Calypso (comics) explained

Character Name:Calypso Ezili
Real Name:Calypso Ezili
Publisher:Marvel Comics
Debut:The Amazing Spider-Man #209 (October 1980)
Species:Human
Partners:Kraven the Hunter
Powers:
  • Use of potions with different effects
  • Resurrection
  • Mind control

Calypso Ezili is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist Alan Weiss, the character first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #209 (October 1980).[1] Calypso Ezili is a voodoo priestess of Haitian descent.[2] She serves as an adversary of the superhero Peter Parker / Spider-Man.[3] The character is the occasional lover and partner of the Kraven the Hunter.[4] Ezili is also known under the codenames The Witch and The Hunter of Souls.[5]

Since her original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including animated television series and video games. The character will make her live-action debut in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Kraven the Hunter, played by Ariana DeBose.

Publication history

Calypso Ezili debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #209 (October 1980), created by Denny O'Neil and Alan Weiss.[6] She initially appeared as a minor character The Amazing Spider-Man #209 and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #65, where she was an ally of Spider-Man's enemy Kraven the Hunter. After Kraven's death, Ezili bewitched the Lizard into helping her attack Spider-Man in Spider-Man Vol. 1, #1–5,[7] then made guest appearances in Daredevil Vol. 1, #310–311 and Daredevil Annual Vol. 1, #9. Calypso next appeared in Web of Spider-Man Vol. 1, #109–110 and Spider-Man Annual 1997, and was killed off in a storyline that spanned The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 1, #249–253.

Fictional character biography

Calypso Ezili is a nameless voodoo priestess who was born and raised in Haiti.[8] She was a psychopathic woman who was associated with Kraven the Hunter. She seemed to enjoy driving Kraven into fits of rage and furthering his hatred of Spider-Man, which ultimately led to his suicide in the "Kraven's Last Hunt" storyline.[9] [10]

When artist Todd McFarlane started writing the new Spider-Man comic in 1990, his opening five-issue story arc "Torment" featured Ezili as the main antagonist, whom McFarlane transformed into a dangerous threat for Spider-Man.[11] The explanation for her supernatural powers was the sacrifice of her younger sister. She used her abilities to hold Lizard in her grasp and the two nearly succeeded in murdering Spider-Man. However, the webslinger defeats them both and Ezili is apparently killed.[12]

She resurfaces abducting Haitian refugees, turning some into zombie slaves and selling the rest back to her homeland's government. Her actions bring her into conflict with Daredevil and his Infinity War doppelganger Hellspawn.[13] Ezili briefly enthralls Daredevil, but he breaks free of her control, and she seemingly dies yet again when the spirits of those she turned into zombies overwhelm her.[14] Cheating death once more, she flees to New Orleans, where her obsession with necromancy leads her to the resting place of Simon Garth, a self-aware zombie. Reviving Garth, Ezili tests his abilities and pits him against Hellspawn, though he eventually breaks free of her control and wanders off, leaving one of his Amulets of Damballah with Ezili.[15]

Ezili subsequently breaks into the Vault and attempts to make the incarcerated Lizard her servant again, but he resists and mauls her.[16] [17] However, she transfers her spirit into the Amulet of Damballah and later possesses Glory Grant. Despite interference from Spider-Man, Garth, and Shotgun, she exhumes her own corpse and revives herself using the Amulet.[18]

Commanding a squad of savages, Ezili later attacks Spider-Man and Alyosha Kravinoff, the son of the original Kraven the Hunter. Desiring revenge for losing Sergei, she uses her powers to drive Spider-Man and Alyosha into fighting each other. Spider-Man and Alyosha fight off her spell and shared a handshake. Alyosha says that he will hold Ezili at his mansion so she can tell him about his long-lost father. However, Alyosha kills Ezili instead.[19] [20] [21] [22]

Powers and abilities

Calypso Ezili gained supernatural abilities by sacrificing her sister in a ritual.[23] She is a trained practitioner of voodoo,[24] being skilled with voodoo drums, potions, and charms.[25] She created a magical potion that enhanced Kraven the Hunter’s abilities and make him the best hunter in the world.[26] He was notably granted superhuman strength, speed, and heightened senses.[27] Ezili also possesses the power of mind control and resurrection.[28] [29] She used her powers to take control of the Lizard and increase his aggression.[30]

