Amanda Sefton
This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (August 2018) |
Daytripper | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First appearance | X-Men #98 (April 1976) |
Created by | Chris Claremont Dave Cockrum |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Jimaine Szardos |
Species | Human |
Team affiliations | Muir Island X-Men Avengers Excalibur X-Men |
Notable aliases | Amanda Sefton Daytripper Magik |
Abilities |
|
Amanda Sefton (real name Jimaine Szardos) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum, the character first appeared in X-Men #98 (April 1976). The character has also been known as Daytripper and Magik at various points in her history. She is the foster sister and former lover of superhero Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler of the X-Men.[1]
Publication history
Amanda Sefton debuted in the ninety-eighth issue of the 1976 X-Men series, created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.[2] She later appeared in the 1981 Uncanny X-Men series. She appeared in the 1998 Excalibur series. She appeared in the 2000 X-Men: Magik series, her first solo comic book series, by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Liam Sharp.
Fictional character biography
Jimaine and her mother
Daytripper
Much later, in need of her magical abilities, Nightcrawler called his former girlfriend Amanda Sefton to aid Excalibur. For dramatic reasons she chose to adopt the codename Daytripper, playing on Kurt's codename, and presented herself in a new costume. Once familiarized with the problem at hand, Amanda did the best she could to help Meggan and Rachel Summers locate the lost Captain Britain in the time-stream, but as they made contact they only achieved to exchange Captain Britain for Rachel, who entered the time-stream in his place to emerge in some distant future.[7]
Following this incident, Kurt and Amanda traveled to Germany, where her mother Margali had been taken captive by D'Spayre.[8] As Kurt wondered how such a powerful sorceress could be held captive against her will, Daytripper explained that the Winding Way is not only a mystic discipline, but also it functions like a journey with ups and downs. Currently, Margali was at a low point and powerless or else D’Spayre could never have defeated her. The pair rescued their mother and Amanda returned with Kurt to Excalibur.[9] Back on Muir Island, Amanda was the only one who recognized that the team's scientist Rory Campbell was the man destined to become the future mutant hunter Ahab, but she promised him to keep her knowledge secret and offered to be there for him whenever the need would arise.[10]
Around this time she suffered a mystical/telepathic attack on a plane while taking a shift under her air hostess job. It involved the fate of the Black Queen.[11]
After Excalibur had been attacked by opposing sorcerers trying to acquire the
Even though she had never been more powerful it wasn't enough for Margali and so in disguise, she joined the London Hellfire Club as their Red Queen, proceeding with their plan to destroy London and take over Britain.
It is later revealed it was not Amanda who made that decision, but Margali who had taken over her body. Upon her defeat among the Hellfire Club, Margali was captured by the villain sorcerer Belasco and tortured in his realm, from where she secretly switched minds with her daughter so that she could recuperate and win back her freedom and her position on the Winding Way. Eventually Margali, using Amanda's body, made her way back to Limbo, where mother and daughter switched back and defeated Belasco with Nightcrawler's help. Margali apologized for exposing her daughter to such danger, but then quickly left. Only after she was gone, did Amanda realize that with both her and Belasco gone, there was no one left besides her capable enough to take over as Limbo's new ruler. To leave the dimension unguarded seemed too dangerous, given that several demons could have used its stepping disks to invade earth.[17]
Magik
It was during this time that Amanda was forced to thwart Belasco and the
Amanda has also mastered the ability to magically control the stepping disks of Limbo, just like Belasco did before her, and practiced to wield the Soulsword.[19] During one of Nightcrawler's trips to Limbo, Amanda secretly hid the powerful Soulsword in Kurt's body, thinking it was safe there since his soul was the purest that she could find. There was a shift in the cosmic balance, powerful forces at work, and one thing they were after was the Soulsword, and indeed not much later, Amanda was attacked and overpowered by Nightmare.[20] She was rescued by the timely arrival of her mother Margali, and together, mother and daughter found out that Nightmare had been manipulated into attacking them by someone else. Amanda and Margali immediately sought out Nightcrawler to warn him, but upon their arrival, the demon Hive revealed himself and took over the body of Nightcrawler's teammate, Wolverine.[21]
Gradually, the demon's essence was disrupted by the Soulsword, though not before he revealed that there is a major war coming, one that has been brewing for a millennium, and that the entire Szardos family factors very importantly into it.[22]
Driven out of Limbo
Amanda resurfaced in New X-Men when she plunged out of a dimensional portal in a blast of flaming energy and landed in a small German village. She pleaded, "Help me...someone please...He's back." Amanda was driven out of Limbo after being overwhelmed by an invasion led by Belasco; although she had fought and defeated him in the past, Belasco now appeared more powerful and, without the Soulsword, Amanda was no match.[23]
She assisted New X-Men
While Pixie has stated that she has been approached by both Amanda and Doctor Strange about furthering her magical tutelage when she comes of age, Amanda's whereabouts remained unknown for some time, but she was recently mentioned by Cyclops in the aftermath of Second Coming when he was writing her a letter of condolence over the death of Nightcrawler.[25]
Family reunion
After
Powers and abilities
Amanda is a sorceress following the path of the Winding Way. Her power changes in its levels, waxing and waning over time, allowing her to summon such powers as teleportation, illusions casting, shape changing, mystical force bolts, hypnotism, and the manipulation of other complex mystical forces.[30]
When she became the Sorceress Supreme of Limbo, Amanda began wielding the powerful Soulsword. While she couldn't access the full power of the sword, she could still create and control teleportation energies in the form of "stepping discs". This allows her to absorb souls of others either permanently or to simply store and transfer, to place and store the sword in absolute nothingness and to retrieve it from whence it came with ease. Like Illyana Rasputin, the more Amanda used the Soulsword, the more mystical Eldritch armor appeared on her body in addition to demonic features such as horns and hooves. The armor deflects or limits attacks, both physical and magical. However, on Earth, Amanda's abilities are limited to a different capacity. She has since lost these abilities when Limbo was sealed to her and resumed her normal display of powers.
