DC Comics - Enciclopédia - 2021 - PDFCOFFEE.COM (2025)

SENIOR EDITORS: Alastair Dougall, Cefn Ridout SENIOR DESIGNERS: Nathan Martin, Robert Perry EDITORS: Elizabeth Dowsett, Kate Berens, Kathryn Hill, Laura Palosuo DESIGNERS: Ray Bryant, Gary Hyde, Nick Avery, Simon Murrell, Anna Pond ORIGINAL COVER ARTWORK: Mikel Janín SENIOR PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Louise Minihane PRODUCTION EDITOR: Siu Chan MANAGING EDITOR: Sarah Harland MANAGING ART EDITOR: Vicky Short PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Mark Searle Dorling Kindersley would like to thank: Benjamin Harper and Josh Anderson at Warner Bros. Global Publishing; Joe Daley, Benjamin Le Clear, Hank Manfra, Mike Pallotta, Leah Tuttle, Erin Vanover at DC. Many thanks to: Simon Beecroft, Julie Ferris, Lisa Lanzarini, Sadie Smith, Ron Stobbart. Editorial assistance: Nicole Reynolds, Victoria Armstrong, Pamela Afram, David Fentiman, Emma Grange, Lauren Nesworthy, Tina Jindal, Joel Kempson. Design assistance: Ros Bird, Kathryn Boynton, Mabel Chan, Jo Connor, Jon Hall, Guy Harvey, Gema Salamanca, Anna Sander, Clive Savage, Rhys Thomas, Pallavi Kapur. Fact checking: John Wells. Proofreading: Simon Hugo. Index: Helen Peters. First American Edition, 2021 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 1450 Broadway, Suite 801, New York, NY 10018 Page design copyright © 2021 Dorling Kindersley Limited DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC 21 22 23 24 25 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001-318646-Jul/2021 Copyright © 2021 DC Comics. All DC characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. WB SHIELD: ™ & © WBEI. (s21)

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THE DC COMICS

ENCYCLOPEDIA

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE CHARACTERS OF THE DC UNIVERSE

Text by MATT MANNING STEPHEN (WIN) WIACEK MELANIE SCOTT NICK JONES LANDRY Q. WALKER Additional text by ALAN COWSILL ALEX IRVINE STEVE KORTÉ SCOTT BEATTY ROBERT GREENBERGER PHIL JIMINEZ DAN WALLACE SVEN WILSON

CONTENTS FOREWORD

6

INTRODUCTION

7

THE DC UNIVERSE 8

A

10

B

24

C

60

D

82

E

102

F

107

G

119

H

138

I

152

J

159

K

168

L

176

M

193

N

216

O

226

P

232

Q

245

R

248

S

265

T

312

U

328

V

330

W

334

X

343

Y

348

Z

350

ROLL CALL

352

INDEX

376

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

384

FOREWORD Now more than ever, our world needs Super Heroes. Super Heroes have provided escape, excitement, comfort, and hope ever since that first “strange visitor” from Krypton arrived in the pages ofAction Comicsmore than 80 years ago. These are feelings I could relate to as a young boy born in South Korea who also arrived in a Midwestern city unsure that he fit in.As champions of the oppressed, Super Heroes provide us with a moral compass and the belief that there exists something strong enough to protect us. They have been shared and valued friends, providing a light at the end of the tunnel for generations of readers through periods of world crisis and the confusion and anxieties of everyday life. The book in your hands is an introduction to the depth and wonder of the wide Multiverse of DC characters, a vast array that I wouldn’t have ever dreamed possible when I was first buying DC’s comics from a spinner rack. While many of DC’s characters are iconic, this book shows that their mythology hasn’t stayed ossified in time, but has grown and evolved. Each generation of DC writers and artists (including myself) have added to that tapestry by adding new characters or new takes on existing ones. Every page here holds the promise of discovery, from new or old characters you haven’t previously known of, or unknown facts about characters or teams we think we know, like Batman, Catwoman, the Suicide Squad, Darkseid, Harley Quinn, the Justice League or The Joker. Every character is full of limitless possibilities. With legacy vital statistics like the Height, Weight, Powers/ Abilities and classic stories identified for each major character, books like this one have always been among my favorites to read. This newly updated edition ofTheDC Comics Encyclopediaexplores DC’s mythology and celebrates more than 1,200 DC Comics Super Heroes and Super-Villains. Some of them you might never have heard of, and others are so ingrained into our cultural DNA that even a towel pinned to a child’s shirt can represent Superman, or paper bracelets around your wrists can symbolize Wonder Woman. Every page holds discovery worth our time, our energy, and our passion. A hero is someone whose actions and courage inspire us, our dream of who we aspire to be. Super Heroes give us hope and lift us up and I hope that, inside these pages, you may discover a hero and their journey that speaks to you personally and inspires you to help make a better world. Because the world can never have enough heroes. Jim Lee

6

INTRODUCTION Everyone knows the icons: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin. They’ve adorned bed sheets, action figures, and lunch boxes for decades. They’ve starred in TV shows, video games, and blockbuster films, becoming pop culture institutions as the world’s most famous pantheon of Super Heroes. In fact, in a poll conducted in the 1990s, Superman’s famous S-shield was reported the most universally recognized symbol on the planet, second only to the Christian cross. These treasured icons of modern mythology got their start in a medium that was originally quite modest.The publishing company that is known today as DC officially began with February 1935’s New Fun #1, subtitled “The Big Comic Magazine.” While the term “comic book” was not yet a household phrase, there were other comic magazines on the racks at that time. In the preceding years, comic strips had proven to be the most popular section of any good newspaper. To capitalize on the business of these “funny pages,” publishers set out to reprint collections of comic strips on cheap paper,bound by a flimsy cover. While New Fun resembled these magazines, what truly set it apart from the competition was that it featured all new strips, and served as a proof of concept that readers were hungry for comics they’d never read before. In March of 1937, Detective Comics debuted, a collection of detective and crime stories that would later inspire the famous DC Comics name. But it wasn’t until June of 1938 that Action Comics #1 hit newsstands, introducing the world to the first official Super Hero in the form of Superman. This Man of Steel caught on with the fans “faster than a speeding bullet,” and soon Batman, his youthful sidekick Robin, and Wonder Woman followed him into four-color fame. Super Heroes quickly became the dominant genre of these fledgling comics books, and have yet to truly relinquish their hold on a still-fascinated audience. With over eight decades of superheroics under its rather impressive utility belt, DC has grown its stable of characters to include famous faces like The Flash, Green Lantern, Shazam, Aquaman, Plastic Man, Hawkman, Lex Luthor, Swamp Thing, The Joker, Catwoman, and a relatively new favorite, Harley Quinn. DC has evolved, attracting new fans every day in a variety of mediums, from Emmy award-winning cartoons to high-rated, live-action series, from Oscar-winning films to bestselling graphic novels. And in the process, the DC Multiverse has grown from the handful of members that made up the first Super Hero team called the Justice Society of America to a vast Multiverse, containing thousands upon thousands of residents, each with a dramatic story to tell. The DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition is a roadmap to that universe. It’s a guide to the best and the brightest, the most corrupt and notorious. It serves to not only reveal to new readers the rich and detailed landscape

of the DC Multiverse and its characters, but to also remind longtime fans of their favorite storylines and moments, supplying even the most diehard reader with a new fact or twenty. The characters included in this volume were hand-picked by comic book historians working directly with DC. They were thoroughly researched with the intent of supplying all the need-to-know background of each hero, villain, team, or supporting character, and plenty of extra tidbits along the way. Every entry is accompanied with dynamic visuals pulled from DC’s archives, in an effort to showcase the countless writers, pencillers, inkers, and colorists who have lent their talents toward making DC the well-respected institution it is today. The entries in this book range from four-page spreads on DC’s biggest names, to smaller entries on some of the lesser-knowns and up-and-comers. Each character is given their own “Data Box,” containing vital information, such as the character’s debut issue, secret identity, and powers and abilities. For those more iconic characters, an “At A Glance” section is supplied to give readers the main bullet points in the character’s tumultuous life. These larger entries come complete with a “Classic Stories” section that suggests further comic book reading, offering up some of the best tales from DC’s extensive library. DC is always moving forward and bringing its characters into uncharted territory. A result of that progressive thinking has been drastic alterations to the status quo a time or two in the company’s past, most notably as a result of the comic book event miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint, and the recent line-wide back-to-the-basics approach known as Rebirth. To reflect this grand history, the entries in this book have been tailored accordingly. Whenever possible, the most recent post-Rebirth version of any given character’s backstory and history is supplied in the main body. However, in the larger entries, an “On the Record” section is included. This feature reveals interesting historical details that may have fallen by the wayside over the years, summarizing big events and storylines that often hail from continuities past. This ensures The DC Comics Encyclopedia is as thorough as possible, while remaining user-friendly to those fans not yet introduced to the Multiverse of possibilities hiding in the background of their favorite issues. Everyone knows something about the icons of DC. Now, thanks to The DC Comics Encyclopedia: New Edition, they have the opportunity to know virtually everything. Matthew K. Manning, Contributing Author

7

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE The DC universe (DCU), with its multitude of characters, stories, and events, may seem a little daunting to new readers and fans alike. To aid travelers on their journey through this universe, this timeline highlights major turning points in DC’s long and dynamic history—from birth to Rebirth.

GOLDEN AGE Action Comics #1 (Jun. 1938)

All-Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940)

The world’s first-ever Super Hero debuts in the mighty form of Superman, the Man of Steel. His immediate success kick-starts the Golden Age of comic books.

The DC universe takes shape as some of the most successful Super Heroes band together for the first time to start the Justice Society of America (JSA). Members include the recently created The Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkman.

Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)

Batman swings into comic book action, inspired by both Superman and the masked-man pulp fiction popular at the time.

SILVER AGE

All-Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941–Jan. 1942)

The first truly iconic female Super Hero is torn from myth and transported to modern times— the Amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman.

Showcase #4 (Sep.–Oct. 1956)

The Silver Age of Comics dawns as The Flash is reinvented for a new era with the debut of Barry Allen. The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb.–Mar. 1960)

The concept behind the Justice Society of America— a high-profile group of Super Heroes—is rekindled with DC’s modern icons teaming up to form the Justice League of America (JLA). The Flash #123 (Sep. 1961)

The Multiverse is created when the Golden Age Flash comes face to face with his Silver Age counterpart. The Golden Age Flash’s reality would become known as Earth-2, while the Silver Age Flash’s world would eventually be designated Earth-1. Justice League of America #21 (Aug. 1963)

The DC universe has its first interdimensional crisis when the JLA meets the JSA for the first time, in what will become a yearly team-up tradition.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (Apr. 1985)

To streamline the various multiple Earths that had formed in their 50-year history, DC Comics launches a 12-issue series that sees many worlds perish at the hands of the Anti-Monitor. When the villain is finally dispatched, only one Earth remains. In this new reality, most Earth-2 heroes are established as having been active during World War II, while the adventures of Earth-1’s heroes take place in the present day. In the wake of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the origin stories for icons such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are retold, with major continuity corrections that match the reality of their new Earth.

Detective Comics #359 (Jan. 1967)

Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, bursts onto the scene in her debut appearance; an independent, capable hero who fast became one of DC’s most popular characters.

DARK AGE BRONZE AGE Detective Comics #395 (Jan. 1970)

Batman is taken back to his darker roots in “The Secret of the Waiting Graves,” a momentous issue that helped usher in the Bronze Age of comics.

The Man of Steel is killed while subduing a murderous alien beast known as Doomsday. Superman later finds his way back to the land of the living after a tumultuous year for Metropolis.

Another watershed miniseries, Watchmen put the “meta” into metahumans, updating Super Heroes for adult readers. Set on the brink of armageddon, this elaborate murder mystery unfolds into a sprawling, literary epic that would have a significant impact on the DC universe and beyond.

The pairing of Green Lantern and Green Arrow brings comics up to speed with the problems of the modern world, serving up a healthy dose of social commentary. New Gods #1 (Mar. 1971)

Legends #1 (Nov. 1986)

The DC universe gains a pantheon of New Gods in an epic space saga set in a Fourth World on the fringes of Superman’s reality.

When Darkseid, the tyrannical lord of Apokolips, attacks the world’s heroes by turning the common man against them, a new incarnation of the Justice League forms to oppose him, alongside government-run Super-Villain team the Suicide Squad.

DC Comics Presents #26 (Oct. 1980)

The “junior Justice League” known as the Teen Titans comes into its own in a preview to their ongoing title, The New Teen Titans.

8

Superman (Vol. 2) #75 (Jan. 1993)

In a dystopian near-future, an aging, embittered Batman steps over the thin blue line to battle foe and friend alike to bring rough justice to Gotham City. This landmark miniseries connected with a mature readership and set the content, tone, and style for the coming of comics’ Modern Age. Watchmen #1 (Sep. 1986)

Green Lantern #76 (Apr. 1970)

1938–1955

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (1986)

1956–1969

The Batman Adventures #12 (Sep. 1993)

Making the transition from screen to page, Harley Quinn arrived in the DC universe from Batman: The Animated Series and became a permanent fixture in Batman’s rogue’s gallery. Zero Hour #4 (Sep. 1994)

While the DC Multiverse’s various Earths were merged into one during Crisis on Infinite Earths, some lingering continuity issues are neatly tied up in the miniseries Zero Hour, which tells of power-mad former Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s attempts to remake the world in his image. Ongoing tie-in titles, each with their own issue #0, relate the title character’s newly revised origin.

MODERN AGE

DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (May 2016)

Identity Crisis #1 (Aug. 2004)

Final Crisis #1 (Jul. 2008)

Dark secrets from the Justice League of America’s storied history come to light in this murder mystery miniseries that reveals a time when the League resorted to wiping the minds of its villains.

Evil wins as Darkseid’s forces conquer the Earth, succeeding in “killing” Batman, until Superman leads a revolt to stop the tyrant. By the end of the series, it is revealed that Bruce Wayne is merely displaced in time; he eventually finds his way home in 2010, while Dick Grayson, as Batman, protects Gotham City.

Infinite Crisis #1 (Dec. 2005)

Survivors of some of the lost realities from the original Crisis on Infinite Earths return to the DC universe. In this miniseries, Superboy-Prime and the Alexander Luthor of Earth-3 instigate a new crisis to retrieve their respective Earths. The result is New Earth, as continuity is again tweaked to update the DC universe. 52 #1 (May 2006)

As DC titles jump a year ahead in the wake of Infinite Crisis, the weekly 52-issue maxiseries, simply dubbed 52, fills in the gaps, culminating with the villainous Mr. Mind altering multiple worlds and creating a new Multiverse of 52 Earths.

In a one-shot special that leads to a series of character-specific Rebirth specials, the DC Multiverse takes its next step in evolution when Wally West (The Flash) returns. While some major titles restart at issue #1, two flagship books, Action Comics and Detective Comics, return to their old issue numbering prior to the New 52. The pre-Flashpoint Superman picks up where his recently deceased successor left off, the forgotten original Teen Titans form the Titans, and Wonder Woman’s history is again revised. All the while, the cast of the Watchmen wait in the wings, surveying their handiwork.

Blackest Night #1 (Sep. 2009)

Undead Super Heroes and Super-Villains are recruited as Black Lanterns, due to the machinations of the villain Nekron. Several Lanterns from across the Emotional Spectrum work together to stop this Blackest Night. The result is the Brightest Day maxiseries that sees the rebirth of many characters, including Swamp Thing.

Flashpoint #1 (Jul. 2011)

The most significant continuity-altering event since Crisis on Infinite Earths, Flashpoint establishes an alternate world that a stranded Barry Allen must fight his way back from. However, when The Flash manages to return the world to its proper status quo, the result is Earth-0, a universe similar to the former New Earth, yet different in many ways.

MODERN AGE

PRIME AGE Dark Nights: Metal #1-6 (Oct. 2017–May 2018)

A fresh cosmic crossover event rewrites the history and cosmology of DC. It is only the spearhead of even greater changes. As Batman strives to solve the mystery of unknown metals that have plagued his life and shaped humanity’s history, he uncovers schemes originating in a previously unsuspected Dark Multiverse, which pit Earth’s heroes against monstrous versions of the Dark Knight and heralds the return of the being who birthed all existence. The reality-shaking events were preceded by two one-shots, Dark Days: The Forge (Aug. 2017) and Dark Days: The Casting (Sep. 2017), with repercussions that resound throughout all DC’s other titles. Doomsday Clock #1-12 (Jan. 2018–Feb. 2020)

The New 52 (Nov. 2011)

The universe of Earth-0 is introduced with the launch of 52 separate titles. Long-running mainstay titles like Action Comics and Detective Comics restart from issue #1, as the world discovers a fresh reality where iconic heroes are in the prime of their lives. Superman’s origin is retold in Action Comics, Wonder Woman’s past is reevaluated in the pages of her own title, and Batman embarks on a “Zero Year” that reveals a modern take on his familiar history. Forever Evil #1 (Nov. 2013)

Spinning out of the pages of the crossover “Trinity War” that featured in the three Justice League titles of the time, Forever Evil tells how Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate arrives on Earth-0, forcing Batman and Lex Luthor to team up to stop them. Convergence #0 (Jun. 2015)

Readers are treated to the adventures of characters from a variety of past continuities as

1984–1998

Brainiac tries to converge the worlds of the multiverse. When the heroes rebel, a newly updated Multiverse is formed, with worlds similar to the ones that came before, yet modernized for a new audience. DC You (Aug. 2015)

A series of new titles is launched, while many of DC’s icons get a facelift. Commissioner Gordon temporarily assumes Batman’s mantle when the Dark Knight goes missing, Superman briefly loses his powers due to Vandal Savage’s manipulations, and Wonder Woman sports a new costume and mission. Justice League #40 (Jun. 2015)

In an initial, prologue chapter, “The Darkseid War” begins, pitting the all-powerful Anti-Monitor against Darkseid in a clash that briefly grants godlike powers to members of the Justice League.

1999–2010

One of the most eagerly anticipated sequels in DC history, Doomsday Clock picks up where Watchmen ended in October 1987, revealing the machinations of Doctor Manhattan, his alterations to DC’s timeline, and how he may have edited key moments and characters out of reality in DC Rebirth. As another universe spirals toward annihilation, heroes and villains of the Watchmen universe combine with some of DC’s more sidelined and rarely seen champions to fix everything and save humanity. Dark Nights: Death Metal #1 (Aug. 2020)

After three years of spectacular chaos and turmoil, the DC Multiverse is under final assault by reality-rending Perpetua, whose dark designs for life are threatened by her treacherous subordinate Barbatos and challenged across countless universes by an army of astonishingly altered heroes and villains. With the balance between multiversal Light and Darkness at stake, the fate of all that lives depends on these barely recognizable icons and the wit and guts of multiversal outcast Wally West…

2011–2015

2016–PRESENT

9

A A.R.G.U.S. Justice League (Vol. 2) #7 (May 2012) Mobile OFFICIAL NAME Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans ALLIES Justice League, Killer Frost ENEMIES Secret Society of Super-Villains AFFILIATIONS Justice League of America DEBUT BASE

Unproven stories persist that the clandestine agency A.R.G.U.S. has actually existed ever since the Revolutionary War. When civil war divided the country several decades later, the organization became known as the Anonymous Ranger Group of the United States. Officially, A.R.G.U.S. was created by the US president as America’s official government liaison to the Justice League. With Steve Trevor in command, the agency provided financial support and clean-up services, but its real purpose was to spy on seemingly all-powerful Super Heroes. Over a period of five years, Trevor expanded the organization’s remit to include the monitoring of all metahuman and unnatural threats. A.R.G.U.S. agents confiscated mystical artifacts and advanced technologies, policed extra-dimensional incursions, and covertly battled monsters, villains, and Super Heroes acting against the perceived interests of the US and humanity. These threats were neutralized and deposited in classified research vaults known as the Black Room, Red Room, and Circus. When Amanda Waller replaced Trevor, she created the Justice League of America as a secret weapon in case the original heroes should ever go rogue.

ALL-STAR SQUADRON Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #193 (free preview insert) (Aug. 1981) All Star Squadron (Vol. 1) #1 (Sep. 1981) BASE The Trylon and Perisphere, New York City POWERS/ABILITIES Many and various; employed by every World War II American hero and mystery man united in defense of liberty and democracy against the Axis powers. ALLIES Blackhawks ENEMIES Adolf Hitler, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Baron Blitzkrieg, Ultra-Humanite, Per Degaton, enemy spies AFFILIATIONS Federal Bureau of Investigation, US War Department DEBUT

1

2

3

4 STARTING OVER

After the Crime Syndicate and Secret Society decimated A.R.G.U.S., Trevor dedicated himself to rebuilding the agency.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

As long as Steve had a few good men and women to back him up, A.R.G.U.S. could never be counted out. 1 Steve Trevor 2 Agent Dale Gunn 3 Director Amanda Waller 4 Etta Candy

IN TIMES OF CRISIS...

The All-Star Squadron was shaken to its core when the crisis instigated by the cosmic destroyer, the AntiMonitor, reconfigured the Multiverse. As a result, history was rewritten and heroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow ceased to exist on Earth-2. This left a leaner, meaner Squadron to battle Hitler’s hordes.

ALL-STARS AND STRIPES

When Earth-2 needed them most, America’s mystery men and masked heroes banded together to answer the call.

10

When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt received warning of an imminent Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he sent out an urgent call to the newly constituted Justice Society of America (JSA). Unfortunately, the JSA had been ambushed by an association of enemies from their own future so were unable to respond. However, with the heroic “big guns” unavailable for duty, a number of other patriots who had begun fighting as masked heroes responded to the president’s desperate pleas. Coming together in the wake of the Japanese attack, and led by Liberty Belle and Hawkman, a battalion of these new heroes formed the All-Star Squadron. This loose umbrella organization comprised the Justice Society, Seven Soldiers of Victory, and Freedom Fighters, as well as various non-aligned “mystery men.” Their joint mission was to defend America until victory was achieved. When World War II ended, the All-Star Squadron was duly disbanded. The costumed champions’ overwhelming firepower might well have ended World War II early, but for a mystic barrier that covered every inch of Axis-controlled territory. This arcane curtain served to enthrall any magic-based or susceptible hero, turning them into slaves of the aggressor nations.

A ABRA KADABRA DEBUT

The Flash (Vol. 1) #128 (May 1962)

Citizen Abra BASE 64th century Earth, Keystone City HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES Green HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Employs 64th-century techno-magic to create energy blasts, reality alterations, illusions, hypnosis, teleportation, and time manipulation. ALLIES Legion of Zoom, Injustice Gang, Secret Society of Super-Villains ENEMIES The Flash (Barry Allen), The Flash (Wally West), Titans REAL NAME

Abra Kadabra came from the 64th century and used that era’s advanced technology to satisfy his twin obsessions: to be a stage magician and to bask in adulation. Kadabra’s war against two Flashes frequently saw him frustrated and humiliated and he later made a deal with the demon Neron to become a true sorcerer. Kadabra reverted to scientific trickery after Wally West was removed from the continuum, claiming credit for the deed. When the third Flash returned to Earth Prime’s reality, Kadabra attacked him and his allies in the Titans. In recent times, Kadabra joined the Legion of Zoom—an alliance of rogues who united to destroy another resurrected Flash (Barry Allen).

ALPHA LANTERNS DEBUT BASE

Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #26 (Feb. 2008)

Oa

Cyborg bodies, incorporating Manhunter technology, are able to drain Green Lantern rings of charge. ENEMIES Sinestro Corps, Cyborg Superman, Guardians of the Universe AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps POWERS/ABILITIES

When the Guardians of the Universe rewrote the Green Lanterns’ rules of conduct, they created a new division to police the Corps. These were Alpha Lanterns, loyal veterans converted into cyborgs. Their bodies incorporated Manhunter technology and had an inbuilt Battery of Power that could drain Lanterns’ rings. This “Internal Affairs” division was disliked by rank-and-file officers, as was their chilling Oath of Intent: “In days of peace, in nights of war, Obey the laws forever more Misconduct must be answered for Swear us, the chosen... The Alpha Corps!” On deciding that Green Lanterns were a failed experiment, the Guardians manipulated their Alpha Lanterns into triggering a civil war within the Corps. By maneuvering Guy Gardner and an army of Emerald Warriors into destroying their cyborg overseers, the Oans were simply removing an obstacle to the introduction of their remorseless, emotionless “Third Army.”

ALL CASTE

ALPHA CENTURION

Red Hood and the Outlaws (Vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 2011)

DEBUT

DEBUT

BASE Acres

of All

Martial arts, advanced meditation techniques. ALLIES S’aru the Protector, Jason Todd ENEMIES The Untitled POWERS/ABILITIES

Millennia ago, a family of nine warriors formed the Untitled, a cult dedicated to absolute evil, power, and immortality. Eventually, one sister, Ducra, revolted and formed the All Caste to fight her siblings. For 3,000 years, Ducra the Instructor led her warrior-monks in a secret war against her family. Deep in the Himalayas, cloistered in the Chamber of All, the monks toiled, forging links with the outside world, but remaining largely independent from it. They trained Jason Todd after his resurrection. When he returned to the Acres of All years later, he found Ducra and her All Caste had been brutally exterminated. As he apologized to Ducra’s body for having failed her, Ducra’s spirit appeared, revealing they had been murdered by the Untitled. Alongside sole survivor, Essence, Todd avenged the All Caste’s deaths, believing he had ended the Untitled, but recently the vile clan revived, assaulting Qurac and attacking the Red Hood’s new Outlaw team.

POWERFUL PAWNS

Alpha Lanterns proudly surrendered their very beings to better serve the Corps, but they were betrayed without qualm by their callous masters.

Zero Hour (Vol. 1) #3 (Sep. 1994)

Roman BASE Metropolis HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 165 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, flight, durability, speed; can manifest a personal pantheon of alien warriors called the Pax Galactica. ALLIES Superman, Supergirl, Eradicator, Steel ENEMIES Lex Luthor, Cyborg Superman REAL NAME

QUO VADIS?

Roman never knew when his body was about to be taken over by Alpha Centurion, or where the next usurpation would take him.

College student Roman was gravely wounded during an attack by Lexus terrorists at the Metropolis Museum of History. Bleeding profusely, he used an ancient belt as a tourniquet and was instantly possessed by a minor Roman god who had been trapped inside the strap. Alpha Centurion took over and transformed Roman’s body. Now blessed with superhuman abilities, he easily defeated the terrorists at the museum. Since that moment, Alpha Centurion has repeatedly commandeered Roman’s body, leaving his host terrified that one day the warrior-hero will decide to possess him for good. The Centurion seems able to sense imminent danger before it arises and force the change without warning. Alpha Centurion has possessed many hosts over the centuries, destroying monsters and carrying out the edicts of the mystical Pantheon of Grace. He is compelled to save lives and maintain order at all costs.

AMAZING MAN DEBUT All Star Squadron (Vol. 1) #23 (Jul. 1983)

Rocker Bonn BASE Wayne, Texas HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Matter absorption, body transmutation, and regeneration; can discharge absorbed matter as blasts of energy. ENEMIES Brother Eye, O.M.A.C. REAL NAME

GO FOR THE EYES

Tricked into combat with O.M.A.C., Amazing Man initially had the upper hand, but then O.M.A.C. temporarily blinded him.

Rocker Bonn was an operative of the intelligence agency Checkmate before he was transferred to its public subsidiary, Cadmus Industries. Subjected to genetic experiments as part of Project Cadmus, he gained the power to explosively incorporate mass and matter, while also taking on their physical properties. Given the codename Amazing Man, Bonn escaped before he could become Cadmus’ tool. Sometime later, while Bonn was in hiding and working at a Texas diner, the rogue sentient satellite Brother Eye manipulated him into battling Kevin Kho, the unwilling host of the Eye’s One Machine Attack Construct (O.M.A.C.). Caught in a confusing three-way battle between the police, O.M.A.C., and himself, Amazing Man was held at bay and, after being tricked into absorbing some of O.M.A.C.s circuitry, was ultimately absorbed into Brother Eye, who deemed the transmorph useful to its own plans.

