Caretaker (Sara) (Earth-22145)

Caretaker
Name	Sara
Current Alias	Caretaker
Affiliation and Relationships
Relatives	Siblings: Lilith (sister) Spouses: Agatha Harkness (partner, deceased) Children: Hunter (nibling / adopted child) Family-in-Law: Gregor Maar (brother-in-law, deceased)
Marital Status	Widowed
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Female
Eyes	Irises: Blue
Hair	Grey-haired, originally Blond
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Blood
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-22145
Place of Birth	Transia
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Occupation	Sorceress
Base of Operations	The Abbey, Salem, Massachusetts
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Zach Bush, Scott Wittbecker, Rony Kahana, Shanon Ingles, Patrick Kevin Day, Matthew Garcia-Dunn
First	Marvel's Midnight Suns: Prequel Shorts S1E01 (October 31, 2022)
First	Marvel's Midnight Suns: Prequel Shorts S1E01 (October 31, 2022)

History

From Transia to Salem

Sara in her prime

Sara and her sister Lilith were the last of the immortal Blood, a lineage descendent from the Elder Gods themselves. The two were born in Transia and became powerful witches, fighting against Chthon since the Iron Age. In 1689 they were contacted by witches of Salem who were being persecuted by the preacher called Hiram Shaw. After sending them the Moon Seal for protection, the sister magically relocated the entire Abbey which they were living in to Salem from the shadow of the Wundagore Mountain. They found that the Moon Seal did not bring the witches the protection it should have, and several have been killed already. Sara and Lilith continue to work against Shaw for years with little success, having lost the coven of witches to the townsfolk under Shaw's influence.

The Betrayal

Sara fights her sister.

In 1693 Lilith had fallen in love with Gregor Maar, and by 1694 the two were married and expecting a child, as a union of a Blood with a mortal was not only morally wrong to her, but dangerous as well. In early November, Gregor died from the illness that was spreading through Salem. Lilith's newborn child fell ill as well, and she went to confront Shaw, discovering that he was reading from the Darkhold. She informed Sara, and together they battled Shaw, sealing him away to rot and die. However, Lilith had taken the Darkhold in a desperate attempt to save her child by making a deal with Chthon. Sara discovered her, and the two sisters fought, with Sara prevailing and banishing Lilith from the Abbey, which was sealed against her. But Sara could not bring herself to abandon the child and took it to raise as her own, becoming the Caretaker.

Agatha and Sara with their Hound Charlie

Mere weeks later, Agatha Harkness arrived at the Abbey, having sensed the magic in the child of magic, whom Sara named Hunter. Agatha stayed, and she and Sara fell in love, Sara now finding herself in the same position for which she had derided her sister before. The two of them raised Hunter together, and considered them their child. The Hunter was told of her mother and was raised and trained as a weapon against her. Sara used her ancestral power to fashion an orichalcum collar to protected the Hunter from darkness, which greatly diminished her own magic abilities. As they came of age, Hunted joined the Midnight Suns - Jeremiah Kaine, Endra Moor, Will Walker, and Yelena Nicovich as a force to stand against Lilith. Together, they confronted Lilith as she was reading from the Darkhold. All of them have perished, including Hunter who was able to kill Lilith. They were buried and commemorated on the Abbey grounds, which was further moved into a pocket dimension for protection.

Afterwards, Agatha and Sara stayed together, keeping each other company for over three centuries. In the 1980s they were attacked by the Salem Seven, Agatha's grandchildren by Nicholas Scratch who felt that Agatha had betrayed witchkind by choosing to live among the humans and intended to drag her over to New Salem by force. Wolverine, who was staying at the Abbey at the time, helped the women keep the Salem Seven at bay long enough for Agatha to cast a spell that banished them.

The New Midnight Suns

Caretaker begins assembling the new team.

