Morgaine le Fey is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

, based on

Morgan le Fay Morgan le Fay (; Welsh language, Welsh and Cornish language, Cornish: Morgen; with ''le Fay'' being garbled French language, French ''la Fée'', thus meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan , Morgain /e Morgant Mor ...

, the mythical sorceress and half-sister of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

. She debuted in '' The Demon'' #1 (September 1972), and was created by

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

Fictional character biography

Morgaine le Fey is the ancient

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 ...

of Arthurian legends. Her history is slightly different from the legends, but she is a sorceress gifted in the arts of black magic. In ''

Madame Xanadu Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu) is a fictional character published by DC Comics. The character is identified with Nimue, the sorceress from Arthurian mythology made popular by Sir Thomas Malory's ''Le Morte d'Arthur''. Jeryl Prescott portrays X ...

'' #1 (2008), Morgaine (or "Morgana") is revealed as a sister of Nimue (the future

) and Vivienne, the

Lady of the Lake The Lady of the Lake (, , , , ) is a title used by multiple characters in the Matter of Britain, the body of medieval literature and mythology associated with the legend of King Arthur. As either actually fairy or fairy-like yet human enchantres ...

. All three descend from the "Elder Folk", survivors of the fall of

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

that evolved into the ''Homo magi'', explaining Morgaine's affinity for magic. While Nimue is shown as kind and caring about the early, magic-free humans, Morgaine exhibits a mean streak, treating the new human breed as little more than playthings, using contempt even towards her kinder little sister. After several centuries of manipulating humans and taking many lovers (including

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

), Morgaine sets her sights on

Uther Pendragon Uther Pendragon ( ; the Brittonic languages, Brittonic name; , or ), also known as King Uther (or Uter), was a List of legendary kings of Britain, legendary King of the Britons and father of King Arthur. A few minor references to Uther appe ...

, High King of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

. Her advances are rejected, as Uther only has eyes for

Igraine In the Matter of Britain, Igraine () is the mother of King Arthur. Igraine is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigr (Middle Welsh Eigyr), in French as Ygraine (Old French Ygerne or Igerne), in ''Le Morte d'Arthur'' as Ygrayne—ofte ...

, the wife of Duke

Gorlois In Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, Gorlois () of Tintagel was the List of legendary rulers of Cornwall, Duke of Cornwall. He was the first husband of King Arthur's mother Igraine and the father of her daughters, King Arthur's family, Arthu ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. Seeking to meddle in their lives, Morgaine disguises herself as Igraine's daughter. Afterward, she is exiled from the Elder Folk and travels to Avalon. In ''

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

'' continuity reboot, Morgaine and Nimue are the biological daughters of Igraine, who is identified as a Fae. In the early 6th century, Morgaine trains her sisters

Morgause Morgause ( ) is a popular variant of the figure of the Queen of Orkney, an Arthurian legend character also known by various other names and appearing in different forms of her archetype. She is the mother of Gawain and often also of Mordred, ...

and Elaine to be adept with sorcery like her. After Uther kills Gorlois, Morgaine blames her half-brother

(Uther's son) for stealing her and her sisters' birthright. She conspires against him throughout his time on the throne and seeks the destruction of

Camelot Camelot is a legendary castle and Royal court, court associated with King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described ...

. During this time,

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

merges the demon

Etrigan Etrigan the Demon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...

with the human Jason Blood in a last-ditch effort to defend the kingdom. Following this, Morgaine continues to practice dark magic and retains her youth for many centuries, seeking power and a new kingdom to rule. By the 20th century, Merlin returns and tricks Morgaine, causing her to lose her youth. In '' Batman Family'' #17, the Huntress's use of the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

transporter frees Morgaine, who claims the

Philosopher's Stone The philosopher's stone is a mythic alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold or silver; it was also known as "the tincture" and "the powder". Alchemists additionally believed that it could be used to mak ...

. Le Fey seeks a baby with latent demon powers in the maternity ward where

Man-Bat Man-Bat (Dr. Robert Kirkland "Kirk" Langstrom) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #400 (June 1970) as an enemy of the superhero Batman, the character belongs to t ...

's wife is giving birth. Several women give birth to demon children as a result. Etrigan also appears and together he and Man-Bat defeat le Fey. Morgaine later attempts to steal

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

's eternal youth, not realizing that she has given it up. She is killed, but revives and returns to battle Etrigan and Wonder Woman on many occasions. Morgaine returns in ''

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

'', working with Enigma and

Despero Despero () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''Justice League of America'' #1 (October 1960), and was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic ...

to usurp the symbolic position of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

, and Wonder Woman. She infuses the villains with the Major Arcana of the Tarot, giving them a measure of control over reality. However, she is ultimately defeated and imprisoned in a stone idol, which is placed in Jason Blood's custody. Morgaine appears as a member of

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

and

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...

's group The Immortals, advising Kendra Saunders/Lady Blackhawk to use the

Anti-Monitor The Anti-Monitor is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He served as the main antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' and later appears as an enemy to the Green Lantern Corps ...

's brain to destroy the Dark Multiverse.

Powers and abilities

Morgaine le Fey is a sorceress skilled in the use of black magic. This gives her various abilities, including mind control, remote viewing, life force absorption, telepathy, and magic nullification.

Other versions

* An alternate universe variant of Morgaine le Fey appears in ''

Camelot 3000 ''Camelot 3000'' is an American twelve-issue comic book limited series written by Mike W. Barr and penciled by Brian Bolland. It was published by DC Comics from 1982 to 1985 as one of its first direct market projects, and as its first maxi-s ...

''. * An alternate universe variant of Morgaine le Fey appears in '' Just Imagine...'' This version is a member of Reverend Darrk's Church of Eternal Empowerment and

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz and designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in '' Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Strange made his live-action de ...

's mother.

In other media

Television

* Morgaine le Fay appears in series set in the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a Shared universe, shared fictional universe based on DC Comics properties and media franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with ''Batman ...

(DCAU), voiced by Olivia d'Abo. 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. ** Introduced in the ''

'' episode "A Knight of Shadows", this version was Jason Blood's lover, to whom he betrayed Camelot to during its invasion, only for her to betray and poison him in turn. In the present, she manipulates

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" in ''Detective Comics ...

into stealing the

in exchange for her resurrecting the Martian race. However, after reading Etrigan's mind and seeing Morgaine's betrayal of Jason, J'onn realizes that she will not fulfill their deal and destroys the stone. ** Morgaine le Fey appears in the ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' episode "Kids Stuff", where she aids the Justice League in fighting Mordred after he steals the Amulet of First Magic and exiles all adults on Earth to another dimension. * Morgaine le Fey appears in '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold'', voiced by Tatyana Yassukovich.

Video games

* Morgaine le Fey appears in the DS version of '' Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame''. * Morgaine le Fey appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

References

{{Jack Kirby Arthurian comics Characters created by Jack Kirby Comics characters introduced in 1972 DC Comics fantasy characters DC Comics female supervillains DC Comics shapeshifters DC Comics characters who can teleport DC Comics characters who use magic DC Comics immortals DC Comics telepaths Fictional characters with body or mind control abilities Fictional characters with elemental and environmental abilities Fictional characters with precognition Fictional empaths Fictional characters who use magic Mythology in DC Comics