Talking about Zala Dane and the High Evolutionary previously, it got me to thinking about laying the whole story out as one of these old Flipside Handbook entries. Plus, it's been a while, but I love to talk about alternate versions of Marvel characters, and I liked the way I solved the problems surrounding this character. Yeah, sure, the dilemma she posed is about 20 years old, but, hey, sometimes it takes you a while to come up with a good response. Kinda of like getting that perfect comeback to a joke, but only getting it in the shower the following week.
PROBLEM: Lorna Dane was led to believe she was the daughter of Magneto, given a costume, and told to attack the X-Men. Turns out, the mutant Mesmero was the one behind it, but THEN it turns out the villain Machinesmith was behind THAT. Lorna Dane's true parentage (as she was adopted) was never confirmed for years. Then, 20 years later, it turns out she WAS Magneto's daughter after all, and she has a mental breakdown. Because, after all that, who WOULDN'T, right? She got better, though, and has come to grips with her lineage.
PROBLEM COMPOUNDED: A priestess up in the jungles of the Savage Land called Zaladane (see that name-- huh, huh?) caused problems for the X-Men whenever they visited. Then, 10 years or so after that, she captures Lorna Dane, claiming she's her sister, and it's also for this reason that certain Savage devices can transfer Lorna's magnetic powers into Zaladane herself. Pretty shortly after that, however, Magneto killed her instead of, oh, somtething about Zaladane trying to absorb all the magnetic power of Earth or something.
SOLUTION: Both are Magneto's daughters. Neither are Magneto's daughter.
Early sketches trying to come up with a look for Zala Dane's Flipside costume: Southstar. She had to look like Magneto's daughter, so I looked to make variations on alternate costumes that Magneto has worn over the years. I also tried some variations on his helmet to create some kind of similar headgear for Zala.
Here's how it worked in the Flipside universe, but I'm tweaking it enough to talk about it as if it happened in the regular Marvel U.
Close to thirty years ago, central Europe: Magda flees her husband, the man who would be Magneto. She arrives on Mount Wundagore, where she is found by Bova to be great with child. Magda gives birth to Wanda and Pietro but does not survive. The High Evolutionary allows Bova to place the children in the care of Romany people, and the two grow up to become Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.
Ten to fifteen years ago, when Magneto burst onto the scene, the High Evolutionary takes notice of the sudden rise in mutants. In his research, he manages to connect the dots between Magneto and Magda and the incident that sparked their separation-- Magneto's display of power after the death of their first child. The Evolutionary manages to obtain the child's remains, and thus Magneto's lineage is exhumed for study. The resulting clone of this material is unsastifactory, however. (Meaning: powerless.) The next clone is a bit more promising, because of her green hair, and the first is abandoned, although Bova manages to sequester her away for adoption to a couple in the United States.
The Evolutionary's interest in the second clone of Magneto's daughter, Lorna, also disappears, about the same time that the Evolutionary abandons Earth entirely for the first time. Again, Bova manages to arrange for her adoption, and arranges it so their names might be a clue to their common origin.
Years later, Zala grows to become an archeologist, researching the fantastic claims of the Savage Land before it became common knowledge. Unfortunately, her crew meets with an accident that leaves them all near dead. Zala survives, suffering and amnesiac, and is claimed by Garokk as his Sun Priestess, a role she grows into and relishes. When the Savage Land becomes more known, and excursions to the outside world become more commonplace, Zala is able to trace her origins and remember parts of her own life. Which leads her to kidnap Lorna and begin her most ambitious bid for power ever... at the cost of her life.
But what would Magento think if he ever learned that Polaris is actually his first daughter come alive again? Would it change him? Create more sympathy between them? Or would it enrage him, remind him of his first love lost, and thus drive them even further apart?
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