Danielle Moonstar
Danielle Moonstar is a female comic superhero that features in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Danielle Moonstar was a female human Mutant born on a ranch outside Boulder, Colorado where she grew up happily with her parents until she was about 10 years old. At this time, Danielle began to have nightmares as a result of her emerging mutant powers, which she could not control. These nightmares were actually visible images of other people’s greatest fears, though this was unknown to Danielle or her family at the time. One night, she experienced another one of these nightmares, involving her parents' deaths, only to be followed shortly by her parents' disappearance in the nearby mountains. (Marvel Graphic Novel v1 #4) One night, Dani created a vision of her parent's deaths and shortly afterwards they came to disappear following a trip to the mountains. She came to believe that they had been killed and she began to experience nightmares of the Demon Bear who she believed was responsible for their deaths. In reality, her parents had been transformed into the demonic bear which intended to conduct a similar transformation on her but a spell by Black Eagle kept the Demon Bear at bay. (New Mutants v1 #20) Believing them to have been killed, her dreams were haunted thereafter by a vision of a demonic bear, which she believed to be responsible for their deaths. Fleeing her home, Danielle was raised for the next few years by her grandfather, Black Eagle - a Cheyenne chief and shaman. In the solitude of the Medicine Bow Mountains, she found a temporary peace again and enjoyed her other mutant gift, her rapport with animals. As her powers continued to manifest themselves, Black Eagle contacted his old friend, Professor Xavier, to request he take over Moonstar’s training. Angered by this, Dani lost control once more and pulled forth an image of Black Eagle’s greatest fear - his own death, which he had foreseen in his dreams. Before Professor Xavier arrived, Black Eagle indeed was killed by operatives of Donald Pierce, a mutant hater and former member of the Hellfire Club’s Inner Circle. Joining with several other young mutants gathered under Xavier’s guidance, Black Eagle’s killer was defeated and Dani reluctantly agreed to enroll in Xavier‘s school. Dani, however, demanded to be treated as an individual and, as such, refused to wear the basic X-uniform without making her own adjustments - boots and belts to remind her of her Cheyenne heritage. (Marvel Graphic Novel v1 #4)
New Mutants
Studying under Xavier’s watchful eye as a member of the New Mutants, Moonstar was given the codename Psyche. When it came to the team’s first sessions in the Danger Room, Dani panicked and ran away into the woods. She feared using her powers, as they had only caused her trouble in her young life, especially the times when she pulled forth the images of her parents and Black Eagle dying. She also could not live as a coward, however, and later secretly returned to the Danger Room and started the sequence designed for her. Despite the test involving robots, which could not be affected by her illusions, Dani succeeded, something none of her teammates had accomplished. (New Mutants v1 #1) Over the next days, Dani was again plagued by nightmares of the Demon Bear and other horrors. When she overheard Xavier talking with Moira MacTaggert about her showing signs of paranoia, schizophrenia and psychopathic behavior, Dani considered committing suicide. The next morning, she confided in her teammates, who, unlike Xavier, took her feelings of being haunted seriously. Indeed, the entire group soon found themselves under attack and parts of the school transformed into organic material right before their eyes. Their opponent was none other than Professor Xavier himself, infected with a Brood egg. The alien parasite used Xavier’s telepathy to tap into and boost Moonstar’s illusion power to create solid images. Once Dani realized that she was the key in the alien’s plan, she advised her teammates to knock her unconscious and the Brood was temporarily defeated. (New Mutants v1 #3) Dani Moonstar took an active role in investigating the source of harassing phone calls targeted at the team's dance instructor, Stevie Hunter. Utilizing her psychic ability to manifest images from others' minds, she confronted a local boy named Peter, initially pulling an image of Stevie to confirm his involvement. However, the situation escalated when her powers involuntarily pulled forth Peter's greatest fear, projecting a manifestation of his father. This encounter revealed a traumatic home environment and significant physical evidence of abuse that Peter had been enduring. Shaken by the revelation, Dani and her teammates ensured that the situation was brought to the attention of authorities so the child could receive help, marking a moment where her powers served to uncover a hidden reality rather than just a superficial fear. (New Mutants v1 #4) In the aftermath of the harrowing encounter with Peter, Dani Moonstar travelled with her teammates to