Creation

Simon Magus was created by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross for the Astro City: The Dark Age series. Busiek describes Simon as a magician who was kind of psychedelic and trippy, but also was kind of a self-centered, sexist jerk. He was called Simon Magus after the biblical figure Simon Magus, who was also fairly self-centered. The character, as Busiek described it, was essentially "John Lennon as Aleister Crowley as Doctor Strange". His transformation into the Green Man could be seen as an homage to Swamp Thing, even as far as downright having his facial appearance reminiscent of Alan Moore.

Major Story Arcs

Simon Magus was an enigmatic sorcerer from Europe who moved to Astro City in 1972 with his assistant Grimoire to Shadow Hill, stating that a time of strife was coming and Astro City would be at the center of it. Simon was a big-shot and reputed magician who handled magical threats in Astro City, such as stopping Blue Knight, who was possessed by an ancient vengeful spirit trying to be reborn, consulting the police in some notable cases past few years, and among other mystical-related problems he would face and deal with over the years as the sorcerer.

He became a recurrent figure and began to appear variety of television interviews, relishing being in the spotlight. He also warned the First Family when they discovered an ancient artifact called the Innocent Gun and freed it from its hidden resting place, to which he reacted strongly it and told none must ever wield it or use it. His last sorcery was when he cast a powerful spell that seemingly made him disappear, and he was thought to have died during the spell.

But in actuality, he didn't die but instead he merged with the Earth's biosphere itself, and was transformed into the Green Man, a giantatic plant-like entity who deals with amnesia as he forgot his previous life and who he was back then, he rose outside the E.N.G.I.N.E. base that was creating genetically modified plant-based troopers, their births and deaths drew close to him to the area, that's where he encounters Royal Willaims who was on a mission to get his revenge for killing he and his brother Charles' parents, he sensed Royal's vendetta and warned him that he would be lost forever in darkness and it's depths if he continued the path he's going.

In the mid-eighties, it was later revealed that his former assistant, now turned sorcereress Grimoire, wrote a book that was revealed that she was the real power, and he just channeled it, that she was merely used as an spellbook by Simon to withdraw the power from her through sexual mysticism, reducing her to nothing but just being his magical conduit to attend to him whenever he needs or ask for a mystical recharge.

At the time in the seventies, the general public judged him to be someone who liked being in the spotlight and center stage, to the point some viewed him as a bit of an egotistical showman.

He was the instrumental key to warn and predict the presence of the Incarnate on Earth during the mid-seventies, and he warned the heroes of the eventual coming of the Pale Horseman in the mid-eighties.

Powers and Abilities

Simon was incredibly adept in the mystic arts and sorcery, ranging from casting spells, performing magical feats no other was capable of, levitating, phasing, and telepathically communicating with everyone, he was considered a big-shot magician and often listened to whenever he warned them of any potential threats or any mystical-related dilemmas, he carried a sword-cane that could've been used for gutting and other needs, he also carried a simple, stark amulet with an owl-designed pentagram on it. Needless to say, he was a powerful sorcerer.