History: Lorna’s life was mired in complications before she was even born. While she didn’t realize it until much later in life, she was the daughter of Magneto. This would affect her in many profound ways both directly and indirectly throughout her life.

While much is known about her father, her mother kept a considerably lower profile. She kept her identity as shrouded as possible so not much is known about her background. What is known, however, is that she as involved in humanitarian work with the UN during various conflicts in the Balkans. This was a time when ethnic tensions were at a fevered level. She often defied orders from her superiors, seeking out conflicts in some of the most volatile parts in the region. This is what led her to confront Magneto.

Their encounter occurred shortly after Magneto’s wife, Magda, was killed. This is a period of time where little is known about what Magneto was doing, but it is suspected that he was lashing out at local rebels and militias with his powers. In the ruins of one such battle, he encountered Lorna’s mother. Still grief-stricken over the loss of his wife, she reached out to him and he accepted it. However, their relations didn’t last long. Magneto’s grief-filled attacks had attracted a local government. When they sought him out, a battle ensued. When Lorna’s mother was attacked, he unleashed another rage-fueled slaughter. This slaughter so horrified Lorna’s mother that she fled without any further interactions with Magneto.

Frightened by what she saw from Magneto, Lorna’s mother left the Balkans and never returned. When she returned to New York, she discovered she was pregnant. She never sought out Magneto nor asked for his support. She gave birth to Lorna with no intention of every revealing her to her father, but further complications would make that difficult.

For the most part, most of Lorna’s life was fairly normal. Her mother continued working for the UN as a correspondent and she never brought up the identity of her father. She remained somewhat sequestered. Lorna’s mother still feared that Magneto would one day seek her out. That day never came, but as Magneto’s activities became more public with the founding of the Brotherhood of Mutants she grew increasingly concerned about her daughter. Those concerns started taking form and substance in an unusual way.

It started when Lorna was 14. Her hair began changing color unexpectedly, turning from black to green. Lorna took her to a doctor, who assured her that it was just a rare pigmentation anomaly with her hair. Lorna didn’t seem bothered by it, but then when she turned 15 another unexpected trait emerged. It started one day at school. While taking an exam that she did not study for, she noticed a paper clip moving towards her. Then when one of her peers tripped and fell next to her, the paperclip was flung across the room. Startled, Lorna began feeling a strange connection with metal. She started exploring this feeling on her own time and eventually learned that she was a mutant with the ability to harness the power of magnetism.

While clearly confused by this discovery, Lorna’s mother urged her to keep her powers secret. She feared Magneto sensing her and seeking her out to join his Brotherhood. At this time the X-men were emerging as a powerful force. Lorna followed them closely over the next few years, but she honored her mother’s wishes to keep her powers secret. And despite her mother’s best efforts, she started suspecting a connection when she learned more about Magneto. This left her feeling more isolated and scared. This caused her to seek help over the internet, which led her to cross paths with Bobby Drake.

What started as a simple friendship quickly blossomed. She and Bobby would eventually meet and forge a romantic relationship. He helped her further develop her powers and expressed interest in joining the Xavier Institute. At this same time her mother was displaying unusual symptoms. While Lorna was too caught up in being a mutant to notice, she quietly started to worry. Those worries only grew when she was ambushed during a date with Bobby by Wanda and Pietro. They issued a warning that she would get news about her mother very soon. That news came in the form of cancer. Her mother had been diagnosed and her chances for survival were not good.

Lorna did the best she could to help her mother. Due to her illness, she lost her job with the UN and the escalating health bills forced Lorna to get a job and pitch in. However, it wasn’t enough. So when Magneto finally came along, he offered to treat her. In the process he revealed the truth that her mother tried to hide. He was her father. With this revelation, she decided to listen to him. However, when Magneto’s planned uprising on Genosha failed, she was left in a difficult position.

From here, her relationship with Bobby deepened. Professor Xavier offered to help her, providing funds for her mother’s treatment while she moved closer so she could be near the X-men. For a while it seemed as though her mother’s condition stabilized. However, she eventually took a turn for the worse. When the doctors told her that she would not live much longer, she grew desperate again. So when Pietro came to renew her offer, she took it. However, this time she did so with different intent.

While Magneto established his new nation on Genosha and threatened to destroy the world with an asteroid, Lorna confronted her mother who was refusing treatment. She told her everything about Magneto and urged her to reach out to him the same way she had. It proved a vital act because just as Magneto was prepared to unleash total destruction, she was able to get through to him and he agreed to seek a less destructive path.

Shortly after the asteroid incident passed, her mother died. Stricken, Lorna broke up with Bobby and decided to stay on Gensoha with her father. She believed she could be a positive influence on him that would be good for both him and mutants as a whole. Whether or not this is possible remains to be seen.

Character Breakdown: Lorna’s personality is heavily influenced by the complicated circumstances imposed on her by her parents. She was sequestered as a child for her own protection. This was not a case where those concerns were irrational. Being raised by her mother helped her avoid the influence of Magneto that ended up having such a profound impact on Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Her mother was not overly strict or aggressive and that rubbed off on Lorna. Even when circumstances demanded that she be aggressive, she avoided doing so. In that sense she has a strong moral center that truly sets her apart from her father and siblings.

At the same time, there are some significant influences as a result of her father. She does tend to react more emotionally in stressful situations. Her emotions clouded her judgment to the point where she was willing to trust her father during his uprising on Genosha and even his plot with the asteroid. Those same emotions are what led her to reach out to father in a way that her mother once did. It is one of the key components of her personality. Being sequestered and protected, she seeks strong connections with others. Her emotions ensure that sometimes those connections are not healthy.

Overall, the extreme circumstances of Lorna’s life have helped create a unique psychological profile. That profile has allowed her to carry herself quite normally amongst others. This ability to have such a strong moral center and function normally gives her an uncanny strength. This strength allowed her to handle the challenge of reaching out to Magneto and assisting her mother when she was sick. However, this strength leaves her vulnerable in certain areas. Like her father, her emotional nature leads her to make mistakes and lose control over situations. This makes her role with her family both tenuous and vital.