11

A AMBUSH BUG DC Comics Presents (Vol.1) #52 (Dec. 1959) DEBUT

Irwin Schwab BASE Channel 52 News, Metropolis HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES Green HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Teleportation, immortality, persistence, and dumb luck. AFFILIATION Channel 52 ALLIES Cheeks, the Toy Wonder, Bethany Snow, Calendar Man, Dumb Bunny ENEMIES Argh!Yle, Kobra, Go-Go Chex AFFILIATIONS Doom Patrol, Amber Butane Corps, Uh-Oh Squad, Superman REAL NAME

Irwin Schwab is deeply delusional, morally ambiguous, and obsessed with Super Heroes. As Ambush Bug, he sought to join their rarefied society in a body-suit that he claims fell to Earth from the planet Schwab. Harassing Super Heroes including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Kobra, he displayed the abilities of teleporting and healing from any injury. Failing as a villain and faring no better as a hero, he briefly found his niche and a measure of stability as A. Bug: Super Hero field-correspondent for Channel 52 News. He still maintains that he has cosmic awareness and that reality is merely comic books being read by extra-dimensional superior beings.

AMAZO DEBUT

The Brave and the Bold #30

(Jun.–Jul. 1960)

Justice League (Vol. 2) #36 (Jan. 2015) (as Ikarus) REAL NAME Armen Ikarus BASE New York City HEIGHT 8ft WEIGHT 485 lbs HAIR None EYES Red POWERS/ABILITIES Synthetic absorption cells grant powers of any metahuman within close proximity; unpredictable creation and recombination of those powers. ALLIES Professor Ivo ENEMIES Justice League, Plastic Man, Superman AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, the Cabal

COPYCAT

As well as absorbing and replicating the powers of metahumans, the Amazo android could also recreate their equipment, such as Green Lantern power rings.

KID AMAZO Reggie Meyer’s entire family were

infected by the Amazo virus. Retaining superpowers, they used them to fight crime in their home town. However, Reggie, as Kid Amazo, chose to exploit his abilities with stolen Amazo armor to create an army of robotic clones. His vindictive depredations were stopped first by the Super Sons, Jonathan Kent (Superboy) and Damian Wayne (Robin), and later by Nightwing. PROBLEM CHILD

Kid Amazo planned to cause havoc with his robot army.

ANTENNAE FOR NEWS

Ambush Bug always seems to know when there’s a story brewing, and he’s not afraid to rake a little muck or ruffle a few feathers to get at the truth.

AMETHYST Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #298 (Apr. 1983) REAL NAME Amy Winston BASE Gemworld, Earth HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 122 lbs EYES Violet HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Expert swordfighter; trainee sorceress wielding the magical forces of House Amethyst; capable of spell-casting, energy manipulation, matter transmutation, and tapping the unique mystic forces of other gems. ALLIES Ypsilos, Phoss, Maxixe of Aquamarine ENEMIES Dark Opal AFFILIATIONS Young Justice DEBUT

Teenager Amy Winston’s life changed on learning she was a princess from a magical dimension. After her parents were killed by Lord Opal, she had been hidden on Earth by her sorceress nanny Citrine, who left her with loving human foster-parents Herb and Marion Winston. On discovering the truth, Amy returned to Gemworld and, with the aid of other ruling Houses, destroyed Opal and liberated its oppressed peoples. However, in recent times Amethyst has found her fairy-tale existence to be a lie. Many Houses are as power-obsessed as her old enemy. More incredibly, Opal is back and Amethyst’s own parents are still alive—although entombed in purple crystal along with all her subjects. With all Gemworld being manipulated by a hidden foe intent on magical domination, Amethyst was briefly driven into exile by the other Houses. She adventured across the Multiverse with the teen heroes of Young Justice before returning home to save Gemworld again.

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Obsessed with immortality, Professor Ivo designed a synthetic enzyme capable of absorbing the energies and powers of any being around it. He incorporated it into the “A-maze” operating system: part of the cybernetic modifications that saved Vic Stone’s life and recreated him as Cyborg. Ivo then constructed a full embodiment of the system, known as the Amazo Android, which battled the Justice League. Ivo later constructed a childlike android that combined organic and cybernetic systems. Dubbed “Kid Amazo,” it was his secret weapon against the League, but it acquired too much human nature and self-destructed. The adult Amazo later became a member of the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Lex Luthor subsequently used the Amazo system as the basis of his deadly Amazo Virus. Its first casualty was LexCorp’s Dr. Armen Ikarus and the virus went on to infect dozens of people. Many were permanently changed and some became super-powered. Eventually the robotic Amazo gained full autonomy and pursued his own schemes. Unable to escape his core programming, he still attacks the League and other heroes, and he has joined the Cabal—a criminal alliance, intent on profit and domination which is safely beyond the scrutiny of Earth’s Super Heroes. STOLEN POWERS

The original Amazo was an android created by the mad scientist Professor Ivo. He gifted it with powers stolen from Earth’s greatest heroes, in hopes of using it to conquer the world.

ON THE RECORD Gemworld was created in

ancient times after a large proportion of Earth’s magicwielders and fabulous beasts and creatures migrated to a vacant dimension to preserve their power in the face of a mounting tide of science and rationalism. They maintained their medieval ways, recreating a feudal system based on the abundant magical crystals of their new home, and they divided into twelve major clans or Houses. Devised to check and balance each other, every House derived power from a particular form of gemstone.

GROWING PAINS

When she debuted, Amy Winston was just 13 years old. In Gemworld, she became an adult and had to face villains, including Flaw and the Child.

A

AMAZONS

ON THE RECORD

DATA

In their 1940s comics debut, the Amazons

All-Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941–Jan. 1942) BASE Themyscira/Paradise Island NOTABLE MEMBERS Diana, Hippolyta, Derinoe, Dessa, Hessia, Aleka, Donna Troy, Mala, Philippus POWERS/ABILITIES Peerless combat and tactical abilities; access to healing purple ray and other advanced scientific skills; some magical powers in certain individuals. ALLIES Olympian Gods ENEMIES Veronica Cale, Grail, Darkseid AFFILIATIONS Olympian Gods DEBUT

A race of warrior women who worship the Olympian gods as their Patrons, the Amazons live on Themyscira, also known as Paradise Island. Led by Queen Hippolyta, these noble warriors helped raise one of the finest heroes the outside world has ever known: Wonder Woman.

were a group of immortal warrior women who were compelled by the goddess Aphrodite to leave the world of men for the isolated Paradise Island of Themyscira. Over time, the Amazons reestablished diplomatic relations with the outside world and even reconstructed their island home after it was destroyed. Hippolyta had been present since the Golden Age of Comics, and her death forced the Amazons into a new era, with Diana as their Queen. From the late 1960s, the Amazons’ fearsome fighting abilities made them the frequent target of various Olympian gods and worldly forces who wanted to control them. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wonder Woman received a new origin, as did the Amazons. This reinterpretation featured a blonde Hippolyta and a more ferocious Amazon sisterhood, occasionally adding to their number when hapless sailors passed too close to Themyscira’s shores.

UNITED FRONT

Notable women from the history of the Amazons of Themyscira.

Technologically advanced and highly skilled in the ways of both war and peace, the Amazons lived a life separate from so-called PEACEFUL WARRIORS “Man’s World” for centuries. Amazons are The Amazon way is to train mind, immortal as long as they remain on Paradise body, and spirit, ensuring that war is Island’s shores, yet some of their number were only undertaken for the right reasons. not content to hide away from the rest of civilization. This tribe of warrior women, known as the Bana-Mighdall, renounced the Olympian gods and opted for a nomadic life away from Themyscira, serving Egyptian Gods instead. Life remained otherwise a constant for the Amazons until Queen Hippolyta had a daughter with the god Zeus. The first child seen on Themyscira’s shores in generations, Diana was adored by her fellow Amazons and taught a variety of skills by them, including the ways of a warrior. When she became an adult, Diana was chosen to represent the Amazons to the outside world as Wonder Woman. However, that honor came at a cost, and she was forbidden to ever return to her home island. Yet time and time again, Wonder Woman returned to Themyscira, somehow not noticing that her mother and fellow Amazons looked different than before. In reality, Diana had been deceived, and soon saw through this veil of lies. She was forced to face the hard truth that her real mother was lost to her forever. However, Wonder Woman eventually found her way back to the true Themyscira, thanks to the sword of a fellow Amazon, Antiope. At the time, the Amazons were fighting amongst themselves due to the machinations of Darkseid’s daughter, Grail. Diana helped defeat Grail and unite the factions, and was reunited with her own mother in the process. Wonder Woman is now able to come and go from Themyscira as she pleases.

THE COUNCIL

DEARLY DEPARTED

Diana was given an impressive sendoff from her sisters as she left Themyscira aboard a makeshift Invisible Jet.

Hippolyta rules over the Council of Themyscira, a group of Paradise Island’s wisest citizens, including General Philippus, a woman with whom Hippolyta shares a romantic relationship.

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A

ANARKY Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #608 (Nov. 1989) Sam Young BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 215 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Highly intelligent and a keen strategist; usurped the Mad Hatter’s mind-control technology to serve his own ends; powerful connections in Gotham City’s high society. ALLIES Cult of Followers ENEMIES Batman, Mad Hatter, Harvey Bullock AFFILIATIONS Gotham City Council DEBUT

REAL NAME

ON THE RECORD The original Anarky was Lonnie Machin, an anarchist out to cause trouble in Gotham City. During his first encounter with the Dark Knight, he spray-painted his logo on Batman’s cape. His moniker was later usurped by the General, who wore a variation on Anarky’s classic red costume. After the reality-altering Flashpoint event, Lonnie was known only as Moneyspider, but may become the new Anarky.

INTERGALACTIC ANARCHY

Anarky fused the two halves of his brain, become incredibly smart and an effective vigilante. He even became a Green Lantern for a brief time after securing a power ring.

When a human trafficker named Jeb Lester was set on fire and thrown from Wayne Tower in downtown Gotham City, Batman and Harvey Bullock began investigating the case. They discovered that Lester’s killer was a new vigilante calling himself Anarky, using the persona of a figure seen during the Zero Year. After attempting to blow up Wayne Tower itself, Anarky went public with a video, exhorting Gotham City’s citizens to break free from their self-imposed prisons and participate in citywide chaos. To enable people to do so anonymously, he arranged for Anarky masks to be delivered to everyone’s doorsteps. In truth, Anarky was city councilman Samuel Young, who was using his Anarky movement as a smokescreen to hide his real activities and motives. Several years previously, when Sam was younger, his sister had been abused and murdered by the Mad Hatter. Now an adult, Sam wanted revenge, so he kidnapped the villain. He planned to murder the Mad Hatter and also use the Mad Hatter’s mind-controlling technology to command an army of innocent citizens, all wearing Anarky masks. He even went so far as to model his masks on his sister’s face! It took the joint efforts of Batman and Detective Harvey Bullock of the G.C.P.D. to foil Anarky’s plans.

ANIMAL MAN

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DEBUT

Showcase (Vol. 1) #77 (Sep. 1968)

New York City HEIGHT 5ft 10in (Angel); 5ft 9in (Sam) WEIGHT 140 lbs (Angel); 550 lbs (Sam) EYES Blue (Angel); Hazel (Sam) HAIR Blonde (Angel); Black (Sam) POWERS/ABILITIES Angel: Adept detective; linguist; martial artist; skilled fencer. Sam: Mind-control powers. BASE

While exploring Africa with her father, Professor Theo O’Day, Angel discovered a talking gorilla. When she returned to the US with the ape, he adopted the name Sam Simeon and lived with the O’Days, including Theo’s wife, former crime fighter Princess Power, and their other daughter, the super-strong Athena, who would later gain notoriety of a sort as the Inferior Five member Dumb Bunny. Sam originally hailed from Gorilla City and was related to one of The Flash’s fiercest adversaries, Gorilla Grodd, though he possessed only a fraction of Grodd’s formidable mental powers. While Sam pursued a career as a cartoonist, Angel honed her intellectual and physical skills, which she put to good use as a private investigator. The two shared an office and their subsequent adventures provided ample inspiration for Sam’s comic book tales.

ON THE RECORD

Strange Adventures (Vol. 1) #180 (Sep. 1965) REAL NAME Bernhard “Buddy” Baker BASE San Diego, California HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 172 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Able to connect to the mystical and powerful Red life-force, which enables him to use the abilities of any animal; charismatic; talented stuntman; peak physical fitness. ALLIES Swamp Thing, Adam Strange ENEMIES Anton Arcane, Brother Blood AFFILIATIONS Justice League United

Debuting in the mid-1960s,

DEBUT

More than five years ago in the Congo, a hero named Animal Man pursued a group of poachers. He was the chosen avatar for the Red, a mystical force that connects all animals. Animal Man was surprised when one of the men he was pursuing turned out to be Anton Arcane, an agent for a rival force of death and decay known as the Rot. Arcane murdered this Animal Man. As a result, the Red sought to create a new avatar. They chose movie stuntman Buddy Baker to serve their needs. While driving home from work, Buddy saw what appeared to be an alien spaceship crash in nearby woods. He went to investigate— and passed out. Buddy never suspected that the Red was simply creating an origin scenario for him that he could easily comprehend, rather than reveal its true properties. So, when he awoke in the woods, Buddy came to believe that he had been kidnapped by aliens and operated on. Finding a costume the Red had left for him, he decided to become a Super Hero, just as the Red had planned all along. Buddy later learned the true secret of his transformation, after he had already embraced his heroic role as Animal Man.

ANGEL AND THE APE

Animal Man was born after an alien visitation. After a stint as a member of the Forgotten Heroes, Buddy was given his own series, and became a founding member of Justice League Europe. In his own title, he discovered his true origins and even broke the fourth wall, meeting the writer of his exploits. Animal Man became an ambassador of the Red, at one point changing his look with long black-and-white hair.

RED POWER

Animal Man’s adventures have seen him battle the forces of the Rot, as well as the twisted villain Brother Blood.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Animal Man became a close ally of Adam Strange and Starfire when the three embarked on an outer-space adventure together in the pages of the maxiseries 52.

A ANTI-MONITOR

ON THE RECORD

Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 (May 1985) REAL NAME Mobius BASE Mobile HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Near-omnipotent when merged with Anti-Life Equation; superhuman strength, endurance, durability; energy projection and absorption; anti-matter blasts; flight; commands army of Shadow Demons; can absorb life-force of victims. ALLIES Grail ENEMIES Darkseid, Justice League, Crime Syndicate

In his original incarnation, the Anti-Monitor looked different, but was just as powerful as his reinvented form after the Flashpoint event. While Crisis on Infinite Earths altered reality in the 1980s and Flashpoint changed it again in 2011, the Anti-Monitor’s Multiverse-reshaping role remained the same—though few characters could recall fighting the Super-Villain. Destroyed during Crisis, the Anti-Monitor was reborn when 52 new realities formed, and became guardian of the Sinestro Corps.

DEBUT

On the distant planet Qward many years ago, a being named Mobius built a sophisticated device called the Mobius Chair. On a quest to glimpse the forbidden, Mobius attempted to view the source of the Anti-Matter Universe, hoping to discover what sparked its creation. What he found was the Anti-Life Equation, an infamous truth the tyrant Darkseid had spent a lifetime trying to locate. The equation merged with Mobius, transforming him into the immensely powerful Anti-Monitor. Meanwhile, the Mobius Chair came into the possession of the New God Metron, who used it to explore the universe. The Anti-Monitor became a destroyer, traveling from one universe to the next, consuming worlds. He caused the Crisis on Infinite Earths, destroying the Multiverse, an event only a few, including Metron, recall. But Mobius soon grew tired of his destructive life and hatched an elaborate plan with Darkseid’s daughter, Grail, to rid him of this burden. Waging war on Grail’s father, he murdered five billion people on Earth-3 to absorb their energies and then he attacked and killed Darkseid. This act released his energies and allowed Mobius to free himself of the curse of living as the Anti-Monitor.

ANTHRO DEBUT

Showcase (Vol. 1) #74 (May 1968)

Prehistoric Earth HEIGHT 5ft 2in WEIGHT 137 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled hunter and tracker with exceptional leadership skills. ALLIES Lart, D-Ahn, Doctor Thirteen, Embra ENEMIES Vandal Savage AFFILIATIONS Bear tribe BASE

Anthro was the first Cro-Magnon man, a precursor to the human race. His father, Ne-ahn, was a Neanderthal from the Bear tribe, while his mother was from another tribe. Restless and thrill-seeking, Anthro often got into trouble. When he was young, he was given the gift of fire by the New God Metron and he used this to fight immortal villain Vandal Savage. His family included brother Lart, stepmother Emba, and uncle D-Ahn. Anthro married another Cro-Magnon, Embra. In time, he became the chief of the Bear tribe. Anthro taught his people compassion and, in alternate realities, met several of Earth’s present-day Super Heroes via time travel. When Bruce Wayne was stranded in the past after being blasted by Darkseid’s Omega Sanction, he met Anthro and laid his utility belt on the old man’s body as he passed away.

APOLLO DEBUT

The Anti-Monitor’s devastating attempts to create a pure anti-matter Multiverse only ended when the surviving heroes of different Earths sacrificed their lives to stop him.

AQUALAD

StormWatch (Vol. 2) #4 (Feb 1998)

REAL NAME Andrew

WORLDS IN CRISIS

Pulaski

Eye of the Storm Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Unknown HAIR Unknown POWERS/ABILITIES Flight, near invulnerability, superhuman strength, solar energy blasts. ALLIES Midnighter, Jenny Quantum ENEMIES The Commander, Storm God, Neron AFFILIATIONS StormWatch, the Authority BASE

HEIGHT

Andrew Pulaski was abducted by aliens aged just 13 and he became the subject of experiments as the beings tried to create their very own Superman. Escaping and returning to Earth with incredible powers harnessed through solar energy, he took the moniker Apollo after the ancient sun god. Apollo’s super powers put him among the very top ranks of metahumans, although he needs to have access to sunlight to keep them working. When he was kept captive in Hell by the demon Neron, Apollo used his wits to bargain his way out, stopping only to rescue his husband and fellow hero Midnighter, who had become trapped trying to rescue his beloved.

DEBUT

Brightest Day (Vol. 1) #4 ( Aug. 2010)

Jackson Hyde BASE Amnesty Bay, Maine HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown (often dyed blond) POWERS/ABILITIES Hydrokinesis; Atlantean physiology; can fire blasts of electricity. ALLIES Aquaman, Tempest (Garth) ENEMIES Black Manta, King Shark AFFILIATIONS Young Justice, Teen Titans REAL NAME

Jackson Hyde’s mother had protected him all his life from his true origins – that she was originally from the underwater kingdom of Xebel and his father was the villain Black Manta. Wanting to explore his powers and make an independent life for himself, teenage Jackson joined the Teen Titans. Although initially reluctant to accept Jackson, team leader Robin (Damian Wayne) gave the newcomer a set of “water bearers,” devices that enabled him to channel his power over water to create weapons. A clash with Black Manta showed Jackson that his mother had been right to tell him his father was no good, but the young man continued to be curious about his heritage and later visited Xebel to find out more about his people. He is now an established part of the Aquaman family.

ANTON ARCANE DEBUT Swamp Thing (Vol. 1) #2 (Dec. 1972– Jan. 1973)

Black HAIR Bald Sorcery; as an Avatar of the Rot, he can control decay and the dead. ALLIES Un-Men, Astrid Arkham/Arkham Knight ENEMIES Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Batman BASE

Blestemat

EYES

POWERS/ABILITIES

Sorcerer and scientist, Anton Arcane became the avatar of the Rot. This unnatural force is at war against the life-cherishing natural networks known as the Red and the Green (which empower Animal Man and Swamp Thing respectively). Arcane was born in the 1800s and was obsessed with decay from childhood. By killing Alec Holland—who was destined to be a Green avatar—Arcane inadvertently triggered the coming of the Swamp Thing. They clashed repeatedly and when Swamp Thing was lost in the Rot, Arcane spread his malignant influence over the world, before being defeated by Swamp Thing, who caused him to flee back in time. Ultimately, Arcane’s niece Abigail helped Swamp Thing defeat her uncle and then she took his place as the Avatar of the Rot. Arcane has rejected death, escaped Hell, and continues to bedevil the world: battling against Justice League Dark and even allying with Arkham Knight Astrid Arkham to destroy Batman and contaminate Gotham City.

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A

DATA

AQUAMAN More Fun Comics #73 (Nov. 1941) Arthur Curry BASE Amnesty Bay, Maine HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 325 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, reflexes, and stamina due to hybrid Atlantean physiology; telepathic control over all marine organisms; water-breathing and pressure resistance; energy and heat resistance; wields powerful Trident. ALLIES Mera, Aqualad, Tempest, Tula, Dolphin ENEMIES Ocean Master, Black Manta AFFILIATIONS Justice League, the Others

Raised by lighthouse keeper Tom Curry after his Atlantean mother Atlanna returned to the oceans, Arthur Curry was called back to fulfill his royal destiny before he reached adulthood in the small coastal town of Amnesty Bay, Maine. He patrols nearly 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, and he commands the allegiance of all creatures that swim in its waters. Former ruler of Atlantis and Poseidon’s designated guardian of the oceans, Aquaman is also a founding member of the Justice League.

DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... City under the sea The legendary city of Atlantis has spawned myths for centuries. Behind them all lies a reality even more extraordinary than the myths. This fantastic seafloor city is home to an advanced civilization whose citizens guard the oceans and mistrust anyone who lives on land.

Mera A fearless and powerful hero in her own right, the Xebel princess Mera was trained from childhood to kill Atlanteans. Her love for Aquaman has superseded Xebel teachings, however.

Aquatic influence Aquaman has the ability to influence the behavior of marine organisms. It isn’t exactly telepathy, since most sea creatures don’t have enough of a mind to respond to telepathic commands, but he can create desires within them and rely on their own natures to do the rest.

CLASSIC STORIES Aquaman (Vol. 5) #42–46 (Mar.– Jul. 1998) Olympian dynastic wars come

Atlanna, the queen of Atlantis, saved the life of lighthouse keeper Tom Curry when Curry had left his post to save a sinking ship during a raging storm. The two fell in love and she soon became pregnant. She gave birth to her child, Arthur, and stayed on land to help raise him for a few years. However, Atlanna found it impossible to abdicate her throne, and she soon parted ways with Tom. She left her son with Tom on the surface and returned to Atlantis where she later had another son, Orm. Through accidents and trial and error, Arthur soon learned of his ability to breathe underwater and communicate with sea life. When his father died, Arthur set out to find Atlantis, and met the Atlantean Vulko in his search. Vulko told Arthur of his heritage and brought him to Atlantis. Unprepared for the life of a ruler, Arthur left for a time, and met people more like him, named the Others. He soon became the hero Aquaman. A founding member of the Justice League, Arthur battled the likes of Ocean Master and Black Manta, and found love with Mera, a princess from the kingdom of Xebel, who was originally ordered by her people to assassinate him. Aquaman and Mera settled down in Arthur’s childhood home of Amnesty Bay for a time, but Aquaman was soon forced to fight his brother, Orm, when Ocean Master tried to start a war with the surface world. Aquaman later fought the powerful Dead King, and eventually became King of Atlantis once more. Through it all, the tangled mystery of Aquaman’s heritage still loomed. Searching for his mother Atlanna through dimensional portals, Aquaman and Mera found her—only to have her deny he was her son. With the help of the Martian Manhunter and Gorilla Grodd, Aquaman and Mera convinced Atlanna of the truth—but not before she tried to sacrifice them to the volcano god Karaku. When a secret society called N.E.M.O. framed an Atlantean group called the Deluge with an attack on a US ship, the already strained relationship between Atlantis and the United States became more so. Aquaman was arrested and later freed by Mera. It took the defeat of TRENCH WARFARE N.E.M.O.’s new leader, Black Manta, to fix international Aquaman and Mera faced a relations. However, in the process, Aquaman surrendered horde of the ravenous Trench. Atlantis to the United States. While this action resulted in peace, his people were not happy. They staged a coup, one led by Deluge leader Corum Rath. Rath was handed the kingdom while Aquaman was stabbed and presumably killed by the leader of the Drift, Commander Murk. However, the injury was not a fatal one. After growing a beard and longer hair, Arthur reemerged as the protector of the underserved area of Atlantis known as the Ninth Tride alongside his new ally, Dolphin. Forming an alliance with the gangs of the

to Atlantis in “Triton Wars,” as Poseidon’s son seeks to rule the seven seas. Aquaman (Vol. 6) #15–20 (Apr.–Sep. 2004) “American Tidal”

sees the spontaneous sinking of San Diego kill thousands… but gives thousands more a new aquatic life. Who is behind it? Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis (Vol. 1) #40–45 (May–Nov. 2006) Young Arthur Curry falls into a series of undersea intrigues involving King Shark, the history of his namesake, and the destiny of Atlantis. Aquaman (Vol. 7) #14–17 (Jan.– Apr. 2013) The “Throne of Atlantis” pits

Ocean Master against the surface world, with Aquaman caught in the middle.

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ATLANTIS RISEN During a fight alongside the Justice League against the demon Barbatos, Aquaman made a wish while wearing magical 10th metal. His wish caused Atlantis to rise from the depths, forcing Queen Mera to rule over a new addition to the surface world. SINK ATLANTIS!

With tensions boiling over between the US and Atlantis, the Suicide Squad was sent in to return the city to the seabed.

A Ninth Tride led by the notorious King Shark, Aquaman and Mera fought and defeated Rath, who had been empowered by evil magic called the Abyssal Dark. However, Mera was chosen by Atlantis’ wise Widowhood to rule, knowing that Arthur and Rath each polarized the nation. Atlantis’s problems were far from over, however. Atlantis came under attack by the Triumvirate of Sea Gods. These were three ancient water gods from distant worlds named Captain Gall, Commander Drogue, and Fleet Admiral Tyyde. They and their henchmen Black Manta flooded the planet with water that turned anyone it touched into ferocious sea creatures. While Aquaman began to talk sense into the invading gods, Black Manta turned on them, killing all but Tyyde. Aquaman stopped Manta, but was left for dead in the skirmish. In reality, Aquaman had been WITHOUT A KINGDOM saved by the unlikely hand of the No longer shackled by Anti-Monitor. Aquaman continued kingly duties in Atlantis, to see Mera, until she discovered Arthur Curry fights to defend both land and she was pregnant. They had an sea as Aquaman. argument over Aquaman’s fears,

and Mera lashed out at Arthur. Soon, an amnesic Aquaman washed up on the shore of the Village of Unspoken Water, and found himself battling a god named Namma. When he emerged victorious, he was marked with a strange tattoo on his chest. With the help of other old gods, Arthur regained his memories and returned to Amnesty Bay, where he began to mentor Aqualad (Jackson Hyde). His daughter Andy was born, and Aquaman took her in, surprised at the joy he felt instead of the panic he had expected. Now a proper family man, Aquaman continues to fight a seemingly endless battle to protect both land and sea.

“I am Aquaman. King of the Seven Seas. This is my birthright. This is my responsibility. And I will embrace it!” ARTHUR CURRY

REBIRTH

CORUM RATH From terrorist to king: Rath’s final evolution was to a grotesque sea creature, owing to his infection from the Abyssal Dark magic.

