Zatanna Zatara (), known as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in Hawkman #4 (November 1964).
The character is depicted as a renowned sorceress belonging to the fictional Homo Magi race, a subset of humans endowed with innate potential to manipulate magic. She is also the daughter of Zatara and Sindella, the former a renowned stage magician and sorcerer whom she models herself after and the latter whose lineage connects her to the royal line of Atlantis.
Zatanna has appeared in several different media adaptations, including appearing in several television series in the DC Animated Universe, notably voiced by Julie Brown and Jennifer Hale. She has also appeared as a recurring character in the final three seasons of Smallville, portrayed by Serinda Swan. A younger version of the character appears in Young Justice and Justice League Action, voiced by Lacey Chabert, and DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
Publication history
Created by writer
Gardner Fox and artist
Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in
Hawkman #4 (November 1964). When she is introduced, she is on a quest to find her father
Zatara who made his first appearance in
Action Comics #1 but had not been published regularly for several years.
The storyline crossed multiple comics published by DC at the time, culminating in issues of
Justice League of America, also written by Fox.
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earth
Original origin
her original origin, Zatanna was born to human Giovanni Zatara and
Homo magi Sindella, inheriting her mother's natural affinity for magical powers. Six months after her birth, her mother disappeared and was presumably dead, leading her to be raised by her father. Growing up to be a stage magician with genuine magical powers and modelling herself similarly to her father, Zatara later mysteriously disappears, leading her to travel abroad to perfect her magical craft while searching for her father.
Unknown to her, the details of her parents' disappearance were revealed overtime; her mother would later return to her people, a clan of
Homo magi known as the "Hidden Ones" and her father was cursed by evil sorceress Allura that would kill both himself and his daughter should he see her again, leading him to reluctantly distance himself from her.
Zatara Quest and the JLA
In her debut, she is introduced during her quest to find her father, first encountering
Hawkman and
Hawkgirl.
During her quest, she encounters various other superheroes such as
Batman and
Dick Grayson (wherein she was disguised as a witch under the control of villain the Outsider)
and teams up with others including the Atom,
,
and the
Elongated Man.
Eventually, she learns her father's fate and finds him in the mystic dimension of Kharma and encounters the evil Allura, where her good counterpart forces her to lift the curse, reuniting father and daughter after 2 decades.
Not long after, she is elected to become a valued member of the Justice League, although in her tenure her powers were originally diminished, allowing her only to control natural forces.
Post Crisis on Infinite Earths
Revised background
After the Crisis on Infinite Earth crossover event, much of Zatanna's history remained the same although several changes came about to her background; her new history reinforced her father's disappearance to have taken place when she was eighteen years old.
At some point prior to her father's death, a young Zatanna also met John Constantine, with whom she once engaged in
tantric sex. Her father later became aware of their relationship, disapproving of Constantine.
The 1998 DCU Heroes Secret Files reveals her birth to be thirty years ago, placing her birth year at around 1968. Other key events for the character is referenced to having taken place, including her becoming a superhero and stage magician nine years prior (1989) and her attempt to rescue her mother alongside her father and the JLA five years prior.
Death of Zatara and Timothy Hunter
In the "Murder of Crows" storyline, a seance is held by
John Constantine,
Zatara, Mento, and Sargon the Sorcerer, and Zatanna in an effort to come together and combat the entity known as the Great Evil Beast alongside demonic and divine forces at Wintersgate Manor, the home of
Baron Winters in Georgetown, Washington D.C., which is also a temporal threshold to other planes of reality. Due to her past history with Constantine, Giovanni is unusually more protective against Constantine. During the seance, the Beast becomes aware of the seance and after Sargon's death, targets Zatanna by attempting to burn her to death. Giovanni sacrifices himself by taking the effects instead, killing him but sparing his daughter's life.
In
Neil Gaiman's
The Books of Magic limited series, for a time, Zatanna looks after a young boy name
Timothy Hunter, destined to become the most powerful wizard in the world, and his girlfriend Molly, cursed by the Queen of Fairies to unable to touch anything in the human world.
