Diana Hetherington (magic-user; Captain Britain and MI13 character)

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-kitchen DIANA HETHERINGTON

Real Name: Diana Hetherington

Identity/Class: Human magic-user;
British

Occupation: Witch

Group Membership: None known

Affiliations: Faringdon circle (a coven of young witches), Quincy Harker, MI13 (Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Blade/Eric Brooks, Captain Britain/Brian Braddock, Excalibur/Faiza Hussain, Peter Wisdom), Titania and at least four other unidentified cats;

Enemies: Dracula, vampires;
indirectly Dracula's allies Lilith Kiskilla (Mother of Demons) and Captain Fate

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None known

Base of Operations: Her home, apparently in the village of Totterdon, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom;
depending on whether her basement was on the ground floor or a second level, her home presumably had at least 2-4 levels: The main floor (which included the kitchen and dining area, at least); the downstairs room (presumably a basement, but possibly just downstairs from her bedroom, which may have been on the second above ground level vs. on the same floor as the kitchen; and the loft she referenced from which she had retrieved Quincy Harker's skull, which was presumably above her bedroom.

First Appearance: Captain Britain and MI13#12 (June, 2009)

Powers/Abilities: Diana has largely undefined magical abilities and a number of unidentified magical artifacts -- including the Skull of Quincy Harker -- in her possession. She also had at least one other skull in her possession; this was of less -- if any -- significance, such that she readily allowed it to be destroyed.

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-face Her one detailed spell involved -- per the instructions of Quincy Harker -- casting a spell that sacrificed Quincy's soul to power the spell to expand/alter the ancient boundary condition that prevented vampires from entering a home without being invited: Contained within Quincy's skull, the spell prevented vampires from entering Britain unless they were invited. Diana retained Quincy's skull within her home.

She almost certainly had extensive occult knowledge and abilities, although she did not demonstrate any sort of offensive abilities when vampires broke into her home (although, she may have restrained herself to help maintain the ruse).

She has some artistic ability, notably painting arcane symbols, and she had enough acting skill to maintain a planned ruse. She also had a sense of humor, including making sexual innuendos.

Height: Unrevealed (perhaps 5'6"; she looked to be maybe 3-4" shorter than the 5'9" Pete Wisdom)
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 115 lbs.; although only shown in a robe, she appeared to be fairly lean, with very skinny forearms, at least)
Eyes: Light blue or violet
Hair: Light gray (although it looked white in certain light)

History:
(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS) - British witch Diana Hetherington met Quincy Harker on several occasions. They had a close acquaintance, and she considered that he smelt of honey and had the most enormous... library (see comments).

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS) - Per the instructions in his will, Quincy Harker gave his soul to power a spell contained in his skull. Finding Harker's remains, Diana performed the mystic ceremony, which forced -- as long as the skull was in Britain -- any vampire wishing access to Britain had to be invited, as if they were entering into a residence.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS) - Wishing to locate and destroy the skull of Quincy Harker, Dracula considered that "the Hetherington woman" was one of hundreds of possibilities that might own it.

Dracula resolved to trick Blade into leading him to the skull via information he would have his agent Mayhew reveal.

(Captain Britain and MI13#11 - BTS) - Pete Wisdom exposed Mayhew as an agent of Dracula, and as Mayhew tried to note Dracula's plans for that evening "It's the head of...", Mayhew exploded (Wisdom speculated this to be from a remotely activated capsule of holy water).

(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - As MI13 agents discussed what Mayhew had been talking about, Alistaire began to speculate that there were a few magical creatures and ancient gods who were beheaded, but Blade interrupted, noting that he could have been referring to the head of Quincy Harker. hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-paintingskull

(Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - Via one of O's devices, Wisdom -- having correctly determined that Dracula wished to dupe him and his allies into revealing the location of Quincy Harker's skull -- contacted Diana in her dreams.

