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Elisa Nichelle[1] Maza is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Goliath) of Gargoyles. She is a detective, second class (badge number 16123) in the New York City Police Department's 23rd Precinct[2] and the only human member of the Manhattan Clan.
Overview

Elisa's Badge.
Elisa first encounters the gargoyles while investigating a series of disturbances at a castle newly placed atop a skyscraper belonging to billionaire David Xanatos. Goliath's sudden appearance while Elisa is investigating the castle shocks her into falling over the battlements, and Goliath swoops down to rescue her. The two develop a bond almost immediately, first connecting through their shared duty to "protect and serve." Their friendship, and the mutual romantic attraction that grows over time, quickly make Elisa a trusted ally to the clan—the protector of the protectors. Elisa's role as a police detective helps the Manhattan Clan determine that their new role in the world is to protect the citizens of Manhattan.
Elisa lives with her pet cat, Cagney, in a top-level apartment in SoHo with a balcony and a large window that provides easy access for the gargoyles when they visit. Though she doesn't live with them, she is considered a member of the Manhattan Clan, both by herself and by the gargoyles. Her relationship with the clan—especially Goliath—makes her the avowed enemy of Goliath's genocidal former mate, Demona.
Character development
A strong, female, human lead was a part of the Gargoyles universe's conception since the development of Goliath as the gargoyle protagonist. Much as Xanatos began as a descendant or reincarnation of the prototypical Avalon Clan Magus or Archmage character, Elisa was originally conceived as the reincarnation of the character that would later become Princess Katharine. This idea did not last, but the character endured as a potential love interest and equal for Goliath.
Elisa was originally designed as a Hispanic woman with the surname of Chavez. When Salli Richardson was cast as Elisa's voice actor, the character's race and ethnicity were adapted to match hers: Elisa became half African American and half Native American, which suited the show's allegory of human intolerance for gargoyles representing racial prejudice. Her last name was changed to Maza, which the creators mistakenly believed to be a Sioux word for "iron"[3] and therefore well suited to the character's strong will. The name Chavez was later used for Elisa's NYPD captain.
Characteristics

Family Portrait.
Elisa is a born and bred New Yorker of mixed heritage—African American on her mother's side and Native American on her father's side. Her police training (including both physical combat and a facility with weapons) and her quick-wittedness allow her to hold her own against almost any adversary. One stand-out moment of her quick thinking occurs when Broadway turns to stone mid-flight during a battle with Macbeth. With only a few seconds to save her friend and obviously unable to catch him herself, Elisa shoots at the cable of a nearby crane to make it spill its cargo of crated rugs in order to create a soft landing for the gargoyle. The following night, Goliath praises her as a miracle for accomplishing such an astounding feat to save Broadway. ("The Price")
Elisa doesn't take anything at face value. She's down to earth and skeptical of certain things until she sees them with her own eyes, despite all the strange happenings in her life. Elisa probably has a background in Christianity from her mother but may have styled her own beliefs more after her agnostic father's. The stories her mother told her from African myths and legends have also stayed with her.
Elisa's quick acceptance of the gargoyles demonstrates her ability to look beyond surface appearances and see the beauty and goodness beneath their fearsome appearance. More generally, she is kindhearted and strong-willed and, like the gargoyles, tends to put the needs of others before her own. But Elisa also has her flaws. She is stubborn, and she can be secretive, especially when it comes to telling otherwise-trusted friends and family members about the gargoyles. She tries for a long time to ignore her true feelings for Goliath, which causes heartbreak for both of them. Nevertheless, she always does the right thing in the end.
