Danielle Baptiste
Encyclopedia
Daniella "Dani" Anastasia Baptiste is a fictional comic book
superhero
ine in the series Witchblade
, published by Top Cow
. She was introduced in the one hundredth issue, becoming the series' co-lead. An athletic young dancer, Dani becomes the new host of the Witchblade, a mystical gauntlet which grants its host an assortment of powers. She later loses it to its original host and becomes the new and current host of the Angelus, one of the two primal forces of the universe.
After having a strange dream about a mystical gauntlet, Dani was drawn to an antiques shop owned by the mysterious Curator, who would later become a trusted confidant of hers. It was there that she encountered Sara Pezzini
, the then-current host of The Witchblade. The two had also encountered each other previously on the steps of Sara's police department when Dani had bumped into Sara in issue #101. Dani instantly recognized The Witchblade as the entity in her dreams. She impulsively decided to accept it from Sara, who was expecting a baby and didn't want to deal with the adventures The Witchblade invariably drew. At first Sara was dubious about handing The Witchblade over to Dani. After seeing The Witchblade respond strongly to her, however, Sara relinquished it to its new host.
and a male entity of dark known as The Darkness
. She was drawn back home after her father was taken into a hospital. While she waited for her father to recover, the nurse on duty told her to go out and relax. Dani complied, enjoying an evening out in New Orleans. However, she was harassed by three young men and punished them by drawing them into a dark alley and unleashing the Witchblade, almost choking one of them to death. It was then she realized that the Witchblade had a mind of its own and that she would have to exert more control over it.
Dani was confronted by a mysterious woman who urged her to go to a nearby graveyard if she wanted to get rid of the nightmares that had been recently haunting her. She did so and was confronted by rotting and deformed ghosts. They begged Dani to help set them free and explained that the ancient and mystical Madeline Desormeaux, who lived in a large mansion on the edge of the graveyard, had tortured them in life and had bound them to the land in death. Dani agreed and promised to bring Madeline to them.
Dani went into the house, and after a brief fight, emerged triumphant. The ghosts then had their revenge on Desormeaux, and were able to move on. The graveyard and the house disappeared.
Dani was left feeling increasingly unsure whether or not she could control the Witchblade. She returned to her father's bedside and was delighted to find him conscious. She promised to stay by his side for a few weeks to help his recover and then return to New York, resolving to get rid of the Witchblade after her ghostly encounter. However, she would end up changing her mind later.
and Jackie Estacado, the host of The Darkness, defend a pregnant Sara. After Sara's life was threatened by giving birth, Danielle returned half of The Witchblade in order to save her.
chimera
, Dani is forced to call upon The Angelus but is nearly defeated only to be saved by Sabine, one of The Angelus' followers. Sabine then takes Dani with her to The Angelus' home realm.
As Dani is not fully taken over by The Angelus, she only has a vague memory of the Angelus realm as she is guided through it by Sabine to the throne room where a copy of The Darkness, pierced by Angelus spear, is being kept. Sabine talks Dani into planning an attack on Jackie Estacado, however she rejects by saying that Jackie is a friend, she then remembers that Finch is left on Earth and returns just in time to save her from two men attempting to rape her.
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...
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 —...
ine in the series Witchblade
Witchblade
Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...
, published by Top Cow
Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.-History:...
. She was introduced in the one hundredth issue, becoming the series' co-lead. An athletic young dancer, Dani becomes the new host of the Witchblade, a mystical gauntlet which grants its host an assortment of powers. She later loses it to its original host and becomes the new and current host of the Angelus, one of the two primal forces of the universe.
Introduction
Dani, an impulsive but good-hearted young woman, was born in New Orleans. She moved to New York to pursue a dance career, a dream she had since she was nine years old. After graduating, she became increasingly frustrated about the lack of direction in her life.After having a strange dream about a mystical gauntlet, Dani was drawn to an antiques shop owned by the mysterious Curator, who would later become a trusted confidant of hers. It was there that she encountered Sara Pezzini
Sara Pezzini
Sara Pezzini is a fictional comic book superheroine starring in the series Witchblade. Sara also appeared in a Turner Network Television live-action feature film and TV series of the same name, portrayed by Yancy Butler...
, the then-current host of The Witchblade. The two had also encountered each other previously on the steps of Sara's police department when Dani had bumped into Sara in issue #101. Dani instantly recognized The Witchblade as the entity in her dreams. She impulsively decided to accept it from Sara, who was expecting a baby and didn't want to deal with the adventures The Witchblade invariably drew. At first Sara was dubious about handing The Witchblade over to Dani. After seeing The Witchblade respond strongly to her, however, Sara relinquished it to its new host.
Progression
Dani would eventually learn that the Witchblade was actually the balance between two primal forces of the universe—a female entity of light known as The AngelusAngelus (comics)
The Angelus is an American comic book antagonist published by Top Cow Productions which first appeared in The Darkness comic in 1997. The Angelus has been featured in comics with her enemies The Darkness and the Witchblade....
and a male entity of dark known as The Darkness
The Darkness (comics)
The Darkness is a series of ongoing American comic books created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl and produced by Top Cow Productions. The comic first appeared in 1996 and enjoyed an initial period of relative success during the Top Cow/Image Comics boom of the late 1990s. However,...
