Karla Redwood (Patreon)

In 1904, Professor Karla Redwood accidentally discovered the foundation of what would eventually be called Boomgirl, Hippolytaphorbia IV, while investigating treatments for Consumption. Redwood had become sickly and emaciated during her illness, dropping to just 75 pounds. Within six months of first ingesting the substance she'd gained 100 pounds of lean mass and grown almost three times as strong as the average man.

Upon expanding the treatment to others suffering from the illness, Redwood was shocked to discover that none of the Hippolytaphorbia compounds she'd discovered had any effect whatsoever on men. They worked only on female mammals, humans included.

Redwood's subsequent development of a technique to mass produce the compound transformed the world, with even small doses making women the physical equals of men, while large doses could grant superhuman strength and durability.