THE SAPPHIRE BANDS OF STORAAN

Classification: Magic Spell

Creator: Unrevealed (possibly Storaan (or Storann))

User/Possessors: Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Mys-Tech, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Otto Werner von Strange (Earth-8968);
    possibly Mr. Rasputin

First Appearance: S.H.I.E.L.D. III#3 (April, 2015)

Aliases: Sapphire Bands of Storann

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Sapphire Bands of Storaan are often used to capture an enemy or at least limit his movement for a while.

    The Bands can entangle, en-wrap or surround also more targets.

    The target can be also an incorporeal enemy like a ghost. In that case the spell can have a more focused purpose, to banish the spirit from Earth, so falling in the Abjuration scope.

Scopes: Abjuration, Evocation

Casting Time: A few seconds
Range: short (30 feet)
Components: one or more among:

• A somatic component: a finger/hand/body gesture
• A verbal component like:
  
      Sapphire Bands of Storann--
      Banish this phantasm! (Doctor Strange V#19)
  
      Submit to Sapphire Bands of Storann!  (Devil's Reign: Superior Four#3)
  
  
• A material component like: a magical weapon.
  

Duration: Seconds, probably minutes.
Primary effects: Sapphire Bands entangling the targets, keeping them hovering.
Collateral effects: None

History:
(S.H.I.E.L.D. III#5 (fb) - BTS) - Horguun the Troll was a highly skilled artisan who could make a metal capable of containing magic. He was hired by the R&D firm Mys-Tech to also make weapons that could cage and shoot magic spells. Mys-Tech added the ammunition, and among them there were the Sapphire Bands of Storaan. 

(S.H.I.E.L.D. III#3) - The Sapphire Bands of Storaan spells were shot by the weapons utilized by Colonel Myrdden's mercenaries. The Sapphire Bands, shot by three guns, surrounded and entangled Spider-Man, Pavel Rasputin and Phil Coulson. They were almost totally restricted, but Rasputin dispelled them with little effort, claiming that the spells fired by those weapons were fragile. The dispel wave reached the mercenaries, too, knocking them off their feet.
Mere seconds after, the mercenaries were sprawled senseless on the floor, and Phil Coulson had the time to study the signature on the weapon, a signature written in runes.
    Coulson found the same sign on the Furnace in the basement of Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

(S.H.I.E.L.D. III#5 (fb)) - Coulson recognized that the weapons used by the mercenaries led to Mys-Tech. Doctor Strange recognized the signature on the weapon and told to Coulson that it was Horguun's signature.

(Captain Marvel XII#7 (fb) - BTS) - Stephen Strange in Captain Marvel's body was trying to teach some magic to Carol Danvers in Doctor Strange's body. Stephen/Marvel mentioned the Sapphire Bands of Storaan as a means to bind an enemy.

(Doctor Strange V#19) - Doctor Strange conjured the Sapphire Bands of Storann (sic) to banish a killer ghost that was attacking a woman. The evoked Bands ensnared the phantasm, but he easily escaped their constriction, evaporating before they could banish him. Doctor Strange was puzzled, mumbling about the usual impossibility for spirits to avoid a simple spell of exile.
    The spirit actually re-appeared in the same place shortly after, and Strange understood that he was anchored to that place.

    It's not mandatory to know how to cast a particular magic spell in order to dispel it. However, recognizing a spell implies a high probability of knowing how to cast it. Thus, Mr. Rasputin probably was a user of the Sapphire Bands.

    When Strange failed to banish the killer ghost, he could not complete his deduction about the causes of his failure, due to lack of time. Later, the phantasm confirmed that he had a strong connection with the place where he appeared. That could mean that the Bands of Storann are not so effective against such strong bindings.
    There's the infinitesimal, unconfirmed possibility that changing the pronunciation of the verbal component "Storaan" in "Storann" would change the purpose of the spell, driving it toward the Abjuration scope.

    In Captain Marvel XII#7, Carol/Strange asked about the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. Stephen stated that Carol wasn't ready for that magic spell, implying that the Sapphire Bands of Storaan spell was easier to learn. Carol convinced Stephen to teach her the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, because they had to fight the Enchantress, who was extremely powerful, so they had to be ready for her. Stephen/Marvel accepted, implying that the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak are a stronger binding spell than the Sapphire Bands.

    The Sapphire Bands also exist in alternate realities:

• In "Doctor Strange: The Fate of Dreams, A Prose Novel". The Bands were evoked by Doctor Strange to attack Numinous. However, the Bands passed through her, and enveloped a stone column behind her. Numinous, the God Of Epic Dreams, seized the control of the Bands. She clenched her fist and the Bands shattered the column.
• In "Devil's Reign: Superior Four#3", on Earth-8968, Otto Werner von Strange evoked the Bands to entangle Otto Octavius (of Earth-616). They lasted for a fraction of minute, after which Octavius' vegetable arms dismembered them.
  
