Zatanna facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zatanna
Cover to Zatanna: Everyday Magic (October 2003). Art by Brian Bolland.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Hawkman #4 (November 1964)
Created by	Gardner Fox (writer) Murphy Anderson (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Zatanna Zatara
Species	Homo magi
Place of origin	San Francisco, California
Team affiliations	Justice League Dark Justice League Sentinels of Magic Seven Soldiers
Partnerships	Zatara John Constantine Batman
Notable aliases	Mistress of Magic Princess of Prestidigitation Sorceress Supreme
Abilities	Mastery of various forms of magic; primarily commands magical energies and spell-casting through speaking commands backwards. Occult and demonology expert Master stage magician and escape artist Skilled hand-to-hand combatant

Zatanna Zatara is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in Hawkman #4 (November 1964). Zatanna is a stage magician with actual mystic powers much like her father, Zatara, granting her magical powers notably controlled by invoking commands speaking incantations backwards. Her powers originate from her homo magi heritage, an off-shoot of humanity capable of naturally manipulating magic energies. She is known for her involvement with both the Justice League and Justice League Dark, having served as a leadership figure for both teams.

Zatanna has appeared in several different media adaptations, including appearing in several television series in the DC Animated Universe, notably voiced by Julie Brown and Jennifer Hale. She has also appeared as a recurring character in the final three seasons of Smallville, portrayed by actress Serinda Swan. A younger version of the character also appears in the Young Justice series, voiced by Lacey Chabert.

Publication history

Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman #4 (November 1964). When she is introduced, she is on a quest to find her father Zatara who made his first appearance in Action Comics #1 but had not been published regularly for several years. The storyline crossed multiple comics published by DC at the time, culminating in issues of Justice League of America, also written by Fox.

Characterization

Heritage & ancestry

Prior to the New 52, the character was considered half human and half homo magi (sometimes referred to as Atlantean), in which the latter half was attributed to originating from her mother. In addition, the 1993 Zatanna mini-series heavily implied her ancestry to also include the demigod, Arion, the entity known as "Xaos" having conflated the two due to possessing similar magical "signatures" and later correcting himself. Through her father's family line, the character was considered a descendant of Leonardo da Vinci and is related to Nostradamus, Alessandro Cagliostro, Nicholas Flamel, and Evan Fulcanelli. It is through this line she is considered of Italian descent.

After the events of Flashpoint and the New 52, it is mentioned that both Sindella and Giovonni Zatara are of the homo magi race.

Relationships

In comics taking place in the mainstream continuity, Zatanna has had various relationships with other DC Characters, including John Constantine (with whom she practiced tantra) and Doctor Thirteen. Zatanna also had a flirtatious relationship with her fellow Justice Leaguer Barry Allen / the Flash shortly after the death of his wife Iris. In The New 52: Futures End timeline, Zatanna is romantically involved with Jason Blood / Etrigan the Demon. In the Mystik U universe, Zatanna pursued a romantic relationship with Sebastian Faust, the son of infamous sorcerer Felix Faust.

She has a strong friendship with Batman due to their shared (retconned) pasts. In Detective Comics #843-844, Zatanna and Bruce briefly discuss the possibility of having a more meaningful relationship. Both later concede that Bruce is too devoted to his cause as Batman to give her the relationship she wishes for, but the pair reaffirm their bond as close friends. Catwoman once considered Zatanna a more dangerous contender for Bruce's attentions than Jezebel Jet, his fiancé at the time. A pep talk between the two women confirms how Zatanna really meant, during the fateful discussion with Bruce, to explore the possibility of a true romance, but turned out quietly resigned to the role of best friend and confidant. Claiming to act on Bruce's best interest, she pushes Selina into confessing her feelings to Bruce, thus stealing him from Jezebel Jet before it is too late.

