KIRKE

Real Name: Presumably Kirke

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Reality-7614) extraterrestrial (Hailailae/"Witchworld") apparent magic-user;
    active circa 15,000 years in the relative future

Occupation: Sorceress; ruler of a forest society

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Various animals (including whatever was on her shoulder and whatever was by her feet) and humanoid animals (notably Sir Cat, Sir Ram, "Sir Ant," "Sir Clavo," "Sir Mole," "Sir Porcupine," "Sir Stag," "Sir Warthog") and likely others;
    the Plagueosaur and a living tree (and presumably many others)

Enemies: Rocky Raccoon (see comments), Prince Wayfinder

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: A forest on an island or otherwise coastal land on the planet Hailailae (aka "Witchworld"), Tau Ceti, Milky Way Galaxy

First Appearance: Marvel Preview#7 (Summer, 1976)

Powers/Abilities: Though blind, Kirke could sense the events around her.

    She can channel her vocal energy through the gem at the top of her ram's headed staff to release devastating bursts of force energy able to incapacitate normal humans.

History:
(Marvel Preview#7 (fb) - BTS) - Circa 15,000 years in the relative future of Reality-7614 -- and who knows how long before that -- Kirke was the ruler of a forest on the planet Hailailae, aka Witchworld. She was served by a number of animals, as well as a number of animal-men, who acted as her knights and may have been naturally occurring creatures on her world, or they may have been animals mutated magically into such form by her or possibly transformed by others circumstances. Kirke considered anything within and/or occurring with the forest to be her domain.

Comments: Created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen.

    The Sword in the Star series was meant to be the a 10-12 issue back-up series in the planned bi-monthly black-and-white Starlord (by Steven Englehart) magazine. However, the magazine never happened, and both Starlord and the Sword-in-the-Star appeared in Marvel Preview#4. While Starlord ended up getting more issues down the line (Chris Claremont would pick up the series, and you can check out Starlord here), the Sword in the Star got a second appearance in Marvel Preview#7, at least in part because Bill Mantlo had already written the second part when he was told that the magazine was canceled, the story was going to be in Marvel Previews and to hold off on any future episodes.
    Bill Mantlo used Wayfinder and the Sword in the Star in his Micronauts series, but Kirke and Witchworld have never been seen again, to the best of my knowledge.

    Tragically, Bill Mantlo suffered severe brain damage from a closed head injury (essentially too much swelling of his brain with an intact skull), and he is severely limited and certainly no longer able to write.
    Our appreciation goes out to Bill and his work with the obscure, especially in resolving plotlines. 

    There are some cool text features by Bill Mantlo in Marvel Preview#4 and #7 that discussed how Wayfinder was meant to be a modern day Ulysses, and how Bill drew heavily on various myths and legends.

    Rocky Raccoon was apparently a contribution of Keith Giffen, and is an homage to the Beatles' song of the same name. Rocket (Raccoon) was almost certainly inspired by that character, and the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe has listed it as Rocket's first appearance...it's just not clear how to connect the dots. I think they are likely alternate reality counterparts, but, again, the story behind Rocky Raccoon's presence on Witch-World and his transportation to Halfworld in the modern time period of Reality-616 (and subsequent loss of his British accent) will likely never be known, either.

    I got everything I could out of the three pages (really two-and-a-half) on which Kirke and her associates appeared. But I have questions...

1. Was she born blind, or, if not, how did she become blind? Did she tear out her own eyes in order to get mystic power?
2. Were her knights naturally-existing animal-people on Witchworld, or did she magically transform them into those forms, or were they transformed by some other means?
3. What, if any, connection did she have to Circe from Earth 15,000 years ago?
   
4. When next seen, Wayfinder had found the Sword in the Star and had been blinded by it so that he could see from a deeper vision. I wonder whether this involved anything he may have learned from Kirke, as she was also blind and used an inner sight.

    Kirke originally had a sub-profile in the Earth-7614 ("Sword in the Star") profile, originally published 8/10/2004.

    This profile was completed 09/01/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was saved for the Appendix's 25^th Anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Kirke should be distinguished from:

• CIRCE - see SERSI. Eternal, encountered Ulysses/Odysseus--Venus I#9/5
• CIRCE - Sersi in reality-altered and ruled by Morgan Le Fay--Avengers III#2
• CIRCE - personality fragment of Andrea Rodgers, given form in Citrusville swamp. Represents passion--Rampaging Hulk I#7/2
• CIRCE of Earth-9602 - Amalgam of Sersi + Circe--Tales of the Amazons
• KIRKEGAARD, -der Jahrmacht, two-headed man--Excalibur minus 1
• other "Kirke," "Circe," etc. characters, groups, items, events, races or places...
  

In addition to likely enhanced strength, speed, reflexes, agility, olfactory sense and nocturnal vision, etc., Sir Cat wore armor and wielded a sword.      One of the animal men used as knights/warriors by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, Sir Cat was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder, after which she instructed Sir Cat to take the Plagueosaur's carcass. Sir Cat readily obeyed his mistress, ordering Wayfinder and Rocky Raccoon to stand aside. While Sir Ram engaged Wayfinder, Sir Cat charged Rocky, intending to slay him for his history of poaching in Kirke's forest, but after taking down Sir Ram, Wayfinder hurled his sword into Sir Cat's chest, liking killing him. --Marvel Preview#7 Note: Assuming Sir Cat was slain by the sword to the chest, it's still possible that Kirke could have healed/resurrected him.

