The following is a list of characters in the W.I.T.C.H. comic books. The series revolves around five teenage girls who possess magical powers over the first five elements of nature.[1][2][3] They are revealed to be the second generation of guardians of the ethereal and mystical planet Kandrakar (Candracar).[4][5]
Main characters
The main characters all serve as guardians of Kandrakar. They live in the fictional town of Heatherfield.[6][7]
- Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom – 14-year-old. She is the leader of W.I.T.C.H. and the keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar.[8][9] She has red hair and brown eyes. Will moves to Heatherfield with her newly divorced mom after leaving her hometown of Fadden Hills. The Guardian of energy,[10] she can project electricity and call down lightning. She can bring electrical appliances to life, granting them distinct personalities and the ability to speak. Will also develops animal empathy, in contrast to Irma's limited mind control and Taranee's ever developing telepathic abilities. In issue 80 (Emotions) Will's half-brother William was born. Later on, William found that he is magical like Will. Her favourite theme color is Pink.
- Irma Lair – 13-year-old. She is the comedy relief of the group, often cracking jokes even in dire situations. She has auburn hair and blue eyes. The Guardian of Water, she has the power to manipulate water around her. Irma is later able to create water from thin air. She can implant mental suggestions into people's minds, and can see visions in water via hydromancy. Her favourite theme color is Turquoise (Blue in the comics).
- Taranee Cook – 13-year-old. She is Will's first friend who is also a part of the group. The Guardian of Fire, Taranee has pyrokinesis,[11] which is often triggered by rage, and her powers are known to be fierce and hard to control. She has black-blue hair and brown eyes. She is timid and bashful and has been known to be very intelligent and willing to help out in school and when W.I.T.C.H. goes into action. Taranee learned that she was adopted in issue 78. Her favourite theme color is Red.
- Cornelia Hale – 14-year-old. She is vain, but is very loyal and friendly as well. The most fashionable of the group, she often flirts with boys and is a popular girl. She has blonde hair and light blue eyes. The Guardian of Earth, she can control earthen matter such as stone, dirt, certain metals and she can manipulate the growth of plants. Cornelia later gains telekinesis and prophetic visions. Her favourite theme color is Yellow (Green in the comics).
- Hay Lin – 13-year-old. She is cheerful, creative, and sometimes enthusiastic. She is Irma's best friend and the only member of the group who can fly with her wings while transformed. She has black-purple hair and brown eyes. The Guardian of Air,[12] she can control air and wind, and can use air to manipulate sound. Hay later develops psychometry. Her favourite theme color is Blue (White in the comics).
Secondary characters
Boys
- Matt Olsen – Will's boyfriend, who sings and plays guitar for the band "Cobalt Blue". During the Trial of the Oracle story arc, he becomes aware of W.I.T.C.H., and after Will tells him of her secret, their relationship progresses. Later, during the New Powers arc, the old Oracle Himerish secretly makes him an emissary of Kandrakar and W.I.T.C.H.'s tutor for the ensuing crisis.
- Martin Tubbs – A student at Sheffield Institute and peer of the Guardians who is infatuated with Irma.
- Andrew Hornby – Irma's former boyfriend, who she tries to flirt with, but ended up turning him into a frog.
- Stephen – Irma's boyfriend as of the seventh saga. He was her boyfriend when they went to camp together. He is a member of the U18, a group of young vigilantes living and working (literally) underground. Irma later tells him about her magical powers (though not about W.I.T.C.H.), and he becomes her confidante.
- Nigel Ashcroft – A former silent and reflective member of Uriah's gang, who eventually leaves their company when he develops feelings for Taranee. He tries his best to prove to Taranee and her family (especially her mother) of his good intentions. After Taranee started spending more time at the Jensen Dance Academy and less with him, they have an argument which leads Taranee to break up with him. After the breakup, he appears as a minor character in the comics.
- Caleb – Cornelia's former boyfriend, who is leader of the rebel forces opposed to Phobos' rule and quickly gains popularity throughout Meridian. Later he becomes a denizen of Meridian under Elyon's rule.
- Peter Lancelot Cook – Taranee's brother and Cornelia's current boyfriend. He is kind and loves to spend time with his family. He enjoys sports that require physical endurance. In the past, despite Cornelia's love for Caleb, she could not help but find Peter cute (a feeling which he reciprocated), leading her to avoid him. In the course of the Ragorlang saga, Peter and Cornelia start going out more and eventually admit their love for each other.
- Eric Lyndon – Hay Lin's boyfriend, who lives at the Heatherfield Observatory with his astronomer grandfather, Zachary. He is crazy about science and technology and has a great imagination. He owns an electric scooter and loves to play basketball. Hay Lin and Eric met when she was rollerblading and ran into his motor scooter. He moves away in the fifth saga, but continues to video-chat with Hay Lin.