In mainstream media, DC Animated Universe touches on Bruce and Zatanna's closeness depicted as her having had a crush on him while he trained under her father as "John Smith", though she later found out his real name. Decades later, an elderly Bruce is shown to still care for her as he keeps a picture of her along with pictures of his other love interests in a file in the Batcomputer. In the TV series Young Justice, Zatanna has a flirtatious and possibly romantic friendship with Dick Grayson / Robin during Season 1. Dick later says that they have a "history" in Season 2 (five years after Season 1), implying that they dated and eventually broke up but still remained close. In season 4, Artemis mentions that both Zatanna and Raquel dated Dick prior.

Powers and abilities

An expert magician with knowledge of an immeasurable number of spells, Zatanna is considered one of the most powerful magicians in the DC Universe; as a member of the homo magi race, she possess both the genetic ability to use magic and has mastery over both mystical and cosmic forces considered to be as old as the universe. Her considerabe prowess has earned her titles such as "Mistress of Magic" and "Sorceress Supreme". depicted as being peers to other notable magic users such as: Madame Xanadu, John Constantine, Jason Blood/Etrigan, Sebastian Faust, Doctor Occult, and Tempest. Zatanna's power has also rivaled Doctor Fate incarnations Hector Hall and Khalid Nassour.

As tribute and a method to concentrate, Zatanna usually casts spells by speaking backwards (known as "Logomancy") for a variety of magical effects such as teleportation, healing, manipulate the mind of others, and more. Zatanna can also cast spells and other magics normally and by others means. While not as adept as Madame Xanadu, Zatanna has proven herself able to call upon tarot reading for insight or divination, a skillset that does not require verbal incantations, spoken or written, at all, nor is it tied to a specific tarot deck. Her magical powers increase if not used, but overuse can deplete them to the point that further use strains her physical well-being; as with other magical users, the only way to restore her waning powers is an extended period of rest. Furthermore, her powers seems tied to her self-confidence, as the long series of blunders described in Seven Soldiers left her both emotionally and psychologically shattered, powerless, until she was able to restore her lost confidence.

In addition to her magical abilities, Zatanna is a skilled illusionist, showgirl and stage magician even without resorting to her innate magical powers. She considers part of her "training" exercising sleight of hand tricks, and she claims to have invented a variation of the three-card monte called the "Zatara shuffle", in which she is so fast and precise that, even without resorting to cheating, only skilled gamblers like Selina Kyle are able to follow the movements of her hands. Zatanna is also a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by her father during her childhood. She is highly trained in escape artistry, having learned how to get out of a straitjacket underwater in Kindergarten and between her magic show acts.

Mystical artifacts

As a sorceress, Zatanna also has access to various arcane object at her disposal, many of them being the same collection of artifacts her father collected over the years:

• Talisman of Atlantis: One of the various mystic artifacts she carried for a time during the character's redesign in the 1990s, appearing within her 1993 solo series. The artifact, a gift to from her mother in which was contained within her father's assorted artifacts allows her to utilize magic via concentration as opposed to backwards casting with added ease. It was also used in conjunction with a magical staff to focus her powers through.
• Demonography: A demonology book that details information relating to demons. Due to its magical properties, the book automatically updates itself with information (as seen when an entry of the demon Nebiros was updated to include a recent involvement with Blue Devil) with revised editions, the act done by an unforeseen group of entities.

