CANDY SOUTHERN: Page 2 of 3

Publication Date: 11th Jun 2020
Written By: Daytripper.
Image Work: Douglas Mangum.
Biography

BIOGRAPHY - page 2

In the months that followed, the original X-Men went their separate ways, with Warren and Iceman forming the Los Angeles based Champions team. Despite the geographical distance, Candy and Warren continued their relationship. They were vacationing at “Chateau Worthington” in the New Mexican Rockies when Bobby arrived with his date, Terri Sue Bottoms. Candy quickly realized that Terri was quite smitten with Warren, but didn't have long to worry about that when the Master Mold attacked. Due to her previous adventures with the X-Men, Candy must have realized that this situation was very dangerous, and locked herself and Terri in another part of the chateau while Warren and Bobby fought Master Mold – and soon found themselves whisked into space. [Incredible Hulk Annual (1st series) #7]

Around this time, Warren's inheritance came through and he became CEO of Worthington Industries, as well as inheriting Hellfire Club membership from his father, who had also been a member. Candy was also a member via her own father and at some point the two visited the exclusive club. Despite its prestige, the couple decided they didn't like it and did not plan to go back. [X-Men (1st series) #132] Candy and Warren attended a disco one night, where Warren recognized the Thing and Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. Candy wanted to dance, but Warren wanted to speak with the Thing, so Candy and the Torch danced together instead. As such, the pair were seemingly none-the-wiser when Angel and the Thing were caught up in a battle with the mutant villain known as the Toad. Afterwards, Candy visited the theme park, Toadland, with Warren and the Thing. [Marvel Two-in-One (1st series) #68]

With Warren rejoining the X-Men, he and Candy were once again geographically closer. However, this also put Candy in danger, as she was one of the many allies of the X-Men who was captured by Arcade and put into a dangerous theme park, Murderworld. Fortunately, a makeshift team of X-Men rescued Candy and the others. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #146]

Candy was with Warren one night when Warren was speeding though the Rockies. Unfortunately for them, Warren's old Champions teammate, Ghost Rider, first gave chase and then blocked the road. He demanded that Warren race him, but Warren wasn't interested. Although Warren and Candy nearly crashed, they emerged unscathed, that is until Ghost Rider yanked Warren from the car and threatened Candy. Candy told Warren not to worry about her and not to give in to the Rider. Nevertheless, Warren didn't want Candy harmed, so he flew after the Ghost Rider. By the time Candy caught up to them, Ghost Rider had wounded Warren badly. After Ghost Rider departed, Candy was able to get Warren to a hospital, where she contacted the Avengers, hoping to speak with Warren's old teammate, the Beast, who she thought was now a member. Although Captain America informed her that he wasn't, he nevertheless gathered some Avengers to investigate. Together they followed up on Candy's alert, tracking the Ghost Rider down and defeating him, with the help of Warren who showed up after being discharged from the hospital. [Avengers (1st series) #214]

Aside from sharing Chateau Worthington in the New Mexico Rockies, Candy and Warren also shared a penthouse in Manhattan. Candy arrived home one evening to find no sign of Warren – save for some feathers on the floor, and some blood. When the lights were suddenly turned off, Candy realized she wasn't alone and raced to phone Professor Xavier, whom they had on speed dial. Just as she warned him that Warren had been attacked and that she thought she was next, a giant, disfigured hand reached out to reach her. Moments later, Candy was thrown through the window of the penthouse apartment. Fortunately, Xavier had telepathically alerted Nightcrawler to the danger and Nightcrawler teleported to reach Candy before she plummeted to certain doom. Nightcrawler then teleported Candy into the apartment of the X-Men's ally, Amanda Sefton. The rest of the X-Men soon arrived and they soon deduced that he had been taken by the Morlocks.  Candy remained at Amanda's apartment while the X-Men successfully rescued their kidnapped teammate. [Uncanny X-Men (1st series) #169]

Candy and Warren continued their relationship when Warren, along with his fellow former X-Men Iceman and Beast, joined a new line-up of the super team known as the Defenders. After joining the three mutants at a dinner party hosted by Iceman's parents, Candy started to drive Iceman and the Beast home, hoping that she could then have some alone time with Warren. However, her plans were interrupted when they spotted robots overhead, flying to the Defenders' brownstone headquarters. Warren, Beast and Iceman quickly left to pursue the robots, leaving Candy to watch Beast's dog, Sassafras, and to wonder when Warren would grow up. Unfortunately, Candy found her life turned upside down when Warren moved the Defenders into their New Mexico chateau following the destruction of the Brownstone. Candy confided in the Defenders' housekeeper, Dolly Donahue, that she felt cheated, now that she had to share her and Warren's private paradise with the rest of the team. She also hoped Warren knew what he was getting into. [New Defenders #127, 129]

Candy found herself getting into danger again as word spread that the Defenders were operating out of the chateau. When the villain Professor Power attacked one day, it happened to be when none of the Defenders were home and only she and the housekeeper Dolly were present. Fortunately, the Defenders soon returned home and defeated Professor Power. Quickly recovering mentally as well as physically, Candy helped Warren to re-design the headquarters several days later, separating out the living areas and providing room for expansion. Warren was even more impressed by Candy and declared her the most beautiful, talented and brave woman he had ever known. Despite his words and his kiss, however, Warren remained silent that he could not get his new teammate, Moondragon, out of his mind.