Elisa wears a red leather jacket, a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. She drives a classic red car that may be inspired, in part, by the Ford Fairlane.[4]
History
Elisa is one of several members of the NYPD who appear at the Eyrie Building when debris rains down from above the clouds. During her investigations, Elisa meets Goliath when he startles her into toppling off the castle's battlements. Goliath rescues her and, shortly thereafter, she introduces Manhattan to Goliath and prompts Hudson to take his name from the river.[5]
Elisa's relationship with the clan grows, and she quickly becomes their most trusted ally in the modern world. Unfortunately, not all of her adventures with the clan come without a cost, as when Broadway accidentally shoots her with her own gun.[6] Later, Xanatos hires a geneticist, Dr. Anton Sevarius, to mutate her brother, Derek Maza, and three other individuals into gargoyle-like creatures called the Mutates.[7]
In December of 1995, Elisa leaves with Goliath, Bronx, and Tom for the magical island of Avalon. There, she meets the Avalon Clan, including Angela, who joins them on their journeys back to the island of Manhattan.[8]
Eventually, Elisa engages in a brief romantic relationship with Jason Conover, who is, in reality, the Hunter Jason Canmore. During a battle with the Hunters, Goliath accidentally knocks Elisa from a dam, fails to catch her, and believes she has died. Elisa eventually manages to convince Jason that the hunt is unjust and should be abandoned, and when these tumultuous events are settled, she and Goliath reunite and share their first kiss.[9] Despite this, believing that she and Goliath cannot possibly share a life together, Elisa urges Goliath to take Delilah, from the Labyrinth clan, on a date. Elisa's co-worker Morgan Morgan asks her out, and she accepts.[10] Both of the newly-formed couples attend the Xanatos's party, where Elisa reaffirms her decision that she and Goliath should remain apart.[11] But when Thailog attacks and nearly kills Goliath, Elisa and Goliath both realize it's "pointless to supress their feelings"[12] and re-establish their bond.[13]
Future
Elisa and Goliath will have a commitment ceremony of some sort, probably by 1999, and will eventually raise a child (most likely adopted) together. Greg Weisman confirmed at the 2004 Gathering that it is from this adopted child that Nicholas Natsilane Maza will be descended. By 2198, Elisa will be dead, though of what cause is unknown. Upon her death, the Manhattan Clan will give her a Wind Ceremony as a member of the Clan.
Relationships
Goliath

Elisa is most closely associated with Goliath. Her relationship with the noble gargoyle, despite their different species, was the series' backbone, and Hudson noticed it building.[5] Despite this, the relationship was never rushed: for much of the series, only Demona behaved as though aware of the unspoken tie between Elisa and Goliath. Demona's jealousy and hatred for humanity would lead her to fixate upon Elisa.
A major turning point in the series was the episode "The Mirror". In this episode, a magic spell briefly transforms Elisa into a gargoyle. Elisa, who by this time has realized her own feelings for Goliath, sees this as the destruction of the only barrier preventing their relationship. For Goliath (himself briefly turned into a human later in the episode), the transformation is all he needs to finally understand that he also harbors romantic feelings for Elisa. He says at one point, "I never realized before how beautiful you are." However, after Elisa playfully counters about the prospect that she was ugly as a human, Goliath nervously changes the subject back to their flight lesson in progress. At the end of the episode, both give evidence of awareness of the other's feelings; but while Goliath tries to talk to Elisa, she cuts him off just before the sun rises and states, after he is changed into stone, "...that's the way it is."[14]
The two continue to dance around each other until the final arc of the show's second season, "Hunter's Moon." Elisa begins a relationship with her newly-assigned partner on the police force, Jason Conover, little realizing that he is, in fact, Jason Canmore, a Hunter. Goliath's hurt and jealousy when he learns this is palpable, but he forces himself not to act on it, and Elisa herself breaks the relationship off because "There's someone...who comes first." At the end of the episode, Elisa and Goliath finally admit their feelings to each other, and share their first kiss.
In the comics, Elisa breaks up with Goliath because she wants children, but as he lies severely injured from one of Thailog's attacks, Elisa realizes that she loves Goliath and can't stand to lose him. They share another kiss and express their love for each other.
Other gargoyles
Though Elisa is closest to Goliath, she has an effect on every gargoyle in the Manhattan Clan.
It is Elisa who convinces Goliath's mentor to choose his own name. He names himself Hudson, after the river. The rest of the clan follows suit, taking their names from the boroughs and streets of New York.