ON THE RECORD Aquaman’s origin has been told and retold over the years, like any good sea story. For years he was Arthur Curry, half-human son of Tom Curry and an Atlantean woman, Atlanna. His brother Orm, later the Ocean Master, was introduced, as young Arthur discovered Atlantis, his powers, and his destiny to become the Sea King. Atlantean origins This Silver Age story of Tom Curry succeeded a Golden Age tale of exploration and scientific experimentation, in which Aquaman’s father made his human son fit for a life under the sea. Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, the hero was recast as Orin, son of STEALTH SUIT Queen Atlanna and the Aquaman once wizard Atlan, abandoned due wore a blue suit, designed to hide to the Atlantean belief that his him from pursuing blond hair was the mark of enemies. a curse. Atlantean scientist Vulko tried to save him, and later became Aquaman’s guide to Atlantean ways after the nearly feral boy had grown up on the periphery of the surface world. Post-Crisis Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Aquaman appeared in a 1986 miniseries wherein he briefly wore a different blue costume designed to camouflage him in the ocean depths. Ocean Master immersed himself in the lore of Atlantean magic as he fought his half-brother for the throne of Atlantis and later sold his soul to Neron for more sorcerous power. Orin’s wife, Mera, has also transformed over time, becoming a powerful hero in her own right and acquiring a backstory that puts her on an equal footing with Aquaman. Magic hand The villain Charybdis cost Aquaman a hand in the 1990s, after which he had implanted a cybernetic harpoon designed by S.T.A.R. Labs. This was later replaced by a shape-changing golden hand, courtesy of Atlantean science. Later this too was destroyed, and the Arthurian Lady of the Lake gave Aquaman a hand composed of mystical living water. Aquaman later died and was resurrected—and his hand restored to its original state—at the conclusion of Blackest Night.

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A

ARAK DEBUT The Warlord (Vol. 1) #48 (Aug. 1981) Convergence (Vol. 1) #0 (Jun. 2015) (as Telos)

ARCHITECT

REAL NAME

Bright Sky After Storm BASE Eighth-century Europe 6ft WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Brown; Telos: Purple HAIR Black; Telos: None POWERS/ABILITIES Expert fighter with sword and otomahuk; shamanistic powers. Telos: Control of matter; metamorphosis; energy manipulation; super strength; invulnerability; flight; able to traverse alternate realities. ALLIES Vikings Telos: Techne, K’rot, Stealth, Captain Comet ENEMIES Angelica of Albracca Telos: Computo, Validus, Brainiac REAL NAME

Batman: Gates of Gotham (Vol. 1) #1 (Jul. 2011) DEBUT

Zachary Gate

Blue HAIR Blond EYES

Explosives expert; wears heavily armored, protective suit. ENEMIES Batman POWERS/ABILITIES

Zachary Gate is a direct descendant of Nicholas Anders, one of the brothers who crafted Gotham City’s great bridges. When his stepbrother died in a bridge collapse, Nicholas sought revenge on Gotham City’s founding families—the Kanes, Waynes, and Cobblepots. He eventually killed Robert Kane and went to jail, swearing vengeance an all children of Gotham City’s forefathers. Decades later, Zachary found Nicholas’ tell-all diary and decompression suit, and he began blowing up Gotham City’s main bridges to avenge his ancestor. Zachary was caught by Batman (Dick Grayson) who had worked out that the suit had driven both men insane. Zachary was later freed from Arkham by Jason Bard as part of a plan to destroy Gotham City and Batman. As the Architect, Zachary tried to demolish the Beacon—a new building funded by Bruce Wayne—but was defeated by Batman.

HEIGHT

Native American Arak was born in the eighth century. As a child he survived the massacre of his Quontauka nation, escaping by canoe into the Atlantic where he was found and adopted by Vikings. Always favoring his native otomahuk ax in battle, he grew into a fearsome warrior. When his Viking family were killed, “Arak RedHand” wandered western Europe before enlisting in the army of Emperor Charlemagne. After years of adventuring, he learned his father was He-No, the Quontauka god of thunder, and he became a shaman. Arak traveled in time to fight alongside the All-Star Squadron, and at some point, was taken by Brainiac and transformed into the creature known as Telos. He watched over some of the cities taken from various realities by the Collector of Worlds before regaining his memories and turning against his master. With his vast powers, Telos collected cities from many dimensions and points of time. Brainiac intended to pit each city against each other and allow the victor to become the one, true reality in a great Convergence. But when the heroes of the worlds rebelled, Telos helped Brainiac to see the error of his ways and realign the infinite Earths. Brainiac then set Telos free to search for his long-lost family.

ARES

ARION

Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #1 (Summer 1942) (as Mars); Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #183 (Jul.–Aug. 1969) (as Ares)

DEBUT

DEBUT

Mount Olympus WEIGHT 459 lbs BASE

HEIGHT

6ft 10in

POWERS/ABILITIES Godlike strength; ability

to summon and lead armies; superb martial skills. First Born, Wonder Woman, the Amazons AFFILIATIONS Gods of Olympus

ENEMIES

Ares is the Greek God of War, and could often be found near conflict. As Wonder Woman’s older brother (and her uncle), he taught young Diana the art of battle, training her in secret on every full moon. He was protective of Wonder Woman and stood by her against the First Born—Zeus’ first son who sought to kill all his kin. The First Born was defeated and Ares killed. Hades claimed him and Wonder Woman became the new God of War. However, Ares is fueled by forces in combat and perhaps cannot truly die. He has continually fomented war simply to increase his own power and influence. However, after being imprisoned beneath Themyscira with Grail, daughter of Darkseid, Ares resolved to change, seeking and inciting strife solely in the name of Justice. This was a decision which once again brought him into conflict against Wonder Woman.

18

Warlord #55 (Mar. 1982)

Ahri’ahn BASE Ancient Atlantis HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Green HAIR Brown, white POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality; vast range of magical abilities. ALLIES Wyynde ENEMIES Garn Daanuth, Doctor Fate AFFILIATIONS Lords of Order, Poseidon, Secret Six REAL NAME

More than 45,000 years ago, Arion was the greatest mage of ancient Atlantis. His father was Calculhah, a force for good, while his mother was Dark Majistra, a force for strife, who raised Arion’s twin brother, Garn Daanuth, to be his nemesis. When Dark Giants preyed upon humanity, Arion used Nth Metal to banish them from Earth, and he became a protégé of Sea God Poseidon. When the god grew jealous and betrayed him, Arion succumbed to the negative influence of the Death Force and created the divinity slaying Tear of Extinction. His fall was covered up by Atlantean authorities—who claimed he had perished— and Arion vanished for millennia. In modern times Arion battled Superman, Blue Beetle, and Doctor Fate, who sealed the mage in a crystal of absolution for 10,000 years to either transcend his sins or be consumed by them.

ON THE RECORD

CLASSICAL HERO

The original Arak battled all manner of gods and demons before being abducted into the Multiverse by Brainiac.

As a consequence of his transformation, Telos’ origins changed. Now Arak remembered that his father was a shaman and king of his people, who had forbade his son from fighting, despite Arak’s aptitude for battle. Forced to study the ways of the shaman, Arak gained his father’s and fought Brainiac when the villain appeared in his realm. Arak offered his life to Brainiac in exchange for the safety of his people and became Brainiac’s servant, Telos.

NEW WORLDS FOR OLD

After an eternity plundering cities and planets throughout the Multiverse, now all Telos seeks is his home and family.

ARISIA

ARKHAM, AMADEUS

Tales of Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 1) #1 (May 1981)

DEBUT

DEBUT

Arisia Rrab Space Sector 2815 HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 136 lbs EYES Gold HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Ring creates energy constructs; flight; physiology enhances extreme healing. ALLIES Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Sodam Yat REAL NAME BASE

Born on Graxos IV, Arisia Rrab is a hereditary Green Lantern, following her father Fentara and many others. When her uncle Blish died in action, his ring sought out the then-teenage Arisia, making her the ring-bearer of Sector 2815. She was rapidly aged while serving, and became close to Hal Jordan after spending time on Earth. Apparently killed by Major Force, Arisia was later found in suspended animation. She rejoined the Green Lantern Corps, tasked with watching over Green Lantern Sodam Yat. She fought in the Sinestro Corps Wars and, during Nekron’s attack on Earth and Oa, faced Black Lantern versions of her family. Later she died trying to save the doomed planet Perduron. She revived following the reality realignments of Flashpoint and Rebirth and now serves with the new Green Lantern Corps led by Jordan.

Arkham Asylum (1989)

Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Expert in psychiatry. ALLIES Jonah Hex ENEMIES John Cromwell BASE

In the 1880s, physician Amadeus Arkham specialized in the emerging sciences of psychology and psychiatry. Working with the Gotham City Police Department, he founded the asylum that bears his name—the notorious home of Gotham City’s most depraved criminals. Police detective Lofton consulted Arkham in his search for brutal serial killer, the Gotham Butcher. After encountering some resistance, Arkham deputized bounty hunter Jonah Hex to help, and they discovered that Gotham City was home to the Religion of Crime sect. Their endeavors trapped the Butcher and exposed the existence of villainous cabal the Court of Owls, a triumph Amadeus omitted from the book he wrote of their adventures together. A child of abuse and subjected to acts of criminal insanity all his adult life, Amadeus eventually went mad. After killing his mother, he was committed to his own asylum where he died after years of confinement.

A

DATA

ARSENAL More Fun Comics #73 (Nov. 1941) (as Speedy) Roy Harper BASE New York City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 180 lbs EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Expert archer and fighter; gifted mechanic; computer hacker and engineer; incredibly accurate aim. ALLIES Green Arrow, Red Hood, Starfire, Nightwing, Donna Troy, Killer Croc ENEMIES H.I.V.E., Cheshire AFFILIATIONS Teen Titans, Titans, The Outlaws

Arsenal was once the teen sidekick of the Green Arrow, helping the hero fight crime one arrow at a time, with Roy creating trick arrows for his mentor. Due to drugs and alcohol abuse, Roy fell out with Oliver Queen. He eventually managed to deal with his personal demons and become a hero again. Calling himself Arsenal, he fought as a member of both the Titans and The Outlaws.

DEBUT

REAL NAME

MAN OF ALL WEAPONS

Roy was an expert archer, but his perfect aim could be applied to a variety of weapons. He was rarely without one of his signature baseball caps.

WILD CHILD

When Roy Harper was a boy, his parents died in a forest fire. A Native American chief named Big Bow rescued Roy and took him in as his own and taught him archery. Roy was haunted by his childhood loss. At age ten, he tried his first sip of alcohol and quickly spiraled out of control. He was caught robbing a liquor store and when the local sheriff intervened, Big Bow was killed in the skirmish. Too inebriated to understand what happened, Roy fled the reservation to live on the streets of Seattle. Roy first encountered Oliver Queen after picking his pocket at a local mall. Ollie discovered that the boy was a natural expert with electronics, and eventually allowed Roy to partner with him in his alter ego of Green Arrow. Dubbed Speedy, Roy developed trick arrows for his mentor, and even joined the youthful heroes called the Teen Titans. However, when Ollie began to focus his attentions elsewhere, Speedy turned again to alcohol and then moved on to harder drugs. Instead of helping his young partner deal with his demons, Green Arrow fired Speedy. The young hero was then manipulated by Count Vertigo, before overcoming the villain’s influence and setting out on his own. Changing his Super Hero name to Arsenal, Roy recovered, in part thanks to the unlikely help from his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor Killer Croc. Now an adult, Roy’s thirst for adventure saw him join forces with Red Hood (Jason Todd) and Starfire, after the young vigilantes sprung him from a Middle Eastern prison. They became close friends and worked together as The Outlaws. When Starfire later left the team, Roy and Jason partnered as heroes for hire for a time. When that misguided business endeavor ended, Roy reunited with the original Teen Titans, now calling themselves the Titans. Roy was always happiest when with his oldest friends. However, one of those friends would be the literal death of him, when The Flash (Wally West) unwittingly lost control of his powers at a secret recovery center called the Sanctuary. Roy was killed in the tragedy, sending shockwaves through the Super Hero community. Computer genius Roy was taken in by Oliver Queen and he helped Oliver’s alter ego, the Green Arrow, fight crime.

ON THE RECORD Before Flashpoint, Roy Harper’s time as Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy was equally marred by an addiction to drugs. Always the fighter, Roy overcame his addiction, yet was continually drawn to the edge. His most serious romantic relationship was with international terrorist Cheshire, and their fling resulted in the birth of his daughter, Lian. Roy’s evolution into Arsenal saw him move away from his role as Green Arrow’s sidekick and start to favor more hi-tech weaponry. When he later joined the Justice League as Red Arrow, he returned to his roots. But he became more brutal following the murder of his daughter and the loss of his arm. Roy was a man in constant recovery, both from substance abuse and from his life with Cheshire.

CLASSIC STORIES Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #85 (Aug.–Sep. 1971) Roy Harper is

revealed to be a drug addict in one of the most controversial stories of the era. The New Titans #99 (Jul. 1993)

Roy assumes the name and identity of Arsenal for the first time. Justice League of America (Vol. 2) #7 (May 2007) Roy is the CYBERNETIC ARM

Roy’s arm was cut off by villain Prometheus. It was replaced by an advanced, cybernetic limb, but he experienced phantom pain.

Red Arrow and becomes a member of the Justice League of America.

THE OUTLAWS

Roy joined forces with the Red Hood and Starfire to form The Outlaws. He also began a relationship with teammate Starfire.

19

A ARKHAM, JEREMIAH

ARKILLO

DEBUT Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 (Jun. 1992)

DEBUT

BASE

Arkham Asylum 5ft 9in WEIGHT 170 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown

HEIGHT

HEIGHT

EYES

Advanced medical and physiological knowledge. AFFILIATIONS Arkham Asylum POWERS/ABILITIES

Head doctor at Arkham Asylum, Jeremiah Arkham was known for an unorthodox approach to psychiatric care. However—just like his great-uncle Amadeus, who founded the institution before going mad—Jeremiah, too was eventually driven insane. Dangerously paranoid and narcissistic, he briefly masqueraded as The Joker. While deranged, he freed and mind-controlled his charges, unleashing chaos before being shocked back to normalcy. In a later crisis, he assumed the persona of Black Mask, seeking to create his own criminal empire. After being successfully treated in his own asylum, Jeremiah is now regarded as cured of his demons. He administrates Arkham again, employing his radical healing techniques on the troubled and the lethally dangerous souls caged there.

ATLAN DEBUT

6ft 6in WEIGHT 370 lbs Black HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Power ring grants flight, energy control, and construct creation. ALLIES Sinestro ENEMIES Guardians, Guy Gardner AFFILIATIONS New Guardians, Sinestro Corps/Yellow Lantern Corps

Recruited by Sinestro to join his Corps in the antimatter universe of Qward, Arkillo traveled to Earth when he learned that one of the Corps had died there. While on Earth, he was recruited to the New Guardians team led by Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and staffed by ring bearers from across the Emotional Spectrum. Arkillo journeyed with them to Oa, where they survived an assault by the Guardians of the Universe. They battled the Archangel Invictus before Arkillo learned Sinestro and Hal Jordan had cooperated to destroy the Sinestro Corps’ Power Battery. With a new battery powered by fear, Arkillo rejoined the fight against Invictus before leaving the New Guardians. Resolved to do good his way, Arkillo now maintains order through fear as chief enforcer for the Sinestro Corps.

ATLAS Atlantis Chronicles #5 (Jul. 1990)

Atlantis HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 220 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond BASE

Vast magical abilities like cryokinesis; arsenal of magical weaponry. ALLIES Vulko ENEMIES Orin, Aquaman POWERS/ABILITIES

Centuries ago, Atlan ruled Atlantis, which grew to include seven lands under his reign. His brother Orin (Aquaman’s ancestor) quarreled with Atlan over his inclusive policies and plotted against his brother to protect the purity of the Atlantean bloodline. War followed, during which Atlan went into hiding and Orin murdered his family. Stricken with grief, Atlan forged six magical weapons to retake Atlantis. He used one of them to sink the kingdom, destroying four of its lands and transforming the other three—Atlantis, Xebel, and the Trench. He then fell into a long magical sleep deep under the ocean. Atlan was revived in the present day by Atlantean advisor Vulko, who wanted to restore Atlantis’ true king. Still angry, Atlan tried to permanently destroy Atlantis, but was stopped by Aquaman. The old king melted away, presumably for good.

20

Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #10 (May 2006)

BASE Vorn

DEBUT

1st Issue Special #1 (Apr. 1975)

Metropolis HEIGHT 6ft 5in WEIGHT 250 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength and stamina. ALLIES Chagra, Forager ENEMIES King Hyssa, Superman AFFILIATIONS Project 7734, New Gods BASE

In pre-historic antiquity, despotic King Hyssa’s raiders ransacked Atlas’ village on the Crystal Mountain, killing the boy’s family before enslaving him and the village’s survivors. Wearing a mystical talisman struck from the Crystal Mountain, Atlas escaped was raised by a goodhearted man named Chagra. It was not long before Chagra realized the boy had jaw-dropping strength and stamina. He became Atlas’ manager, joining him on his journeys, watching the hero rescue citizens and defeat evil princes. Eventually they toppled King Hyssa himself, with the unlikely aid of time-traveling New God Forager. Eventually, Atlas came to modern Earth-0 and worked for the mysterious Project 7734—a government investigation into the possibility of using magic to fight Kryptonians. Atlas often battled Superman, stating that his goal was to replace him as the champion of Metropolis.

ARROWETTE DEBUT

Impulse #28 (Aug. 1997)

Suzanne “Cissie” King-Hawke HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Archery, acrobatics. ALLIES Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Bart Allen, Tim Drake ENEMIES Harm, Spazz AFFILIATIONS Young Justice REAL NAME

When Olympic archer Bonnie King saw Green Arrow and Speedy in action, she briefly became a heroic copycat named Miss Arrowette—until they convinced her to retire. Frustrated but still inspired, Bonnie obsessively trained her daughter, Cissie, in all forms of combat. She resolved that her child would not be denied her own shot at fame and fortune. Although Cissie reluctantly became Arrowette, she was gifted and capable, employing trick arrows, martial skills, and tactical aptitude against superpowered foes, singly and with Young Justice. Eventually Child Protective Services removed Cissie from Bonnie’s custody. After Arrowette almost crossed the line and executed the murderers of her favorite teacher, Cissie renounced her costumed identity. She was recently convinced to return after her old Young Justice friends needed help taking down a rogue scientist from S.T.A.R. Labs.

ARTEMIS DEBUT

Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #90 (Sep. 1994)

Gotham City, Bana-Mighdall, mobile HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Divinely enhanced strength and speed; regenerative abilities; variety of magical weapons: Bow of Ra, Mistress Ax, Lasso of Submission. ALLIES Akila, Wonder Woman, Red Hood, Bizarro II, Aztek ENEMIES First Born, Nephthys, General Ahmed Heinle of Qurac, Tezcatlipoca AFFILIATIONS Egyptian Gods, Outlaws BASE

Prophesied to become Queen of the Amazons, Artemis is a daughter of the Bana-Mighdall, a breakaway faction of warrior women who switched allegiance to Egyptian gods thousands of years ago. Artemis met and mistakenly battled Wonder Woman. Working with Red Hood and a new clone of Bizarro to defeat Black Mask, she saved her city from the Quraci army, finally proving herself worthy of the Weapon of Magical Destruction. After years of adventuring, she united with Wonder Woman and Aztek to repulse the dark god Tezcatlipoca. Together they restored Atalanta—lost founder of the Bana-Mighdall colony—to her city. Artemis is now a hero, using the mystic Lasso of Submission awarded to her by Wonder Woman.

ATOMIC KNIGHT

ATOMIC SKULL

Strange Adventures (Vol.1) #117 (Jun. 1960)

DEBUT Superman (Vol. 1) #323 (May 1978)

DEBUT

Gardner Grayle

REAL NAME

Joseph Martin

BASE

BASE

6ft EYES Purple

HEIGHT

POWERS/ABILITIES Absorbs

REAL NAME

Mobile 6ft 1in WEIGHT 189 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Precognition; series of weaponized hi-tech armor suits providing a suite of powers including enhanced strength, durability, powered flight, energy projection, and absorption. When nuclear war in 1986 left Earth devastated, Gardner Grayle led a team of Atomic Knights in fighting injustice in the post-apocalyptic landscape. Then he awoke to realize it was just a VR simulation by S.T.A.R. Labs to test humanity’s survival potential. Afflicted with pre-cognition, Grayle stole a battle suit from the lab to save the true world from the nuclear threats he foresaw. He came into conflict with Superman, Wonder Woman, and others, but later joined teams like The Outsiders. Following Infinite Crisis, Grayle’s history was altered. He woke up in Blüdhaven with other Atomic Knights and visions of a horrible future. To defend the city, he worked with the Roundtable organization. After Flashpoint, the Atomic Knights were relocated to the post-apocalyptic future of Batman Beyond. Grayle was restored to Earth-0 after the events of Rebirth.

HEIGHT

Metropolis

WEIGHT 185 lbs HAIR

None

and projects nuclear energy; superhuman strength; flight. ENEMIES Superman, Wonder Woman, Steel, Hector Hammond AFFILIATIONS S.T.A.R. Labs, M.S.C.U. (Metropolis Special Crimes Unit) Scientist Joseph Martin deeply loved a co-worker, but was obsessively jealous. When their relationship ended, he saw her dancing with another man, and he killed her. Later, while on an experimental S.T.A.R. Labs submarine, he was exposed to nuclear energy. Shipwrecked on a desert island, he survived by releasing deadly nuclear blasts from his mouth. His skin and muscles literally peeled off his face, inspiring him to create Super-Villain-for-hire persona Atomic Skull. He regularly clashed with Superman, both alone and with criminals such as Major Disaster and the Royal Flush Gang. In recent times Martin reformed, fighting criminals with the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, Superwoman, and the Teen Titans. As warden of Stryker’s Island Penitentiary, he aided Green Lantern Hal Jordan against super-telepath Hector Hammond.

A

DATA

ATOM All-American Comics (Vol. 1) #19 (Oct. 1940) (Al Pratt); Showcase (Vol. 1) #34 (Sep.–Oct. 1961) (Ray Palmer); Brave New World (Vol. 1) #1 (Aug. 2006) (Ryan Choi) REAL NAMES Raymond Palmer; Ryan Choi BASE Ant Farm (Ray Palmer); Ivy Town (Ryan Choi) HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Brown HAIR Brown (Ray Palmer); Black (Ryan Choi) POWERS/ABILITIES Shrinking to any size including subatomic; acrobatics; advanced knowledge of biomechanics and physics. ALLIES Superman, Frankenstein, Kyle Rayner, Wonder Woman ENEMIES Vandal Savage, Chronos, M’nagalah AFFILIATIONS Justice League, S.H.A.D.E. DEBUT

SUITED UP

The Atom’s suit features life-support systems for Ray Palmer when he is riding through someone’s bloodstream—or for whenever regular air molecules are too big for him to breathe.

Ray Palmer is science liaison to S.H.A.D.E. and a hero in his own right as the Atom. He is also the creator of the Ant Farm, a pioneer in miniaturization technology, and a recent welcome addition to the Justice League of America. Ray Palmer became science advisor to S.H.A.D.E., the Super-Human Advanced Defense Executive. He built the Ant Farm, a self-contained BLOOD TEST miniaturized base for S.H.A.D.E. Agents that included Called in by the Justice League for his expertise, S.H.A.D.E. City. The Ant Farm was a technological marvel, Ray found a microscopic with an independent power source, atmosphere, and artificial metropolis built inside gravity. It was accessible only via simultaneous teleportation Batman’s brain. and shrinking using a process Palmer created. Aware of Palmer’s work, Superman sought his help after Batman contracted a mysterious illness. Diving into a sample of Batman’s blood, Palmer discovered that the Dark Knight was suffering from the effects of a microscopic city constructed in a blood vessel in his brain. Miniaturizing Superman, he took the Man of Steel inside Batman’s brain, showed him the tiny city and trapped it inside a globe similar to the Ant Farm. Palmer came to the heroes’ aid again, helping Superman locate the Bottle City of Kandor and devising an armored suit of Kryptonite that the Man of Steel could use against Vandal Savage after the immortal villain had stolen his powers. Encouraged by these successes, Palmer followed through on his plan to embrace the Super Hero life and called himself the Atom.

REBIRTH LITTLE VICTORIES, BIG DREAMS In DC Universe Rebirth #1, Ryan Choi returns as Ray Palmer’s teaching assistant at Ivy University. With Palmer lost in the microverse, Choi inherits his size-altering belt after receiving a desperate, if garbled, warning from his mentor. The part-time Super Hero is confident his protégé will rise to every challenge to save him as a new Atom. Though Palmer’s message is abruptly cut off, one thing is certain: to find him, Choi must finally live up to the huge potential everyone else feels he possesses. Now all he has to do is believe it himself.

ON THE RECORD Since his creation in 1940,

BITE-SIZED HERO

Under the malign many heroes have been the Atom. influence of cancer-god The original was super-strong M’nagalah, Giganta student Al Pratt, who lived a long bit off more than she could chew when she heroic life and perished during the swallowed Ryan whole. Zero Hour event. College Professor Ray Palmer then became the Atom in 1961 after inventing miniaturization technology that allowed him, and later Atoms, to alter their size, weight, and mass. Using an Atom belt confiscated UP AND ATOM from Palmer, covert operative Adam Cray succeeded Ray Palmer was the him and died while working with the Suicide Squad. best-known Atom, remaining in the In 2006, Palmer’s friend and former student Ryan Choi role for five decades, inherited his technology and his position as Physics and counting. Professor at Ivy University. A reluctant hero at first, Choi soon carved his own legend as the All-New Atom, saving Earth from invasion by microscopic aliens, the Waiting, and thwarting a time-bending conspiracy involving his employer Dean Macy and Chronos. Choi next freed the eccentric size-shifting Super-Villain Giganta from cancer-god M’nagalah’s control, and then dated her. However, he faced his greatest trial after accidentally bringing back a microbial carnivore from the microverse. This predator shrunk its prey, storing them in a sub-atomic realm, and it took all Choi’s bravery and brilliance to rescue the surviving victims. Ryan was murdered by Deathstroke, but returned during the Convergence event to help Ray Palmer bring the assassin to justice.

CLASSIC STORIES Showcase (Vol. 1) #34 (Sep.–Oct. 1961) Scientist Ray Palmer devises a way to shrink himself using matter from a white dwarf star. He dubs himself the Atom and frees an alien named Kulan Dar, who has had to commit crimes for a local thief. Sword of the Atom #1–4 (Sep. 1983) With his marriage to Jean Loring

on the rocks, Ray Palmer finds himself frozen at a six-inch stature. He discovers a society of miniature people in the Amazon, and becomes the leader of a rebel faction. All-New Atom (Vol 1.) #5 (Jan. 2007) Rookie Atom Ryan Choi faces

BIG BOOTS TO FILL

Initially plagued with self-doubt, Ryan Choi became a true hero using the Atom suit to save lives, defeat villains, and explore the furthest and strangest corners of the microverse.

demonic corrupter M’nagalah, and is briefly swallowed by his possessed new colleague Professor Doris Zuel (Giganta). Titans (Vol. 2) #38 (Oct. 2011) Ray Palmer investigates the disappearance of his successor, Ryan Choi. He hunts down Deathstroke, sparking a battle between the Justice League and the Titans.

21

A ATOMICA

ATOM SMASHER

DEBUT The New 52: Free Comic Book Day Special #1 (Jun. 2012)

All-Star Squadron #25 (Sep. 1983) REAL NAME Albert Julian Rothstein BASE New York City HEIGHT 7ft 6in (15ft at full height) WEIGHT 297 lbs (700 lbs at full size) EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; able to increase size and gain weight simultaneously; wears S.T.A.R. Labsdesigned suit that can change size with him. ALLIES Obsidian, Jade, Black Adam ENEMIES Extant, Kobra AFFILIATIONS Infinity, Inc., Conglomerate, Justice Society of America, Justice League America, Suicide Squad DEBUT

A true example of a legacy hero, Albert Rothstein is the godson to the original Golden Age hero Atom, as well as the grandson of the Super-Villain Cyclotron. Albert decided to use his inherited powers for good, calling himself Nuklon and becoming a founding member of the young Super Hero team Infinity, Inc. After the team disbanded, Albert continued to move up in Super Hero circles, joining the Conglomerate and then Justice League America, the latter alongside another former Infinity, Inc. member, Obsidian. Following an attack on the JLA’s satellite headquarters, Nuklon left the team, while many of its members decided to form a new Justice League America incarnation. It didn’t take long for Nuklon to find a new team of Super NEW WAVE Heroes to fight alongside. He joined the reformed Justice Society NUKLON of America. This JSA was made up of many legacy heroes, Atom Smasher including Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance), Starman (Jack struggled to live down his Knight), Stargirl (Courtney Whitmore), and even his godfather’s old look as son, Damage (Grant Emerson). Prolonged exposure to thorium Nuklon. He radiation had given Albert the ability to change his size and used to sport density. This inspired him to adopt the name Atom Smasher, a then-trendy Mohican haircut. to better honor both his godfather and grandfather.

