Selene (comics)
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Selene, the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, is a fictional character, supervillainess of Marvel Comics. Her long life is attributed to the fact that she is a psychic vampire, able to drain the life from others to extend her own. Her name derives from the ancient lunar deity Selene, daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia.
She is an immortal of uncertain age. She has claimed to have already been old when mankind was just emerging. Assuming her definition of mankind only includes Homo Sapiens, the only actually surviving species of the genus Homo, this would place her birth in the early Upper Paleolithic.
However Uncanny X-Men #191-192 (March - April, 1985) revealed her to have been an old enemy of sorcerer Kulan Gath. Kulan Gath was active during the Hyborian Age and is known to have faced both Conan the Barbarian and Red Sonja. In fact Sonja reportedly managed to kill him and his spirit would not manifest again until Marvel Team-Up #79. Which would mean that Selene herself was active during the Hyborian age. She has been suggested as the oldest mutant. The earliest other mutant known is Apocalypse, born in the 30th century BC.
Selene is assumed to have been wondering the world for millennia. She was more recently trapped for centuries in the Amazon in the Romanesque town of Nova Roma (New Rome). She was worshipped as a goddess and worked to maintain the isolation of the town so she maintained in control. She was able to marry several times and have descedants. Notably including Amara Juliana Olivia Aquilla. Her most recent known husband was Marcus Domitius Gallio, a Senator.
Selene directed her worshippers to undertake tasks that eventually allowed her to leave Nova Roma. After she left the town, the citizens regained their memories and sought to return to their previous lives. Later stories attempted to suggest Nova Roma had been an illusion, sustained by Selene, and later the mutant known as Empath. This was ultimately disproved by Magma, who discovered that the revelation of Nova Roma being an illusion was a ploy to steal her away from her home and torment those who love her. It his highly likely that Selene was the one who made Magma think Nova Roma was not real.
Of all the X-Men and their related teams, she possesses particular hatred for Magma and Rachel Summers. In particular, Rachel almost killed her once, before being stopped by Wolverine.
Powers
Selene is an accomplished sorceress. She is a psychic vampire, a trait that grants her long life by draining the lifeforce of others. She also has the ability to shape and control fire and inanimate objects, such as stone. Selene can include a momentary hypnotic trance state in people around her. She can also momentarily move at speeds rivaling those of Quicksilver. She often combines these two abilities to make it seem as if she is teleporting.
External links
- Selene:The High Priestess (http://www.selene71.coolfreepages.com)
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