Madame Xanadu
Madame Xanadu is a female comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Nimue Inwudu was a female member of the Elder Folk where she was daughter of Staegys and Atheron. (Madame Xanadu v1 #19) She was the youngest child of three sisters with the older being Morgana and the eldest being Vivienne Inwudu who served as the Lady of the Lake. (Madame Xanadu v1 #1) They were descendants of sunken Atlantis after the Cataclysm leading to the diaspora of Homo Magi around the world. Their ancestors came to arrive in the forests of the world near what became Camelot where they were allowed to join as protectors of the sacred lands by Oberon and Titania. (Madame Xanadu v1 #19)
She came to join the Sentinels of Magic that consisted of various magical superheroes that sought to stop the Spectre Force empowered Asmodel. (Day of Judgment v1 #1)
Xanadu came to re-grow her eyes that were burnt out by the Spectre but they withered away and died again. She did this a total of 14 times but her magic was unable to match the powerful curse placed on her by the Spirit of Vengeance. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
She was captured by the Lords of Order and forced to wear the Cloak of Cyra thus making her a host to one of their number. As a result, she became Sister Symmetry where she joined her kind as they set about their plans for the removal of magic from the mortal world. They were present on the other dimensional world of Myrra that was being used as a place of shelter by the Justice League Dark who had fled from the Upside-Down Man and the Otherkind. (Justice League Dark v2 #9)
She was in London when Batman arrived in the city in search for her. At first, Xanadu attacked him with magic as she believed he was an attacker. However, the Dark Knight proved himself an ally and requested her aid where she used a portal to help the Justice League in the fight against the Eradicator. Despite her aid, the heroes were overwhelmed by the Kryptonian A.I.'s Daxamite army thus forcing Madame Xanadu to flee with the Justice League. (Justice League v4 #41)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Madame Xanadu was a beautiful slender woman with raven hair and almond eyes. (Doorway to Nightmare v1 #1)
She claimed that she was limited in acting to help others but could advise them in helping themselves. (Doorway to Nightmare v1 #1)
One account claimed that her parents were Staegys and Atheron of the Elder Folk. (Madame Xanadu v1 #19) This saw her as being the youngest of three sisters with the eldest being Vivienne Inwudu and her older sibling being Morgana Inwudu. (Madame Xanadu v1 #1) Another account claimed that her mother was Igraine of the fey and that she had nine sisters all of whom had the same mother. (Demon Knights v1 #11) Among them was Tui who served as one of the Ladies of the Lake and was said to be the kindest of them. (Demon Knights v1 #12) She also had a half-brother who was King Arthur when Igraine had a child with a human. (Demon Knights v1 #11)
During the time of King Arthur, it was known that she was the lover of Merlin. (Madame Xanadu v2 #1)
Powers and abilities
Nimue was a descendant of the Homo Magi that left sunken Atlantis and was one of the Elder Folk that tended the forests around Camelot. (Madame Xanadu v1 #19) As one of the fey, they were considered kin to fairies who lived on the edges of the seen world and seen as untrustworthy by humans. (Demon Knights v1 #11)
She could regrow limbs using magic such as lost eyes though if they were subject to powerful curses then they would simply wither and die again. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)
By the modern age, she operated a shop called Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso located on Christy St. in Greenwich Village. (Doorway to Nightmare v1 #3)
Notes
- Madame Xanadu was created by David Michelinie, Val Mayerik and Michael William Kaluta where she made her first appearance in Doorway to Nightmare v1 #1 (February, 1978).
Alternate Versions
- In Tangent Comics: Joker v1 #1 (1997), an alternate version of Madame Xanadu appeared in the Tangent Comics reality that was designated as Earth-9 in the Multiverse. Christy Xanadu, who also goes by the title Madame Xanadu, was a millionaire who owned the Madame Xanadu V-R Arcade in New Atlantis. Xanadu secretly worked with Lori Lemaris and Mary Marvel in sharing the heroic masquerading identity of the Joker. Xanadu used her fortune to finance equipment and technology for the Joker alias. When Superman was imposing his oppressive totalitarian rule over Earth he discovered the identities of the Joker by psychically interrogating and then executing Mary Marvel. He then had Lemaris imprisoned for a decade.
- In Just Imagine: Robin v1 #1 (2002), an alternate version of Madame Xanadu appeared in the Just Imagine reality that was designated as Earth-27 in the Multiverse. Madame Xanadu was a member of the Church of Eternal Empowerment where she answered only to Reverend Darrk. She trained new orphans every year to turn them over to the Church of Eternal Empowerment as demonic soldiers and drones to do Darrk's bidding.
- In Flashpoint: The World of Flashpoint v1 #1 (2011), an alternate version of Madame Xanadu appeared in the altered timeline of the Flashpoint. Xanadu lost a battle to her sister Morgana, leaving her slowly dying. Though she tried to instill Traci with hope to save the world, she secretly projected its impending death through her tarot cards.
In other media
Television
- In Young Justice, Madame Xanadu appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "Denial" where she was voiced by actress Cree Summer. Nimue Inwudu was initially not aware she had the potential for magic. She ran a scam operation in fake fortune telling from her parlor in New Orleans's French Quarter. Kent Nelson visited Xanadu's parlor, and requested that she make contact with his deceased wife, Inza. During the seance, wind blew around the room and the table appeared to levitate, and Madame Xanadu appeared to channel Inza, saying that she was cold and lonely. However, this show only led to Kent bursting into laughter. Despite her attempts to maintain the illusion and keep the money saying that there were no refunds for non-believers, Kent easily exposed her as a fraud: she used wind machines and tire jacks to make her performance look convincing. He was disappointed at not being able to speak with his wife, and also at the fact that Madame Xanadu was pulling a scam, when in fact she has the right aura for real magic and psychic abilities. When Madame Xanadu witnessed Abra Kadabra kidnap Kent Nelson and perform apparently real magic in order to make them disappear into thin air, she ran away screaming. Following her encounter with Kent Nelson and Abra Kadabra, Madame Xanadu was inspired to unlock her hidden dormant powers and in time became the greatest seer and medium on Earth. At some point, she also became friends with Zatanna.
- In Swamp Thing, Madame Xanadu appeared in the setting of the DC Universe live-action television series where she was portrayed by actress Jeryl Prescott. Madame Xanadu was a centuries-old sorceress who finds herself reluctantly drawn into battle against the escalating supernatural forces plaguing a small Louisiana town. A blind fortune teller and magical crusader, Xanadu's heart was in the right place despite her unorthodox methods in the fight against evil.
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, Madame Xanadu's Magic Shop appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game. It was shown to be located in Metropolis's Chinatown where heroes were tasked with freeing Zatanna who was trapped in the shop whilst Felix Faust and his minions were stealing souls from the citizens in the city.
Appearances
- Doorway to Nightmare v1: (1978)
- Day of Judgment v1:
- Madame Xanadu v1:
- Madame Xanadu v2:
- Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1:
- Countdown v1:
- Demon Knights v1:
- Justice League Dark v1:
- Justice League Dark v2:
- Hawkman:
- Justice League v4: (2020)
External Links
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