Lorna DanePolaris

As the emerald-haired mistress of magnetism, Lorna Dane, also known as Polaris, has been a hero, a menace, and a reluctant participant in some of the most pivotal moments in mutant history, torn between embracing and trying to escape from her true calling—and her complicated heritage.

Child of Power

Lorna Dane is the product of an affair between her mother and the magnetic-powered mutant criminal Magneto, who was apparently unaware that the relationship had resulted in a pregnancy. Weeks after Lorna’s birth, her mother and stepfather were killed in a plane crash apparently caused by an inadvertent outbreak of the child’s nascent mutant powers.

Lorna was then adopted by the Danes. Initially, her green hair was the only visible sign of her mutant nature, and the Danes forced her to dye her hair brown to hide her “outsider” status.

Years later, master roboticist Samuel “Starr” Saxon created an android replica of Magneto and used it to recruit the hypnosis-powered mutant Mesmero as his second-in-command. At Saxon’s bidding, Mesmero used a “psyche-generator” to summon mutants with latent powers to San Francisco. Lorna responded, as did many other mutants, and she encountered the X-Men’s Iceman (Bobby Drake). Mesmero captured them both and placed Lorna inside a genetic stimulator that altered her genetic structure, unleashing her latent magnetic powers. Mesmero then hypnotized Lorna into believing she was Magneto’s daughter—unaware that she truly was.

As M-2 (Magneto the Second), Lorna then sided with the Magneto android against the X-Men. But after Iceman learned of her adoption, he used that information to convince her that she wasn’t Magneto’s daughter after all. Lorna then helped the X-Men defeat Mesmero.

Since then, Lorna, who eventually became known as Polaris, has joined, left, and rejoined both the X-Men and X-Factor, retired from and returned to the Super Hero life, been manipulated back into villainy, and had to cope with the revelation that she is indeed the offspring of the most powerful mutant extremist in history.

Evolving Abilities

Under normal circumstances, Polaris can control magnetic fields of natural or artificial origin. It is possible that she has all the same powers as her father, Magneto, but thus far, Polaris has only displayed the ability to manipulate magnetic, electrical, and gravitational fields. She can levitate metallic objects, generate highly impenetrable magnetic force fields, and overload or short-circuit electrical systems. She can also fly by gliding along natural magnetic lines of force. By concentrating, Polaris can see the world around her solely as electromagnetic energy patterns and can perceive the natural magnetic auras surrounding living beings.

For a time, Polaris could absorb negative energy from her environment to increase her size and give herself super human strength and durability of undetermined limits. She also inadvertently heightened the negative emotions of people around her, prompting them to act violently.

Polaris, along with many other mutants around the world, loses her powers through a reality-warping spell cast by Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, who goes temporarily insane. Sometime later, Polaris is chosen by the ancient mutant Apocalypse to become his new Horseman, Pestilence. Apocalypse restores her magnetic powers and also gives her the ability to absorb diseases into her own body and spread them at will, either in their original forms or as mutated strains.

Opposites Attract

Given her long career in the X-Men and beyond, and the unusual circumstances in which she often finds herself, Polaris battles many villains and heroes alike. Over the years, she faces the likes of Mesmero, Krakoa the Living Island, the mutant-hunting Sentinels, the Juggernaut, Apocalypse, Vulcan, and even her own teammates.

Possessed by the psychic entity Malice, Polaris is forced to lead the mutant assassin group known as the Marauders in an attack on the X-Men.

Soon after, Malice realizes that Lorna’s unique energy matrix had mixed with her own, leaving Malice unable to take a new host body. Polaris and Malice remain merged until Lorna is kidnapped by Zaladane, a priestess from the hidden Antarctic jungle known as the Savage Land, who claims to be her sister. Zaladane used a device to transfer Lorna’s powers to herself, which frees Lorna from Malice’s control.

As a member of the government-sponsored version of X-Factor, Polaris is intended to be a secret weapon against Magneto. She faces threats including Malice’s master, Mr. Sinister, as well as the terrorist group known as the Brotherhood of Mutants.

After leaving X-Factor, Polaris finds herself as both an opponent and an ally to Magneto. Their relationship is irrevocably changed when Lorna confirms that Magneto is her father.

A Magnetic Personality

Polaris has forged deep connections with many of the key figures within the mutant community. Perhaps most significantly, she is the longtime on-again, off-again lover of Alex Summers, the erstwhile X-Man known as Havok.