In other media

Television

• Zatanna appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU):
  • She first appears in a self-titled episode of Batman: The Animated Series, voiced by Julie Brown. This version befriended Batman as a youth while he was studying escapology under her father Zatara. In the present, while working as a stage illusionist due to not having discovered her true magical potential yet, she reunites with Batman in the present while foiling criminal magic debunker Montague Kane's plans.
  • Zatanna makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in The New Batman Adventures episode "Chemistry".
  • Zatanna makes a cameo appearance in a photograph depicted in the Batman Beyond episode "Out of the Past".
  • Zatanna appears in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Jennifer Hale in "This Little Piggy" and by Juliet Landau in "The Balance". As of this series, she has joined the Justice League. Additionally, she is capable of reciting spells without speaking and while speaking normally.
• Zatanna appears in Smallville, portrayed by Serinda Swan.
• Zatanna appears in the teaser for the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Chill of the Night!", voiced again by Jennifer Hale. This version wears purple tights instead of fishnets.
• Zatanna appears in Young Justice, voiced by Lacey Chabert. This version is initially a teenager and member of the Team who becomes romantically involved with Robin. After donning the Helmet of Fate to defeat Klarion the Witch Boy, Nabu refuses to release her until Zatara offers to take her place. Ever since, she works to free her father. In season two, an adult Zatanna joins the Justice League. In season four, Zatanna trains the Sentinels of Magic to help her free Zatara by convincing Nabu to rotate between all of them.
• Zatanna appears in Justice League Action, voiced again by Lacey Chabert as an adult and by Dayci Brookshire as a child.
• Zatanna appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren. This version, also known by her first name "Zee", is a dramatic fashionista and student at Metropolis High.
• Zatanna makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Harley Quinn.

Film

Live-action

• In 2005, screenwriter Hadley Davis announced that she had written an action-comedy featuring a teenage version of Zatanna.
• Zatanna appears in a proposed Guillermo del Toro film project based on the Justice League Dark, which is meant to be part of DC Extended Universe.
• A live-action Zatanna film, developed by Warner Bros Discovery and Bad Robot Productions and with Emerald Fennell serving as a writer, was in production before it was cancelled as of March 2021.

Animation

• An unnamed alternate universe version of Zatanna makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths as a minor member of the Crime Syndicate.
• The Young Justice incarnation of Zatanna makes a cameo appearance in Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery.
• Zatanna appears in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) films Justice League Dark and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, voiced by Camilla Luddington. This version is a member of Justice League Dark.
• Zatanna appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, voiced by Kate Micucci.
• Zatanna makes a cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.

Video games

• Zatanna appears as a playable character in Justice League Heroes, voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
• Zatanna appears as a non-playable character (NPC) in DC Universe Online, voiced by Claire Hamilton.
• Zatanna appears as a downloadable playable character in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
• Zatanna appears as a playable character in Young Justice: Legacy, voiced again by Lacey Chabert.
• Zatanna appears as a downloadable playable character in Injustice: Gods Among Us, voiced again by Lacey Chabert. In her non-canonical arcade mode ending, she and Doctor Fate combine their powers to create the Tower of Fate and house enemies of High Councilor Superman's Regime before it was converted into a prison for those who supported the Regime.
• Zatanna appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.
• Zatanna appears as a playable character in Infinite Crisis.
• Zatanna makes non-speaking cameo appearances in Doctor Fate and Raiden's endings in Injustice 2. In the latter, she serves as a founding member of Justice League Dark.
• Zatanna appears as a playable character in DC Unchained.
• Zatanna appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains as part of the "Justice League Dark" DLC pack.

Miscellaneous

• Zatanna appears in Gotham Girls, voiced by Stacie Randall.
• A teenage Zatanna appears in the Zatanna: Trial of the Crystal Wand segment of Cartoon Monsoon, voiced by Tara Strong. This version takes inspiration from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has an older brother named Damon.
• The Smallville incarnation of Zatanna appears in the four-issue miniseries Smallville : Harbinger, in which she meets John Constantine and joins forces with him to retrieve her father's Book of Magick and rescue Rachel Roth from Brother Blood.

Collected editions

• JLA: Zatanna's Search collects The Atom #19, Hawkman #4, Green Lantern #42, Detective Comics #335 and #355 and Justice League of America #51, 128 pages, February 2004, ISBN: 978-1401201883
• Justice League of America Hereby Elects includes Justice League of America #161, 192 pages, December 2006, ISBN: 978-1401212674
• Zatanna: Mistress of Magic collects Zatanna #1–6, 160 pages, March 2011, ISBN: 978-1401230074
• Zatanna: Shades of the Past collects Zatanna #7–16, 144 pages, November 2011, ISBN: 978-1401233006

See also

In Spanish: Zatanna para niños