Westchester County, where she found herself entangled in a high-stakes conflict involving the silver-haired silver-spooner Silver Samurai and the terrorist Viper. When the villains launched a brazen assault on the X-Mansion to reclaim a mysterious statuette, Dani leapt into action to defend her home, though she quickly found her illusions of 'greatest fears' countered by the Samurai’s disciplined mind and lethal tachyon-charged blade. As the battle shifted, she was forced to navigate the chaos of a collapsing environment when the villains detonated explosives to cover their escape, nearly trapping her and the other students in the debris. Despite the overwhelming power of their adversaries, Dani maintained her resolve, coordinating with her fellow New Mutants to protect the X-Men's legacy and securing the safety of the school’s grounds even as the antagonists managed to flee with their prize. (New Mutants v1 #5)
During the Secret Wars, Moonstar was killed along with the other New Mutants after she witnessed death marks on her friends and then watched the Beyonder kill them. The alien was annoyed by the New Mutants having refused his gift to make everything perfect, and, as they no longer did fit into his world order, they had to be removed. He did not settle with killing them, but erased them from ever having existed. Neither the X-Men nor their friends and families would remember them. (New Mutants v1 #37)
Despite his best efforts, Magneto found no way to reach his students and finally agreed to the New Mutants being transferred to the Massachusetts Academy, hoping that the White Queen could use her telepathy to cure the young students. Moonstar, however, refused and, angry with Magneto about giving up that easy, chose to go home to her parents in Colorado. (New Mutants v1 #39)
While there, Moonstar ran into a former friend, Pat Roberts. As children and teenagers, they had been close, almost in love, and, one day, while Dani was having dinner with his family they got into an argument during which her powers manifested. Accidentally, she showed everyone present Pat’s greatest desire and fear and she ran away. They never had the chance to talk it out and, now, Pat was angry at her. He insulted her in front of his friends and she had no idea what to make of it, especially as a death image hovered over him. When Pat was injured and stuck in a blizzard, Moonstar fought Death in the form of an old gunfighter, trying to save her childhood friend. She did the impossible and drove Death away but, the next day, Death returned in the form of an old Indian woman who convinced her to let him go. (New Mutants v1 #41)
During her absence, Magneto realized he had been tricked into transferring the New Mutants by Empath manipulating his emotions. He confronted Emma Frost and, through mindprobes, it was determined that the team wished to return with Magneto, though remaining friends with the Hellions. Once her teammates were back where they belonged, Dani also came to rejoin the school. (New Mutants v1 #43)
X-Force
Back on Earth, Dani was contacted by the international law enforcement agency S.H.I.E.L.D and asked to infiltrate the Mutant Liberation Front (M.L.F.) as a deep cover operative and betray the group from within. (X-Force v1 #67)
During her time with the MLF, Moonstar was forced to battle X-Force, alongside other members of the Front. To maintain her cover, she used her psionic arrows on her former teammates without hesitation. (X-Force v1 #28)
Despite their leader being gone, Moonstar continued to stay with the terrorist organization, hoping to ensure that no innocents were killed on their missions. However, when she received a distress call from Asgard’s Valkyries and was given the Valkyries’ life-force for safe-keeping, Dani sought the help of her old teammates among X-Force, as they had been to the realm of the Norse gods before. With her friends’ help, Moonstar was able to overcome the uneasy alliance of the dark elf Malekith and Hela to rescue the Valkyries. She used one of her psychic arrows to bypass Hela and return the Valkyries their bundled life-force. (X-Force Annual '97 v1 #1)
As the Zero Tolerance troops had stolen the computer files of Professor Xavier, Cable set up a number of secret identities for the team, even one for Dani, but she refused. For too long she had been undercover and she no longer wanted to hide behind a facade. X-Force agreed with her and, severing all ties with Cable, they went out on a road trip until they ended up in San Francisco. (X-Force v1 #70)
During the team’s encounter with operatives of the Damocles Foundation, Dani was accidentally transmorphed into a crystal like state by the reality warping Arcadia DeVille, who had no real control over her abilities. A few minutes later, Moonstar reverted back to flesh and blood, and it seemed that nothing had changed. X-Force and Arcadia parted ways, unaware of the side effects that this incident would cause. (X-Force v1 #84)
Xavier Institute
