Dr. Laura Shugel-Shen is the daughter of Gerard Shugel, the third Ultra-Humanite; and the adoptive mother of Marcus Shugel-Shen, aka the Monkey Prince. Along with her husband Winston she is a criminal scientist who works for some of the most notorious villains in the country, yet is nevertheless a loving and devoted parent to Marcus.
History
Fifteen years ago Laura was working for her father alongside Winston. They dated but Laura broke up with Winston, as she was disappointed that he was unable to stand up to Gerard despite the courage he showed in his work. Winston was able to get a stolen Phantom Zone Projector working and the three of them attempted to open a portal to the Phantom Zone and free the Monkey King. They succeeded in opening the portal, but boulders rained down out of it, almost crushing them. Gerard's insistence on running the experiment in the open in the middle of Metropolis quickly drew the attention of the Justice League, who broke the Projector in half and smashed its Phantom Crystal Lens.
Winston and Laura escaped while the League were distracted fighting Gerard. As they were getting away they heard crying from one of the boulders, which cracked open to reveal a baby boy inside. They both immediately fell in love with him and took him from the scene with them. Winston and Laura resumed their romantic relationship, got married and adopted the boy, who they named Marcus. They told Gerard that they found Marcus in an orphanage and cut all ties with him when Marcus was a toddler, as they knew Gerard would try to exploit Marcus if he knew his true origins.[1][2][3]
The Shugel-Shen's moved to Gotham City, where Laura and Winston worked as freelance henchpeople, selling their scientific skills to the city's numerous supervillains and criminals. One night Batman broke into their home during a thunderstorm and attacked them, looking for information on their current employer. When he realised there was a child in the house Batman left, but Marcus was traumatised and suffered panic attacks for years afterwards. The family left Gotham and began travelling around the country as Laura and Winston sought employment with villains around the country. They worked for The Riddler, Intergang and Captain Cold, among others, and earned a sterling reputation among the supervillain community.[4] The Shugel-Shen's were careful to keep the nature of their work secret from Marcus, letting him believe they were merely boring scientists.[5]
Their moves eventually brought them back to Metropolis, where they took jobs with LexCorp. King Fire Bull attacked the facility they were working in and Laura was grievously injured. Winston was forced to take her to Gerard to save her life.[1] Laura made a full recovery and she and Winston reconciled with Gerard, unaware that he had injected Marcus with pain-inflicting nanobots to control him and his power as the Monkey Prince.[6]
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Related
- 13 Appearances of Laura Shugel (Prime Earth)
- 3 Images featuring Laura Shugel (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Laura Shugel (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Laura Shugel (Prime Earth)
Footnotes