The X-Men have one of the most varied and terrifying rogues galleries of villains in the entire Marvel Universe. From massive robots and extradimensional demons to warlike aliens and mutant mad scientists, the X-Men have battled virtually every type of threat imaginable. But of all the foes the X-Men have fought, few possess the razor-honed feral rage and focus like Victor Creed, who is best known as Sabretooth. A sometimes mercenary, sometimes member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Sabretooth very quickly established himself as one of the most relentless and vicious villains the X-Men have ever faced. Over the years, as Sabretooth came to operate on his own terms, he acquired an invaluable ally who aided him in his life of violent crime. Her name was Birdy, and she was simultaneously Sabretooth’s closest friend and closest prisoner.

Birdy debuted in 1992’s X-Men #6 (by Jim Lee and Scott Lobdell.) Appearing suddenly alongside Sabretooth in an alley, Birdy was established as Sabretooth’s closest confidant and partner. A mutant telepath who helped sooth Sabretooth’s more feral urges, Birdy was an indispensable source of calm for the remorseless killer. Unlike other partnerships, however, Birdy was never considered to be Sabretooth’s equal. She wasn’t even considered to be worthy of his respect either, a dynamic that created a very tense and oftentimes violent relationship between the two. In many ways, Birdy was as much a slave to Sabretooth as she was his ally, which bred a horribly violent relationship between the two mutants.

Birdy Made Her Debut as a Side Character in the Pages of X-Men

It was revealed in 1993’s Sabretooth (by Larry Hama and Mark Texeira) that an unknown assailant was hunting Sabretooth and Mystique. Dodging death left and right while hunting down clues as to the identity of their would-be killer, Sabretooth and Birdy finally unearthed a shocking revelation. During a particularly hotblooded fling together while in Germany, Sabretooth and Mystique became parents to a young boy, Graydon Creed.

Unsurprisingly, neither Sabretooth nor Mystique were cut out to be caring, loving parents; this led to Mystique keeping the truth about Graydon’s father from him and eventually abandoning him due to him not being born a mutant. When Graydon grew into a man, he became obsessed with hunting down his parents and exacting revenge on them for the abuse they inflicted on him. When Sabretooth and Birdy finally confronted Sabretooth’s son, Graydon produced a knife and stabbed Birdy without warning. Dying within seconds, Birdy fell to the ground, shocked and stunned.

Graydon revealed that he killed Birdy simply to hurt Sabretooth, believing that without someone to ease his rage and pain, his life would become unbearable. Unfortunately for Graydon, Birdy’s death left far less of an impact on Sabretooth than he had anticipated. Birdy’s death was terrible, especially considering the circumstances as to why she was even in harm’s way to begin with, but what truly stung was the indifference with which Sabretooth glanced at her body. A girl that fought time and time again to escape from Sabretooth received a truly unfair and horrible fate simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, as is often the case with mutants in the Marvel Universe, Birdy’s demise was not to be permanent.

Birdy's First Appearance Ended in Bloody Tragedy, But She's Since Jumped Back Into Action

Birdy’s death in Sabretooth #4 was abrupt and without fanfare. She was nothing more than a body to be used by Sabretooth, plain and simple. However, many years later, during the formation of the mutant nation of Krakoa, a group of incredibly powerful mutants known as The Five banded together with the purpose of resurrecting mutants that had died. Consisting of Hope Summers, Elixir, Egg, Proteus, and Tempus, The Five brought countless mutants back to life; among those resurrected was Birdy. The confusion of being reborn without warning, her last memories being that she worked for Sabretooth and had come to a sudden and violent end, meant that Birdy needed time to acclimate to her new life.

In 2022’s Marauders #6 (by Steve Orlando, Andrea Broccardo, and Matt Milla), Birdy introduces herself formally for the first time. She states that she is akin to a combat medic, though rather than administering physical aid to those in need, she utilizes her mutant powers to give psychic aid. Referring to her powers as “the glow”, Birdy reminisces on how she had previously used her powers to soothe and heal Sabretooth’s broken mind, pushing his worst memories to the back of his mind. Now, no longer shackled to the murderous mutant, Birdy is free to use her telepathy to help others sift through and reconcile their thoughts and memories. This isn’t to say Birdy is a complete pacifist, however; she can still use large weaponry with ease just as she used to with Sabretooth.

Birdy Was Lucky Enough to Become a Guest Star in Two of Capcom's Famous Fighting Games

Despite her very brief time in the comics, Birdy was able to make one of the most prestigious jumps possible for a Marvel character in the '90s: she was put into Capcom’s vaunted Vs. series of fighting games. In 1996’s X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and 2002’s Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Birdy appears in various ways alongside Sabretooth.

In the "Armed Birdie" and "Heavy Armed Birdie" moves, Birdy walks on screen with a massive rifle and sprays bullets at the opponent. She also appears in Sabretooth’s ending sequence in X-Men Vs. Street Fighter, informing Sabretooth that he has beaten all of his enemies. In Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, she poses alongside Sabretooth in some of his victory animations. While she herself is unplayable, it’s still really cool that Birdy received a cameo in one of the fighting game genre’s biggest titles.

It's difficult to say what exactly lies in store for Birdy now that she’s made her return to the realm of the living. As a mutant, her powers aren’t as bombastic and physically impressive as Storm’s or Cyclops. She’s a telepath, but unlike Psylocke or Jean, her powers can’t manifest as psy-blades or great feats of telekinesis. Birdy is a healer and is best suited for support roles. While she can wield huge guns with ease and definitely knows her way around a battlefield, she’s ultimately outclassed by more experienced and more powerful mutants such as Cable, Bishop, and Domino.

However, Birdy is unique in that she possesses her mutant glow ability, an edge that separates her from the rest of the pack. Stranger characters have received their own series in the past, so Birdy’s chances of standing in the limelight are never zero.

Birdy's Recent Revival Could Spell a Bright and Action-Packed Future For Her

Birdy’s relationship with Sabretooth was flawed from the very beginning. Theirs was never a romantic relationship, let alone one built on trust and mutual respect. Sabretooth found a mutant telepath and forced her to help him. It was never a friendship. As Birdy proved in 1993’s Sabretooth, she wanted nothing to do with Sabretooth and even attacked him multiple times to try and escape from him. Whether Sabretooth would have killed Birdy himself had Graydon not done so is unclear, but it certainly wouldn’t have come as a surprise. Birdy deserved far more than she received during her initial run, so it’s wonderful that she’s made a return free of her ex-boss.

With the release of 2019’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order and the upcoming Marvel Rivals slated for 2025, there is always the possibility of Birdy making a more prominent appearance in a video game. Ultimate Alliance 3 let players control characters like Crystal, Elsa Bloodstone, and Morbius. Marvel Rivals is shaping up to contain quite the varied roster of characters, as well. If Crystal and Elsa Bloodstone can take up character slots in a major video game release like Ultimate Alliance 3, Birdy definitely stands a chance to have her time to shine, too. It’s exciting to contemplate where Birdy can go in the future, and if her recent run in the Marauders is any indication, there could be some fantastic stories ahead for her in the "From the Ashes" era.