Magique

Origin

Under her original Guardsman name of Magic, she was amongst the first of the Imperial Guard encountered by the team of superhuman mutant adventurers known as the X-Men who sought to rescue the Princess-Majestrix Lilandra from her insane brother, then-Majestor D'ken. Following the orders of their emperor, the Guard clashed with the X-Men and were on the verge of winning when the band of interstellar freebooters known as the Starjammers arrived to turn the tide of battle in the X-Men's favor.

Creation

Flashfire was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum in 1977 and first appeared in X-Men # 107. Much like many of her Imperial Guard peers, Magique is loosely based on the DC Comics superhero from the 30th century White Witch as were many of the other Imperial Guards fashioned after members of the Legion of Super-heroes.

Mayor Story Arcs

Against Excalibur

Later, after the formerly-exiled Deathbird had usurped the Shi'ar throne, Magique was amongst those Imperial Guard members who clashed with the British team of costumed adventurers known as Excalibur and the team of interstellar freebooters known as the Starjammers over the fate of the then-bearer of the cosmic Phoenix Force, the alternate future daughter of the X-Man Jean Grey named Rachel Summers.

During the war between the Shi'ar and Kree Empires, Magic - under her new Guardsman name of Magique - was one of a small contingent of Guardsmen that were dispatched by then-Empress Lilandra to retrieve the famous Nega-Bands of the Kree warrior Captain Mar-vell from his tomb. Magique used her sorcerous abilities to create holographic illusions to make Quasar, a member of the Earth team of super-powered beings known as the Avengers, believe that the attacking force was much larger than it actually was. When Magique was rendered unconscious by the Kree scientist Doctor Minerva, her illusions were dispelled.

War of Kings

During Vulcan's takeover of the Shi'ar throne, Magique was not present with her teammates when they battled Vulcan and several were killed. Despite the fact that she wasn't present, she was still an active member of the Guard. When Vulcan took the throne of the Shi'ar, Magique, along with other Guardsmen, pledged their loyalty to him.

During the War of Kings, Adam Warlock attacked Emperor Vulcan and some of the Guardsmen loyal to him defend him. Magique battled Adam Warlock one-on-one and despite the fact it was a heavy battle, she lost. As Warlock departed, Magique put a "Witchmark" on him so the Shi'ar Guardmsmen and Soldiers could follow him and allow all of their attacks to find their mark. Unaware he was being tracked, Adam Warlock was surprised by the arrival of the Shi'ar. Another battle ensued and Adam eventually learned of the "Witchmark" and it's effects. Somehow, he was able to transport the "Witchmark" back onto Magique herself and she was then shot by her comrades.

Powers

Magical abilities: Magique has the either learned or inherent ability to control the ambient magical energies found throughout the universe and psionically focus these powerful energies and utilize them to create three-dimensional illusions.

Longevity: Though not hinted at previous stories, "Uncanny X-Men" #479 (December, 2006) depicts her as several centuries old. A flashback to a centuries-old battle between the founding members of the Imperial Guard and a Phoenix host called Rook'shir was depicted. Gladiator, Magic, Mentor and Quasar are depicted among the founders.