In addition to their time as teammates in the X-Men and X-Factor, Polaris and Havok impulsively join the Super Hero team called the Defenders but quit together after spending one day with the erratic group.

Polaris works with nearly every incarnation of the X-Men, dating back to the original team: Cyclops (Scott Summers), Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Beast (Hank McCoy), Angel (Warren Worthington III), and Iceman (Bobby Drake). Iceman is the first X-Man that Lorna encounters, and there is a mutual attraction between them until she meets Havok.

As a member of X-Factor, Polaris works closely with Havok, Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox), Strong Guy (Guido Carosella), Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff), Wolfsbane (Rahne Sinclair), and eventually Forge. Lorna has major concerns when the government forces the team to accept the mutant criminals Mystique and Sabretooth as new members, and her fears are justified when Sabretooth runs amok and nearly kills the rest of the group. Polaris has been a member of several different incarnations of X-Factor over the years, including the most recent one, for which she serves as leader.

Polaris and Havok also serve for a time as members of the group of space adventurers known as the Starjammers, with whom they work to confront the rogue mutant Vulcan—Alex Summers’s brother Gabriel.

A Life of X-Citement

Polaris has made several attempts to lead a normal, peaceful life, but has never been able to avoid action, adventure, and danger for very long. Early on, she and Havok retired from the X-Men to pursue their mutual interest in geophysics. The couple moved to New Mexico and began their doctoral research in the Diablo mountain range, but they were targeted and mentally enslaved by the alien Shi’ar agent Eric the Red (Davan Shakari). Eric used Lorna and Alex in an attempt to stop his fellow Shi’ar, Princess Lilandra, from recruiting the X-Men and the team’s founder, Professor Charles Xavier, to aid her in opposing her insane brother, the Emperor D’ken.

Under Eric’s influence, Lorna adopted the code name Polaris and, with Alex at her side, fought against the X-Men, who ultimately triumphed. Xavier later freed Lorna and Alex’s minds, and the couple returned to New Mexico. They maintained their association with the X-Men as reserve members.

Years later, when Polaris and Havok were serving together in X-Factor, the Dark Beast—an evil version of Hank McCoy from an alternate Earth—had Alex kidnapped and seemingly brainwashed into joining the Brotherhood of Mutants. As X-Factor and the Brotherhood clashed, Polaris tried to convince Havok to return to her, but he shot her with a plasma blast at full force. Lorna’s magnetic shields protected her, but she went into cardiac arrest. After her recovery, Lorna discovered that Alex was actually working undercover to stop the Dark Beast. Polaris understood Havok’s motive, but she could not forgive his deceit and ended their relationship.

She eventually rejoined X-Factor and was present when Alex was apparently killed in an aircraft explosion. Polaris disbanded the team a short time later.

Polaris was in Genosha to confront Magneto about her parentage when the island nation was attacked by Sentinels controlled by Charles Xavier’s twin, Cassandra Nova. The Sentinels wiped out most of Genosha’s population, with Magneto believed to have been killed. The X-Men arrived and found that Lorna had survived. She returned with the team to the Xavier Institute, where she learned that Havok had been found alive, although he was in a coma and being cared for by a nurse named Annie Ghazikhanian. Upon Alex’s recovery, Lorna proposed marriage to him. Alex accepted, but had felt pressured into doing so, and at their wedding, he stopped the ceremony, having decided that he was in love with Annie. Lorna unleashed her fury, wanting to kill both Alex and Annie, but was stopped by Alex’s new teammate, the Juggernaut (Cain Marko). Xavier worked with Lorna to address her anger issues.

Lorna and Alex eventually reunited and were part of a team of X-Men sent to space by Xavier to apprehend Vulcan, who intended to attack the Shi’ar Empire. Once there, Vulcan helped D’ken regain the throne, but ultimately killed him and seized power for himself. Backed by the Imperial Guard, Vulcan threatened to execute the X-Men’s ally, the deposed Empress Lilandra. Polaris rescued Lilandra and subsequently fought to restore her to the throne, but was unable to prevent her assassination.

It has also been discovered that over the years, Polaris’s magnetic powers had a detrimental effect on her mental stability, causing interference with the electrical impulses in her brain. Her friend Banshee (Theresa Cassidy) agreed to become the new incarnation of the Celtic goddess Morrigan to acquire the power to heal Polaris’s mind.