Elisa is supportive of Lexington's technological curiosity, providing many of the gizmos that he tinkers with.
She even impresses Brooklyn, who is slower than the others to forgive humans for the Wyvern Massacre.
Besides Goliath, though, she seems to make closest friends with Broadway. On several occasions, Broadway arrives at Elisa's apartment unannounced. He shows an unparalleled interest in Elisa's police work, mostly because of detective movies that he has seen, sometimes joining her as her "partner" without telling her first (such as in "the Silver Falcon"). Despite his inexperience, he always manages to come through for her in the end.
Broadway's relationship with Elisa is the focus of the episode "Deadly Force," which stresses the importance of gun safety. Broadway finds and plays with Elisa's gun, and he ends up accidentally shooting and nearly killing her. Broadway's guilt after this incident leads him to eschew all use of firearms, and Elisa is later shown taking far more precautions about storing her sidearm.[15]
Demona's general hated of humans is magnified in Elisa's case, due in part to Elisa's close relationship with Goliath. Demona and Elisa meet when Elisa thwarts one of Demona's attempts on Goliath's life. Several of Demona's later schemes include a plan for dealing specifically with Elisa, either by eliminating her outright or by causing Goliath's trust in her to falter. Despite Demona's greater physical abilities and keen mind, Elisa always stands up to her, selflessly placing herself between her her friends (the Manhattan clan) and Demona's machinations.
Finally, during the Avalon saga of the series, Elisa meets and befriends Demona and Goliath's daughter, Angela. Angela is delighted to have a woman to converse with in the predominantly male clan, and Elisa often functions as Angela's confidante, giving her advice about various things and offering her the same care and trust she gives to the rest of the clan.
Maza family
Elisa is the eldest of three children born to Peter Maza and Diane Maza. Peter, a retired NYPD sergeant, is of Native American descent. Diane, a professor at Columbia University,[16] is an African American of Nigerian descent. Elisa also has two siblings: her brother, Derek (a.k.a Talon), and her sister, Beth. Elisa follows in her father's footsteps by joining the NYPD. Derek does as well, though somewhat ambivalently. Beth, on the other hand, studies anthropology, like her mother, but focuses on Native American culture. Elisa's family becomes more and more important as the series progresses, and her relationships with some of them are explored in greater detail.
In "Mark of the Panther," part of the "Avalon World Tour" story arc, the travelers find themselves in Nigeria, where they encounter Diane Maza, who has been studying to become a village griot. Elisa's relationship with her mother is a bit strained at first. Diane reprimands Elisa for keeping secrets and is protective of her; Elisa is annoyed and tells Angela that Diane is always demanding "more time, more detail" from her. By the end of the episode, Elisa learns to appreciate her mother's concern and interest more, and Diane becomes more accepting of Elisa's independence.
The episode "Cloud Fathers" explores Peter's background and shows more of Beth. The travelers land at the University of Flagstaff, where Elisa's sister Beth is in school, and where Peter has just arrived to help Beth investigate what Xanatos is doing on land leased from a local tribe. It is revealed that Peter was estranged from his father, Carlos Maza, who objected when Peter moved to New York and, as his father saw it, abandoned his heritage. Peter thought Carlos was too old-fashioned and insists throughout the episode that there is no truth in the traditions Carlos wanted him to preserve. After the gang encounters Coyote the Trickster, a shapeshifting kachina (and Child of Oberon), Peter finally acknowledges that his father was not entirely wrong to hold on to tradition and apologizes at Carlos's grave, expressing regret over not having reconciled with him before it was too late.
Elisa's relationship with her brother grows complicated when Derek is enticed to quit the police force and work for David Xanatos, stubbornly refusing to believe his sister's warnings about the industrialist's amoral ruthlessness. Derek pays a high price for this when he is manipulated by Xanatos and the geneticist Anton Sevarius, who turns Derek into one of the Mutates.
Trivia
- Elisa is the first character to appear onscreen.
