Brew’s Crew: Nikki, the Forgettable Guardian

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(Editor’s note: This is another in a series of irregularly-scheduled columns by Managing Editor Byron Brewer, mainly dealing with cosmic comics and its many denizens. Mr. Brewer’s opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CosmicBookNews.com. He welcomes both raves and opposing views.)

By Byron Brewer

Nikki, created by Steve Gerber and Al Milgrom, is one of my least favorite of the “original” Guardians of the Galaxy. Springing to life from Gerber’s typewriter when the Guardians got a new series in the 1970s, she just never did anything for me.

Nicholette “Nikki” Gold was born in the planet Mercury in the 31st century of an alternate future Earth. She was rescued from an abandoned spacecraft by the original Guardians of the Galaxy and joined the team, seeking excitement and adventure after years of solitude aboard the abandoned spacecraft.

She is a member of a genetically engineered offshoot of humanity whose traits were designed for survival in the harsh conditions of the planet Mercury. As such, she has the ability to see in intense light, and has a high degree of resistance to heat and most types of radiation.

This newby has achieved extensive proficiency in hand-to-hand combat and proficiency in gymnastics and sharp-shooting. She is self-taught from memory tapes. (See what I mean? Yawn.)

Nikki is often armed with a neuronic frequency stun gun, a laser pistol, and various handgun-type weapons as needed.

Sometime after joining the Guardians, Nikki and Vance Astro shared in a metaphysical union in a successful attempt to use the force of human love to destroy the Topographical Man. (ugh) The sexual nature of this union embarrassed Vance … but not Nikki!

She then traveled to the present with the other Guardians, and assisted the Avengers in battle against Korvac in a classic sci-fi saga. She traveled to the present again, and battled Hammer and Anvil alongside Spider-Man. (NOW that’s cosmic, lol!)

Alongside the other Guardians, Nikki later went on a quest to find the lost shield of Captain Americaand battled Taserface. She battled the Stark alongside the other Guardians and encountered Firelord and battled the super-humanoid team known as Force.

During her time on the team, Nikki had a romantic relationship with Charlie-27, though they later amicably separated. She became attracted to later Guardian recruits Firelord and Talon, although both simply wished to remain friends.

An alternate version of Nikki was a member of another group of Guardians, led by Killraven, and teamed with our timelost Guardians led by Star-Lord. They battled the “Martians” but Peter Quill’s group was soon sucked back into the time vortex and then “hiatus.”

If we ever see the original Guardians again, it will be fine if Nikki is again absent.