Meet Jennifer Kale, Protector of the Nexus of All Realities

In the Marvel Universe, magic is a family matter. From the Scarlet Witch and her children to Agatha Harkness and her son, many of Marvel's magic users inherited their mystical talents or passed them down to their children. As the last in a line of sorcerers who wield ancient Atlantean magic and a relative of several Ghost Riders, magic runs particularly thick through the blood of Jennifer Kale, who embraced her mystical heritage to become a power player in the world of the supernatural. 

From helping oddball heroes like Man-Thing to stopping an invasion by the Marvel Zombies, Jennifer Kale has left an indelible mark on the Marvel Universe. Let's take a closer look at Jennifer Kale and what makes her one of Marvel's most important mystics.

WHO IS JENNIFER KALE?

While Jennifer Kale may be one of the Marvel Universe's premier magic users today, she was merely a curious teenager with her grandfather's magic book when she debuted in ADVENTURE INTO FEAR (1970) #11 by Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler. That magical book, the Tome of Zhered-Na, contained the knowledge of Zhered-Na, an ancient Atlantean sorcerer who was exiled when her vision of the island sinking to the bottom of the ocean came true. Years after the mystic's death, Illyana Kale collected Zhered-Na's knowledge and supplemented it with her own mystical knowledge in the Tome, which could only be fully used by Kale and her descendants. 

By the time Jennifer was born, the Tome had passed down to Joshua Kale, her grandfather and the leader of the Cult of Zhered-Na. The Kales lived near the Nexus of All-Realities, a cross-dimensional gateway hidden in the swampy Everglades near Citrusville, Florida. While playing around with the Tome, the teenage Jennifer and her brother accidentally summoned a demon, Thog the Nether-Spawn. 

Fortunately, Man-Thing, the guardian of the Nexus, emerged and helped the young Kales stop the demon. Through her subsequent adventures with Man-Thing, Jennifer—who may be the reincarnation of Zhered-Na—taught herself magic and studied under her grandfather and Dakimh the Enchanter, who learned magic directly from Zhered-Na. 

MAN-THING AND JENNIFER KALE

After their first encounter, Jennifer discovered she had a psychic link with Man-Thing, and that connection cemented a lasting bond between the two. While trapped in another dimension together, Man-Thing and Jennifer earned the approval of Dakimh in ADVENTURE INTO FEAR (1970) #14 by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik. 

When the Tome of Zhered-Na went missing, Dakimh told Jennifer she had to save the Earth from a demonic invasion. As a result, she began studying magic more seriously and donned a costume based on the priestesses of Zhered-Na. In the end, Jennifer and her allies successfully recovered the book.

When the Nexus of All-Realities became vulnerable, Thog returned and tried to use it to collapse every reality into one world under his rule. This drew Howard the Duck and beings from several other realities into the Nexus of All-Realities. Jennifer teamed up with Man-Thing and those multi-dimensional heroes to stop Thog and a few similar threats. 

As she continued studying magic with Dakimh, Jennifer was taken captive multiple times, but Man-Thing always saved her. Through her adventures with Man-Thing, Jennifer also met more traditional heroes like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange before she tried to step away from the supernatural to have a more normal life.

JENNIFER KALE AND THE MARVEL UNIVERSE

Although Jennifer moved far away from Citrusville to attend college, she soon found herself drawn back into the mystical side of the Marvel Universe. Jennifer joined a short-lived team of mystic heroes called the Legion of the Night to stop the demon Aan Taanu, who had possessed the alien dragon Fin Fang Foom. 

Shortly after, Doctor Strange asked Jennifer to help him heal Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch) from a mystic ailment. During this adventure, she learned she was cousins with Daniel Ketch and another former Ghost Rider named Johnny Blaze. Jennifer realized they were all descendants of Noble Kale, an even older Ghost Rider who had been cursed by a woman as she got burned at the stake. With help from Valkyrie, she undid the curse and briefly helped Blaze search for his lost children.

