Real Name: Unrevealed in own language
Occupation: Usurper empress of Shi'Ar Empire
Legal Status: Citizen of Shi'Ar Empire, illegal alien on Earth
Other Aliases: War
Identity: The fact that Deathbird is an alien is not known to the general public of Earth.
Place of Birth: The Aerie, Shi'Ar home world
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Lilandra (sister), D'Ken (brother)
Group Affiliation: Ally of the Brood
Base of Operations: Shi'Ar Empire
First Appearance: MS. MARVEL #9

History: Deathbird was the first born to the ruling family of the Shi'Ar, a race of mammal-like humanoids descended from bird-like creatures. Unlike her younger siblings, D'Ken and Lilandra, Deathbird possessed atavistic characteristics (notably functional wings growing from her arms, an extraordinary evolutionary "throwback" mutation). For reasons yet to be revealed, Deathbird was denied her birthright as heir to the throne, an honor bestowed upon her younger brother D'Ken. For crimes against the state, Deathbird was exiled into space. Eventually making her way to Earth, Deathbird began to gather supplies to repair her interstellar vessel, crossing paths along the way with the Earth heroes Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye. Escaping from Earth at last, Deathbird allied herself with the alien Brood and returned to the Shi'Ar homeworld to wrest control of the empire from her brother D'Ken (who as in charge at the time) and sister Lilandra. Despite the efforts of Lilandra's loyal Imperial Guard, Deathbird succeeded and currently is empress of the Shi'Ar.

Lilandra, however, joined with the space pirates known as the Starjammers, who helped foster a rebellion. Eventually, with the help of the Starjammers and the Earth mutant team X-Men, Deathbird was toppled and Lilandra reassumed the throne. Deathbird was extended an uneasy truce, and she became Lilandra's reluctant and ruthless right-hand confidante.

Later, during an invasion of the Shi'Ar Empire by the shape-changing alien Skrulls, Deathbird elicited help from the X-Men in restoring order to the empire. Later still, Deathbird got help from the X-Men again when the Shi'Ar were nearly decimated by the alien Phalanx. Deathbird and time tossed X-Man, Bishop, saved the Shi'ar children, "royal yet-born."

However, in returning to Earth, the X-Men's ship was destroyed, although Bishop was saved by Deathbird, who claimed to have developed romantic feelings for him. In actuality, she wanted to use him to reclaim the Shi'ar throne. Believing the other X-Men to be dead, Deathbird and Bishop traveled together for Earth, sharing a few adventures along the way, including one to an alternate future where Earth was ruled by the Shi'ar.

Eventually, Deathbird and Bishop encountered the inert human form of the Living Monolith, who was floating in space. Deathbird, having encountered Skrulls loyal to the Earth mutant Apocalypse, betrayed Bishop, delivering him to Apocalypse for purposes of her own. Instead, Deathbird was herself betrayed and transformed by Apocalypse into one of his Horsemen. With the title of War, Deathbird helped Apocalypse assemble the X-Men he referred to as "the Twelve." Apocalypse was defeated, however, and Deathbird and the Horsemen scattered.
Presumably Deathbird remains at large on Earth.

Height: 5 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 180 lbs
Eyes: White
Hair: None
Unusual Features: Deathbird, like all Shi'Ar, has a plume of feathers instead of a head of hair. She has wings with purple and blue feathers growing from her back, attached from armpit to wrist,

Strength Level: Deathbird's strength is many times greater than that of the average human being. She possesses sufficient upper torso strength to life (press) 6 tons in Earth's gravity,

Known Superhuman Powers: Deathbird is an alien who possesses a number of superhuman strengths and abilities. Her metabolism is also superior to human, approximating the difference between human and earthly avian metabolisms, giving her approximately a twenty times greater endurance level than a human being. Frequently able to work herself up to a berserker frenzy, Deathbird's equivalent adrenal system is capable of prolonging her endurance even beyond that of her normal superhuman limits.

Deathbird's wings, which span 18 feet, enable her to fly like a bird in level flight, at a maximum speed through an Earth-type atmosphere of 63 miles per hour. Because of her alien metabolism, she can remain aloft for up to 6 hours before exhausting her body's fatigue poisons elimination ability (an additional 14 hours with a high-energy food supply) and somewhat less if she is carrying a load or exerting herself. She can bear aloft approximately 290 pounds, providing she can grasp the object or person with her feet (her arms, of course, are used to fly). She is capable of flying at any height at which she is still able to breathe. The feathers in the dorsal primary and secondary areas of both wings each have very sharp, spur-like vanes capable of inflicting light lacerations.

Deathbird also possesses talon-like fingernails of extraordinary tensile strength. She can use them to slice through wood, glass, and to score steel.

Weapons: Deathbird carries a number of javelins, some of which have been designed for specific offensive effects. She carries these javelins as eight-inch quills on her twin wristbands. Removing a quill from its sheath, it telescopes to about four times its original length, becoming a short javelin. Her standard javelin can be used as a spear-like projectile to wound or kill her foes. She has also used a javelin which emits a noxious, acrid, smoke-like gas upon impact. Some of Deathbird's javelins are designed so that when she places the tips of two of them together they emit a powerful, repeating 35,000-volt electric charge.