Andromeda was introduced in The Defenders #143 and added to the titular supergroup's lineup just a few issues later. Writer Peter B. Gillis later revealed, "My long-term plan was to populate the Defenders with my own crew of characters, characters who nonetheless had ties to interesting parts of the Marvel Universe. Andromeda, while not the Sub-Mariner, gave me a connection to Atlantis." However, Andromeda would be the last character Gillis added to the Defenders, since shortly after her debut he was told that the series was being cancelled.
A member of the Homo mermanus race, Andromeda is the illegitimate daughter of Attuma of Atlantis by a woman named Lady Gelva. He did not know of her existence until she confronted him and told him he was her father. Andromeda was raised in Atlantean society and trained in the arts of hunting and war and she exceeded any other male except for her father in these skills. Despite her skills, she was considered unworthy of promotion in the Atlantean military because she is a woman even though she was highly decorated. Andromeda, inspired by Namor's tales, moved to the surface world, where she used a serum to give herself a human appearance and the ability to breathe out of water. She took the name Andrea McPhee and posed as a surface woman. When she was revealed as an Atlantean, she quickly abandoned her charade and became a member of the Defenders, joining them against a villain named Hotspur. She was with the Defenders, christened the "New Defenders," for only a short time, revealing only portions of her background to them. With them, she traveled to outer space and battled the second Star-Thief. She fought Manslaughter as he menaced the team, and then aided the Defenders and the Interloper in battle against fellow Defender Moondragon, and the Dragon of the Moon who was possessing Moondragon. Andromeda sacrificed her life force, joining with Manslaughter, the Valkyrie, and the Interloper to drive the Dragon of the Moon from the Earth, and her body was turned to stone. The Dragon would later return, this time without a body. To stop the Dragon of the Moon, Doctor Strangecast a spell which returned the souls of the Defenders fallen in the battle against the Dragon to the bodies of several recently deceased humans, changing them into duplicates of the Defenders. Andromeda's soul entered the body of Genevieve Cross and these Defenders now called themselves the Dragon Circle. Together the Dragon Circle banished the Dragon from Earth and Andromeda returned to the oceans. Andromeda played an important part in the 1989 Atlantis Attacks crossover. Andromeda led a rebellion to stop her father Attuma from invading the surface world, but was bested by Attuma in personal combat. She was kidnapped unconscious by the Deviant priest Ghaur as one of his "Seven Brides of Set." Under Ghaur's domination, she accompanied She-Hulk to acquire a piece of Set's life force. In the end the Brides of Set gained their freedom thanks tothe Fantastic Four and Avengers. Andromeda joined her forces with those of Namor. She was part of the short-lived Deep Six, a group of underwater heroes. During this time her mind and that of Genevieve Cross would repeatedly exchange control and even turn her body into a copy of Genevieve's. Andromeda sacrificed her own mind to save Namor's soul, leaving Genevieve in control of Andromeda's body. Months later, either Genevieve in Andromeda's body or a restored Andromeda herself assisted Namor and the Defenders against Attuma's own Deep Six. Andromeda was last seen as an ally of Namor, living in Atlantis. Andromeda later appears as a member of Namor's Defenders of the Deep.
Powers and abilities
Andromeda has all the powers inherent to the Homo mermanus, but her strength and speed are far greater than that of any ordinary Homo mermanus, though not as great as that of her father, Attuma. She is adapted to live underwater, having gills that allow her to breathe underwater, she can swim at high speeds and her body is resistant to the pressure and the cold of the deep oceans. Her specially-developed vision allows her to see clearly in the murky depths of the ocean. She can survive only for 10 minutes out of water, unless she uses a special serum that gives her the ability to breathe air. Her stamina, agility, and reflexes are reduced when out of the water. She has been trained as an Atlantean warrior, and is very skilled in the arts of hunting and war, wielding a trident as her weapon of choice. She carries a short sword and an 8" dagger as additional weaponry. Andromeda also has extensive knowledge of biochemistry.
