Magpie (character)

Magpie (Margaret "Mag" Pye) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by John Byrne, and first appeared in '' The Man of Steel'' #3 (November 1986).

The character has been portrayed in live-action by Sarah Schenkkan in the final season of '' Gotham'', Rachel Matthews in the first season of the Arrowverse series ''Batwoman'', and Marié Botha in ''The Penguin''.

Fictional character biography

1986-2011

Magpie is a jewel thief who specifically targets jewels named after birds and then replaces them with booby-trapped replicas. Taking a job as a museum curator, Pye is slowly driven mad surrounded by the beautiful things that she loves but can never own. She was notable in Post-''Crisis'' continuity as the first villain who was defeated by Superman and Batman working together, Superman having visited Gotham to "apprehend" Batman before Batman's demonstration of his skills while tracking Magpie convinced Superman that Gotham needed someone like Batman to protect it.

Some time after during the events of ''Legends'', Pye is released on an insanity plea and goes on another rampage, before eventually being stopped by Batman and Jason Todd.

Magpie disappears for a length of time, until it is revealed that she is Poison Ivy's cellmate at Arkham Asylum.

Shortly thereafter, she is murdered by the Tally Man II, along with Orca, the Ventriloquist and Scarface and the KGBeast, villains working for the Penguin. Ultimately, her death was part of a revenge scheme by the criminal known as the Great White Shark.

During the "Blackest Night" storyline, Magpie is revived as a Black Lantern.''Blackest Night: Batman'' #1 (2009). DC Comics.

New 52

In 2011, DC Comics rebooted the DC Universe through "The New 52". During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Magpie appears as a member of the Secret Society of Super Villains which Outsider set up on behalf of the Crime Syndicate of America.

Rebirth

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth", which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to the New 52. Magpie is one of the villains taken down by Batman and Catwoman after he takes her along with him on an average night of his job and fought Batgirl in her quest for justice. She has also had a run-in with the Flash and Iris West after they were undercover as supervillains in the nation of Zandia, which serves as a haven for criminals like her.

When at Belle Reve, Magpie joined the Suicide Squad. On her only mission, she and the Suicide Squad were sent to fight Revolutionaries before being killed by Thylacine.

Dawn of DC

Powers and abilities

Magpie is an expert at hand-to-hand combat. Later appearances showed her with the ability to extend her fingernails into claws.

Equipment

Magpie is an expert at creating gadgetry that resembles the items that she stole. She also makes use of weapons that are explosive, can emit airborne toxins, or shoot razor blades.

Other characters named Magpie

An unrelated Magpie, Merg Gaterra, is an alien thief and enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Alternative versions

Magpie appears in the ''Batman: Li'l Gotham'' comics.

In other media

Television

* Magpie appears in ''Beware the Batman'', voiced by Grey DeLisle. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a split personality of Margaret Sorrow, who was the subject of a failed experiment meant to remove her kleptomania in exchange for a reduced sentence at Blackgate Penitentiary that granted her poisonous claws and the inability to feel pain. Later in the series, Magpie develops an obsessive attraction towards Batman and jealousy towards his partner Katana.
* Magpie appears in the '' Gotham'' episode "13 Stitches", portrayed by Sarah Schenkkan. This version's design takes inspiration from the ''Beware the Batman'' incarnation.
* Magpie appears in ''Batwoman'', portrayed by Rachel Matthews. This version utilizes 3-D printed bombs to distract from her jewelry robberies, poses as photographer Margot to canvas potential heist locations, and has a sister named Reagan Pye (portrayed by Brianne Howey).
* Magpie appears in promotional artwork released for ''Harley Quinn''.
* Magpie, based on her pre-New 52 design, makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the '' Kite Man: Hell Yeah!'' episode "Portal Potty, Hell Yeah!".
* Magpie appears in ''The Penguin'' episode "Cent'Anni", portrayed by Marié Botha.

Film

Magpie makes a minor non-speaking appearance in ''The Lego Batman Movie''.

Video games

Magpie appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

* Magpie appears in the ''DC Super Hero Girls'' tie-in comic books.
* Magpie appears in ''Injustice 2'' as a member of the Suicide Squad until she is killed by Jason Todd.''Injustice 2'' #1. DC Comics.''Injustice 2'' #2. DC Comics.
* Magpie appears in the Spotify audio series ''Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind'', voiced by Mary Holland.
* Magpie appears in the DC Comics Novel series adaptation of ''Mad Love'', written by Paul Dini and Pat Cadigan. This version is a patient of Arkham Asylum under Dr. Harleen Quinzel's care.

References

{{Suicide Squad

DC Comics female supervillains
Batman characters
Comics characters introduced in 1986
Fictional female serial killers
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional thieves
Characters created by John Byrne (comics)
Fictional murdered people
Suicide Squad members