:Roma (comics)

Roma first appeared in Marvel UK's Captain Britain, in the first issue in Oct. 1976, and subsequently appeared in the second volume of Captain Britain's series.{{cite book |last1=DeFalco |first1=Tom |last2=Sanderson |first2=Peter |last3=Brevoort |first3=Tom |last4=Teitelbaum |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |last6=Darling |first6=Andrew |last7=Forbeck |first7=Matt |last8=Cowsill |first8=Alan |last9=Bray |first9=Adam |title=The Marvel Encyclopedia |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-7890-0 |page=239}} The second volume was reprinted in the U.S. in the Captain Britain trade paperback.

In 1978, Chris Claremont introduced Captain Britain to an international audience, fully integrating him into the Marvel Universe via a story that starred Captain Britain and Spider-Man, with Roma in a small role. Initially published as a black & white story in the UK's Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain comic, this was then coloured and reprinted in an American title, Marvel's long-running Marvel Team-Up series, issue #65.{{Cite comic | Writer = Chris Claremont | Penciller = John Byrne | Inker = Dave Hunt | Title = Marvel Team-Up | Issue = #65 | Date = Jan. 1978 | Publisher = Marvel Comics}}

Brian Braddock, a research assistant at the Darkmoor Research Centre nuclear complex, was attacked by Joshua Stragg (the Reaver), who chased him over a cliff. Roma, then calling herself "the Lady of the Northern Skies", appeared to him, along with Merlyn, and offered him the chance to become a hero. Roma offered Braddock a choice of weapons: the Sword of Might or the Amulet of Right. He chose the Amulet, earning Roma's gifts.Captain Britain #1-2

Roma and her father exist in a dimension called Otherworld and operate out of Roma's Starlight Citadel. When a battle with Lord Hawk left Captain Britain in a coma, his spirit met them in this dimension.{{issue|date=February 2025}}

Roma gave Captain Britain great physical strength and a quarterstaff that could be used for direct attack or emit a protective force field. Merlyn eventually replaced the staff with Captain Britain's Star Scepter.Captain Britain #1-2, #27-32

Thinking Merlyn dead, Roma took his place as the Omniversal Guardian and ruler of Otherworld. In fact, Merlyn had faked his death so he could manipulate events while being safe from his enemies.Mighty World of Marvel #13 She observed Captain Britain from Otherplace.Captain Britain vol. 2 #4-6 She later brought Captain UK to an alternate Earth and reunited her with her husband.Captain Britain vol. 2 #14

Roma appeared in human form while reaching out to a recovering and disillusioned Colossus shortly after "Mutant Massacre" and before "Inferno." Colossus had just healed from his injuries inflicted on him by the Marauders when the X-Men were fighting to rescue the Morlocks. Roma approached him and asked him to draw a sketch of her; she offered to pay him by telling him his fortune. When he finished his sketch, she hinted at things that would happen in the X-Men's future, but remained vague enough to anger him. She disappeared from the scene, leaving behind a figurine of him in his armored (steel) form.The Uncanny X-Men #225

During this encounter, Roma was really being held captive in her Starlight Citadel by the Trickster (aka the Adversary), a deity who planned on destroying the earth to remake it into whatever image he chose.The Uncanny X-Men #225 The X-Men defeated the Adversary, freeing Roma and forcing the Adversary into a portal. Using Forge's spell, it took harnessing the souls of all eight active X-Men and Madelyne Pryor, who was there at the time, to create and shut the portal. Roma repaid them by retrieving their souls from the portal, which had a side effect of making them undetectable to electronic equipment and cameras, effectively making them "invisible" to their enemies.The Uncanny X-Men #227, 229

Roma also bequeathed the X-Men with and made them the guardians of a mystical portal called the Siege Perilous.The Uncanny X-Men #229 This portal is a gem that enlarges into a doorway. Individuals walk through the portal to have their lives and deeds judged on a cosmic scale, eventually being reborn if they are deemed worthy. X-Men who have traveled through the Siege Perilous include Rogue (accidentally sucked into it while battling the Master Mold/NimrodThe Uncanny X-Men #246-247), Havok, Psylocke, Dazzler, and Colossus.The Uncanny X-Men #251

One of the X-Men who sacrificed herself was Psylocke, Captain Britain's sister. The grief over his sister's death united Captain Britain and his girlfriend Meggan with the surviving X-Men Shadowcat and Nightcrawler. Together they saved Rachel Summers, host to the Phoenix Force, and formed Excalibur. To keep the individualistic Captain Britain a part of Excalibur, Roma put a jinx on him. Whenever he tried to act independently of the team, he would make mistakes and fail.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=April 2009}} Roma had foreseen that Excalibur would become essential to the safety of the Omniverse; only a group with their specific talents could stop an unknown threat. Roma later warned Galactus not to slay Phoenix.Excalibur #25

Roma eventually discovered that Merlyn was still alive.Excalibur #49 Merlyn, in disguise, manipulated Captain Britain into confronting Roma and she removed the jinx and told him about the secret threat.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=April 2009}} Excalibur encountered the threat shortly afterwards: Necrom, Merlyn's teacher had been planning for millennia to use the Phoenix Force to increase his own power. Roma persuaded Excalibur to destroy Merlyn's tower in the multiversal energy matrix, but prevented Merlyn from killing Excalibur. The combined powers of Excalibur defeated Necrom as Merlyn had planned.Excalibur #50 Roma told Excalibur that from now on, they would be free to determine their own destiny.

