as her qualifications as a pilot and technician.
Deathcry’s introduction came in the aftermath of 1992’s Operation: Galactic Storm crossover event that followed the intergalactic war between the opposing Shi’ar and Kree empires. When their escalated feud began to impact humanity, the Avengers were called in to help ease tensions. However, despite their best efforts, the death of many Kree in a Nega-Bomb explosion ultimately secured a win for the Shi’ar.
Later, having caught wind of a Kree revenge plot against Earth’s defenders, Lilandra exiled her disgraced niece to Earth to act as the planet’s personal protector. Her introduction to the Avengers came in issue #364 when she saved the team from Kree Sentries.
Deathcry’s tenure with the squad spanned several months, during which time she formed especially strong bonds with Vision and Hercules and became an honorary Avenger. She helped Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. escape a bomb threat in Ghost Rider #64-65 by Howard Mackie and Salvador Larroca, and in Avengers: Unplugged #5 by Glenn Herdling and M.C. Wyman, flaunted her flying skills while piloting a Quinjet. She was also part of the controversial storyline Avengers: The Crossing. After the team defeated Immortus in Ben Raab, Terry Kavanagh, and Mike Deodato Jr.’s Avengers #399, Deathcry deemed that her services were no longer required and returned to the Shi’ar Empire where she stayed for some time.
She next appeared as a Kree prisoner a decade later in 2007’s Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #1-2 by Keith Giffen and Timothy Green II. In exchange for her freedom, Deathcry joined an ops team headed by Peter Quill that was tasked with destroying a Phalanx weapons plant. However, when teammate Captain Universe (Gabriel Vargas) attempted to aid her in battle, the proud Shi’ar warrior’s berserker-like rage created hostility between the two. Seen as a dishonor to take another’s kill, an insulted and enraged Deathcry challenged Captain Universe, who ultimately killed her in self-defense.
Presumed dead, Deathcry wasn’t seen again until 2011’s limited series Chaos War: Dead Avengers in which she was brought back to life. When the recently returned Mar-Vell was killed by the Grim Reaper (Eric Williams), his gift of cosmic awareness transferred to her and, upon claiming the title of Protector of the Universe, she changed her name to Lifecry. With this new lease on life, the warrior went on to defeat the villain Nekra before she tragically lost her life again.
Overall, despite Deathcry’s scattered time aiding the Avengers, her fighting for the good of the universe suggests that she was ultimately worthy of the honorary membership bestowed upon her.
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