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| Amara Aquilla Magma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The New Mutants #8 (October 1983) |
| Created by | Chris Claremont Sal Buscema Bob McLeod |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla |
| Species | Human mutant |
| Team affiliations | |
| Notable aliases | Alison Crestmere Magma |
| Abilities |
|
Magma (Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla) is a character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerChris Claremont, and artistsSal Buscema,Glynis Wein, andBob McLeod, the character first appeared inThe New Mutants #8 (October 1983).[1] Amara Aquilla belongs to the subspecies of humans calledmutants,[2] who are born with superhuman abilities. She is known under the codenames Allison Crestmere and Magma.[3] She possesses the power to manipulatemagma and earth, and can turn into a magmatic form.
Amara is from Nova Roma, a secluded area in Brazil that has similar customs toAncient Rome. She is most known for serving as a member of theNew Mutants. The character has appeared in other media, notably inX-Men: Legends.
Amara Aquilla debuted inThe New Mutants #8 (October 1983), and appeared in that title regularly,[4] untilThe New Mutants #57 (November 1987) when she departs the titular super-group to join their rivals, the Hellions. Along with the other New Mutants, she appeared as an occasional supporting character inUncanny X-Men, with issue #189 (1985) as a salient issue featuring her conflict withSelene at theHellfire Club. After her being dropped from the regular cast,The New Mutants featured two Magma solo stories, occupying the entirety ofThe New Mutants #62 (April 1988) andThe New Mutants #81 (Nov. 1989). The latter was a fill-in issue written while she was still a regular cast member.[5]
Magma appeared infrequently during the 1990s, but did take part in the "Child's Play" crossover throughX-Force #32-33 andThe New Warriors #45-46 (1994). InX-Force #87-90 (1997), Magma appeared as an antagonist to her former teammates, but her villainous personality was short-lived as she returned to her affiliation with the X-Men in semi-regular publication inNew Mutants Vol. 2 #3-4, #7-8, #11 and #13 (2003-2004) and as a team member inX-Treme X-Men #34-46 (2004). Magma then featured prominently as a member of the 198 remaining mutants on earth in the limited seriesX-Men: The 198 #1-5 (2006) and then inYoung X-Men #1-6 (2008) until returning to regular monthly publication inNew Mutants Vol. 3 #1 (2009) wherein she remained as a regular character through issue #50 (2012).
Magma (Amara Juliana Olivians Aquilla) hails from thefictional country of Nova Roma ("New Rome"), a colony of theRoman Republic reportedly founded shortly after the death ofJulius Caesar in 44 BC. The colony is hidden in theAmazon rainforest of modernBrazil, and was ruled until recently by the immortal witchSelene. Amara is the daughter of Lucius Antonius Aquilla, who is presumably a member of the historicalgens Antonia which claimed descent from Anton, son ofHercules. Growing up in Nova Roma, she had curly blonde hair, and wore a traditional white Romantoga.
Caught up in a deadly power struggle between Selene and her father, she disguises herself as anindigenous Brazilian and is captured by theNew Mutants, who soon discovers her true ethnicity.[6] Her powers manifest after she is abducted by Selene, who throws her into a lava pool.[7] Amara is defeated by Selene, but later rescued by the New Mutants and adopts the name 'Magma' as her heroic identity.[8] At her father's urging, she leaves Nova Roma, in the company of the New Mutants, to be taught byCharles Xavier.[9]
After the New Mutants visit Nova Roma, Magma officially enters Xavier's school and joins the New Mutants.[10] She invades theHellfire Club's New York headquarters to battle Selene.[11] She is fooled into joining a gladiatorial competition run by the insaneShadow King, where she partners withSunspot. Eventually, the efforts of her other friends free her and Sunspot from the games.[12]
Mistaking the New Mutants for theX-Men, theEnchantress kidnaps them during their Greek vacation and takes them to Asgard. The teleportation spell created by her teammateMagik goes awry when blocked by the Enchantress's power, and Magma ends up in the elven realm. They trick her into consuming food, thus making her one of their own. She participates in a raid on the Asgardian dwarves, where she is defeated byCannonball. The dwarves, grateful to Cannonball, restore Magma's mind, but they cannot restore her body, but all magical alterations are reversed when they are sent home.[13]
After a time, Magma recognizes her ancestor in a statue depicting the ancientlunar deitySelene. The witch Selene approaches her and claims to be that ancestor.[14] Magma and the New Mutants clash withEmma Frost and her super-powered teens, theHellions on multiple occasions. Despite the cruelties displayed by the HellionEmpath, Magma develops an attraction towards him, which distresses her and leads her to leave the New Mutants and join the Hellions.[15]
She trains with the Hellions, and returns to South America with Empath.[16] She later reveals to the New Mutants that her father arranged her engagement to a South American prince. She is captured by theHigh Evolutionary's agents Dr. Stack and Purge, but is rescued by the New Mutants.[17]
It is later revealed that Nova Roma is not Roman, but was created by Selene using mind control on British citizens to recreate Rome, and that Magma's real name is Allison Crestmere. While still under the influence of the "Allison" persona, she briefly resurfaces as a member of theNew Hellions.