Several days later, when Warren and most of the male members of the Defenders were way from headquarters, Candy walked out onto the deck where Moondragon, Valkyrie and Cloud were relaxing by the pool, only to hear Cloud make a remark about Moondragon not shunning the attention of Warren. Candy was quick to stake her claim over Warren, and demanded that Moondragon elaborate on what she and Cloud were talking about. In her usual haughty manner, Moondragon told Candy that she need not feel threatened by her. [New Defenders #130-131]

Around this time Candy became involved in her family company, Southern International. She was in San Francisco on business when she received word that Angel was injured in battle, so she returned to the Defenders HQ in New Mexico to help nurse Warren back to health. She also assumed some responsibility assisting Warren with his own business at Worthington Industries and joked that, without her, Worthington Industries would get bought out by Southern Industries. [New Defenders #135] During one of the Defenders' absences from the chateau, Candy used this time to equip the home and headquarters with new state-of-the-art technology, including an advanced security system and high-tech medical equipment. To her surprise, she was shortly nominated to be the leader of the Defenders (for all non-combat matters). Warren and the Beast had been discussing for some time that the team needed an efficient management system, and agreed that Candy had more than proved herself a good leader. Candy accepted the offer. [New Defenders #138]

At some point, the Defenders was also known as “Defenders Inc.,” a business model that Warren and Candy set up. They had several employees, including Chris Larmouth, an aircraft technician, who was attacked by gamma spores when he was at Defenders HQ. Candy and Warren checked in on Chris after he was placed in a frozen stasis. Candy realized that it finally looked like Warren was growing up when Warren realized the responsibilities that were before them. [New Defenders #142]

Despite being technically the leader of the Defenders, and even though she had participated on several adventures since becoming involved with Warren and the X-Men, Candy was no match for supernatural threats. When the Defender named Valkyrie received warning about the approaching Dragon of the Moon, Candy was instructed to take Dolly Donahue and Sassafras the dog and leave the Defenders HQ for their own safety. Candy feared for Warren's safety as well, but departed as recommended. Candy drove through a treacherous storm with Dolly and Sassafras and used her car phone to alert Beast and other members of the Defenders about the approaching trouble at HQ.

As the Dragon arrived at Defenders HQ, Candy made it to an army base, where a family friend General Argyle was stationed and asked him to get troops to the Defenders HQ. Argyle was skeptical, until a soldier reported that pillars of fire were erupting into space. By the time Candy arrived back at Defender HQ with military officials, the battle was over – the Dragon of the Moon had been defeated and Moondragon had departed the team. The team suffered other losses though. Angel had been blinded during the battle and team morale was so low that they considered breaking up. Candy once again watched over her precious Warren while he recovered, and later at a team meeting convinced them to stick together and continue as the Defenders. [New Defenders #143-145]

Candy supervised Warren as he practiced flying blind, with the Defender called Cloud helping navigate him. She also comforted him when he later received upsetting news: due to Warren's mutant biology, the blindness was incurable. Circumstances soon forced the Defenders to relocate to Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. While the rest of the team were out on a mission, Candy realized that she was beginning to feel like an anxious wife, waiting for her husband to return home. She reminded herself that there was nothing she could do about it, before joining the military official, Nancy Turpin, who had been hanging around the Defenders since the battle against the Dragon of the Moon, for some tea. However the conversation between them didn't last long, as Candy succumbed to the drug which Nancy had placed in her tea. Later, it was revealed that Turpin was actually the mysterious Seraph in disguise, and she had drugged Candy to get access to Cloud. [New Defenders #146-147]

When the Defenders were finally allowed to move back into their New Mexico HQ, Candy arrived before the others, only to be captured by the mysterious Manslaughter, who dressed her in a bizarre costume and bound her. Manslaughter then used the HQ's hologram technology to make it appear that Candy was welcoming the team back when they arrived. “Candy” jumped out of a large cake, wearing the costume and dubbing herself “Southern Belle.”

However, when Warren went to kiss Candy, Manslaughter knocked Warren out and revealed himself to the team. Bizarrely, Manslaughter soon revealed that he planned not only to kill Warren but burn down the whole building… unless he was made a member of the team. Incensed, the rest of the team tried to capture Manslaughter, but he proved elusive. When Beast suggested they humor Manslaughter to save Warren, Candy became furious that the idea even be considered. After all the team had done to establish themselves and to uphold the name “Defender,” she told them she would rather die than give in to Manslaughter. However, the decision was moot when the mysterious being called the Interloper arrived, put out the fire and captured Manslaughter. He then informed the Defenders that he knew that the Dragon of the Moon was returning, and that both he and Manslaughter would need to be made Defenders to help save the world. [New Defenders #151]

As the Interloper predicted, the Dragon of the Moon arrived, once again with Moondragon in his thrall. While the other Defenders battled Moondragon, Candy and Warren were absent from the battle, unable to contribute effectively. Unfortunately, Moondragon eventually gained the upper hand against the Defenders and captured the couple. Moondragon then restored Warren’s sight, just so that he could watch in horror as Candy was held upside down, with a knife pressed against her throat, cutting a little bit deeper ever time she swallowed. While Candy remained trapped in this stasis by Moondragon, Warren and the other Defenders rallied for one final battle against Moondragon and the Dragon of the Moon. In the end, the Dragon of the Moon was only defeated when the non-mutant members of the Defenders sacrificed themselves in a spell cast by the Interloper to stop the Dragon. With the Dragon defeated, Candy was freed and reunited with Warren as the remaining Defenders mourned their teammates. [New Defenders #152]