Tabitha Smith

Template:Short description Template:Multiple issues Template:Infobox comics character Tabitha Smith is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with The X-Men and related titles. Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 (Nov. 1985). She then appeared as a member of X-Force and later as a member of Nextwave.

Tabitha is mentally able to create variably-sized yellow orbs of pure energy that explode with concussive and destructive force. Since her first appearance, she has used a number of different codenames, including Time Bomb, Boom-Boom, Boomer, and Meltdown.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Publication history

Created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom, the character first appeared in Secret Wars II #5 (Nov. 1985), in which she and the Beyonder are the primary characters. She next appears as a main character in the 1987 limited series Fallen Angels. This led to her becoming a supporting character in the X-Factor series beginning with issue #11, which then led to a co-star role in the X-Terminators limited series. Following this series, she appeared in The New Mutants, initially guest-starring as a member of the X-Terminators, and eventually becoming a member of the titular group.

The team then became X-Force and she remained a member of the team for most of the X-Force series. Sometime later, she appears as a member of Nextwave throughout the Nextwave series. Writer Warren Ellis said that he picked Boom-Boom to be in Nextwave because Boom-Boom is his favorite superhero name in the history of comics for its sheer oddness and silliness, and he loved it when she was in Uncanny X-Men when Joe Madureira was the artist.

Template:ErrorTemplate:Main other{{#if:|

|}}{{#if:|

— {{#if:|, in }}Template:Comma separated entries

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Blockquote with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | author | by | char | character | cite | class | content | multiline | personquoted | publication | quote | quotesource | quotetext | sign | source | style | text | title | ts }}

Fictional character biography

Early life

Tabitha Smith was born in Roanoke, Virginia and is depicted as a rebellious but normal teenager, and the daughter of divorced parents, in her first appearance. Her mutant powers manifest at age 13, and her parents immediately show their disgust, with her father even beating her. Running away from home, she gives herself the alias "Time Bomb" and meets the cosmic entity known as the Beyonder. He brings her to Charles Xavier, headmaster of the School for Gifted Youngsters, who ignores her to combat the Beyonder.

Fallen Angels and X-Terminators

Living on the streets, Tabitha becomes involved with Maurice "Tiger" Antonini and, after he threatens her and murders her friend Gina, she uses her powers to kill him. Then, the villain known as the Vanisher recruits her for his band of thieves, called the Fallen Angels, and she officially takes on the codename "Boom-Boom." She eventually betrays the Vanisher, calling in the help of X-Factor, with whom she stays afterward.<ref>X-Factor #11</ref> Tabitha's former teammate in the Fallen Angels, the alien Ariel, kidnaps the Angels and takes them to her home where they are experimented on by her planet's scientists. Ultimately, she is unable to go through with the plan and helps them escape.

New Mutants

Following two successful team-ups with the New Mutants,<ref>X-Terminators #4, The New Mutants #73 and 76</ref> Tabitha and some members of the X-Terminators, Rusty Collins, Skids, and Rictor, join the group.<ref>The New Mutants #77</ref> During her time with the New Mutants, Tabitha falls in love with her teammate, Cannonball. When the team is transported to the mythical realm of Asgard, it is partially through Tabitha that the team is able to foil a plot to kill Odin. There she becomes close friends with the wolf-prince Hrimhari.<ref>The New Mutants #76-78</ref> They encounter the man known as Cable,<ref>The New Mutants #89</ref> and when he starts to mentor the team, Tabitha gains greater control of her powers. Tabitha is captured by Stryfe and the Mutant Liberation Front but is rescued.<ref>The New Mutants #93-94</ref>

X-Force

File:4604-64525-1-x-force 400.jpg

Cover to X-Force #51, featuring the revamped Tabitha Smith. Art by Adam Pollina.

The New Mutants team, under the continued tutelage of Cable, is reformed into X-Force.<ref>The New Mutants #100</ref> The team undergoes a revamp, employing new, more aggressive methods. During this time, Tabitha acts on her crush on Cannonball, and the two have a relationship. Although she questions the team's new methods, Tabitha sticks with the team, rechristening herself "Boomer." She battles the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants alongside her new team in one of their early missions.<ref>X-Force #7, 9</ref>

Following an attempted murder of Professor X, mutual distrust places X-Force in conflict with the X-Men and X-Factor, and X-Force is apprehended.<ref>X-Force #16</ref> Cannonball arranges for the team to be temporarily released so that they can help take down their arch-enemies, the Mutant Liberation Front.<ref>X-Factor #85</ref> Among the MLF are two of Boomer's former X-Terminators and New Mutants teammates, Rusty and Skids, who breaks Boomer's jaw.<ref>X-Men #15</ref> After X-Force's names are cleared, Tabitha is confronted by Cannonball's ex-girlfriend Lila Cheney, who gives the couple her blessing.<ref>X-Force #19</ref>

Peter Wisdom

In the meantime, the sudden power loss really hit home for Cannonball, as to just how little they had been doing lately to help mutant-kind. He got back in touch with Pete Wisdom, and together they devised a plan for reactivating X-Force as a covert strike team. Meltdown, along with Warpath and Bedlam, agreed to enter into this new arrangement, and they took up residence in an abandoned Nevada Hulkbuster base for extensive retraining for martial combat and the use of their powers. In particular, Tabitha learned how to direct the explosive force of her power into streams of guided energy and was also heavily trained in computer hacking and manipulating digital information.