The Council of Kandrakar
A few members of the Council/Congregation of Kandrakar are human, such as Yan Lin, but the others are alien—as seen by the Guardians after the demise of Nerissa.[citation needed]
- The Oracle – Originally a denizen of the world of Basiliade by the name of Himerish, he is the ruler of Kandrakar and gave the girls their powers. He possesses dimension-breaching powers, but acts as a guardian for the maintenance of the balance of power and is cautious in using his abilities. Originally aloof and occasionally committing errors. In the Endarno story arc the Oracle was deposed by the devious Phobos, who had assumed his friend Endarno's identity. After he is stripped of his name and position as the Oracle and banished to Basilíade, his experience as a mortal makes him more friendly towards the Guardians after his reinstatement. When the threat of the Dark Mother becomes known, he enacts a controversial and unsuccessful plan to defeat her, due to him underestimating the villain's powers. He steps down as Oracle and gives the title to Yan Lin, who had recognized the threat. In the final chapter of the arc Magical Sovereigns, Himerish returns to Kandrakar to meet the Girls. He is invited to celebrate with the Guardians after they successfully become Magical Sovereigns.
- Yan Lin – Hay Lin's grandmother, a member of W.I.T.C.H.'s predecessors and a member of the Congregation. She is a wise and perceptive person, offering advice to the girls. She was the previous Guardian of Air and the only ex-Guardian to remain faithful to the Oracle. In her last days on Earth, Yan Lin assisted her granddaughter and her friends in becoming familiar with their magical powers and gave them the Heart of Kandrakar; with her death, she passed into the halls of Kandrakar to join the Oracle's council. At the end of the New Power series, Yan Lin becomes the new Oracle.
- Halinor – see below
- Tibor – The first Oracle's faithful advisor. He has served the Oracle for centuries, and often argues with Luba.
Minor Members
- Bolgo – An elfin old man who inquired if the Oracle recommended Kandrakar to intervene during the final battle against Phobos. He also discussed the Oracle's decision to simply wait and see "how events unfold" with other Council members, including Luba and Althor.
- Althor – An old man who resembles an elf or a dwarf who first appears asking the Oracle who should be the new Guardians, next appearing during the battle against Phobos where he listens to Bolgo when he discusses the Oracle's decision to simply wait and see "how events unfold".
- As-Sharwa – One of the oldest and wisest of the inhabitants of Kandrakar and the elected Voice of the Congregation. He has an elongated forehead tattooed with mystical runes, long gray hair and wrinkles. Representing the Council he informs the Oracle that the Congregation does not wish to use the destructive power of the Resonance, to counteract Nerissa's attacks on Kandrakar as the results might be catastrophic for Kandrakar and Nerissa. The Oracle insists that they activate the Resonance, as it may be their last hope. Below his chin is a device that might be a speech translator.
The board of Northern Lords
- Board of Northern Lords – Governing board of a cold and mountainous country north of Meridian consisting of elderly gentlemen. They have a powerful army of humans and are independent. When Elyon sends homeless ogar north and unwittingly unleashes a war council, the Guardians agree with the Lords.
- Lord Regnar – one of the youngest councillors who helps W.I.T.C.H and is committed to preserving peace.
- Lord Balder – The grand master or lord supreme council of the north. Usually compels unanimous decisions, yet when settlers arrive does not hesitate to send an emissary. He is a great friend of Lord Regnar.
Former Guardians of the Veil
The original five Guardians of the Veil many decades before W.I.T.C.H. Their first initials make up the word C.H.Y.K.N. (pronounced "Chicken"):
- Cassidy – A russet-haired woman and original Guardian of Water. She was entrusted with the Heart after Nerissa's betrayal, but was later killed by an increasingly bitter and jealous Nerissa, in retaliation, by being pushed off a cliff on Mount Thanos. Cassidy's star appeared at Will's birth, and she eventually makes a spiritual connection with Will. Cassidy, before she was killed by Nerissa, was a caring and life-loving woman who was close to her mother and has the same water-based powers as Irma.
- Halinor – The original Guardian of Fire. A blonde-haired woman and past Guardian of Fire, now deceased. She kept a diary that told of the Star of Cassidy. Like Kadma, Halinor was banished from Kandrakar for questioning the Oracle's power. She was a founding member of the Rising Star Foundation and her diary talks about the Star of Cassidy. Before she died she was best friends and inseparable from Kadma. Halinor is kindhearted, although she can be aggressive and insecure, and has the same powers as Taranee.
- Yan Lin – see above
- Kadma – The original Guardian of Earth. She and Halinor were banished from Kandrakar for questioning the Oracle's power when Nerissa killed Cassidy out of envy. She secretly guides Will through the Rising Star Foundation in Fadden Hills until Will moves to Heatherfield and becomes a Guardian. She later helps Will in series two by giving her Halinor's diary, which Eric's grandfather decodes. She helps Will by getting rid of her greedy father who wants to take Will away. Kadma resides on Earth. Even though she is no longer connected to an Auramere, she still has the same earth-based powers as Cornelia.
- Nerissa (see also below) – The original keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar and Guardian of Quintessence, the fifth element. She was gradually consumed by the Heart's mighty power, and turned against her fellow Guardians. Enraged that the Oracle had given the Heart of Kandrakar to Cassidy, she had lured her into a trap and destroyed her. She was then imprisoned in a cave on Mount Thanos and would never be released until "the five powers were united." She came to covet the Heart of Kandrakar even more, and planned to steal it from Will at any cost. W.I.T.C.H. co-creator and designer Alessandro Barbucci has stated that himself and Barbara Canepa left the project before Nerissa's concept were created.