| Earth Witch | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
| Real Name | Ana Cortez |
| Aliases | La Brujita de la Tierra (Earth Witch) |
| Gender | Female |
| Class | Ace |
| Wild Card Traits | Geokinesis |
| Social Information | |
| Occupation | Aid worker |
| Event Participant | American Hero |
| Base of Operations | New York City |
| Affiliations | The Committee, Team Hearts |
| Relatives | Roberto (brother), Manuel (father), Susana (mother), Inez (grandmother) |
| Allies | Curveball |
| Origin | |
| First Appearance | Inside Straight |
| Creator | Carrie Vaughn |
Earth Witch is a fictional character in the Wild Cards series of books.
History[]
Ana's card turned when she was a toddler. When she was four her mother drew the black queen while giving birth to her brother Roberto. Initially she was known for digging small holes as a child, but when her talent grew, her father started hiring her out for more extensive digging and landscaping work. Eventually she dropped out of high school to work for a New Mexico drilling company before trying out for American Hero at the suggestion of her brother.
Although her participation in the reality TV show was largely successful, she was not among the forerunners to win, and she eventually sided with a number of contestants who abandoned the show to go to Egypt in a bid to do something about the joker genocide happening there. The manufactured drama of Hollywood quickly gave way to the perils of life in a war zone, and Ana was taken out of the fight by a gunshot to her abdomen, which saw her travel back to her old home in New Mexico for some much-needed time to recuperate.
It was during this period that she learned that her grandmother, a joker who had passed on the wild card to her, was still alive in Mexico. A visit to Mexico did much to help Ana's person soul-searching, and the two days she spent with her grandmother did much to heal her emotional state. Ana soon returned to her friends as part of the newly-formed Committee, and embarked on a career as an aid worker for the United Nations.
Wild Card Traits[]
Earth Witch has the ability to shift earth and sand with her mind. She can manipulate mud to a degree, but her control is diminished if there is more water than mud. Although use of her power is draining, she is capable of digging deep holes, wide trenches, sense and slightly lessen earthquakes, or even raising the soil into simplistic structures (usually towers or mounds). Although it initially seems like a second or third rate power, with practice she develops impressive combat abilities, able to bury entire armies under the earth, or to raise walls to protect herself and others.
Appearance[]
A Hispanic woman born in 1986, Ana was 21 when she went on American Hero.
Personality[]
Ana is uneasy about her power, but over the course of the first season of American Hero she becomes more confident in her abilities and learns to better utilize them. She has been shown as experiencing extreme guilt after using her powers to bury enemy combatants.
Trivia[]
- Ana is Catholic and wears a medallion of St. Barbara, the patron saint of ditch diggers and geologists.
- Founding member of the Committee.
Selected Reading[]
- Wild Cards Volume XVIII: Inside Straight 2008 - The Committee Trilogy
- Wild Cards Volume XIX: Busted Flush 2009 - The Committee Trilogy
- Wild Cards Volume XX: Suicide Kings 2010 - The Committee Trilogy
- Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza 2014 - a short story from Carrie Vaughn, published on Tor.com.
- Wild Cards Volume XXII: Lowball 2015
- Wild Cards Volume XXIII: High Stakes 2016
- Wild Cards Volume XXX: Full House 2022
References[]
- Character Bio - http://www.wildcardsbooks.com/img_character/earthwitch-pop.ht