Reception
Critical reception
Deirdre Kaye of
Screen Rant included Amanda Sefton in their "15 Most Powerful Marvel Magic Users (Who Aren’t Doctor Strange)" list,[30] and in their "10 Best Magical Or Supernatural Heroes Not Yet In The MCU" list.[34] Comic Book Resources ranked Amanda Sefton 6th in their "20 Fan-Favorite X-Men Who Aren't Even Mutants" list.[35]
The plot twist revealing that Amanda Sefton is really Nightcrawler's sister, Jimaine Szardos, received mixed reactions. Book Riot described the twist as "the crowning moment of creepy" in their article "The X-Men's Love Lives are Messed Up You Guys."[36]
Literary reception
Volumes
Magik (2000)
According to Diamond Comic Distributors, X-Men: Magik #1 was the 32nd best selling comic book in October 2000.[37]
Other versions
An alternate version of Amanda Sefton appears in the
Marvel Noir
Set in Marvel Noir, Amanda Selton as The Red Rose appears as a head of the Weapon X program. She was later killed by Kurt Wagner but not before burning his face with a torch. [39]
X-2: X-Men Unite'
A tie-in comic to the 2003 film
In other media
Amanda Sefton appears in X-Men: Evolution, voiced by Moneca Stori.[41] This version is an African/Romani American teenager and student of Bayville High School who comes from a normal family and gradually enters a relationship with Nightcrawler.
References
- ^ Diaz, Eric (November 4, 2022). "The Marvel Witches We Want to See in AGATHA: COVEN OF CHAOS". Nerdist. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-7890-0.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #169 (May 1983).
- ^ Young, Kai (November 24, 2022). "Every Marvel Witch Who Could Be In Agatha's Coven Of Chaos". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men Annual #4 (1980)
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #204
- ^ Excalibur #75 (1994)
- ^ Excalibur #76 (April 1994)
- ^ Excalibur #77 (May 1994)
- ^ Excalibur #80
- ^ Excalibur Annual #2 (1994)
- ^ Excalibur #83
- ^ Excalibur #84
- ^ Excalibur #85
- ^ Excalibur #100
- ^ Excalibur #108
- ^ X-Men Unlimited #19
- ^ X-Men: Black Sun #1-5
- ^ X-Men: Magik #1–4
- ^ Nightcrawler vol. 3 #9
- ^ Nightcrawler vol. 3 #10
- ^ Nightcrawler vol. 3 #11
- ^ New X-Men vol. 2 #37
- ^ New X-Men vol. 2 #41
- ^ X-Men: Second Coming #2
- ^ Amazing X-Men vol. 2 #1–5
- ^ Nightcrawler vol. 4 #1
- ^ Nightcrawler vol. 4 #4
- ^ Nightcrawler vol. 4 #10
- ^ a b Beaty, Drew (2021-10-31). "15 Most Powerful Marvel Magic Users (Who Aren't Doctor Strange)". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ Kaye, Deirdre (November 16, 2020). "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic". Scary Mommy. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- Sportskeeda. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ Franich, Darren (May 21, 2014). "Let's rank every X-Man ever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ Prom, Bradley (2022-09-29). "10 Best Magical Or Supernatural Heroes Not Yet In The MCU". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ Webber, Tim (2018-09-15). "Not So Gifted: 20 Fan-Favorite X-Men Who Aren't Even Mutants". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ Gonzalez, Eileen (2019-02-04). "The X-Men's Love Lives are Messed Up You Guys". Book Riot. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- Comichron. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ The Uncanny X-Men #188
- ^ Weapon X Noir #1
- ^ X-Men 2 Prequel: Nightcrawler #1
- ^ "Voice Of Amanda Sefton – Behind The Voice Actors". Behind The Voice Actors. Check marks indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
External links
- Amanda Sefton at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Amanda Sefton at the Marvel Universe