Weapon X and the X-Force mini

When Cable discovers hints regarding the existence of a revamped Weapon X program, one designed to use mutants to hunt down and intern other mutants, he creates an organization to investigate the program and the existence of its internment camp, Neverland. He dubs the organization "the Underground" and invites Meltdown to join his elite group. Ultimately, Cable's Underground group is joined by Weapon X agent Brent Jackson, who hopes to stage a coup against the project's director and has formed his own resistance group with fellow agents Washout, Marrow, Wild Child, and Sauron. Jackson betrays the Underground team, however, after the coup is successful and alters/wipes their memories of the events.<ref>Weapon X #12</ref>

Tabitha is one of the few mutants who retain her powers after the events of M-Day.<ref>X-Men: The 198 Files #1</ref>

Nextwave

Shortly afterward, after an initial period of wild arrogance, Tabitha mellows out and settles back into her earlier more bubbly personality, developing a tendency to use chat room-like shorthand when speaking out loud, such as "OMG," "ZOMG," and "OH NOES!" She also begins to start saying "Tick, tick, tick—BOOM!" when using her powers. Tabitha grows her hair long, eschews her codename, and re-appears as a founding member of Nextwave, a new off-beat and more than slightly satirical superhero team featured in an eponymous comic book series created by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen. The Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, or H.A.T.E. (a subsidiary of the Beyond Corporation) formed the team. Tabitha Smith's new team includes other second-string characters taken from Marvel limbo, including Monica Rambeau, Elsa Bloodstone, Aaron Stack, and a new character The Captain.<ref name="Nextwave #1">Nextwave #1</ref>

Manifest Destiny

Template:Main Tabitha moves to San Francisco to help with the X-Men's new relocation plans, and resumes using the codename Boom-Boom. While shopping in San Francisco, she confronts the mutant Nuwa.<ref>X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1 preview, Comic Book Resources</ref> Forced by the Beast to confront Nuwa through research, instead of strength alone, she discovers - using a thinly veiled parody of MySpace and Facebook<ref>Read About Comics » X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1</ref> called FaceSpace - the true nature of Nuwa's sedation powers, then nullifies them by consuming large quantities of caffeine.<ref>X-Men: Manifest Destiny #1</ref>

Kidnapping, death and salvation

Tabitha is later kidnapped, along with Surge and Hellion, by the Leper Queen and her Sapien League. The Leper Queen attempts to inject her with a modified version of the Legacy Virus, a virus that had been cured years before and afflicted mostly mutants, when the members of X-Force arrive to try and save her. After Cyclops refuses to wait long enough for Wolverine and Domino to kill the Leper Queen, they are sent through time to help Cable, leaving the Leper Queen and Tabitha all alone.

Utopia

Boom-Boom is later seen during the events of "Utopia", amongst the mutants assembled in Nightcrawler's chapel as they prepare to abandon San Francisco for the base that the X-Club has raised from the bottom of the ocean. She is among the first group of mutants teleported by Pixie to the new base.<ref>Dark Avengers #8 (2009)</ref> Boom-Boom was also one of the X-Men who defeated the invading Predator Xs who attacked Utopia. Boom-Boom, Iceman, and Colossus teamed up to defeat the first Predator.<ref>The Uncanny X-Men #517 (2010)</ref> She joined fending off Nimrod Sentinels attacks in X-Men: Second Coming.Template:Volume needed

Cable and X-Force

Boom-Boom returned in the Marvel NOW! series Cable and X-Force, aiding her old X-Force teammate Domino in her infiltration of a S.W.O.R.D. base.<ref>Cable and X-Force #6</ref> She remained with the team until its dissolution.<ref>Cable and X-Force #19</ref>

All-New X-Men

Tabitha later appeared in All-New X-Men as a member of the Utopians alongside Elixir, Karma, Madison Jeffries, Masque, and Random, taking down unwanted visitors such as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation team as they sought quiet refuge in the island ruins. S.H.I.E.L.D. asked X-Men for help on the issue, and after a brief fight and discussion, both teams came to an agreement and Tabitha's crew was relocated to New Charles Xavier School.<ref>All-New X-Men #40-41</ref>

Krakoa

Now a citizen of Krakoa, Tabitha was accidentally caught snooping around in Sunspot's room by Armor and was informed of her excursion to extend Krakoa's citizenship to Beak's family. She was able to rescue Armor and friends from an ambushed cartel hostage situation.<ref>New Mutants vol. 4 #3, 4</ref> She later led an unsanctioned mission to anti-mutant state Carnelia to extract a teen mutant who just awakened her power. It ended up with Cypher needing to bring in reinforcements and Magik bailing everybody out.