After unsuccessfully trying to teleport Howard the Duck back to his homeworld, Jennifer helped the young heroes of X-Force when the succubus Pandemonia possessed several members of the team in X-FORCE (1991) #85 by John Frances Moore and Angel Unzueta. Jennifer banished the demon and freed the mutant heroes with help from Danielle Moonstar, a former Valkyrie. When Danielle started emitting strange energy, Jennifer summoned Man-Thing and helped X-Force take on an extradimensional being called the Queen of Star Swords to help her new friend.

JENNIFER KALE'S COVEN

When Jennifer returned to Florida, she faced her most personal battle yet with a new team, the Witches, in WITCHES (2004) #1 by Brian Patrick Walsh and Mike Deodato Jr. Andrew Kale, Jennifer's brother, was tricked into opening the Tome of Zhered-Na, allowing Hellphyr—a monstrous demon who wanted to kill all of the world's magic users—to possess him. In response, Doctor Strange assembled a coven that included Jennifer, the telepathic sorceress Topaz, and Satana, a powerful Hell Lord. 

Once Jennifer realized Hellphyr had taken over Andrew, she tried to save her brother, but the demon possessing him only grew stronger as it began its killing spree. When the creature fully absorbed Andrew's body and soul, Jennifer tearfully struck the killing blow against the creature, which also killed her brother. 

Despite their apparent victory, Jennifer and her allies were furious at Strange for not telling them that Andrew was involved. The coven ultimately broke away from Strange, kept the Tome from falling into his possession, and briefly stayed together after that ill-fated adventure.

JENNIFER KALE VS. THE MARVEL ZOMBIES

In the wake of CIVIL WAR (2006), Jennifer Kale became one of Florida's officially sanctioned heroes, which put her in the crosshairs of an invasion from the alternate reality Marvel Zombies. As a member of the Command, Jennifer served alongside the alien Wundarr the Aquarian, the time-lost Conquistador, and the cybernetic Siege. 

After battling Skrulls during SECRET INVASION (2008), Jennifer and her teammates encountered the head of Zombie Deadpool and barely defeated him in MARVEL ZOMBIES 3 (2008) #1 by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. She recovered from that battle and fought the zombies again with Morbius, Werewolf by Night, and Hellstrom in the Midnight Sons, a group of supernatural heroes under the command of A.R.M.O.R., in MARVEL ZOMBIES 4 (2009) #1 by Van Lente and Walker. 

When Zombie Deadpool infected the Men-Fish and created a necrotic mist that turned anyone it touched into a zombie, a desperate Jennifer summoned Dormammu and allowed herself to be possessed by the power of the Dark Dimension's ruler. Once Hellstorm exorcised Dormammu from her, Jennifer, Man-Thing, and the Midnight Sons worked together to neutralize the mist and defeat the zombies. 

THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF JENNIFER KALE 

Jennifer returned to the Nexus of All-Realities after those teams dissolved. When Man-Thing stepped away from his swamp to serve as the Thunderbolts' resident teleporter, Jennifer stayed behind to guard the Nexus herself. 

After advising several young heroes through A.R.M.O.R., Jennifer Kale was one of several skilled magic users targeted by Daniel Drumm, the ghostly brother of Doctor Voodoo (Jericho Drumm). To avenge his brother's recent death, Daniel possessed Victoria Hand, an Avengers ally, and killed several of Doctor Strange's associates. After a brief fight, Daniel killed Jennifer too in NEW AVENGERS (2010) #31 by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos. 

Through dark magic, Jennifer resurrected herself in a process that left half of her face severely scarred in ELEKTRA (2014) #9 by W. Haden Blackman and Mike Del Mundo. Despite that, Jennifer helped Elektra and Maria Hill track down Bullseye, and she survived an attack by the mystic hunter Ethan Slaughter. 

After her face healed, Jennifer reunited with Man-Thing and summoned Belasco so her old friend could take revenge on the demon for his role in transforming him into a monstrous creature. With Man-Thing by her side, Jennifer still guards the Nexus of All Realities and protects her family's home with her unique form of Atlantean magic.

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