She intended to recruit another youth, Josh Foley, but found that he - unaware of being a mutant himself - had joined the mutant-hating Reavers, led by Donald Pierce. Dani’s new mutants and the Reavers got into a fight and, when Laurie was injured by Pierce, one of the kids, Kevin Ford, used his lethal touch on Pierce, intending to kill him. Dani only managed to make him stop by showing Kevin the illusion that he was killing Laurie instead. While that did the trick, Kevin was so shook up that he decided to leave the school. Dani intended to leave as well, as she felt like a failure, but Xavier showed her that she was anything but. Xavier then implemented a new tutorial system and all of Dani’s recruits, including former Reaver, Josh, chose Dani as their tutor. Dani decided to stay and, next to her duties as supervisor of her students, she also began to teach American history. (New Mutants v2 #6)
A brief New Mutants reunion occurred when Donald Pierce attacked the school, and Dani joined her old friends to defeat him. (New Mutants v2 #13)
New Mutants Squad
A few weeks later, the teaching staff was informed of the inappropriate relationship between Josh Foley and Wolfsbane. They had been secretly seeing each other for quite a while and, even though Rahne had already ended the romance weeks ago, she was considered no longer fit to be a teacher at the Institute. Despite her feelings of betrayal and disappointment, Dani would have wanted for Rahne to stay, but she left the school anyway, leaving things unresolved between the former soulmates. (New X-Men v2 #12)
Not long thereafter, the somewhat deranged Scarlet Witch tampered with reality, causing the tragedy known as M-Day, during which over 90% of Earth’s mutant population were rendered powerless. Moonstar was among the thousands of mutants to be de-powered without warning, and having no clue as to who was responsible for the new situation. (House of M v1 #8)
Dani took the loss of her powers pretty hard, but she participated in an interview with reporter Sally Field, who was writing down the stories of the depowered mutants. (Generation M v1 #5)
Some time later, Moonstar was offered a new job with the Initiative, a training program for legally registered super-heroes. One of the trainees, a teenager named Trauma, had powers quite similar to those Dani used to have. At first, Trauma did not want to have anything to do with her, but Danielle pretty soon convinced him that he could benefit from her training. (Avengers: The Initiative v1 #3)
Whilst there, Dani was surprised at how times had changed, with mutants openly welcome in the progressive city. (Uncanny X-Men v1 #503)
Fearless Defender
When Asgard lay under siege, Dani was summoned to Las Vegas, as Hela wished to call upon the favor Dani now owed her. Specifically, Dani was to be Hel's Valkyrie and bring the bodies of immortals to her. Not too keen on this, Dani rebuffed Hela’s orders, informing the goddess that contracts could be broken. To this, Hela informed Dani that if she didn't follow through on this, then it would be as if she never given Dani the power to defeat Ares – meaning the world now would not be the world they would be living in. Faced with history being rewritten, Dani reluctantly agreed. In addition, Hela warned Dani not to be tempted to assist the living during the Siege of Asgard – she must do her duty and bring the bodies of the immortals to her. With that, Dani and Brightwind were both transported to the city of Asgard, which was currently located in rural Oklahoma. As instructed, Dani located the souls of the immortals and started to rally them to come with her – until she was distracted by the Valkryor, who asked her to join them. Deciding there was time to stop any other warriors from losing their lives, Dani left with the Valkyror, telling the dead they had nothing to worry about anymore. However, while Dani was fighting alongside the Valkryor, deadly beasts called the Disir, which preyed on the souls of immortals, stalked the fallen Asgardians. Dani returned from battle to find the Disir eating several of the Asgardian souls. She engaged the savage creatures in battle and slayed one of them, causing the others to flee. Dani was remorseful that several of the Asgardian souls she was sworn to protect were now lost forever, but even the comforting words of the Asgardian god of War could not relieve her of her regret. Dani then led the souls of the immortals to Hela. Hela was disappointed in Dani, reminding her that she gave her a duty which she neglected. (New Mutants v3 #10)
House of X
After the establishment of the nation of Krakoa, she was one of many Mutants that came to reside on the living island that was the home of their people. (New Mutants v4 #1)
During this time, Dani started using her powers to help mutants deal with their traumas, Rahne and Karma being some of the people she helped. (New Mutants v4 #14)
After a trip to Otherworld, Karma asked Dani to be her partner in the Crucible in order to allow her brother a chance at resurrection. (New Mutants v4 #17) She accepted and, after a difficult fight, Dani was able to fatally wound Karma. She was then present to welcome Karma after her resurrection. (New Mutants v4 #18)