. She was drawn back home after her father was taken into a hospital. While she waited for her father to recover, the nurse on duty told her to go out and relax. Dani complied, enjoying an evening out in New Orleans. However, she was harassed by three young men and punished them by drawing them into a dark alley and unleashing the Witchblade, almost choking one of them to death. It was then she realized that the Witchblade had a mind of its own and that she would have to exert more control over it.
Dani was confronted by a mysterious woman who urged her to go to a nearby graveyard if she wanted to get rid of the nightmares that had been recently haunting her. She did so and was confronted by rotting and deformed ghosts. They begged Dani to help set them free and explained that the ancient and mystical Madeline Desormeaux, who lived in a large mansion on the edge of the graveyard, had tortured them in life and had bound them to the land in death. Dani agreed and promised to bring Madeline to them.
Dani went into the house, and after a brief fight, emerged triumphant. The ghosts then had their revenge on Desormeaux, and were able to move on. The graveyard and the house disappeared.
Dani was left feeling increasingly unsure whether or not she could control the Witchblade. She returned to her father's bedside and was delighted to find him conscious. She promised to stay by his side for a few weeks to help his recover and then return to New York, resolving to get rid of the Witchblade after her ghostly encounter. However, she would end up changing her mind later.
First Born
Dani played a significant part during the First Born miniseries/crossover event, discovering more about her power (including the ability of flight) while helping the MagdalenaMagdalena (comics)
The Magdalena is an American comic book heroine created by Top Cow Productions. She did not have her own on-going series for many years, but had two limited series and has been featured in comics with The Darkness, the Witchblade, Tomb Raider, The Angelus and Vampirella. She first appeared in The...
and Jackie Estacado, the host of The Darkness, defend a pregnant Sara. After Sara's life was threatened by giving birth, Danielle returned half of The Witchblade in order to save her.
Aftermath
Later, Madame Kostigian, Dani's dance teacher asked her to take over introductory classes while she returned to Poland to be with her sister, who has cancer. In the first class she taught, Dani met a girl named Finch. While teaching another class with Finch, Dani sensed something wrong and asks Finch to explain why she is so sad lately. Over coffee Finch revealed that her boyfriend, Rock, was trying to turn her into a prostitute. When Dani stated that she may be able to help, Finch excitedly kissed her, surprising Dani. However, Finch immediately apologized and left. While accompanied by Finch, Dani had a brief skirmish with Rock at his apartment, using the Witchblade to frighten him. During this encounter, Rock was accidentally shot and killed by a friend of his, who quickly departed. A shaken Dani then went to Sara for help, and the two moved the body into the street, making it look like a suicide. An angry Sara then lashed out verbally, and she and Dani parted ways."War of The Witchblades"
As the "War of The Witchblades" story began, the Curator informed Dani that when The Witchblade was divided, so, too, were its essences. While Dani's half represented The Angelus, Sara's half represented The Darkness. Without balance, the chaotic nature of Sara's half was slowly corrupting her. Dani then considered giving The Angelus half of The Witchblade to Sara, but was told that doing so would not remove The Darkness's influence from Sara's body, as its effects had already become too great. As such, Dani resolved to recover the second half of the entity. She sets out to confront Sara in a final battle but is defeated and loses her half of The Witchblade. However, The Angelus, having finally possessed Finch, arrives and saves Dani by transferring its essence into Dani's body. Unlike most previous hosts, though, Dani's personality is not removed and she manages to stop The Angelus from killing Sara, instead using her newfound powers of Light to free her friend from the taint of The Darkness. She leaves New York after parting with Sara on good terms, and heads back to New Orleans with Finch.Angelus
Dani then returned home to New Orleans and moved into an apartment with Finch. After leaving the apartment, she and Finch are attacked by a multi-headedPolycephaly
Polycephaly is a condition of having more than one head. The term is derived from the Greek stems poly- meaning 'much' and kephali- meaning "head", and encompasses bicephaly and dicephaly . A variation is an animal born with two faces on a single head, a condition known as diprosopus...
chimera
Chimera (mythology)
The Chimera or Chimaera was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing female creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals: upon the body of a lioness with a tail that ended in a snake's head, the head of a goat arose on her back at the center of her...
, Dani is forced to call upon The Angelus but is nearly defeated only to be saved by Sabine, one of The Angelus' followers. Sabine then takes Dani with her to The Angelus' home realm.
As Dani is not fully taken over by The Angelus, she only has a vague memory of the Angelus realm as she is guided through it by Sabine to the throne room where a copy of The Darkness, pierced by Angelus spear, is being kept. Sabine talks Dani into planning an attack on Jackie Estacado, however she rejects by saying that Jackie is a friend, she then remembers that Finch is left on Earth and returns just in time to save her from two men attempting to rape her.