Name: Formicida
First Appearance: Wonder Woman: the tv series S03:EP:06 (1978)
Portrayed by: Lorene Yarnell
Abilities: The proportionate speed and strength of an ant. The ability to control ants. Mastery of chemistry.
Backstory: Doctor Irene Janus was a quiet mousey individual who hated confrontation, was uncomfortable with socialization, and would be entirely ignored were it not for the fact that she was one of the worlds foremost minds in the fields of chemistry.
Dedicating herself to trying to better the world and helping others, Irene put her focus into the field of pesticides. Wishing to create a pesticide which would safely exterminate insects which fed on the crops, without any harmful effects on anything else.
However instead, her creation of EF-11 was a deadly chemical cocktail which was not only deadly to everything save for plant life which came into contact with it, but it was such an intense poison that a gallon of it was enough to render 5,000 gallons of water into a deadly poison for all other life. A poison which would not dilute in water and could not be rendered inert from anything save for an intense pressure of 200,000 PSI.
Her partner in all things Doctor Douglas Radcliff saw this as a huge financial opportunity and ignoring Irenes protests, contacted Gideon D Hardcourt, selling him the formula.
Irene horrified, would then contact Gideon Hardcourt, thinking he did not understand the dangerous nature of the chemicals, only to discover that he knew, but simply did not care. Seeing this as an incredible money making opportunity and was safe in the knowledge that any wrongful death lawsuits could be batted away with a stick of wealth and clout.
Refusing to let a creation of hers cause millions of deaths, Irene Janus would attempt to go public with the issues within EF-11, only for Gideon Hardcourt to use a handful of well placed bribes to spread misinformation, discrediting Irene Janus and removing her academic accreditation. Giving her a false criminal record and a reputation for falsehoods. Her creation of EF-11 given to Douglas Radcliff who went along with the cover.
In desperation, Irene Janus would create a chemical formula which would ‘grant her incredible powers but warp her appearance to make her unrecognizable and horrifying compared to her timid meek self’ with the intention of saving the world no matter the cost.
Taking on the name of Formicida, she would develop a radically different personality as a result of her transformation. One that was more bold and threatening. A confident and boastful personality.
Along with this change in personalities, Formicida gained the proportionate strength of an ant, and the ability to command ants by clenching her jaw and clicking her tongue in ‘ant language’
Using her newfound powers, Formicida would set out to destroy buildings and hunt down any hint of the evil formula of her own destroy any trace of her creation which otherwise would doom the world! Regardless of the vast swath of hired hitmen Gideon Hardcourt had hired to put her down.
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