WARNING: The following contains spoilers for "The Phantom and the Sorceress," the eighth episode of DuckTales third season, which aired Sept. 21 on Disney XD
After being introduced as one of the most powerful forces in the world of DuckTales, Magica De Spell was promptly defeated and depowered. But while a hero was able to achieve her ultimate form, Magica took the opportunity to become a genuine threat again.
Now, "The Phantom and the Sorceress" sees Lena embrace her magical powers and achieve a now enchanted form, while Magica De Spell reclaims her amulet, restoring her own magical powers.
Magica and Lena were intrinsically tied together, as revealed in the first season of DuckTales. Magica was one of Scrooge McDuck's greatest enemies and spent over a decade trapped within Scrooge's "number one dime." But before she was trapped within the coin, she was able to create a small vessel of her consciousness in the form of a young woman named Lena. Made partly of shadowy magic, Lena was able to claim Magica's magical amulet and escaped into the shadows, biding her time until she could strike back at Scrooge and try to claim the coin -- with which she could free Magica from her prison. Lena eventually found a way to infiltrate the McDuck family through a friendship with Webby, manipulating her into giving her access to the mansion and potentially the dime.
However, the pretend friendship developed into an actual one, and Lena decided against helping Magica. Magica was forced to take control of Lean's body to finally force her to facilitate her escape. Lena was seemingly destroyed in the following battle with Magica, but she was revealed to be made of pure magic and survived -- eventually having her physical form restored in the second season. Meanwhile, Magica escaped and went into hiding (minus her magical powers), attacking a restored Lena in a failed bid to reclaim her amulet and restore her own powers. Magica has been in hiding since the conclusion of the second season, but the arrival of the magic-stealing Phantom Blot forces Lena, Webby, Violet and Gladstone Gander to go to Magica for help in training Lena to fight him.
Thanks to a mix of her training and drawing upon her emotions for her friends, Lena is actually able to stand up to the Phantom Blot and his magic-stealing gauntlet. In fact, by finally embracing the true source of her power, Lena goes through a transformation. The streak in her hair becomes a light blue, and she manifests a blue bodysuit, reminiscent of something Sailor Moon or Doctor Strange would wear. Her magic takes on a blue hue, and she's even able to destroy the gauntlet herself. This is a huge boost in power for Lena, as she proves by defeating an enemy that even Magica in her prime had difficulty contending with. This is a massive upgrade for the hero and should give the McDuck family a heroic sorcerer to call upon going forward.
However, while Phantom Blot makes his escape and Lena celebrates with her friends, Magica is able to reach her amulet, which quickly imbues her with mystical energies again and transforms back into a staff. Her feathers changing back to an enchanted green from her natural white, Magica quickly attacks Lena -- only being stopped by Lena's quick-thinking and use of her own powers. Although Lena makes it clear that she has no patience for Magica anymore and leaves her in the swamp alone and with her staff lost, this still means that one of DuckBurg's biggest threats is empowered once more. Magica could easily resume her vendetta against Scrooge with her powers restored, and in a season where the heroes are already on the unknowingly contending with F.O.W.L. it could be the final straw.