Crystal (Crystalia Amaquelin)The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #3 (March 1983) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Crystal first appeared in Fantastic Four #45 (Dec. 1965) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.
Within the Marvel Universe, Crystal is a member of a fictional human subspecies known as Inhumans, who (due to genetic modifications performed by the Kree) became capable of developing superhuman abilities once exposed to the Terrigen Mist. Exposure to the Terrigen Mist grants abilities to psionically control the four classical elements: earth, wind, fire, and water and, by extension, can also grant the ability to manipulate various other natural materials and phenomena such as metals and electricity. Crystal was the first character to be identified as an Inhuman,Fantastic Four #45 (Dec. 1965) and is one of the most prominent Inhuman characters. Crystal is a princess of the Inhuman Royal Family and sister to Medusa, Queen of the Inhumans. She often appears with her giant super-powered canine companion, Lockjaw.
The character has regularly appeared as a main character in several comic book titles, including various incarnations of the Inhumans as well as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. The character is unique in her affiliation with all three of these groups. Earlier in her history, she was romantically involved with the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four. In later stories, she becomes more associated with the X-Men family of characters due to her short-lived marriage to Quicksilver, which resulted in the conception of their daughter, Luna. Crystal has also appeared in various other Marvel media such as television series and video games, as well as merchandise such as trading cards and action figures.
Crystal has been described as one of Marvel's most notable and powerful female heroes.
She made her live action debut in the 2017 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series Inhumans, portrayed by Isabelle Cornish.
Publication history Crystal first appeared in Fantastic Four #45 (Dec. 1965), written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Jack Kirby, titled "Among Us Hide...The Inhumans". When asked, "Who created the Inhumans, you or Stan Lee?" in a 1968 interview for Excelsior magazine, Jack Kirby replied, "I did." Like other early Fantastic Four characters, there is debate about how much Stan Lee and Jack Kirby each contributed to the characters' creation.
Throughout her many appearances, Crystal has been depicted as brave, intelligent, and compassionate. While she is undoubtedly very kind and emotional, this is in stark contrast to her remarkable power, and she is more than capable of defending herself and others.
Fantastic Four (1965–1973) Crystal was first introduced, along with the rest of the Inhuman Royal Family and the Inhuman race as a whole, in the pages of Fantastic Four. Upon their first meeting, she and Johnny Storm fell in love with one another, a fact that led to her continued presence among the team. From this time, she would become a mainstay of the team for the duration of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's stint on the series. She was the first character to join the Fantastic Four, outside of its original members, when she officially joined the team as a replacement for Sue Richards, who was pregnant with Franklin Richards. She remained a member of the team, even after Sue's return. During her time with the team, she became very close to its members, particularly Ben Grimm and accompanied them on many adventures. Crystal was written out of Fantastic Four in issue #105, the first story arc after Jack Kirby's departure. At this time, the character returned to her family in Attilan due to her apparent inability to survive long-term in Earth's polluted atmosphere. Her time with the team and her status as a friend and ally would continue to be part of her identity as a character, up to the present.
Quicksilver and Luna (1973–1990) After her return to Attilan, Crystal meets and falls in love with Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff. During this time, Crystal is mostly featured alongside Quicksilver in a number of different series including Inhumans and Vision and the Scarlet Witch, along with guest appearances in Fantastic Four, Avengers, and other titles. In addition to her marriage to Quicksilver, this time period saw the introduction of Luna, the daughter of Crystal and Pietro and the development of close friendship between Crystal and Pietro's twin sister, Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), and her then-husband, Vision. In Steve Englehart's series, Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 (1986), Crystal has an affair with Vision and Wanda's "regular Joe" neighbor, Norm Webster. Crystal is purported to have committed this betrayal as a result of her mistreatment by Pietro. A few months later in X-Factor Annual #2 (October 1987), it is revealed that the behavior exhibited by both Crystal and Pietro was the result of mind control orchestrated by Maximus. From 1987 to 1988, Crystal again rejoins the eponymous team in Fantastic Four, which was also being written by Steve Englehart, at the time. Crystal departs the team abruptly in Fantastic Four Annual #21 after being convinced to do so by her king and brother-in-law, Black Bolt. The artwork at the end of the issue features character pages for the Fantastic Four and many supporting characters. Despite this being Crystal's last issue, her character page reads "It's great to be back with the Fantastic Four! I'll never leave again!"