Roma was captured and impersonated by the villain Mastermind, who planned on using the Sword of Might and the Amulet of Right to reshape the Omniverse. Mastermind was defeated by Captain Britain and his friends and Roma gave the throne of Otherworld to Captain Britain, who now wielded both the Sword and the Amulet. Roma would retain her function as Omniversal Guardian though.Excalibur: Sword of Power #1-4

Roma briefly appeared in Fantastic Four, when she sent Gatecrasher to kidnap Franklin Richards, thinking he was too powerful to stay on Earth and with his family. Johnny Storm was later able to convince her otherwise.Fantastic Four vol. 3 #6-8

She again appeared when Abraxas was trying to find the Ultimate Nullifier. She summoned Valeria Richards and Franklin Richards to protect them from Abraxas but was unsuccessful, since she was murdered in the process. But Franklin revealed that Roma had taught him for an unknown period of time and that Valeria and himself would be needed in resurrecting Galactus. They used up all their powers to resurrect Galactus and ended the threat of Abraxas. Roma, who was killed, was ultimately resurrected in the process.{{Volume needed|c=y|date=April 2009}}

Roma, after sending Captain Britain to Earth-616, briefly appears to Captain Britain in a dream, telling him that he only has 48 hours to save Earth-616, which Saturnyne states has become a "causality cancer".The Uncanny X-Men 462-465

{{see also|X-Men: Die by the Sword}}

Mad Jim Jaspers and Fury return to attack the Starlight Citadel in a plan orchestrated by Roma's father Merlyn. During the battle, Roma is mortally wounded and gives all her knowledge to Sage before Merlyn removes the same knowledge and kills her.X-Men: Die by the Sword #5

Lady Roma has since been revealed to have been restored to life. She is seen along with Saturnyne expressing their concerns about the Incursions that are destroying many dimensions when they are interrupted by Spider-UK who reveals that all the spiders across the multiverse are being hunted and killed. Saturnyne rebuffs him rude and coldly, but Roma sympathizes with him and gives him a talisman that allows him to travel through the web of life in order to save all the remaining spiders.The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #7

As the result of a deal she made with Saturnyne in the future Otherworld province Blightspoke, after Otherworld was destroyed by Mapmakers, Roma looses her position as ruler.New Avengers Vol. 3 #30 (February 2015)Excalibur Vol. 4 #26 (December 2021) They agreed that she would rebuild Otherworld with the Mapmakers power and become Omniversal Magestrix in exchange for making the Fair Courts for her to rule and the Foul Courts for her father to rule, allowing her to finally achieve power outside her fathers control.Excalibur Vol. 4 #26 (December 2021)

As shown in an arc in New Mutants, she and her father are no longer on speaking terms.New Mutants Vol. 4 #16-17 When her father unites most of the nations together in a invasion of the Starlight Citadel that forces Saturnyne and her allies into hiding, The Floating Kingdom of Roma Regina becomes one of the only parts of Otherworld not under his control,Excalibur Vol. 4 #24-26 it becomes a refuge for mutants who are being hunted down by Furies. Roma brings together 10 specific mutants to help stop her father, declaring them the "Knights of X" and sends them on a mission to find the Siege Perilous. She also agrees to help Jubilee's son Shogo control the powers he has in Otherworld.Knights of X #1-2 For his first lesson, she and Saturnyne forced him to watch Gambit seemingly being killed in battle with King Arthur in their scrying pool to teach him a lesson about sacrifice.Knights of X #3 She and Saturnyne later flew Shogo to Mercator where they converged with the Knights of X, as well as Arthur and Merlyn's forces.Knights of X #4

Roma is the youngest member of the extra-dimensional race of Otherworld, but still millennia old and immortal. She has been highly trained in the mystical arts, with an extensive knowledge of sorcery rivaling that of her father Merlyn. She has extraordinary prowess in manipulating the vast magical powers at her disposal, which she can use in countless ways, including interdimensional teleportation, astral projection, healing, mind-reading, energy manipulation and many more. As the Omniversal Guardian she also has access to the technology and power of Otherworld, which has devices capable of destroying complete universes. The Captain Britain Corps obeys her commands.

{{Reflist|25em}}

• http://www.marvel.com/universe/Roma
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20051121035024/http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/2855/roma.html Roma's Profile at Women of Marvel Comics]
• {{Marveldatabase|Roma}}

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Category:Captain Britain

Category:Characters created by Alan Davis

Category:Characters created by Chris Claremont

Category:Characters created by Herb Trimpe

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1976

Category:Marvel Comics characters who use magic

Category:Marvel Comics immortals

Category:Marvel Comics female superheroes

Category:Marvel UK characters