Magica De Spell
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Magica De Spell ( being ) is a cartoon character created in 1961 by
Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comics, Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of ...
for the
Duck universe The Donald Duck universe is a fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and many other characters. Life in the Donal ...
. An Italian
sorceress A sorceress is a female practitioner of sorcery (disambiguation), sorcery. Other uses include: Film * Sorceress (1982 film), ''Sorceress'' (1982 film), a fantasy film directed by Jack Hill * Sorceress (1987 film), ''Sorceress'' (1987 film) releas ...
, she constantly attempts to steal
Scrooge McDuck Scrooge McDuck (occasionally stylized as $crooge McDuck) is a cartoon character created in 1947 for The Walt Disney Company by Carl Barks. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-born American anthropomorphic duck. Like his nephew, Do ...
's
Number One Dime The Donald Duck universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and L ...
, which she believes will play a vital role in magically obtaining the same fabulous
wealth Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...
of its owner.


Appearance

Magica is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. She has black hair, purple eye shadow and typically wears a black dress. In the 2017 reboot of ''DuckTales'', her feathers are green instead of white and she wears a cape with a hood. After Magica loses her magic powers at the end of the first season, her feathers became white. She later returns to her original appearance after regaining her magic in the third-season episode "The Phantom and the Sorceress!".


Publication history

De Spell first appeared in "The Midas Touch", first published in ''
Uncle Scrooge ''Uncle Scrooge'' (stylized as ''Uncle $crooge'') is a Disney comic book series starring Scrooge McDuck ("the richest duck in the world"), his nephew Donald Duck, and grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and revolving around their adventures in ...
'' #36 (December 1961). According to Barks, he intended to create her as another recurring antagonist for Scrooge in addition to the Beagle Boys and Flintheart Glomgold. In contrast to Witch Hazel from '' Trick or Treat'' — first released on October 10, 1952 — or Madam Mim, she would not be in the image of the ugly old hag usually associated with
witches Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...
. Barks instead decided to create a witch who was young and beautiful, so he took inspiration for her look from Italian actresses Gina Lollobrigida and
Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress, active in her native country and the United States. With a career spanning over 70 years, she is one of the ...
. He also wanted her to be seductive, amoral, and somewhat threatening. In a later interview, Barks identified a similar figure from the
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
s of Charles Addams as another source of inspiration for Magica, namely Morticia Addams of '' The Addams Family''. All in all, Barks drew nine stories with Magica: ''The Midas Touch'' in 1961; ''Ten-Cent Valentine'', ''The Unsafe Safe'', and ''Raven Mad'' in 1962; ''Oddball Odyssey'', ''For Old Dime's Sake'', and ''Isle of Golden Geese'' in 1963; ''The Many Faces of Magica de Spell,'' and lastly ''Rug Riders in the Sky'' in 1964. In the latter, Barks tried to increase the usability of the character by having plots turn on other magic artifacts – here, a flying carpet – not always having to repeat the joke about Scrooge's first coin. Magica also appeared as an antagonist in the '' Wizards of Mickey'' comic series as part of a trio of sorceresses who all had rivalries with each other.


