Talisman (comics) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the Marvel Comics character who is an aboriginal hero from Australia, see Talisman (Marvel Comics)

Talisman (Marvel Comics)

Talisman is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:Talisman first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes: Contest of Champions #1 . He also appeared in issues #2-3 of the series...

Talisman (Elizabeth Twoyoungmen) is a superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

featured in the publications of Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

. She first appeared as Elizabeth Twoyoungmen in Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....

vol. 1 #5. The character was created by John Byrne.

Fictional character biography

Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, the daughter of Michael Twoyoungmen

Shaman (comics)

Shaman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and a member of Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...

(who would later be the superhero Shaman of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight

Alpha Flight

). She became estranged from her father at the age of four following the death of her mother Kathryn following an illness. Michael, a physician, had promised to save her and his failure led Elizabeth to be bitter and resentful toward him.

As a college archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

student, Elizabeth was excavating the site of the original Fort Calgary

Fort Calgary

Fort Calgary was established in 1875 as Fort Brisebois by the North-West Mounted Police, located at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers in what is now Calgary, Alberta.-History:...

when she discovered a skull. When she touched it an apparition appeared that only she could see. Frightened, she sought out her father, whom she recognized as Shaman despite a spell he had cast to prevent himself from being so recognized. Together they investigated the skull, determining that it was the source of ancient anger or ancient evil.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Emily Strang was tending to her great-grandfather, Lucas Strang, when she was attacked by a mystical force manifesting itself through scrambled eggs (eggs being both a symbol of new life and a symbol of potential life unfulfilled). Shaman and Elizabeth traveled to the site of the manifestation and Shaman seemingly defeated it. However, the force again manifested itself, this time through Lucas, and possessed Emily. As the possessed Emily attacked Elizabeth, Shaman identified it as Ranaq the Devourer, one of the Great Beasts

Great Beasts

The Great Beasts are fictional villains of supernatural origin, originally created as antagonists for the heroes of the Marvel Comics series Alpha Flight.-Publication history:...

of the North. Under Ranaq's barrage, Elizabeth found herself growing stronger until she was able instinctively to turn the force of Ranaq's attack back against it. Shaman launched an attack on Ranaq as well and together they drove the beast out of Emily, saving her life. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth reached into Shaman's mystical medicine pouch at his bidding and withdrew a coronet (later identified as the "Coronet of Enchantment"). Placing it on her brow, she was transformed into Talisman, with the power to manipulate vast magical energies and command the spirits of nature to do her will. Talisman joined with Alpha Flight. She was horrified to later learn that she was unable to remove the Coronet without enduring unbearable, agonizing pain.

Alongside Alpha Flight, she later fought the rest of the Great Beasts. She was captured by the original Omega Flight

Omega Flight

Omega Flight is the name used by three teams of fictional characters with superpowers in the Marvel Universe, one of the few Canadian teams published by an American comic book company. Omega Flight first appeared in the pages of Alpha Flight as a supervillain team...

, and became trapped in the void within Shaman's mystic pouch. She was rescued by the Beyonder

Beyonder

The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...

, but then quit Alpha Flight. Her natural arrogance magnified by her newfound powers as well as the Coronet of Enchantment's influence, and with her bitterness toward her father rekindled both by his failure to tell her about the Coronet and his failure to save her from being consumed by the Void within his medicine pouch, Talisman became corrupted by her powers. She took the impending birth of fellow Alphan Snowbird

Snowbird (comics)

Snowbird is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 , and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:...

's first child as her opportunity for revenge on him. She commanded the spirits to lead Shaman to a place of power required for the birth that was also a place of death, intending to let the malevolent spirit trapped there to defeat her father before saving the day herself. However, the spirit trapped there had never truly died and so was beyond her power to bind. Possessing Snowbird's baby and calling himself Pestilence

Pestilence (comics)

Pestilence is a comic book supervillain who has battled the Canadian super-team Alpha Flight. The character Pestilence is a literary version of the real life Francis Crozier, who was second in command in Franklin's lost expedition to the Northwest Passage and later disappeared after taking command...

, the malevolent entity attacked Alpha Flight and tore the Coronet from Talisman's brow, thus restoring Elizabeth's humanity. However, in the continuing battle, Shaman donned the Coronet, claiming the name and powers of Talisman, and forced Pestilence to flee.

Several months later, Elizabeth was sent a dream by Snowbird about the Dreamqueen

Dreamqueen

The Dreamqueen is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe.-Fictional character biography:The entity known as the Dreamqueen is the daughter of a succubus named Zhilla Char, and Nightmare, ruler of the Dream Dimension. Her birth killed her mother, and gave the Dreamqueen all her memories...

. Elizabeth learned that she still had her powers. She then regained the Coronet from Shaman and her power as Talisman, and aided Alpha Flight during a confrontation with the Dreamqueen. She then first fought Llan the Sorcerer

Llan the Sorcerer

Llan the Sorcerer, a fictional character in the Marvel Universe, is an ancient evil who was an enemy of Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...

. With Alpha Flight, she fought the illusory "super heroes" on the Dreamqueen's world. She exorcised a demon serving Llan from a child. She brought together Aurora

Aurora (comics)

Aurora is a fictional character, a Canadian superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the twin sister of Northstar and the former lover of Sasquatch. She has also been in a relationship with Wild Child....

, Purple Girl

Persuasion (comics)

The Purple Woman is a Marvel Comics mutant superhero.-Fictional character biography:...

, Laura Dean

Pathway (comics)

Pathway is a fictional character, mutant and a superhero featured in the publications of Marvel Comics. Most of her appearances were in the series Alpha Flight.-Publication history:...

