Arcanna
Encyclopedia
Arcanna is the name of two different fictional
comic book
characters in the Marvel Comics
multiverse.
The first debuted as a member of the team of superhero
es called the Squadron Supreme
in The Defenders
#112 (October 1982). The other first appeared in Supreme Power
#18 (April 2005), later joining a team of super heroes also called the Squadron Supreme. Both characters are not from the main reality where stories are set in the Marvel Universe, but are from two separate alternate universes
.(See Sidebar)
is still unknown. Arcanna originally worked as a medium before becoming a professional crime fighter who captured criminals for profit. Phillip Jones was her husband who stayed home to raise their children Drusilla, Katrina and Andrew. She later accepted an offer of membership into the Squadron Supreme, making her the fifth recruit.
Midway through the Squadron Supreme
maxi-series, Arcanna discovered she was pregnant. Fearing that the other members of the Squadron would curtail her duties as they had during her previous pregnancies, she kept her condition a secret. She and her family moved into Squadron City, the Squadron's new headquarters. She went into labor during the climactic battle with Nighthawk
's Redeemers
. At the end of the series she gave birth to her son, Benjamin Thomas Jones.
In Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe, Arcanna switched places with Moonglow
in order to go on a mission against the Nth Man
in which she had been forbidden to participate. Her infant son Benjamin's latent powers emerge and he saves the surviving members by switching places with the Nth Man. The team is banished to the mainstream Marvel Universe
following these events, and it was as Moonglow that she encountered Quasar
and the Avengers
.
In Squadron Supreme: New World Order, Arcanna returns home to her family and informs them of Benjamin's sacrifice. The Nth Man, now known as Mysterium, informed her that the Squadron Supreme was going down a road without her. She retired from adventuring to be with her family.
. She is what physicists described as "the ultimate observer", and can see all the quantum possibilities and choose which will become reality. To explain this, Arcanna evokes the Schrödinger's cat
paradox, which asserts if a cat in a box has a 50% chance of being killed, it is neither alive nor dead (or both alive and dead) until the box is opened and the cat is observed. She had come to General Richard Alexander in hopes of finding the source of her power in order to eliminate it. Arcanna, Dr. Emil Burbank
, Raleigh Lund
and Al Gaines
are ordered to apprehend or destroy Hyperion. During the ensuing fight, Hyperion's eye-beams, Nuke's radiation blast, and Arcanna's own quantum alterations create a brief and unexplainable skip in reality. All five initially thought they were in an alternate reality, but it was revealed to be their own reality two years in the future.
She was originally meant to be on a covert operations team, but that changed after Hyperion informed reporter Jason Scott of the project and gave him a list of the super-humans working for the government. She now works for Squadron Supreme. Arcanna now wears a costume that is an update of the old Squadron Supreme version.
. She can cast a variety of spells, particularly illusions and spells to manipulate natural substances.
Arcanna has the ability to manipulate magical forces in order to control natural substances and forces, particularly wind, wood, and water. She can cast illusions and project magical bolts of force. She is capable of flight through her own powers, by conjuring winds to support her own weight. She also possesses mystical senses. Her magic is only effective on natural substances, except for her mystic force bolts. She possesses expertise in magic.
She is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, having received coaching from Nighthawk and Power Princess.
The second Arcanna has powers similar to those of the Scarlet Witch
, and can manipulate reality by causing quantum-level changes which manifest various effects at a macroscopic scale. As demonstrated, she can literally alter the existing reality by merging it and/or shifting in another parallel reality. The full extent of this ability is unknown, although she has been shown to "create" a small mountain by shifting it from another reality into her native dimension.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
characters in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
multiverse.
The first debuted as a member of the team of superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es called the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
in The Defenders
Defenders (comics)
The Defenders is the name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups which are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders," each known for following their own agendas...
#112 (October 1982). The other first appeared in Supreme Power
Supreme Power
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in publications under the mature-audience MAX imprint by Marvel Comics. The team first appears in Supreme Power #1 and was created by writer J...
#18 (April 2005), later joining a team of super heroes also called the Squadron Supreme. Both characters are not from the main reality where stories are set in the Marvel Universe, but are from two separate alternate universes
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
.(See Sidebar)
Squadron Supreme (Earth-712)
The origin of Arcanna's magical abilitiesMagic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
is still unknown. Arcanna originally worked as a medium before becoming a professional crime fighter who captured criminals for profit. Phillip Jones was her husband who stayed home to raise their children Drusilla, Katrina and Andrew. She later accepted an offer of membership into the Squadron Supreme, making her the fifth recruit.