In the 2020s Lilith was brought back to life by Hydra, and the Prophecy of the Midnight Suns heralded the return of Chthon. Sara decided to assemble the new Midnight Suns against this threat, beginning with Agatha's pupil Wanda Maximoff who felt the pressure of replacing the Hunter as the one to stand against Lilith. Agatha directed Wanda to the Magik of the X-Men and tasked Wanda with recruiting her, while Sara and Logan watched from the sides. Caretaker and Magik then recruited Robbie Reyes and Blade, who was already well familiar with Sara. The team was completed by the addition of Nico Minoru, as all five were direct counterparts of the original Midnight Suns: a vampire hunter, a Spirit of Vengeance, two witches with the dark past and a Chosen One to oppose Lilith directly.

Caretaker recruits the new Ghost Rider.

As the team was settling in and training for the fight to come, Wanda was feeling the pressure and was eager to push the limits her magic and explore the Abbey grounds. However, several areas of the Abbey grounds have been sealed by Caretaker using Words of Power accessible only to the descendants of the Blood and protected by the Moon Seals. Wanda's experiments with those proved disastrous, as one of the Moon Seals explored and vaporized Agatha without a trace. Though Wanda was not directly at fault, Caretaker still resented her and sent Wanda away to apprentice under Doctor Strange, something the other Suns disapproved of.

The Hunter Returns

Caretaker is reunited with Hunter.

The Avengers arrived at the Abbey and encountered the Midnight Suns. Tension rose until Caretaker intervened to prevent hostilities. After Doctor Strange explained how dire the situation had become, he and Caretaker agreed on what needed to be done. They entered Hunter's tomb and began a resurrection spell. It triggered an unexpected reaction from Hunter's Collar, alarming Caretaker, but Nico stepped forward and successfully completed the resurrection. The Hunter reunited with Caretaker, noticing that she had aged considerably and stunned to discover that centuries had passed. Before they could be brought up to speed, the Mirror Table indicated that Wanda was in danger at the Sanctum Sanctorum. Strange couldn't create a direct portal because of Lilith's mystical interference, so Caretaker offered for Magik to forge a pathway through Limbo instead. Sara herself stayed at the Abbey, guiding the team through the comms remotely.

The Sanctum was taken by Lilith, with Wanda still inside. Hunter fought Venom and was close to dying again on the same day they came back, saved only by intervention of Spider-Man. Back at the Abbey, Caretaker berated Hunter for taking unnecessary risks. Hunter went to sleep, and was awoken by Charlie enthusiastic licking their face just before Caretaker entered to apologize, explaining her fear of seeing Hunter injured again. That night, Caretaker and Hunter spoke, and Sara revealed what had happened to Agatha and asked Hunter to pay respect at her shrine. The following day, Caretaker emphasized the necessity of tracking down Venom to help Spider-Man after he had saved the Hunter from certain doom.

Fractured Teams

Caretaker banishes Wanda for the second time.

The Midnight Suns strongly disapproved of both Caretaker and the Avengers for not doing anything to rescue Wanda and decided to take matters into their own hands. Nico stole a book from her with a spell that could potentially track Wanda, but the incantation was disrupted, and Nico, Magik, and Hunter were sucked through a portal. Hours later, they tumbled out back at the Abbey having barely escaped Fallen Scarlet Witch, who had been corrupted by Lilith into her servant. Pursuing them, Wanda forcibly reopened the portal, pushing herself through while Magik struggled to close it. Caretaker appeared and managed to drive Wanda back, sealed the portal, and stormed off, visibly distressed. The Avengers engaged in a heated discussion as Tony and Carol expressed their frustration while Steve tried to help them understand that the girls were merely attempting to rescue their friend. Later, the Hunter encountered Venom again while on a mission and attempted to cure them, only to fail and be rendered unconscious.

Caretaker at Hunter's bed.

When Hunter woke up days later, Caretaker seated beside their bed explained that they needed to counteract the volatile effect of Venom's combined alien and mystical energies before another confrontation. She and Nico engaged in a heated argument about Nico's wish to attempt a spell she believed could purify Lilith's corruption, which Caretaker adamantly prohibited, declaring it impossible. Caretaker disclosed that Johnny Blaze served as guardian of the Parchment of Power, the final page of the Darkhold. Magik and Captain America expressed frustration with Caretaker for concealing this from the rest of the team. Caretaker defended the decision, explaining that the Spirits of Vengeance had served as the Parchment's secret guardians for centuries, and that this secrecy had successfully kept it from the enemy throughout that time.

