Enchantress is the common primary alias of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first of these is a powerful sorceress by the name of Amora, depicted as one of Thor's greatest enemies. The second Enchantress is Sylvie Lushton, who was given great mystic powers by Loki when he created her as a tool for chaos. She models herself after the original Enchantress, Amora.
In animation, Kari Wahlgren, Fryda Wolff, and Grey DeLisle have voiced the Enchantress in various media. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Sophia Di Martino portrays a different version of the character called Sylvie, a variant of Loki, in the Disney+ series Loki.
Contents
Publication history
Amora's first appearance in the Marvel Universe took place in Journey into Mystery #103 (April 1964), where she tried and failed to seduce Thor away from Jane Foster.
The second Enchantress, Sylvie, first appeared in Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 (July 2009), where she was confronted by the Young Avengers.
Fictional character biography
Amora
The Enchantress' parentage is unknown, though it is known she was born in Asgard and has a sister by the name of Lorelei. Amora began learning magic as an apprentice of Karnilla, Queen of the Norns, but was eventually banished. She continued learning magic on her own, notably by seducing others well versed in magic and learning their secrets. In time, Amora became one of the more powerful magic-wielders in Asgard, with her magical arsenal focused on (but not limited to) charming and mind-controlling people. Her by-then well-renowned beauty did not hinder in this.
In her first appearance, Odin sends the Enchantress to eliminate Jane Foster, whom Odin sees as a distraction. She also hopes to have the thunder god for herself. She is assisted by a powerful minion — Skurge, the Executioner. The Executioner loved the Enchantress, and she strings him along with her feminine wiles, using him as her muscle. She aids Loki by attempting to seduce Thor in his Don Blake identity and by sending the Executioner to kill Jane. Although the Executioner traps Foster in another dimension, Thor is able to bring her back by giving Skurge his hammer. When the Enchantress begins to turn Skurge into a tree, he releases Thor from the pact in exchange for his help. Amora then tries to change Thor's hammer into a serpent, but it is immune to her magic. Thor then transports the two back to Asgard.
The Enchantress and the Executioner are exiled to Earth by Odin. They become members of Heinrich Zemo's original Masters of Evil, the opposite number to the Avengers, a superhero team that Thor had joined. The Enchantress hypnotizes Thor into attacking the other Avengers with her own spells and a special brew, making him believe they are enemies of humanity, but Iron Man wakes Thor from his trance by reflecting sunlight into his eyes. Thor sends the Masters to another dimension through a space warp, but two issues later, the Enchantress uses a spell to send them back to Earth. She recruits Wonder Man into the Masters of Evil after paying his bail. She also meets Immortus, who helps Zemo attack the Avengers. When this attempt fails, she turns back time to prevent it from happening, though the Masters retain their memories of this event. When Immortus begins to contact the Masters, the Enchantress prevents this from happening. She then joins in the Masters of Evil's final assault against the Avengers and breaks Black Knight and Melter out of jail. She manages to escape in the end with the Executioner when the other two are transported to another dimension where their weapons rebound due to different scientific laws. As a member of the Masters of Evil, the Enchantress (and Executioner) repeatedly face the Avengers. She is especially affronted by the attempts of the Scarlet Witch, a mortal, to subvert her divine spells, though she is occasionally genuinely challenged by Scarlet Witch's mutant gifts.
Sylvie Lushton
A member of the Young Masters surfaces having modeled herself on Amora the Enchantress and takes on her teammate Melter as her lover. The new Enchantress is revealed to be an adolescent who had been given powers by Loki so that he could use her in his schemes. However, she truly believes that she is an Asgardian that had been exiled from Asgard and sent to live in New York where she joined the Young Masters. She admits to the first team of Young Avengers that she is Sylvie Lushton from Broxton, Oklahoma, who suddenly gained magic powers. Sylvie seems to have powers and abilities similar to those of the original Enchantress, despite looking far younger, and speaking with a noticeable lisp. Sylvie has a strong desire to become a Young Avenger and even used her magic to change her teammates' minds so that they would want her on the team as well.
