Zatanna Zatara

She speaks the world backwards, and the world obeys.

Zatanna Zatara is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, first appearing in Hawkman #4 (November 1964). She is depicted as a renowned sorceress belonging to the fictional Homo magi race, a subset of humans with innate potential to manipulate magic. She is the daughter of Giovanni Zatara and Sindella, the former a renowned stage magician and sorcerer whom she models herself after. Zatanna balances her life as an international celebrity stage magician and superhero, serving as a mystic consultant and a notable member of teams such as the Justice League, Justice League Dark, and the Sentinels of Magic. Within the DC Universe, she is often regarded as one of the most powerful magic users—a woman who can warp reality with a backward-spoken word and a flick of her fishnets.

Quick Facts

Character name

Zatanna

Publisher

DC Comics

Debut

Hawkman #4 (November 1964)

Creators

Gardner Fox (writer); Murphy Anderson (artist)

Species

Homo magi

Homeworld

San Francisco, California

Alliances

Justice League Dark
Justice League
Sentinels of Magic
Seven Soldiers
Lords of Chaos

Partners

Doctor Fate (various)
John Constantine
Batman
Wonder Woman
Black Canary
Swamp Thing
The Flash
Raven

Lore & Background

Zatanna Zatara inherited her magical abilities from her father, Giovanni Zatara, a renowned stage magician and sorcerer whom she models herself after. Her mother, Sindella, was a Homo magi whose lineage connects her to the royal line of Atlantis. In her original origin, Zatanna was born to human Giovanni Zatara and Homo magi Sindella, inheriting her mother's natural affinity for magical powers. Six months after her birth, her mother disappeared and was presumed dead, leaving Zatanna to be raised by her father.

Growing up as a stage magician with genuine magical powers, Zatanna later saw her father mysteriously vanish, prompting her to travel the globe perfecting her craft while hunting for clues to his whereabouts. In a distant future, she gives birth to a son in another universe named Jacob Zatara. The character is depicted as one of DC Comics' most well-regarded supernatural superheroes—a top-hatted enchantress who commands demons, bends dimensions, and still finds time for a standing ovation.

Reader's Guide

Zatanna Zatara is depicted as a renowned sorceress belonging to the fictional Homo magi race, a subset of humans endowed with innate potential to manipulate magic. She is the daughter of Giovanni Zatara and Sindella, the former a renowned stage magician and sorcerer whom she models herself after, and the latter whose lineage connects her to the royal line of Atlantis. Zatanna wields her power by speaking incantations backward—a verbal key that unlocks reality's hidden seams. She serves as a mystic consultant for the Justice League and leads the supernatural strike team Justice League Dark, often trading quips with John Constantine and trading spells with the Phantom Stranger.

Did You Know?

Zatanna has appeared in the DC Animated Universe voiced by Julie Brown and Jennifer Hale, and in Smallville portrayed by Serinda Swan.
Younger versions of Zatanna appear in Young Justice and Justice League Action voiced by Lacey Chabert, and DC Super Hero Girls voiced by Kari Wahlgren.