• In the sets of cards named Fleer Ultra Midnight Sons, there's a card dedicated to the Sapphire Bands of Storaan constricting Spider-Man.
  

    Sapphire Blue has, conventionally, the RGB code equal to 5 red, 82 green, and 186 blue, or #0f52ba in hexadecimal code, which is the one used for the title of this very profile.

Profile by Spidermay.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Sapphire Bands of Storaan should be distinguished from:

• the Sapphire of Storaan, stolen by Casey Kinmont--Doctor Strange V#7-BTS
  
  but have no known connections to:
  
  
• the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak - often used to magically restrict enemies--Strange Tales I#124/2
• the Crytorryk Bands of Containment - from the Scrolls of Crytorryk-Sar--New Avengers II#2
  
• some blue Bands of Bedevilment - conjured by Margali Szardos to bind Umar--Marvel Untold: Sisters of Sorcery - Aconyte - Novel
  
• Bands of Darkness - cast by Dormammu in the form of a crimson spherical cage to imprison Doctor Strange--Darkhawk Annual I#3
  
• the gleaming Bands of Emerald Fire - which Nightmare used to grind Strange's astral form--Strange Tales I#170/2
• the Emerald Bands of Exador - which Nicodemus West modeled as a spherical prison--Doctor Strange: The Oath#4
• the metallic grey bands evoked by the demon Tul'Uth to restrain Doctor Strange and Casey Kinmont--Strange 2010#1
  
• the golden bands used by a golden Agamotto of another Universe to restrain the Avengers--Avengers Assemble Animated Series, Season 4, Episode 17
• the yellow Bands that constricted an evil Doctor Strange of Reality-91233--What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands? = Season 1, Episode 4
• the Bandages of Banebtumtet used by Karl Mordo to restrain the Ancient One--Dimension War - Novel (Titan Books)
  
• the encircling bands that Tazza called Energy Rings, easily dispelled by Doctor Strange--Strange Tales#144/2
• the Nega-Bands - wristbands, formerly worn by Captain Mar-Vell--Captain Marvel I#25
  
• the Quantum Bands - energy devices used by Protectors of the Universe--Fantastic Four I#164
  
• the Bands of Judgment - bracelets that render Eternals powerless, used by Eternals during trials--Eternals II#5
  
• the Crimson Band of Cincinnati - a musical band the sounds of which made the Mindless Ones dance--What the...?#19
• or any other "band" or "sapphire" item/spells.

The Sapphire of Storaan

    The Sapphire of Storaan is a magical item of great power.

    Casey Kinmont stole it for Baron (Karl) Mordo, when she was under the bad influence of the Gem of Cyttorak and without a soul to quench its fury. Doctor Druid informed Doctor Strange about the stealing of the Sapphire. Casey also stole other items of power like the Serpent Ring and some pages of the Darkhold.

Comments:
    It is unrevealed if the Sapphire has the shape and the substance of a precious blue stone, or if it has another nature (like a magical little flying humming bird).

Appearances:
Doctor Strange V#7 - BTS (March, 1997) - Mark Waid (writer), Javier Pina & Andres Guinaldo (pencilers), Javier Pina, JP Mayer, Andy Ownes, Roberto Poggi & Keith Champagne (inks), Brian Reber , Jim Campbell & Andrew Crossley (colors), Nick Lowe (editor)

Images: (without ads)
S.H.I.E.L.D. III#3, p5, pan3 (Bands of Storaan, shot by guns, entangling Spider-Man)
Doctor Strange V#19, p3, p4 (the phantasm is not impressed at all from the Sapphire Bands)
Devil's Reign: Superior Four#3, p10, pan 4 (Otto Werner Von Strange ensnares Otto Octavius with the Sapphire Bands)

Appearances:
S.H.I.E.L.D. III#3 (April, 2015) - Mark Waid (writer), Alan Davis (pencils), Mark Farmer (inks), Matthew Wilson (colors), Tom Brevoort, Elizabeth Pyle (editors)
Doctor Strange: The Fate of Dreams, A Prose Novel (January, 2016) - Devin Grayson (writer)
Captain Marvel XII#7 (August, 2019) - Kelly Thompson (writer), Annapaola Martello (artist), Tamra Bonvillan (colors), Sarah Brunstad (editor)
Doctor Strange V#19 (November, 2019) - Mark Waid (writer), Jesús Saiz (artist), Nick Lowe, Darren Shan (editors)
Devil's Reign: Superior Four#3 (2022) - Zat Thompson (writer), Davide Tinto (art), Matt Milla (colors), Annalise Bissa (editor)

First Posted: 01/22/2025
Last Updated: 01/22/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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