Azkadellia

Azkadellia the Sorceress is a character in the 2007 television miniseries Tin Man, played by Kathleen Robertson and Alexia Fast (as Young Azkadellia). The series is a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and includes characters that are loosely based on counterparts in Baum's original book.

History
As central villain of the series, Azkadellia lives bonded to an analogue of the Wicked Witch of the West in the original book and its film adaptation. A powerful enchantress who usurped the throne of her mother, Lavender Eyes, she rules the Outer Zone (O.Z.) with a literal iron fist. Her tyrannical rule is enforced by her Longcoat troops, who are sent to murder those who oppose her. In Tin Man, she is seeking the Emerald of the Eclipse, a magical gem whose powers she plans to harness to consolidate her rule. When she learns of the existence of D.G., a girl on the "other side" (Earth) who is prophesied to stand in her way, she sends her general and a contingent of Longcoats to go there via a "travel storm" (magical tornado) and kill her. Instead D.G. is brought to the O.Z. by the storm and begins to seek her adoptive parents.

Azkadellia reveals that she is the older sister of D.G., and tells her that they were dear friends as children. Both gifted in magic, they believed that nothing could hurt them if they stayed together. The girls would explore the woods in the lake territory of the O.Z. together, gathering apples.

One day, D.G. and "Az" found a cave in the woods from which the sound of a crying girl emanated. Venturing inside after D.G., Azkadellia lights a lantern with her magic to reveal an inscription on the cave wall, written in the picture language of the ancients. She translates the message as "At the dawn of time, good battled evil, and the light conquered over the darkness", followed by "something about an evil witch". Going further into the cave, they hear the girl's crying from inside a giant stone head. They crawl through its mouth and find a young girl who transforms into a menacing old woman. The old woman attacks, frightening D.G. into letting go of Az's hand and allowing her to seize and possess Az. D.G. flees back to their mother, crying, and sees Az approaching. Their mother asks Az whether she is all right, and the girl replies, "I've never felt better", but on her back there appears a symmetric bat-like marking.

After D.G. finds their father, he reveals that D.G. is directly descended via her mother from Dorothy Gale, her "greatest great-grandmother" and the "first slipper" who traveled from Earth to the O.Z. Azkadellia is thus also an apparent distant descendant of Dorothy, an apparition of whom gives D.G. the emerald. Before D.G. can escape with it, Azkadellia takes the emerald from her and emtombs her in a sarcophagus of green marble within Dorothy's mausoleum. As the eclipse of both suns of the O.Z. nears totality, Azkadellia uses the emerald's power to attempt to lock the eclipse in place, putting the O.Z. under permanent darkness. Ultimately, D.G. frees Azkadellia of her possession and joins with her against the wicked witch, shielding them against her attack until D.G.'s companions are able to reverse the Sun Seeder pulse, causing her to melt.

Abilities
As an adult, Azkadellia bears six markings on her chest similar to the one that appeared on her back after her possession. She is able to animate them as Mobats (winged monkeys) and send them on errands. Among her other formidable powers of dark sorcery are the ability to drain life force mouth-to-mouth, which she employs against her Longcoat general when D.G. escapes him and enters the O.Z., and later against the Mystic Man, a former leader of Central City, for his resistance.

Azkadellia exhibits great magical power which her mother identifies as hereditary, although the Mystic Man claims that D.G. is more powerful. She is able to teleport herself and others at will, and once shrinks her father to fit in the palm of her hand.

Az enjoyed a special magical rapport with her little sister D.G. As a pre-teen girl, she was able to help D.G. control a spinning doll and calm a wild bear who charges them. This rapport endures through their adulthood.

Relationships
In addition to her Longcoat army, Azkadellia has many henchmen, who address her as Sorceress. She is able to command and converse with her Mobats, at least one of which is named: the leader, Zora. She has also enslaved several members of the race of Viewers, to which D.G.'s companion Raw belongs. Viewers are anthropomorphic empaths that she employs as seers. Azkadellia keeps her underlings under constant threat of reprisal. She shows no compunction about killing her general for his incompetence, promoting another henchman named Zero replaces him. She recruits D.G.'s tutor, the shapeshifting magician "Toto", by keeping him imprisoned for 15 years and offering him freedom in exchange for his defection. She controls the Mystic Man by means of his addiction to the inhalants she provides him with.

As usurper of the O.Z. from her mother, its former queen, Azkadellia has assumed dominion over it. Fugitives from her tyrannical rule, including her own father, have gone underground, seeking refuge in places such as the Realm of the Unwanted. Her mother is kept permanently imprisoned and allowed to nurse a glimmer of hope, so that, as Azkedellia vows, one day she can watch that hope die. She views her father, and initially her sister, with contempt.

As children, Azkadellia and her sister were inseparable. Even when D.G. charged headlong into danger, Az would follow, merely complaining that "your adventures have a habit of getting me into trouble."

The Evil Witch of the Dark who possesses Azkadellia converses aloud with her, promising that she will never abandon her host. This conversation also indicates that they maintain separate and distinct personalities, as is later demonstrated when D.G. confronts Azkadellia. In that contest, D.G. reminds Azkadellia of her intelligence, compassion, and courage. Azkadellia's physical body separates from the spectral form of the old witch, taking the emerald she wears with it. Once evicted from Az, the old woman says "Have the little witch! I care not, for the heavens do my bidding!" and attacks the sisters.

Portrayal and Critical Reception
Azkadellia's character fills a role roughly analogous to that of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, though she is shown to be possessed by a separate character called "the Evil Witch of the Dark" in this miniseries and Tin Man is implied to have occurred many years after Dorothy Gale first came to Oz. The original Wicked Witch was portrayed by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 film.

Some critics have praised Robertson's portrayal of Azkadellia as "delightfully campy". Robertson herself has said that she deliberately portrayed Azkadellia as a quiet menace, self-restrained rather than gregarious. "It's a very daunting prospect when you're asked to play one of the most iconic film villainesses in history," the actress said. "As opposed to playing Azkadellia archetypal and loud, I played her internal and psychological. She's narcissistic. She has every personality disorder that you can figure."