Wisdom informed her that she would have visitors and instructed her to paint mystic symbols on a spare skull she owned so they could use it as a decoy of Quincy Harker's skull, after which she was to hide Harker's true skull.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - Diana received the instructions as she lied in bed with her cats. Although she thought the instructions to be odd, she agreed to follow them, although she cursed her "bloody magical powers." hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-shocked

As she headed into her basement, she commented to her cat Titania that people popping up in dreams, asking for this and that, were pillocks. She further noted that she should have gone ex-directory.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS / Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb)) - Diana painted the decoy skull and hid the true skull of Quincy Harker.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - As she prepared tea in her kitchen, the Black Knight, Blade, Captain Britain, Excalibur, and Wisdom arrived, and she asked how many of them took sugar. Greeting Captain Britain, she told him the was honored to meet Merlin's new champion, "Blessed be, son of Ambrose, long man, he who walks through," and Captain Britain replied, "Blessed be, Diana."

She then turned to Wisdom, telling him that she knew some young witches who would dearly love to know where he...but Wisdom interrupted, telling her to give the Faringdon circle his regards before asking if she had done what he had asked.

Diana then retrieved the artifact in question, telling him that she had had to get it out of her loft, and she showed them the decoy skull of Quincy Harker. hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-drac

After she and Blade detailed the Skull's history and powers, Dracula sent a number of vampires to Diana's home.

(Captain Britain and MI13#13 (fb) - BTS) - Per Diana's speculation, the vampires had stood outside her home and heard her welcome in Wisdom and his allies, and they used that as their own welcome.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 / Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - With magic assistance from Lilith and Fate, Dracula traveled to Diana's home as well, after which Dracula destroyed what seemed to be Harker's skull and proclaimed victory.

(Captain Britain and MI13#13 (fb) - BTS) - Dracula vanished back to the moon after the skull's destruction. hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-homedamage

(Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - Wisdom's subsequent plots were largely to prevent Dracula from discovering that the true skull of Quincy Harker (and the spell it contained) were still intact.

(Captain Britain and MI13#13) - Dracula led his forces from Earth's moon on their two day journey back to Earth, intending to invade Britain.

(Captain Britain and MI13#15) - Captain Britain explained that the lights Dracula saw were the first vampires reaching orbital velocity and striking and being incinerated by Harker's mystic barrier; Captain Britain then welcomed Yusuf Hussain home, protecting him from the spell.

Comments: Created by Paul Cornell, Leonard Kirk, and Jay Leisten.

Very interesting and likable character. I'd like to see her fleshed out more...specifically, would be cool to see some of her history with Quincy Harker.

Her comments made it sound as if they had something of a romantic relationship, but it was also something of a humorous comment.

As far as I could tell, there does not appear to be any full body images of Diana. There are additional images of Diana in the various sub-profiles.

Blade's description of the spell referenced Harker being able to protect one country, after which he goes on to describe how the spell protects Britain. By my understanding, England is a country; Britain is an geographical term that refers to the island that includes England, Scotland, and Wales; and the United Kingdom is a sovereign state that includes the nations of Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) plus Northern Ireland. However, the story does repeatedly refer to the spell protecting Britain and to Dracula planning to invade Britain.

In the first 3-4 pages of Diana's appearances in Captain Britain and MI13#12, there are numerous images of unidentified artifacts, scrolls, etc., that are note- and discussion-worthy. I have the interest, but not the time right now, so I pictured as much as I can. Perhaps someone can expand on this at some point, or I will eventually, in theory.
Hats off to Kirk and Leisten (and presumably Cornell for requesting it) for the amount of background imagery and detail that they provided in her home.

When Diana greeted Captain Britain, she told him she was honored to meet Merlin's new champion, "Blessed be, son of Ambrose, long man, he who walks through," and Captain Britain replied, "Blessed be, Diana." It implied to me that she knows Merlin. Who knows, perhaps she was around during the time of Camelot.