Character biography

According to Barks and his successors, Magica lives on the slopes of
Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ) is a Somma volcano, somma–stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes forming the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuv ...
, next to
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, Italy. Her primary motivation is to steal Scrooge's
Number One Dime The Donald Duck universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and L ...
and melt it in the fires of the volcano, so she can turn it into a powerful magical amulet capable of granting the Midas Touch. While she has worked with criminals – the Beagle Boys, for example – to get Scrooge's Dime, Magica typically works with individuals such as a
raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...
named Ratface in the comics and apprentices like Samson Hex, a bungling no-hoper. Magica's family members have also appeared in the comics; her grandmother Granny De Spell, who has been no more successful in obtaining the
Number One Dime The Donald Duck universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and L ...
despite claiming to be one of the most powerful witches; her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West; the Wicked Witch's mischievous daughter Witch Child and son Warlock, who Magica is sometimes tasked with babysitting; another niece, Minima De Spell; and a cousin named Witch Matilda, who has served under Magica as an apprentice. Another character connected to Magica is Rosolio, a dim-witted goose who claims to be her fiancé despite always being rejected. He is supported in this by another grandmother of Magica's, Caraldina (original Italian name), created in the Italian comics. In crossover comics, one of her most frequent companions is Mad Madam Mim. Magica has an odd relationship with Scrooge. For example, in the 1987 ''DuckTales'' episode "Till Nephews Do Us Part", she and Poe are invited to and attend Scrooge's wedding. However, she has maintained an antagonistic relationship with him and his family, including
Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...
,
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Huey, Dewey, and Louie are Multiple birth, triplet cartoon characters created by storyboard artist and screenwriter Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company from an idea proposed by cartoonist Al Taliaferro. They are the nephews of Donald Duck an ...
,
Gyro Gearloose Gyro Gearloose ( ) is a cartoon character created in 1952 by Carl Barks for Disney comics. An anthropomorphic chicken, he is part of the Donald Duck universe, appearing in comic book stories as a friend of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and any ...
, Gladstone Gander, as well as Daisy Duck and her nieces.


In animation


''DuckTales''

Magica appears as a recurring villain on the
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
television show ''
DuckTales DuckTales refers to: Film and television * ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series ** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' * ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series Video games * ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...
'', where she was voiced by
June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...
(using a similar Eastern European accent to that of Natasha Fatale from '' Rocky & Bullwinkle''; in the Italian version, Magica's voice actress, Sonia Scotti, depicted her with a heavy Neapolitan accent). Magica appears mostly in first-season episodes of the show. Although she appears as one of the series' major villains, she is frequently a source of comic relief; for example, in Magica's final scene in the series, she attempts to send Scrooge's "tin man back to Oz", but instead sent herself elsewhere in a whirlwind when a Quackenyeeken Yeeker bird in fear, causing her jar of magic dust to break open and carry her away. On more than one occasion, her plan to obtain Scrooge's dime backfires so spectacularly that she is forced to work with Scrooge to prevent a greater disaster. According to the show, her brother is Poe De Spell, who was transformed into a raven and serves as her magical familiar – in reference to
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
's poem "
The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...
" – replacing Ratface from the comics. A similar reference had already been established in the German versions of Magica comics, where her raven is called "Nimmermehr" ("Nevermore"), referring to the recurring keyword from Poe's poem. In the 2017
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
, Magica speaks with an English accent as she is voiced by Catherine Tate (former ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' costar to
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
, who voices Scrooge McDuck in the new series). Within the reboot's storyline, Magica has a history with Clan McDuck and a vendetta against Scrooge; he caused her to accidentally turn Poe into a non-anthropomorphic raven and refused to stop him from flying away prior to the start of the series. During a climactic battle atop Mount Vesuvius (a famous setting from Tennant and Tate's tenure on ''Doctor Who'') 15 years prior, Scrooge trapped her physical body within his Number One Dime, though she was able to turn her own shadow into her "niece", Lena De Spell. Throughout the first season, Magica manifests herself as a shadowy specter through Lena and uses her to gain the Duck family's trust to acquire Scrooge's Dime and free herself from imprisonment. Magica eventually regains her corporeal form during an eclipse that occurred in the season one finale, and proceeded to terrorize Duckburg with her dark magical powers. However, she is defeated and forced to flee after being stripped of her powers by the combined efforts of Scrooge and his family in destroying her staff. In the second-season episode, "A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!", Magica uses a
telepathic Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
helmet to invade Lena's dreams and get her to give up her magic amulet, though she is foiled once more and Lena destroys her helmet. In a later episode, "GlomTales!", she joins an alliance of Scrooge's greatest enemies, led by Flintheart Glomgold, in a joint effort to destroy Scrooge and his family. Glomgold ends up losing his fortune, as well as that of the other villains', to Louie Duck, causing the former's fellow villains to turn on him. In season three, Magica regained her powers while helping Lena and her friends fend off the Phantom Blot, whose village Magica destroyed in the past. In turn, she is fended off by Lena, who had gained magical abilities of her own during the fight. Magica appears along with Scrooge's other enemies to destroy him through a court trial, but fails again. Finally in the series finale, Magica and every villain the Duck family have faced were brainwashed by F.O.W.L. to fight the heroes, which was part of Bradford Buzzard's plot to rid the world of adventures. Upon his defeat, Magica is enraged by him using her and the other villains, turns him into a non-sapient buzzard in revenge, and then teleports away.