Come Together, JLA, and the Sentinels of Magic
In her 1993 limited series titled
Zatanna: Come Together, she battles the dark sorcerer Tannarak while her mother's spirit, Sindella, encourages her to battle the demon Xaos. Within the series, her lineage is revealed to be connected to the royalty of Atlantis (particularly the Lord of Order, Arion) and the Xaos demon was responsible for its sinking. She also undergoes a change in costume and opt out of using logomancy in favor of amplifying her magical powers with her mother's artifacts and traditional spell-casting.
In the 1999 " Days of Judgement" storyline and mini-series, Zatanna is among numerous mystic superheroes who gathered to battle the demon Asmodel, who plotted to usurp the powers of the Spectre. With Earth's superheroes unable to properly contend with a significant mystical threat, the Sentinels of Magic is formed with Zatanna as a founding member. The team eventually prevails and is trusted with the Spear of Destiny as a contingency against Hal Jordan's Spectre should he ever lose control of himself.
In her 2003 solo one-shot Zatanna: Everyday Magic, she battles Nimue Ravensong, a magic-user jealous of Zatanna's ability to use magic naturally and without committing sacrifices. Nimue seduced and cursed John Constantine, leading Zatanna into conflict with the sorceress.
Identity Crisis and the aftermath
During the 2004
Identity Crisis storyline, it was revealed that Doctor Light had years earlier raped the now-murdered
Sue Dibny, the wife of hero Elongated Man. Opting for a magical lobotomization of Light due to threatening other JLA members' family. When Batman appears in the middle of the process and tries to stop it, Zatanna also erases his memories. In the present time, Light becomes a suspect as his memories return, prompting the League towards a manhunt but Zatanna's role in mind-wiping others is revealed. While
Jean Loring's role in Sue's murder alongside implicating other villains is revealed, Zatanna's role in erasing various villain's memories throughout the years causes a moral rift within the League as her reputation deteriorates and her trustworthiness is called into questioned, especially by longtime friends such as Batman.
In storylines exploring the aftermath such as "Crisis of Conscience",
Catwoman and the Secret Society of Super Villains are among those mind-wiped in earlier years, the former done to force her towards a more righteous path.
A 2005 four-issue Zatanna limited series was published as part of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers event.[Cowsill "2000s" in Dolan, p. 319: "Grant Morrison's imagining of the Seven Soldiers of Victory was one of DC's most adventurous titles...The story started in Seven Soldiers of Victory #0 and continued in seven four-issue miniseries – The Bulleteer, Frankenstein, Mister Miracle, Zatanna, Shining Knight, Manhattan Guardian, and Klarion".] In it, at a support group for superheroes, she recounts a failed magical ritual to search for her father's tomes, during which one of her past spells summons a shapeshifter named Gwydion, who kills her companions. This trauma, combined with her guilt from her former mind-wipes, robs her of her powers. With the help of her new apprentice, Misty Kilgore, she captures Gwydion to use as her own. She eventually regains her confidence and powers, and uses them to defeat Zor, a rogue Time Tailor who released the Sheeda as a plague to infect and degrade the universe. As a reward, the other Time Tailors allow her one last meeting with her father, who reveals that his books were written for her, his "greatest spell and gift to the world". In the final battle against the Sheeda, Zatanna casts a spell to move time and space, retroactively positioning the Seven Soldiers to overthrow the Sheeda.
In Detective Comics #833 (August 2007), it is stated that Zatanna's father was a friend of Thomas Wayne. Zatara trained Bruce Wayne in the art of escape, and Bruce and Zatanna were childhood friends, although Batman believes that he has never met her in Justice League of America #51, and her only memory of meeting him is while she was disguised. Bruce helps Zatanna investigate the death of one of her former assistants; all clues point to performer Ivar Loxias. Loxias is revealed to be the Joker in disguise; he shoots Zatanna in the throat and incapacitates Batman. Zatanna is able to heal herself by writing a curing spell in her own blood, and she is instrumental in foiling the Joker's scheme, driving Joker insane in the process. Bruce puts Zatanna's betrayal behind him, allowing the two to renew their friendship.
On the "Roll Call" of Justice League of America #22 (August 2008), Zatanna is listed as a part of the team. Called upon to help with the Red Tornado's restoration in his android form, she aids the League when they are attacked by a new, powerful iteration of Amazo. During the battle, Zatanna has her mouth magically removed with her spells, and once again uses her blood to write out spells and restore it.
Zatanna later accompanies Jason Rusch (Jason Rusch), Black Lightning, and Batman to Metropolis after they come to believe Kimiyo Hoshi has been kidnapped by agents of the Shadow Cabinet.
