Lorna Dane, aka Polaris, is an orphan as her parents were supposedly killed in a plane crash shortly after her birth. She was adopted by the "Dane" family, who is supposed to be her aunt and uncle.

They never told her that she was adopted, and she didn't learn about the plane crash until she was nearly twenty years old. She was born with green hair but dyed it brown for fear that she would be thought of as 'different'. Her hair color was an outward manifestation of the latent mutancy inside of her. She had the latent genetic potential for magnetic powers, but certain genetic factors were absent which would have allowed her to exercise those powers.

Normally she wouldn't have been able to use her abilities but Samuel "Starr" Saxon, a roboticist, altered the normal course of events. Saxon constructed an android dupe of Magneto (who was supposed to be dead at this time), had a group of androids with strange powers called the demi-men. Saxon's plans was to use these androids to gain power and to promote anti-mutant hysteria.

He decided he needed some actual mutants to lead the robots while he remained out of sight, giving directions to the Magneto robot. First he recruited Mesmero, then Saxon decided he would need a magnetic mutant to help with his >robotic army. Somehow he acquired a 'pscyhe generator' (a device similar to Cerebro), he used it to find mutants in North America at which point Lorna was compelled to go to San Francisco, the city where Mesmero was located.

She was captured by Mesmero and his androids where they kidnapped her and put her in a genetic stimulator -- which allowed her access to her latent powers. Mesmero hypnotized her, altered her personality, so she would be sympathetic to the fake Magneto in her cause. And that she was Magneto's daugthter. Shortly afterward, Mesmero dropped the hypnotic control over her. Assuming she would obey her 'father' no matter what happened.

But after Iceman told her the truth about the fake Magneto and that he wasn't her father and also about the plane crash/adoption she joined the X-Men in fighting the robot Magneto. The Magneto robot and Mesmero escaped and the Demi-Men were destroyed. And Saxon went back to being an assassin. For a time Polaris loved Iceman, but eventually fell in love with Havok.

Neither of them wanted to live their lives as hero, and found out they both had an interest in geophysics. They left to do doctoral reserach in geophysics in the Diablo Mountain Range in California. For a while they spent time away from the public and only helped the X-Men out in Emergency situations.

For a time she was under the control of a Shi'ar agent named Davan Shakari who served D'Kenn. Charles Xavier freed her from Shakari's control.

Sometime afterward, she was possessed by Malice and led the Marauders under Sinister. Sinister bonded Malice with Polaris so that Malice couldn't escape her host body. Something about their unique genetic structures made Polaris the perfect host for Malice.

After the Mutant Massacre Polaris wasn't seen for a while and then called up Havok and the rest of the X-Men saying she was captured by the Savage Land Mutates, Zaladane then stole her powers, and the bond with Malice was broken. Her powers vanished for a while, but after Zaladane was supposedly killed, her powers returned.

Afterward Polaris became super-strong and near-invulnerable and was made known to Shadow King who used her to fall from the Astral Plane into the real world. Following this Polaris was recruited into X-Factor where she fought for a long time with her guy Havok.

At one point Malice possessed Havok and tried to get Polaris to kill him but Sinister intervened and ripped the Malice choker off of Havok and killed her. After serving faithfully for years in X-Factor, Shard was placed into her body without her knowledge.

Polaris was then alone for a long time afterward as Havok had been kidnapped by the Dark Beast. Havok then contacted Lorna and revealed that indeed he wasn't really evil, he was just using the terrorist activites to get close to the Dark Beast.

Lorna then forgave him but broke up with him as he had tried to kill her. Afterward, she rejoined the ranks of X-Factor and watched as Havok was seemingly blown up in a time-machine with Greystone (one of the XSE from the future; like Shard, Fixx, and Archer). She then left X-Factor and became a recluse. Nightcrawler then spotted her in a church where she told him that she was being followed.

During this time she remained in her apartment and put up a magnetic barrier so that no one could enter or leave the apartment but her. She'd also told Nightcrawler that Havok was still alive because the Living Monolith hadn't returned. Apocalypse at this time, working with a group of Skrulls, really -had- been tailing her and broke into her apartment stealing Havok's original headpiece for his original costume. At this point she was found out to be a member of the 12 and travelled to Egypt with the X-Men to combat Apocalypse. She was captured in the process like the rest of the 12.

Magneto channeled her magnetic power with great skill and force. She claimed she never knew that type of energy could flow through her or that she was even capable of being that powerful. After Apocalypse was defeated she returned with Magneto to Genosha to gain a better understanding of her powers and to become stronger in weilding them which is where she remains to at this moment in time. (Magneto: Dark Seduction).