Later, she is one of the mutants who appears crucified on theX-Men's lawn.[18] While she is saved by a transfusion ofArchangel's blood, she lapses into a deep coma.[19] She is forcibly revived byElixir, a traumatic event which prompts her to destroy the infirmary and flee in a rage. Further telepathic contact with Magma is rebuffed.[20]
When she eventually arrives in Los Angeles, as Amara once more, she meets up withCannonball, who had joined asplinter team of X-Men.[21] She aids this team for a time, and when the "Allison Crestmere" identity is brought up by Cannonball, Magma reveals that Elixir's healing had removed the "Allison" personality, she now realizes that it was, in fact, a deception.[22]
Amara returns to the school for a while.[23] When her friendWolfsbane had to leave, Magma takes over her advisory role, becoming the leader of theParagons.[24]
Due to the events of theDecimation, Magma loses her boyfriend when his powers are stripped while inside a volcano. His death temporarily drives her insane causing her to make the volcano erupt and attack a nearby town.[25] She is later apprehended by Empath and brought to the Xavier Institute where she shares a tent withSkids andOutlaw.[26] She is then manipulated by the mutantJohnny Dee, who is infatuated with her. Because of previous experience with being emotionally controlled, she incorrectly blames Empath who denies her accusations.[27]
Along with former New Mutants,Danielle Moonstar, Cannonball, and Sunspot, Magma appeared to be a member of the newest incarnation of theBrotherhood of Mutants, as claimed byCyclops.[28] She is one of the first members targeted by the new team ofX-Men.[29] During the battle, Amara turnsDust into glass by superheating her sand form, shattersRockslide (who later reforms), and is eventually taken out byWolf Cub. She is held in a holding cell in the custody of Cyclops.[30]
It is eventually revealed that "Cyclops" isDonald Pierce posing as the X-Men leader using an image inducer.[31]. She later helps to capture him and then relocates to San Francisco.[32]
After receiving an anonymous tip about a young mutant endangering a small town, Dani andShan are sent to investigate. Meanwhile, Magik reappears back at the X-Men's base in San Francisco after teleporting off into the future after the events of "X-Infernus". Upon her return, Magik informs Sam and Roberto that Shan and Dani will die. Amara is visiting with Empath in his cell when she is called away by Sam. The four go off to find Dani and Shan. While en route, Magik accuses Magma of still having feelings for Empath, and offers to cure Empath and keep the relationship secret.
