Talisman (Alpha Flight) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Talisman |
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Cover art for Alpha Flight #19.
Art by John Byrne. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Alpha Flight vol. 1 #5 (Dec 1983) |
| Created by | John Byrne |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Elizabeth Twoyoungmen |
| Species | Human |
| Team affiliations | Omega Flight Alpha Flight Beta Flight |
| Notable aliases | The Binder of Spirits, The Breaker of Dark Spells, The Promised One |
| Abilities | Wide-ranging magical abilities |
Talisman (whose real name is Elizabeth Twoyoungmen) is a powerful superhero who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is known for her strong magical abilities and her connection to the spirit world.
Contents
How Talisman Started
Elizabeth Twoyoungmen first appeared in the comic book series Alpha Flight vol. 1 #5. The character was created by the famous comic book writer and artist John Byrne.
Elizabeth's Story: Becoming Talisman
Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Her father was Michael Twoyoungmen, who later became the superhero Shaman and a member of the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight. Elizabeth's mother, Kathryn, passed away when Elizabeth was only four years old. Michael, who was a doctor, had promised to save Kathryn, but he couldn't. This made Elizabeth feel very sad and angry towards her father for many years.
Discovering Her Powers
When Elizabeth was a college student studying archaeology, she was digging at an old site in Fort Calgary. There, she found a skull. When she touched it, a ghostly image appeared that only she could see. This scared her, so she went to her father, Michael, even though he had used magic to hide his identity as Shaman.
Together, they looked at the skull and realized it was connected to an ancient evil. Around the same time, a young woman named Emily Stang was attacked by a mystical force. Shaman and Elizabeth went to help. The force turned out to be Ranaq the Devourer, one of the powerful and dangerous Great Beasts of the North.
Becoming a Hero
As Ranaq attacked, Elizabeth felt herself getting stronger. She was able to push Ranaq's power back at it. Shaman also attacked, and together they forced the beast out of Emily. Soon after, Shaman asked Elizabeth to reach into his special medicine pouch. She pulled out a magical crown called the "Coronet of Enchantment."
When Elizabeth placed the coronet on her head, she transformed into Talisman! She gained amazing magical powers, including the ability to control spirits and nature. She then joined the superhero team Alpha Flight. However, she soon found out that she couldn't take the coronet off without terrible pain.
Challenges and Changes
Talisman fought alongside Alpha Flight against other Great Beasts. She was even trapped in a magical void for a while but was later rescued. Because of her new powers and the coronet's influence, Elizabeth became more proud and her anger towards her father returned. She felt he had failed her by not telling her about the coronet and by not saving her from the void.
Talisman's powers started to corrupt her. She tried to use a dangerous plan to get revenge on her father during the birth of her teammate Snowbird's baby. But her plan went wrong. A bad spirit possessed Snowbird's baby, calling itself Pestilence. This spirit tore the coronet from Talisman's head, making Elizabeth human again.
In the fight, Shaman put on the coronet himself, becoming the new Talisman and forcing Pestilence to leave.
Returning as Talisman
Months later, Elizabeth had a dream from Snowbird, which made her realize she still had some powers. She got the coronet back from her father and became Talisman once more. She helped Alpha Flight fight against the evil Dreamqueen and other magical threats.
She also helped bring together other heroes to find Northstar. Talisman even traveled back in time with her spirit to learn about a past version of herself, Nahita, who had fought a sorcerer named Llan. With the help of Doctor Strange and other hero teams, she defeated Llan. Later, she was injured by a villain team called Omega Flight and joined a new team called Beta Flight.
Joining Omega Flight
After a big superhero conflict in America, some villains moved to Canada. To stop them, Sasquatch started a new team called Omega Flight. At first, Talisman didn't want to join. But when Sasquatch was captured, she decided to help.
She was upset to learn that Michael Pointer, who had accidentally caused the destruction of Alpha Flight, was now the new Guardian. Talisman didn't want to work with someone she saw as a murderer, especially one wearing a Canadian-inspired costume. She left him behind as the team went to fight villains in Toronto.
However, during the battle, Michael Pointer saved her. Talisman saw that he was truly sorry for what happened and that he refused to harm Sasquatch when he was possessed by a Great Beast. Elizabeth finally forgave him. After her father's death, Talisman also started carrying his special medicine bag, which holds a magical pocket dimension.
Talisman later appeared in a She-Hulk comic, trying to help stop a monster called Wendigo. She also became very close friends and allies with her longtime teammate, Puck.
Talisman's Amazing Powers
Talisman has incredible supernatural powers because she comes from a long line of Sarcee shamans. Her father, Shaman, once said that her powers, when fully developed, could be as strong as those of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange.
Her main power is the ability to command the Spirits of the Land. This means she is deeply connected to the Spirit World. While her father could only ask spirits for help, Talisman can tell them what to do. She can use mystical forces for many different effects, including:
- Floating in the air (levitation)
- Sending her spirit out of her body (astral projection)
- Removing evil spirits (exorcism)
- Changing matter
- Seeing the future (prophetic visions)
- Reading minds (telepathy)
- Moving instantly from one place to another (teleportation)
- Opening portals to other dimensions
- Bringing the undead to life
- Creating strong winds and lightning
- Calling on spirit animals
- Making magical shields of light
- Shooting blasts of magical energy
She can also sense different magical things and knows a lot about the magic of the Sarcee people.
The Coronet of Enchantment
Most of Talisman's powers come from the ancient Coronet of Enchantment that she wears on her forehead. Even without the coronet, she can absorb and send back magical energy used against her, but the coronet makes her powers much stronger.
Talisman cannot take the coronet off without feeling terrible pain. However, if someone else wears it, giving it back to the true owner will stop their pain. When she is not in her superhero costume, Talisman can use an illusion to hide the coronet. In a comic called Omega Flight #5, Talisman said she "no longer has the blessings she once had," meaning her power level might have changed.
Shaman's Medicine Bag
After her father passed away, Talisman also gained his medicine bag. This bag contains a special pocket dimension called the Void. From this bag, she can pull out all sorts of magical objects and potions.
Other Characters Named Talisman
- Nahita / Talisman was a person who wore the Coronet of Enchantment long ago. She was part of the Tribe of the Moon.
- After Elizabeth Twoyoungmen was first affected by her powers, her father, Shaman, temporarily wore the Coronet of Enchantment and took on the name and powers of Talisman himself.
- In a comic series called Contest of Champions, there was another character named Talisman from Australia. She was a member of an Aboriginal tribe and used a mystic "bullroarer" to create magical effects, like confusing opponents.
See also
In Spanish: Talismán (Alpha Flight) para niños