, and Goblyn

Goblyn

Goblyn is a fictional mutant character in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Goblyn first appeared in Alpha Flight #48 , and was created by Bill Mantlo and Terry Shoemaker....

to find Northstar

Northstar

Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...

. Talisman's spirit traveled back in time to learn about her incarnation as Nahita of the Tribe of the Moon, and her first defeat of Llan. She then defeated Llan with the aid of Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange

Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....

and Alpha and Gamma Flights. Some time later, Elizabeth was attacked and injured by the second Omega Flight, and forced to release the Ska'r. She directed Gamma Flight in defeating the Ska'r, and joined the new Beta Flight.

Omega Flight

In the aftermath of the Civil War

Civil War (comics)

Civil War is a 2006-2007 Marvel Comics crossover storyline built around a self-titled seven-issue limited series written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time...

of American superheroes, some of their enemies fled north to Canada. To combat this threat, Sasquatch

Sasquatch (comics)

Sasquatch is a fictional character, a superhero in Marvel Comics' universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 and was created by John Byrne.-Fictional character biography:Dr...

began recruiting for a new team to protect the borders. While initially refusing to join this new Omega Flight, Talisman is spurred into action by Sasquatch's capture, returning to Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

to meet up with the rest of the team. After angrily accusing Iron Man

Iron Man

Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...

of bringing the supervillain crisis about through the bitter conflict of the Superhuman Civil War

Civil War (comics)

, Elizabeth is horrified to learn that Michael Pointer, the man who killed Alpha Flight, has been selected as the new Guardian. Angry that a murderer and an American is wearing a Canada-inspired costume, Talisman refuses to have anything to do with the former thrall of the Collective and leaves him behind as the rest of the team goes to Toronto to fight the Wrecking Crew

Wrecking Crew (comics)

The Wrecking Crew is a team of four fictional supervillains — Bulldozer, Piledriver, Thunderball, and the Wrecker — that appears in Marvel Comics. While not featured on the cover, the Wrecking Crew's first appearance is in Defenders vol. 1, #17 in November 1974.-Fictional biography:The Wrecking...

. Aiding the team in their battle against the Great Beasts-empowered Crew and their Surtur demon allies, Elizabeth hesitates when confronted by a Tanaraq-possessed Sasquatch, but is saved by Guardian's timely arrival. Finally seeing that he was truly remorseful for the indirect role he played in the destruction of Alpha Flight and his outright refusal to kill Sasquatch when he was possessed, Elizabeth finally forgives Michael. Also during the series Talisman is shown wearing Shaman's medicine bag, which she likely inherited after her father's death at the hands of the Collective.

She re-appeared in She-Hulk

She-Hulk

She-Hulk is a Marvel Comics superheroine. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Buscema, she first appeared in Savage She-Hulk #1 ....

vol. 2 #16 (2007) when she tried to bypass a S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....

unit, as she had a cure that could end an attacking Wendigo

Wendigo (comics)

Wendigo is a fictional monster in the Marvel Comics universe. He is based on the mythical creature of the same name...

's rampage. However it took a while to get past security and before Talisman could do anything, the She-Hulk and Wolverine had already taken him down.

Powers and abilities

Talisman possesses vast supernatural

Supernatural

The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...

powers as a result of her descent from forty generations of Sacree shamans, and was once described as "a mortal channel through which the gods can fight", as well as "a director of forces, not a combatant". Her father, Shaman, has stated that her powers when properly developed would rival even that of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange

. Primary among her powers is the ability to command the Spirits of the Land to do her bidding, meaning she is literally part of the Spirit World itself. While Shaman could only implore the Spirits for help, Talisman can command them outright. She has the ability to tap into mystical forces and to manipulate them for a variety of effects, including levitation, astral projection

Astral projection

Astral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...

, exorcism

Exorcism

Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...

, matter manipulation, the ability to see prophetic visions, telepathy

Telepathy

Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...

, teleportation

Teleportation

Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...

over vast distances, opening inter-dimensional portals, animating the undead

Undead

Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...

, generating wind blasts and lightning

Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...

, summoning air spirits, calling forth spirit animals, creating magical shields of light, and generating blasts of magical energy. She also has the ability to perceive various mystical phenomena. She possesses considerable knowledge of the mystic arts of the Sacree.

Most of Talisman's powers stem from the ancient Coronet of Enchantment, which she wears on her forehead. However, even without the Coronet, she has shown to possess the ability to absorb and redirect magical energy used against her, but the Coronet greatly amplifies her powers. Talisman cannot remove the Coronet without it causing her severe mental pain (and it took a great effort from others to remove it), however if someone else wears it, returning the Coronet to the true owner would spare them the pain. When out of costume, Talisman can use an illusion to hide the presence of the Coronet. Talisman stated in Omega Flight #5 that she "no longer has the blessings she once had", making her level of power unclear.

Following the death of her father Talisman, now in addition to her powers she possesses also Shaman's medicine bag

Medicine bag

A medicine bag is a traditional North American Indian container for various items of supernatural power. While anyone may have one, usually it would be the medicine man, or shaman, of a tribe who would carry one...

which contains a pocket dimension known as the Void. She can summon all manner of mystical objects and potions from the bag. See hammerspace.

Other characters named Talisman

After Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was initially corrupted by her power, Shaman temporarily seized the Coronet of Enchantment, assuming the name and powers of Talisman.

External links

AlphaFlight.Net Alphanex Entry on Talisman
http://marvel.com/universe/Talisman_%28Elizabeth_Twoyoungmen%29

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Fictional character biography

Omega Flight

Powers and abilities

Other characters named Talisman

See also

External links