- Salli, the name Elisa uses to go undercover in Brod's gang, is an in-joke; Elisa is voiced by Salli Richardson. When Richardson was hired to voice Elisa, the character's heritage was re-imagined as half Native American and half African American (of Nigerian descent). Elisa's appearance was also partially drawn from Ms. Richardson.
- Elisa went through various name changes in the early development of the show, and many of these names were later given to secondary characters. Her original name was "Morgan Reed" (which inspired the last name of Maggie Reed and the double name of Officer Morgan Morgan), after architect Julia Morgan. [17] Her forename was changed to "Elisa" for aesthetic reasons, and her surname changed to "Chavez" (later given to Maria Chavez, captain of Elisa's precinct), then "Bluestone" (given to Matt Bluestone, Elisa's partner) and then "Maza." [18]
- Elisa and her earlier incarnations also had a number of different professions, including schoolteacher, firefighter, museum curator, inventor, and archaeologist. For a while she was the former partner of Xavier (the early incarnation of David Xanatos), a mother, and a descendant of the Scottish Princess who became Princess Katharine. [19]
Elisa as Belle
- Elisa's role and relationship with the Manhattan Clan is similar to April O'Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- When Elisa dresses up in costume, she dons the dress of Disney Princesses, most notably Belle and Jasmine.
- Elisa is one of several characters played by an actor who had a role on Star Trek. Salli Richardson portrayed Fenna/Nidell in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode Second Sight.
- In 2009, Elisa was ranked as sixth on the Retro Junk's list of top cartoon women of the 1990s.[20] In 2011, she was included on UGO.com's list of "the fifty imaginary women that really need to be brought to life by science somehow," called "one of the hottest female supporting characters in animation history."[21]
- In a 2020 interview, Ali Nahdee, creator of the Ali Nahdee Test, which evaluates representation of Indigenous women in media, described Elisa Maza as "Black and Native and allowed to just exist as this awesome character....[She's] allowed to be smart, beautiful, has lots of agency and is just all around badass."[22] The Ali Nahdee Test (formerly known as the Aila Test), is modeled on the Bechdel Test.
Gallery
Image Gallery for Elisa Maza. Click here to see all of the images, featuring Elisa Maza.
Appearances
Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2. Awakening, Part Two 3. Awakening, Part Three 4. Awakening, Part Four 5. Awakening, Part Five 6. The Thrill of the Hunt 7. Temptation 8. Deadly Force 9. Enter MacBeth 10. The Edge 11. Long Way to Morning 12. Her Brother's Keeper 13. Reawakening |
2. Metamorphosis 3. Legion 4. A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time 5. The Mirror 6. The Silver Falcon 7. Eye of the Beholder 8. Vows 9. City of Stone, Part One 10. City of Stone, Part Two 11. City of Stone, Part Three 12. City of Stone, Part Four 13. High Noon |
15. The Price 16. Revelations 17. Double Jeopardy 18. Upgrade 19. Protection 20. The Cage 21. Avalon, Part One 22. Avalon, Part Two 23. Avalon, Part Three 24. Shadows of the Past 25. Heritage 26. Monsters |
28. Sanctuary 29. M.I.A. 30. Grief 31. Kingdom 32. The Hound of Ulster 33. Walkabout 34. Mark of the Panther 35. Pendragon 36. Eye of the Storm 37. The New Olympians 38. The Green 39. Sentinel |
41. Cloud Fathers 42. Ill Met By Moonlight 43. Future Tense 44. The Gathering, Part One 45. The Gathering, Part Two 46. Vendettas 47. Turf 48. The Reckoning 49. Possession 50. Hunter's Moon, Part One 51. Hunter's Moon, Part Two 52. Hunter's Moon, Part Three |
2. Ransom 3. Runaways 4. Broadway Goes Hollywood 5. A Bronx Tail 6. The Dying Of The Light 7. And Justice For All 8. Genesis Undone 9. Generations 10. ...For It May Come True 11. To Serve Mankind 12. Seeing Isn't Believing 13. Angels In The Night | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SLG comics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes & References
External link
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