Danielle Moonstar - Powers and Abilities

Powers and Abilities

Moonstar was born a mutant who formerly had empathic psi abilities to communicate with animals and to create three-dimensional images of visual concepts from within the minds of herself and others. Her most developed ability allowed her to manifest people's fears or desires as realistic illusions.

Her ability began as manifesting people's worst fears, many times in an uncontrollable fashion, against the will of both involved. Soon she gained the ability to control this and to alternatively manifest a person's "deepest desire," or something or someone the person respects. She can also project images of objects of fear or desire from the minds of vertebrate animals and certain insects, but only the animal from which she derives the image will be able to see it.

She can even create illusions by channeling residual thought and emotional impressions in an area (such as showing Wolverine a battle scene between Mister Sinister and unknown assailants, simply by entering the area where the battle had recently taken place). At first, Mirage could not control her image projecting powers and would draw and project images without consciously willing to do so. She has since gained control through training and maturity.

Moonstar also had a quasi-telepathic talent that allowed her to form a rapport with animals, including her horse Brightwind, primates, canines, felines, and avians. She can sense their feelings, consciously perceive images in their minds, and even see through their eyes. This has proven to be a very useful ability, as it enabled her to communicate with Wolfsbane in her transitional half-lupine form or transformed into her full wolf form. She has also been able to exist peacefully with wild animals.

She also had for a time the ability to make the telepathic images manifest as psionic energy, becoming tangible entities of solid psionic force. This ability was limited in that Danielle could only sustain one illusion at a time. She often carried around a "dream spear," in order to destroy previous illusions. Many times, her powers caused her to experience sharp, blinding headaches.

Danielle later gained the ability to focus her psionic powers into energy arrows which could stun an opponent by disrupting their central nervous system, or force them to relive a traumatic memory.

When Moonstar rescued Brightwind, she became a valkyrie, and became endowed with the Valkyrie power to perceive and sense the coming of Death. As such, Moonstar could perceive a "deathglow" surrounding a person in serious danger of dying, a dark cloud or graphic visual image over people who were in mortal peril. This allowed her to save many lives. She could also perceive Death incarnate and even do physical battle with Death itself and her Valkyrie arrows were shown capable of causing pain to Hela. She has created an illusory "Cheyenne ghost-staff" drawing upon an image in her own mind and has successfully wielded it as a weapon against Death itself and the Asgardian death-goddess Hela. Brightwind was later killed by Reignfire.

Because of the Scarlet Witch's powers and actions, Moonstar lost her powers. In addition, she lost her Valkyrie powers due to the fall of Asgard but has since regained them after making a deal with the reborn Hela.

Moonstar also appears to have gained a substantial degree of superhuman strength from Hela as she was able to knock Ares off his feet. She also wields a powerful supernatural sword, with unknown powers. Matt Fraction has confirmed that since Danielle's restored Valkyrie powers come directly from Hela herself, they are much greater than they were previously, referring to her as a "Valkyrie Plus". It has been mentioned that she was specifically designed to take down a god. New Mutants writer Zeb Wells has confirmed that her recent power boost was temporary and that she is depowered again. However, she still owes her services to Hela as a Valkyrie. As such, Brightwind remained with Danielle as a reminder of this pact, and Danielle still possesses her Valkyrie powers, but they are apparently only active when Hela herself wills them to be. Brightwind was also resurrected as part of Danielle's deal with Hela.

However, due to her training at Xavier's and her time as a Valkyrie in Asgard, she is still physically fit and an excellent hand-to-hand combatant. In addition, she is experienced in the use of such weapons as a bow, spear, and sword, which she carried as a Valkyrie. She is a good equestrian and swimmer, a good marksman with a rifle, and an excellent archer.