Illustrations by Jordan Kay
Whether their abilities are innate, learned, or thrust upon them, fictional healers have long been a staple of fantasy. These six healers use physical touch, chaos magic, and even their own saliva to mend wounds and restore health.
Adora a.k.a. She-Ra (Aimee Carrero) from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Fighting for “the honor of Grayskull,” Adora transforms into She-Ra, a giant warrior woman who protects the planet Etheria. In addition to her sword skills in combat, She-Ra has the power to heal people and planets. In one of the series’ most memorable moments, Adora finally regains the ability to transform and heals Catra (AJ Michalka) with her tears—setting in motion their groundbreaking queer romance.
Grogu a.k.a. “The Child” (Various) from The Mandalorian
Way before Grogu was named onscreen, he was lovingly dubbed “Baby Yoda” by fans across the internet. When a venomous, winged reptile attacks and wounds Greef Karga (Carl Weathers), Grogu doesn’t hesitate to heal him with the Force. And he definitely would’ve tried to heal Daddy Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) in the first season finale, but he was (adorably) too sleepy after already saving the day.
Katara (Mae Whitman) from Avatar: The Last Airbender
According to firebending master Jeong Jeong (Keone Young), the element of water brings healing and life. As a waterbender, Katara manipulates water to her advantage—which can be used for good (healing) or for bad (the dark art of bloodbending). Thankfully, she mostly uses her powers for good, becoming one of the greatest healers in the world.
Raven (Tara Strong) from Teen Titans
As the daughter of Trigon, an interdimensional demon, Raven struggles with her sense of morality. Though she fights alongside the rest of the Titans and helps save the universe by defeating her father, Raven still worries that her lineage makes her innately evil. She is essentially the goth queen of darkness, and one of her greatest skills is the power to induce rapid healing by absorbing the pain of others—which is pretty selfless in our book.
Steven Universe (Zach Callison) from Steven Universe
Fictional healers are often women, or feminine-coded, healing others with water or their own tears. But Steven Universe has been lauded for subverting gender stereotypes; Steven is a great example. Like his mother, Rose Quartz (Susan Egan), he can heal others. But unlike Rose, whose healing power resides in tears, Steven’s ability works a little differently: Through a lot of trial and error, he learns that he can heal humans and Gems with his own saliva. Kind of gross, but also kind of cool.
Wanda Maximoff a.k.a. Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
MCU fans have watched her attempt to heal Vision onscreen—which may or may not count because he’s a synthezoid, not a human—but Wanda’s healing abilities are given far more attention in the comics. Through chaos magic, molecular manipulation, and healing spells, she defies physics to heal wounds and even warps reality to speed up recovery.