HEIGHT

FISTS OF FURY

After his mother died at the hands of the villain Kobra, Albert was consumed with vengeance. Growing to a dangerously unstable size, he flew into a murderous rage against his Kobra’s forces.

The Earth-3 equivalent of Bonnie from the infamous duo of Bonnie and Clyde, Rhonda Pineda was the partner of Jonathan Allen, both of whom enjoyed careers as criminals and killers. But the law eventually caught up with them and they were surrounded by police on the roof of S.T.A.R. Labs. A lightning strike caused the duo to be exposed to Ray Palmer’s equipment, housed inside the S.T.A.R. facility. Rhonda gained shrinking powers, while Johnny gained super-speed. Joining Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate as Atomica, Rhonda ventured to Earth-0. Here she became a double-agent for both the Justice League and the Justice League of America as the Atom, before she revealed herself as the Syndicate’s mole. During a battle with Batman and his allies, she was crushed beneath Lex Luthor’s boot.

AXIS AMERIKA

ATROCITUS Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #28 (Apr. 2008) REAL NAME Atros BASE Ysmault HEIGHT 7ft 9in WEIGHT 438 lbs EYES Yellow HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; Red Lantern ring enables flight, formation of rage-fueled energy constructs, projection of force-fields, and production of an acid-like plasma. ALLIES Dex-Starr ENEMIES Guardians of the Universe, Guy Gardner AFFILIATIONS Red Lanterns, Five Inversions DEBUT

Long ago, on the planet Ryut, an alien named Atros lived with his wife and children. Policed by the Guardians of the Universe’s Manhunter androids, the people lived in peace, until the Manhunters malfunctioned and razed the planet. Atros’ family was killed, leaving him alone in his rage. After destroying many Manhunters with his bare hands, Atros was found by Qull, Roixaeume, Orphram, and Dal-Xauix—beings banished from their home world and considered demons. Atros fell in with them, and the group became known as the Five Inversions, using blood magic to battle the Guardians of the Universe for centuries. Eventually, the Guardians’ new servants, the Green Lanterns, bested the Five Inversions. Atros killed his teammates and used their blood to build a Red Lantern power battery, empowered by his own rage. He took the name Atrocitus and created his own Red Lantern Corps.

22

Rhonda Pineda 5ft 2in WEIGHT 107 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Able to shrink to microscopic size. ALLIES Johnny Quick, the Outsider ENEMIES Justice League, Justice League of America, Anti-Monitor, Lex Luthor REAL NAME

ON THE RECORD

DEBUT

A pivotal flashback in Green

NOTABLE MEMBERS

Lantern (Vol. 4) #30 (Jun. 2008) revealed that Atrocitus had murdered Hal Jordan’s predecessor, Abin Sur, which makes Atrocitus responsible for Hal acquiring a power ring and becoming a Green Lantern. Atrocitus fought against Nekron in the Blackest Night event and briefly gave a Red Lantern ring to Aquaman’s longtime love interest, Mera, during that conflict.

BLOOD OATH

Like the Green Lantern Corps, the Red Lanterns have their own oath: “With blood and rage of crimson red, Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, Together with our hellish hate, We’ll burn you all—that is your fate!”

Young All-Stars #1 (Jun. 1987) Übermensch, Horned Owl, Fledermaus, Hel, Gudra, Sea Wolf, Usil, Kamikaze, Fleshburn, Baron Blitzkrieg, Zaladin, Übermensch II, Great White

During World War II, the Super-Villain squad Axis Amerika served the Axis Powers against US Super Hero teams like the All-Star Squadron. Axis Amerika’s leader was usually Übermensch, who possessed superhuman strength, durability, and speed, but the infamous Baron Blitzkrieg also led the team. Other members included the Horned Owl, the German equivalent of Batman and his son, Fledermaus; Gudra, a Valkyrie brought from another dimension thanks to Hitler’s Spear of Destiny; Sea Wolf, an aquatic werewolf; Usil, an expert archer; and Kamikaze, known as the “living missile” and equipped with rocket-powered armor. Together, the group battled the offshoot of the All-Star Squadron, the Young All-Stars. Decades later, a new Axis America team of American supremacists, fought the JLA. Led by an American called Übermensch II, they included his wife Hel, a flying swordswoman; Fleshburn, a fire-wielder; Great White, who wielded an energized bullwhip; and Zaladin, a mystic swordsman.

A AZRAEL Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 (Oct. 1992) REAL NAME Jean-Paul Valley BASE Mobile HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Expert hand-to-hand combatant and swordsman; underwent Mother’s traumatic conditioning, making him a near-perfect warrior; possesses a so-called “Wrath of God” ability that produces awe and visions in the minds of his victims. ALLIES Batman, Batwoman, Batwing, Starfire, Cyborg, GL Jessica Cruz ENEMIES Bane, Darkseid, St. Dumas, Mother AFFILIATIONS Church of St. Dumas, the Colony, Justice League Odyssey DEBUT

Early in Batman’s career, when Dick Grayson became Robin, the Dark Knight encountered a criminal calling herself Mother. She offered a bizarre specialty service that would deliver a perfect partner or soldier—for the right price. To create that ideal companion, Mother traumatized her innocent victims at an early age, enabling her to imprint any desired qualities onto them. Jean-Paul Valley was one of these innocents. Mother used a novel technique on him while working with the Church of St. Dumas. Utilizing a combination of awe and pain, Jean-Paul was forged into an unstoppable warrior—Azrael. Tracking the villain Orphan, Red Robin and Red Hood infiltrated the infamous prison, Peña Duro, on the corrupt island of Santa Prisca. They teamed with monstrous Bane, storming the penitentiary, which had been converted into a church called the Crusade of St. Dumas. There they encountered Azrael, who defeated Bane by showing him a religious vision that apparently confirmed the Church of St. Dumas’ philosophy. Later, Azrael worked under Batman and Batwoman, before being drawn into space as part of Justice League Odyssey. Mysteriously compelled to defend the chaotic ghost sector with Starfire and Cyborg, Azrael was slowly corrupted by Darkseid and transformed into his New God of Belief.

AZTEK DEBUT

Aztek #1 (Aug. 1996)

Nayeli Constant BASE Vanity, Oregon EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Computer expert; trained in combat techniques; battlesuit provides enhanced strength, durability, and flight; helmet holds entire history of Brotherhood of the Q ALLIES The Ray ENEMIES Tezcatlipoca, Sons of the Earth, the Luminary AFFILIATIONS Justice League, Justice Foundation, Q Society

REAL NAME

Software engineer Nayeli Constant was working in Austin, Texas, when the Aztek helmet originally used by Uno sought her out and recruited her to the Q Society’s eternal war against Tezcatlipoca. Rebuilding and modifying the battlesuit, Constant assumed the role of Aztek, determined to save mankind from the ancient threat of the Dark God and his earthly acolytes. Moving to Vanity, Oregon, Aztek started her holy war by hunting local cult the Sons of the Earth and their leader, the Luminary. This mission initially brought her into brutal conflict with the Ray before they ultimately teamed up to end the cult’s threat.

ON THE RECORD Pre-Flashpoint, Jean-Paul Valley’s

discovery of his dying father dressed as Azrael changed his life forever. Brainwashed by the System to become the Church of St. Dumas’ assassin, Jean-Paul worked with Batman instead, standing in for the Dark Knight when Bane broke the hero’s back. Unbalanced by his upbringing, Valley became a more violent Batman and wore heavier armor. He later surrendered the mantle to a newly healed Bruce Wayne and set out on his own adventures as Azrael.

THE RETURN OF AZRAEL

After Jean-Paul Valley’s death at the hands of his greatest enemies, Biis and Scratch, a new Azrael emerged. Michael Lane, a former cop, had been trained to become the G.C.P.D.’s equivalent of Batman.

ON THE RECORD The Brotherhood of the Q raised Uno to

wear the helmet of Quetzalcoatl and defend the city of Vanity and the world against the shadow god Tezcatlipoca. When Uno arrived in Vanity, however, he encountered a vigilante named Bloodtype, in reality Dr. Curtis Falconer. Bloodtype died after their battle, but not before he told Uno that he was about to start work at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital that very day. Deciding he needed a civilian identity, Uno impersonated Falconer, protecting Vanity as a Super Hero later dubbed Aztek by the press. After team-ups with Green Lantern and Batman, Aztek briefly joined the JLA but died attacking the living planet Mageddon, the supposed second coming of Tezcatlipoca.

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B

BANE

CLASSIC STORIES

DATA

Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1

Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (Jan. 1993) BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 8in WEIGHT 350 lbs (425 lbs with Venom) EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Enhanced strength, weight, durability, and endurance due to use of a super-steroid called Venom; extremely intelligent; master strategist; possesses indomitable will; expert fighter and natural leader. ALLIES Santa Prisca mercenaries; prison inmates Bird, Trogg, and Zombie ENEMIES Batman, the Batman Family, Batwoman, Killer Croc AFFILIATIONS Santa Prisca inmates DEBUT

(Jan. 1993) Bane’s origin is revealed

in a powerful tale of one man’s struggle to the top of the criminal heap. “Knightfall” [Batman (Vol. 1) #492–500, Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #659–666, Showcase ’93 #7–8 (May 1992–Oct. 1993)] Bane

not only plans a way to triumph over Batman, but he breaks the crime fighter’s back in this memorable saga. Batman: Vengeance of Bane #2

Despite his impressive physique and prodigious strength, Bane is far from a simple physical threat for Batman. An unjustly imprisoned inmate, Bane trained his mind and body to near perfection. With the help of the super-steroid known as Venom, Bane has become one of the most dangerous men the Dark Knight has ever faced—a perfect combination of brain and brawn.

(Dec. 1995) After his defeat to Azrael’s Batman, Bane escapes prison once again to reclaim his greatness without Venom. Batman: Bane of the Demon #1–4

al Ghu-l’s heir apparent, setting the stage for the epic Legacy crossover.

(Mar.–Jun. 1998) Bane becomes Ra’s

Little is known about the past of the man who is simply known as Bane. With his true name lost somewhere to legend—if he ever had one at all—the story of Bane begins in a prison complex called Peña Dura BORN LEADER Bane presents a huge in the corrupt Caribbean island nation of Santa Prisca. While it has physical threat and, never been proven, many legends state that Bane was born unfortunately for Batman, inside the prison’s walls, and was forced to live his life there, is also a charismatic serving the sentence his mysterious father avoided by leader who can enlist others in his quest escaping “justice.” for domination. When he was just a boy, Bane was forced into solitary confinement, nearly drowning each night when water would flood his cell. Surviving off the sea creatures that came in with the tide, Bane began to focus his mind and body, training himself for a war to come. That war would loom ever closer when, as an adult, Bane was chosen for an experimental program that saw his body injected with the super-steroid Venom. Now even more of a powerhouse, he escaped and headed to Gotham City to claim it as his own. A genius strategist, Bane challenged and triumphed over Batman, and broke the hero’s back, only to have Gotham City subsequently ripped from his grasp by its protector. Bane has attempted several more takeovers of Gotham City over the years, including besting Killer Croc for rule of the city when the Crime Syndicate had briefly taken the Justice League off the map. However, his most recent efforts may be his cruelest. Not only did Bane manipulate Catwoman to leave Batman at the altar on what would have been their wedding night, he also teamed with a Batman (Thomas Wayne) from an alternate universe and killed Alfred Pennyworth during a successful Gotham City takeover. At this point, Bane controlled every aspect of the city, allowing other Super-Villains to operate as its police force. However, Batman and Catwoman fought their way through this “City of Bane” and defeated the hulking villain. Thomas Wayne then double-crossed his supposed ally and shot Bane—an injury that Bane once again survived.

ON THE RECORD Bane originally escaped Peña Dura

with the help of three fellow inmates, Bird, Trogg, and Zombie. The villains then freed many of the Dark Knight’s worst enemies from Arkham Asylum. Exhausted, Batman refused to rest until they were once again caged. Meanwhile, Bane broke into Wayne Manor to confront the hero in a brutal fight that saw the villain snap Batman’s back. A NEW KNIGHT

In the pre-Flashpoint DC universe, Bruce Wayne and his allies worked toward a permanent cure for his broken back. Batman’s successor, Azrael, took up his mantle and finally managed to beat Bane.

24

BANE OF GOTHAM CITY

The super-steroid Venom is fed into Bane’s bloodstream via tubes. The Venom temporarily gives the villain superhuman strength, speed, and endurance.

BREAKING THE BAT

When Bane snapped Batman’s back, he triumphed over the hero by using not just strength, but also cunning.

B BARD, JASON

BARON BLITZKRIEG

BAT LASH

DEBUT Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #392 (Oct. 1969)

DEBUT

World’s Finest Comics (Vol. 1) #246 (Aug.–Sep. 1977)

DEBUT

BASE

Gotham City 6ft WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown ABILITIES Intelligent, cunning, determined, skilled detective. ALLIES Vicki Vale, Hush, Jim Gordon, Batgirl ENEMIES Mayor Sebastian Hady, Carmine Falcone AFFILIATIONS G.C.P.D. (former)

REAL NAME

HEIGHT

BASE

Jason Bard was a respected Detroit cop whose partner died when a Batman imitator interfered in police business. Blaming the real Dark Knight for the acts of his copycat, Bard traveled to Gotham City, seeking out the villain Hush. After Police Commissioner James Gordon was framed and imprisoned, Bard manipulated Gotham Gazette reporter Vicki Vale, and rose to the position of commissioner before seeing the error of his ways after an encounter with the real Batman. He then worked against the criminals he had partnered with. He freed Gordon, resigned from the force, and gave a tell-all confession to Vale. He worked as a private eye and began a tempestuous romantic relationship with Gordon’s daughter, Barbara, aka Batgirl.

Reiter (first name unknown) Nazi Germany HEIGHT 6ft 6in WEIGHT 245 lbs (in armor) EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Psychic power to control metabolism; eyes emit heat. ALLIES Adolf Hitler, Atomic Skull ENEMIES Wonder Woman, All-Star Squadron, Damage, Iron Munro AFFILIATIONS Third Reich, The Society, Shadowspire, Axis Amerika The man who would later become known as Baron Blitzkrieg was originally a Prussian nobleman, favored by Adolf Hitler. Heading up a concentration camp, this commandant was scarred when acid was thrown in his face. This prompted Hitler to attempt to unlock the man’s latent psychic powers, realizing the Baron was of little other use to him. Transformed into a super soldier for the Third Reich, Baron Blitzkrieg became a staunch opponent of the wartime heroes in the All-Star Squadron and later Wonder Woman (Hippolyta). His untimely death occurred at the hands of Superboy Prime, who killed the Baron with his heat vision.

BAT-MITE Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #267 (May 1959) BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 2ft 11in WEIGHT 47 lbs EYES Black HAIR Unknown POWERS/ABILITIES Flight; teleportation; can alter reality including changing the clothing of others; weapons include Utility Belt filled with gadgets together with a bat-shaped cellphone, Bat-shield, and Bat-laser. ALLIES Batman, the Batman Family, Booster Gold ENEMIES Gridlock, Dr. Trauma AFFILIATIONS Justice Mites of America DEBUT

An imp hailing from an unnamed dimension, the pint-sized provocateur known as Bat-Mite is a perpetual thorn in Batman’s side. Declaring himself Batman’s biggest fan and clad in a Batsuit that resembles his hero’s current look, the troublesome Bat-Mite has the unerring knack of popping up at the most inopportune times to assist Batman with his own brand of mischievous heroics. The result is invariably mayhem, making the Dark Knight work twice as hard to resolve the situation. Bat-Mite’s otherworldly antics led him to be banned from his own dimension. Stranded in Batman’s reality, but still possessing his magical abilities, Bat-Mite stole the Batmobile to engage in a spot of crime fighting, but promptly crashed it off a cliff. Not content with “helping” the Dark Knight, Bat-Mite has also managed to make life difficult for other Super Heroes, including Hawkman, Robin, and Booster Gold.

Showcase (Vol. 1) #76 (Aug. 1968)

Bartholomew Aloysius Lash BASE American Southwest (late 19th century) HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 167 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Reddish blond POWERS/ABILITIES Expert gunfighter, bar brawler, and card player; razor-keen wit. ALLIES Jonah Hex, Cinnamon, Scalphunter, Enemy Ace ENEMIES Hundreds of card players AFFILIATIONS Rough Bunch REAL NAME

An adorable baby, Bartholomew Aloysius Lash grew up learning how to use his good looks and charm to his advantage. After his parents were swindled out of their farm, Bartholomew sought justice, but found himself killing a corrupt police deputy. Branded an outlaw, Bat Lash began a journey across the Old West, making his living thanks to his uncanny knack at poker. While he’s no stranger to a barroom brawl, Lash is an even better talker, and often maintains a smile on his face and a jaunty flower in his hat.

BASILISK DEBUT

Suicide Squad (Vol. 4) #4 (Feb. 2012)

BASE The Andes MEMBERS/ABILITIES

Regulus: Tactical analysis, weapons expert; Grey Lora: Enhanced reflexes; Red Orchid: Chlorokinesis; Black Spider: Hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship; Hammerdown: Invulnerability, super-strength; Whipcrack: Energy whip; Tsiklon: Wind manipulation; Uplink: Telepathy; Dr. Elisa Visyak: Scientific genius. ENEMIES

Suicide Squad, Team 7, Birds of Prey

Basilisk is a powerful terrorist organization with several metahuman men and women at its disposal. It is led by Regulus, a Super-Villain formed from a psychic and physical merger of Dean Higgins—a former member of the special ops group Team 7— and Kaizen, the insane ruler of the outlaw nation of Gamorra. Part cult drawing power from a mythic snake and part conspiracy collective preparing for a war against super-powered threats, Basilisk has had numerous clashes with the Suicide Squad. At one point the terror cell planted one of its members, Black Spider, in the Squad’s ranks in an attempt to destroy the Squad from within. Basilisk also tangled with the Birds of Prey when Black Canary discovered Basilisk was holding her husband, Kurt Lance, hostage.

ON THE RECORD Bat-Mite has remained much

the same bothersome imp since his debut in 1959. After aiding and/ or annoying the Silver Age Batman, Bat-Mite faded into obscurity after Crisis on Infinite Earths. A modern incarnation of the “Dark Mite” reemerged in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #38 in 1992, when the mighty Mite appeared as the probable hallucination of a drug addict named Overdog. The imp returned in the 2000s as a delusion of Batman himself.

MITE OR FLIGHT?

During a mental meltdown caused by the villain Dr. Hurt, Batman became the only person who could see Bat-Mite.

25

B

DATA

BATGIRL Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #359 (Jan. 1967) Barbara Joan Gordon BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 135lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Expert martial artist and gymnast trained in part by Batman; extremely athletic and agile; eidetic memory; very intelligent with advanced knowledge of computers; natural leader; weapons include fully stocked Utility Belt, protective suit, and Batcycle. ALLIES Batman, Batman Family, Black Canary, Frankie Charles, James Gordon, Jason Bard ENEMIES The Joker, James Gordon Jr., Knightfall, Velvet Tiger AFFILIATIONS Birds of Prey, Batman family

AT A GLANCE... Commissioner’s daughter Barbara Gordon grew up a police “brat,” idolizing her father James Gordon and wanting to follow in his footsteps. Her father introduced her to judo and gymnastics, and imbued her with a strong moral character. These skills all came into play when Barbara first donned a Batsuit and became the Super Hero known as Batgirl. Expanded wardrobe Batgirl has worn several costumes over the course of her relatively short career. First donning a police Batsuit, Barbara soon adopted an official Batgirl costume, complete with domino-style mask. After an injury at the hands of The Joker, she wore a more armored Batgirl suit. Team player Batgirl met and teamed with vigilantes Black Canary and Starling to form the Birds of Prey—a team that later brought crime fighters like Katana, Strix, Condor, and The Huntress into its lineup. While considering herself a solo act, Batgirl has fought well alongside others.

CLASSIC STORIES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #359 (Jan. 1967) Batgirl makes her debut

by proving herself in combat against the longtime Batman foe Killer Moth. Batgirl Special #1 (Jan. 1988) In her first solo self-titled comic, Batgirl ends an old score and retires from the Super Hero life, setting the stage for the monumental Batman: The Killing Joke special. Batgirl: Year One #1–9 (Feb.–Oct. 2003) Barbara Gordon’s origin is retold for the modern era, explaining how she made the transition from lone vigilante to a member of Batman’s inner circle. Batgirl (Vol. 4) #35 (Dec. 2014)

Batgirl opts for independence and moves to the Gotham City borough of Burnside, adopting a new look and perspective on life.

26

A presence in Batman’s world ever since she forcibly inserted herself into it, the tenacious Barbara Gordon has spent her life following in the footsteps of her hero father, Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon. While James Gordon has done much to help Gotham City as one of the few honorable cops on the Gotham City Police force, Barbara has done even more as Batgirl. Originally starting her career by imitating Gotham City’s legendary Dark Knight, Batgirl has since become her own woman, fighting crime in an original style, and putting her years of training and brilliant mind to work protecting Gotham City’s under-served neighborhoods.

DEBUT

REAL NAME

Barbara Gordon grew up in the shadow of Gotham City’s white knight, James Gordon. She idolized her father for his fight against the city’s corruption and criminal element. Intense and driven, Barbara wanted to follow her dad’s example, but she did so in her own unique way. She mastered ballet and judo, and put her photographic memory to good use by studying criminology. It was during a trip to the Gotham City Police Department as part of her research for “Intro to Criminology” that Barbara caught her first glimpse of her life’s calling. Visiting the precinct alongside her little brother James Jr., Barbara saw her true reason for touring the G.C.P.D.—a Batsuit mocked up by the S.W.A.T. team based on eyewitness DADDY DEAREST sightings of the elusive Batman. Barbara decorated her bedroom As interested as she was in her father’s walls with news stories of her father’s line of work, Barbara had become truly heroic crime-fighting exploits. fascinated by Gotham City’s Dark Knight and wanted to learn everything she could about the vigilante. But little did she know she would get a chance to take a trial run at filling the Batman’s shoes that very same day. After police escorted a hulking criminal called Harry X past Barbara, the villain escaped with the help of his armed accomplices. Barbara used the confusion as cover, and donned the G.C.P.D.’s Batsuit in order to best Harry X in combat without exposing her identity. When she met Batman face-to-face immediately afterward, her actions were praised by the hero. The entire event proved too irresistible for Barbara, and soon she was wearing her own blue-and-gray Batsuit and learning the ins and outs of crime fighting firsthand as Batgirl.

AFFAIRS OF THE HEART Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson, the original Robin, have shared a longstanding romance that began when Barbara first started out as Batgirl. From the outset, Grayson noticed the young vigilante’s grace and skill, and soon developed a crush on the heroine. While their romance never truly got off the ground, the two understood they shared a mutual attraction. But when Grayson faked his own death to join the spy network Spyral, Barbara moved on with her life and began a romance with Luke Fox, aka Batwing. Babs and Luke have since broken up, and she began dating Jason Bard, a former Gotham City Police Commissioner, who is trying to make amends for his corrupt time on the force. MOVING ON

Dick Grayson wasn’t happy about Barbara’s decision to end their years-long flirtation, but he realized that she was happy, and did his best to be happy for her.

B However, after team-ups with Robin and fighting villains like the Killer Moth, the first chapter of Batgirl’s life as a Super Hero was about to come to a crashing halt. When Super-Villain The Joker broke into Barbara’s apartment in his latest scheme against Jim SURVIVING THE JOKE Gordon, he shot Batgirl in the spine, The Joker shot and paralyzed Barbara leaving her wheelchair-bound. Barbara Gordon at her apartment—but he was no made the most of that time, however, match for Batgirl’s indomitable spirit. using her computer expertise to create the online persona of the information guru called Oracle. Through the use of cutting-edge technology, however, and with an unwavering desire to overcome adversity, Barbara regained her ability to walk. She was soon back in prime fighting form, adopting a new Batgirl costume that better matched Batman’s armored counterpart. Back as a Super Hero, Batgirl’s life did not slow down in the slightest. Initially reluctant to commit herself to a team, Barbara became a member of the female vigilantes called the Birds of Prey. “…for the first time She met a host of new adversaries including Grotesque and Gretel, in a long while, I and an archfoe in the form of Knightfall. She would later move to Burnside, become the defender of that Gotham City borough, and use know who I am...” social media to her advantage. There she started her own company in BATGIRL the form of Gordon Clean Energy, adopted a practical jacket-like costume, and established a network of loyal friends and coworkers.

BRAVE NEW BATGIRL When her practical Burnside costume was all but shredded during a fight with a new Grotesque, Barbara donned an old prototype Batgirl costume she kept at her dad’s house for just such an emergency. Opting to leave her Burnside days behind her for a fresh start at crime fighting, she took up a new apartment in the rundown neighborhood called the Narrows. Batgirl maintains a Super Hero hideout from her time as Oracle in the form of the Clock Tower, located in the historic Old Gotham neighborhood, and enjoys the occasion team-up with Black Canary and Huntress, her two closest allies from the Birds of Prey. CLASSIC YET PRACTICAL

Batgirl’s current Batsuit includes a yellow backpack underneath the cape, perfect for storing her civilian clothing while on the go.

WANTED FOR QUESTIONING

Commissioner Gordon witnessed James Jr.’s plummet off the dock, and blamed Batgirl for his son’s death. Determined not to reveal her double identity to her father, Batgirl was forced to live as a fugitive for a time.

ON THE RECORD REBIRTH

While Barbara Gordon has remained the iconic version of Batgirl since her debut, the original Batgirl, Betty Kane, first appeared in 1961 in Batman (Vol. 1) #139. The niece of Kathy Kane (aka Batwoman), Betty launched the long and eventful history of Batgirl. Enter Batgirl Before the reality-altering event Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barbara Gordon was introduced as a librarian who had designed a Batman-like costume to attend a policeman’s ball. On the way to the event, however, she encountered Killer Moth and quickly leapt to Batman and Robin’s aid in defeating the villain. Sold on a life of fighting crime, Barbara became Batgirl. A breath of fresh air in Gotham City, she was soon found driving her Batgirl cycle around the city, establishing her own crime-busting credentials.

CLASS ACT Always an overachiever and hungry to be the best she can be, Barbara Gordon started a global odyssey to hone her crime-fighting combat skills. Unfortunately, even before completing her first lessons in Japan, Batgirl was drawn into a deadly game of murder and mystery.

MAKING HER MARK

When Batgirl moved to Washington, D.C., Barbara became a congresswoman. Despite her busy schedule, she still kept her late night appointments as Batgirl.

The Origins of Oracle Soon after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Batgirl’s story was streamlined. In this incarnation, a retired Batgirl was injured by The Joker and would never walk again. However, rather than give up, Barbara changed the way she fought crime, becoming Oracle, a computer guru able to find any information on the Internet. As Oracle, Barbara was an invaluable aide to the Batman Family. She became a member of the Justice League of America, a mentor for the new Batgirl, Cassandra Cain, and she helped form the Birds of Prey.

27

B

DATA

BATMAN Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #27 (May 1939) Bruce Wayne BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Martial arts expert; skilled acrobat, gymnast, and athlete; escape artist; highly intelligent with advanced knowledge of technology; natural leader; master strategist; weapons include Utility Belt and armored suit; owns customized land, air, and water vehicles. ALLIES Batman Family, James Gordon, Lucius Fox, Superman ENEMIES Arkham Asylum inmates, Blackgate Penitentiary inmates, Ra-’s al Ghu-l AFFILIATIONS Justice League, Justice League of America, Justice League International, Batman, Inc, The Outsiders, Guild of Detection DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... The Mark of Zorro After attending a viewing of The Mark of Zorro film at the Monarch Theater with his parents in the Gotham City neighborhood called Park Row, young Bruce saw his mother and father gunned down before his eyes by a common criminal. It was on this night that the Batman was truly born. The Batman Family While he considers himself a loner, Batman has many allies in his war on crime. These include several young heroes who each served as his partner, Robin, and other allies inspired by his career, such as Batgirl and Batwoman. He even organized an international fighting force under the name Batman, Inc., taking Batman’s mission to a global level.

