Sara Pezzini
Encyclopedia
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
. She is an NYPD homicide
detective
whose life changed when she came into contact with a powerful ancient weapon known as the Witchblade, which bestows its wielder with supernatural powers.
descent. Her major enemies are Kenneth Irons (whom she briefly dated before discovering his evil nature) and Ian Nottingham
(sometime love-interest and ally).
As one of the current hosts of The Witchblade, Sara has been granted many unique abilities, including the power and ability to heal herself, to create (often very revealing) armor over her skin (as the Witchblade tends to rip away all of her clothes), to shoot energy blasts, to extend razor sharp tendrils and even winged flight. She has yet to explore the full limits of The Witchblade, and thus does not know what other mystical magical abilities it possesses. When not overly active, The Witchblade can assume the form of a bracelet
, allowing her to wear the entity without drawing attention. The Witchblade is a male entity of both light and dark which represents both order and chaos. It is the offspring of The Darkness
and The Angelus
; as such, Sara does not have complete control over its actions and reactions.
Sara first appeared in Cyblade
/Shi
#1: The Battle For Independents in 1995. She had wanted nothing more in her life than to be a good cop. As a homicide detective in New York City
, life was challenging enough, but for Sara, those were simpler times. While on an undercover case at the Rialto Theater, both she and her partner, Michael Yee (named Danny Woo in the TV series), were mortally wounded. At this same theater was a man named Kenneth Irons, who had brought a gauntlet
known as The Witchblade. Irons was in search of the secrets to unlocking his full power and ability.
While Sara lay dying, The Witchblade made his choice to include her in the long line of women that he has shared his power with. The entity healed Sara's wounds and allowed her to survive the resulting confrontation. Since then, she has seen many things she never knew existed, fought creatures that have no place on Earth
, and longed for the days of a typical NYPD detective. But she continues her struggle with The Witchblade, believing that she can do more good with the entity than without. So the battle for control continues, as Sara learns more about this entity and struggles to stem his violent nature.
Some of Sara's allies include The Magdalena
, Lara Croft
, and Jackie Estacado. One crossover pitted her against Wolverine
. In the comics recently, Sara has been through a grueling ordeal fighting off a giant demon
(a false "god" summoned by a group of priests), in the midst of which her partner, Jake McCarthy, was left wounded. Before losing consciousness
, Jake professed his love for Sara and told her that he always knew about her double life. He now remains in a coma
, and Sara has had to deal with a nosy new partner, Patrick Gleason, who has already discovered many of her secrets. Gleason saved her life and it had begun to look like they may become more than just partners, but their sexual date was interrupted when Ian Nottingham
abruptly returned to Sara's life.
, a young woman she had recently met who was its next chosen bearer.
When she was due to give birth, the father of her child was revealed – it was Jackie Estacado, who, "possessed" by The Darkness itself, was driven to seek out and have sex with Sara's comatose body, and, with Jackie's body used for the necessary biology, leading to the conception of their baby – a child to upset the balance between the dark and light. Sara gives birth to a baby girl, but is on the verge of death. Danielle then ends up sharing part of the Witchblade with Sara, which saves Sara's life. Hope
, Sara and Jackie's daughter, drives off The Angelus and in the end Sara, now wielding half The Witchblade, and her friends return to their lives. This pregnancy has caused an attraction between Jackie and Sara that has manifested itself as romantic and even sexual.
Also she is the current host of The Witchblade, she has been granted a wide array of abilities; she can form various weapons (swords, other stabbing weapons, hooks, chains, shields), generate a full body armor in order to protect himself and his host (should the situation arise, she can also form wings allowing flight), shoot energy blasts from the hand or sword, fire projectile darts, and whip-like grapples to attack or to climb. The Witchblade is also an excellent lock pick, and can heal wounds, even mortal ones. The Witchblade can re-animate the dead, emphatically show the host scenes of great trauma, and allow the host to relive experiences from past hosts as dreams.
The Witchblade is also known to be able to damage incorporeal beings and is capable of slaying other-dimensional entities and deities. It also has the ability to control and manipulate the elements.
