LILIA

Real Name: Lilia Calderu

Identity/Class: Human magic user; Transylvanian native

Occupation: Witch-Queen of the Gypsies

Group Membership: Gypsies

Affiliations: Doctor Strange, Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), Laura Maria Russoff, Margali Szardos, Taboo;
    formerly Baron (Karl Amadeus) Mordo

Enemies: Chthon, Damballah (Josué Koulèv), Doctor Strange, Baron Mordo

Known Relatives: Cagliostro (great-grandfather), Nikolai, First Baron of Mordo (grandfather), Miarka (grandmother), Taboo (great-uncle), Karl Amadeus Mordo (half-uncle), Lilia (mother), Astrid Mordo (daughter)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Transylvania

First Appearance: Marvel Premiere#12 (November 1973) 

Powers/Abilities:  As Witch-Queen of the Gypsies, Lilia was a highly-skilled practitioner of the Mystic Arts; she was also the keeper of the Book of Cagliostro, and she briefly wore the Serpent Crown.

 

 History:  
(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8/2) - Searching through his father's library, Mordo discovered that Nikolai, First Baron of Mordo, and his mistress, Miarka had a daughter named Lilia. Lilia, in turn, had a daughter (father unrevealed), also named Lilia, who eventually became Witch-Queen and keeper of the Book of Cagliostro. (It is the second Lilia who is the subject of this entry).

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lilia often adopted the appearance on an aged crone when meeting with others to enhance her reputation as the gypsy queen.

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lilia became part of a sorceress coven, including Laura Maria Russoff and Margali Szardos.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8/2) - Knowing that the gypsies would never surrender the Book of Cagliostro willingly, and not being certain to triumph in a magical contest of force, Baron (Karl) Mordo romanced Lilia

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lilia cast a one time usage spell (presumably from the Book of Cagliostro) that summoned the Serpent Crown from the wreckage of the Ancient's Antarctic base.

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 (fb)) - Laura Maria, Lilia, and Margali joined their powers and sensed that the young Wanda Maximoff would someday be very powerful, straddling the worlds of magic and science. Lilia's divinations with the Book of Cagliostro foretold that Wanda's powers would begin to manifest in two days. They prepared to meet her on that day. Laura Maria and Margali warned Lilia that the Serpent Crown would take control of her, and they begged her to take it off, but she angrily refused.

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 (fb) - BTS) - Lilia instructed Marya Maximoff to bring Wanda to her for a meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2) - Marya Maximoff brought Wanda to her, and Lilia took Wanda to Castle Russoff.

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 - BTS) - Traveling to and fro via a painting portal (which she recognized via the Serpent Crown's power) in Castle Russoff, Lilia told Mordo that she would not be able to meet him that night.

(Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2) - the women tried to convince her to join their coven, offering for her parents to stay in the cottage behind the castle. When Taboo and the zobop Damballah (Josué Koulèv) interrupted the meeting, intending to obtain the Serpent Crown (which Lilia had mystically summoned from its frozen resting place), Damballah attempted to wrest the Crown from her head; failing that he drew his sword and prepared to cleave her head off. Laura Maria reanimated the dead to oppose them, but Damballah then unleashed his snakes against her. Gregory activated the Lunar Pendant, transformed into a werewolf, and attacked Damballah's serpents. The struggle was interrupted by Chthon, who communicated to them from his own realm, banished the Serpent Crown back to its resting place and Damballah back to Haiti (to prevent Set's influence from affecting Wanda, for whom he had plans). Before disappearing, Chthon told all those present that they would bear children of occult significance.
    Gregory spoke with Taboo, learning of his Darkhold copy and wondering if it contained pages missing from the original that might cure him of lycanthropy. Taboo told him there would be a steep price, but that if he agreed they would meet in Istanbul one year from that day to arrange the transfer.

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8/2) - Mordo stole the Book of Cagliostro and broke Lilia's heart in the process.

 

 

 

(Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#87 (fb) - BTS) - From her affair with Baron Mordo, Lilia bore a daughter, Astrid, who would one day avenge her mother's treatment.

 

(Marvel Premiere#12) - Doctor Strange was then in Transylvania, seeking Mordo, when he met Lilia who placed him under a spell of enslavement. With Strange in her thrall, Lilia sought revenge against the sorcerer who had used and betrayed her. They invaded Mordo's castle but were attacked by a living gargoyle. The creature inflicted a mortal blow on Lilia. She released Strange who destroyed the gargoyle but Lilia died soon afterwards.

 

 


Comments: Created by Steve Englehart & Mike Friedrich (writers) and Frank Brunner (penciller) and the Crusty Bunkers (inkers).

    No images exist of the Lilia who was this Lilia's mother, and Nikolai's daughter.

"Profile by" Jean-Marc Lofficier (yes, that Jean-Marc Lofficier!--Snood).

CLARIFICATIONS:  
Lilia should be distinguished from:

 

Images:

Doctor Strange III#8 , p.27, panel 2
Marvel Premiere #12, p. 16, panel 3
Marvel Premiere #12, p. 30, panel 1


Appearances:
Marvel Premiere#12 (November, 1973) - Steve Englehart (1-17) & Mike Friedrich (18-32) (writers), Frank Brunner (pencils/co-plot), Crusty Bunkers (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#8/2 (October, 1989) - Roy Thomas & Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier (writers), Tom Sutton (pencils), Ralph Macchio (editor)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme#87 (March, 1996) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Mark Buckingham (pencils), Kev F. Sutherland (inks), Bobbie Chase (editor)
Mystic Arcana: Scarlet Witch#1/2 (October, 2007) - Jeff Parker (writer), Juan Santacruz (penciler), Raul Fernandez (inker), Nathan Cosby (assistant editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)

Last updated: 11/11/11

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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