Other versions

An alternate version of Calypso Ezili appears in the What If Spider-Man Killed the Lizard? storyline. After Spider-Man is forced to kill the Lizard during an alternate retelling of the "Torment" story-arc, Ezili approaches the Lizard's grieving son, Billy Connors. She offers him a potion that will make him "just like daddy," giving him the opportunity to seek revenge on Spider-Man.[31]

In other media

Television

Film

Calypso Ezili will appear in Kraven the Hunter, portrayed by Ariana DeBose.[36]

Video games

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Leonte . Tudor . June 20, 2023 . Kraven the Hunter Movie Calypso: Who Is She and Is She a Villain? . May 21, 2024 . . en-US.
  2. Web site: Lerner . Jamie . July 27, 2022 . The MCU Could Give Us an Actual Coven in Agatha Harkness's Spinoff Series . May 21, 2024 . . en-US.
  3. Web site: Marnell . Blair . March 1, 2022 . Ariana DeBose will play Calypso in Kraven the Hunter movie . May 21, 2024 . . en.
  4. Web site: Kroll . Justin . March 1, 2022 . ‘Kraven The Hunter’: Oscar Nominee Ariana DeBose To Play Calypso In Sony’s Marvel Pic . 2024-05-21 . . en-US.
  5. Web site: Dinh . Christine . March 1, 2022 . Caught in Spidey's Web: Who is Calypso? . May 21, 2024 . Marvel.com.
  6. Book: DeFalco . Tom . Sanderson . Peter . Brevoort . Tom . Teitelbaum . Michael . Wallace . Daniel . Darling . Andrew . Forbeck . Matt . Cowsill . Alan . Bray . Adam . The Marvel Encyclopedia . 2019 . DK Publishing . 978-1-4654-7890-0 . 69.
  7. Web site: Norman . James . Mar 17, 2022 . Kraven's New Villain Makes Sony's Spider-Man Problem Even Worse . May 21, 2024 . . en.
  8. Web site: Marvel Encyclopedia New Edition. Wiacek, Stephen . Lee, Stan . Bray, Adam. 69. 2 April 2019. FK Publishing. 9781465497819.
  9. Denny O'Neil. Alan Weiss. Janson, McLeod, Rubinstein, Wiacek and Milgrom. Bob Sharen. Mark Rogan. Allen Milgrom. To Salvage My Honor!. The Amazing Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 209
    . October 1980. Marvel Comics. United States.
  10. Bill Mantlo. Bob Hall. Jim Mooney. Sharen. Novak. Tom DeFalco. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 65
    . April 1982. Marvel Comics. United States.
  11. Book: Cowsill . Alan . Manning . Matthew K. . Spider-Man Chronicle: Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging . 2012 . DK Publishing . 978-0756692360 . 115.
  12. Todd McFarlane. Todd McFarlane. Todd McFarlane. Bob Sharen, Todd McFarlane and Gregory Wright. Rick Parker. Jim Salicrup. Torment. Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 1–5
    . August 1990 – December 1990. Marvel Comics. United States.
  13. Glenn Alan Herdling. Scott McDaniel. Bud Larosa. Max Scheele. Bill Oakley. Ralph Macchio. Devil Ge Rouge. Daredevil. 1.
    1. 310
    . November 1992. Marvel Comics. United States.
  14. Glenn Alan Herdling. Scott McDaniel. Bud La Rosa. Max Scheele. Bill Oakley. Ralph Macchio. Soul Search. Daredevil. 1.
    1. 311
    . December 1992. Marvel Comics. United States.
  15. Glenn Herdling. Scott McDaniel. Bud LaRosa. Max Scheele. Steve Dutro. Ralph Macchio. Resurrections. Daredevil Annual. 1.
    1. 9
    . July 1993. Marvel Comics. United States.
  16. Terry Kavanagh. Alex Saviuk. Stephen Baskerville. Bob Sharen. Steve Dutro. Eric Fein. The Savaging Prelude – Death Becomes Her!. Web of Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 109
    . February 1994. Marvel Comics. United States.
  17. Terry Kavanagh. Alex Saviuk. Stephen Baskerville. Bob Sharen. Steve Dutro. Eric Fein. The Savaging Part 1 – Final Sanction. Web of Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 110
    . March 1994. Marvel Comics. United States.
  18. Glenn Herdling. Shawn McMannus. Shawn McMannus. John Kalisz. RS/Comicraft/KS. Ralph Macchio. Dead Men Walking. Spider-Man '97. 1.