After a series of try-outs, Sylvie is initially accepted as a new addition to the Young Avengers. However, as a plan to end Sylvie's future with the Young Avengers, her teammates Big Zero and Egghead download the results of an analysis they had run on her into Vision's cybernetic mind. The analysis verifies that Sylvie is an unwitting trap for the Young Avengers' magical defense systems created by Loki and Wiccan immediately has her banned from the Young Avengers' hideout. A distraught and confused Sylvie then asks her teammates to avenge her, eventually resulting in a confrontation between the two teams and Norman Osborn's team of Dark Avengers. During the conflict, Wiccan reveals to her that she was given magical powers by Loki. However, he states that the team still wants her, but that her hasty banning was only to quickly remove her from the premises so that he could alter the magical defenses to compensate for Loki's traps. Convinced by Wiccan that being an Avenger is about who one chooses to be despite one's origins, she, Coat of Arms, and Wiccan manage to magically remove the Sentry from the battlefield and turn the tide of the fight against the Young Masters and the Dark Avengers. Melter requests a quick escape so that they can have more time to decide what they will choose to do as either superheroes or supervillains, and Sylvie complies, teleporting the Young Masters away.
Enchantress later joins the Hood's incarnation of the Illuminati. She is confronted by the original Enchantress, who banishes her to a hostile realm.
Powers and abilities
The Enchantress is a member of the race of superhumans known as Asgardians, and as such possesses superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and durability but prefers to avoid physical conflicts. She possesses an innate capacity to manipulate ambient magical energy, honed through practice for a variety of effects, including projecting energy bolts, interdimensional teleportation of multiple Asgardians and non-Asgardians, protective energy barriers, illusion casting, levitation, conjuration, transmutation (even of Asgardians), telekinesis, time-disruption, mind switching, and mind control. She has used her sorcery to enhance her natural beauty and allure, and to enchant her lips so that by kissing virtually any man she can make him her slave for about a week, unless she renews the treatment. She can also use her magic to heal any of her injuries rapidly, and possesses limited mystical senses. She can also absorb an opponent's life force to temporarily increase her own powers. A prolonged absence from Asgard tends to diminish her powers although they never fade completely. The Enchantress has been described as one of the most powerful sorceresses in Asgard. However, Amora's sister Lorelei was later also enhanced beyond her own abilities. The Enchantress has a gifted intellect, and possesses extensive knowledge of Asgardian mystic and amatory arts. On occasion, the Enchantress employs various mystical artifacts, potions, and power objects, such as the crystalline gem in which she entrapped Brunnhilde the Valkyrie's soul, and the potion she used to increase her hypnotic power over Thor in The Avengers #7. It has been shown that Enchantress is unable to access her spells when her hands are bound and her mouth is gagged.
Initially unbeknownst to her, Enchantress II's powers are given to her by Loki. Wiccan states that she may not fully understand how powerful she truly is. Her powers and abilities appear similar to those of the original Enchantress. She is able to teleport many people instantly, maintain a secret fortress with her magic, and transform objects and people into whatever she desires, such as turning several henchmen into frogs. She also demonstrated power enough to stop both the Young Avengers and Young Masters during their battle and separate them.
Connection to Norse mythology
Unlike many of Marvel's Asgardians, Amora is not based on a goddess from Norse mythology. In the limited series Thor: Ages of Thunder the Enchantress is said to have been referred to by many names throughout history including; Freyja, Gefn and Iduna, and is linked to many of the myths associated with these goddesses (e.g. as keeper of the golden apples). However, these stories were set during previous cycles of Ragnarok and characters based on some of these goddesses (Freya and Idunn) exist separately in the current Marvel Universe.
Reception
Critical reception
Drew Atchison of Screen Rant referred to the Enchantress as one of the "best Thor villains from the comics," writing, "Magic is used a lot in comics. Many use it for good but some like Amora the Enchantress, use it for far more villainous and vile reasons. A powerful Asgardian witch, Amora has cast powerful spells over Thor, Asgard, and other characters, making herself an iconic foe that the thunderer always seems to face at some point." Sara Century of Syfy called the Enchantress a "feminist dreambae," saying, "Amora the Enchantress first showed up way back in Journey Into Mystery #103 (1964), and she's been punking most of the Marvel Universe ever since. Amora arrived on the scene to assist Loki in taking Thor down, and their inevitable failure kicked off a long and storied career for her as a bae with a dark side. As one of mainstream comics' few female characters fully in control of her own sexual agency, and one of the Thor series' most sympathetic villains, Amora hasn't always been written perfectly, but she's definitely always been an object of our affections. Being bae is quite literally her superpower." Jesse Schedeen and Joshua Yehl of IGN said, "Thor is happy to battle Frost Giants, Fire Demons, and dragons all day long -- if it can be smashed with a hammer, it's right up his alley. That's why The Enchantress is one of his greatest villains; her schemes can't be overcome simply by swinging at it with Mjolnir. A skilled trickster and sorceress, the Enchantress won't rest until she possesses everything she desires. And it just so happens that she desires the god of thunder."