, Sara is also able to use the Witchblade in certain instances to slow, stop, or even turn back time. However, due to the time-turning ability, things said about the series are often only true for one season or the other. She also has the ability to see and speak with the ghost of Danny Woo, her dead partner. It was also revealed in the last episode of the television series that the Witchblade will not and cannot bring death to anyone that has wielded it, able to only maim, disfigure and cause pain.
In order to handle the Witchblade, Sara must first pass the Periculum, a test designed to find if one is worthy of carrying such an amazing weapon as she is confronted by former weilders. Once a potential user has passed this test, the Witchblade will bond with them at a cellular
level and slow the aging process. Former weilders of the Witchblade include Scáthach
of Irish legend
, Joan of Arc
& Elizabeth Brontë
.
It is revealed that Sara was not only adopted, but stolen from her birth mother when she was a baby she also had a sister that appeared in the series once named Karen Bronte. It is hinted that her real last name is Connor or Bronte.
Sara's main romantic interest in the TV series is Conchobar, a musician
who is a descendant or reincarnation
of Conchobar mac Nessa
.
Sara finds herself trying to figure out the origins of the weapon she now carries, as well as the purpose that is destined for her. Her arch-nemesis is businessman Kenneth Irons
, whose bodyguard Ian Nottingham
is implied to be his son. In the comics, for a time, Sara and Ian became romantically involved. In the television series, Ian was created from the stem cell of Elizabeth Brontë
, a former wielder from Sara's bloodline (possibly her biological grandmother) and it is implied that they could be genetically related. Ian is obsessed with Sara, but his erratic behavior disturbs her. In the second season, he meets Aras, a woman genetically identical to Sara, and they share a kiss. Sara has a friend named Gabriel Bowman who has a website called Talismaniac and is knowledgeable about mythology and artifacts.
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...
superheroine starring 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...
. Sara also appeared in a Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television
Turner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
live-action feature film
Witchblade (2000 film)
Witchblade is a made-for-television live-action superhero film adapted from the cult comic book by Marc Silvestri and Top Cow Productions. Set in contemporary New York City, the occult police drama centers on Sara Pezzini , a brooding and willful homicide detective who is the reluctant inheritor of...
and TV series
Witchblade (TV series)
Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered a Witchblade television series based on the Witchblade Top Cow Productions comic book series in 2001. Some of the episodes were written by Ralph Hemecker, Marc Silvestri and J.D...
of the same name, portrayed by Yancy Butler
Yancy Butler
Yancy Victoria Butler is an American television and movie actress known for her roles as Natasha Binder in the 1993 John Woo film Hard Target and as Detective Sara Pezzini on the TNT supernatural drama Witchblade.-Early life:...
. She is an NYPD homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
whose life changed when she came into contact with a powerful ancient weapon known as the Witchblade, which bestows its wielder with supernatural powers.
Fictional character history
Sara Pezzini was born November 18, 1970, and is of ItalianItalian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
descent. Her major enemies are Kenneth Irons (whom she briefly dated before discovering his evil nature) and Ian Nottingham
Ian Nottingham
Ian Nottingham is a character from the Witchblade comic and television series, an assassin once employed by Kenneth Irons. Nottingham is of British and of Native American descent....
(sometime love-interest and ally).
As one of the current hosts of The Witchblade, Sara has been granted many unique abilities, including the power and ability to heal herself, to create (often very revealing) armor over her skin (as the Witchblade tends to rip away all of her clothes), to shoot energy blasts, to extend razor sharp tendrils and even winged flight. She has yet to explore the full limits of The Witchblade, and thus does not know what other mystical magical abilities it possesses. When not overly active, The Witchblade can assume the form of a bracelet
Bracelet
A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...
, allowing her to wear the entity without drawing attention. The Witchblade is a male entity of both light and dark which represents both order and chaos. It is the offspring of 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,...
and The Angelus
Angelus (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....
; as such, Sara does not have complete control over its actions and reactions.
