Art by Bill Sienkiewicz
- Name: Dani Moonstar
- Code Names: Psyche, Mirage
- First Appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4: New Mutants (Nov ’82)
- Powers: Creates psychic manifestations, connection to animals
- Teams Affiliation: New Mutants, SHIELD, X-Force, X-Men, Defenders
About
The biggest benefit of the shared continuity of superhero comics is the ability to mash together elements that would feel ridiculous otherwise. The X-Men can go from stopping a demonic invasion of Manhattan in one issue to arm wrestling aliens in the next. Dracula can exist in a world with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Punisher and Dr. Strange can be allies. Odd pairings that couldn’t work in other mediums feel natural in a world that established all of them separately. As long as the events and escapades further the ongoing narrative of a character, anything can go. Dani Moonstar is a prime example of everything that can go right with shared continuity. Where else could you tell a story about an angry Cheyenne girl learning to become both a leader and a staple of Norse mythology?
Dani was created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod for their spin-off book, New Mutants. She lived with her grandfather, a Cheyenne shaman in Colorado after her parents died. As her mutant powers manifested she began to have nightmares of a bear, great and formless, fierce and demonic, the killer of her parents. Sensing great anger and a thirst for revenge in his granddaughter, Black Eagle used his mysticism to protect Dani from her nightmares about the Demon Bear and she was closer to peace.
Art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Glynis Wein
Black Eagle knew that he could only train Dani in the use of her powers for so long and contacted an old friend to take over, Charles Xavier. Dani was angry at her grandfather for shipping her across the country and her mutant powers flared up showing Black Eagle his greatest fear, his murder. When the vision came true Dani joined Xavier and his New Mutants to get revenge, but she refused to give up her individuality. While the other students wore matching uniforms, Dani added a Cheyenne edge to hers with a unique belt and boots. Her ferocity and skill in combat elevated her to co-leader of the group.
Art by Bob McLeod
With Black Eagle’s death, the Demon Bear returned to haunt Dani, first in nightmares and then in reality. The proud warrior could not abide this and vowed to face the monster. Garbed as a Cheyenne Brave she ventured into the blizzard around Westchester alone and met her parent’s killer. She screamed for him “Bear! Come, butcher of innocents – Danielle Moonstar summons you! Show yourself!” He obliged. The Bear was massive and otherworldly, reality seemed to bend around it, but Dani showed no distress. She used her mutant ability and pulled the Demon’s greatest fear from its mind and saw herself. Inspired, she drew her bow and fired a volley into the beast. The Bear let out a cry and fell. Dani was vindicated, her parents avenged. She never felt the claws dig into her gut.
Art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Glynis Wein
The New Mutants found Dani bleeding in the snow and rushed her to Mid-County medical center. Her friends guarded the OR, confused by what had happened. The Demon Bear returned to finish what he had started, to ensure Moonstar’s death, and her friends tried to protect her as the Bear transported them to his dimension, the Badlands. They battled the Bear and its eldritch constructs until Magik could use her Soulsword to cleave the beast in twain and reveal its true nature. Dani’s parents had been enslaved, corrupted, transformed into the Demon Bear and the New Mutants had released them. Dani made a recovery and awoke to find her parents smiling at her, proud of their brave daughter.
Art by Bill Sienkiewicz and Glynis Wein
Dani stayed with the New Mutants and the team was eventually whisked away and spread across the Nine Realms. Dani landed in Asgard and found a trapped Pegasus who she rescued and named Brightwind. Another rider found her and invited her to meet her sisters, the Valkyrie. By being accepted by Brightwind, Dani was offered a place with the Valkyrie, the guides to the spirits of the dead. She accepted and was eventually returned to Earth, Brightwind in tow.
Art by Art Adams and Terry Austin
The New Mutants were eventually whisked back to Asgard when Hela used Dani and the other Valktrior in a coup against Odin. They were successful in stopping the death goddess but Dani decided her responsibilities were no longer with Midgard and stayed to help stabilize the realm of gods. The New Mutants became X-Force and after some time, Dani faced her friends again. This time as their adversary. She had gone undercover in the Mutant Liberation Front for SHIELD and was forced to battle her friends to maintain her cover. After Operation: Zero Tolerance she would join X-Force and reconnect with her long lost friends. When Pete Wisdom was brought in to be the new leader of the group, Dani was unwilling to follow his orders and left again.
