| Morgaine le Fey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Morgaine le Fey as depicted inDemon Knights #12 (August 2012). Art by Phillip Tan. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Demon #1 (September 1972) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Morgaine le Fey |
| Species | Homo magi |
| Team affiliations | Council of Immortals |
| Abilities |
|
Morgaine le Fey is asupervillain appearing inDC Comics, based onMorgan le Fay, the mythical sorceress and half-sister ofKing Arthur. She debuted inThe Demon #1 (September 1972), and was created byJack Kirby.[1]
Morgaine le Fey is an ancient sorceress gifted in the arts of black magic. InMadame Xanadu #1 (2008), Morgaine is revealed to be a sister ofNimue (the future Madame Xanadu) and Vivienne, theLady of the Lake. All three are descended from the Elder Folk, survivors of the fall ofAtlantis. The Elder Folk evolved into theHomo magi, a human subspecies with an affinity for magic.
After several centuries of manipulating humans and taking many lovers (includingJulius Caesar), Morgaine sets her sights onUther Pendragon, High King ofBritain. Her advances are rejected, as Uther only has eyes forIgraine, the wife of DukeGorlois. Seeking to meddle in their lives, Morgaine disguises herself as one of Igraine's daughters, but this causes her to be exiled from the Elder Folk. Her sister Vivienne gives her shelter on the isle of Avalon.[2]
In the early 6th century, Morgaine trains her sistersMorgause andElaine to be adept with sorcery like her. After Uther kills Gorlois, Morgaine blames her half-brotherKing Arthur (Uther's son) for stealing her and her sisters' birthright. She conspires against him throughout his time on the throne and seeks the destruction ofCamelot.[3]
In the waning days of Camelot,Merlin merges his demon familiarEtrigan with the human Jason Blood in a last-ditch effort to defend the kingdom from Morgaine le Fey. Following the fall of Camelot, Morgaine continues to practice her dark arts and retains her youth for many centuries, always seeking power and a new kingdom to rule. By the 20th century, Merlin resurfaces and tricks Morgaine, causing her to lose her youth.
In the seriesTrinity, Morgaine le Fay works withEnigma andDespero to usurp the symbolic position ofSuperman,Batman, andWonder Woman. The trio of villains succeed in creating analternate timeline with their efforts, but the spell is not entirely successful, as "Despero" is revealed to beKanjar Ro in disguise and disrupts Morgaine's enchantment.
Morgaine infuses her allies with the power of theMajor Arcana, giving them a measure of control over reality. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman return from their exile and destroy the Dark Arcana's reality-based powers, vanquishing Morgaine's control of Europe. Having failed to conquer Earth, Morgaine seeks the aid ofKrona to destroy it instead. Morgaine is defeated and imprisoned in a stone idol, which is entrusted to Jason Blood.
InThe New 52 continuity reboot, Morgaine and Nimue are the daughters of Igraine, who is identified as aFae.
Morgaine le Fey is a sorceress skilled in the use of black magic. She previously possessed immortality, but lost this ability to Merlin. To survive, Morgaine wears golden armor to shield her withered body and drains youth from others to restore her own. Morgaine is able to travel between dimensions, nullify magic, and read minds.
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