Real Name: Amara Aquila
Mutant Power: Ability to generate and fire off (*rimshot*) immense amounts of heat (hence, flames), and a resistance to fire-- she can also control lava within the Earth to a limited extent
Voice Actor: Alexandra Carter
First Appearance: "Growing Pains"
Back Story: Magma has no given back story on the show. Like the other New Mutants, she was just one of the "new recruits" in the second season opener "Growing Pains". However, from her short "official" bio given out, it's revealed that she lived in a remote island nation before she moved to the Institute. The nation was rather primitive, though, so she's still getting used to the everyday technology in the United States. The show didn't mention this, though, or even hint at it. And Magma doesn't sound foreign at ALL, which seriously makes me doubt the credibility of this "official" bio... especially since she's alluded to coming from Brazil in the show...
Personality: Magma's personality is about halfway between that of Jean's and Kitty's, if that makes any sense. She tends to be good friends with both of them, and she enjoys "fashion-shopping" and really "girlish stuff" like Kitty, but she tends to be a bit more reserved and a bit less talkative, like Jean. Also, because she's one of the youngest X-Men (only Wolfsbane and Multiple are younger than her, I think), she also tends to look up to Kitty and Jean as role models as well. Unlike both Jean and Kitty, though, Magma's oddly both shy and adventurous. She doesn't tend to talk much, but she likes going around with Boom Boom- they've become really good friends, in fact- and doing the occasional crazy thing (although not to the extreme extent that Tabitha does, thank goodness). Magma is also resentful of the fact that she's still a "new student" and isn't allowed, as a result, to go on any of the top-priority missions.
Final Reflections: I liked the originality displayed by the writers in changing the old Magma, who was a blond Caucasian, into this new South American (or Pacific Islander) Magma-- her appearance fits her name better, if you ask me. However, Amara was another one of the New Mutants that really needed an episode that centered on her backstory. I know she got an episode mostly to herself- "Cruise Control"- but that mostly explored her powers, not her actual backstory. Where the slag is she really from, for example? I guess we'll never know.