War Woman

Out of costume, Holly wears her brown hair at chest length with bangs, paired with red wire-frame glasses, a red jacket-and-skirt suit over a burgundy top, and white heels. Gold earrings and a gold necklace set with a large blue crystal complete the look, and a touch of that crystal shifts her into her hero form. As War Woman she binds her hair into two thick braids with gold clasps and throws an azure cape over armor that shields her from neck to foot, leaving only the shoulders and upper arms bare. The plating runs gold with brown trim across the gauntlets, greaves, breastplate, and belt, while white armor guards her thighs and midsection.

Driven, principled, and firm, War Woman carried an unshakeable sense of duty that earned the respect of the soldiers she rescued, many addressing her as ma'am even though she held no rank. She believed no one, herself included, ever did enough to better the world, and that conviction pushed her relentlessly. On the battlefield she often served as leader or co-leader of the Guardians beside the Immortal, marshaling her teammates and charging in first. For all her sternness she was selfless and caring, which left her stunned by the savagery Omni-Man unleashed on her friends.

Her early life is little known, though she was said to hail from a different age, hinting she may have lived for centuries or millennia by the time of her death. Among her exploits, she joined the Immortal, Aquarus, Black Samson, and Green Ghost to repel a Lizard League raid on a facility, and later led the defense of the White House against the Mauler Twins, evacuating soldiers before smashing one twin's eye with her mace and helping bring both down. Off duty she ran a company with her colleague Connie, clashing over profits because Holly cared only about improving the world, not about pleasing shareholders. When an alert reached her wristband, she touched her crystal necklace, transformed, and flew to Guardians Headquarters, only to learn that none of her teammates had raised the alarm. Realizing they had walked into a trap, the Guardians turned to face Omni-Man. War Woman struck first alongside Red Rush but could not stop the Viltrumite from killing him. With Martian Man restraining Omni-Man, she and the Immortal landed heavy blows, and she managed a mace strike hard enough to give Omni-Man a concussion. He broke loose, drove her face into the floor, and after a brutal, drawn-out fight that also claimed Darkwing, Green Ghost, and Aquarus, he seized her by the neck and twisted it a full 180 degrees, killing her. In the aftermath the Global Defense Agency recovered the bodies, and a shaken Cecil slammed his fist in a rage. Three years later Connie took up the War Woman name, but rather than honoring the fallen hero she became a villain and joined the Order.