Powers and abilities

Tabitha Smith possesses the ability to create variably-sized yellow orbs and spheres of pure plasma, fiery-like energy, which she calls her "time bombs." These "time bombs" explode with concussive force.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She can produce marble-sized energized "bombs" which have little concussive impact and which she uses for playing pranks. She has produced "time bombs" ranging up to the size of beach balls, which are able to destroy durable objects, including a Predator X and a futuristic Nimrod.<ref>The Uncanny X-Men #517</ref><ref>New Mutants vol. 3 #14</ref> Tabitha can also control the amount of time before detonation. Finally, she can mentally muffle the sound of the detonation. Under the direction of Pete Wisdom she learns to focus her power as streams of concussive force.<ref>First used in issue X-Force #102, and recap of training seen in issue X-Force #107</ref>

Reception

Accolades

• In 2014, Entertainment Weekly ranked Tabitha Smith 87th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
• In 2018, CBR.com ranked Tabitha Smith 18th in their "X-Force: 20 Powerful Members Ranked From Weakest To Strongest" list.<ref name=":0" />
• In 2020, Scary Mommy included Tabitha Smith in their "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic" list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2021, Screen Rant included Tabitha Smith in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of The New Mutants" list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2022, CBR.com ranked Tabitha Smith 1st in their "10 Best X-Men Mutants Who Haven't Been In A Movie Yet" list,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 9th in their "Every Member Of The New Mutants, Ranked By Growth" list<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 9th in their "10 Marvel Mutants We Want To See In The MCU's Phase 5" list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Other versions

House of M

Tabitha appears as a member of the NYPD strikeforce known as the Brotherhood.<ref>House of M: Avengers #2</ref> Posing as Karolina Dean, she attacked and defeated the Wolfpack.<ref>House of M: Avengers #4</ref>

Marvel Zombies

Tabitha is also shown in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness #3 with her Nextwave team, all uninfected, to save Ash from a zombified Power Pack. The entire team is "humiliatingly and ruthlessly dispatched off panel" moments later.

Rahne of Terra

In the "heroic fantasy" universe visited by Wolfsbane and Wolverine in Rahne of Terra and Knight of Terra (though Tabitha does not appear in the latter in any form), Geshem is an otherdimensional realm of medieval magic. The land is ruled by Queen Rain, a counterpart of Wolfsbane, and that dimension's Tabitha is her most loyal and trusted maid. Rain confides in Tabitha with her deepest secrets.<ref>Wolverine: Rahne of Terra graphic novel (Aug. 1991)</ref>

X-Men: The End

In X-Men: The End, a series set ten to fifteen years in the future, Meltdown is once again a member of X-Force along with Warpath, Domino, Shatterstar, Feral, and Rictor when the team meets their end. Template:Volume needed After their aircraft is shot out of the sky, (which X-Force barely survives), Meltdown is absorbed by the strange entity called Divinity, who uses Tabitha's powers against her teammates.Template:Volume needed Not much later, though, Divinity is killed by Apocalypse while Meltdown is still trapped inside him.<ref>X-Men: The End #4</ref>

X-Force: Shatterstar

In the X-Force: Shatterstar miniseries, Tabitha is still known as Boomer and she is seen as a part of Cable's rebel forces against Spiral, in an alternate universe where Spiral has conquered and now rules Earth. On that Earth, Spiral has also killed most of that world's heroes and mutants. Together, the team eventually defeats Spiral. Tabitha also seems to have developed telepathic powers in this timeline.Template:Volume needed

In other media

Television

• Tabitha Smith makes a non-speaking appearance in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "No Mutant is an Island" as a child orphan who, among others, Zebediah Killgrave attempts to take advantage of until they are rescued by Cyclops.
• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom appears in X-Men: Evolution, voiced by Megan Leitch. This version was forced by her father to commit crimes when she was younger until she became a student at the Xavier Institute and joins the X-Men's junior team, the New Mutants. However, her lack of discipline and mischievousness leads to her temporarily moving in with the Brotherhood of Bayville before Mystique evicts her. Additionally, Boom-Boom is best friends with fellow New Mutant Magma and displays a romantic interest in Nightcrawler.
• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom appears in the Wolverine and the X-Men episode "Hindsight, Part 1", voiced by Jennifer Hale.<ref name="btva2">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the X-Men '97 episode "Remember It" as a resident of Genosha.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Video games

Tabitha Smith appears in Marvel Heroes, voiced by Kari Wahlgren.<ref name="btva"/>

Miscellaneous

Tabitha Smith appears in the Wolverine versus Sabretooth motion comic, voiced by Kazumi Evans.<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web</ref>

Merchandise

• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom received a figure in HeroClix's "Xplosion" series.
• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom, based on her Nextwave appearance, received a figure in HeroClix's Giant Size X-Men set.
• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom received a figure in HeroClix's "Deadpool and X-Force" box set.
• Tabitha Smith, based on her 1990s X-Force appearance, received a figure in the Marvel Minimates line.
• Tabitha Smith / Boom-Boom received a figure in the Marvel Legends toyline.

External links

• Template:Marvelwiki
• Boom-Boom at Comic Vine
• UncannyXmen.net Spotlight On Meltdown
• Boom-Boom X-Men Evolution