Calypso Ezili is a character appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the
superhero Spider-Man. She is a
voodoo priestess who utilizes magic potions, and the occasional lover and partner of
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
.
Ariana DeBose will portray the character in the live-action film ''
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
'', which is part of
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the f ...
.
Publication history
Calypso first appeared in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #209 and was created by
Denny O'Neil
Dennis Joseph O'Neil (May 3, 1939 – June 11, 2020) was an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retir ...
and
Alan Weiss.
Calypso initially appeared as a minor character ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'' #209 and ''
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #65, where she was an ally of
Spider-Man's enemy
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
. After Kraven's death, Calypso bewitched
the Lizard
The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...
into helping her attack Spider-Man in ''
Spider-Man'' Vol. 1, #1-5, then made guest appearances in ''
Daredevil'' Vol. 1, #310-311 and ''Daredevil Annual'' Vol. 1, #9. Calypso next appeared in ''
Web of Spider-Man
''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...
'' 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 is a nameless
voodoo priestess of
Haitian nationality. She was a
psychopath
Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...
ic woman who was associated with
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
. Calypso seemed to enjoy driving Kraven into fits of rage and furthering his hatred of
Spider-Man which ultimately led to Kraven's
suicide in the "
Kraven's Last Hunt
"Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt", or simply "Kraven's Last Hunt" is a comic book storyline by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck published in 1987, featuring the final battle between Marvel Comics characters Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man.
Co ...
" storyline.
When artist
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane (; born March 16, 1961) is a Canadian comic book creator, artist, writer, filmmaker and entrepreneur, best known for his work as the artist on ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and as the creator, writer, and artist on the superhero horro ...
started writing the new ''Spider-Man'' comic in 1990, his opening five-issue story arc "
Torment
Torment may refer to:
* The feeling of pain or suffering
* Causing to suffer, torture
Films
* ''Torment'' (1924 film), a silent crime-drama
* ''Torment'' (1944 film) (''Hets''), a Swedish film
* ''Torment'' (1950 British film), a British thr ...
" featured Calypso as the main antagonist, whom McFarlane transformed into a dangerous threat for Spider-Man. The explanation for Calypso's 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 managed to beat them both and Calypso is apparently killed.
Calypso 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
''Avengers: Infinity War'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to '' The Avengers'' ( ...
'' doppelganger, Hellspawn. Calypso briefly enthralls Daredevil, but he is able to break free of her control, and she seemingly dies yet again when the spirits of those she turned into zombies overwhelm her. Cheating death once more, Calypso flees to New Orleans, where her obsession with
necromancy
Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future even ...
leads her to the resting place of
Simon Garth
The Zombie (Simon William Garth) is a fictional supernatural character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett for the standalone story "Zombie" in the hor ...
, a self-aware zombie. Reviving Garth, Calypso 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 Calypso.
Calypso subsequently breaks into the
Vault
Vault may refer to:
* Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards
Architecture
* Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space
* Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored
* Burial vault (enclosure ...
and attempts to make the incarcerated Lizard her servant again, but he resists and mauls her. The Amulet of Damballah, which Calypso transferred her soul into while dying, ends up in the possession of
Glory Grant
Gloriana Grant, more commonly known as Glory Grant, is a Marvel Comics supporting character of Spider-Man. She is introduced in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #140 (January 1975) as a neighbor of Peter Parker. Peter then helps her secure a position as ...
, who Calypso possesses. Despite interference from Spider-Man, Garth, and
Shotgun, Calypso is successfully able to exhume her own corpse and revive herself with the Amulet of Damballah.
Commanding a squad of savages, she 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 Calypso at his mansion, so the villainess can tell him about his long-lost father. However, Alyosha kills Calypso instead.
Powers and abilities
Calypso was well-versed in the religion and practice of voodoo. She often used voodoo drums, potions, and charms. Calypso used mind control, resurrection, and poisons.
Other versions
An issue of ''
What If?'' which asked the question "What If Spider-Man Killed the Lizard?" had Calypso in it. When Spider-Man is forced to kill the Lizard in an alternate version of the "Torment" story-arc, Calypso approaches the Lizard's distraught son
Billy Connors
William Joseph Connors (November 2, 1941 – June 18, 2018) was an American player, coach and front office official in professional baseball. A pitcher born in Schenectady, New York, he threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed in ...
and offers him the chance to get revenge on Spider-Man via a potion that will make him "just like daddy".
In other media
Television
* A character inspired by and nicknamed Calypso named Dr. Mariah Crawford appears in ''
Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', voiced by Susan Beaubian. This version is a research scientist who was engaged to Sergei Kravinoff before her mystic serum transformed him into Kraven the Hunter. Throughout the series, she assists Spider-Man and Kraven in their adventures, such as creating a cure for the former's
Man-Spider mutation. In the episode "The Return of Kraven", she contacted an African plague she was helping to fight. In an effort to save her, Kraven injected her with the same serum that she used on him. However, upon their return to New York, Crawford mutated into a feral monster. Eventually, Kraven joins forces with Spider-Man and
Black Cat to subdue Crawford and administer a cure created by Dr.
Curt Connors
The Lizard (Dr. Curtis "Curt" Connors) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #6 (November 1963) as an enemy of ...
, which partially reverts Crawford's human form and fully restores her reasoning. Accepting what she has become, she and Kraven leave New York to be alone together.
* Calypso appears in ''
The Spectacular Spider-Man
''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics.
Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
'' episode "Destructive Testing", voiced by Angela Bryant.
Film
Calypso is set to appear in the
Sony's Spider-Man Universe
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the f ...
film ''
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversary ...
'', portrayed by
Ariana DeBose.
Video games
* Calypso appears as a secret boss in ''
Spider-Man 2
''Spider-Man 2'' is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi and written by Alvin Sargent from a story by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Michael Chabon. Based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, it is the ...
'', voiced by
Angela V. Shelton.
* Calypso appears in the
Microsoft Windows,
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
and
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
versions ''
Spider-Man 3'', voiced again by Angela V. Shelton. She assists Kraven the Hunter by providing him with various potions and mutating the
Lizard into an even larger, more monstrous form.
* A
Marvel Noir-inspired incarnation of Calypso appears as a boss in the
Nintendo DS version of ''
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions'', voiced by
Jennifer Hale
Jennifer Hale is a Canadian-American voice actress. She is best known for her work in video game franchises such as ''Baldur's Gate'', '' Mass Effect'', '' Metal Gear Solid'', '' BioShock Infinite'', '' Metroid Prime'', ''Overwatch'', and '' Sta ...
. She uses a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos to raise an army of zombies in the hopes of reviving Kraven, but is eventually defeated by
Spider-Man Noir
Spider-Man Noir (Peter Parker) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Part of the Marvel Noir universe (Earth-90214), this alternate version of Spider-Man is a noir-themed take on the character ...
.
References
External links
Calypsoat Marvel Wiki
Calypsoat Comic Vine
at Samruby.com
at the Appendix to the Marvel Handbook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calypso (Comics)
Characters created by Dennis O'Neil
Comics characters introduced in 1980
Fiction about Haitian Vodou
Fictional characters with spirit possession or body swapping abilities
Fictional Haitian people
Fictional hypnotists and indoctrinators
Fictional necromancers
Fictional priests and priestesses
Marvel Comics characters who use magic
Marvel Comics female supervillains
Spider-Man characters