Blessed be is a common greeting among Wiccans and modern day witches.--Kevin Garcia
Among Merlin's many names is Merlin Ambrosius, so "son of Ambrose" is probably referring to Brian being Merlin's son, which he kind of is, in a non-biological but more mystical way.
As Kevin notes, Blessed be is a common Wiccan greeting, but I suspect it goes further than that. Paul Cornell and I are of similar age, which means we grew up with a lot of the same TV shows. In the mid-80s there was an adaptation of the Robin Hood stories, Robin of Sherwood, which leaned heavily into the mystical elements, and "Blessed be" was a common greeting used between characters who worshipped the "old" pagan religions (which they tended to do right alongside being Catholics - even Friar Tuck, a priest, used the greeting all the time). I suspect that Paul got it from there, and that's where I first heard it being used.
Long Man is one I'm less certain of. It MIGHT be a nod to the Long Man of Wilmington, a giant figure inscribed into the side of a British hill. Though recent scientific tests now suggest it might have been created only a few centuries ago, for a very long time the figure was believed to hail back over ten thousand years. It's meaning has remained undiscovered, BUT (and I think this is the crucial bit, if the name is a reference), in Neil Gaiman's Sandman stories the figure turns out to be a guardian standing watch over the gates to the realms of Faerie. Paul would almost certainly have read that same Sandman tale, and Brian is similarly a guardian to the gates of a faerie realm, Otherworld, which is why I suspect this might be what he was referencing (or I could be completely wrong).
He who walks through? Maybe referring to "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death." Brian has been resurrected multiple times now by Merlin, so he's definitely someone who has walked through that valley, and come out the other side.
Diana knowing Merlin? Maybe, but no clue on whether she could be old enough to have been around in Arthurian times.
--Loki

This profile was completed 07/15/2022, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Diana Hetherington should be distinguished from:

CROMWELL, ELSPETH - exorcist, hired by Alma Chalmers to exorcise "demons" in Reed + Sue Richards, summoned Knights of Hades, inadvertently summoned Mephisto to earth, killed by his minions--[Fantastic Four I#274], 276
HARKNESS, AGATHA - witch and leader of New Salem, mother of Nicholas Scratch, grandmother of Salem’s Seven, former governess for Franklin Richards--Fantastic Four I#94
other senior female witches or "Hether" or "Heather" characters

Titania and Diana's other pet cats

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-bed-cats

.

.

Diana owns at least five cats who sleep on her bed and move around her home as they see fit.

Titania, the only one identified by name, is a solid white cat, but at least two others appeared to be possibly white or lighter colors. One is dark gray, and one is solid black.

--Captain Britain and MI13#12

Note: Titania's name is presumably in homage to the queen of fairies and the wife of Oberon in medieval folklore.

I would think it to be extremely likely that the other four+ cats have names from mythology, folklore, or some other occult reference. But, you never know...they could be Rags, Tags, Lags, and Obadiah...but probably not.

Titania, presumably, but possibly another white cat, is pictured in at four of the images in the main profile, as well as in one of the left-sided picture in the Skull of Quincy Harker and basement/cellar sub-profiles.

Titania or any of the cats may or may not have served as familiars in any of Diana's mystic rituals, but there is not evidence that they had any abilities beyond those of conventional domestic cats.

Skull of Quincy Harker

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-harkerskull-retrieve

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-harkerskull-hide

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS) - Per the instructions in his will, Quincy Harker gave his soul to power a spell contained in his skull. Finding Harker's remains, Diana Hetherington performed the mystic ceremony, which enforced that -- as long as the skull was in Britain -- any vampire wishing access to Britain had to be invited, as if they were entering into a residence.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS / Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - Diana kept Harker's skull in a box within her basement (see comments)

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS) - Wishing to locate and destroy the skull of Quincy Harker, Dracula resolved to trick Blade into leading him to the skull.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - As MI13 agents discussed what Mayhew had been talking about, Blade noted that he could have been referring to the head of Quincy Harker.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - Diana received the instructions as she lied in bed with her cats. Although she thought the instructions to be odd, she agreed to follow them. Diana then headed into her basement (see note).

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS / Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - Diana painted the decoy skull and hid the true skull of Quincy Harker.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 - BTS) - Diana retrieved the false skull and presented it to the newly arrived MI13 agents as if it were the true skull.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 - BTS/ Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - With magic assistance from Lilith and Fate, Dracula traveled to Diana's home as well, after which Dracula destroyed what seemed to be Harker's skull and proclaimed victory.