While searching for Shan and Dani, Sam and Roberto come across a tied up and unconscious Shan, while Magik and Magma are tricked into freeingLegion from a box.[33] The personalities in Legion's mind want to kill Dani because she can help Legion get them under control.[34] Legion locates Dani and is about to kill her when Sam stops him. Legion is tries again to kill Dani, only to be stopped by Magma and Magik.[35] Legion takes out Sunspot and Magma, but is defeated by Magik and Dani.[36]
Magma is mentioned byPixie as one of the first mutants being teleported to Utopia, the X-Men's new island home.[37] She is later seen during the final fight againstNorman Osborn's forces, attackingVenom, as well as lighting a small area on fire aroundColossus during his fight with Venom.[38]
Magma is targeted by Selene, who wants her dead.[39] Selene sends Magma's former teammateCypher to kill her. ACypher surprise attacks Amara, viciously beating her unconscious and dragging her body for Amara's teammates to see before he engages them in battle, alongside the deceased Hellions.[40] The New Mutants split up, with Dani and Sunspot taking Amara to Utopia's medical lab, whereDoctor Nemesis injects Amara with a serum which activates her powers and heals most of her wounds.[41]
While she is still recovering from her wounds, Doug arrives to apologize. At first Amara tells him to leave, but he convinces Amara to hear him out by communicating with her in a special language he designed for her. She then thanks him and welcomes him back.[42]
WhenCable andHope Summers arrive back from the future,Bastion and his Purifiers attempt to kill them.[43] The New Mutants are sent to gather intel on weapons being produced byCameron Hodge in St. Louis.[44] After arriving back on Utopia, Amara hears a series of explosions, and she,Namor, andX-23 find that Donald Pierce has destroyed the X-Men's hangar.[45] Amara then goes with a team of X-Men to help out in San Francisco when the city is surrounded by a giant, impenetrable dome. Upon discovering a giant sphere on the Golden Gate Bridge, the X-Men investigate, and severalNimrodSentinels emerge.[46] After defeating the first fleet of Nimrods, Amara stands guard with several other X-Men, awaiting more.[47]
After the events of the "Second Coming" storyline, the New Mutants take a vacation, which is interrupted when Magik discovers that Pixie has been kidnapped by a mysterious military faction known as Project Purgatory.[48] After traveling to Limbo for days searching for her, the New Mutants are attacked by the mutant babies gathered during "Inferno", now adults working with Project Purgatory. During the fight, Amara is the last to be captured afterTrista usesFace to knock her out.[49] Amara is then held captive along with Sunspot. Eventually, Illyana is placed in their cell and after being asked by Roberto how Amara dies, Illyana tells him she does not love him like he loves her and to listen carefully.[50]
After Magik, Pixie and Karma escape back to Utopia, Amara remains a captive of Project Purgatory along with the remaining New Mutants in Limbo.[51] She is eventually freed by Dani and upon exiting the compound, sees that Project Purgatory have summoned the Elder Gods and torn a hole right through to Earth. Amara sees the past version of Magik who helped reform the New Mutants and tries to warn her about what's to come but is stopped by Roberto. He reveals that if she goes by herself to warn Illyana, she will die. Working together, Sunspot holds off a horde while Amara goes to Illyana. Three days later, Amara is seen tending to Roberto in the infirmary.[52]
After Dani learns Cyclops is still keeping the New Mutants together to settle some of the X-Men's unfinished business; several members leave due to injury or personal issues. Magma remains on the team alongside Dani Moonstar, Cypher,Warlock and Sunspot. Their first mission is to track downX-Man, who had been kidnapped bySugar Man.[53]
After Dani is summoned to Hel byHela during an attack by the Draumar, Amara and the rest of the New Mutants go looking for her. They seek help from Magik, who points them to a spell that can get the team to Hel. Cypher performs the spell but accidentally transports the team toMephisto's hell.[54] While there, Mephisto takes a special interest in Amara. Sunspot attempts to attack him when he won't leave the team alone, but Amara intervenes. Impressed by Amara's display of power, Mephisto apologizes and offers to help the team in exchange for a single date with her. The other members of the team advise against the deal, but Amara accepts. With a flick of his wrist, the team are teleported to Hel.[55]
Arriving in Hel, Sunspot is upset Amara made a deal with the devil when they come across a battle outside Hela's palace between the undead and the Draumar.[56] After finding Dani and Hela, the New Mutants drive back the Draumar and Hela transports the team back to Utopia.[57]
Following the events ofX-Men: Schism, Amara is seen discussing the idea of going to Westchester with Sunspot. Bobby brings up the idea of getting a place together in San Francisco, but she turns him down. Later she moves in with the rest of the New Mutants when they decide to get a place together in the city.[58] Amara later takes part in a mission to locateBlink and uses her abilities to stop an earthquake. During the mission, she makes it clear to Bobby that she is not interested in him anymore.[59]