Sara first appeared in Cyblade
Cyblade
Cyblade is the name of a fictional character from Top Cow Productions. She is a member of Cyberforce.-Publication history:After her initial appearances in other comics, Cyblade was one of two properties to win the first Pilot Season in 2007, meaning Cyblade would appear in her own eponymous...
/Shi
Shi (comics)
Shi is a fictional comic book character created by writer/illustrator William Tucci. She first appeared in Razor Annual #1 , and has since appeared in books by a variety of publishers, most notably, Tucci's company, Crusade Comics...
#1: The Battle For Independents in 1995. She had wanted nothing more in her life than to be a good cop. As a homicide detective in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, life was challenging enough, but for Sara, those were simpler times. While on an undercover case at the Rialto Theater, both she and her partner, Michael Yee (named Danny Woo in the TV series), were mortally wounded. At this same theater was a man named Kenneth Irons, who had brought a gauntlet
Gauntlet (gloves)
Gauntlet is a name for several different styles of glove, particularly those with an extended cuff covering part of the forearm. Gauntlets exist in many forms, ranging from flexible fabric and leather gloves, to mail and fully articulated plate armour....
known as The Witchblade. Irons was in search of the secrets to unlocking his full power and ability.
While Sara lay dying, The Witchblade made his choice to include her in the long line of women that he has shared his power with. The entity healed Sara's wounds and allowed her to survive the resulting confrontation. Since then, she has seen many things she never knew existed, fought creatures that have no place on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and longed for the days of a typical NYPD detective. But she continues her struggle with The Witchblade, believing that she can do more good with the entity than without. So the battle for control continues, as Sara learns more about this entity and struggles to stem his violent nature.
Some of Sara's allies include The Magdalena
Magdalena (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...
, Lara Croft
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
, and Jackie Estacado. One crossover pitted her against Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
. In the comics recently, Sara has been through a grueling ordeal fighting off a giant demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
(a false "god" summoned by a group of priests), in the midst of which her partner, Jake McCarthy, was left wounded. Before losing consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, Jake professed his love for Sara and told her that he always knew about her double life. He now remains in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, and Sara has had to deal with a nosy new partner, Patrick Gleason, who has already discovered many of her secrets. Gleason saved her life and it had begun to look like they may become more than just partners, but their sexual date was interrupted when Ian Nottingham
Ian Nottingham
Ian Nottingham is a character from the Witchblade comic and television series, an assassin once employed by Kenneth Irons. Nottingham is of British and of Native American descent....
abruptly returned to Sara's life.
Pregnancy
After a minor crisis that led to the death of Sara's good friend and loyal partner; Jake, Sara discovered she was pregnant. Sara was completely confounded at how this occurred – due primarily to the fact she has not had sex in over a year. Sara, initially feeling she was not ready to be a mother, nevertheless decided to keep the baby, but decided as a result she could not keep the Witchblade as well. Sara relinquished it on to Danielle BaptisteDanielle Baptiste
Daniella "Dani" Anastasia Baptiste is a fictional comic book superheroine 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...
, a young woman she had recently met who was its next chosen bearer.
When she was due to give birth, the father of her child was revealed – it was Jackie Estacado, who, "possessed" by The Darkness itself, was driven to seek out and have sex with Sara's comatose body, and, with Jackie's body used for the necessary biology, leading to the conception of their baby – a child to upset the balance between the dark and light. Sara gives birth to a baby girl, but is on the verge of death. Danielle then ends up sharing part of the Witchblade with Sara, which saves Sara's life. Hope
Hope Pezzini
Hope Pezzini is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by Top Cow Productions. Created by Ron Marz, she first appeared in First Born #3 ....
, Sara and Jackie's daughter, drives off The Angelus and in the end Sara, now wielding half The Witchblade, and her friends return to their lives. This pregnancy has caused an attraction between Jackie and Sara that has manifested itself as romantic and even sexual.