CLASSIC STORIES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #395 (Jan. 1970) Batman is brought back to

his noir roots in “The Secret of the Waiting Graves,” where he tangles with a mysterious couple in central Mexico. Batman (Vol. 1) #404–407 (Feb.– May 1987) Batman’s origin is brought to life for a modern audience in the “Year One” storyline following the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which seemed to wipe away much of his original continuity. Batman (Vol. 1) #492–500, Detective Comics (Vol. 1)#659– 666, Showcase ’93 #7–8 (May–Oct. 1993) In “Knightfall,”

Batman is forced to run a gauntlet of his most dangerous foes before finally facing Super-Villain Bane in a climactic fight that sees the Dark Knight’s true breaking point. Batman (Vol. 2) #21–33 (Aug. 2013–Sep. 2014) After the events of Flashpoint altered reality again, Batman’s origin story was given a facelift in “Zero Year.” Bruce Wayne sets up a base of operations in a cave beneath Wayne Manor and the concept of the Batman is born.

28

The wonders of the Batcave Batman operates from the large caverns below Wayne Manor. He is constantly developing new technologies, vehicles, and weapons to aid in his never-ending crusade against crime in Gotham City. From the dozens of models of his Batmobile, Batplane, and Batboat, to the simple gadgets in his Utility Belt, Batman is always ahead of the technological curve.

The Dark Knight. The World’s Greatest Detective. Gotham City’s Guardian. The hero known as Batman goes by many titles as the result of a life in the shadows building an urban legend that is revered by the innocent as much as it is feared by Gotham City’s cowardly and superstitious criminal lot. In a world full of Super Heroes and Super-Villains, Batman fights crime using his intellect, physical and mental training, and an arsenal developed with his family’s fortune. Moreover, Bruce Wayne has an unrelenting need to prevent the kind of tragedy that he suffered from happening to any of Gotham City’s innocents. When Bruce Wayne pressured his parents to take him to see the film The Mark of Zorro, he had no idea that his life was about to change forever. As his family walked from the movie theater down a dark Park Row street in Gotham City, an armed criminal stepped from the shadows pointing his gun at the Waynes. In a simple mugging gone wrong, criminal Joe Chill shot and killed both Thomas and Martha Wayne, making young Bruce an orphan in a split second. Reeling from the shock of the traumatic loss, Bruce made a vow on his parents’ grave to wage a lifetime of war against criminals who would prey on the innocent. Although he wasn’t aware of it yet, on that night, Bruce truly became Batman. After brief stints at a few schools, including Gotham Academy, Bruce Wayne traveled the world learning the tools of the crime-fighting trade he fully intended to ply. When he was 21 years old, he studied the ins and outs of technological gadgetry under the guidance of the brilliant inventor, Sergei Alexandrov. He learned from Brazilian criminal Don Miguel how to race cars in life-or-death situations, and spent much of his time studying martial arts UTILITY PATENT with masters like Shihan Matsuda in the Himalayas. But Alexandrov’s teachings were Bruce didn’t stop there. He delved into criminology, instrumental in enabling chemistry, and even acting, understanding that his future Bruce to create Batman’s would require the mastery of a vast number of specialized famed Utility Belt. skills. All the while, he trained his mind and body to near perfection, often practicing his fighting techniques on dozens of opponents at one time. And while he knew he would still require a lifetime of practice to reach a level of perfection he could be satisfied with, Bruce Wayne nevertheless returned to Gotham City in order to begin his mission to clean up the corrupted town. Bruce Wayne was fortunate enough to have been born into a wealthy family. The natural heir to the Wayne fortune and its main corporation, Wayne Industries, the idealistic Bruce represented a threat to the company’s established ways of doing business. And while he had not intended to make his return to Gotham City a publicized event, his uncle Philip Kane managed to do that for him, both happy to see his nephew’s return from his mysterious journeys, yet also dubious of the young man, immediately plotting against him. Away from his corporate obligations, Bruce began his campaign against crime, but he quickly realized that in a city as corrupt as Gotham, he would need an edge. On one of his earliest outings, with only a knit hat and fake scar to mask his appearance, Bruce encountered Selina Kyle and her friend Holly Robinson, and tried to save Holly from her

THE COURT OF OWLS Batman uncovered an underground criminal society in Gotham City, discovering that this clandestine organization dated back to the very origins of the city itself. Called the Court of Owls, the secret society maintained an army of assassins named Talons. Batman was not only forced to escape the Court’s elaborate labyrinth located underneath the city streets, but he also faced a small army of Talons when the Court unleashed them on some of Gotham City’s most powerful political figures. Batman and his allies defeated the assassins, forcing the Court even further underground.

THOMAS WAYNE, JR.

An acquaintance of Bruce Wayne, Lincoln March, proved to be an agent of the Court of Owls. Batman defeated March, but he could not shake off the villain’s claim that he was Bruce’s younger brother, Thomas, abandoned by the family at a young age.

B abusive boss. In the scuffle that followed, Bruce was stabbed by Holly and shot by police and barely made it home alive. Bruce fled to Wayne Manor, and sat in his father’s study, bleeding out. He knew if he rang the bell next to the table, his longtime family friend and butler, Alfred Pennyworth, would tend to his wounds. In that moment, the sight of a bat in the study interrupted his thoughts. There at the edge of death, Bruce Wayne realized that to strike fear into the hearts of Gotham City’s criminals, he had to become the very thing that had terrified him as a boy—a bat.

ETERNAL KNIGHT

Batman is and forever will be Gotham City’s guardian angel. Time and again he has risen to defeat any and all threats to his city and ensure justice prevails.

BECOMING BATMAN

Severely injured from patrolling without the benefit of one of the Batsuits he would later employ, Bruce Wayne knew he needed to tackle crime fighting from a different angle.

THE VOW

It was a promise made by a boy, and then by a man. Bruce Wayne swore to avenge his parents’ deaths by waging a relentless war on all criminals.

“Yes, father. I shall become a bat.” Bruce Wayne

ENDGAME Throughout his career, Batman’s greatest foe has been the insane criminal known simply as The Joker. Believed to be a member of the Red Hood gang who fell into a vat of toxic liquid at the ACE Chemical Plant during Batman’s early years of crime-busting, The Joker has put his brilliantly twisted mind to work tormenting Batman time and again. The Joker is responsible for killing the second Robin (Jason Todd), shooting and paralyzing Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), and warring with The Riddler in a citywide event that caused the deaths of numerous innocent citizens. The madman even once infected Gotham City with a virus that turned the populace against Batman. The brutal showdown that resulted led to the Dark Knight freeing the city of the villain’s hold, but not before the apparent death of these longtime antagonists in a cave collapse deep below the city. It later transpired that they did not die, thanks in large part to the regenerative fluid, Dionesium. However, the event profoundly changed Bruce, threatening the end of Batman’s career forever.

LAST LAUGH?

The so-called Clown Prince of Crime released a deadly Joker virus across Gotham City, which created an army of zombie-like victims.

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B BATMAN

REBIRTH

REBIRTH

BREAKING UP THE BAND

The Batman costume was as effective and dramatic as Bruce had hoped when he appeared before the Red Hood Gang.

STRANGERS IN TOWN Gotham City’s tenuous balance of power is disrupted by newcomers Gotham and Gotham Girl. They pluck crashing planes from the sky and have an heroic, take-charge attitude. But can the Dark Knight afford to believe that they are as benevolent as they claim?

Donning his first version of a Batsuit, Bruce Wayne became the Batman. He fought and defeated the notorious Red Hood Gang and then began to set his sights on other organized crime organizations in Gotham City. Batman would soon be put to the ultimate test when a Super-Villain known as the Riddler took control of Gotham City, shutting off its power just as a super storm approached. The result was an isolated metropolis ruled by a criminal who planned to wipe the entire city off the map. Working directly with police captain James Gordon and Wayne Industries scientist Lucius Fox, Batman overcame the eccentric SuperVillain, earning his fabled reputation as Gotham City’s Dark Knight in this event that would later be referred to as Zero Year. As Batman’s career continued, he adjusted his Batsuit to better serve his needs, and soon became a founding member of the Justice League alongside other legendary heroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman. He partnered with an orphaned former circus performer named Dick Grayson, who became the first of five young heroes to adopt the title of Robin and be personally trained by the Dark Knight. Grayson later became Nightwing and was succeeded by the headstrong Jason Todd, who was seemingly killed, only to return as the Red Hood. Tim Drake deduced his way into the Batcave becoming the third Robin, later evolving into Red Robin to venture off on his own. Stephanie Brown briefly became the fourth Robin, before returning to her original Super Hero name, Spoiler. Batman’s current partner is Damian Wayne, the fifth Robin and Bruce Wayne’s biological son. Building a small army of allies over the years – combined with a near-death experience and a time-traveling journey – inspired Batman to take his work onto a global scale, and he soon introduced Batman, Inc., a Wayne Industriessponsored organization that placed a Batman representative in many countries. The Caped Crusader also established a number of Super Hero teams, from an incarnation of the Justice League of America to his personal strike force, The Outsiders. In recent adventures, Batman fought off a long campaign from Bane, who attempted to break Batman both physically and mentally. Bane successfully took over Gotham City, using the Psycho-Pirate to brainwash other infamous Batman enemies into becoming the city’s police force. Bane even succeeded in killing Batman’s loyal butler and father figure, Alfred. With Catwoman’s help, Batman bested Bane, as well as his surprising partner in crime, the Batman from the alternate Flashpoint timeline, Thomas Wayne. Thomas Wayne wasn’t the only evil Batman that Bruce Wayne was forced to battle in recent months. A version of himself from the Dark Multiverse infected by The Joker, the Batman Who Laughs invaded Batman’s home of Earth-0 alongside a small army of other evil Batmen, most twisted amalgamations of Batman and his fellow Justice League members. Closer to home, The Joker got in on the large-scale action when he waged an all-out war on Batman, releasing armies of clown henchmen on the streets. Revealing conclusively that he knew the Batman’s secret identity, The Joker staged a hostile takeover of Wayne Industries, and Jokerized Batman’s technology, poisoning Batman and nearly killing him. However, the Batman rallied, and stopped The Joker’s forces by embracing the one thing The Joker can never possess: a true family. Over the years, the Dark Knight has become the creature of the night he set out to be, feared by criminals in Gotham City and beyond.

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THE WEDDING Batman and Catwoman finally admitted their feelings for one another. Batman proposed to Catwoman and she accepted, but on the night they were to be married, Catwoman abandoned him on a rooftop, manipulated into breaking his heart by Bane. Batman and Catwoman later rekindled their romance, but decided that, since they don’t often follow the rule of law to the letter, they didn’t need to be officially married to be devoted to one another.

THE JOKER WAR

Nightwing had been shot in the head by the Beast, but his memories finally returned to him after The Joker tried to further mess with his mind during the citywide Joker War.

B ON THE RECORD When he debuted in 1939, Batman was intended to be a “creature of the night,” a hero inspired by the often dark and shadowy world of pulp magazines of the time. That brooding vigilante would soon be brightened by a child partner, Robin, and then lightened further throughout the 1950s and ’60s. Batman returned to his role as a true Dark Knight Detective in the 1970s, and grew grim and gritty in the 1980s and ’90s. Able to thrive in almost any incarnation, Batman has been a hero for the ages, often reflective of the real world that inspires his creators.

THE ICONIC LOOK

Since his 1939 debut, Batman’s look has included a bat-eared cowl and cape. In the 1960s, he adopted the yellow oval around his bat-symbol—an iconic logo that lasted into the 1990s.

Dark Knight Detective After embracing light-hearted sci-fi romps in the 1950s and the offbeat adventures of the 1960s, Batman returned to his darker roots with a vengeance in Detective Comics #395 (January 1970) in the story “The Secret of the Waiting Graves.” While not as grim as he would emerge in the 1980s after the miniseries Batman: The Dark Knight, the “Caped Crusader” of the 1970s was once again a creature of the night, as a new generation of writers and artists recaptured the original Batman magic.

MENACE TO SOCIETY?

Batman was often targeted as a dangerous vigilante by many in Gotham City’s corrupt police force, before proving he was a hero.

Year One The modern incarnation of the Dark Knight truly emerged after the world-shattering events of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Given a realistic overhaul, Batman struggled to find his footing in a corrupted Gotham City, finally finding an ally in the form of James Gordon, the city’s future police commissioner. Batman saved the life of Gordon’s son, forever cementing their partnership.

The broken bat Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be the only Batman in Gotham City during the course of his career. When criminal mastermind Bane unleashed the inmates of Arkham Asylum into Gotham City, he forced an exhausted Batman to capture them one by one. Bane then broke into Wayne Manor and broke Batman’s back, crippling him. Temporarily out of action, Batman promoted Jean Paul Valley—a vigilante formerly called Azrael—into the Batman role. Bruce recovered with the aid of Alfred and Robin, before finally training his body back to near physical perfection and reclaiming his mantle as the true Dark Knight. THE PAIN OF BANE

When Batman was at his weakest, Bane crippled the hero, leaving him close to lifeless. Out of the past As well as facing a mysterious new villain in Thomas Elliot’s Hush, Batman ran the gauntlet of his most famous foes in the memorable “Hush” storyline. Introducing a threat from Bruce Wayne’s past, this series saw the return of Jason Todd (in a fashion), the death of Batman’s longtime inventor friend Harold Allnut, and the villainous Riddler discovering Batman’s secret identity. IDENTITY ISSUES

Batman was forced to encounter his old foes as he deduced Hush’s identity and identified the man behind the villain’s rise to power, The Riddler.

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B

DATA

BATMAN BEYOND Batman Beyond (Vol. 1) #1 (Mar. 1999) Terry McGinnis HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 170 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Expert martial artist trained directly by Batman (Bruce Wayne); weapons include hi-tech armored suit that can fly with the aid of glider wings and rocket boots, turn practically invisible, and shoot a grappling hook, Batarangs, and/or explosive discs. ALLIES Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Barbara Gordon, Max Gibson, Matt McGinnis, Batwoman, Dick Grayson ENEMIES Blight, Shriek, Spellbinder, Rewire, Inque, Jokerz, The Joker AFFILIATIONS Justice League Beyond DEBUT

BEYOND THE BATSUIT

REAL NAME

The Batman Beyond suit contains rocket boots, wings, a Utility Belt, a built-in grapnel, and a cowl that greatly improves Batman’s vision and hearing.

A few decades into the future, Gotham City has evolved into Neo-Gotham, a metropolis of tremendous skyscrapers, flying cars, and sleek technology. In that brave new world, a new kind of Batman is required to keep the peace. Terry McGinnis serves as the new Dark Knight, an armored hero capable of flight and invisibility. He’s not just Batman, he’s Batman Beyond. Bruce Wayne retired as Batman when he felt he was growing too old to continue his war on Gotham City's criminals, despite the hi-tech flight suit he had made with help from Wayne Industries. Now an old man alone in Wayne Manor, Bruce came to the aid of a ROBIN BEYOND teenager named Terry McGinnis who was being terrorized by a gang Terry’s brother Matt called The Jokerz—pale imitations of the original Clown Prince of Crime. became Robin briefly after Terry returned to Wayne Manor with Bruce and discovered that Bruce learning about Terry’s Wayne and Batman were one and the same. After a testy start, Terry double life. When the job proved too dangerous, Matt was accepted by the Dark Knight as his heir following the death of was let go from the role. McGinnis’ own father. With Bruce helping him on missions via communication from the Batcave, a new Batman was born. After an extensive career of fighting future threats like Blight, Inque, and the Stalker, Terry was presumed dead when the notorious Spellbinder tricked him into believing he was a villain called Rewire. A time-displaced future version of Tim Drake served briefly as Batman in Terry’s absence, before solving the mystery of Terry’s disappearance. After helping Terry regain his mantle as Batman, Tim left to roam this new world. Terry continued as Batman, and even fought the original Joker, a conflict that ended with the seeming death of the arch foe. With the protection of Neo-Gotham more difficult than ever, Terry has adopted a new partner in the form of Batwoman, Dick Grayson’s daughter Elainna.

ON THE RECORD

CLASSIC STORIES

Batman Beyond originally

debuted in cartoon form in his self-titled animated series in 1999. While a tie-in comic came soon after, Batman Beyond didn’t make his way into the DC universe until a storyline in the pages of Superman/Batman showcased the hero living in an alternate universe. However that hero was oddly Tim Drake under the Batsuit, not Terry McGinnis. In 2010, McGinnis was given his own miniseries that soon led to an ongoing series, tying Terry’s life more closely to the future of the DC universe by having him fight not just threats from the animated series, but comic book villains like Hush.

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Batman Beyond (Vol. 1) #1–6 (Mar.–Aug. 1999) Batman Beyond’s

origin is adapted from the cartoon series before the hero goes on new adventures. Batman Beyond (Vol. 3) #1–6 (Aug. 2010–Jan. 2011) Batman

Beyond faces a threat from Bruce Wayne’s past when a new Hush debuts and begins killing minor Super-Villains like Signalman. The New 52: Future’s End (Vol. 1) #0–48 (Jun. 2014–Jun. 2015) Terry

BATWOMAN BEYOND

A DIFFERENT BEYOND

Tim Drake debuted as Batman Beyond, tangling with a time-displaced Bizarro Superman during a deadly reality-hopping game being played by The Joker and Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Elainna Grayson wears a blue variation of the Batsuit. Her identity was originally a mystery even to Terry and Bruce. At first, Terry believed her to be Ten from the Royal Flush Gang.

McGinnis heads back in time to thwart Brother Eye, eventually handing over the reins to a new Batman Beyond, Tim Drake. Batman Beyond (Vol. 5) #1–6 (Aug. 2015–Jan. 2016) Tim Drake,

clad as Batman Beyond, finally triumphs over the forces of the seemingly unstoppable Brother Eye.

B

DATA

BATMAN, INC. DEBUT

CLASSIC STORIES

BASE

Batman: The Return #1 (Jan. 2011) After

Batman and Robin (Vol. 1) #16 (Jan. 2011) Gotham City and various countries around the globe NOTABLE MEMBERS BATMAN (Bruce Wayne); ROBIN (Damian Wayne); RED ROBIN (Tim Drake); CATWOMAN (Selina Kyle); DICK GRAYSON; BATGIRL (Barbara Gordon); BATWING (David Zavimbe); BATWING (Luke Fox); NIGHTRUNNER (Bilal Asselah); BATMAN JAPAN (Jiro Osamu); WINGMAN (Jason Todd); KNIGHT (FORMERLY SQUIRE) (Beryl Hutchinson); EL GAUCHO (Santiago Vargas); MAN-OF-BATS (Dr. William Great Eagle); HOOD (George Cross); RAVEN RED (Charles Great Eagle); DARK RANGER (FORMERLY SCOUT) (Johnny Riley); TALON (Calvin Rose) ALLIES Commissioner Gordon, Lucius Fox -l ENEMIES Leviathan, Talia al Ghu

journeying through time due to the machinations of the villain Darkseid, Batman returns to the present and begins to lay the groundwork for Batman, Inc. Batman, Incorporated (Vol. 1) #1 (Jan. 2011)

Batman heads to Japan with Catwoman to kick start his global Batman, Inc. effort. Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes #1 (Feb. 2012) The first half of the Batman, Inc. saga comes to a climax in an oversized special that sees the Dark Knight discover that Talia is the face behind Leviathan. Batman, Incorporated (Vol. 2) #13 (Sep. 2013)

Batman successfully brings down Leviathan with the help of old ally, Kathy Kane, the original Batwoman.

The idea came to Batman in something akin to a dream: a global team of Batmen, working together for the common safety of the world. When Batman introduced Batman, Incorporated to the world, he did so knowing that this particular team of international heroes would all use the Batman’s methods and would answer solely to him. After catching a glimpse of his future and the global threat Bruce Wayne publicized his funding of the of the evil and clandestine Batman’s operations when he introduced organization called Leviathan, the concept of Batman, Incorporated. Batman decided he needed to step-up his crime-fighting game, and formed a new team of Super Hero operatives under the name Batman, Incorporated. Fully and publicly funded by Wayne Industries, Batman, Inc. united not just his allies in the Batman Family, but also saw new heroes adopt costumed identities to follow in the Dark Knight’s footsteps and uphold his brand of justice. Batman had briefly fought with a group of international crime fighters called the Club of Heroes, so it only made sense that he recruited some of those old allies into his new operation. In cases like the Knight, Batman recruited the heir to the original hero’s mantle. Newcomers like the French crime fighter Nightrunner and Batman Japan were also welcomed into the fold. Soon Batman had a veritable army of skilled and like-minded heroes to command against the rising threat of Leviathan. Led by Talia al Ghu-l, Leviathan proved to be as dangerous as the 8 Dark Knight had feared. Not only did the cult of villains kill the Knight, they also ended the life of Batman’s partner and son, Robin (Damian Wayne), causing the Dark Knight to be enraged like never before. Gotham City became a battle zone, waging a war that culminated in a fight between Batman and Talia in the Batcave. Talia al Ghu-l, did not walk away from that particular fight, but was shot and seemingly killed by another of the enemies she had made in her bid for world conquest.

A gathering of select Batman, Inc. members and their mascot, Bat-Cow: 1 Batman 2 Dark Ranger 3 Knight III 4 El Gaucho 5 Batman Japan 6 Lolita Canary 7 Raven Red 8 Man-of-Bats 9 Bat-Cow 10 Nightrunner

GOING PUBLIC

9

2

1 4

7

ON THE RECORD

6

The first volume of Batman, Inc.

formed the epic final chapter in the sweeping Batman saga that began with the “Batman and Son” storyline in Batman (Vol. 1) #655. The second volume appeared after the reality-altering Flashpoint event, which led to some elements of the series, such as Batman’s costume, being changed. New heroes like Black Bat (Cassandra Cain) joined up, while others, such as the original Batwoman (Kathy Kane), reemerged with significantly revised personal histories.

10

3

5

GONE IN A FLASH

Some characters in the first incarnation of Batman, Inc., like Batgirl Stephanie Brown, would not return in the second volume.

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B

DATA

BATMAN WHO LAUGHS, THE Dark Days: The Casting #1 (Sept. 2017) Castle Bat HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Expert martial artist; skilled acrobat, gymnast, and athlete; escape artist; highly intelligent with advanced knowledge of various technologies; natural leader; master strategist; unpredictable actions and fighting techniques due to extreme insanity; armed with infected Batarangs and variety of both Batman and Joker gadgets; enhanced with the nearlimitless powers of Dr. Manhattan. ALLIES Perpetua, Grim Knight, Batmen of the Dark Multiverse ENEMIES Batman, the Batman Family, Commissioner James Gordon, Lex Luthor AFFILIATIONS The Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse DEBUT BASE

OF TWO MINDS

With the brainpower of one of the greatest heroes and one of the greatest villains, the Batman Who Laughs has a contingency plan for every conflict, albeit with a mad, disturbing twist.

He is Batman’s greatest nightmare come to literal life. The Batman Who Laughs is Bruce Wayne from a world in the Dark Multiverse where he has been infected with The Joker’s nanotoxin. Possessing a mind capable of thinking like both Batman and his greatest nemesis, the Batman Who Laughs has risen to a higher power than any mortal before him. On Earth-22 in the Dark Multiverse that was created from the worst nightmares and fears of people in the true Multiverse, The Joker broke Batman’s iron will. The madman slaughtered family after family in front of the Dark Knight, who was unable to stop the carnage. When he finally broke free of his bonds, Batman brutally attacked The Joker, was tipped over the edge, and killed him. GROBLINS However, it was The Joker who had the last laugh. When his heart stopped Batman is rarely without a beating, he released a nanotoxin like nothing Batman had ever experienced Robin or two, and likewise, before. It slowly rewired Batman’s mind to become more like that of the Batman Who Laughs The Joker, replacing Batman’s moral compass with something is rarely seen without his favorite Groblins. quite evil. Knowing this, Batman called Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Batgirl to the Batcave and then shot and killed them all. His next stop was the Justice League Watchtower, where he murdered the entire League, saving Superman for last. Having completely conquered his world, this Batman Who Laughs was visited by the demon Barbatos, who revealed the other dimensions of the Dark Multiverse. The Batman Who Laughs then traveled to a variety of dark dimensions, recruiting a small army of Dark Knights to his cause. They invaded Earth-0, but were ultimately defeated by Batman and the Justice League. However, the Batman Who Laughs stayed on Earth-0, where he set up his own twisted Batcave below Gotham City’s Monarch Theater, the site where Batman’s parents were killed. He infected noble heroes, turning them into his own team of Super-Villains, before they were bested in a conflict with Lex Luthor and restored to normal. The Batman Who Laughs wanted the power that Luthor had been granted by the mother of the Multiverse, Perpetua. He convinced her to choose him over Luthor, and when she did, the Batman Who Laughs transformed Earth-0 into a twisted hellscape that served as his own private kingdom. He gained even more power when his brain was placed in the body of a powerful dark amalgam of Bruce Wayne and Dr. Manhattan. With the like-minded Robin King by his side, the Batman Who Laughs proceeded to give Batman and the heroes of Earth one of the greatest battles of their lives, with Earth and the Multiverse hanging in the balance.

CLASSIC STORIES Dark Nights The Batman Who Laughs #1 (Jan. 2018) The Batman Who Laugh’s origin is revealed with all its gory details. The Batman Who Laughs #1–7

THE DARK KNIGHTS

Originally the Batman Who Laughs recruited a core group of Dark Batmen to his cause: The Drowned (Batman/ Aquaman), The Devastator (Batman/ Doomsday), The Murder Machine (Batman/Cyborg), The Merciless (Batman/Ares), The Red Death (Batman/The Flash), and The Dawnbreaker (Batman/Green Lantern).

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(Feb.–Sep. 2019) The Batman Who

Laughs attacks Gotham City’s water supply with the help of another Dark Batman, the gun-toting Grim Knight. Dark Nights Metal #1–6 (Oct. 2017–May. 2018) Barbatos’s plan is carried to Earth-0 by the Batman Who Laughs, alongside his league of Batmen from other Dark Multiverse dimensions.

B BATMAN (THOMAS WAYNE) Flashpoint (Vol. 2) #1 (Jul. 2011) REAL NAME Thomas Wayne BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Gray/black POWERS/ABILITIES Genius intellect; expert hand-to-hand fighting skills; qualified medical doctor. ALLIES Chief James Gordon, Oswald Cobblepot, Gotham Girl, The Flash (Barry Allen) ENEMIES The Joker (Martha Wayne), Bane AFFILIATIONS None DEBUT

FATHER FIGURE

In an alternate reality, Thomas Wayne was Batman, with none of the scruples about using lethal force of Bruce Wayne’s Batman.

In the alternate reality created by the Flashpoint event, Thomas Wayne had been unable to prevent his young son Bruce from being killed in a robbery in Gotham City’s Crime Alley. In his grief, he swore to rid the streets of crime as the Batman—a ruthless and brutal version of the hero who did not baulk at using firearms to take down his targets. His wife Martha had survived the robbery too, but the loss of her child led to the loss of her sanity and she became The Joker of that reality, locked in a bitter struggle with her erstwhile husband. When Thomas discovered via The Flash, who jumped realities on the Cosmic Treadmill, that there was a world where he had died and his son had lived, at first he was delighted. Later he was even able to meet this alternate-reality son and see the man he had become. However, the knowledge that his son became Batman—with all the pain and sacrifice that this entailed—troubled Thomas so much that he traveled to Bruce Wayne’s universe and allied himself with Bane to “break” his son. Thomas hoped, wrongly, that if he forced his son to give up the cowl by any means necessary, then Bruce would finally find happiness.

The death of his son sent Thomas Wayne down a dark path; one that saw him take extreme action to fight crime in an attempt to do right by his family.