In the 2009 Gotham City Sirens series, Zatanna is visited and restrained by Poison Ivy, who interacts via a tree and asks her if her encounter with Catwoman changed Selina in any way.
In her self-titled solo series in 2010, no longer an active member of the JLA, Zatanna is asked by officer Dale Colton to help solve a murder case at a restaurant frequented by mobsters. Zatanna informs Dale that the murderer was the sorcerer Brother Night, who rules the supernatural crime scene in San Francisco. After Zatanna shows up at Night's demonic nightclub and threatens him, he responds by summoning a demon,
The Black Canary and Zatanna graphic novel Bloodspell written by Paul Dini and drawn by Joe Quinones was to be released in 2012, but was delayed until May 2014.
The New 52 onward
Revised background
Within the new continuity following Flashpoint and the New 52, details of Zatanna's past were altered; her birth years was established to be around 1987, making her younger than her previous depictions.
The appearance of her mother also differed and aspects of her past were seemingly changed. Among those changes included a new love interest,
Nick Necro, whom she started dating years before she would meet her future teammate, John Constantine. The trio were in a polyamorous relationship until Necro's obsession with the Book of Magic droved a wedge between their relationship, causing Constantine and Zatanna to become exclusive to one another for a time.
Justice League Dark (2011-2015)
In the new continuity following the Flashpoint event, Zatanna joins the Justice League Dark, a supernatural off-shoot of the Justice League dedicated to battling the arcane forces led by John Constantine. She teams up with various superheroes such as Etrigan,
Swamp Thing, Nightmare Nurse,
Madame Xanadu, and others. Based in Constantine's House of Mystery, the team first battled a wild Enchantress and then Felix Faust, Nick Necro, and reluctant turncoat
Doctor Mist as Necro works to acquire the mythical Books of Magic, a source of obsession since his shared history with Zatanna and John Constantine.
DC Rebirth
Zatanna made her first
Rebirth appearance in
Detective Comics #958, assisting
Batman in taking out a robot chasing after a cult member. Later on, Zatanna shows Bruce magic. Later Bruce sees her again and asks her to teach him more about magic. Ultimately she declines and wipes his memory.
After the conclusion of the main storyline of the
DC Rebirth Batwoman series, Zatanna is implied to be an outpatient therapist of sorts for
Beth Kane,
Kate Kane's twin sister.
[ Batwoman (vol. 3) #17 (September 2018). DC Comics.]
In 2018, a new Justice League Dark series began, with a redesigned Zatanna being part of the team.
Characterization
Description and motivations
Zatanna is depicted as having a public identity as both a stage magician and genuine sorceress that battles evil.
She has adopted several roles as a superhero, serving as a prominent mystic consultant,
valued member of several superhero teams, and a popular leader.
The character also owns a side business providing special service in magical and multiverse matters to those whom are in need of it and promises confidentiality.
Originally, the character was portrayed as half human and half homo magi, with her human lineage stemming from her father's side. Through her paternal line, she is a descendant of Leonardo da Vinci and is related to Nostradamus, Alessandro Cagliostro, Nicolas Flamel, and Evan Fulcanelli, making her of French and Italian descent.
Themes involving reputation and stardom
One reoccurring theme for Zatanna's character includes her public identity as a traveling, international celebrity status as she balances it with her popular superhero dual life, having adopted the lifestyle due to her father's influence.
At times, her celebrity lifestyle interferes with her relationships with family members (i.e
Zachary Zatara).
Her trustworthiness has also been challenged in several storylines such as
Infinite Crisis and
Absolute Power, wherein the respective stories challenged her relations with the superhero community or the magical community at large.
Additionally, throughout her publication history, her reputation as a sorceress has varied; her depictions during the 1980s expressed that while she was a powerful sorceress and a force to reckon with, she was not among most powerful.
Love interests
Her most significant love interest in both comics and media is
John Constantine, whose affiliation has been characterized as turbulent within in various stories. The pair first met some time shortly into Zatanna's adulthood, having once practiced
tantric sex.
More recent stories emphasized their relationship, having first began from a polyamorous one also involving Nick Necro before the pair broke away from Necro due to his obsession with the Books of Magic deteriorating their shared relationship, resulting in Constantine and Zatanna becoming exclusive to one-another for a time.
