White Witch (DC Comics)
White Witch | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Adventure Comics #350 (November 1966) |
Created by | E. Nelson Bridwell (writer) Curt Swan (artist) |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Mysa Nal Xola Aq |
Species | Naltorian |
Place of origin | Naltor |
Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes |
Notable aliases | The Hag The Black Witch |
Abilities |
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White Witch (Mysa Nal, originally Xola Aq) is a fictional character appearing in media published by DC Comics. Created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Curt Swan, she is usually depicted as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. She is the sister of fellow Legionnaire Dream Girl and daughter of Kiwa Nal, the former High Seer of Naltor. Like Dream Girl, she is a native of the planet Naltor, where nearly everyone has the power of precognition, but unlike most Naltorians, Mysa cannot foresee the future.
Fictional character biography
To compensate for her inability to see the future, Mysa trained in the mystic arts on the planet Zerox, known as the 'Sorcerer's World', under the tutelage of five instructors (each having their own specialty - Air, Earth, Fire, Light and Water) and became an accomplished sorceress instead. Mysa showed a remarkable aptitude for magic and easily excelled in her studies — much to the chagrin of the envious Mordru. Originally, she had red hair, but as she trained in magic, her hair and skin became chalk white and her eyes bright red. This change happened gradually after Dream Girl freed her from the "Hag" guise.
She first appeared in Adventure Comics #350 as the Hag, an apparently ancient magic user and an agent of the villainous
She joined the Legion after helping them defeat
The White Witch played a prominent part in the so-called "Magic Wars", which concluded Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 3).
Some years later, after leaving the Legion, she married the presumedly-reformed Mordru and lived with him on the planet Tharn, which was, at that point, subdued and invaded by Mordru's magics. She was subjected to mystical imprisonment and manipulation during this period until the Legionnaires returned looking for her and their comrade Rond Vidar. Mysa was also a physical vessel for the disembodied soul of
Reboot version
In post-
The only survivor of a group of sorcerers who imprisoned Mordru, she spent a century preparing for his return, including planting the seeds for Zoe Saugin's powers and manipulating much of the girl's life to make her an ally against Mordru's next rise.[citation needed] After Mordru rose again, Mysa (who resembled the pre-Zero Hour Hag at this point) was reverted to the age at which she first defeated him and helped the Legion imprison him once more.[citation needed]
Mysa settled on Sorcerer's World and fell in love with
Threeboot version
In the "
Post-Infinite Crisis
In
In the
Brainiac 5 then enlists the White Witch to cast a seance spell on an old Justice League space-time crystal ball to bring the "Reboot" and "Threeboot" Legions to aid in their battle against Superboy-Prime.[4]
In the midst of battle, "Reboot" Legionnaire Kinetix, who possesses magic-based powers, is killed by Superboy-Prime while Mordru absorbs her life-force and all of her magical powers. Because her home reality was destroyed during the events of Infinite Crisis, Kinetix also possessed all of that universe's magic energies, now passed on to Mordru.[5] Mordru began using his vastly increased powers in the villains' favor and launches a brutal attack on Blok to draw out Mysa. She reluctantly attacks Mordru with one of his own dark spells that allows her to steal his life-force and magics in a bright blaze of light. Mysa re-emerges as the Black Witch with a black costume and hair, using her increased powers to defeat most of the villains single-handedly.[6]
At the conclusion of the story, the Black Witch remains a member of the Legion. However, Blok senses great trouble with his love's transformation. His concern increases as she returns to Sorcerer's World and claims Mordru's throne, vowing a vigilance against evil.[6]
Later, Blok again reaches the Sorcerers' World, only to find the Black Witch sitting on a throne in front of several spellcasters imprisoned in the stone behind her. Poking out of the wall are the faces of
Powers and abilities
Mysa Nal was trained by the master magician, Mordru. She can cast a variety of magic spells, such as creating force fields, transmuting matter, absorbing energy, and generating dimensional portals, among other feats. The only drawback is her memory, plus an additional time-consuming preparation for them, which could take up from minutes to hours.
Equipment
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, she is provided her own Legion Flight Ring. It allows her to fly and survive in the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
In other media
- The White Witch appears in the Legion of Super Heroes episode "Trials", voiced by Lauren Tom. This version is not a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and leader of the trials that banished wizards of Zerox can undergo to regain their magic.
- The White Witch appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #18.[9]
Reception
Jesse Murray of Syfy placed Mysa Nal as the 22nd greatest Legion of Super-Heroes member of all time, noting her relationship drama with a "big-baddie" of the superhero team Mordru and calling her moment of her absorbing his powers as the Black Witch as one of the defining moments for her.[10] Eileen Gonzalez of Comic Book Resources placed her as one of the "best" Legion superheroes out both a best and worst character list. Eileen noted her pivotal roles in "The Great Darkness Saga" with her role of stopping Darkseid and once again the role of "Final Crisis" stopping Mordru as defining moments as well.[11] Caleb Bailey of Comic Book Resources placed her and her powers as a "powerful magic user who could probably give Zatanna a run for her top hat".[12]
References
- ^ Action Comics #860
- ^ Action Comics #863
- ^ a b Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #2
- ^ Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #3
- ^ Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #4
- ^ a b Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #5
- ^ Adventure Comics (vol. 2) #8
- ^ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol 1 #25 (March 1987)
- ^ "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #18 - Failure to Communicate (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
- ^ Murray, Jesse (12 January 2016). "Every Member of the Legion of Super Heroes, Ranked: #49-1". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ Gonzalez, Eileen (3 July 2018). "The Legion Of Super-Heroes: The 10 Best Members (And 10 We Could Do Without)". CBR. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ Bailey, Caleb (9 September 2019). "10 Legion of Super-Heroes Members With Powers Nobody Understands, Finally Explained". CBR. Retrieved 3 April 2020.