She returned to the Xavier Institute, but this time as a teacher. She formed a close bond with her squad of students, christened the New Mutants. She was able to help Wolfsbane when her friend was going through a transitional period in her life and Moonstar became the legal guardian to Elixir when his parents abandoned him. Dani found some semblance of balance, normality, in her life. Then the Decimation hit and Dani lost everything. Headmistress Emma Frost made an edict that all depowered individuals were to leave the Institute and Danielle Moonstar, powerless and enraged, was forced to comply.
Art by Carlo barberu, Juan Vlasco, and Rob Ro
At the urging of her old teammates, Dani joined the X-Men when the moved to San Francisco and was eager to prove her worth in the field. Cannonball was charged with organizing his own squad of X-Men and Dani was furious when she wasn’t chosen. Though depowered she earned a spot on the squad with her combat prowess and weapons experience. She evoked her Valkyrie abilities in the Utopia event and during the Siege of Asgard. When the New Mutants battled project purgatory and the Inferno Babies, Dani faced her greatest threat in ages. The mutant Loca attacked her and Cannonball, breaking Dani’s arm and leaving her to be beaten by the other adversaries. Beaten to near death and imprisoned, Dani fashioned a bow and escaped using her feet to fire the weapon.
Art by Leonard Kirk and Guru eFX
Soon after the team disbanded, Dani joined Valkyrie, Misty Knight, and Hippolyta as the new Fearless Defenders. They battled Asgardian hosts and Dani was given a chance again. A chance to be an equal to these powerful, heroic, women. She has yet to appear since Secret Wars but it is only a matter of time before she returns, a proud warrior.
Must Read
Demon Bear is among the greatest things Chris Claremont ever wrote and it is all centered around Dani’s struggle. The story is the turning point in her arc from vengeful warrior to a brave leader. You feel for the character and get to see how she is viewed by her fiercely loyal friends. And then there is the art. Bill Sienkiewicz is unmatched in the world of comics for a good reason. This book shows his expressive and creative lines, his ability to make the otherworldly seem truly alien, his heightened sense of action. Every page will take your breath away. Grab this on Amazon or Marvel Unlimited and enjoy.
Art by Bill Sienkiewicz
Ranking
I enjoy Dani, though she isn’t my favorite New Mutant. Like M she is a character who can be hard to like at first but grows into someone you get excited about seeing on every page. She has a fabulous character arc and is one of the few characters in comics to organically grow into a hero. I don’t think she can overcome her New Mutants co-leader Cannonball, who has been given consistently engaging material since his inception. I do think she works better than Chamber who no one has really known how to deal with in a decade. That leaves Warpath who I am ranking above her for one simple reason, his arc is much tighter than Dani’s. They both go through similar stories of revenge and acceptance but Warpath’s hits just a little harder. With that Dani Moonstar squeaks just under her as the new number 7 in the Xavier Files.
Dani was requested by /u/goatman2112 and /u/DantePD from Reddit , thanks for the request! If you want to cut to the front of the line, we have a Patreon if you want to support it and get a line cutting reward for just a $1 pledge. Our first goal is only $15 and it gets rid of those ads and makes the hosting for Xavier Files entirely reader supported.
Xavier Files is opening itself up for guest articles. If you have something you would like to pitch, send an email to Zachary.Jenkins@Xavierfiles.com and we will be in touch. So far this has generated us hosting an amazing web comic called Bish & Jubez, a eulogy for the D’Bari, and the best new readers guide out there.
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Next week we dive into Wolverine & the X-Men with Shark Girl! See you then
Zachary Jenkins runs ComicsXF and is a co-host on the podcast “Battle of the Atom.” Shocking everyone, he has a full and vibrant life outside of all this.
