Magenta (comics)
Encyclopedia
Magenta is a fiction
al character
in the DC Comics
' series Teen Titans. She is a former hero turned villain.
An early concept design for Magenta by George Pérez
appeared in DC Sampler #2, with the character's initial name being Polara and her color scheme consisting of red
and blue
rather than magenta
and white
.
's girlfriend during his Kid Flash
days. When Wally was a member of the New Teen Titans, Frances began to have strange experiences, including objects flying around without control. Frances' mother believed that she had been possessed
, a theory that gained credence when, during an especially powerful episode, the silhouette of a large horned person appeared. The Titans managed to save Frances, who was thereafter discovered to have magnetic superpowers. Unbeknown to the Titans, the silhouette had not been a demon, but the magnetically-powered supervillain Doctor Polaris
, who had been trapped in another dimension by Green Lantern
and was trying to use Frances' nascent powers to escape.
Wally pushed her to become 'Kid Flash's girlfriend' — a superhero. She became Magenta (a word that suggests "magnet"), and used her powers as Kid Flash's "super girlfriend" and as a Titans ally. The pressure of being a superhero put a lot of stress on her, and the pair broke up. West regretted this in his adult life.
Despite the break-up, Frances still had feelings for Wally (some of them negative), and when the Justice League
fought the Teen Titans, Magenta came to help, even using her abilities to jump-start a machine that was vital in saving Earth from massive chunks of debris from a falling planet.
Her heroic efforts masked her growing mental illness. Though Frances was often called "bipolar
" (as a darkly humorous pun on her magnetic powers), her illness more closely resembled multiple personality disorder
; all the stress and resentment emerged into a vindictive and aggressive new identity, while her "regular" personality became unusually weak-willed and mousy. It is notable that this split personality problem has also cropped up in Doctor Polaris, though his mental illness apparently predated his super-villain career.
The "new" Magenta forced a confrontation with Wally West (now the third Flash
) which quickly devolved into a brawl, and when police intervened, she used her powers to rip the fillings from their teeth. Flash was horrified by Frances' nearly homicidal tendencies.
Frances would encounter Wally on and off again many times. In one incident, she was calm and non-violent, realizing that using her powers would awaken her 'darker' side. Unfortunately, she had to use her powers as one of Flash's enemies had teleported a bomb to a computer-determined random location in the city. Frances, riding on Flash's back, was able to detect the bomb with her powers and, risking turning evil, levitate it high enough so its explosion harmed no one. During her time, she formed a friendship with Linda Park
, Wally's girlfriend, bonding over things Wally had done in the past.
Later, she would return and attempt to kill the Flash. Using her powers to hijack a car transport vehicle, she raced it through town. She flung car after car at the Flash, who didn't have the simple luxury of just dodging the cars, as he had to protect the townspeople from Kane herself. With the help of Linda, Frances calmed down enough to end her rampage.
Later, when Cicada began to attack the Flash, Magenta was an early convert. She was present at the final battle between the two, but escaped. She joined Blacksmith's rogues
and garnered the unrequited attraction of Girder. She came to her senses and ripped Girder in half.
In the 2005 'Rogue War' storyline, she was shown as a member of James Jesse's
reformed Rogues (alongside Jesse, Heatwave
, and the Pied Piper
). When they attacked Captain Cold
's group, she was defeated by the Weather Wizard
.
Most recently, she was seen among the new Injustice League
and is one of the exiled villains in Salvation Run
. On Earth, she got involved with the Cyborg Revenge Squad, a loosely formed group of villains with mastery over metals and cybernetics assembled by the shady Mister Orr, on the behest of Enclave M
to capture the cybernetic hero Cyborg
and harvest his discoveries and technologies for military uses. Cyborg gave her an electric shock so powerful it brought her back to her senses, unaware of where she was and what she had done but still able to recognize Cyborg.
metals. She can focus her powers into blasts of concussive magnetic force that can shatter steel, or fire electromagnetic pulse
s to disrupt electronic systems. She can concentrate her magnetic powers into a protective shield that repels metals and most physical assaults. By surrounding herself with an aura of magnetism
that has an equal polarity
to the Earth's own geomagnetic field, she can cause the Earth to repel her upward, and thereby fly by magnetic levitation
.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' series Teen Titans. She is a former hero turned villain.
An early concept design for Magenta by George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
appeared in DC Sampler #2, with the character's initial name being Polara and her color scheme consisting of red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
and blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
rather than magenta
Magenta
Magenta is a color evoked by light stronger in blue and red wavelengths than in yellowish-green wavelengths . In light experiments, magenta can be produced by removing the lime-green wavelengths from white light...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
.
Fictional character biography
Frances Kane was Wally WestWally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
's girlfriend during his Kid Flash
Kid Flash
Kid Flash is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero The Flash. The first incarnation of the character, Wally West, debuted in The Flash #110...
days. When Wally was a member of the New Teen Titans, Frances began to have strange experiences, including objects flying around without control. Frances' mother believed that she had been possessed
Demonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
, a theory that gained credence when, during an especially powerful episode, the silhouette of a large horned person appeared. The Titans managed to save Frances, who was thereafter discovered to have magnetic superpowers. Unbeknown to the Titans, the silhouette had not been a demon, but the magnetically-powered supervillain Doctor Polaris
Doctor Polaris
Doctor Polaris is an alias used by two fictional supervillains, comic book characters published by DC Comics. Neil Emerson first appeared as Doctor Polaris in Green Lantern #21 , and was created by John Broome and Gil Kane. The second Dr...
, who had been trapped in another dimension by Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
and was trying to use Frances' nascent powers to escape.
