Salem's Seven
Salem's Seven are a team that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The Salem's Seven were a team of magically empowered superbeings that were native to the town of New Salem. They were all magically mutated superhumans all of whom shared the same father namely Nicholas Scratch. New Salem was a community of practitioners of an ancient religion who possessed occult powers. Its citizens remained in isolation from the rest of the world to avoid being persecuted as witches and warlocks. The most powerful sorceress in New Salem was its leader, Agatha Harkness. Her only known child was the warlock known as Nicholas Scratch. Scratch had a number of wives, who bore him the many children who were known collectively as Salem's Seven. (Fantastic Four v1 #186)
At some point, Agatha Harkness came to leave New Salem to live in the outside world, where she became the governess of Franklin Richards, the son of Reed and Susan Richards of the hero team Fantastic Four. Scratch hated Harkness and had her and Franklin abducted to New Salem, intending to have her executed for treason to their community. The Fantastic Four went after Harkness and Franklin but were captured as well. The Fantastic Four escaped their cell only to be confronted by Salem's Seven, who served as Scratch's elite warriors. However, the Fantastic Four overcame Salem's Seven, found Harkness in time to prevent her execution, and turned the community against Scratch. The New Salemites then mystically banished Scratch to another dimension. (Fantastic Four v1 #186)
Sometime later, Salem's Seven traveled to New York City and attempted to bring Nicholas Scratch back to Earth. Agatha Harkness used her occult powers to strip Salem's Seven of their abilities to assume their magically mutated forms and banish them back to New Salem. She also cast a spell further entrapping Scratch in the dimension to which he had been exiled. (Fantastic Four Annual v1 #14)
Over a period of years, Salem's Seven used their remaining mystical abilities to turn the spells Harkness had used to deprive them of their magically mutated forms back upon her. As a result, Salem's Seven regained their abilities to assume these forms, and Harkness was greatly weakened. Salem's Seven turned the New Salem Community against Harkness, and the Seven became the supreme sorcerers of the community. Vertigo, the eldest of Harkness's granddaughters and the leader of the Seven, became high priestess (queen) of the New Salem community. Salem's Seven captured the weakened Harkness and executed her by burning her at the stake. Harkness's spirit apparently influenced her pupil, the Scarlet Witch, to go to New Salem, where she journeyed with her husband, the Vision. There, both the Scarlet Witch and the Vision were captured by six members of Salem's Seven. The seventh member, Gazelle, had opposed the others' plan to entrap the Scarlet Witch. As punishment, Gazelle was sentenced to be slain as a human sacrifice. Vertigo asked the Scarlet Witch to join their coven. But the Scarlet Witch refused, so Vertigo planned to sacrifice her as well as Gazelle and the Vision. The Vision broke free after dawn of the following day and battled Vertigo, who took upon herself and wielded the combined magical powers of all 665 New Salemites. The Vision defeated her nonetheless, and as a result, Vertigo lost control of the community's magical forces, which threatened to kill all the New Salemites. The Scarlet Witch channeled much of these tremendous magical forces into a mountain, which then exploded, killing Salem's Seven and apparently all the other New Salemites. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch, however, both survived. (Vision and the Scarlet Witch v2 #3)
Overview
In appearance, the Salem's Seven were a team of supernaturally empowered individuals. Normally, they appeared as ordinary humans until a spell was used to give them their abilities. Like all the citizens of the New Salem Community, the members of Salem's Seven were human beings and were ordinarily human in appearance. In human form they all possessed certain skills at wielding magic just as the other New Salemites do. The members of Salem's Seven, however, could mystically assume magically mutated forms in which they possessed the unusual superhuman powers described below. (Fantastic Four v1 #186)
It was shown that their home was the secret town of New Salem whose existence had been a secret from the world (Fantastic Four v1 #186)
Members
- Brutacus :
- Gazelle :
- Hydron :
- Reptilla :
- Thornn :
- Vakume :
- Vertigo :
Notes
- Salem's Seven was created by Len Wein and George Pérez where they made their first appearance in Fantastic Four v1 #186 (September, 1977).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In The Avengers: United They Stand, the Salem's Seven appeared as antagonists in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "The Sorceress Apprentice".
Appearances
- Fantastic Four v1: (1977)
- Fantastic Four Annual v1:
External Links
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