    1. 1
    . March 1997. Marvel Comics. United States.
  19. J.M. DeMatteis and Mark Bernard. Luke Ross. Dan Green. John Kalisz. Richard Starkings and Comicraft/KS. Ralph Macchio. Into the Light. The Spectacular Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 249
    . September 1997. Marvel Comics. United States.
  20. J.M. DeMatteis. Luke Ross. Dan Green and Al Milgrom. John Kalisz. Richard Starkings and Comicraft/KS. Ralph Macchio. Citizen Osborn!. The Spectacular Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 250
    . October 1997. Marvel Comics. United States.
  21. J.M. DeMatteis. Mike Deodato. Al Milgrom. John Kalisz. Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Kiff Scholl. Ralph Macchio. Son of the Hunter! Part 2. The Spectacular Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 252
    . December 1997. Marvel Comics. United States.
  22. John Marc DeMatteis. Luke Ross. Dan Green. John Kalisz. Richard Starkings and Comicraft's Kiff Scholl. Ralph Macchio. Son of the Hunter! Part 3. The Spectacular Spider-Man. 1.
    1. 253
    . January 1998. Marvel Comics. United States.
  23. Web site: Stone . Sam . April 13, 2020 . Spider-Man: Kraven the Hunter Has Marvel's WILDEST Family Tree . May 21, 2024 . . en.
  24. Web site: Nath . Debangshu . June 20, 2023 . Who is Calypso? Meet Ariana DeBose's voodoo priestess in Kraven the Hunter . May 21, 2024 . Sportskeeda.
  25. Web site: Kumar . Roshan . March 2, 2022 . Ariana DeBose to Play a Marvel villain in ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Movie . May 21, 2024 . Midgard Times . en.
  26. Web site: Doyle . Jack . June 23, 2023 . How 'Kraven the Hunter' Reimagines the Comic Book Villain's Powers . May 21, 2024 . The Mary Sue.
  27. Web site: Haines . Samuel Wyatt . June 29, 2023 . That's Not Really How Kraven the Hunter Got His Powers... Is It? . May 21, 2024 . . en.
  28. Web site: Paur . Joey . March 1, 2022 . Ariana DeBose Set to Play Calypso in Sony's KRAVEN THE HUNTER Marvel Movie . 2024-09-25 . GeekTyrant . en-US.
  29. Web site: Outlaw . Kofi . July 28, 2021 . Kraven the Hunter: Sony Reportedly Eyeing Jodie Turner-Smith For Calypso . May 21, 2024 . . en.
  30. Web site: Stevens . Tim . March 4, 2019 . Meet the Kravinoffs! The Family of Kraven the Hunter . May 21, 2024 . Marvel.com.
  31. 10 September 1993 . What If? . What If Spider-Man Killed the Lizard? .
    1. 53
    . 2 . Marvel Comics . United States . Simon Furman . Dane McCart . Dane McCart . Mark Bernardo . Janice Chiang . Rob Tokar.
  32. Web site: Donohoo . Timothy . September 13, 2023 . Spider-Man: The Animated Series Changed Spidey’s Next Movie Foe – For the Better . May 21, 2024 . . en.
  33. Web site: Voice of Dr. Mariah Crawford (Spider-Man) – Behind The Voice Actors . May 21, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
  34. Destructive Testing . . . January 18, 2009 . 2 . 2 . Victor Cook, Greg Weisman, Stan Lee (writers).
  35. Web site: Voice of Calypso Ezili (The Spectacular Spider-Man) – Behind The Voice Actors . May 21, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
  36. Web site: Rubin . Rebecca . March 1, 2022 . 'West Side Story' Star Ariana DeBose to Play Calypso in Sony's 'Kraven the Hunter' . March 1, 2022 . Variety.
  37. Web site: Miller . David . January 18, 2024 . Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man Universe Secretly Has Way More Superheroes & Villains Than You Realize . 2024-09-25 . . en.
  38. Web site: Voice of Calypso (Spider-Man 2) – Behind The Voice Actors . May 21, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .
  39. Web site: Voice of Calypso Noir (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions) – Behind The Voice Actors . May 21, 2024 . Behind The Voice Actors .

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