Wally pushed her to become 'Kid Flash's girlfriend' — a superhero. She became Magenta (a word that suggests "magnet"), and used her powers as Kid Flash's "super girlfriend" and as a Titans ally. The pressure of being a superhero put a lot of stress on her, and the pair broke up. West regretted this in his adult life.
Despite the break-up, Frances still had feelings for Wally (some of them negative), and when the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
fought the Teen Titans, Magenta came to help, even using her abilities to jump-start a machine that was vital in saving Earth from massive chunks of debris from a falling planet.
Her heroic efforts masked her growing mental illness. Though Frances was often called "bipolar
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
" (as a darkly humorous pun on her magnetic powers), her illness more closely resembled multiple personality disorder
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
; all the stress and resentment emerged into a vindictive and aggressive new identity, while her "regular" personality became unusually weak-willed and mousy. It is notable that this split personality problem has also cropped up in Doctor Polaris, though his mental illness apparently predated his super-villain career.
The "new" Magenta forced a confrontation with Wally West (now the third Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
) which quickly devolved into a brawl, and when police intervened, she used her powers to rip the fillings from their teeth. Flash was horrified by Frances' nearly homicidal tendencies.
Frances would encounter Wally on and off again many times. In one incident, she was calm and non-violent, realizing that using her powers would awaken her 'darker' side. Unfortunately, she had to use her powers as one of Flash's enemies had teleported a bomb to a computer-determined random location in the city. Frances, riding on Flash's back, was able to detect the bomb with her powers and, risking turning evil, levitate it high enough so its explosion harmed no one. During her time, she formed a friendship with Linda Park
Linda Park (comics)
Linda Park is a fictional character in the DC Universe. She first appeared in Flash #28. Linda is Korean-American...
, Wally's girlfriend, bonding over things Wally had done in the past.
Later, she would return and attempt to kill the Flash. Using her powers to hijack a car transport vehicle, she raced it through town. She flung car after car at the Flash, who didn't have the simple luxury of just dodging the cars, as he had to protect the townspeople from Kane herself. With the help of Linda, Frances calmed down enough to end her rampage.
Later, when Cicada began to attack the Flash, Magenta was an early convert. She was present at the final battle between the two, but escaped. She joined Blacksmith's rogues
Rogues (comics)
Some of the enemies of the comic book superhero the Flash, led by Captain Cold, constitute a loose criminal association who refer to themselves as the Rogues, disdaining the use of the term "supervillain" or "super-criminal"....
and garnered the unrequited attraction of Girder. She came to her senses and ripped Girder in half.
In the 2005 'Rogue War' storyline, she was shown as a member of James Jesse's
Trickster (comics)
The Trickster is the name of two fictional characters, DC Comics supervillains that are both enemies of the Flash. The original Trickster first appeared in Flash #113 , while the second debuted in Flash #183 .-James Jesse:The original Trickster is a practical joker and conman whose favorite...
reformed Rogues (alongside Jesse, Heatwave
Heat Wave (comics)
Heat Wave is a fictional villain in the DC Universe and a primary foe of the Flash.-Fictional character biography:Born on a farm outside Central City, Mick Rory became fascinated with fire, as a child. This fascination turned into an obsession and one night, he set his family's home ablaze...
, and the Pied Piper
Pied Piper (comics)
Pied Piper is a fictional character in the DC Universe. He first appeared in the pages of The Flash #106 .-Fictional character biography:...
). When they attacked Captain Cold
Captain Cold
Captain Cold, real name Leonard Snart, is a comic book villain created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as one of the archenemies of Flash. He is a leader of the Rogues...
's group, she was defeated by the Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard
Weather Wizard is a fictional DC Comics supervillain. The Weather Wizard first appeared in Flash #110 .- Early life :...
.
Most recently, she was seen among the new Injustice League
Injustice League
The Injustice League is the name of two fictional teams of supervillains in the .-Original League :The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. Bored of his dominion, he set out to conquer Earth and their champions, the Justice League...
and is one of the exiled villains in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
. On Earth, she got involved with the Cyborg Revenge Squad, a loosely formed group of villains with mastery over metals and cybernetics assembled by the shady Mister Orr, on the behest of Enclave M
Creature Commandos
The Creature Commandos are a fictional DC Comics team of military superhumans originally set in World War II. The original team, created by J. M...
to capture the cybernetic hero Cyborg
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
and harvest his discoveries and technologies for military uses. Cyborg gave her an electric shock so powerful it brought her back to her senses, unaware of where she was and what she had done but still able to recognize Cyborg.
Powers and abilities
Magenta can generate and control magnetic fields, which she can use to move, lift, and manipulate ferrousFerrous
Ferrous , in chemistry, indicates a divalent iron compound , as opposed to ferric, which indicates a trivalent iron compound ....
metals. She can focus her powers into blasts of concussive magnetic force that can shatter steel, or fire electromagnetic pulse
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
s to disrupt electronic systems. She can concentrate her magnetic powers into a protective shield that repels metals and most physical assaults. By surrounding herself with an aura of magnetism
Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of materials that respond at an atomic or subatomic level to an applied magnetic field. Ferromagnetism is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. It is responsible for the behavior of permanent magnets, which produce their own persistent magnetic fields, as well...
that has an equal polarity
Dipole
In physics, there are several kinds of dipoles:*An electric dipole is a separation of positive and negative charges. The simplest example of this is a pair of electric charges of equal magnitude but opposite sign, separated by some distance. A permanent electric dipole is called an electret.*A...
to the Earth's own geomagnetic field, she can cause the Earth to repel her upward, and thereby fly by magnetic levitation
Magnetic levitation
Magnetic levitation, maglev, or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is suspended with no support other than magnetic fields...
.
External links
- Profile from "The Flash: Those Who Ride The Lightning" website
- Crimson Lightning - An online index to the comic book adventures of the Flash.