Within comics, Zatanna has had dated several other superheroes such as Doctor Thirteen,
Powers, abilities, and resources
Her heritage gives her command over mystic and cosmic forces,
allowing her to manipulate them in many ways and form.
Her chief and most preferred method includes performing magic by saying phrases and/or spells backwards. This variation of magic ("
Logomancy"), requires focus in order to used
and can be alternatively cast via written form
or using
sign language in a backwards formation.
The character versed in different variations of magic such as
black magic, tarot reading for insight or divination, and can draw power from a collection of mystic artifacts collected by her family similarly to other magic practitioners.
In a diminished state, her magical powers only allowed her to manipulate natural forces (earth, air, water, wind) and objects.
Zatanna is also a talented stage magician, a trained hand-to-hand combatant,
, and is versed in several different languages including
Spanish language and ASL.
Resources and artifacts
Due to her lineage from both sides of the family, Zatanna has access to a diverse collection of arcane objects amassed throughout generations from her families. Much of these are stored in the Shadowcrest Manor, the sentient and ancestral home of the Zatara family which relocates to different locations periodically and is invisible to ordinary observation.
The manor can only be accessed by special magic keys or voice recognition
and houses the collection of arcane objects, a private library, bestiary, and is inhabited by magical constructs that serve Zatanna, including Hassan the Mummy, who protects the manor.
Zatanna also owns a personal apartment in Gotham City, serving as her more publicly accessible residence. Known as the Curious Abode of Zatanna Zatara, it also serves as the central location for her side business.
Some artifacts includes the Talisman of Atlantis and a magical staff owned by her father. When using both artifacts in tandem, it offers easier control and usage over magical manipulation compared to her Logomancy.
Zatanna also possess a "medula jewel", an unnatural source of magic developed within the brain of royals in the Hidden Ones clan that can act as a source of magic. It appears within one person per generation, with Sindella being the previous one prior to Zatanna.
Weaknesses
Zatanna, as a practitioner of Logomancy, utilizes speech as the primary channel for her magical abilities. This reliance on verbal communication has made her vulnerable to being incapacitated by villains who restrain her through binding and gagging. It is observed that her magical powers tend to increase when unused,
but excessive use can deplete them, leading to a strain on her physical well-being. Similar to other magic users, Zatanna can only replenish her waning powers through an extended period of rest. Additionally, there appears to be a connection between Zatanna's powers and her self-confidence. In the narrative
Seven Soldiers, a series of significant mistakes left her emotionally and psychologically shattered, rendering her powerless. It was only through the process of restoring her lost confidence that she was able to regain her magical abilities.
Other versions
-
Conjura, a character based on Zatanna, appears in DC Super Dictionary.
-
An alternate universe variant of Zatanna appears in . This version is an agent of the Privy Council, a totalitarian religious group that rules over North America.
-
Wanda Zatara / White Witch, a fusion of Zatanna and Marvel Comics character Scarlet Witch, appears in the Amalgam Comics universe.
-
An alternate universe variant of Zatanna appears in .
-
Annataz Arataz, Zatanna's evil Earth-Three counterpart, appears in Countdown to Final Crisis #23.
-
An alternate universe variant of Zatanna appears in the Flashpoint storyline. This version is a member of the Secret Seven and part of a motorcycle gang.
-
An alternate universe variant of Zatanna appears in DC Comics Bombshells. This version is of Jews and Romani people descent and was previously forced to aid the Nazis, during which she befriended Raven before eventually escaping.
-
An alternate universe variant of Zatanna appears in Mystik U.
-
Zatanna appears in the web comic Zatanna and the Ripper, co-published by DC Comics and Webtoon.
-
Zatanna appears in the graphic novel Zatanna and the House of Secrets. This version lives in the titular house with her father Zatara and rabbit Pocus.
-
Zatanna appears in the graphic novel Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend.
In other media
Television
-
Zatanna appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU):
-
She first appears in a of , voiced by Julie Brown.
[ A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.] This version befriended Batman as a youth and developed a crush on him while he was training under her father Zatara. In the present, while working as a magician, she reunites with Batman while foiling criminal magic debunker Montague Kane's plans.
-
Zatanna makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in The New Batman Adventures episode "Chemistry".
