Magique
Encyclopedia
Magique is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
.
#107-109 (October 1977-February 1978), and was created by Chris Claremont
and Dave Cockrum
. She was not named on-panel initially.
The character next appears as Magic in Rom Annual #4 (December 1985), and X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers #2 (June 1990). The character subsequently appears as Magique in Quasar #32 (March 1992), JLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003), Uncanny X-Men #479 (December 2006), #485-486 (June-July 2007), and X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #5 (March 2008).
Magic appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#6.
Imperial Guard
. She has been present in many of the team's appearances, but has often remained in the background throughout most of the Guard's long history. She was present at the Guard's first battle with the X-Men
. She was also involved in the Guard's attack upon the Starjammers
and Excalibur
. During the Kree-Shi'ar War, Magique and two of her teammates were sent to thwart the heroes Quasar and Starfox. During this encounter, she used her power to create illusions of nearly every other member of the Imperial Guard.
Magique was not seen during the conflict with Vulcan, the X-Men
, and the Starjammers
during which several of her teammates were apparently slain, but has remained with the Imperial Guard during the crowning of Vulcan as emperor of the Shi'ar.
, Guardians of the Galaxy member Adam Warlock
fights with Emperor Vulcan in Guardians of the Galaxy #15. Later some Imperial Guardsmen, including Magique, are seen helping Vulcan. Magique is ordered by Mentor to attack Adam Warlock and after a short but heavy fight Magique seemed to have lost the battle and Warlock escapes. However, not all was lost, as Magique was able to put a 'witchmark' on Adam, without him knowing. Adam was followed by the Imperial Guard (via Magique's 'witchmark'). The Imperial Guardsmen attacked the Guardians of the Galaxy while Magique follows Adam Warlock, who somehow is able to transport the 'witchmark' back on her and therefore the Shi'ar soldiers shoot her instead of Adam Warlock.
, Magique's only confirmed superhuman ability is the creation of extremely realistic visual illusions. She can generate and maintain multiple animate illusions at once with no apparent strain, and can also use her power to render herself invisible at the same time. It is unknown if her illusions can affect senses other than sight, or if this power is but one facet of her supposed magical ability.
Magique is apparently either immortal
or possesses an extremely long lifespan, as she was seen in a flashback as one of the founding members of the Imperial Guard formed over four hundred years ago.
team Legion of Super-Heroes
. (Dave Cockrum
, co-creator of the Guard, also had a long run as artist on the Legion.) Magique is based on LSH member Princess Projectra
.
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...
.
Publication history
The character first appeared in X-MenX-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
#107-109 (October 1977-February 1978), and was created by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
. She was not named on-panel initially.
The character next appears as Magic in Rom Annual #4 (December 1985), and X-Men: Spotlight on Starjammers #2 (June 1990). The character subsequently appears as Magique in Quasar #32 (March 1992), JLA/Avengers #1 (September 2003), Uncanny X-Men #479 (December 2006), #485-486 (June-July 2007), and X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #5 (March 2008).
Magic appeared as part of the "Imperial Guard" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#6.
Fictional character biography
Magique is a founding member of the Shi'arShi'ar
The Shi'ar are a fictional species of aliens in the Marvel Comics universe. The Shi'ar Empire also called the Aerie, is a vast collection of alien species, cultures and worlds situated close to the Skrull and Kree Empires, and alongside them, is one of the three main alien empires...
Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard (comics)
The Imperial Guard is a team of fictional super-powered alien warriors in the Marvel Comics universe. The Imperial Guard serves the rulers of the Shi'ar Empire, both by enforcing Shi'ar Imperial law on all planets within the Shi'ar Galaxy and as the Emperor or Empress's personal guard...
. She has been present in many of the team's appearances, but has often remained in the background throughout most of the Guard's long history. She was present at the Guard's first battle with the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. She was also involved in the Guard's attack upon the Starjammers
Starjammers
The Starjammers are a fictional team of space pirates from the pages of the X-Men comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Starjammers first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #107 and were created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum...
and Excalibur
Excalibur (comics)
Excalibur is a Marvel Comics superhero group, an off-shoot of the X-Men, usually based in the United Kingdom. Conceived by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, the original Excalibur first appeared in Excalibur Special Edition , also known as Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn.The...
. During the Kree-Shi'ar War, Magique and two of her teammates were sent to thwart the heroes Quasar and Starfox. During this encounter, she used her power to create illusions of nearly every other member of the Imperial Guard.
Magique was not seen during the conflict with Vulcan, the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, and the Starjammers
Starjammers
The Starjammers are a fictional team of space pirates from the pages of the X-Men comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Starjammers first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #107 and were created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum...
during which several of her teammates were apparently slain, but has remained with the Imperial Guard during the crowning of Vulcan as emperor of the Shi'ar.
War of Kings
During War of KingsWar of Kings
"War of Kings" is a comic book crossover storyline written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, published by Marvel Comics, and set in Marvel's main shared universe. The six issue limited series was published between March and August, 2009....
, Guardians of the Galaxy member Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock
Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #66 and #67 Adam Warlock, originally known as Him, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel...
fights with Emperor Vulcan in Guardians of the Galaxy #15. Later some Imperial Guardsmen, including Magique, are seen helping Vulcan. Magique is ordered by Mentor to attack Adam Warlock and after a short but heavy fight Magique seemed to have lost the battle and Warlock escapes. However, not all was lost, as Magique was able to put a 'witchmark' on Adam, without him knowing. Adam was followed by the Imperial Guard (via Magique's 'witchmark'). The Imperial Guardsmen attacked the Guardians of the Galaxy while Magique follows Adam Warlock, who somehow is able to transport the 'witchmark' back on her and therefore the Shi'ar soldiers shoot her instead of Adam Warlock.
Powers and abilities
Originally described as a powerful sorceressMagician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
, Magique's only confirmed superhuman ability is the creation of extremely realistic visual illusions. She can generate and maintain multiple animate illusions at once with no apparent strain, and can also use her power to render herself invisible at the same time. It is unknown if her illusions can affect senses other than sight, or if this power is but one facet of her supposed magical ability.
Magique is apparently either immortal
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
or possesses an extremely long lifespan, as she was seen in a flashback as one of the founding members of the Imperial Guard formed over four hundred years ago.
Inspiration
Several of the members of the Imperial Guard are at least partly based on members of the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
team Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
. (Dave Cockrum
Dave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
, co-creator of the Guard, also had a long run as artist on the Legion.) Magique is based on LSH member Princess Projectra
Princess Projectra
This page discusses the humanoid version of the character. For the post-Zero Hour/pre-Threeboot version, see Sensor.Princess Projectra is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe. She lives in the 30th and 31st centuries, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
.