
CODE NAME: Polaris
REAL NAME: Lorna Dane
AFFILIATION: X-Factor
POWERS: Manipulation of Magnetic forces, also posseses secondary or latent powers (See background)
BACKGROUND:
Polaris (Lorna Dane) was first
introduced to the life of the x-men through Iceman, who encountered her
on the streets of San Francisco. She was a plucky brunette at the time,
who later revealed that she dyed her green locks brown. She was soon
kidnaped by a false
Magneto who told the orphaned girl that she was in fact his daughter,
and her magnetic powers were pushed into being. This was, of course,
the work of Mesmero. Using the unwitting girl and his false Magneto,
Mesmero sought to defeat the X-men, only to be thwarted by Lorna. The
X-Men took the young mutant under their wing and returned to the
X-Mansion. Lorna and Bobby threw themselves into their developing
relationship, but alas that was short lived. Havok (Alex Summers)
arrived on the scene and swept Lorna off her feet.
(X-Men Vol.1 #50, 1968 - first
manifested powers; X-Men Vol.1 #58, 1969 - first met Havok; X-Men Vol.1
#60, 1969 - first joined X-Men formerly)
Polaris and Havok were
kidnapped by Eric the Red, mindcontrolled and forced to fight the
X-Men. Shortly after this Alex and Lorna decided that they
were not cut out for superhero life and left the X-Men, returning only
occassionally when a crisis demanded resolution and the X-Men were in
dire need of help. Together they studied geophysics and strove to live
a "normal" life. All that ended when Alex, compelled by nightmares of
the X-Men gone bad, returned the New York, leaving Lorna behind. Lorna
was attacked by the Marauders and was possessed by the entity Malice.
Mr Sinister used Malice/Polaris to lead his Marauders, often against
the X-Men (including Havok who had rejoined by this time)
Unfortunately, Malice's energy matrix was very compatible with Lorna's
powers and the two became grafted together, inseperable.
(Uncanny X-Men #219, 1987 - possesed
by Malice)
After Sinister's apparent
demise at the end of Inferno, Malice's influence over her reluctant
host began to wane and Lorna was able to place a call to the X-Men in
Australia. Unfortunately the timing was terrible and she was attacked
by Savage Land mutants, under the direction of
Zaladane. The X-Men arrived in time to witness Zala's get away, but
Havok managed to infiltrate her army in disguise while the X-Men
followed. Zaladane revealed that she was in fact Lorna's sister and,
using the Evolutionary's machinery, strips Polaris of her magnetic
powers and takes them as her own. While stripped of her magnetic
powers, Polaris finds herself anything but helpless as she tries to
escape with Alex. She had grown in size and possessed awesome strength
and invunerablity. Aside from the obvious mutations, Polaris also
possessed the power to incite negative emotions in those around her.
(Uncanny X-Men #250, 1989 - powers
stolen by Zaladane)
She fled to Muir Island to
enlist the help of Moira MacTaggart, but instead found herself tangled
in yet another twisted plot wherein her entire being would
again be manipulated by someone else. This someone else was the Shadow
King, and he used her abilities as a catalyst for violent emotions to
feed his hunger, making her his nexus. Lorna was freed of his influence
with the help of X-Factor and the X-Men during the Muir Island Saga,
her original powers were restored as well, leaving no trace of her
increased size, strength or emotion control powers. She was then asked
to join the newly formed X-Factor by Valerie Cooper, and tired of
hiding out on Muir Island, she accepted. Her joining X-Factor offered
her the chance to reunite with Alex, but their relationship remained
largely unresolved. Since this time X-Factor has changed dramatically,
and so has Polaris, growing stronger and more sure of herself, and more
independant from Alex.
(Uncanny X-Men #280, 1991 - powers
restored; X-Factor #71, 1991)
With Alex's supposed death (ie
Interdimensional Mutant X trip) and the disbanding of X-Factor Lorna
seemed at loose ends. She became involved once more briefly with the
X-Men when it was revealed that she was a member of the fabled Twelve.
As a member of the
Twelve she joined magnetic forces with Magneto to aid in the defeat of
Apocalypse. Still convicned that Alex was alive she joined Magento on
Genosha to hone her magnetic skills in the vain hope of finding him.
Not much is known about her time with Magneto but it was obviously a
time of change for Lorna. Unfortunately it ended in tragedy with the
death of Magneto and 16 million others.
(Uncanny X-Men #376, 2000 - revealed
as a member of the Twelve; Magneto: Dark Seduction #1-4, 2000 - trained
by Magneto)
Lorna was found once more by
the New X-Men on the island of Genosha, "possesed" by the recorded
voices of every person on the island at the moment of their
destruction. She refers to Magneto in passing as her father. Since then
she has appeared once more in Westchester, drawn by Alex's return from
MutantX land (albeit as a comatose vegetable). But all does not appear
to be right with Ms. Dane. She is
endowed with a far more aggressive and violent personality. When Alex
awakened from his coma she was quick to propose marriage and he
accepted rather tenatively (I don't believe the word "yes" ever crossed
his lips). Working side by side with the X-Men once more she commits
increasing acts of violence against their enemies, but never is the
question raised "Is something wrong with Lorna?" I'm afraid the X-Men
found out the hard way. When Alex dumped Lorna at the altar on their
wedding day, turning aside her affections for the love of human Nurse
Annie, Lorna went on a rampage. In a wedding dress that suddenly looked
a lot like Magneto's costume she successful knocked out the entire
wedding party and pursued Annie, Alex and Annie's son Carter through
the woods of Westchester. In the following confrontation between she
and Alex she once again calls Magneto her father, advocating the
destruction of all humans and those mutants who consort with them. Alex
escapes death at her hands thanks to a well-timed tree-swatting
courtesy of Juggernaut.
(New X-Men #132, 2002 - rescued from
Genosha; Uncanny X-Men #421, 2003 - proposed to Alex; Uncanny X-Men
#425, 2003 - wedding called off)
In an effort to discover the
truth behind Lorna's new aggresive behavior Professor Xavier entered
her mindscape, along with Annie. There they found that Lorna had
obtained a sample of Magneto's blood while on Genosha and had it
tested, revealling that she is Magneto's
daughter. That combined with her witnessing the deaths of
millions is assumed to be behind her new attitude. Polaris
once again joined the X-Men, helping to save her teammates from the
devilish dimension of Nightcrawler's father with an awesome display of
her new mastery of her powers.
(Uncanny X-Men #431, 2003 - learned
Magneto was her father)
After Xorn was revealed to be
Magneto and he destroyed New York (only to be decapitated by Logan)
Polaris travelled to Genosha with Professor Xavier, Logan and her
half-siblings Quicksilver and the Scarlett Witch to attend Magneto's
memorial service. There she and Xavier became engaged in a
spirited debate on the morality of Magneto's actions which ultimately
led to a rift in the X-Men with Professor Xavier remaining behind in
Genosha and Lorna moving on the New York and (hopefully) many new
adventures with the X-Men.