Around this time, Mephisto comes to collect on his debt and escorts Magma on their date. Taking Amara to thethird circle of hell, he goes overboard trying to impress her, but Amara becomes overwhelmed; revealing she is too fearful to enjoy the date in case he tries to trick her into another deal. Mephisto shocks Amara by revealing that despite being the personification of evil, he feels human emotions and just wants to have a normal date. Returning to San Francisco to continue their date, they end up having a good time with Mephisto asking if he can call her again.[60]
Sometime later, Cypher experiences a nightmare regarding theAni-Mator; the team head back to Paradise Island to find it has changed dramatically. They locateBird-Brain, who attacks and infects the squad with a virus.[61] During the mission, Bobby makes several passive-aggressive remarks about Amara's relationship with Mephisto. Bobby eventually collapses from exhaustion and Amara cares for him. The pair are partially assimilated into the Ani-Mator's new body but are freed thanks to Cypher and Warlock.[62]
Blink eventually returns to visit the team and whisks them toMadripoor for a vacation. During the trip, Amara reveals to Clarice she has still been seeing Mephisto and asks her not to tell anyone.[63] Eventually Mephisto's relationship with Magma collapses after she uncovered his dealings with the Disir, which caused her to call off any chance of furthering their relationship, much to his displeasure.[64]
After the New Mutants disband, Dani joins a new female incarnation of theDefenders. During a moment of downtime, Dani invites Amara to New Amazonia where she comments it reminds her of Nova Roma. During her stay,Hippolyta explains that she has been charged by the Death-Lords to rebuild the ranks of the Amazons in exchange for her resurrection. The following morning, New Amazonia is attacked by Aradnea,Echidna, and Echidna's sea-monsters on-orders from Caroline Le Fey. Amara powers up and goes straight for the "big one". After the monsters are defeated, Caroline reveals that the attack was a test and offers to become the Amazons' queen.[65]
In the wake of the conflict betweenmutants and Inhumans, anti-mutant activist Lydia Nance hiredMesmero to assemble a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, whose acts of terrorism she used to propel her platform. Magma is revealed to be one of the members when they attack the United Nations and are confronted byKitty Pryde's squad of X-Men.[66] Magma and the Brotherhood eventually escape and kidnap the mayor of New York City,Bill de Blasio.[67] It was also discovered by the X-Men that Mesmero had used his powers to brainwash the members of his Brotherhood to join the team and force them to carry out those attacks. Once his control was broken, Mesmero's Brotherhood was dissolved, and except for Amara, the rest of the team were handed over to S.H.I.E.L.D., ultimately leading to its disbandment.[68] Following the ordeal, Amara decides to stay with the X-Men to recuperate.[69]
Later whenRachel Summers is injured on a mission, Amara is seen watching over her in the medical bay withCecilia Reyes, showing great concern over her condition.[70] She is later called back into the medical bay when Rachel's hound marks reappear on her face.[71]
Mesmero eventually escapes from the Box, a prison designed to hold mutants and persuades the newPyro andAvalanche to help him get revenge on Lydia Nance by attacking her at a fundraiser. Magma demands to join the mission, but Kitty expresses concern about having her along, fearing she might be emotionally compromised. Kitty ordersNightcrawler to keep an eye on her and they teleport to the yacht; Amara ignores orders and goes straight for Mesmero who knocks her out.[72] Kurt teleports her unconscious body back to the mansion and she is not present when the rest of the X-Men are arrested and imprisoned.[73]
After she recovers, Amara joinsIceman's squad of interim X-Men consisting ofRogue,Ink,Armor,Magik and the new Pyro, Simon Lasker.[74] Their first mission as a team is to stop the Shredded Man.[75] Once the mission is over, they head to Paris, France to stop Scythian. They team up withCaptain Britain andMeggan while Magik goes to fetch the imprisoned X-Men. Working together, they manage to send him to Limbo.[76]
Magma was one of the many mutants that opposed the crazed X-Man from remaking the world in his image. When X-Man realized that his vision of the world would never come about with the X-Men around, X-Man made his enemies vanish in an instant, including Magma.[77]
Magma later became a resident of the mutant nation ofKrakoa duringHouse of X.[78] While there she joined the New Mutants on a mission to bring some mutants from her home town of Nova Roma to Krakoa and to save a young mutant from Carnelia who could not control her powers.[79][80] She also attempted to cause a volcanic eruption to help free the mutants who were wrongfully imprisoned in the Pit of Exile.[81]
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Magma is amutant withgeothermal powers. These grant her control overtectonic plates, even to the extent of causing seismic upheaval. Amara's powers allow her to be so in-tune with the Earth that she is able to sense seismic activity and prevent earthquakes before they happen.[82] She can also call forth molten rock from the Earth's core, producing projectiles composed of lava,[83] or miniaturevolcanoes.[84]
