Real
Name: Xena
Xena
Real
Name: Xena
Identity/Class: Highly trained human, may be daughter of a god.
Occupation: Adventurer;
(formerly) conqueror
Affiliations: Hercules; Gabrielle; Joxer; Iolaus; Salmoneus; Autolycus;
Argo, Marcus, Diana, Meg, Ephiny, Ulysses, Lao Ma, Borias, Leah, Minya, Tara,
Eli, Amarice, Virgil, Ash
(formerly) Ares, Draco, Goliath
Enemies: Ares, Callisto, Valesca, Julius Caesar, Alti, Hope, the Destroyer, Darphus
Known Relatives: Cyrene (mother), Lyceus (brother, deceased), Solan (son, deceased), Eve (daughter, a.k.a. Livia)
Aliases: Warrior Princess, Diana, Meg, Callisto, Autolycus, Miss Amphipolis, Leah
Base of Operations: Ancient Greece mostly, although she has travelled as far afield as China
First Appearance: Hercules, the Legendary Journeys #9 "Warrior Princess" (Syndication, 26th March 1995)
Powers/Abilities: Incredibly skillful fighter and martial artist. Knowledgeable about pressure points, allowing her to kill or paralyse with a fingertip. Incredibly acrobatic, able to make gigantic leaps. As well as being deadly with a sword, she also uses a circular bladed weapon known as a Chakram, which she can throw so that it ricochets off objects, slicing throats or stunning opponents, then rebounds back to be caught by her hand.
History: Xena was raised in Amphipolis, a small village of farmers which became threatened by bandits. Along with her brother Lyceus, Xena tried to organise an armed resistance to the attackers, only to become disgusted by her fellow villagers' reluctance to fight, which she viewed as cowardice. Xena left her home and became a hardened warrior, leading a band of mercenaries.
Encountering M'Lila, a slavegirl from Egypt, during her time as a pirate, she was astounded by the girl's agility and knowledge of pressure points, and insisted she teach her to use the same techniques. Shortly after this she encountered a young Roman officer, Julius Caesar, whom she fell for and tried to forge an alliance with. He seduced her, then betrayed her, having her crucified and left to die as an example for others. Thanks to this, Xena truly learned to hate. Rescued from the cross by M'Lila, she was taken to Nickio, a healer who managed to save her life, but could not restore the full use of her legs, nor repair the damage to her soul. Xena became ever more vicious and ruthless, and teamed up with Borias, an ambitious warlord. Together they led an army which pillaged it's way across the land. They travelled to Chin (China), where Xena met Lao Ma, a magician and healer. Lao Ma finally healed Xena's legs, but even this act of kindness wasn't sufficient to turn Xena from her dark path, although she did swear to one day repay the woman who had healed her.
Returning from Chin, the two lovers began to grow in opposite directions. While Borias began to understand honour, Xena was becoming ever more evil. She took yet another step down the dark path when, in return for promises of mystical power, she helped an outcast Amazon shamaness, Alti, murder the members of the tribe which had exiled her. By this time in her life, the only thing that stopped Xena from being totally evil was the influence of Borias. Pregnant with his child, when Borias died, the last shred of decency in Xena seemed to die too. She gave her child to centaurs who had been Borias' allies to be raised safely away from the enemies who might otherwise hurt him to get to her, then she gathered an army which ravaged the country. It was during this time she murdered the family of a young girl called Callisto, who would grow up twisted by a desire for revenge against Xena.
Xena might have stayed a monster, if it had not been for the influence of the hero Hercules. She targeted him, seducing his friend Iolaus to drive a wedge between them, but their friendship proved too strong for that to work. Shortly after this, she tried to discipline some of her men for killing woman and children. Feeling she had gone soft, her leadership was usurped by Darphus, and she was driven out by her own men. Xena teamed up with Hercules and Iolaus to stop them, and they somehow touched the noble person she had once been, reawakening it.
Xena began a long climb to redemption, seeking to save lives and do good deeds as penitence for all the evil she had committed. Instrumental in this was the friendship she formed with a would-be bard, Gabrielle, who became her closest friend and travelling companion.
Comments: Created by Robert Tapert. Played by Lucy Lawless.
CLARIFICATIONS: None.
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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