''Darkwing Duck''

Magica makes a cameo appearance in the '' Darkwing Duck'' episode "In Like Blunt" along with the Beagle Boys and Flintheart Glomgold, among the bidders for the secret S.H.U.S.H. agent list. She had a proper role in the Darkwing Duck comic published by
Boom! Studios Boom! Studios (stylized as BOOM! Studios), is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher. They are headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The company is a subsidiary of Random House division of Penguin Random House sin ...
, teaming up with Negaduck (whom she had saved from the Crimebots from "The Duck Knight Returns") in the story "Crisis on Infinite Darkwings". By combining their powers and knowledge, they intended to unleash an army of brainwashed, alternate universe Darkwing Ducks on St. Canard, as it would be of benefit to both their agendas – her hope is to force Darkwing's ally Launchpad McQuack to lead her to Scrooge's Number One Dime. Magica and Negaduck had contempt for each other, which they kept hidden behind a 'friendly' facade; early on, Negaduck sarcastically refers to his desire for a city and hers for "...one dime" as being "similar ambitions". Darkwing's girlfriend Morgana McCawber, herself a witch, would assist the hero and battle Magica in magical combat. She swiftly drained Morgana's magic using a source absorber, doubling her power, but lost it thanks to the intervention of an alternate Darkwing. This ended her control over the alternate reality Darkwings and ended Negaduck's plan, and after the arrival of the monstrous demon Paddywhack, Magica fled the city. She returned for the final arc of the series, a crossover with the ''DuckTales'' comic also published by Boom!, where she teamed up with other female Disney villains and exploited black "slime" that could turn normal people evil and villains into stronger forms. She used it to bring in an army of villains from Duckburg and St. Canard, as well as a brainwashed Phantom Blot, and tried to seize both cities so she could have all of Scrooge McDuck's assets. To her dismay, the slime turned out to be a transformed Negaduck, who seized control of the plan before all the villains were banished to another dimension. This last arc was later rendered to be non-canonical, and not included in the omnibus collecting the series.


Video games

Magica appears in the ''
DuckTales DuckTales refers to: Film and television * ''DuckTales'' (1987 TV series), original TV series ** '' DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp'' * ''DuckTales'' (2017 TV series), reboot TV series Video games * ''DuckTales'' (video game) ...
'' video game for the
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
as the boss of the Transylvania stage, where she attacks Scrooge with lightning bolts and by transforming into a giant bird. In the remake ''
DuckTales Remastered ''DuckTales: Remastered'' is a 2013 Platform game, platform video game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Capcom. It is a high-definition video game remake, remake of ''DuckTales (video game), DuckTales'' (1989), and was release ...
'', Magica uses an expanded set of attacks (such as launching energy beams at Scrooge and summoning mirrors to hide in) and also plays a larger role in the game's overall storyline. Just like in the cartoon, she is voiced by June Foray. Other video game appearances by Magica include '' The Lucky Dime Caper: Starring Donald Duck'', in which she kidnaps Donald's nephews and steals Scrooge's lucky dime, and in the 2000 video game '' Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers'' as the boss of a flying mansion. Magica also appears as the second secret playable character in the 2008 trivia video game '' Disney TH!NK Fast''. Magica De Spell appears as a playable character in the mobile game ''Disney Heroes: Battle Mode''.


Attributes


Powers and abilities

Magica De Spell is a very powerful witch with magical powers that include teleportation, flight, the power to conjure and transmute matter, and shapeshifting. Her actual capability to wield magic varies from writer to writer.
Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comics, Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of ...
' incarnation is quite powerful, with her naivete being her only prominent weakness.
Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his comics about Scrooge McDuck and other Disney comics, Disney characters. Many of his stories are built on characters an ...
's incarnation of Magica De Spell is, however, far more limited as she usually only uses magic through magical objects and in The Quest for Kalevala, Magica acknowledges she cannot use magic without a wand.