During the third Hellfire Gala, there was an attack by the anti-mutant terrorist group Orchis, and Mirage was one of the numerous mutants mind-controlled by Professor X into stepping through a teleportation gateway, which Orchis had stipulated to be the only way for mutant lives to be spared. (X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 v1 #1)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Danielle Moonstar was a female human of Northern Cheyenne descent, with a lithe yet athletic build suggesting agility and endurance. Her facial features were strong and expressive—a slender but defined nose, high cheekbones, and full lips that hinted at resolve beneath a gentle demeanor. Her complexion was a warm bronze, kissed by sunlight and carrying the tone of someone accustomed to outdoor resilience. Her hair was long and black, falling straight past her shoulders with a subtle sheen—occasionally tied back, but most often loose. She stood at average height for a teenager, neither diminutive nor imposing. As one of the New Mutants, she wore a simple yet symbolic jumpsuit of bright red, black, and yellow, featuring a stylized 'X' belt buckle and heavy-duty boots suitable for training. The costume was form-fitting but practical, with reinforced gloves and minimal armor. (New Mutants v1 #1) Originally, she went by the code name of Psyche. (New Mutants v1 #1) Though she later came to change it to Mirage. (New Mutants v1 #22)
Danielle’s core personality traits as established in that first appearance were bravery, empathy, and loyalty. She exhibited courage when leading her teammates into unknown psychic terrain, showed compassion toward animals and teammates alike, and remained unwaveringly supportive even under threat. These foundational traits defined her as someone protective and principled. (New Mutants v1 #1)
Danielle Moonstar was the daughter of William Lonestar who was married to Peggy Lonestar. William Lonestar was a decorated military veteran who later served as a park ranger near Boulder, Colorado, and belonged to the Cheyenne Nation, representing their Eagle Clan. He was known both for his stoic integrity and deep connection to the traditions of his people—courageous, disciplined, and devoted to his family and the land. Peggy Lonestar was a member of the Horse Clan, renowned within their community for her spiritual insight, storytelling, and nurturing presence. Together, they raised Danielle on a ranch outside Boulder, embedding her in Cheyenne culture and guiding her early growth. William and Peg served as protectors and spiritual anchors for Danielle until around age ten, when sudden nightmares—visions she projected involuntarily—preceded their disappearance during a routine family trip into the nearby Medicine Bow Mountains. Danielle believed their deaths were foreseen by those dreams, and their absence haunted her thereafter. Before their disappearance, they had fostered Danielle’s connection to nature and encouraged empathy toward animals—traits that would define her later mutant gifts. They also imparted wisdom about Cheyenne identity, clan symbolism, and spiritual guidance through stories and ritual. Their disappearance left a void in Dani’s life, severing her tie to her earliest mentors and plunging her into grief and psychic instability, which motivated her grandfather Black Eagle to seek outside help for her. (New Mutants v1 #1)
Her grandfather was Black Eagle who served as the Cheyenne chief and shaman. (Marvel Graphic Novel v1 #4)
Powers and abilities
Her most developed ability was the power to manifest the fears or desires of people as realistic illusions. (Marvel Graphic Novel v1 #4) The three-dimensional images that Moonstar caused to appear were similar to holograms, although they were created by psionic energy rather than by lasers, and could be seen by anyone in their vicinity. However, only the people from whom Moonstar derived the images would perceive them as 'real', indistinguishable from the real persons or objects they portrayed. To other people, the images were recognizable as immaterial illusions. (New Mutants v1 #16)
Under Charles Xavier's training, Moonstar learned to further use her power to derive and project more specific images from another person's mind that were unrelated to such strong emotional states. (New Mutants v1 #32) Moreover, she learned how to project such images around herself and others in order to alter the appearance of herself and others. For example, once she and her teammate Cannonball, neither dressed impressively at the time, had to find Wolfsbane at a stylish hotel. In order that she and Cannonball would look as if they belonged in the hotel, Moonstar made herself and Cannonball look like the desk clerk's mental image of the ideal wealthy guests for the hotel. (New Mutants v1 #23) With time, Moonstar learned to project three-dimensional versions of images from her own mind, such as life-size images of the New Mutants training in the use of their powers. (New Mutants v1 #39)