-
Zatanna makes a cameo appearance in a photograph depicted in the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past".
-
Zatanna appears in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Jennifer Hale in "This Little Piggy" and by Juliet Landau in "The Balance".
-
Zatanna appears in Smallville, portrayed by Serinda Swan.
-
Zatanna appears in the teaser for the episode "Chill of the Night!", voiced again by Jennifer Hale.
-
Zatanna appears in Young Justice, voiced by Lacey Chabert.
-
Zatanna appears in Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
-
Zatanna appears in Justice League Action, voiced again by Lacey Chabert as an adult and by Dayci Brookshire as a child.
-
Zatanna appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
-
Zatanna makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Harley Quinn as an associate of the Justice League. As of "A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special", she has entered a relationship with the Barry Allen.
Film
Live-action
-
In 2005, screenwriter Hadley Davis announced that she had written an action-comedy featuring a teenage version of Zatanna.
-
Zatanna appears in a proposed Guillermo del Toro film project based on the Justice League Dark, which was meant to be part of the DC Extended Universe.
-
A live-action Zatanna film, developed by Warner Bros. Discovery and Bad Robot and with Emerald Fennell serving as a writer, was in production before it was cancelled as of March 2021.
Animation
-
An unnamed alternate universe version of Zatanna makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in as a minor member of the Crime Syndicate.
-
The Young Justice incarnation of Zatanna makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery.
-
Zatanna appears in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) films Justice League Dark and , voiced by Camilla Luddington.
-
Zatanna appears in , voiced by Kate Micucci.
-
Zatanna makes a cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.
-
Zatanna appears in .
Video games
-
Zatanna appears as a playable character in Justice League Heroes, voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
-
Zatanna appears as a non-playable character (NPC) in DC Universe Online, voiced by Claire Hamilton.
-
Zatanna appears as a downloadable playable character in , voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
-
Zatanna appears as a playable character in , voiced again by Lacey Chabert.
-
Zatanna appears as a downloadable playable character in , voiced again by Lacey Chabert.
-
Zatanna appears as a playable character in , voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
-
Zatanna appears as a playable character in Infinite Crisis.
-
Zatanna makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Doctor Fate and Raiden's endings in Injustice 2. In the latter, she serves as a founding member of Justice League Dark.
-
Zatanna appears as a playable character in DC Unchained.
-
Zatanna appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains via the "Justice League Dark" DLC pack.
-
Zatanna appears in DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
Miscellaneous
-
Zatanna appears in Gotham Girls, voiced by Stacie Randall.
-
A teenage Zatanna appears in the Zatanna: Trial of the Crystal Wand segment of Cartoon Monsoon, voiced by Tara Strong. This version takes inspiration from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Buffy Summers and has an older brother named Damon.
-
The Smallville incarnation of Zatanna appears in .
-
The Injustice incarnation of Zatanna appears in the prequel comic.
-
The DC Super Hero Girls incarnation of Zatanna appears in the franchise's tie-in novel Spaced Out.
Collected editions
|
|
| JLA: Zatanna's Search | The Atom #19, Hawkman #4, Green Lantern #42, Detective Comics #335 and #355, Justice League of America #51 | 128 | February 2004 | |
| Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell | Black Canary and Zatanna | 144 | June 2015 | |
| Zatanna: Bring Down The House | Zatanna: Bring Down The House #1-5 | 176 | March 2025 | |
|
| Zatanna: The Mistress of Magic | Zatanna #1–6 | 144 | March 2011 | |
| Zatanna: Shades of the Past | Zatanna #7–12 | 232 | November 2011 | |
| Zatanna by Paul Dini | Zatanna #1–16 , Zatanna: Everyday Magic, DC Universe Rebirth Holiday Special, DC Infinite Halloween Special | 440 | March 2017 | |
|
| Zatanna and the House of Secrets | All chapters 1–6 | 160 | February 2020 | |
| Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend | All chapters 1–8 | 200 | July 2022 | |
|
| Zatanna & The Ripper Vol. 1 | Zatanna & The Ripper original material | 200 | October 2023 | |
| Zatanna & The Ripper Vol. 2 | 200 | December 2023 | |
| Zatanna & The Ripper Vol. 3 | 208 | May 2024 | |
| Zatanna & The Ripper Vol. 4 | 208 | September 2024 | |
|
External links
