Planeswalker

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In some works of fantasy, a planeswalker is a person with the ability to travel to different planes of existence.

1 Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering

In the fictional multiverse of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, a planeswalker is a powerful mage, able to travel across the planes of existence. All players are planeswalkers; non-player planeswalkers are described in Magic’s back-story (which is represented in novels, starter-deck inserts, online articles and card flavour text); and with Lorwyn the first Planeswalker cards were introduced. Only those with a rare and innate ability called the "planeswalker spark" can become planeswalkers. (The spark can be transferred from one being to another, but the process is highly dangerous and potentially fatal.) Only one individual in a million is given the spark. Even then, they must "ascend", which usually occurs spontaneously during a time of great stress (most common being a form of horrendous death, e.g., the sylex blast or its aftereffects). This ascension, as well as the extraordinary amount of power at their fingertips, drives almost all planeswalkers insane over time. In an attempt to prevent this, most planeswalkers are tutored by older ones. Wilders exist (Ravidel) but are dangerous. A planeswalker has complete control over his or her physical appearance, and does not physically need to eat, drink, sleep, or even breathe (although some, such as Urza, do these things to help preserve their sanity). Planeswalkers are very difficult to kill and can't die of natural causes, or being stabbed, or even dismembered. Planeswalkers rarely have relationships with non-planeswalkers due to their near-immortality. They know, as soon as they meet someone, that they will outlive them, and that they will have to live with the loss. Urza made two exceptions, one for Xantcha (an artificial Phyrexian human loyal to him), and Barrin the master wizard, who had learned to magically reverse and control his aging. Both Xantcha and Barrin eventually died, though not of old age. It is implied at the end of the Future Sight novel that Planeswalkers as we have known them are no more in Dominaria. Nicol Bolas remarks before 'walking to his new plane that he sense he will not be able to return from it, and after casting herself into the Otarian Rift and defeating the memory of Karona, Jeska sees that "that which is taken from the infinite" is the cause of the Rift fractures. She gives herself up to the Rift and appears to use the last of her power to bring low all other planeswalkers (much as Teferi was after containing the Shivan Rift) and return their Sparks to the Multiverse, thereby healing the fractured superstructure and sealing the rift network. This allows The Mending to begin and a new era of mortal planeswalkers such as Venser and Rhada (though her potential was wasted). It is still currently unknown if future generations can take sparks from the infinite or not. With the introduction of the planeswalker cards in the Lorwyn series, it is difficult to know if Planeswalkers like the originals still exist on other planes. Famous planeswalkers from the Magic mythos include:

The Nine Titans

In a last-ditch attempt to stymie the Phyrexian invasion of Dominaria, nine planeswalkers entered the plane of Phyrexia, in gigantic titan engines of Urza's design, to set off bombs to destroy the plane.

Others

Aaron
Alexandra
Arzakon
Austin
Dyfed
Faralyn
Fatima
Feroz
Fiers
Geyadrone Dihada
Glissa Sunseeker (She possessed the planeswalker spark, but lost it before it could be awakened in her)
Jaya Ballard
Jared Carthalion
Jeska
Kaervek
Karn
Kenan Sahrmal
Leshrac
Liana of Minorad
Manoj
Meshuvel
Parcher
Radha
Ravi
Ravidel
Sandruu
Serra
Slobad
Teferi
Venser
the unnamed dragon-planeswalker who created Phyrexia
The Elder Dragons

The elder dragons Arcades Sabboth, Chromium, Nicol Bolas, Palladia-Mors and Vaevictis Asmodai once were powerful planeswalkers. They fought a large war entitled the War of the Wyrms or the Elder Dragon Wars. They lost their spark, except Nicol Bolas, when a powerful world spell cast all other dragons to the land, creating the elder land wyrms. In the Guildpact novel, the dragon wizard and parun of the Izzet guild Niv-Mizzet battles against ancient deities called the Nephilim. When the fight seems to turn against him, he claims he has become bored with it and flees, never to be seen again. This has led some to believe that Niv-Mizzet is/was a Planeswalker and has left Ravnica (the plane where Guildpact is set) entirely.

Mistaken for planeswalkers

Though they are often confused for planeswalkers, Yawgmoth, Mishra, Memnarch, Jodah, Lim-Dûl and Marit Lage are, in fact, not.

"Gods"

Some planeswalkers are considered to be gods by the inhabitants of the planes. On the other hand it is uncertain if some of the known gods are really planeswalkers. Examples of these are:

Some characters are considered gods, but certainly aren't planeswalkers

Yawgmoth, neither god nor planeswalker
Ramos
the primeval dragons Rith, Treva, Darigaaz, Dromar and Crosis

Cards

In the 2007 expansion set Lorwyn, planeswalkers were introduced as a new card type, distinct from artifacts, creatures, enchantments, instants, sorceries and lands. A planeswalker comes into play with a number of loyalty counters (indicated in the bottom right of the card) and can use one of three abilities each turn. Each ability costs or generates loyalty. Planeswalkers cannot attack or block, but an opponent can choose to attack a planeswalker rather than its controller; each point of damage dealt to a planeswalker costs it a loyalty counter. When there are no more loyalty counters on a planeswalker, that card is put into its owner's graveyard. As of Lorwyn, five planeswalkers have been printed with one in each of Magic's five colors.