.

In addition to large horns which he could use as striking weapons, Sir Ram wore armor and had some sort of hooked-weapon on his right forearm.      One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, Sir Ram was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.      After Kirke instructed Sir Cat to take the Plagueosaur's carcass, Sir Cat ordered Wayfinder and Rocky to stand aside. Sir Ram immediately challenged Wayfinder, punching into the ground with his hooked weapon (either just to enforce his point or because he intended to strike Wayfinder but missed).

Another knight (possibly "Sir Porcupine") warned Sir Ram to beware Wayfinder's blade, and Wayfinder advised the "goat-thing" that he would do well to heed his companion. Slashing his sword through Sir Ram's chest armor and dropping him in the process, Wayfinder insisted that the meat was theirs. --Marvel Preview#7 Note: It's not clear how deep Wayfinder's sword went, but he may likely have only been wounded.      However, even if the wound was mortal, perhaps Kirke could have resurrected him. Sir Ram of Witchworld-7614 has no known connection to: SIR RAM - Knights of Wundagore, seemingly perished delivering Hulk to Wundagore II, saved by Evolutionary but subsequently slain by Man-Beast  - aka the NEW MAN*, SIR RAAM--(New Man) Tales to Astonish I#94/2; (Sir Ram) Tales to Astonish I#95/2 SIR RAM - Knights of Wundagore, active on Wundagore II, possible relative or otherwise; slain in battle with Rigellians--Iron Man I#111 SIR RAM - Knights of Wundagore, led the Knights at the time of the conflicts with Exodus and his Acolytes--Excalibur I#113 SIR GOTE - Knights of Wundagore, active at the time of Magda's arrival on Mt. Wundagore--(Confirmed) X-Men Annual#12 Other "Sir," "Ram," ovine/sheep or caprine/goat characters, groups, items, events, races or places....

. . .      One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, this knight was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.      He stood by during the fighting and when Kirke used a force blast to subdue Wayfinder and Rocky. . --Marvel Preview#7 . Note: I'm not really sure what this guy is supposed to be...he looks insectoid, and an ant seemed reasonably likely to me.

One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, this knight was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.     He stood by during the fighting and when Kirke used a force blast to subdue Wayfinder and Rocky. --Marvel Preview#7 Note: After Sir Cat had taken a sword deeply into the chest and after Kirke had subdued Wayfinder and Rocky, there was a striped felid-looking knight seen in the background behind the insectoid knight. This felid knight had striped on his face and a much different appearance than Sir Cat. I feel like there's some sort of felid that looks like that, but I can't place it. "Clavo" is Latin for stripe.      I'm not positive that the two smaller legs seen on either side of the bigger, central leg belong to the cat-person...The spot at which the come together seems to be in a different direction from the cat-person's body. Maybe they belong to some frog-person.

. .    One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, "Sir Mole" was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.      He stood by during the fighting and when Kirke used a force blast to subdue Wayfinder and Rocky. . . --Marvel Preview#7 . . Note: I had previously thought this was an anteater, and it may be, but the more I looked at it the more the thick claws and long nose that flares at the end made me think it was a mole, rather than an anteater.

One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, this knight was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.      As Sir Ram challenged Wayfinder, this knight advised Ram to beware his blade, with which Wayfinder swiftly dropped Sir Ram.      This knight subsequently engaged Wayfinder and appeared to also be struck down by his sword. --Marvel Preview#7 Note: I'm not sure what this guy was supposed to be. Porcupine was the only thing I could think of.       It's not clear how deep Wayfinder's sword went, but he may likely have only been wounded, but even if the wound was mortal, perhaps Kirke could have resurrected him.

.

.

One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, "Sir Stag" was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.      He stood by during the fighting and when Kirke used a force blast to subdue Wayfinder and Rocky. --Marvel Preview#7

One of the animal men used as knights/warriros by Kirke, it is unrevealed whether he was a naturally-occurring being on Witchworld or whether he was a conventional cat magically transformed by Kirke into semi-humanoid form or otherwise transformed by unspecified means.      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, Sir Cat was alongside Kirke when she confronted Wayfinder.      He stood by during the fighting and when Kirke used a force blast to subdue Wayfinder and Rocky. --Marvel Preview#7 Note: There was also an actual warthog that Rocky assaulted, and I ASSume that this was not "Sir Warthog" transforming into a much smaller creature for the fight...

Some sort of feral creature -- whose "sideburns" made it look like Marvel's Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett -- stood by Kirke's feet as she confronted Wayfinder and Rocky Raccoon. --Marvel Preview#7 Note: There was also an actual warthog that Rocky assaulted, and I ASSume that this was not "Sir Warthog" transforming into a much smaller creature for the fight...

I'm not really sure what this thing way supposed to be...      After Wayfinder had slain the Plagueosaur, this thing sat on Kirke's right shoulder when she confronted Wayfinder, and it remained there during the subsequent battles and when she subdued Wayfinder by channeling her voice through her scepter. --Marvel Preview#7

First posted: 09/23/2026
Last updated: 10/10/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters