Characters
This is an overview of the character of the Magdalena, what her origins and role are, plus a brief look at each of the Magdalenas we've met so far and some of the supporting characters who've appeared with her.
Big thanks to Riven from the Top Cow message board for allowing me to use his
bios for Patience, Vampiri, Garduna, Sisters of the Order of Magdalene, Kristof, Darkness and Witchblade :D
The Magdalena
Mary Magdalene (MM) witnessed the resurrection of Christ and was blessed by him - she could reveal sins of the past to a person giving them the chance of redemption which she received. All her first born descendants have this gift, and the first born is always a woman.
The Magdalena’s greatest achievement so far has been in 1945 when she was able to retrieve the Spear of Destiny from Hitler before Berlin fell to the Russians.
The line was lost for many years but was found again in 1253 AD when a young girl who claimed to be a descendant of MM was found to have amazing abilities, this woman was Arianne de la Croix, the first Magdalena.
Arianne’s mother Mireille left her a letter upon leaving her with the Cathar sisters which explained her heritage (It was later in Arianne’s life when she was in a Catholic Convent that her abilities came to light) The letter stated that;
MM and Jesus were members of the royal houses of Benjamin and David respectively;
The two were betrothed and married;
When Jesus was killed Mary took the body and buried it and tells of a resurrection and angels
Mary then travels to Egypt where she gives birth to a daughter, Sarah;
Jesus was popular and this was exploited by powerful men and a church built upon what they claimed were Jesus’ teachings. They also created rumours about Mary to discredit her and their line;
The Magdalena’s power is a fraction of the power of the ancient kings from whom she is descended, who had great powers.
As can be seen from this the church’s interpretation of events differs from that given by the descendants of MM, passed from mother to daughter up to Arianne. The Vatican knows the truth and they want to keep it secret, if it were to become common knowledge the church would fall.
Patience
The last and most recent Magdalena is called Patience. We have no information as to her lineage from the previous Magdalenas, she seems too old to be Mariella's daughter. It is also not clear whether Patience is actually a nun. She recieves her calling from Kristof, her mentor, while ending a fugue through New York City with a newfound friend, a homeless girl called Rowan Barry. These events, along with Rowan's abduction, lead the young Patience to her destiny. But a highly evil force has awakened in our world and only the Magdalena can stand up to it.
Another sighting of Patience is when Sara Pezzini, NY cop and wielder of the Witchblade, is attacked by a bloodthirsty demon, posing as a young woman. Sara finds that this enigmatic Magdalena might prove a valuable ally against an unspeakable evil that roams the streets of NY.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 2
Tomb Raider #46 - 48
Witchblade #62 - 65, 82, 105, 110 - 112
Witchblade Animated one shot
The Darkness Vol. 2 #22 - 24
The Darkness Black Sails one shot
First Born #1 - 3 and Aftermath
Magdalena/Vampirella Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 #1
Witchblade/Magdalena/Vampirella #1
The Magdalena Vol. 3
Kristof, Captain of the Guard of the Knights of Malta
This soldier of exceptional merit in the Crusader Order of Malta, has the difficult task of training and guiding the young Magdalena. Skilled in various martial arts, he is assigned to protect her to the death and is fiercely loyal to his pupil.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 2
The Magdalena Vol. 3
Sister Rosalia
When we meet Rosalia she is 33 years old. Raped as a teenager she gave birth to a daughter who we can only assume was taken from her and brought up in a convent somewhere.
She is sent to investigate what might be vampire killings in France. She finds the vampires and discovers they are humans infected with a virus and sees that they are not evil. She is killed by the soldiers of the Inquisition, the Garduna, for trying to prevent them from slaughtering the ‘vampires’.
Chronologically Rosalia is the first Magdalena we encounter, although the Blood Divine mini series (#1 - 3) which she stars in is the Magdalena’s second printed appearance.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 1 #1 - 3, Blood Divine
Sister Mariella
Daughter of Rosalia, she makes the first printed appearance of the Magdalena in The Darkness #15 - 18, and then appears again in Magdalena/Angelus #1/2.
Mariella must be in her later teens/early twenties when she is called as the next Magdalena. She is sent to kill the Darkness with the Spear of Destiny but unbeknown to her she is not yet fully trained and even when the Sisters of the Order of Magdalene perform the ritual which gives her the ability to reveal a person’s sins, she is still defeated by Jackie Estacado and left for dead.
Having recovered from her run in with Jackie the Magdalena receives word of where the Spear of Destiny is and goes to retrieve it, where she meets the Angelus and Appolonia Francetti, and is again left for dead. It is not clear what has actually happened to her as it clearly states she’s not dead after her appearance in Magdalena/Angelus #1/2, but a new Magdalena has been called so she perhaps died on another mission which we have not heard about.
