A fortune teller working from a store in New York City, Madame Xanadu is the alias of Nimue Inwudu, an elderly blind lady with strong affinity to the arcane arts. She plied her trade, predicting the future to paying customs through the medium of crystal balls, palm reading and tarot cards. She was a friend of Traci Thirteen and her mother Meihui Lan.She acted as Traci's mentor with magic, teaching her how to use tarot cards to not only predict the future, but to teleport her to such events.
She was the sister to Morgana (Morgaine le Fey), fighting her in a magical battle which resulted in her loss. The strain of the duel impacted heavily on her life, causing her to slowly die. She had been living for around one thousand years.
"This is the World we Live In"Greeting Traci Thirteen as she entered her emporium, she wondered if the teenager had had another fight with her father, remarking that the only time she did come to visit was when the remaining thirteen family were arguing, referring to herself as an "old crone." Flattered by her words, she dismissed Traci's optimism about her living a long life, explaining the consequences of her battle with Morgana.
Sympathising with Traci, Xanandu asked what she had been thinking about, listening as the former expressed her fears that the world was going to hell with no one there to save it. Reassuring them that their were - no matter "hard to find" - she used her crystal ball to project images of the Second World War, the arrival of an alien being that destroyed Metropolis, and the assassination that ended the union of Atlantis and Themyscira before it could happen. She added that there was too much conflict in the world for their to be any more between Traci and her father. Receiving a hug from the fifteen year old, she told her to go back home and make up with Doctor Thirteen, expressing her belief that she had been given much wisdom over the course of her lifetime.
Wishing her friend farewell, she began to bleed from her eyes, flipping over a face down tarot to reveal it to be the Death. Sensing what she had just picked, she mused that "the end is at hand."
"This is the World we Made"
Arriving back in New York, she was found by Traci dying on the floor of her parlour to the young girl's shock and despair. Inwudu begged her not to speak so loud, jokingly stating that her immortality had run out, seeing "Death staring back" from the future. She comforted the begging youth, telling her that she has no clue how powerful her magic actually was, adding that she was "connected to the Earth." However she went on to remind her that no Homo Magi or alien was capable of cheating the natural progression of life. When asked why she had not tried to change the future upon seeing her own demise, she noted that the future can change without warning, a fact that both she and Meihui had accepted.
As a final request, she ordered Traci to stand against her father and ensure he and the H.I.V.E Council did not use the laser from the orbital satellite to destroy both New Themyscira and Atlantis. In her final gasps of breath, she declared that Traci was strong enough to do anything she put her mind to, both in this reality and others. Pointing her to the tarot card of "The Hermit" she added that Traci take up the cards and use them to learn a fresh perspective of the world, one in which she might be able to use to dissuade her father from slaughtering millions. She died in Traci's arms moments later.
Appearances:
- "This is the World we Live In" (First Appearance)
- "This is the World we Made"
- "This is the World we Hope For" (Final Appearance/ Flashback Only)
