20 Lesser-Known Female Superheroes
Corsair and Hepzibah (Image via Marvel)
19. Hepzibah
Okay, I’ve made fun of Corsair before. His origin story – he’s Cyclops’ dad who decided to become a groovy space pirate instead of looking for his long-lost son – is ripe for the picking. To be fair, there’s a lot to like about his story. In the right hands, the tale of Corsair and his fellow spacefarers, the Starjammers, is downright compelling.
But, I’m not here to make fun of him, or at least not today. Instead, I want to talk about Corsair’s girlfriend, a skunk-based alien named Hepzibah.
First of all, Hepzibah isn’t actually a skunk. She’s a member of the Mephitisoid species, which is based on the scientific name for skunks, Mephitidae. As is happens, her species does resemble skunks, though they’re generally more amenable and smell better than our Earth-based version.
Corsair rescues Hepzibah from execution by being eaten alive at a banquet. She swears an eternal bond to him, which is understandable given her fate otherwise. Since her Mephitisoid name consists of a series of scents which don’t quite translate to spoken language, he calls her “Hepzibah”.
Hepzibah turns out to be a pretty brilliant space pirate and resistance fighter. Her species is generally faster and more agile than humans. She also has much better night vision and senses of smell, not to mention retractable claws. Perhaps most impressive of her natural skills is Hepzibah’s ability to emit mind-altering pheromones. She’s also a profoundly good marksman who’s trained in many different kinds of hand-to-hand combat.
So, yeah, go ahead and make fun of her skunk-like appearance. Just do so at your own peril.