ON THE RECORD

DEBUT Batman Inc. (Vol. 1) #5 (May 2011) (David Zavimbe) Batwing (Vol. 1) #19 (Jun. 2013) (Lucius Fox) REAL NAME Lucas “Luke” Fox BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 170 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Highly skilled mixed martial artist; brilliant designer and engineer much like his father Lucius Fox; able to think on his feet; near unlimited access to Wayne Industries’ technology; weapons include bulletproof suit equipped with hi-tech weaponry and defense systems; his suit also enables flight and limited invisibility. ALLIES Batgirl, Lucius Fox, Batman, the Batman Family ENEMIES Lady Vic, Ratcatcher, Charlie Caligula, Menace AFFILIATIONS Batman, Inc.

GOING HIS OWN WAY

Much to his father’s relief, Luke has recently created his own company called FoxTek. He has also begun a relationship with fellow tech-minded hero, Batgirl.

On Prime Earth, Dr. Thomas Wayne was a celebrated scion of one of Gotham City’s leading families. A prominent surgeon and philanthropist, he married Martha Kane and the couple had a son, Bruce. However, Thomas’ seemingly blessed life was tragically cut short when he was murdered in the notorious Crime Alley, along with his wife, in front of their traumatized son. This storyline was the reverse of the later, alternate reality one that saw Thomas become Batman. On Prime Earth, it was Thomas’s death that was a key factor in Bruce Wayne’s decision to fight crime as Batman.

LOVED AND LOST

BATWING

Luke Fox never intended to follow his father, Lucius Fox, into a career with Wayne Industries. Despite a gift for technological innovation equal to his father’s, Luke preferred to go his own way. This attitude frustrated Lucius, who felt his son was squandering his potential and opportunities. While constantly arguing with his father, Luke pursued fighting arts, participating in numerous mixed martial arts events. His intelligence, resolve, and combat skills soon attracted Batman’s attention, and the Dark Knight offered Luke the role of one his agents after original Batwing David Zavimbe retired. Wearing a new suit designed by his father, Luke became a valued ally and partner to Batman, despite often upsetting his family thanks to his many unexplained absences while on duty. However, after secretly working with Red Robin Tim Drake to avert a catastrophic potential future, battle-fatigued Batwing left the Gotham Knights team to pursue his own path.

ON THE RECORD

While Luke Fox as Batwing debuted just months before the continuity changing Flashpoint event, a few characters existed in the past that bore a striking similarity to the hero. In Batman (Vol. 1) #250 (Jul. 1973), a child’s interpretation of Batman, nicknamed “Batwings” appeared in “The Batman Nobody Knows!” Later, on Earth-2, a hero that went by the name Blackwing fought alongside the Huntress. However, it wasn’t until Crisis on Infinite Earths and later events, that the first true Batwing was introduced in the form of David Zavimbe, the Batman Inc. representative for Africa.

BATWINGING IT

Batwing’s suit is highly advanced and a true work in progress. Luke inherited his love for technology from his father and is constantly updating his suit.

BATTLE READY

David Zavimbe lived a hard life as a child soldier in Africa. Batman saw promise in him and promoted him to Batwing after learning of his amateur crime fighting.

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DATA

BATWOMAN 52 #7 (June 2006) (as Kate Kane); 52 #11 (July 2006) (as Batwoman) REAL NAME Katherine (Kate) Kane BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 141 lbs EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled martial artist, detective, and gymnast; highly trained soldier; additional training with operatives known as the Murder of Crows; equipment and resources include protective suit, fully stocked Utility Belt, and hi-tech command center. ALLIES Hawkfire, Batman, Batman Family, Maggie Sawyer, The Question (Renee Montoya), Julia Pennyworth ENEMIES Nocturna, Ceto, Mr. Bones, Wolf Spider AFFILIATIONS Gotham Knights, the Unknowns DEBUT

To the general public, Kate Kane seems to have everything. Like her cousin, Bruce Wayne, Kate has never wanted for money and has been known to frequent the most exclusive nightclubs. However, Kate has lived a tragic life—one that has shaped her into a crime fighter and sworn protector of the innocent: Batwoman. As a young girl, Kate Kane was very interested in athletics. Like her twin sister, Beth, Before parting ways she enjoyed gymnastics and soccer. The two girls over Jacob Kane’s were the quintessential “military brats,” moving extreme methods, around the country whenever their parents were Jacob helped Kate set up a secret HQ and find stationed at a new location. They always had allies to train her in each other, were the best of friends, and assumed non-lethal techniques. they would be lifelong confidantes. On their 12th birthday, Kate and Beth realized just how wrong their assumption had been. Their mother was taking the two girls out to celebrate when they were abducted and held prisoner. Their father ultimately assembled and led a squad of elite soldiers to come to their rescue. However, the damage was done: Kate’s mother had been shot and killed, and it appeared that Beth had suffered the same fate. From that day, Kate Kane would live a lonely life, with only her father for support. Jacob Kane did his best as a single father. He supported Kate and taught her to live a disciplined and honorable life. When Kate was kicked out of the United States Military Academy at West Point for being gay, her father stood by her, realizing that her honesty and integrity were more important than a career with the military. Kate had been an excellent cadet, and without school, there was a void in her life—one that she filled with excessive partying. She lacked direction and only found it when she saved herself from a mugging, meeting Batman in the process. With her father’s training and support, Kate transformed herself into Batwoman, enrolling into a new kind of service to the public. DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL

ON THE RECORD

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Batwoman’s father designed her costume. Col. Kane made sure the suit was stab resistant, bullet proof, and dramatic with its black-and-red color scheme.

CLASSIC STORIES

Kate Kane first appeared

just five years before the Flashpoint event that altered the DC universe. While much of her backstory has stayed the same, one aspect that has only lightly been touched on is her relationship with Renee Montoya, the second hero to adopt the name of The Question. Kate had a romantic relationship with Renee before the couple became Super Heroes. However, in the current continuity, Renee’s career as The Question is yet to begin. The two have dated, but their shared past remains something of a mystery.

COLORS OF WAR

52 #7–52 (Jun. 2006–May 2007)

Kate Kane is introduced along with her tumultuous relationship with Renee Montoya, the new Question. Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #854–857 (Aug.–Nov. 2009)

Batwoman temporarily takes over as the star of Detective Comics when she finds her sister has become her worst enemy. Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #858–860 (Dec. 2009–Feb. 2010) PAST LOVES

Kate Kane has had romantic relationships with The Question (Renee Montoya) as well as Maggie Sawyer, the head of Metropolis’ Special Crimes Unit.

Batwoman’s origin is told, from her family’s kidnapping to her meeting Batman. Batwoman (Vol. 1) #17 (Apr. 2013)

Kate reveals her Batwoman identity as she proposes to girlfriend Maggie Sawyer.

GOTHAM KNIGHTS

Partnering with Red Robin (Tim Drake), Batwoman helped lead the Gotham Knights, an informal team of Gotham City heroes based in the hi-tech Belfry inside the converted Old Wayne Tower. Batwoman was the field leader, using her vast military training to help guide more inexperienced members like Azrael and the Spoiler. While the team disbanded after a conflict with Clayface, Batwoman remains active in Gotham City. Kate’s main base of operations is her hideout inside the R.H. Kane Building, but she also makes use of Batman’s Batcave from time to time, a base located beneath Gotham City Harbor.

B BAZ, SIMON DEBUT

The New 52 Free Comic Book Day Special Edition #1 (Jun. 2012)

Simon Baz Dearborn, Michigan HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 183 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Ability to overcome fear; carries handgun and power ring, which permits flight, force fields, and space travel; precognition. ALLIES Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz) ENEMIES Black Hand, Sinestro AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, Justice League REAL NAME BASE

As a young Muslim boy growing up in Dearborn, Michigan, Simon Baz was often the target of bigotry, especially after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Years of bullying gave Simon a serious chip on his shoulder, and after he lost his job at an automotive plant he took up illegal street racing, only narrowly avoiding jail time. Financially desperate, Simon started stealing cars to make ends meet. One night he stole a van, only to discover a ticking bomb inside the vehicle. After a high-speed chase he was taken into custody as a suspected terrorist. Amid harsh interrogation by federal agents, a power ring sought Baz out, conferring on him the abilities and responsibilities of a Green Lantern. A reluctant Super Hero, Baz considered the selection a mistake, but sought to do his best to help people. Innately untrusting, he supplemented his Green Lantern uniform with a sidearm. It took the insistence of Batman to make Baz eventually surrender this weapon and trust the ring and his partners. As a rookie, Baz was assigned Earth as his beat, to be patrolled with fellow newcomer Jessica Cruz. As commanding officer of the GL Corps, Hal Jordan ordered both trainees to join the Justice League in order to learn teamwork from the best.

BEAUTIFUL DREAMER Forever People (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971) DEBUT

New Genesis; Venice Beach, California 5ft 6in WEIGHT 128 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Able to create life-like illusions; precognitive dreams. ALLIES Infinity Man, Superman, Deadman ENEMIES Darkseid, Desaad AFFILIATIONS Forever People, New Genesis BASE

HEIGHT

A student at the Academy of Higher Conscience on the planet New Genesis, Beautiful Dreamer was with Vykin Baldaur when he touched a non-functioning Mother Box and it bonded with him as its host. Soon Dreamer found herself traveling through a Boom Tube to Earth with her friend Vykin, his sister Serafina, and Mark Moonrider for an academy assignment to help advance humankind. After meeting fellow Academy member Big Bear, the group set up camp in Venice Beach, California. During a fight with the villain Mantis, they touched the Mother Box in unison and were replaced by Infinity Man. Together the team became the Forever People. Pre-Flashpoint, Beautiful Dreamer was kidnapped by Darkseid and taken to Earth, where she was rescued by Superman and the Forever People. The team were ultimately killed by Infinity Man on his campaign for the Source to destroy all New Gods.

EMERALD VISION

Simon has manifested a very rare ability among Green Lanterns—the Emerald Sight. This grants him visions of the near future.

DREAM WEAVER

Dreamer’s strong connection to the Anti-Life Equation gives her the ability to manipulate the powerful mindcontrolling formula.

BEKKA DEBUT

BERNADETH The Hunger Dogs #4 (1985)

New Korugar, Sector 3567 HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 132 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Auburn/red POWERS/ABILITIES Increased strength, speed, and durability of a New God; can make others fall in love with her. ENEMIES Darkseid, Mongul, Apex League BASE

Bekka is a New God from New Genesis, the daughter of the scientist Himon. Born with an innate power to make people fall in love with her, she became a formidable general—besotted troops would die for her and enemies would surrender. New Genesis’ ruler, Highfather, made Bekka a member of his Council of Eight and dispatched her to New Korugar to the headquarters of the Sinestro Corps. She battled the Corps and brought back one of their yellow power rings, but she also attracted the attention of Sinestro himself. Recognizing that Bekka could inspire fear as well as love, he offered to make her a member of the Corps. She ultimately accepted, forsaking her allegiance to New Genesis and going into action to save Sinestro from the warlord Mongul.

Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #6 (Jan.–Feb. 1972) DEBUT

Apokolips 5ft 10in WEIGHT 140 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman physical capabilities and immortality due to New Gods heritage. ALLIES Granny Goodness, Darkseid, Desaad ENEMIES Big Barda, Mister Miracle, Lashina BASE

HEIGHT

Bernadeth is a member of the Female Furies, Darkseid’s elite female fighting unit. She is the sister of Darkseid’s torturer Desaad and she shares his sadistic tendencies. Her signature weapon is the fahren-knife, which can slice through rock and roast anyone it pierces from the inside. Bernadeth was Big Barda’s second-incommand, but when Barda betrayed Darkseid, it was Lashina, not Bernadeth, who was the new leader. Bernadeth took her revenge by leaving Lashina on Earth when the Furies went to rescue Glorious Godfrey. Lashina returned to Apokolips with members of the Suicide Squad and killed Bernadeth, but to punish her for bringing humans to Apokolips, Darkseid slayed her and returned Bernadeth to life. She has remained in his service, clashing with Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl.

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B

BEAST BOY

CLASSIC STORIES

DATA

Doom Patrol (Vol. 1) #99 (Nov.

Doom Patrol (Vol. 1) #99 (Nov. 1965) REAL NAME Garfield Logan HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 140 lbs HAIR Green EYES Green POWERS/ABILITIES Genetic code provides a link with the Red, enabling transformation into any desired animal form. ALLIES Terra, Animal Man ENEMIES Mother Blood AFFILIATIONS Ravagers, Teen Titans, Titans

1965) Garfield Logan makes his first appearance, breaking into the Doom Patrol’s headquarters. He is given the moniker Beast Boy by Robotman.

DEBUT

New Titans (Vol. 1) #97–102 (May–Oct. 1993) Beast Boy—going by the name of Changeling—makes a devil’s bargain with the Brotherhood of Evil to save Cyborg’s life. Beast Boy (Vol. 1) #1–4 (Jan.–Apr.

Better known as Beast Boy, young Garfield Logan is able to transform himself into any animal shape. He is a deeply loyal friend with a desire to make those around him happy. Gar is the attention-seeking class clown who harbors a deeper, romantic side… when nobody’s looking. When he was just a boy, Gar was bitten by a West African green monkey that infected him with the Sakutia virus. An experimental treatment endowed him him with the ability to change into any animal at will. With money no issue, thanks to a wealthy uncle, Gar TEEN HERO joined several different Super Hero teams over the Beast Boy may look years, but was most at home with the Teen Titans. young, but he has a long Nevertheless, Beast Boy’s tenure with the Teen track record of heroism Titans came to an end when he mistakenly thought his with the Teen Titans. team leader, Red Robin (Tim Drake), had died. While it was later revealed that Red Robin had been kidnapped and not killed, Beast Boy found himself tangling with a different Boy Wonder in the meantime: Damian Wayne. Batman’s son had a rather arrogant streak, and Robin took Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, and Kid Flash (Wallace West) hostage in order to prove the point that these heroes are stronger together than they are on their own. Surprisingly, this unorthodox sales pitch worked, and Beast Boy found himself again on a Titans roster; one soon joined by Aqualad (Jackson Hyde). Always ready with a joke, Beast Boy’s attitude changed a bit after the ancient Source Wall was pierced at the far reaches of space, releasing ancient godlike energies into the world. He took on a more beastlike appearance and he found it harder to control his animal changes. He joined Nightwing’s Titans, but spent more time as a beast than a man. Later, a battle with the then-leader of the Church of Blood – Mother Blood – exposed Garfield to cosmic Bleed energy. Bleed energy blocks Source energy, and this near-death experience succeeded in restoring Gar to his old form. Back to looking “cute” and ready for action, Beast Boy is ready to take whatever life throws at him with his trademark smile.

2000) Beast Boy’s Super Hero and TV careers collide following the breakup of Titans West. A doppelgänger frames him for several crimes—he finds out it is the villain Gemini, and defeats her.

ANIMAL MAGIC

Beast Boy’s laid-back charm and wit belied his true animal instincts, fearsome powers, and tenacious spirit.

ON THE RECORD

JUST A BEAST

Source energy turned Beast Boy into more beast than boy for a time, making his animal transformations more difficult.

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Before becoming a mentor to later versions of the Teen Titans, Beast Boy had his own struggles, particularly when his adoptive father Steve Dayton—also known as Mento— suffered paranoid delusions. Trying to save him, Garfield stole the Mento Helmet, which affected him as it had its creator, giving his animal transformations a more violent edge. Historically, Beast Boy was always green due to a side effect of the experimental process his scientist father used to save his life from a rare tropical disease. His appearance helped him carve out a brief career as a television actor in the series Space Trek: 2022.

SNAKE IN THE GRASS

Attempting to give his girlfriend Terra a “cobra kiss” during a playful training session, Gar Logan never suspected that she secretly conspired to destroy the Teen Titans.

B BENNETT, ANDREW

ON THE RECORD

House of Mystery (Vol. 1) #290 (Mar. 1981) BASE Magus Theatre, Gotham City EYES Red HAIR Black (with white streak) POWERS/ABILITIES As a vampire, can assume wolf or mist form and hypnotize humans, but is weakened by sunlight; skilled sorcerer and has shown the ability to bring dead vampires back to life. ALLIES Frankenstein, Batwoman, Killer Croc ENEMIES Cain, Mary Seward, the Blood Red Moon AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark, Gotham City Monsters

Pre-Flashpoint, Andrew Bennett

DEBUT

In Elizabethan England, Andrew Bennett was attacked by Cain, the first of the vampires. Dead and afflicted with the curse of vampirism, Bennett awoke with an unholy thirst for blood and turned his lover, Mary, into a vampire too. Unlike him, she succumbed to demonic influence and swore to conquer the world. As the Blood Red Queen, Mary founded the vampire cult the Blood Red Moon to wage her “holy war” against mankind. Andrew refused to forsake his humanity by feeding on people and resolved to stop Mary and her followers. When she attacked Gotham City, Andrew teamed up with Batman, Professor John Troughton, and teen tearaway Tig to take on the horde. Tig killed Andrew, hoping to destroy Mary’s vampires by eliminating her sire, but that caused Cain to arise again. After being resurrected by Madame Xanadu, Bennett slew Cain and continued his war against Mary and her followers, ultimately absorbing their evil into himself to save them. Bennett’s relentless eradication of vampires has expanded to include many supernatural predators and he has—reluctantly— worked with teams such as Justice League Dark and the Gotham City Monsters to preserve humanity from all the horrors of the unknown.

BIBBO Adventures of Superman (Vol. 1) #428 (May 1987) DEBUT

Bo Bibbowski The Ace O’Clubs bar HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 250 lbs EYES Gray HAIR Gray ALLIES Superman, Jimmy Olsen, Lobo, Professor Emil Hamilton ENEMIES Doomsday REAL NAME BASE

Metropolis native Bibbo Bibbowski is a longshoreman, former boxer, and one of Superman’s biggest fans. He has also been known to hang out with another super-tough guy—Lobo. Bibbo and the Man of Steel first met when Superman came to the Ace O’Clubs looking for information. Bibbo mistook him for a troublemaker in a Superman costume and punched him, but only injured his own hand! Impressed, Bibbo decided on the spot that Superman was his “fav’rit” hero. Later, Bibbo bought the bar after finding a winning lottery ticket. He helped Superman on numerous occasions, most notably when Doomsday attacked Metropolis. Bibbo and Professor Hamilton used a laser cannon against the monstrous alien (to no effect) and after Superman was killed by Doomsday, Bibbo tried to revive the fallen hero with an improvised defibrillator.

was a nobleman at Queen Elizabeth I’s court, before being bitten by a vampire. He clashed with his former lover Mary, who had become the vampiric Queen of Blood. He regained his humanity and witnessed her destruction before he himself died. However, Andrew could not escape the vampiric curse. After rising from the grave, he attempted suicide, but returned to unlife. Bennett joined occult group Team 13 and intervened in the infernal war between the demons Satanus and Neron.

ETERNAL STRUGGLE

Bennett fights an unending war against vampirekind and his own bloodthirsty impulses.

HERE’S TO THE MAN OF STEEL

Bibbo is the proud owner of the Ace O’Clubs bar in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum district.

UNDEAD HERO

Despite his menacing appearance, Andrew Bennett is a tormented soul who has spent centuries protecting humanity from his own kind.

BIG BEAR The Forever People (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971) DEBUT

New Genesis 6ft 8in WEIGHT 598 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Red-brown POWERS/ABILITIES New God with superhuman strength and durability; able to redirect atoms to alter his density. ENEMIES Mantis, Devilance, Desaad, Darkseid AFFINITIES Infinity Man BASE

BACK IN THE SADDLE

Big Bear has returned to the beard and headpiece that he sported in the Fourth World of New Genesis.

HEIGHT

A gentle giant, Big Bear grew up in the idyllic nurturing environment of New Genesis following the first war with Apokolips. When Darkseid broke his truce with Highfather and reopened hostilities, one of his first moves was to abduct Bear’s friend Beautiful Dreamer, whom he believed held the secret of the free-will destroying Anti-Life Equation. With comrades Mark Moonrider, Vykin, and Serifan, Big Bear arrived on Earth on a sentient Super-Cycle to rescue her. This was accomplished by the group’s unexplained connection to a multipowered being dubbed the Infinity Man. A natural leader and devoted scholar, Bear quickly adapted to the new culture on Earth. He soon became the team’s most ardent supporter of staying on Earth and defending its masses.

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B

DATA

BIG BARDA Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #4 (Sep.–Oct. 1971) 6ft 2in WEIGHT 200 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Immortal with superhuman mental and physical attributes as part of her New God heritage; exceptionally strong and tough, even for her kind; arsenal includes formidable Aegis armor, an Apokoliptian rod that fires energy blasts, and a battle-maul inscribed with Darkseid’s Omega crest; expert warrior trained by Granny Goodness. ALLIES Mister Miracle, Justice League, Female Furies ENEMIES Darkseid AFFILIATIONS New Gods of Apokolips, Female Furies DEBUT

HEIGHT

Big Barda was once a Female Fury who served Darkseid, the evil overlord of Apokolips, enforcing his will with her fearsome Mega-Rod. However, when Barda fell in love with rebel and escape-artist Mister Miracle, she changed her allegiance. Now this fierce New God fights for freedom against her former master. On the planet Apokolips, the New God Darkseid controlled every aspect of daily life. Only a few of Darkseid’s elite were free from the daily torture of his tyrannical rule, and even they have to bend the knee whenever Darkseid ON THE RUN After escaping Apokolips commanded. One of his elite with Mister Miracle, members was Granny Goodness, Barda found herself who was in charge of the pursued by Darkseid’s orphanage, designed for training forces and the World Army of Earth-2. and torturing slaves. Granny also trained and commanded the most effective fighting force to ever emerge from the fire pits—the Female Furies. Chief among them was the powerful and effective Big Barda. In order to broker peace between Apokolips and Highfather’s world of New Genesis, the New God Metron convinced the two rulers to exchange sons, Scott and Orion. Highfather’s son Scott was given to Darkseid, who dismissed the boy into Goodness’s care, rarely giving Scott a second thought. However, Scott proved to be an able escape artist and he soon fled his captivity, renaming himself Scott Free, Mister Miracle. On the way, he met Big Barda and, despite her better instincts, Barda fell in love with Scott. The two were later married though, for a time, they kept up the pretense of being bitter enemies. When Darkseid engaged in the so-called “Darkseid War” and was killed in combat against the powerful Anti-Monitor, Mister Miracle joined forces with the Justice League to help end the conflict. Big Barda joined her husband, and even recruited the Female Furies to his cause. However, that came at a price. According to her agreement with the Furies, Barda was forced to return to Apokolips with them after the fighting was over. It seems that Big Barda and Mister Miracle have reunited in recent months, as the two have been seen fighting alongside the Justice League in large-scale battles.

AN ESCAPE?

After Mister Miracle attempted to end his own life, he seemed to trap himself in a purgatory of sorts, somewhere between heaven and hell. Here, he and Barda have a child and are happily married. Although with his skill set, Mister Miracle knows he can escape this reality at any time.

ON THE RECORD Big Barda’s early history treads

a familiar path. Trained to be a warrior on Apokolips, she taught other female fighters. She later rejected Darkseid and Apokolips, married Mr. Miracle, and traveled to Earth. On Earth, Mister Miracle joined Justice League International. When he was captured by the trader Manga Khan, Barda embarked on an interstellar mission to rescue him. Barda then proved her value as a team player in a succession of groups. She even became a League member herself when she and Orion joined the Justice League.

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CLASSIC STORIES Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #18 (Feb.–Mar. 1974) Big Barda and Mister Miracle celebrate their love when they are married by Highfather on New Genesis. The Death of the New Gods #1 (Dec. 2007) When a mysterious killer

HOUSEWIFE WARRIOR

When Big Barda first moved to Earth, she enjoyed life as a “domestic goddess,” often resenting her routine being interrupted by adventures with her husband, Mister Miracle.

begins slaying the New Gods, Big Barda is one of his first victims. Earth 2 #28 (Jan. 2015) Chronicles how Barda found and trained the ruthless New God K’li, who would rise through the ranks to become Darkseid’s Fury of War.

THE SOUND AND THE FURY

A true warrior of Apokolips, Big Barda has tempered her fury, and now often channels her heroic nature to fight against those that raised her.

B

DATA

BIRDS OF PREY REBIRTH

Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 (Jun. 1996) Gotham City

DEBUT BASE

NEW BIRDS While they have had additional members from time to time, the Birds of Prey is best known for its three mainstays: 1 Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) 2 Black Canary (Dinah Drake Lance) 3 The Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)

NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS

(Dinah Drake Lance) Expert martial artist, Canary Cry sonic attack; BATGIRL (Barbara Gordon) Expert fighter, computer whiz, photographic memory; THE HUNTRESS (Helena Bertinelli) Martial artist, superlative crossbow skills; HARLEY QUINN (Dr. Harleen Quinzel) Unpredictable fighter, employs clown-themed weaponry. ALLIES Oracle II, Green Arrow, Renee Montoya ENEMIES Raˉ’s al Ghu ˉ l, Calculator, The Joker BLACK CANARY

Usually an all-woman team of covert Super Heroes founded by Black Canary and Batgirl, the Birds of Prey battle clandestine threats. None of them are what they seem, and all of them have skeletons in their closets, but when they band together, they are more than any villain can handle.

1

The Birds of Prey got their start when Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) was shot and paralyzed by The Joker. Se was initially unsure how she would be able to make a contribution to the war on crime in the future, until she realized she could harness the limitless potential of the internet and the many secrets it hid. She adopted the name Oracle, and became an information supplier. However, she needed an operative in the physical world to act on the info she gathered. She chose Black Canary, known Super Hero and former government operative. While they underwent a variety of missions together and alongside other operatives, the Birds of Prey seemed to fade HELP FROM HARLEY into the background when Batgirl regained the use of her legs When Harley Quinn thanks to a hi-tech experimental surgery. However, the team finished serving with returned to its roots when a new Oracle surfaced, and the Suicide Squad, she headed to Gotham City Batgirl recruited Black Canary to look into this mystery to turn her life around, man, eventually accepting this computer hacker as a chancing upon the member for a brief period. The Birds crossed paths Birds and joining with The Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), and suddenly the forces with them. team was fully formed, setting up a base of operations in Gotham City’s Clocktower, thanks to funding from Barbara’s company Gordon Clean Energy. The longer the Birds worked together, the closer they became. They aired their secrets to one another and faced threats including the villainous Blackbird and the Calculator, and tangled with both Catwoman and Poison Ivy. They’ve even joined forces with Harley Quinn in recent adventures. It seems the former partner in crime to The Joker is now seeking her own form of zany redemption as a true heroine alongside the Birds.

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3

ON THE RECORD

CLASSIC STORIES

Originally a partnership between

Oracle and the Black Canary, the Birds of Prey did not start calling themselves by that name until they had added other members: first The Huntress, and later Lady Blackhawk. Other female heroes rotated through the team, but its core membership remained that first trio. Barbara Gordon’s transformation from Oracle back to Batgirl remade the fundamental dynamic of the Birds of Prey when the New 52 began. Their origin was changed to include new member Starling meeting Black Canary at The Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge; however that continuity was altered as the Birds of Prey returned to their roots during the Rebirth event.

Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1 (Jun. 1996) Black Canary

is hired by Oracle to be a bodyguard to businessman Nick Devine. She soon learns that he is a terrorist and takes him down, establishing a partnership with Oracle. Birds of Prey (Vol. 1) #56–59 (Aug.–Nov. 2003) Black Canary is

trapped and tortured by Savant and Creote in an attempt to make Oracle divulge Batman’s identity. The Huntress is brought in to rescue Black Canary. Birds of Prey (Vol. 1) #75 (Dec. WHO IS ORACLE? BIRDS OF A FEATHER

The Birds of Prey, with Oracle and Black Canary front and center, after the Canary’s return to the team.

The second Oracle was the helpful computer expert Gus Yale. He was later killed by the robotic assassin Burnrate.

2004) Big changes are in the air as

Oracle’s original Gotham Clock Tower headquarters is destroyed and Lady Blackhawk is added to the team as pilot of its new mobile base, Aerie One.