(Captain Britain and MI13#15) - As Dracula's vampires reached orbital velocity (following a trip from Dracula's moon base aboard Captain Fate's Serpent's Crown ship), they struck and were incinerated by Harker's mystic barrier.

--Captain Britain and MI13#12 - BTS, 15

Note: Diana told MI13 that she had retrieved Harker's skull from her loft, but she didn't have anything in her hands when she got out of bed and went downstairs into her basement/cellar, after which she went to her kitchen and made tea. I think that was just part of the deception, in which she wasn't revealing the real skull's true location in case unwanted parties (Dracula and his allies) were listening to the conversation.

False skull of Quincy Harker

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-fetchbox

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-false-harker-skull

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-false-harker-skull-prof

Wisdom informed Diana that she would have visitors and instructed her to paint mystic symbols on a spare skull she owned so they could use it as a decoy of Quincy Harker's skull, after which she was to hide Harker's true skull.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 - BTS) - Diana received the instructions as she lied in bed with her cats. Although she thought the instructions to be odd, she agreed to follow them.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 (fb) - BTS/ Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb)) - Diana painted the decoy skull and hid the true skull of Quincy Harker.

(Captain Britain and MI13#12) - Diana retrieved the false skull and presented it to the newly arrived MI13 agents as if it were the true skull. hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-false-harker-skull-destroyed

(Captain Britain and MI13#12 / Captain Britain and MI13#15 (fb) - BTS) - With magic assistance from Lilith and Fate, Dracula traveled to Diana's home and destroyed what seemed to be Harker's skull and proclaimed victory.

--Captain Britain and MI13#12 (13, 15

basement/cellar

hetherington-diana-sorceress-cb&mi13-basement-titania

Diana possessed numerous magical artifacts, scrolls, etc. and she went downstairs to fetch the skull of Quincy Harker.

--Captain Britain and MI13#12

Note: I have the interest, but not the time, to zoom in on and discuss each item in her possession. In this image, for example, for there is a clawed (demon, vampire, whatever) hand contained within a globe, some chamber that looks like it could be an iron maiden, an a container, a sword, a scroll, various tomes, and other pictures.

Obviously, Diana's cat Titania is pictured alongside of her in this picture.

images: (without ads)
Captain Britain and MI13#12, story pg. 13, panel 1 (in bed with cats);
            panel 3 (Titania and downstairs);
            panel 4 (kitchen, upper body);
        pg. 14, panel 1 (Titania stroked by Black Knight);
            panel 2 (face, profile);
            panel 3 (fetching box containing false skull);
            panel 4 (false skull front);
        pg. 16, panel 1 (false skull lateral);
            panel 2 (best face front);
        pg. 19, panel 3 (unobscured, frightened face);
        pg. 21, panel 3 (with Titania, observing Dracula);
    #13, story pg. 1 (upper, with Titania and damaged home);
    #15, story pg. 4, panel 3 (with Titania, head/sculpture, upper, face);
            panel 4 (painting false skull);
            panel 5 (true skull of Quincy Harker)

Appearances:
Captain Britain and MI13#12 (June, 2009) - Paul Cornell (writer), Leonard Kirk (penciler), Jay Leisten (inker), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
Captain Britain and MI13#13 (July, 2009) - Paul Cornell (writer), Ardian Syaf with Leonard Kirk (pencilers), Craig Yeung with Jay Leisten (inker), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
Captain Britain and MI13#14 (August, 2009) - Paul Cornell (writer), Ardian Syaf with Leonard Kirk (pencilers), Craig Yeung with Jay Leisten (inker), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (editor)
Captain Britain and MI13#15 (September, 2009) - Paul Cornell (writer), Leonard Kirk (penciler), Jay Leisten (inker), Daniel Ketchum (assistant editor), Nick Lowe (editor)

First posted: 09/06/2026
Last updated: 07/16/2022

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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