LOKI 301: DARK REIGN Enchantress
Welcome back to Loki Academy, Marvel Blog Untrue Believers! Marvel Studios’ Loki introduced Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) in the second episode of the Disney+ series, and the character has quickly become a fan favorite thanks to her butt-kicking magic skills. Although she was initially believed to be a Loki Variant, the reveal that her alias is Sylvie could mean a whole lot more, no matter what Di Martino says about the claims.
In the Dark Reign Marvel Comics event, Norman Osborne capitalizes on the Skrull Invasion to install himself as the defacto protector of Earth! Usurping Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with an Avengers team made in his own image (the Dark Avengers), the one-time Green Goblin makes a real mess of things during this story, and it’s part of his machinations that lead to Sylvie Lushton identifying as Enchantress!
Dark Reign Young Avengers #4, cover by Brooks and Strain. Photo: Marvel Comics
Not the First Enchantress
First of all, you should note that Sylvie is not the first character to use the codename “Enchantress.” Perhaps the most famous person to claim the title is Amora, an Asgardian, whose story will later intersect with Sylvie’s in the 616 (and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Amora’s sister, Lorelei, has already made an appearance on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)
Lorelei and Lady Sif in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Photo: ABC
In Marvel Comics, Sylvie was living in Oklahoma (the same location we first saw Sylvie’s cloaked figure in Loki) when she awoke one morning to find she had incredible magical powers! No sooner did she decide she would like New York City than did she find herself in the Big Apple, where she adopted the name Enchantress and began speaking with an Asgardian accent.
Photo: Marvel Comics
As a member of the morally ambiguous group that unofficially adopted the name “Young Avengers” in the five issue series Dark Reign: Young Avengers (2009) by Paul Cornell, Mark Brooks, Mark Morales, Walden Wong, Dexter Vines, Christina Strain, Emily Warren, L. Molinar, A. Street, Cory Petit, C. Eliopoulous, and Joe Sabino, Sylvie used her magic to stop crime (although full-fledged Young Avenger team members Wiccan and Hulkling note that she needs some training).
Photo: Marvel Comics
However, this unofficial Young Avengers team is maybe overly inspired by the evil machinations of Osborne’s Avengers, and definitely skews to the dark side (like Loki‘s Sylvie?).
Photo: Marvel Comics
In this story arc, Enchantress and the rest of the new Young Avengers audition to join the old Young Avengers team, and to her delight, Sylvie is one of the few team members who made the cut. This makes a version of Sylvie’s Enchantress another potential member of the Young Avengers team that Marvel is slowly introducing through the Disney+ MCU shows.
Made by Loki!
The old Young Avengers soon discover that the source of Sylvie’s power is the Osborne-aligned Loki. This evil incarnation of Loki has implanted Sylvie as a method of spying on the old Young Avengers, and when they discover this, they are forced to dispel Sylvie from their ranks (although they do say that she may someday be allowed to join).
Photo: Marvel Comics
Nevertheless, in spite of being made by Loki, the conclusion of Sylvie’s arc in Dark Reign: Young Avengers sees the character vowing to determine her course, regardless of the designs her maker had in mind.
Photo: Marvel Comics
Could we be seeing some of this incarnation of Sylvie in the upcoming episodes of Loki? Will a younger version of the character end up joining the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Young Avengers? We’re waiting for your answers, Marvel Blog Untrue Believers!
