Enchantress (Marvel Comics)
The
Enchantress — also known as
Amora — is a
fictional character in the
Marvel Comics universe. A powerful
sorceress, she is one of the most notable antagonists of
Thor. Unlike many of Marvel's
Asgardians, she is not an actual goddess from mythology. Some theorize, however, that she is based on the norse goddess
Freya.
The Enchantress' parentage is unknown, though it is known she 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 now well renowned beauty did not hinder in this.
The Enchantress' first appearance in the
Marvel Universe took place in
Journey Into Mystery #103, where she attempted to eliminate Thor's love interest in order to have the thunder god for herself. From her first appearance, she was assisted by a powerful minion — Skurge,
the Executioner. The Executioner loved the Enchantress, but she merely kept stringing him along with her feminine wiles, using him as her muscle.
Amora's main motivation was to make Thor fall in love with her. As such, she was mainly an antagonist to him. However, she branched out elsewhere as well when her opportunistic motives would so entice. Most notably, she became a member of
Baron Zemo's
Masters of Evil, the opposite number to the
Avengers, a superhero team whom Thor had joined. As a member of the Masters of Evil, the Enchantress (and Executioner) repeatedly faced
the Avengers.
The Enchantress has notably been the one to give some other superhumans their powers. For example, she used the deceased Zemo's equipment to make
Erik Josten into the original Power Man in
Avengers #21 — Josten is these days well known as Atlas of the
Thunderbolts. Amora also used her magics to make Barbara Norris into the
Valkyrie in the early adventures of the
Defenders. Without Amora, both might never have become superhumans.
Amora remained an antagonist for many years, exhibiting a capricious nature that was quick to toy with mortals with little concern to them. Seductive, manipulative and caring only about herself, she was the ultimate femme fatale in the Marvel Universe. Vanity was of great concern to her, few things were more important to Amora than maintaining her external veneer of beauty that made her worthy of the name Enchantress.
In the
1980s a gradual move towards a more moderate mindset began to emerge. In the
Secret Wars, where she had been placed on the villains' side, she spurned the idea of fighting a gladiatorial game for the amusement of a higher being, and proposed to Thor that the two of them simply join their forces to leave both the heroes and villains behind, and go back home to Asgard. Further, during
Walt Simonson's run on
Thor, the Enchantress joined the Asgardian gods and heroes on their side, in final battle against the world-ender
Surtur. Motivated, naturally, by enlightened self-interest, as if Surtur would end the world, Amora would perish too.
It was during Simonson's run as well that we were introduced to Amora's sister Lorelei, and it was estabilished that the two sisters had somewhat of a strained relationship, rooted in rivalry. More than a little friction was between the pair, not the least due to competition over which one of them would manage to seduce Thor.
Soon after the Surtur War, Thor led a number of Asgardian heroes to
Hel, the death goddess
Hela's realm. The Executioner bid Thor to join the expedition, for reasons he did not reveal others. In truth, he had seen the Enchantress dallying with Heimdall, and heartbroken, Skurge wished to lose himself in a noble cause — such as led by Thor, to rescue lost souls from Hela. He perhaps got more than he bargained for — yet perhaps as much as he wished — when Thor's forces, after accomplishing their mission, needed to retreat from Hel. One man was needed to hold the bridge Gjallerbru, and the Executioner, knowing there was no more Amora for him, chose to be that man, giving his life so the others might flee. When Amora heard the news, to everyone's surprise she was truly grief-stricken.
After Skurge's death, Amora continued her regular hijinks, occasionally helping Asgard, occasionally opposing them. The next significant Amora storyline came when
Tom DeFalco came on board
Thor in #402-403 — Lorelei perished as Amora refused to give her life for her sister's, the deceased Skurge (in Valhalla) rejected the Enchantress, and Amora went on to empower the Earthman Brute Benhurst into a short-lived new Executioner to serve as her minion in Skurge's stead.
For most of the four hundreds of Thor's solo title, Amora lay fairly low, but towards the end of that period,
Warren Ellis came on board as writer, with a story called
Worldengine in
Thor #491-494. In it, Thor had been spurned by his father Odin, exiled to Earth and depowered. In this vulnerable state, Thor ended up forming a willing liaison with Amora, with the two of them living out of a loft in
New York City as lovers. This status quo would remain until Thor would go missing during
Heroes Reborn and presumed dead.
When Thor returned in a new title written by
Dan Jurgens, Asgard was in shambles and its gods missing. This was resolved within the title's first year, and Asgard returned to its former glory. Amora played no significant part, until the death of Odin (#40 of the new series), and Thor's assumption of the Odinpower. Amora inveigled herself into the good graces of Thor, the new ruler of Asgard, and became his consort. She remained thus until
Loki brought about
Ragnarök, in which all of Asgard appeared to die. The new Thor title concluded with this (#85, October 2004).
A further Thor title has been rumored and/or planned ever since, occasionally with names like
Neil Gaiman attached, but nothing concrete has yet been materialized or announced. At the moment, Thor, his title, and consequently the Enchantress, all remain in limbo. It remains to be seen how they will brought back, if indeed they will.
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The Women of Marvel Comics Enchantress Page