Midway through the Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme
The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first appeared in Avengers #85 - 86 The Squadron Supreme is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Squadron Supreme first...
maxi-series, Arcanna discovered she was pregnant. Fearing that the other members of the Squadron would curtail her duties as they had during her previous pregnancies, she kept her condition a secret. She and her family moved into Squadron City, the Squadron's new headquarters. She went into labor during the climactic battle with Nighthawk
Nighthawk (Marvel Comics)
Nighthawk is the name of several fictional characters that appear in publications published by Marvel Comics. There have been five versions of the character: a supervillain-turned-superhero from the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity, Kyle Richmond, who belonged to the team Squadron Sinister;...
's Redeemers
America Redeemers
The America Redeemers, or Redeemers, as the team is more commonly known, is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe. The Redeemers existed in the Earth-712 universe, the same place from which the Squadron Supreme originated...
. At the end of the series she gave birth to her son, Benjamin Thomas Jones.
In Squadron Supreme: Death of a Universe, Arcanna switched places with Moonglow
Moonglow (comics)
Moonglow is a fictional character found in comic books from Marvel Comics. She was a member of a team of superheroes, Squadron Supreme.The Supreme Squadron members exist in numerous alternate universes, but their main and original timeline is Earth-712....
in order to go on a mission against the Nth Man
Nth Man
Nth Man is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Thomas Lightner first appeared as Blacksun in Marvel Two-in-One #21-23 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Ron Wilson....
in which she had been forbidden to participate. Her infant son Benjamin's latent powers emerge and he saves the surviving members by switching places with the Nth Man. The team is banished to the mainstream Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
following these events, and it was as Moonglow that she encountered Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
and the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
.
In Squadron Supreme: New World Order, Arcanna returns home to her family and informs them of Benjamin's sacrifice. The Nth Man, now known as Mysterium, informed her that the Squadron Supreme was going down a road without her. She retired from adventuring to be with her family.
Squadron Supreme (Earth-31916)
Arcanna Jones is introduced as a scientist and author of Quantum Physics: The New Reality. She has the ability to perceive and influence parallel quantum dimensionsMany-worlds interpretation
The many-worlds interpretation is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the universal wavefunction, but denies the actuality of wavefunction collapse. Many-worlds implies that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an...
. She is what physicists described as "the ultimate observer", and can see all the quantum possibilities and choose which will become reality. To explain this, Arcanna evokes the Schrödinger's cat
Schrödinger's cat
Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment, usually described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. It illustrates what he saw as the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics applied to everyday objects. The scenario presents a cat that might be...
paradox, which asserts if a cat in a box has a 50% chance of being killed, it is neither alive nor dead (or both alive and dead) until the box is opened and the cat is observed. She had come to General Richard Alexander in hopes of finding the source of her power in order to eliminate it. Arcanna, Dr. Emil Burbank
Master Menace
Dr. Emil Burbank, also known as Master Menace, is a fictional Marvel Comics character. Two different versions of the character appear in two separate continuities, Squadron Supreme and Supreme Power.-Squadron Supreme:...
, Raleigh Lund
Shape (comics)
-Squadron Supreme:-Fictional character biography:The Shape was born in Simak, Lowengard, in the U.S.A. of the alternate Earth of the Squadron Supreme, Earth-712...
and Al Gaines
Nuke (Squadron Supreme)
Nuke is a superhero from Earth-712 in the fictional Marvel Universe, a member of the Squadron Supreme and later its rebooted equivalent, Supreme Power.-Fictional character biography:...
are ordered to apprehend or destroy Hyperion. During the ensuing fight, Hyperion's eye-beams, Nuke's radiation blast, and Arcanna's own quantum alterations create a brief and unexplainable skip in reality. All five initially thought they were in an alternate reality, but it was revealed to be their own reality two years in the future.
She was originally meant to be on a covert operations team, but that changed after Hyperion informed reporter Jason Scott of the project and gave him a list of the super-humans working for the government. She now works for Squadron Supreme. Arcanna now wears a costume that is an update of the old Squadron Supreme version.
Powers and abilities
The original Arcanna has powers similar to those of ZatannaZatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
. She can cast a variety of spells, particularly illusions and spells to manipulate natural substances.
Arcanna has the ability to manipulate magical forces in order to control natural substances and forces, particularly wind, wood, and water. She can cast illusions and project magical bolts of force. She is capable of flight through her own powers, by conjuring winds to support her own weight. She also possesses mystical senses. Her magic is only effective on natural substances, except for her mystic force bolts. She possesses expertise in magic.
She is a fair hand-to-hand combatant, having received coaching from Nighthawk and Power Princess.
The second Arcanna has powers similar to those of the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
, and can manipulate reality by causing quantum-level changes which manifest various effects at a macroscopic scale. As demonstrated, she can literally alter the existing reality by merging it and/or shifting in another parallel reality. The full extent of this ability is unknown, although she has been shown to "create" a small mountain by shifting it from another reality into her native dimension.
External links
- http://www.bright.net/~jackbohn/sq_suprm/arcanna.htm
- Marvel Directory entry