Having been sent on two very dangerous missions, once by Cardinal Innocent and once by anonymous letter, it is clearly possible that someone within the church, probably Cardinal Innocent, wants an end to the Magdalena and her line because of her true origin.
Appearances
The Darkness Vol. 1 #15 - 18
Magdalena/Angelus #1/2
Benedetta Maria Ferro
A Magdalena from the past who appears in the Darkness one shot 'Black Sails'. For a picture of her click here.
Cardinal Innocent
Cardinal who resides in the Vatican in Rome. It is he who first sees the relics and reads the letter which Father Jasper brings to him and who learns that the information contained within the letter is true, which devastates him. (Mini series #1 - 3)
During the Darkness issues it seems that Innocent is trying to remove any possibility that the true origin of the Magdalena and the church does not come to light. He wrongly sends the Magdalena on her mission to kill Jackie when he knows that she has not completed her training and that the mission will more than likely end in death for her. He also has Father Jasper, the only other person who knows of the existence of the letter, imprisoned by the Inquisition.
It is fair to assume that the letter sent to the Magdalena giving the location of the Spear of Destiny was sent by Innocent to try again to eliminate her.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 1 #1 - 3, Blood Divine
The Darkness Vol. 1 #15 - 18
The Magdalena Vol. 3 #1, 2, 5, 6, 8
Father/Cardinal Jasper
We first meet Father Jasper in the mini series when he brings relics and a letter from his church in Belgium to Cardinal Innocent for guidance. He has read the letter but is assured by Innocent that the relics will turn out to be fakes and leaves.
We see him again in the Darkness issues, now a Cardinal, where Innocent abuses his trust and has him take responsibility for the Magdalena’s mission against the Darkness, which leads to his imprisonment by the Inquisition. It could be thought that his punishment is Innocent tying up the loose ends surrounding the letter and relics. It is stated that his punishment will not be permanent so he will perhaps reappear later.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 1 #1 - 3, Blood Divine
The Darkness Vol. 1 #15 - 18
The Vampiri
A group of humans, infected with a lethal retrovirus that attacks their immune systems and destroys cells in their blood, forcing them to drink blood to survive. The Church sees them as an unholy, perverse threat and wants to annihilate their kind. The Magdalena is sent on this mission, but along the way discovers the Vampiri are not evil, and that her real enemy is, to date, an unseen one.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 1 #1 - 3, Blood Divine
The Garduna
Ruthless, faithful warriors, loyal only to the Inquisitors. Not benign saviours like the Magdalena, rather hooded, merciless executioners. Believed to originate from Spanish mercenaries under the employ of the Inquisition in the 16th century. They will serve the Magdalena if ordered to. They will murder the Magdalena if ordered to as well.
Appearances
The Magdalena Vol. 1 #1 - 3, Blood Divine
The Magdalena Vol. 3 #4, 8
Sisters of the Order of Magdalene
A Holy Order of sisters who live solely to aid and prepare the Magdalena of their generation. They are also skilled in combat and will be ever faithfull to God and his instrument on Earth, the Magdalena. It is they who perform the Holy Rite of Consignment, which is the sainted ritual that passes on the powers that are the birthright of the Blessed Sister, descendant of Mary Magdalene.
Appearances
The Darkness Vol. 1 #18
The Darkness
Maffia enforcer Jackie Estacado is the most recent heir to this age-old curse that takes hold of its bearer at age 21. The arcane power of the Darkness manifests itself as the ability to control the shadows and to create anything at will from pure darkness. In theory, the power can be used for both good and evil, but seeing as the Darkness is a ravenous and cruel power of destruction, the result is more often than not, evil. The natural enemy of the Darkness is the Angelus, a being of Light that has similar powers, but only by day, whereas the Darkness is only powerful at night.
Appearances
The Darkness Vol. 1 #15 - 18
The Darkness Vol. 2 #22 - 24
The Darkness Black Sails one shot
First Born #1 - 3 and Aftermath
The Witchblade
Sara Pezzini, a NY city police-officer, found herself the latest wielder of the ancient mystical weapon called the Witchblade. It is an artifact of divine or extra-terrestrial descent that bonds with its female wielder. These wielders are not blood-descendants of each other, as with the Darkness (a sworn enemy of the Witchblade), but rather chosen by the Witchblade for exceptional strength. As the wielder controls the Blade, its actions are directed by her character, though the Witchblade, hungry for power, seems fond of perverting the pureness that lies within. Thus a question arises: who controls who?
Appearances
Witchblade #62 - 65, 82, 105, 110 - 112
Witchblade animated one shot
Witchblade/Magdalena/Vampirella #1
First Born #1 - 3 and Aftermath
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