"War of the Witchblades"
Later, a major conflict erupts between Sara and Danielle, with Sara under the control of The Darkness portion of the Witchblade. During this time Sara became increasingly irrational, angry and would often mistreat the people around her, however she did display more increased control over the entity demonstrating abilities usually associated with The Darkness (summoning dark-based objects, creating Darklings etc.). Manipulated by an old enemy of The Curator, Sara re-took all of The Witchblade in a battle with Danielle. However Sara was saved when Danielle was chosen as the next Angelus host and cleansed her of The Darkness' influence, restoring Sara to her former self.Powers and abilities
Sara has above average intelligence, and is very athletic. She has police training in hand-to-hand combat, weapons, tactics and criminal investigation.Also she is the current host of The Witchblade, she has been granted a wide array of abilities; she can form various weapons (swords, other stabbing weapons, hooks, chains, shields), generate a full body armor in order to protect himself and his host (should the situation arise, she can also form wings allowing flight), shoot energy blasts from the hand or sword, fire projectile darts, and whip-like grapples to attack or to climb. The Witchblade is also an excellent lock pick, and can heal wounds, even mortal ones. The Witchblade can re-animate the dead, emphatically show the host scenes of great trauma, and allow the host to relive experiences from past hosts as dreams.
The Witchblade is also known to be able to damage incorporeal beings and is capable of slaying other-dimensional entities and deities. It also has the ability to control and manipulate the elements.
Television series
In the Witchblade television seriesWitchblade (TV series)
Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered a Witchblade television series based on the Witchblade Top Cow Productions comic book series in 2001. Some of the episodes were written by Ralph Hemecker, Marc Silvestri and J.D...
, Sara is also able to use the Witchblade in certain instances to slow, stop, or even turn back time. However, due to the time-turning ability, things said about the series are often only true for one season or the other. She also has the ability to see and speak with the ghost of Danny Woo, her dead partner. It was also revealed in the last episode of the television series that the Witchblade will not and cannot bring death to anyone that has wielded it, able to only maim, disfigure and cause pain.
In order to handle the Witchblade, Sara must first pass the Periculum, a test designed to find if one is worthy of carrying such an amazing weapon as she is confronted by former weilders. Once a potential user has passed this test, the Witchblade will bond with them at a cellular
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
level and slow the aging process. Former weilders of the Witchblade include Scáthach
Scáthach
Scáthach is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cú Chulainn in the arts of combat...
of Irish legend
Irish mythology
The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branch and the Historical Cycle. There are...
, Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
& Elizabeth Brontë
Elizabeth Brontë
Elizabeth Bronte was, in Witchblade, the original series, the Bladewielder who immediately preceded Sara Pezzini. A World War II spy, she was killed by Kenneth Irons...
.
It is revealed that Sara was not only adopted, but stolen from her birth mother when she was a baby she also had a sister that appeared in the series once named Karen Bronte. It is hinted that her real last name is Connor or Bronte.
Sara's main romantic interest in the TV series is Conchobar, a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who is a descendant or reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
of Conchobar mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa
Conchobar mac Nessa was the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He ruled from Emain Macha .-Birth:...
.
Sara finds herself trying to figure out the origins of the weapon she now carries, as well as the purpose that is destined for her. Her arch-nemesis is businessman Kenneth Irons
Kenneth Irons
Kenneth Irons is a fictional comic book supervillain. He is a criminal mastermind who is depicted as the person behind nearly every evil deed in the Top Cow series Witchblade....
, whose bodyguard Ian Nottingham
Ian Nottingham
Ian Nottingham is a character from the Witchblade comic and television series, an assassin once employed by Kenneth Irons. Nottingham is of British and of Native American descent....
is implied to be his son. In the comics, for a time, Sara and Ian became romantically involved. In the television series, Ian was created from the stem cell of Elizabeth Brontë
Elizabeth Brontë
Elizabeth Bronte was, in Witchblade, the original series, the Bladewielder who immediately preceded Sara Pezzini. A World War II spy, she was killed by Kenneth Irons...
, a former wielder from Sara's bloodline (possibly her biological grandmother) and it is implied that they could be genetically related. Ian is obsessed with Sara, but his erratic behavior disturbs her. In the second season, he meets Aras, a woman genetically identical to Sara, and they share a kiss. Sara has a friend named Gabriel Bowman who has a website called Talismaniac and is knowledgeable about mythology and artifacts.