Dani read the minds of multiple people, including a hive mind. She was able to read their memories and thoughts which allowed her to see their fears and desires in her mind's eye. (King in Black: Return of the Valkyries v1 #2)
Moonstar's ultimate potential was to be able to cause her three-dimensional images to become tangible entities of psionic force. (New Mutants Annual v1 #4)
Even while depowered, Danielle appeared to retain some semblance of her telepathic abilities, such as when confronted by Regan Wyngarde the two engaged in psychic combat. Dani appeared to still be strong enough telepathically to hold her down long enough to talk Regan down. (All-New X-Men Annual v2 #1)
While separated from her teammates in this unfamiliar and mystic land, Danielle encountered a winged horse under attack by dire wolves. Driven by her natural empathy and warrior instinct, she defended the beast with courage and clarity, forming an immediate psychic bond with the creature, whom she later named Brightwind. Unbeknownst to her, the act of saving the horse—who was a native steed of the Valkyrior—signaled her spiritual worthiness to the Asgardian pantheon. This bond was not only emotional but mystical, instantly drawing the attention of Hela, goddess of the dead, who recognized Danielle's affinity with death and the spirit world. Dani’s powers as a mutant already allowed her to sense and manifest the greatest fears and desires of others, often tied to mortal danger and psychological struggle. Hela saw in her a being with the potential to guide the dying and to see through the veil between life and death—key hallmarks of a Valkyrie’s role. As a result, Dani was mystically inducted into the Valkyrior, a select group of warrior women tasked with escorting the souls of fallen warriors to Valhalla. This transformation was symbolized not only by her psychic bond with Brightwind but also by the subtle change in her aura and responsibilities. Her role expanded beyond the concerns of Earth and mutantkind to encompass the metaphysical balance of death and valor. Dani did not formally accept this mantle through ritual or consent, but rather through her deeds and unflinching courage—qualities that reflected the Asgardian ideal of the warrior's soul. From that moment onward, she was marked by both Hela and the Valkyrior, even after her physical return to Earth. (New Mutants Special Edition v1 #1)
As a Valkyrie, she gained the ability to see and interact with death-related energies, a spiritual bond with her winged horse Brightwind, and a new awareness of the spirits of those near death. This perception allowed her to detect so-called 'deathglows', that were auras which surrounded individuals destined to die soon thus marking them as candidates for Valkyrior guidance to the afterlife. Although she retained her mutant telepathy and illusion-casting abilities, her new Valkyrie traits were mystical in nature and operated independently of her mutant genetics. She also gained combat aptitude with Asgardian weapons, such as spears and blades, though whether this was due to magic or training is left ambiguous in the initial depiction. As a Valkyrie, she was considered a psychopomp—able to guide, speak with, or oppose the spirits of the dying. Her status was recognized by Brightwind, an intelligent winged horse who responded only to warriors of pure heart and worthy intent. Though not immediately shown with a change in attire, her spiritual presence was subtly augmented, often shown with her and Brightwind silhouetted against celestial backgrounds or amid symbolic death imagery. The Asgardians treated her with reverence once her new station was recognized, suggesting that the Valkyrie title conferred not just powers but metaphysical authority within the Nine Realms. (New Mutants Special Edition v1 #1)
After being taken into the Xavier Institute, she underwent training in the use of her powers by Professor Xavier where she joined the New Mutants as one of its initial members. (New Mutants v1 #1)
Notes
- Danielle Moonstar was created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod where she made her first appearance in Marvel Graphic Novel v1 #4 (November, 1982).
Alternate Versions
- In X-Calibre v1 #1 (1995), an alternate version of Dani Moonstar appeared in the setting of the Age of Apocalypse that was set on Earth-295 in the Multiverse. She was shown as being one of Apocalypse's followers and a member of his elite Pale Riders that were one of the Dark Lord's team of assassins.
In other media
Television
- In X-Men: Evolution, Dani Moonstar appeared in the setting of the 1990s animated television series in the episode "Ghost of a Chance" where she was voiced by actress Tabitha St. Germain.
Films
- In The New Mutants, Danielle Moonstar appeared in the setting of the 2020 live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Blu Hunt.
Video games
- In Marvel Heroes, Dani Moonstar appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game.
Appearances
- Marvel Graphic Novel v1: (1982)
- New Mutants v1:
- New Mutants:
- Fearless Defenders v1:
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