Beliefs

Unlike other people who think the
Number One Dime The Donald Duck universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and L ...
to be a lucky charm, Magica doesn't believe it to be the source of Scrooge's wealth, but Scrooge's wealth to be the source of the dime's powers, as she only tries to steal it because it's the first coin ever earned by the richest duck (or man) on Earth. It can be noticed when she steals the dime but gives it back when she realized she somehow caused the dime to lose such status. Examples of such stories are " Of Ducks and Dimes and Destinies", when she travels in time to steal the dime in the very same day Scrooge earns it and gives it back after realizing that by preventing Scrooge from owning the dime, she would turn it into a coin that never belonged to him, or " A Little Something Special", when she teams up with Flintheart Glomgold and the Beagle Boys in a plan made by Blackheart Beagle. She gives the dime back after realizing Scrooge wouldn't be the richest man on Earth after the Beagle Boys steal his money. In Carl Barks's "Ten-Cent Valentine", it's revealed she believes the dime must stay in one piece until she finally melts it or the spell won't work.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Huey, Dewey, and Louie are Multiple birth, triplet cartoon characters created by storyboard artist and screenwriter Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company from an idea proposed by cartoonist Al Taliaferro. They are the nephews of Donald Duck an ...
trick Magica into thinking it was destroyed by a meat grinder. Magica believes she is the disciple of the ancient sorceress
Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...
.


Family

A lot of Magica's relatives appear in Italian stories. * Granny De Spell, Magica's grandmother * Minima De Spell, her niece * Matilda, Magica's teenager cousin * Adelia, Magica's fairy cousin


''DuckTales'' familiars

The 1987 ''DuckTales'' series introduces Magica's brother Poe (voiced Frank Welker), who was transformed into a non-anthropomorphic raven while maintaining his ability to speak. Although Magica has various transformation spells at her disposal, she is unable to return Poe to his original form. In Poe's debut episode, "Send in the Clones", Magica explains that she needs the power of Scrooge's Number One Dime to restore Poe. His name is a reference to
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
. In the 2017 ''DuckTales'' series, Poe is voiced by
Martin Freeman Martin John Christopher Freeman (born 8 September 1971) is an English actor. Among other accolades, he has won two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Freeman's most ...
. Appearing in a flashback in the episode "The Life and Crimes of Scrooge McDuck!", Poe ruled a village alongside his twin sister Magica, keeping her in check. After Scrooge came to their village, he angered Magica and caused her to accidentally turn Poe into a raven. Lacking the knowledge to turn Poe back, she begged Scrooge to help her, but he refused, leading to Poe flying away. Magica attempted to find Poe, but was unable to, causing her hatred against Scrooge. In "Magica's Magic Mirror" she mentions her great-grandmother Tragica. The 2017 ''DuckTales'' reboot also introduces Magica's "niece" Lena (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) – who is eventually revealed to be a magically created shadow creature and Magica's spy. During the series' first season, Lena meets Webby Vanderquack in order to gain access to Scrooge's Number One Dime so Magica can regain her corporeal form, but Lena befriends Webby and later sacrifices herself to save her from Magica. During the second season, Webby manages to restore Lena, allowing her to exist independently of Magica. She is also revealed to have access to Magica's powers, which initially scare her due to the possibility of becoming her. With the help of her friends, Lena overcomes her fears and uses her powers for good.


References


External links

*
The Meaning of Magica

Don Rosa's views on Magica De Spell




{{DEFAULTSORT:De Spell, Magica Anthropomorphic ducks Characters created by Carl Barks Comics characters introduced in 1961 Comics characters who use magic Comics characters with superhuman strength Comic strip supervillains Disney animated villains Disney comics characters Donald Duck universe characters Female characters in comics Female characters in animation Female supervillains Fictional characters who can change size Fictional characters who can teleport Fictional characters who use magic Fictional characters with elemental transmutation abilities Fictional ducks Fictional Italian people Fictional kidnappers Shapeshifters in comics Video game bosses Villains in animated television series