Avenger (1991–1998) Crystal has also appeared as a member of the Avengers. She was a prominent member of the main Avengers team for the term of Bob Harras' time as writer for the title, but declined in prominence shortly after he left to become Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. In addition to starring in Avengers, the character also appeared in the solo books of her Avengers teammates during these years such as Captain America, Invincible Iron Man, and The Vision. While serving on the team, the character lived in Avengers Mansion with Luna and her nanny, Marilla. During this time period, the character would attempt to reconcile with Quicksilver off-and-on. Crystal was featured as an Avenger through many important storylines and events including Operation: Galactic Storm, Infinity War, Infinity Crusade, Bloodties, Onslaught, and Heroes Return. Crystal proved invaluable to the team many times during her tenure and was well-loved by her teammates. The character also featured prominently in the series Quicksilver toward the end of her tour as an active Avenger.
Return to Attilan (1998–2007) This time period was a departure from Crystal's previous appearances because it marked the first time the character had returned to Attilan by her own choice for a significant amount of time since she first encountered the Fantastic Four. Crystal appeared in Inhumans vol. 2 (1998–1999), a limited series by Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee. The series, which was part of the Marvel Knights line, was critically acclaimed, popular with readers, and earned Jenkins an Eisner Award."1999 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved 23 March 2014. From 2000 to 2005, the character mostly made guest appearances in Avengers, Fantastic Four, and other titles. Son of M (2006) and Silent War (2007), written by David Hine would bring the next major arc for Crystal. These books chronicled Quicksilver's betrayal of Crystal and the Inhumans in an attempt to use the Terrigen Mist to restore the mutants depowered during the events of House of M and the resulting conflict between Attilan and a fictional version of the United States.
Cosmic Inhumans (2008–2013) This time period marked another new development for Crystal's character as she and her fellow Inhumans became involved in intergalactic conflicts. Secret Invasion: Inhumans (2008–2009) by Joe Pokaski marked the beginning as it was discovered that Black Bolt had been replaced by a Skrull. This revelation leads to a series of events that eventually sees the Inhumans ascend to become sovereigns of the Kree Empire and Crystal betrothed to Ronan the Accuser. Crystal was then featured through a series of books by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning including War of Kings (2009), Realm of Kings: Inhumans (2010), and The Thanos Imperative (2010). During this time, Crystal showed her prowess not only as a warrior, but as a leader, as she and her family navigated political and military conflicts, particularly against Vulcan and the Shi'ar Imperium. From 2010 to 2013, her story continues in the pages of Fantastic Four and FF, in which she is forcibly separated from Ronan against both of their wishes. Although present in Infinity (2013) and Inhumanity (2013–2014), which, under new authorship, continue the events portrayed in Abnett and Lanning's aforementioned series, she does not play a major part in these books.
All-New, All-Different Marvel (2015–) Despite her unexplained absence in Charles Soule's Marvel NOW! series Inhuman (2014–2015), Marvel has indicated that Crystal will be returning to the spotlight as a part of their All-New, All-Different Marvel initiative. She has been announced to appear in the upcoming Uncanny Inhumans series, and leaked information indicated the character would be featured in a starring role in All-New Inhumans, both also written by Charles Soule. The character has also appeared on the teaser image for All-New All-Different Marvel Point One, which is to be an introduction to the new series that are being launched as a part of All-New, All-Different Marvel. On August 19, 2015, it was officially announced that Crystal would be the leader of a team of Inhumans in All-New Inhumans, which will be co-written by Charles Soule and James Asmus with art by Stefano Caselli. "These stories follow a diplomatic mission/covert strike team effort led by Crystal," relates Asmus. "She's been at the center of the Inhumans, but also served as an Avenger, alongside the Fantastic Four, and even dabbled with the X-Men when she was married to Quicksilver. She's been a constant presence in the Marvel Universe, but leading this faction of NuHumans is her stepping up in a big way." The character's appearance has been significantly changed, having an updated costume and a pixie cut.
Fictional character biography Crystal is the daughter of Inhumans Quelin and Ambur, and lived in Attilan with the other Inhumans, until the Inhuman Royal Family was forced out of the Great Refuge by Maximus.Inhumans Special #1 Her first encounters with the outside world were via the Fantastic Four. She encountered the Human Torch, and brought him to the Inhumans' secret New York base. She left New York with her family members to escape the Seeker, but became trapped inside Maximus' "negative zone" barrier dome around the Great Refuge.Fantastic Four #45–48 She fell in love with the Human Torch, although their romance was blocked by a literal barrier, around the Inhumans' city. The Inhumans were eventually freed from the "negative zone" barrier, and left the Great Refuge along with the Royal Family to visit the outside world. She brought Triton to rescue Mister Fantastic from the real Negative Zone and aided the Fantastic Four in battle against Blastaar.Fantastic Four #59–61, 63
Joining the Fantastic Four