Adjanni Ramos of CBR.com wrote, "Amora the Enchantress working alongside Loki in a plot against Thor is as classic as the Sinister Six fighting Spider-Man. Ever since early Thor comics, Amora and Loki have worked together because of a common goal to defeat the God of Thunder; although, in Amora's case, it's usually to make him fall for her. Some iterations of the duo have even depicted Amora as having feelings for Loki, but the two have always served as classic Thor-Villains Duo." Noah Bell of Collider stated, "The Enchantress, known as Amora, is a skilled sorceress and master manipulator. One of Thor's most iconic villains, a live-action depiction of the character seems long overdue at this point. With her focus on manipulation and mind games, Amora could be an interesting change of pace for villains in the Thor franchise. While Thor has gotten out of most situations with his strength, an encounter with the Enchantress could show more of the Asgardian's brains in action." Marc Buxton of Den of Geek asserted, "Amora was a founding member of the Masters of Evil and it is about time Marvel focus their energies on a worthy female adversary for their heroes. It can be argued that she is the greatest villainess in the Marvel Universe and it is time the world came under Amora's spell."
Other versions
Heroes Reborn
An alternate universe version of the Enchantress appears in Heroes Reborn.
Marvel 2099
An alternate universe version of the Enchantress from Earth-2099 appears in Marvel 2099 reality. This version is a member of the Masters of Evil.
Marvel Zombies
A zombified alternate universe version of the Enchantress from Earth-2149 appears in Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness.
Old Man Logan
An alternate universe version of the Enchantress from Earth-21923 appears in Old Man Logan.
Ultimate Marvel
An alternate universe version of the Enchantress from Earth-1610 appears in the Ultimate Marvel universe.
In other media
Television
Amora the Enchantress appears in The Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by Nonnie Griffin.
Amora the Enchantress appears in The Super Hero Squad Show episode "Mental Organism Designed Only for Kisses!", voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Amora the Enchantress appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, voiced by Kari Wahlgren. This version is a founding member of the Masters of Evil.
Amora the Enchantress appears in Avengers Assemble, voiced by Fryda Wolff. This version is a member of the Cabal.
Amora the Enchantress appears in Marvel Future Avengers, voiced by Ayumi Yonemaru in Japanese and Kari Wahlgren in English. This version is a member of the Masters of Evil.
The Sylvie Lushton incarnation of the Enchantress serves as inspiration for the character Sylvie, portrayed by Sophia Di Martino in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Disney+ television show Loki (2021–2023).
Film
Amora the Enchantress appears in Hulk vs. Thor, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
Amora the Enchantress appears in Thor: Tales of Asgard, voiced by Ashleigh Ball.
Video games
Amora the Enchantress appears as a boss in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by Gabrielle Carteris. This version is a lieutenant in Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil.
Amora the Enchantress appears in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Grey DeLisle.
Amora the Enchantress appears as a boss, later playable character, in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
A teenage version of Amora the Enchantress appears in Marvel Avengers Academy, voiced by Laura Bailey.
Amora the Enchantress appears as a boss and playable character in Marvel Future Fight.
Amora the Enchantress appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel's Avengers via the "Masters of Evil" DLC.
Merchandise
The Enchantress received a figurine in The Classic Marvel Figurine Collection.
The Enchantress received a figure in Hasbro's Marvel Universe line via the Secret Wars sub-line as part of a two-pack with Thor.
The Enchantress received a figure in the Marvel Super Hero Squad line.
The Enchantress received two figures in Hasbro's Marvel Legends line, with the first being released as part of the San Diego Comic-Con 2016 exclusive "The Raft" set.
Miscellaneous
The Enchantress appears in the HeroClix miniatures game.
The Enchantress has been announced for the Marvel Crisis Protocol miniatures game.