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B

DATA

BIZARRO Superboy (Vol. 1) #68 (Oct. 1958) Hell HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 255 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, enhanced breath and vision capabilities. ALLIES Red Hood, Artemis, Lex Luthor ENEMIES Trigon, Black Mask AFFILIATIONS The Outlaws

CLASSIC STORIES

DEBUT BASE

Bizarro is a Frankenstein-like monster with a heart of gold. Although he was originally created by Lex Luthor, he has gone on to prove that he has a moral character far superior to that of his mad scientist father. Possessing many Kryptonian abilities— albeit warped and twisted—this heroic clone of Superman fights for truth, justice, and the Bizarro way. Wanting a Superman of his own to command, Lex Luthor mapped Superman’s genome and eventually found limited success in Subject B-0—a clone that would possess the full range of BIZARRO HQ powers of the Last Son of Krypton. When Earth was Bizarro’s headquarters conquered by the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3, Luthor were a feat of scientific was forced to unleash his latest experimental subject genius, able to open portals to anywhere. far too early in its development phase, approximately He even had a monitor five years before the clone would be a perfect room and an armory. Superman duplicate. This rather incoherent creature called itself Bizarro and remained loyal to Luthor until its death at the hands of Earth-3’s Alexander Luthor. Since Luthor refused to give up on his Bizarro project, the vigilante Red Hood (Jason Todd) soon chanced upon another Superman clone; one being held in the criminal Black Mask’s captivity. During a fight with Black Mask, Red Hood teamed with this new Bizarro, as well as with the Amazon powerhouse Artemis. The three unlikely allies would stay together and form Red Hood’s newest team of heroic Outlaws. When an encounter with Lex Luthor left Bizarro with a genius-level intellect for a limited amount of time, Bizarro created an invisible floating headquarters for the Outlaws, one the size of a Gotham City block. Although his intelligence eventually faded, Bizarro’s loyalties did not. When the team was separated by circumstance for a time, Bizarro found his way back to Red Hood. Bizarro then proved how much of a hero he truly was, choosing to remain in Hell in order to save the world from a demon horde during the aftermath of the team’s battle with the evil Trigon.

Superman (Vol. 1) #140 (Oct. 1960) Bizarro leads a backward battalion of imperfect Superman doppelgängers in a war against Earth to reclaim his misplaced first-born son. World’s Finest Comics (Vol. 1) #156 (Mar. 1966) When BizarroSuperman and Bizarro-Batman visit Earth to act as helpful fill-ins for the absent heroes, they become the unwitting pawns of the ever-crafty Joker. Action Comics (Vol. 1) #855–857 (Oct.–Dec. 2007) Experimented upon

WORK IN PROGRESS

When he was forced to curtail B-0’s gestation, Luthor had no idea how powerfully his experiment would affect his own feelings and conscience.

by Lex Luthor, a psychologically wounded and existentially lonely Bizarro flees Earth. He then creates his own square planet in space and populates it with warped copies of Superman’s friends and family.

ON THE RECORD Bizarro first appeared as a

misunderstood copy of Superboy. Thanks to the Silver Age Luthor, he returned to bedevil Superman, but became a popular humororiented adversary of the Man of Steel. He even had his own comedic series in Adventure Comics. However, the bludgeoning beast revived in the 1980s was far from funny. An anti-Superman weapon created by Luthor, he self-destructed in combat, but returned three more times. The longest-lived version of Bizarro was created by The Joker using Mr. Mxyzptlk’s purloined magic as the 21st century began.

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A MIRROR CRACK’D

Each iteration of Bizarro was more tragically misunderstood than malign, but his overwhelming power and limited intellect always made him dangerous.

FRIEND IN ME

A terrifying, superpowered titan with a rather primitive mind, Bizarro nevertheless proved to be a loyal friend.

B BLACK ADAM Marvel Family (Vol. 1) #1 (Dec. 1945) BASE Kahndaq REAL NAME Teth-Adam HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 250 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality, super-speed, strength, endurance, invulnerability, flight; magically enhanced perceptions and intellect; teleportation; self-healing and the ability to instantly heal others; affinity for magic. ALLIES Lex Luthor, Injustice League ENEMIES Shazam, Justice League, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Mister Mind AFFILIATIONS Kahndaq, Secret Society of Super-Villains, Monster Society of Evil, The Magic Lands DEBUT

Four thousand years ago, the wizard Shazam granted noble Kahndaqi youth Aman the gods’ power to avenge his family and save his oppressed people. The selfless boy requested the power be shared with his dying uncle, Teth-Adam. It was a fatal mistake. Adam killed Aman, liberated Kahndaq, captured the infernal Seven Sins, and slaughtered the Council of Eternity before Shazam finally imprisoned him. When scientist Thaddeus Sivana opened Black Adam’s tomb in modern times, the furious immortal immediately targeted young Billy Batson, who had recently inherited Shazam’s mantle and powers, which he felt were his by right. When Billy tricked Adam into resuming his mortal form, four millennia instantly caught up with the villain. Billy returned Adam’s remains to Kahndaq, where a freedom-fighter who venerated Teth-Adam’s LIGHTNING WAR legend sacrificed herself to restore him. Resurrected, Arrogant Black Adam could never accept that Adam seized control of his homeland, becoming its a mere child could wield brutal, obsessive protector. Acting on his own code the power of Shazam, of honor, he constantly battled Billy and his extended or match his wisdom. Marvel Family. Fiercely patriotic and isolationist, Black Adam is also proud and headstrong—failings that have embroiled him in many emergencies beyond his own borders. These include Shazam opening the predatory Magic Lands, Sivana and Mister Mind’s revival of the Monster Society of Evil, and Billy’s infection with toxic Dark Matter and transformation into evil King Shazam.

BLACK ALICE ON THE RECORD

DEBUT

The original Black Adam was an

REAL NAME

outright villain and bully, but after his reintroduction in the mid-1990s, he was re-imagined as a more nuanced—if still extremely ruthless—character. Adam even joined the Justice Society of America (JSA), where his hard-line views swayed many of the younger recruits. Obsessed with his ancient homeland of Kahndaq, he and his disciples eventually broke away from the JSA, sparking a civil war in the team’s ranks.

HEIGHT

ANCIENT, MY ENEMY

Hawkman had been Adam’s trusted ally and comrade in Ancient Egypt, but Adam knew his friend’s old-world solutions could never work in a complex modern society.

Birds of Prey (Vol. 1) #76 (Jan. 2005)

Lori Zechlin 5ft 5in WEIGHT 110 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Able to tap into and steal the powers of any mystical being. ALLIES Zatanna, Big Shot ENEMIES Most of Earth’s sorcerers, mystics AFFILIATIONS Secret Six Troubled teen Lori Zechlin wasn’t aware that she had died in the accident that killed her parents. The rebellious, death-obsessed Goth-girl had been messing around with pagan magic for months, and in the moment of her death, called out instinctively to the great beyond. Something dark answered, moving quietly into her head, where it lurks unobserved. Now “Black Alice” only knows that since the accident she can instinctively manifest the powers of any supernatural entity in the world, known or unknown. She reluctantly joined other outcasts in the Secret Six, but has become a true trouble-magnet. Her powers trigger at random, endangering everyone around her. Who knows what will happen when she learns she cannot age or die?

LOOKS ARE DECEIVING

Despite her youth and appearance, Black Alice’s powerful, unpredictable abilities make her one of the most dangerous teenagers on Earth.

HARSH JUSTICE

Empowered by Egyptian gods, the former slave Teth-Adam dealt harshly with all forms of oppression and those who stood in the way of his dark justice.

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B

BLACK CANARY

CLASSIC STORIES

DATA

Flash Comics #92 (Feb. 1948)

Flash Comics #86 (Aug. 1947) REAL NAME Dinah Drake Lance BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 135 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Expert in martial arts; extensive military and covert operations training; metahuman ability allows her to emit a piercing sound—“the canary cry”—that can shatter metal. ALLIES Green Arrow, Batman, Batgirl, The Huntress ENEMIES Count Vertigo, Auctioneer, Ninth Circle AFFILIATIONS Team 7, Birds of Prey, Justice League of America DEBUT

Black Canary gets her first solo strip. Dinah Drake is a seemingly mild-mannered florist before she adopts her Black Canary persona to fight crime. Justice League #1 (May 1987)

Black Canary, in a recently acquired new costume, joins the Justice League International, becoming a key member of the Martian Manhunter’s new line-up. Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey (Jun. 1996)

Dinah starts working for Oracle, not realizing to begin with that Oracle is former acquaintance Barbara Gordon.

Black Canary has been many things—black ops agent, fugitive, Super Hero, and rock star. She has trained with some of the best martial artists in the world, and her “canary cry” gives her an edge in combat. She was a key member of Team 7 and later founded the Birds of Prey, fighting alongside Batgirl. She has also been a member of the Justice League of America. Dinah Drake raised herself on the streets of Gotham City after being abandoned by her mother. Martial-arts teacher and ex-special forces agent Desmond Lamar took her in and became a KICK START father figure to the ten-year-old Dinah. He trained her in martial The young Dinah was arts and she eventually inherited his dojo. taken in and trained As an adult she joined the cover special ops unit Team 7, where in martial arts by the she met and married Kurt Lance, who was seemingly killed on master Desmond Lamar. She would eventually a mission. After leaving government work behind, Dinah was inherit his dojo. recruited by Oracle, the former Batgirl who had been paralyzed from the waist down. Black Canary served as her field operative, and the pair became known as the Birds of Prey. When Batgirl regained the use of her legs, Dinah remained good friends with Barbara despite mostly ceasing their Birds of Prey activities. Seeking a new challenge, Dinah formed a band—calling herself D.D.—and was soon fronting a new group called Black Canary. While in Seattle, Black Canary crossed paths with Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), and the two worked together to stop a slavery ring run by the villainous Auctioneer. They discovered that the conspiracy went deeper than they first imagined and it led to a clandestine Super-Villain-backing organization called the Ninth Circle. Black Canary stayed in Seattle to combat this threat, and she and Green Arrow fell in love. Despite the hectic pace of her life, Dinah found the time to serve in a new incarnation of the Birds of Prey as well as with the Justice League of America. Eventually, when her old contacts in the government pitted her against Green Arrow, she and Ollie parted ways. Dinah returned to Gotham City, continuing her heroic mission, albeit feeling a little directionless.

ON THE RECORD Before the reality-changing

events of Flashpoint, Dinah Lance was the daughter of the original Black Canary, who had been a hero in the 1940s and a member of the Justice Society Young Dinah had a superpower her mother had lacked—her “Canary Cry”—and she was taught to fight by Ted Grant (Wildcat in the Justice Society). She gained a new outfit (without her iconic fishnets) slightly before she joined the Justice League International. Her long, tempestuous relationship with Oliver Queen (the Green Arrow) eventually led to their marriage.

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SIDE-BY-SIDE

D.D. ROCKS

Black Canary and Green Arrow formed a long-running crime-fighting partnership.

Dinah tried to turn her back on violence and embarked on a career as a rock singer in her band, Black Canary.

CANARY CRY

Black Canary can emit a powerful sound wave—her “Canary Cry”—that is able to stop large opponents in their tracks.

B BLACK GLOVE, THE DEBUT

Batman (Vol. 1) #667 (Aug. 2007)

Dr. Simon Hurt, Jezebel Jet, Cardinal Maggi, Al-Khidr, Sir Anthony, General Malenkov, Senator Vine MEMBERS

The Black Glove was a criminal organization formed by Thomas Wayne (related to, but not Bruce’s father) in the 1700s and later led by Dr. Simon Hurt, who used the group to target Batman. Its membership comprised wealthy men and women; but its connections ran through all levels of society, from the actors the group used in their schemes through to high-ranking officials. The group came close to defeating Batman and driving him insane before the Dark Knight and his allies defeated them, and Hurt was seemingly killed in a helicopter explosion. The Black Glove were counting on the fact that even if their scheme failed, Batman wasn’t a killer. However, they overlooked his links to Talia al Ghu-l. Within six months, Talia’s League of Assassins had eliminated most of the Black Glove’s members.

BLACK HAND Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #29 (Jun. 1964) REAL NAME William Hand BASE Ryut, Sector 666; Coast City HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 165 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Black power ring can reanimate the dead and steal energy by killing victims and tearing out their hearts. ALLIES Nekron ENEMIES Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Lantern Corps DEBUT

William Hand was raised in a funeral parlor and was obsessed with death. Nekron, Lord of the Unliving, chose the boy as his avatar. He whispered to him, slowly driving him insane. Hand killed his parents, took his own life, and was reborn as a Black Lantern. Soon he commanded a vast army of the risen dead called the Black Lantern Corps. During Blackest Night, the Green Lanterns and other Corps fought Nekron and the Black Lanterns as they tried to destroy the White Entity. Hand was defeated and returned to life by the White Entity. Taken in by the Indigo Tribe, he then escaped and killed himself. A black power ring emerged from his body and he was raised from the dead as a Black Lantern. Seeking revenge, he replaced his own hand with that of Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s dead father, swearing to kill Jordan with his father’s own hand. He failed, and Jordan imprisoned him in the Source Wall at the end of the universe.

BLACK LANTERN CORPS Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #25 (Jan. 2008) BASE Ryut, Sector 666 POWERS/ABILITIES Members are the reanimated dead, able to infect the living with their bite and regenerate damaged flesh; they recharge their central power battery by removing the hearts from their victims. ENEMIES Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Lantern Corps across the Emotional Spectrum, Justice League of America, Titans AFFILIATIONS Nekron, Black Hand DEBUT

The Black Lanterns are an undead army, brought back to the land of the living by Nekron, Lord of the Unliving, to wage war against the various Corps of the Emotional Spectrum. They use black power rings, which reanimate the dead and also symbolize the absence of emotion and life. Using Black Hand as his avatar, Nekron unleashed a full-on assault on Earth with countless numbers of the dead—including many heroes— returning as Black Lanterns. Black Lanterns often sought to consume the hearts of those who cared for them most—this emotional pain helped to empower Nekron. While the Black Lantern Corps was defeated during Blackest Night, Black Hand subsequently returned as his master’s avatar on several occasions, each time threatening to bring more death and destruction into existence. Even Green Lantern Hal Jordan briefly became a Black Lantern, when the path seemed to be the only way to defeat Volthoom, the First Lantern. Hal raised an army of the undead and even Nekron himself before defeating Volthoom. He was then returned to life by a Green Lantern power ring.

ON THE RECORD Black Hand may be one of the Green Lantern’s deadliest foes, but it wasn’t always that way. The original Black Hand was a minor Green Lantern villain who would sometimes break the fourth wall to talk directly to the reader. Shortly before Hal Jordan’s “rebirth” as a Green Lantern, The Spectre (then Jordan) turned one of the villain’s hands to coal dust as punishment when he tried to steal Hal’s green power ring from the Green Arrow.

PRELUDE TO BLACKEST NIGHT

Death-obsessed William Hand was the doorway to absolute darkness for the demonic alien Atrocitus. After using Atrocitus’ cosmic rod to take his own life, Hand rose from the dead to become the grimmest reaper of all.

ON THE RECORD While Black Hand was the first member of the Black Lantern Corps, others soon followed. Among them were a number of long-dead heroes, including Elongated Man and Sue Dibny, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Aquaman. The Black Lanterns often attacked those closest to them to gain greatest impact from their deaths. The dead parents of both Tim Drake (Robin) and Dick Grayson (Batman) returned as Black Lanterns, as did the clone of Bruce Wayne.

DARKEST KNIGHT

Batman’s clone was raised from the dead as a Black Lantern.

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B

DATA

BLACK LIGHTNING Black Lightning #1 (Apr. 1977) Jefferson Pierce BASE Gotham City and Metropolis HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 200 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Olympic-level athlete; creation and control of lightning and electromagnetic fields, which also allow for simulated flight. ALLIES Batman, Peter Gambi, Katana, Amberjack, Anissa Pierce, Lynn Stewart, Blue Devil ENEMIES Tobias Whale, Raˉ’s Al Ghuˉ l, White Thunder, Ishmael AFFILIATIONS The Outsiders DEBUT

REAL NAME

ELECTRIC POWERHOUSE

Thanks to his Olympic training, Black Lightning is in peak physical condition. He can also generate and manipulate electricity at will.

Former Olympic decathlete Jefferson Pierce spends his life as an educator. By day, he teaches kids as a principal in Metropolis. At night, he becomes the vigilante Black Lightning, helping to prepare the next generation of heroes to fight for justice as the field leader of The Outsiders.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT TEAM

Black Lightning led The Outsiders and successfully defeated Raˉ’s Al Ghuˉl’s latest attack. Jefferson rejected Raˉ’s when the notorious eco-terrorist asked Black Lightning to join his cause.

Jefferson Pierce was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of newspaper reporter Louis Pierce. He was a tremendous athlete and even won an Olympic gold medal for decathlon. When Jefferson decided to become the Super Hero Black Lightning in order to protect his under-served neighborhood, he began training with a former Super-Villain named Amberjack. Another of his childhood mentors, Peter Gambi, designed a special suit for him to help him focus his metahuman lightning powers against any threat. For a brief time, Jefferson lived in Los Angeles and taught at the city’s Grassland High BLACK AND BLUE School. There he met and teamed with Blue Devil, and the two successfully brought Following an initial down the criminal Tobias Whale. Sometime later, Black Lightning misunderstanding, joined Batman’s strike force, The Outsiders, but the Black Lightning teamed experience was less than a positive one for Jefferson. up with Blue Devil to take on the drug lord, Black Lightning later learned that the “Tobias Tobias Whale. Whale” he had originally fought was the nephew of the true Tobias, who had killed the pretender and proceeded to rule over the streets of Cleveland. Jefferson returned to the “Brick City” and took a job teaching at John Malvin High School. There he brought the “real” Tobias Whale to justice, although Whale then escaped, switching places with his shape-shifting assistant at the last minute. Seemingly always on the move, Pierce was working as a principal in Metropolis when he was approached by Batman to lead another team of Outsiders. Reluctant to work with Batman again, Black Lightning nevertheless set up shop in a penthouse apartment in Gotham City’s Kubrick Towers thanks to Bruce Wayne’s pocketbook, but he also continued to work in Metropolis. When Raˉ’s Al Ghuˉl bombed Jefferson’s school for payback for The Outsiders interfering in one of his terrorist plans, Jefferson swore to even the odds. With his powers enhanced and amplified thanks to Wayne Industries tech, Black Lightning and The Outsiders stopped Raˉ’s from using an alien electromagnetic weapon in his quest for world domination.

ON THE RECORD Black Lightning was DC’s first

African-American hero to have his own solo series. Jefferson Pierce was a teacher at Garfield High School in Metropolis’ notorious Suicide Slum. Pierce tried to clear out mob-connected drug pushers from his school and was driven to vigilantism as Black Lightning after one of his students was murdered by Tobias Whale and the crime organization, the 100. Pierce didn’t realize the full extent of his powers until his first term of duty with The Outsiders when a latent metagene enabled him to internalize and amplify his lightning powers. Previous to that, he used an electronic belt to generate shock attacks and disguised himself using a costume created by his childhood mentor, tailor Peter Gambi.

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CLASSIC STORIES Black Lightning #3–5 (Jul.–Nov. 1977) Hunting down Tobias Whale, Black Lightning runs afoul of Superman when the Man of Steel thinks Pierce has hurt Jimmy Olsen. Amazons Attack (Vol. 1) #1 (Jun. 2007) As a founding member of a new

Justice League, Black Lightning saves the President’s life when the Amazons of Themyscira invade Washington, D.C. Black Lightning: Year One #1–6 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Black Lightning defended the inhabitants of Metropolis’ Suicide Slum, keeping them safe from drug dealers.

(Mar.–Aug. 2009) Black Lightning’s

origin is retold as he crosses paths with Superman and Lois Lane during his quest to avenge the death of student Earl Clifford.

B

DATA

BLACK MANTA Aquaman (Vol. 1) #35 (Sep.–Oct. 1967) David Milton Hyde BASE Mobile HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 205 lbs EYES Black HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Engineering and technological expertise; skilled with knives; armored suit tailored for underwater use; enhanced strength; energy blasts projected from helmet’s lenses; access to advanced technology. ALLIES Black Jack, Lex Luthor ENEMIES Aquaman, the Others, Aqualad, Mera AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, Suicide Squad, Legion of Doom, N.E.R.O. DEBUT

REAL NAME

THE APPLE FALLS FAR

Prone to violence from childhood, Black Manta was driven by an obsessive hatred for Aquaman and a desire to avenge the killing of his father. He devoted his adult life to killing the King of the Seven Seas and destroying everything he cared about, whether his family or the kingdom of Atlantis itself.

Black Manta’s son, Jackson Hyde, is nothing like his father. He adopted a heroic lifestyle as Aqualad and even served on the Teen Titans.

David Hyde swore revenge on Aquaman after the Atlantean king accidentally killed his father following Manta’s attack on Aquaman’s own father, Tom Curry. Possessing a variety of hi-tech devices and weapons—though he favored a pair of long daggers—he became an accomplished treasure hunter as Black Manta. He stole Atlantean artifacts, including an enchanted scepter, for the traitorous Atlantean Vulko, who planned to use it to resurrect the Dead King. Defeated VIOLENT OBSESSION by Aquaman and the Others while delivering the scepter, From the outset, Black Manta was driven by a homicidal mania Black Manta dared Aquaman to kill him. Despite his for revenge against Aquaman. desire to avenge his dead friends, Aquaman refused. Black Manta was imprisoned in Belle Reve and eventually fought alongside the Suicide Squad. Some time later, after attacking an Atlantean embassy in Massachusetts, Black Manta was recruited by the Fisher King, Black Jack, and the clandestine criminal group called N.E.R.O. Black Manta immediately killed the Fisher King and took his place. N.E.R.O. then attacked Atlantis directly, using the powerful beast known as the Shaggy Man. Black Manta successfully framed Atlantis for aggressions against the United States, but N.E.R.O. was eventually discovered and defeated by Aquaman. As part of his deal with the newly formed Legion of Doom, Black Manta teamed with the Triumvirate of Sea Gods—three ancient water gods from far-off worlds. They flooded the globe, but before they could see the error of their ways, Manta turned on both the Legion of Doom and the Triumvirate in an attempt to seize power for himself. However, his plot backfired and once again Aquaman foiled his plan. On a quest for yet more power, Black Manta accepted a gift from Lex Luthor in the form of the monstrous robot Mecha Manta. But his hi-tech attack failed thanks to the combined powers of Aquaman and Mera, although Mera became briefly comatose after the assault.

ON THE RECORD Earlier versions of Black Manta revealed slightly more of the character’s origin, telling the story of a boy kidnapped and forced into abusive servitude aboard a ship. Spotting Aquaman, he signaled for help, but when the hero did not see him, the boy grew to hate him and the sea he represented. This led to him creating the Black Manta persona and a deadly arsenal of marine weapons and vehicles. Black Manta’s uncontrollable rage ultimately caused the death of Aquababy, turning a one-sided obsession into a mutual blood feud. Ultimately Aquaman defeated the villain, but refused to compromise his ideals by exacting vengeance. This act further enraged Black Manta and he went on to sell his soul to the demon Neron.

CLASSIC STORIES Aquaman (Vol. 1) #35 (Sep.– Oct. 1967) Black Manta’s attempt to kidnap Aquababy is thwarted when the Ocean Master frees the baby from Black Manta’s ship. Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #452 (Aug.–Sep. 1977) Black Manta forces

Aquaman and Aqualad to fight each other to the death, or Aquababy will die in a globe filled with air. Aquaman shatters the globe, but too late to save his son. Brightest Day #19–20 (Apr. 2011)

DEATH OF AQUABABY

The infant son of Aquaman and Queen Mera, Arthur Curry, Jr. was murdered by Black Manta and buried at Mercy Reef.

DEADLY PREDATOR

In his water- and pressureresistant suit, Black Manta can hunt Aquaman relentlessly throughout the undersea realms.

Black Manta goes hunting for his son, Jackson Hyde, who has been protected by Mera since infancy. He battles Aquaman and Jackson, before Mera seals Manta away in the Bermuda Triangle.

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B BLACK MASK DEBUT

Batman (Vol. 1) #386 (Aug. 1985)

Roman Sionis Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 165 lbs EYES Brown HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled combatant and marksman; mask enables mind-control. ALLIES Dr. Jeremiah Arkham ENEMIES Batman, Catwoman, Mad Hatter

BLACK DEATH

Consumed by hatred, Black Mask struck at Catwoman from beyond the grave, thanks to a Black Lantern ring.

BLACK ORCHID

DEBUT Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #463 (Sep. 1976)

Eric Needham Belle Reve Penitentiary EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Amazing reflexes; hi-tech battlesuit equipped with extendable claws; advanced firearms. ENEMIES Resurrection Man, Amanda Waller, Batman, The Flash

REAL NAME

REAL NAME

BASE

BASE

Criminal Roman Sionis carved his signature black mask from his father’s coffin. It gave Sionis the ability to control others, and he started his own gang, the False Face Society. While incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, Sionis was separated from his mask, but when the Talons of the Court of Owls attacked the asylum, its director, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, gave it back so that Black Mask could protect him. In the event, Black Mask used the mask to escape. He then battled the Mad Hatter, who wanted the power of the False Face Society’s masks for himself. Batman cracked the mask with a well-aimed kick, driving Black Mask/Sionis insane. He was returned to Arkham Asylum, but was soon broken out. He joined the Secret Society when the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth, and later set his sights on ruling Gotham City’s underworld, but clashed with Catwoman.

Many criminals have used the codename Black Spider. The most effective is former vigilante Eric Needham. While serving a 60-year term in Belle Reve Penitentiary, he was selected by Amanda Waller for her Suicide Squad—a penal unit of villains secretly working for the US Government. He joined Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark, and El Diablo, and despite a severe spinal injury, earned a stellar reputation. Waller even offered to free him, but he elected to stay. Needham had ulterior motives: he had been inserted into Belle Reve by the Basilisk organization to infiltrate the Suicide Squad and kill Waller. He failed and was captured by his teammates. He is now a freelancer, robbing banks and chasing bounties, facing Batman and The Flash, and losing every time.

BLACKBRIAR THORN DC Comics Presents (Vol. 1) #66 (Feb. 1984)

ON THE RECORD

DEBUT

DEBUT

The original Black Orchid

REAL NAME

REAL NAME

was a mistress of disguise who used her powers to fight crime. She was once a human called Susan Linden-Thorne, but when her husband killed her, the botanist Philip Sylvain used her DNA to create a human/plant hybrid. The heroine was killed while investigating LexCorp, but two other plant/human hybrids with her DNA survived and continued the Black Orchid legacy.

EYES

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #428 (Jul.–Aug. 1973) Alba Garcia EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Her link to the Red and the Green gives her shape-changing abilities that make her a master of disguise. ALLIES Dr. Mist, A.R.G.U.S., Animal Man ENEMIES Felix Faust, the Demons Three, Nick Necro AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark

Private Alba Garcia was given superpowers by A.R.G.U.S.’s Project Ascension that linked her to the primal forces the Green and the Red. As shapeshifter Black Orchid she joined occult task force Justice League Dark, helping to keep the Books of Magic from sorcerer Felix Faust, traveling to the World of Epoch, and spearheading a magical rebellion to free the world from the Network. In this realm, she became a Swamp Thing-like monster, but fought the malevolent Rot with Animal Man. When the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth, she was captured and used to power the Thaumaton weapon. Rescued by Justice League Dark, she got involved in the terrifying war between the House of Mystery and the House of Secrets. When the goddess Hecate tried to rewrite the Laws of Magic, she used Alba as one of her five deputies: a possessed weapon which replaced the ancient Parliament of Trees with the predatory Parliament of Flowers.

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BLACK SPIDER

DEADLY BLOSSOMING

After being murdered, Linden-Thorne returned as a human/plant hybrid that drew power from the Green, the force created by all plant life on Earth.

