One of the greatest villains Thor has faced in his extensive history is The Enchantress, an all-powerful goddess and sorceress who has endured for thousands of years as a scourge and traitor of Asgard. But there is more to this mystic mistress of mayhem than meets the eye. The “Enchantress” moniker has been used by two different women in the main canon of Marvel Comics and this is how they came to be.

The first Enchantress, Amora, is an Asgardian specializing in magic and all manner of seduction techniques to achieve her goals. Debuting in 1964’s Journey into Mystery #103 by the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the alluring and mischievous Enchantress was sent to Earth by Odin with Skurge the Executioner to seduce Thor and kill his love interest, Jane Foster.

After failing their mission, Odin banishes The Enchantress and Skurge from Asgard and Amora decides to make Thor’s life a living hell on Earth. Enchantress returns to Earth with Skurge and begins working with other supervillains to destroy Thor and conquer Earth.

The Enchantress’ Battles Against Thor and Beyond

Amora’s Reign of Terror

The Enchantress’ sorcery has made her one of the most feared beings in all the Marvel Universe. Specializing in charms and hypnotism, Amora can command all beings to her bidding with a single spell or a charmed kiss. Her mystical energy is just as strong as Loki, Thor’s adopted brother and most famous enemy. As an Asgardian, Enchantress can live up to several millennia and has used her longevity to learn every magic spell imaginable. Over the years, her beauty and mystic strength have allowed her to amass a great number of followers from humans, aliens, and magical creatures from foreign realms.

The Enchantress formed shaky alliances with the likes of Loki and Baron Zemo to annihilate Thor. A founding member of Zemo’s Masters of Evil, Enchantress was a part of this first-ever supervillain team to face the original Avengers. Enchantress has also run afoul of other superheroes, since Thor always finds a way to resist her charms and mind control. Amora has battled the likes of Scarlet Witch and the X-Man Dazzler, who actually beat Enchantress in a singing/popularity contest, causing the witch to flee in terror. The alluring magician’s mantle was so well-known that it was only a matter of time before it was passed down to another.

Sylvie Lushton, The Second Enchantress

The Enchantress Becomes a Hero

As Amora’s immortal legend continued to grow, the trickster Loki saw potential in creating his own Enchantress he could control. Teenager Sylvie Lushton debuted in 2009’s Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 by Paul Cornell and Mark Brooks. She was an average girl living in Oklahoma whose hometown welcomed the displaced citizens of Asgard. Loki secretly gave Sylvie magical powers, and she was convinced she was both an Asgardian and the second coming of the Enchantress. While Loki was fooling the girl to serve his world-conquering purposes, Sylvie instead became a superhero working for the Young Avengers as a new Enchantress.

As the second Enchantress, Sylvie learns to harness her mystical powers, making herself even stronger than her teammates. However, the Young Avengers team is very hesitant to trust her due to the first Enchantress’ past. With the help of fellow teammate and magic user, Wiccan, Sylvie gets the Young Avengers to trust her again and take down their rivals, the Dark Avengers. Sadly, Sylvie is currently banished into an unknown realm by the original Enchantress, who wasn’t a fan of some human using her name and likeness. But honestly, the cold-hearted Amora could’ve learned a lot from taking on Sylvie as an apprentice.

The Enchantress, An Iconic Marvel Villainess

She Wants It All And More

The Enchantress’ legend precedes her, but the original Amora hides a wounded heart. As Asgard’s greatest magic user banished from her home just like Loki, Enchantress feels entitled to the throne of Asgard and beyond. Amora is so powerful that she’s managed to conquer Asgard with Loki’s help and a troll army. But she is always secretly longing for true acceptance and true love. Amora even fell in love with Thor and lived a peaceful life after he was stripped of his godly powers by Odin. Though she craves power and all the finer things in life, the Enchantress is so fascinating as a complicated villainess due to her constant need to be loved and respected.