When using her powers, Magma typically assumes an energized form that emits intense light and heat. While in this form, Amara can increase the temperature around her to the point where anything around her will melt like metal weapons will melt before inflicting her with any damage.[56] On another occasion, she has demonstrated this ability without assuming her energized form by heating up the room at a Hellfire Club party causing everyone in the room to sweat to the point of dehydration and blacking out.[85] She can also create orbs of a fire-like substance and use them as projectiles or a source of light. Although Magma has triggered small earth tremors without taking on her energized form, she has never been seen to use her power to control lava while in her ordinary human appearance. On M-Day, she traveled within the heated gases of an active volcano, and demonstrates an immunity to volcanic gases, heat, and flame.[86]
In addition, Amara possesses certain regenerative powers when in contact with the ground. Even when she was once affected by Selene's life-draining touch, she recovered quickly enough to aid the New Mutants in battle.[87] If she is not in contact with the ground or the physical shock to her system from a single injury is too great, the regenerative power is no longer in effect and she may die.[88] Doctor Nemesis discovered that Magma is also able to recover from laceration wounds in her human form by changing to her energized form, with the intense heat cauterizing and sealing any wounds.[89] Since the late 2000s, Amara has also displayed the power of flight. However, this power has been inconsistently portrayed as in some of her recent appearances inX-Men: Gold show Magma flying but also being carried around by Rogue and Captain Britain.[90]
Due to her Nova Roman heritage, Magma is well versed in Roman culture, including the Latin language, and is a skilled swordswoman.
In 2014,Entertainment Weekly ranked Magma 79th in their "Let's rank every X-Man ever" list.[91]
Chase Magnett ofComicBook.com described Magma as a "charming firebrand, both literally and figuratively," writing, "Creators ought to ignore whatever parts of her past that confuse the character and focus on a personality that warms up a room even more than her powers might."[92]
In theAge of Apocalypse, Amara, like many other young mutants, is recruited byApocalypse and became one of his assassins. Fanatical and in total control of her powers, Magma is sent to London to eliminate the leadership of the Human High Council. The attack is foiled byWeapon X (Logan), who kills Amara. The assassination attempt is actually a provocation on Apocalypse's behalf, who wants the Human High Council to amass its fleets, making them more vulnerable to be destroyed.[93]
In theAge of X-Man series, Magma and the others were transported to another plane of existence by X-Man created in an attempt at a utopia where they and all other mutants would be at peace, altering their memories so they would not resist.[94] Magma became the main stunt coordinator of all the movies that are filmed at Studio X, which mainly featured actors Nightcrawler and Meggan Puceanu.[volume & issue needed]
Amara flirted with Kurt and asked him about going to the fan dinner, which annoyed Meggan because she liked him as well. Later at the dinner, Amara defended theStepford Cuckoos, saying that the Studio wouldn't be running as smoothly if the girls were not around, after a group were disgusted by how the sisters flaunted their familial relationship.[95]
While not observed, Magma was presumably returned to the real world when X-Man decided to release the mutants he forced to live in his plane of existence.[96]
In an alternate version of theDays of Future Past future, a war between mutants and baseline humans, started by the latter, results in a mutant victory thanks to an alliance between Xavier's Institute and the Hellfire Club. Magma and Sunspot become the Chief Arbitrators of the Lords Cardinal, and create an idyllic state for mutants, while regular humans are left to fend for themselves. Mutants born to baseline humans are taken from their parents and those who oppose Magma and Sunspot are brainwashed by the Hellfire Club's agents.[97]
InX-Men: The End, Magma is seen fighting alongside the other X-Men against the Warskrulls who invade the mansion.[98]
Ultimate Magma is featured as a former mutant prisoner of Camp: Angel and joinedKitty Pryde's resistance in theUltimate Marvel title,Ultimate Comics: X-Men.[99] She is later seen as part of a re-formed X-Men team, looking to leave Manhattan becauseGalactus isattacking. However, the entire X-Men team is recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. who need mainly Kitty, Magma is seen later defendingUtopia against militia members.[100][101]
An American version of Alison Crestmere / Magma appears as a playable character inX-Men Legends,[103] voiced byCree Summer.[102] Initially held prisoner by the Genetic Research and Security Organization (GRSO), theBrotherhood of Mutants attempt to kidnap her so they can use her to power their gravitron device and cause meteor showers around the Earth. However,Wolverine andCyclops rescue her and take her to the Xavier Institute, where she quickly becomes a student and is later recruited byProfessor Xavier to join theX-Men.