Caretaker confided in Hunter that their efforts were failing and blamed herself for that. Despite having three teams at the Abbey, they were pursuing their own separate agendas rather than working together. She mourned Agatha's absence and apologized for her behavior without Agatha's support, convening a team meeting. Caretaker started by acknowledging her uncertainty regarding full attendance and indicating this as the very reason for the meeting. She emphasized that while she and Hunter battled the Mother of Demons, the others remained entangled in trivial disputes. Caretaker highlighted how Lilith and her followers maintained unity, stressing the absolute need for everyone present to align their efforts in a common direction. Steve suggested that Hunter should lead them, and they accepted the responsibility.

Reunions

Against Sara's wishes, Nico learned a spell from The Book of Thoth that could purify Lilith's corruption and taught it to Hunter. During one of their missions, Hunter was able to utilize it and restore Wanda, bringing her back to the Abbey. Caretaker admitted to Hunter that she was wrong in doubting Wanda's potential for salvation.

Caretaker prepares to strike as Wanda returns.

When a memento of Agatha disappeared from her room, Caretaker tracked it with magic to the Altar, where she found Wanda, Hunter, the Midnight Suns, Doctor Strange and Logan performing Sara's own Gray Seneschal ritual on Agatha's spirit. She angrily rushed forward, breaking the protective boundary and triggering a flash of red energy around Agatha, who was possessed by Mephisto. He offered to release Agatha in exchange for Illyana, but Magik cast a spell that expelled Mephisto from Agatha's spirit and banished him, binding Agatha's spirit to the Abbey and making her visible for all present. Caretaker and Agatha then had a heartfelt reunion.

Together, Hunter and Wanda were able to purge Bruce Banner from Lilith's corruption. Caretaker congratulated this accomplishment while warning Hunter about the irreparable nature of their increasingly damaged collar - crafted with the last of Sara's ancestral powers and therefore irreplaceable.

Weapon of the Gods

Caretaker felt relief after being reunited with Agatha.

The next day, everyone observed the ominous green sky outside as Doctor Strange announced the prophecy's impending fulfillment and Caretaker added that Chthon approached their dimension. Sara explained to Agatha that she was reminded of her sister's mortality. Caretaker expressed regret at failing Hunter in their first battle against Lilith, acknowledging Hunter as her only child, and promising not to lose them again. Agatha affirmed that she and Sara considered Hunter their child, revealing decades of inconsolable grief following Hunter's death.

Strange revealed to Hunter that the Godkiller blade recovered on a recent mission contained a fragment of Chthon himself. Caretaker confirmed her suspicions about the blade's origin, though Strange suggested Lilith might intend to use it to complete Chthon rather than destroy him. Hunter consulted Agatha about the Godkiller, who shared her findings that "only Chthon can kill Chthon". Everyone prepared to depart for a final confrontation with Lilith, Lilith revealed that her intention was not to free Chthon but to destroy him. The Godkiller was used to stab Darkhold, banishing Chthon once more, though Lilith and Hunter were both trapped inside the book itself.

Caretaker and others researching a way to find Hunter.

In the aftermath, Wanda, Agatha, Doctor Strange, and Caretaker immersed themselves in various mystical tomes and ancient documents, expressing frustration as they discovered little information regarding events following the Prophecy of the Midnight Sun's fulfillment. Caretaker was convinced that Hunter and Lilith's story remained unfinished, noting that their extraordinary bond shared had already transcended death before.

Attributes

Powers

• Sorcery: Sara is a powerful sorceress with thousands of years of knowledge and experience. She is powerful enough to create her own dimensions, can project her wishes to Limbo and can reach the Sorcerer Supreme on the Astral Plane even when he wishes not to be disturbed.

Notes

• Voiced by Vanessa Marshall.

See Also

• 6 appearance(s) of Caretaker (Sara) (Earth-22145)
• 28 image(s) of Caretaker (Sara) (Earth-22145)
• 1 quotation(s) by or about Caretaker (Sara) (Earth-22145)