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TheMagician is the name of three fictional characters appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics.
The first version (Lee Guardineer) first appeared inTales to Astonish #56 (June 1964), and was created byStan Lee andDick Ayers. The last name Guardineer is a reference to the Golden Age comics creatorFred Guardineer who createdZatara, Tor, and Merlin the Magnificent who were all magician crimefighters.
| Magician | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Tales to Astonish #56 (June 1964) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Dick Ayers |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Lee Guardineer |
| Species | Human |
| Abilities | Skilled stage magician, trickster and illusionist Master pickpocket Expert animal trainer Hypnosis Use of motorized cane |
Lee Guardineer is astage magician who used his stage acts to rob rich party guests. His activities attracted the attention ofGiant-Man's ants who reported this. The Magician then robbed a yacht party run by the rich socialite Sterling Stuyvesant and kidnapped theWasp to make Giant-Man jealous. In response, Giant-Man set up a phonyyacht party which lured the Magician to a trap. Once that trap was sprung, Giant-Man captured the Magician and saved the Wasp. The Magician was fished out of the water by the police and later taken to prison.[1]
While Hank Pym was out of town, the Magician escaped from prison and set up a clothing store with Wasp-inspired clothing. When the Wasp arrived, the Magician attacks in order to capture the Wasp. However, the Wasp soon makes short work of the Magician using quick thinking and the store's many toys to take down the Magician who is promptly arrested by the police.[2]
Sometime later, Lee was released from prison and moved to Tampa with a dancer named Chasity, with whom he had a son.[3]
| Magician | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Astonishing Ant-Man #2 (January 2016) |
| Created by | Nick Spencer Ramon Rosanas |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Human |
| Abilities | Skilled stage magician, trickster and illusionist |
Lee Guardineer had an unnamed son who took up the Magician mantle as part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" event. Upon taking his father's mantle, Magician joined thePower Broker's Hench App (a mobile app that enabled people to solicit the service of supervillains). His first job has him hired by publicist Marlena Howard to pretend to have a grudge againstDarla Deering for not hiring him for the opening act of the woman's show. The Magician interrupted Deering in the middle of her break-up fight againstAnt-Man and confronted the two heroes with genetically-modified rabbits and pigeons. After explaining his origin to Ant-Man, the Magician intentionally lost to Miss Thing. The fight between the Magician and Ant-Man and Darla was staged and filmed because it would make a successful pilot episode for Darla's newest reality show.[3]
The Lee Guardineer version of Magician is a skilled stage magician, trickster, and illusionist whose tricks rely on his technology. Besides being a master pickpocket, he is an expert animal trainer and can hypnotize anyone at will. The Magician has a motorized cane with a hatch on top that can act as a vacuum and be used as a divining rod to seek out his enemies.
| Magician | |
|---|---|
 Magician (Elliot Boggs) inUltimate X-Men #70. Art by Ben Oliver. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Ultimate X-Men #66 (March 2006) |
| Created by | Robert Kirkman &Tom Raney |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Elliot Boggs |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | Ultimate X-Men |
| Abilities | Reality warping |
TheUltimate Marvel version of Magician isElliot Boggs. His powers first emerged uncontrollably, apparently killing both of his parents. After being subdued byS.H.I.E.L.D., custody of him is given over toCharles Xavier in the hopes Elliot can control his powers. When Elliot awakes, he quickly urges Cyclops to let him join theX-Men. Shorthanded, Cyclops allows Elliot to help the X-Men take on theBrotherhood of Mutant Supremacy attacking the Academy of Tomorrow. During the battle, Elliot manages to easily defeat theBlob. Afterwards, he adopts the Magician code name, which is suggested by television reporters. Several of the X-Men observe that the reporters got to the scene amazingly fast, as well as the fact that the Brotherhood had no reason for the initial attack in the first place. After Elliot's interview, the X-Men are on good terms with the press for the first time sinceMagnetoreturned after a presumed death.[4]
Later during an attack by theFriends of Humanity on a hospital that gave treatments tomutants, Elliot once again fights alongside the X-Men and manages to single-handedly defeat the Friends of Humanity when the other X-Men are incapacitated. Before the X-Men return to the mansion,Nick Fury visits Xavier, requesting that Elliot join theUltimates. However, Xavier refuses, to which Fury says Elliot's parents have agreed to their son joining the Ultimates. Xavier is shocked to hear this, as Elliot's parents were believed to have died. When Fury is unable to recall saying or doing this and only heard of Elliot when he started appearing with the X-Men, Charles realizes something is very wrong.[5]
Charles and Nick believe that Elliot has been messing with their minds, creating the illusion of Nick bringing him to Charles. Fury states that even if Elliot had made everyone forget, there would still be a record on file at S.H.I.E.L.D. The two await Elliott's arrival to confront him. When the jet lands, Charles asks Elliot to "come clean". Xavier confronts him with the truth that his parents are not dead and that Fury never took him to the mansion. When everyone begins attacking him, Elliot tries to make everyone all stop and forget why they are attacking him but this tactic fails to work completely thanks to Charles' interference. Elliot decides he is through playing games and that he could have made the X-Men popular but now he has to kill everyone. However, Elliot is unaware ofJean Grey's presence much to Elliot's surprise.[6]
A battle ensues, in which Magician once again summons the Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy out of thin air. Magician binds the X-Men in metal and Jean fights the entire Brotherhood alone. Jean speaks psychically toWolverine and obtains permission to burn away the metal binding him. As the battle progresses, Wolverine slowly heals and apparently kills Magician. Magician survives, but chooses to isolate himself, wanting to be left alone.[7]
Elliot Boggs is a mutant capable of warping reality to his whim.[5] He has little control of his powers, stating that they seem to give him whatever he wants regardless of what he wills them to.