Dani Moonstar: Mirage Appreciation 2018

[Omegastorm]

A sorta Dani Lifedeath soul journey. I like how you think O.

IMO Dani is already this 'clash' of spiritual heritage. I do think that a good writer could explore this more. She has so much potential that has barely been touched, in part, because of its delicate power. Dani isn't a simple woman protagonist that can be pasted into any old plot. Being both Cheyenne and deeply connected to Maheo (creator) and also connected to ancient Germanic paganism and the Gods and Goddesses of Asgard; she is at the same time a grounded heroine who stands for both the social ideal of personal sovereignty for the individual and also the collective 'dream' of integrated coexistence - which extends beyond gender, mutant/human or Native/post-colonial conflict into the spirit realms of heavens and into the Earth...to the galaxies...but also, inward into the deepest roots of our universally shared human experience.

Dani is absolutely human. It's this brave humanity and will that makes her such a powerful conduit for spirit, for ideals and for the faith others invest in her that make her a natural leader.
Perhaps at our deepest core of identity we are all warriors and hunters...dedicated to a family, a people, a home, a land, and a spirit greater than ourselves. We are at once utterly alone in our uniqueness and intricately woven into a universal continuance. We live to our fullest and yet all we do is in service to death...not to resolve to ashes...but to keep the connection between all the ancestors we share and the children we share strong.

It's cool that her code name was Mirage. A word that comes from the Latin mirari which means 'to wonder at' and is the same root as "mirror" or to "admire." A naturally occurring hallucination...that's not a hallucination at all...but a vision born of light, land and the individual where she stands and sees...what isn't there...and with or without mutant powers - she is, we all are, the admiring mirror - the Mirage.

I hope you don't mind me saying this. But I love you.

o

[norj]

This is true. I would love to see a clash between her ancestral roots and her connection between Asgard.

As you wish, this is from X-Men unlimited I forget which issue.

[norj]

[norj]

[Omegastorm]

Ok why haven't I ever read that before?

o

[sungila]

Ok why haven't I ever read that before?

o

Wow! Thank you Norj!
I just tracked it down to order.
Marvel Comics Presents #121 (1993) by Jaye Gardner & Joe Madureira


http://marvel.wikia.com/Marvel_Comic...ents_Vol_1_121


The feeling is entirely mutual Omegastorm

[Omegastorm]

Wow! Thank you Norj!
I just tracked it down to order.
Marvel Comics Presents #121 (1993) by Jaye Gardner & Joe Madureira


http://marvel.wikia.com/Marvel_Comic...ents_Vol_1_121


The feeling is entirely mutual Omegastorm

I want a longer adventure with this with larger stakes but this definitely wets the appetite.

o

[gambitxremy]

Any news on dani

[sungila]

I want a longer adventure with this with larger stakes but this definitely wets the appetite.

o

I agree. Norj was kind enough to share the entire story here (no need to order)...but it is a mere hint of what this could be!

@gambitxremy all I have heard recently was Marts saying that Dani may appear in comics again soon...his typical non-answer everything.

[juan678]

averagexmendrawings

[baltiroo]

Thank you for sharing that story. I had never seen it before. Would love more stories like that exploring her dual sides. Cheyenne and Valkyrie both.

[juan678]

mrno74

[collen33408]

That Marvel Comics Presents story was the only glimpse of Mirage between leaving the New Mutants and her mysterious reappearance in X-Force #27. I never really was on board with the appearances in Defenders but she needs to be _somewhere_. Wood's X-Men team got off to a good start but when Kitty and Rogue left and they brought in M and Karima the team suddenly feels very bush league and not nearly as good.

Right now the place that actually makes the most sense is the Avengers Unity squad-- as a depowered mutant she should be the poster child of that team. However, I am not crazy about the plots in that title. The good news is that something is in the works for her, according to Marts. She's been conspicuously absent because there is a bigger plan in motion.

Dani's powers were so original and unique it's a shame she's one of the most prominent depowered mutants. I wish the depowered mutants would be repowered since there's a ton of powered mutants everywhere now anyway.

[Drakeon]

Here is a tiny snippet of a fanfic I've been working on that takes place after X-Force #115, shorlty after Dani quit X-Force and worked with Forge at the X-Mansion before the Morrison era. Let me know what you think. I'm a huge fan of the original New Mutants/Xforce era, especially Dani.


Danielle Moonstar drifted along the path like the wind itself, light of foot and quick as a fox. From an early age the russet skinned Cheyenne was trained to be one with nature, attuned to the creatures that shared the land around her. Her grandfather, Black Eagle, had raised her here in the mountains of Colorado away from prying eyes in order to protect her as she learned to control her innate mutant ability to draw out ones fear or desires as a realistic illusion. She had come a long way since those early days.

Able to form a psychic rapport with wildlife Dani would often commune with animals to watch her surroundings. Having sensed a presence within the vicinity of her grandfathers secluded cabin Dani began scouting the area. Using her empathic talents she mind-melded with a hawk soaring above to get a better view. Her target was an adult male, wearing a heavy overcoat as he made his way through the thick underbrush.

Dani thought to herself that her uninvited guest wasn’t doing a very good job of concealing his movements. With anti-mutant hysteria running wild due to the death of presidential hopeful Senator Kelly, the young mutant was overly cautious with her privacy. She had quit her former affiliation with the X-Men to focus on regaining her spirit, lost along with both her former valkyrie abilities and her recent brush with quantum energies.

It had been quite an interesting life to be honest.

Shifting her sight back to normal, Dani quickly used her long limbed body to vault up onto an extending tree branch, blending into the overhanging foliage. She un-strapped the longbow slung over her shoulder and pulled back the string. She had no need for arrows, instead forming them out of psionic energy, an ability she more recently developed. She waited like a silent hunter for her prey to step into range.

The stranger walked into view, panting heavily, visibly worn and shaken. He looked lost and desperate. Dani hesitated for a second, wondering if this man needed her help. But then she noticed the bulkiness of his coat and knew she couldn’t chance it. She let the psychic arrow fly, scoring a direct hit to the man’s head, causing a disruption to his central nervous system, temporarily paralyzing him.

Dani lowered herself to the ground and kneeled next to the now prone body. As she turned him around she was shocked to find she knew this man. Quickly removing his overcoat her suspicions were confirmed by the sight of four arms extending from his torso. The paralysis effect began to fade and the man looked up into the Cheyenne’s deep brown eyes and smiled.

“Michael?” she breathed.

Michael McCain, fellow mutant gifted with two extra limbs and incredible strength. The two had served together on the Mutant Liberation Front, a proactive terrorist group fighting for mutant rights. During that time Michael, calling himself Forearm, had fallen for the beautiful Native American warrior. Some time ago she had betrayed his trust, having been ousted as an undercover agent working inside the Front for the government.

“Hey Princess, nice to see you too,” he said wistfully as his motor functions returned to him.

Dani put down her guard and smiled, remembering the nickname the M.L.F had given her, that of Princess Pocahontas. A name she hated at first but became used to, eventually owning it as she flaunted her heritage in both dress and personality.

[Havok83]

where the hell is Dani? Is she in any current book and if not, what is her last canon appearance? Did she ever get her powers back?