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She first appeared as Elizabeth Twoyoungmen in Alpha Flight vol. 1 #5. The character was created by John Byrne.
Fictional character biography
Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Michael Twoyoungmen (who would later be the superhero Shaman of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight) and his wife Kathryn. Elizabeth became estranged from her father at the age of four after the death of her mother following an illness. Michael, a physician, had promised Elizabeth he would save Kathryn, and his failure led Elizabeth to be bitter and resentful toward him.[1]
As a college archaeology student, Elizabeth was excavating the site of the original Fort Calgary when she discovered a skull. When she touched it, an apparition appeared that only she could see.[2] 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.[3]
Meanwhile, a young woman named Emily Stang was tending to her great-grandfather, Lucas Stang, 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 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. She then became a member of Alpha Flight.[4] She was horrified to later learn that she was unable to remove the coronet without enduring unbearable, agonizing pain.[5]
Alongside Alpha Flight, she later fought the rest of the Great Beasts.[6] She was captured by the original Omega Flight and became trapped in the void within Shaman's mystic pouch. She was rescued by the Beyonder and subsequently quit Alpha Flight.[7] 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'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, 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.[8]
Several months later, Elizabeth was sent a dream by Snowbird about the Dreamqueen. Elizabeth learned that she still had her powers. She regained the coronet from Shaman and her power as Talisman, and she aided Alpha Flight during a confrontation with the Dreamqueen.[9] She then fought Llan the Sorcerer.[10] With Alpha Flight, she fought the illusory "super heroes" on the Dreamqueen's world.[11] She exorcised a demon serving Llan from a child.[12] She brought together Aurora, Purple Girl, Laura Dean, and Goblyn to find Northstar.[13] 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.[14] She defeated Llan with the aid of Doctor Strange and Alpha and Gamma Flights.[15] Some time later, Elizabeth was attacked and injured by the second Omega Flight, and she was forced to release the Ska'r. She directed Gamma Flight in defeating the Ska'r, and she joined the new Beta Flight.[16]
Omega Flight
In the aftermath of the Civil War of American superheroes, some of their enemies fled north to Canada. To combat this threat, Sasquatch 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 to meet with the rest of the team.[17][18] After angrily accusing Iron Man of bringing the supervillain crisis about through the bitter conflict of the Superhuman Civil War, 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. She leaves him behind as the rest of the team goes to Toronto to fight the Wrecking Crew.[volume&issueneeded] 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 she is saved by Guardian's timely arrival.[volume&issueneeded] 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 Pointer.[volume&issueneeded] 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.[19]
She re-appeared in She-Hulk (vol. 2) #16 (2007) when she tried to bypass a S.H.I.E.L.D. unit, as she had a cure that could end an attacking Wendigo's rampage. However due to security delays, and before Talisman could do anything, the She-Hulk and Wolverine had already defeated him.[20]
Some time later, Elizabeth and her longtime teammate and mentor, Puck, became lovers.[21]
Powers and abilities
Talisman possesses vast supernatural powers as a result of her descent from forty generations of Sarcee 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. 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, exorcism, matter manipulation, the ability to see prophetic visions, telepathy, teleportation over vast distances, opening inter-dimensional portals, animating the undead, generating wind blasts and lightning, 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 Sarcee.
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 possesses also Shaman's medicine bag,[volume&issueneeded] which contains a pocket dimension known as the Void. She can summon all manner of mystical objects and potions from the bag.
Other characters named Talisman
Nahita / Talisman was a previous wearer of the Coronet of Enchantment and a member of the Tribe of the Moon.[22]
After Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was initially corrupted by her power, Shaman temporarily seized the Coronet of Enchantment, assuming the name and powers of Talisman.[volume&issueneeded]
In the mini-series Contest of Champions, where the Grandmaster and Death use the heroes of earth for a contest, a character named Talisman was from Australia, a member of an Aboriginal tribe, who used a mystic "bullroarer" to create various mystical effects, such as disorientate opponents.[23]
Spirit possession is an unusual or an altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors which are purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Haitian Vodou, Dominican Vodou, Hinduism, Islam, Wicca, and Southeast Asian, African, and Native American traditions. Depending on the cultural context in which it is found, possession may be considered voluntary or involuntary and may be considered to have beneficial or detrimental effects on the host.
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars were believed to be supernatural entities or spiritual guardians that would protect and/or assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic. According to records of the time, those alleging to have had contact with familiar spirits reported that they could manifest as numerous forms, usually as an animal, but sometimes as a human or humanoid figure, and were described as "clearly defined, three-dimensional... forms, vivid with colour and animated with movement and sound", as opposed to descriptions of ghosts with their "smoky, undefined form[s]".
Alpha Flight is a fictional team of Canadian superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters premiered in The Uncanny X-Men #120, and were created to serve as part of the X-Men member Wolverine's backstory. Marvel published an Alpha Flight comic book series from 1983 to 1994. The team serves as Marvel's premier Canadian superhero team akin to America's Avengers.
Aurora is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in The Uncanny X-Men #120. Aurora is a member of the Canadian superhero team, Alpha Flight.
Sasquatch is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Puck is the codename of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The two characters are a father and daughter pair, who are both members of Alpha Flight, in the Marvel Universe.
Snowbird (Narya) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by John Byrne and Chris Claremont, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 (1979). Snowbird is an Inuit demigoddess, being the daughter of a human and Nelvanna, the Inuit goddess of the Northern Skies. She has been depicted as a member of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight.
Vindicator is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Following James Hudson's apparent death, Heather Hudson became the leader of Alpha Flight and took the mantle of Vindicator, which was also originally used by Heather's husband, although he eventually settles on the name Guardian. She eventually took her husband's mantle of Guardian, until she later resumed the codename Vindicator.
Nemesis is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first incarnation of Nemesis, Isabel St. Ives, first appeared in Alpha Flight #8. The second incarnation, Jane Thorne, debuted in Alpha Flight #76. The third incarnation, Amelia Weatherly, made her first appearance in Alpha Flight vol. 3 #1.
The Wendigo is a fictional monster appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Marvel character is based on the Wendigo legend of the Algonquian peoples. The monster first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #162, created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Herb Trimpe, fighting the Incredible Hulk.
Filipino shamans, commonly known as Babaylan, were shamans of the various ethnic groups of the pre-colonial Philippine islands. These shamans specialized in communicating, appeasing, or harnessing the spirits of the dead and the spirits of nature. They were almost always women or feminized men. They were believed to have spirit guides, by which they could contact and interact with the spirits and deities and the spirit world. Their primary role were as mediums during pag-anito séance rituals. There were also various subtypes of babaylan specializing in the arts of healing and herbalism, divination, and sorcery.
Persuasion is a fictional mutant superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Shaman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a member of Alpha Flight.
Box is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, specifically Alpha Flight, of which Box was a member. He first appeared in Alpha Flight #1.
Master of the World is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a recurring villain of the superhero team Alpha Flight.
Omega Flight is the name used by four teams of fictional characters with superpowers appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Omega Flight is 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. Some later incarnations have been composed of heroes.
Ghost Rider is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the third Marvel character to don the identity of Ghost Rider, after Johnny Blaze and the Western hero known as the Phantom Rider, who used the name in 1967.
Michael Pointer is a fictional character code-named Omega, a mutant appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in New Avengers #16 as the Collective before becoming a member of the Omega Flight team.
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