Filipina superhero highlights Marvel’s 80th in Cebu

FILE: Getting ready to celebrate #Marvel80 with @leinilyu at @SMSeasideCebu! #Wave #MarvelFutureFight (Photo: @zingodude/Twitter)

CEBU CITY – Marvel’s 80 years of epic story-telling on Sunday welcomed a new superhero, a Filipina from Mactan Island in Cebu, during a spectacular celebration with the fandom across gaming, comics, and special merchandise at the SM Seaside here.

Danny Koo, Marvel’s senior producer, and Leinil Francis Yu, a legendary comic book artist who is also a native of Cebu, presented Wave, in the person of Pearl Pangan, as the new superhero first seen in “War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas.”

Koo rallied support from Filipino fans for Marvel’s new addition of superheroes in the new comic and video game series, with Wave showing fanciful moves of her telekinetic powers over water molecules in subduing enemies of the ocean world.

“As we celebrate 80 years of Marvel’s epic story-telling… our celebration here in the Queen City of the South is extra special because we are welcoming the arrival of Wave, Marvel’s new Filipina superhero,” Yaracel Macalindog, country head of Disney Consumer Products, Philippines, said in his message during the event.

Macalindog said that for the past 80 years, Marvel has told stories beyond the fans’ imagination, pulling in comic book readers, moviegoers, gamers, television viewers, toy collectors, and other consumer products to many fans into the fantastic sphere of superheroes.

Yu explained to the fans how he and American film director Greg Pak co-created Wave “with a recognizable Filipino Imagery garbing a feminine, technology-based suit highlighting classical weapon, Kampilan.”

“I’m so proud to be part of this project… Two months ago, she’s just a sketch and now, Wave is part of the marvel game,” Yu said.

Anton del Prado, mall manager of SM Seaside, highlighted the pride of the Filipinos for having Wave as an addition to Marvel’s superheroes.

Del Prado also underscored the values of Wave as protector of the ocean and the environment, which, he said, “we also do as individuals, as Cebuanos.”

“So imagine, now the pride and joy that we have a new Filipino, a Cebuano, Marvel superhero in Wave. Wave is a very relatable character. She is not only a Filipina, a Cebuana, but she’s a person from Mactan,” he said.

Before becoming a superhero, Pangan grew up by the beach on Mactan Island and displayed a strong affinity for water at an early age, becoming a swimmer full of promise and Olympic potential.

Obstacles in life turned her aside from that path. While working at a fastfood chain, Pangan was approached by a representative of the company Alontech who had learned of her from her high school’s swim team records, then used her swimming expertise for experiments during which she was exposed to an illegal biotech chemical.

Using telekinetic powers over water molecules, Wave or Pangan stands against all threats being the newest members of the Agents of Atlas.

Highlighted during the celebration was Yu’s on-the-spot sketching of Wave, as the fans astoundingly viewed the transitions of his rough portray of the superhero on a videoed sheet of paper.

Koo and Yu met the fans in an autograph signing session, as organizers provided them special edition Marvel 80th posters produced just for the event.