Blackbriar Thorn None POWERS/ABILITIES A powerful magician; can create a treelike body around his frail form; controls plant matter and regenerates. ENEMIES Superman, the Demon, Justice League Dark Green

HAIR

When the Romans invaded Britain, the druid Blackbriar Thorn cast a spell that turned him into a towering, treelike being. Inadvertently buried, he returned to life in the 20th century after being dug up and exposed to moonlight. After clashing with Superman and the Demon, Thorn went to live in the Amazon rainforest, where Deadman and Zatanna encountered him. Thorn attacked them, but Deadman possessed him and returned him to human form. Following this defeat, Thorn allied himself with Felix Faust, Nick Necro, and Dr. Mist against Justice League Dark, but was struck down by Andrew Bennett and turned into inanimate wood. When anti-life force the Rot threatened Earth, Thorn returned and took over Metropolis, but Animal Man defeated him by taking termite form.

B IMPLACABLE PURSUIT

The Black Racer chases his prey across time and space to carry out his dark duty.

For the New Gods of Apokolips and New Genesis, the mysterious Black Racer is the avatar of Death, relentlessly pursuing those doomed to die. He takes over other beings, using them as vessels while he carries out his forbidding task. Mister Miracle once served as one of his hosts. Darkseid summoned the deadly Black Racer during his battle with the Anti-Monitor, bonding the Racer with The Flash (Barry Allen). However, the Anti-Monitor used his mastery of Anti-Life to turn the Racer against Darkseid, seemingly killing the dark lord of Apokolips. Barry attempted to free himself from the Black Racer’s control, but the grim entity explained that death was essential to the proper functioning of the universe, showing Barry visions of his dead mother Nora and of Central City reduced to a mausoleum. The Flash tried to slay the Racer with his own scythe, but he was subjected to horrifying visions of what would befall the universe if he refused to become an avatar of Death. This convinced Barry to accept his role as the Black Racer’s host. DEBUT New Gods (Vol. 1) #3 The Flash and the Black Racer (Jun.–Jul. 1971) were finally separated by the child of Earth-3’s Superwoman and Alexander EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Immortal avatar Luthor, who used his father’s of Death who flies on cosmic skis; can power-absorption abilities. The Racer possess other beings, turn intangible then claimed the life of Volthoom at will, and kill with his lightning scythe. before disappearing on his neverALLIES Anti-Monitor, The Flash ending journey of death. ENEMIES Darkseid AFFILIATIONS New Gods

ON THE RECORD The Black Racer was a

legendary figure in pre-Flashpoint reality who made his first recorded appearance on Earth after he was diverted there by the New God Metron. He chose handicapped veteran Sgt. Willie Walker as his host and attempted to claim the lives of several heroes, notably Steel. The Black Racer was one of the first victims killed by Infinity Man during the Death of the New Gods event.

BLACK RACER

FINAL RECKONING

Black Racer could phase through solid objects, fly on cosmically charged skis, and deliver death with a touch. He occasionally used a lethal staff to mete out justice.

BLACKFIRE DEBUT Tales of the New Teen Titans #4 (Sep. 1982)

Komand’r Tamaran, Ghost Sector EYES Green HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Trained in combat and leadership. ALLIES Koriand’r, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz), Cyborg, Orion, Azrael ENEMIES The Blight, the Citadel, Lord Helspont, Darkseid AFFILIATIONS Justice League Odyssey REAL NAME BASE

Komand’r was the eldest child of planet Tamaran’s Royal family. When the Citadel and Dominators invaded and her parents were killed, Komand’r agreed to become a puppet ruler called Blackfire. Her little sister Koriand’r was taken from Tamaran in chains. Eventually, Koriand’r found sanctuary on Earth, joining Red Hood and the Outlaws. When Tamaran was besieged by the alien Blight, she returned and was reunited with Komand’r, who begged her forgiveness. They vanquished the Blight, but Komand’r again appeared to betray her sister to the Citadel, but ultimately helped Koriand’r repel them. After Rebirth, Tamaran was transported to the Ghost Sector. Here Queen Blackfire battled Darkseid as part of the Justice League Odyssey team.

BLACKHAWKS

BLACKHAWK Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941) REAL NAME Kendra Saunders BASE Blackhawk Island Eyes Hazel Hair Brown HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 135 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled pilot with excellent combat and leadership skills; can call on the expertise of every previous life she has lived since history began. ALLIES Justice League ENEMIES Barbatos AFFILIATIONS The Blackhawks DEBUT

Kendra Saunders has been a warrior in every life she has ever lived. Constantly reincarnating—usually beside her eternal lover Carter Hall/Hawkman—she has battled human injustice and a countless procession of monsters throughout history. As Shiera Hall, she and her husband Carter transformed the Blackhawks from a freelance foreign legion of mercenary soldiers into a secret multinational strike force able to combat global crises and supernatural incursions. After being reborn as Kendra Saunders, she took Carter Hall’s place when he fell victim to Dark Multiversal horror Barbatos. Leading as Lady Blackhawk, she was ferociously dedicated to saving humanity from itself, and from the threats of the unknown. A brilliant tactician and superb fighter with every kind of weapon, Lady Blackhawk can apply the experience of countless previous lives to any problem. After Barbatos was defeated, Kendra left the Blackhawks to fight with the Justice League as a new iteration of her old Super Hero persona Hawkgirl.

ON THE RECORD

DEBUT Military Comics #1 (Aug. 1941)

The post-Crisis Blackhawk

POWERS/ABILITIES

was Janos Prohaska, a Polish fighter pilot who fought in the Spanish Civil War. Following the fall of Poland, he traveled to the UK, where he became the commander of the secret Allied Blackhawk Squadron. Blackhawk’s team stayed together after World War II and battled communists and Super-Villains. They subsequently served as both a courier service (Blackhawk Express) and as part of the Checkmate organization.

FLYING INTO DANGER

Blackhawk led his squadron in thrilling adventures across the globe, where they battled many exotic foes, including the Winged Death cult.

BASE The

Eyrie

Highly experienced elite military personnel with a wide variety of skills; Kunoichi possesses super-strength. ALLIES All Star Squadron, Justice Society of America ENEMIES Mother Machine, Titus, Steig Hammer AFFILIATIONS United Nations Originally a multinational squadron of freelance aviators founded by Polish pilot Janos Prohaska to battle the Nazis and Axis powers, the Blackhawks evolved into a covert team dedicated to preventing the end of the world. Reshaped and guided by eternally reincarnating lovers, Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders, the Blackhawks battled the invasion plans of monstrous Bat-god Barbatos as he sought to drag the positive matter universe into his Dark Multiverse. In the interim, the paramilitary unit hired out to nations in need. When they seemingly vanished, their name and reputation were co-opted by eco-terrorist Raˉ’s Al Ghuˉl, who sent fake Blackhawks against Batman. This brought the team to Batman’s attention, paving the way to a wary alliance after Lady Blackhawk asked the Justice League to help her team against Barbatos.

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B BLEEZ

ON THE RECORD

Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns (Vol. 1) #1 (Dec. 2008) BASE Sector 33 EYES Blue, Yellow HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Seduction, magic-wielding, able to expel blazing bile; equipped with a Red Lantern ring affording flight, full environmental protection, intergalactic transportation, translation, violent energy projection, solid-light constructions. ALLIES Kyle Rayner ENEMIES Atrocitus AFFILIATIONS Red Lantern Corps, New Guardians DEBUT

A pampered princess on a paradise world, Bleez was abducted by members of the Sinestro Corps. Abused and tortured for their amusement, she escaped but, filled with overwhelming fury and indignation, she was possessed by a red power ring. This suppressed her intellect, making her an explosive slave to boiling rage, and she joined the Red Lantern Corps. When a series of cosmic catastrophes forced the Emotional Spectrum groups into tenuous alliances, the Reds’ leader, Atrocitus, assigned Bleez to join Green Lantern Kyle Rayner’s New Guardians. Dissatisfaction at leading a legion of functional fools compelled Atrocitus to restore her mind. Bleez then became his rival, rising to the top of the Red Lantern Corps, wielding every ring Atrocitus had created. But at the moment of her greatest triumph, she was freed from her obsessive rage and restored to mortal form by Blue Lantern Guy Gardner.

BLOCKBUSTER II DEBUT

Starman #9 (Apr. 1989)

Roland Desmond BASE Blüdhaven HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Brown HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Uses Blockbuster serum to achieve superhuman strength and durability. ALLIES Mark Desmond ENEMIES Nightwing, Raptor, Tiger Shark AFFILIATIONS Marcus Casino REAL NAME

Crime boss turned casino operator Roland Desmond took on the criminal alias of his imprisoned brother Mark—the mighty Blockbuster. The Desmond brothers possessed a serum that could turn a person into a super-strong, super-resilient monster for a short period of time. Before being imprisoned for his crimes as Blockbuster, Mark managed to tweak the formula so that his brother could maintain his intelligence while in Blockbuster form—a glitch that had allowed Nightwing to defeat the villain previously. Roland Desmond was a native of Blüdhaven and he appointed himself as protector of the city and its people. This meant that he and Nightwing were able to make an uneasy pact against villains like Raptor who sought to exploit the city, although the hero later used an antidote to take Blockbuster’s powers away.

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BURYING THE HATCHET?

Desmond extends a hand, supposedly of friendship, to his longtime adversary Nightwing. But can he really be trusted?

Red ring wearers are filled

with a boiling, corrosive napalmlike substance that matches the constant feral fury gripping them. This anger, though invaluable in combat, also clouds the mind. Eventually Corps founder Atrocitus used shamanistic blood magic to restore the intellect without quelling the rage of his subordinates. His mistake was starting with Bleez, who instantly challenged his authority and began plotting to replace him.

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Her early life as a princess valued only as “marriage material” made Bleez determined that no one would ever control her again.

BLOODSPORT DEBUT

Superman (Vol. 2) #4 (Apr. 1987)

Robert DuBois, Alex Trent BASE Metropolis EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Teleportation, instant inter-dimensional access to arsenal of advanced armaments and weapons. ALLIES Riot, Hellgrammite ENEMIES Superman REAL NAME

Bloodsport is the name used by a succession of fanatics who have battled Superman. Using technology provided by Lex Luthor, the deranged Robert DuBois—who was obsessed with the Vietnam War—repeatedly attempted to kill the Man of Steel with futuristic firearms teleported directly into his hands, many of them firing Kryptonite bullets. DuBois died in an attempted prison breakout and his gadgetry fell into the hands of the demon Bloodthirst, who bonded it to radical white supremacist Alex Trent. This Bloodsport began murdering minority citizens, but was defeated by Superman and killed in prison by his own Aryan Brotherhood colleagues. The third, unidentified Bloodsport took over the technology and costume, but pursued no ideological agenda, acting as a superpowered mercenary for major criminals.

BLOCKBUSTER Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #345 (Nov. 1965)

DEBUT

Mark Desmond Gotham City, Blüdhaven HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, enhanced stamina. ALLIES Neron ENEMIES Batman, Nightwing AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains REAL NAME BASE

Blockbuster is the name used by a series of Super-Villains. The first was frail chemist Mark Desmond, who devised a serum to increase physical attributes, but only by reducing his intellect to that of an angry child. He was manipulated by his brother Roland into crime and he battled Batman and the Justice League. When Mark died on a mission for the Suicide Squad, Roland became a new Blockbuster. At least two other mindless, anonymous Blockbusters were created for the Secret Society of Super-Villains before Flashpoint resulted in a new rampaging Mark Desmond. Since rebirth, the latest Blockbuster is Roland Desmond, who uses his brother’s formula to take over Blüdhaven, even manipulating Nightwing to help him depose crimelord Tiger Shark.

BLUEBIRD DEBUT

Batman (Vol. 2) #7 (May 2012)

Harper Row Gotham City EYES Brown HAIR Purple POWERS/ABILITIES Electrical engineering and computers, marksmanship, combat. ALLIES Orphan, Red Robin, Batman, Alfred Pennyworth ENEMIES Tiger Shark, Mad Hatter REAL NAME BASE

Life for streetwise Harper Row might have ended up very different had Batman not saved her brother Cullen from being beaten in a hate crime. She became obsessed with helping the Dark Knight. Her first overture was locating the technology he used to avoid surveillance cameras. Improving them, she inserted herself into his cases, but Batman responded with uncharacteristic brutality. He wanted no more brave kids to die. Harper quietly persisted, winning him over by saving his life during his war against the Court of Owls. Her graduation to costumed crime fighter came when she joined Red Robin in saving Cullen and other kids from the Mad Hatter. Instead of becoming another Robin, Harper created her own masked persona, but her time as Bluebird was limited. After some months Harper retired to help ordinary people at Leslie Thompkins’ street clinic.

B BLUE DEVIL Firestorm (Vol. 2) #24 (Jun. 1984) REAL NAME Daniel Cassidy BASE Myrra HEIGHT 6ft 8in WEIGHT 385 lbs EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Enhanced strength, speed, durability, assorted magical tricks, and a mystic trident. ALLIES Detective Chimp, Nightmaster, Kid/Red Devil ENEMIES Nebiros, Bolt AFFILIATIONS Shadowpact, Justice League Dark, Sentinels of Magic DEBUT

Daniel Cassidy was an engineer, actor, and stuntman who built a robotic prop suit for upcoming Hollywood blockbuster Blue Devil. Tragically, while wearing it on location, he was blasted by the demon Nebiros and trapped inside it. Organically merged with his outfit, Cassidy acquired ever-increasing mystic power. Happy-go-lucky Dan made the best of it, becoming a Super Hero and media sensation. He even had—despite all his protests—a sidekick in Kid Devil. However, Cassidy’s power came at a cost: his mystical nature attracted wild magic, triggering weird happenings and making him a magnet for disaster. Cassidy repeatedly saved humanity and the world as a member of teams such as the Justice League and Sentinels of Magic before eventually, joining eldritch super-group Shadowpact to face the darkest horrors the universe could throw at him. Cassidy was even tried by Hell’s lawyers for illegally using Nebiros’ power and position: a case which ended with him being briefly appointed the Prince of Hell. Years later, he worked briefly with Justice League Dark. In recent times he has assumed the role of Protector of the magical realm Myrra, following the death of its previous champion, Nightmaster Jim Rook.

BLUE LANTERN CORPS Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #25 (Jan. 2008) BASE Odym, Elpis POWERS/ABILITIES Power rings channel the blue light of Hope, powering flight, intergalactic travel, and self-defense. CURRENT MEMBERS Saint Walker, Guy Gardner ALLIES Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner ENEMIES Red Lantern Corps, Larfleeze, the Reach AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps DEBUT

Following the war between the Green Lanterns and Sinestro Corps, maverick Guardians of the Universe Ganthet and Sayd were banished from Oa. They settled on Odym, building a Central Power Battery to harness the Emotional Spectrum’s blue light of Hope. They were soon joined by wanderer Saint Walker, who became their first agent. Blue rings are primarily defensive. Aggressive capabilities like energy blasts only activate when they are in close proximity to a Green Lantern ring. The same connection automatically boosts an emerald warrior’s ring up to 300 percent beyond its normal charge capacity. Run like an order of monks, Blue Lanterns were recruited slowly, with each new member responsible for finding the next. When Odym was destroyed by the all-conquering Reach, the survivors relocated to Elpis, but were subsequently wiped out in an overwhelming attack by pre-Big Bang villain Relic. With only Saint Walker surviving, it is unlikely the universe will soon hear their comforting oath: “In fearful day, in raging night, With strong hearts full, our souls ignite, When all seems lost in the War of Light, Look to the stars—for hope burns bright!”

ON THE RECORD Blue Devil was originally a light-

hearted, irrepressible adventurer bonded into a mechanical outfit by demonic magic. Cursed to be a magnet for weirdness, he constantly battled against dark magic, but supernatural menaces mutated his form even further. After Flashpoint he was reimagined as a movie performer and last in an ancient line tasked with safeguarding Earth’s deadliest supernatural relics. He became Blue Devil after deciding to “borrow” a demonic bodysuit in his safekeeping.

BEAT THE DEVIL

When hell-lord Nebiros came to claim his old skin, he discovered that the empowering outfit preferred to stick with Cassidy.

ON THE RECORD Blue Lanterns made their first

appearance saving their Green cousins from attack by Atrocitus’ Red Lanterns. They remained a breed apart in the escalating conflicts of the War of Light, but played a major role in turning back the risen dead during the Blackest Night. Sadly, Hope’s promise and its azure emissaries’ pacifist nature made them easy targets for colonial aggressors the Reach, who decimated their ranks and drove them from their base-world of Odym.

LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Despite the increasing chaos and horror of a universe in conflict, Blue Lanterns always clung to the heartfelt belief that “All will be well.”

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B

DATA

BLUE BEETLE (JAIME REYES) Infinite Crisis #3 (Feb. 2006) Jaime Reyes BASE El Paso, Texas HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 145 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Magical sentient Blue Beetle armor provides protection, boosts physical capabilities, and can create blades, energy weapons, wings, or thrusters at will; onboard systems include sensors, life support, and a universal translator. ALLIES Paco Testas, Brenda Del Vecchio, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), OMAC ENEMIES La Dama, Mordecai, Arion, Ghostfire DEBUT

REAL NAME

When Jaime Reyes stumbled upon a mysterious artifact that transformed him into a bio-armored hero, he became the latest champion to carry the name Blue Beetle. Continuing the legacy of Ted Kord, Jaime found himself thrust into the role of hero—with both magic and Ted Kord helping him along the way. Teenager Jaime Reyes and his friends Paco and Brenda were hanging out by a river on the day before their senior year of high school when Paco noticed a blue glint in the water. Paco waded out to see what it was and discovered a small beetle-like object that stung his hand and began glowing. When Brenda tried to grab it from Paco to save him, the Scarab exploded into a brilliant beetle-shaped light show, and Jaime found the object merging with his spine and coating him in bizarre blue armor. Jaime turned to industrialist Ted Kord for help and the inventive young billionaire jumped at the chance to learn more. As fate would have it, Ted had seen the Scarab before. His former next-door neighbor, archeologist Dan Garrett, had brought the ancient artifact home from a dig. The shiny blue treasure had inspired Ted—who happened to be a blossoming Super Hero—into naming himself the Blue Beetle. Ted later retired from crime fighting due to a heart condition, while the artifact led to Dan’s death, causing him to nearly lose his mind with its relentless “whispers.” With the Scarab now a part of him, Jaime had no choice but to embark on a life as a Super Hero, with Ted Kord serving as his right-hand man from the safety of Ted’s mobile Bug vehicle. The pair soon learned that the Scarab had been a magical power source as early as Ancient Egypt and had corrupted Arion, the Lord of Atlantis himself. When Arion returned and took back the power of the Scarab, Jaime managed to eventually reclaim it. He realized just how special his link was to this ancient artifact of power and he even began to enjoy life as a hero every now and then. HYBRID

When Jaime Reyes bonded with the Scarab, he was transformed into a symbiotic armored being that could deploy guns, wings, blades, or jets on command. He had gone from ordinary teenager to living weapons system.

“No! I don’t wanna kill ANYONE!”

THE BUG

Ted Kord invented his own mobile Batcave of sorts, in the flying vehicle called the Bug. It allows Kord to monitor Jaime’s adventures from nearby in the sky.

JAIME REYES

ON THE RECORD The Silver Age Blue Beetle

CLASSIC STORIES Infinite Crisis #1–7 (Dec. 2005– Jun. 2006) When Jaime Reyes finds the Scarab, Booster Gold recruits him to help attack the Brother Eye satellite during the Multiverse-shaking Infinite Crisis event. Blue Beetle Vol. 8 #22–25 (Feb.– May 2008) Jaime discovers an insidious

Reach plot to enslave humanity and leads an attack on the alien mothership. The New 52: Futures End #0 (Jun. 2014) In this grim tale of an

alternate future, Jaime rebels against the all-seeing Brother Eye, but is captured and brutally assimilated into the AI’s collective.

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MIND OF ITS OWN

The Scarab has its own goals and thoughts, even once taking Jaime on an unwanted trip while he was sleeping.

was Daniel Garrett, a brave archaeologist who found a glowing scarab in the tomb of the pharaoh Kha-Ef-Re. When Dan was mortally wounded, he gifted the magical Scarab to Ted Kord, who could never get it to work. However, during the Infinite Crisis event, the Scarab grafted to Jaime’s back and he became the third Blue Beetle. At this point, the Scarab was retconned to be a creation of the alien Reach that had been affected by the magical energies in the tomb of Kha-Ef-Re.

DAN GARRETT

Daniel Garrett served as the Blue Beetle before Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes. He would say magic words to access the Scarab’s powers.

B

DATA

BLUE BEETLE (TED KORD) Captain Atom #83 (Nov. 1966) Theodore Kord BASE El Paso, Texas HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Genius-level inventor; skilled acrobat and fighter; access to the Kord Industries fortune; armed with an array of hi-tech gadgets including a light- and air-projecting BB gun; operates the Bug, a flying beetle-like mobile headquarters. ALLIES Booster Gold, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), The Flash (Teri Magnus), Batman, Batgirl, Justice League ENEMIES Madmen, Maxwell Lord, Black Mask AFFILIATIONS T-Council DEBUT

REAL NAME

A genius inventor and a comedic genius only in his own mind, billionaire industrialist Ted Kord moonlights as the wisecracking Blue Beetle. Armed with gadgets and a flying hi-tech vehicle called the Bug, Ted possesses no superpowers aside from his need for adventure and a near-superhuman level of camaraderie with his best bro, Booster Gold. Ted Kord had too much money and not enough purpose in his life. The heir to his father’s fortune, Ted was a brilliant inventor with all the means but none of the reasons to use his talents. Inspired by Superman and Batman, Ted designed himself a nondescript Super Hero suit. However, he only came up with a moniker after his neighbor, archeologist Dan Garrett, showed him the fruits of one of his digs—a blue scarab. Calling himself Blue Beetle, Ted sought out adventure armed with an arsenal of nonlethal weapons and gadgets, including his iconic aerial vehicle the “Bug.” Ted soon found friendship with Booster Gold, and the two became known as Blue and Gold, legendary crime fighters—at least according to them. After experiencing heart troubles, Ted was forced to retire from most of his active Super Hero exploits. However, he continued to work behind the scenes as the tech partner to his replacement Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. In that capacity, Ted helped Jaime battle the threat of the corrupted mage Arion and a handful of Super-Villains. Kord donned his own Blue Beetle costume again when Booster Gold was suspected of murder and wanted by the Justice League. The Flash (Wally West) had accidentally unleashed his powers and killed several heroes at the secret Super Hero therapy center called the Sanctuary, but Booster was believed to be the culprit. Blue Beetle immediately jumped to his buddy’s defense. However, Booster didn’t get the opportunity to return the favor when Kord was kidnapped by the villain Black Mask. In a scheme to establish a new country, Black Mask took on Kord’s appearance and used his wealth and influence to take over Task Force X, also known as the Suicide Squad. Black Mask was eventually stopped KORD-LESS When Jaime Reyes, Ted’s successor by a group of Suicide Squad members, who used to go as Blue Beetle, briefly lost his by the name the Revolutionaries, and Kord was freed. powers, Jaime adopted Kord’s old Beetle costume to reclaim the Scarab and stop the corrupted Arion.

CLASSIC STORIES Blue Beetle #1 (Vol. 7) (Jun. 1986)

Ted Kord leaps into action, beginning his post-Crisis adventures. Justice League America #34 (Jan. 1990) Blue Beetle and Booster

Gold scheme their way into opening a casino using the Justice League’s name on the resort of the island of KooeyKooeyKooey, with disastrous results. Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1 (May. 2005) Blue Beetle investigates

Checkmate and is shot and killed by Maxwell Lord.

BACK IN ACTION

Although a heart attack forced him to retire, Ted still helped Jaime during a few battles, using his BB guns and a beetle drone backpack.

BEETLE MANIA

Despite lacking any superpowers, Ted Kord took to the heroic life with gusto, quickly making a name for himself with his sense of adventure, quick wit, and steadfast bravery.

ON THE RECORD Ted Kord was not the first Blue Beetle, and he wasn’t the last. The middle child of the Blue Beetle legacy, Ted was nevertheless the smartest person to ever fill the role. Before the events of Flashpoint, Ted adopted the mantle of Blue Beetle from the original Beetle, Daniel Garrett. As a nonpowered Super Hero, Ted rose to fame in the pages of Justice League International, where his high jinks with Booster Gold even saw the two attempt to create their own casino on a tropical island. However, during one of the tragic events leading to Infinite Crisis, Ted was shot and killed by Maxwell Lord. The role of the Blue Beetle was then passed to teenager Jaime Reyes.

LORD OF EVIL

When Blue Beetle investigated Checkmate, he met his grisly— and seemingly final—fate.

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B

DATA

BOOSTER GOLD Booster Gold (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb. 1986) Michael Jon Carter HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 215 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Accomplished athlete; Booster’s powers come from his gear, which includes an armored strength-boosting suit, a thermal and x-ray vision visor, a force-field, energy-blaster gauntlets, and a Legion of Super-Heroes’ flight ring. He is assisted by his robot pal, Skeets, who provides data and communications. ALLIES Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), Batman, Harley Quinn, Rip Hunter, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Godiva ENEMIES Brother Eye, Eradicators AFFILIATIONS Justice League International, A.R.G.U.S.

CLASSIC STORIES

DEBUT

REAL NAME

Booster Gold (Vol. 1) #8–9 (Sep.–Oct. 1986) Michael Carter

makes his mark as a Super Hero by saving President Reagan—who inadvertently gives the hero his codename! The OMAC Project #1–6 (Jun.– TEAM POTENTIAL

While on the JLI, Booster Gold had to deal with political interference and team infighting, but he proved his worth… with a little help from Batman.

Nov. 2005) Booster Gold goes in search of his missing best friend, Ted Kord—and is devastated when he finds out he has been murdered. Convergence: Booster Gold #1 (Jun. 2015) In this time-twisting

After making a mess of his life in the future, disgraced sportsman Michael Carter decided to make a new career in the 21st century as the hero Booster Gold. Though he loves a photo opportunity and a lucrative advertising deal, the brash and charming Booster is secretly the most important hero you’ve never heard of. He travels through time correcting the time stream while maintaining his cover story of a Super Hero sellout.

adventure, Booster meets Rip Hunter, the son of the pre-Flashpoint incarnation of Booster himself!

Michael Carter was born in the 25th century and grew up in an abusive home in Gotham City, dreaming of fame and fortune. After earning a football scholarship, brash and handsome Carter became a sports star, but he lost BROS BEFORE HEROES When Booster was framed everything after taking money to fix matches. After being caught and serving his time in jail, he could only find work as for murder while at the superhuman recovery a security guard at the Space Museum. center Sanctuary, his best Inspired by the museum’s exhibits about 21st-century friend Blue Beetle never Super Heroes, Carter decided to go back in time to become once doubted his buddy’s a champion of justice—and get money and fame along the way. innocence. He helped himself to a suit, various hi-tech gadgets, and a security bot called Skeets from the museum. Then he used a time machine that once belonged to chrononaut Rip Hunter and traveled back to the 21st century. Carter used his futuristic gadgets and flair for showmanship to build a reputation as the hero Booster Gold. However, Booster was treated as something of a joke by other heroes because he also made money from commercial endorsements—he even appeared in beer commercials! Nevertheless, he managed to do some good as a member of the Justice League International. While that team was short-lived, Booster’s true career was not. When not starring on his own Go-Tube channel, Booster was saving the Multiverse on time-spanning adventures, using his celebrity as a cover story. Recently, he time traveled with Superman to help repair a damaged timeline on Krypton. In his private life, Booster hangs out with his best friend in any timeline, Blue Beetle (Ted Kord). He also sparked a brief romantic relationship with the rather unbalanced Harley Quinn, which will surely be another good decision to add to his resume.

ON THE RECORD In his pre-Flashpoint career,

Booster served as a key member of many super-teams and stood in the front line during several cosmic events that reshaped the universe. Booster really made his mark when he joined the Justice League International. He met Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) and they became best friends. Booster was devastated when Kord was murdered, and in The O.M.A.C. Project, he tracked down the killer—Maxwell Lord. Booster later joined Rip Hunter as one of the Time Masters. As a chrononaut, he could cross over to the post-Flashpoint universe.

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FAMILY TIME

When Michael joined the enigmatic Rip Hunter in the Time Masters, he had no idea that he was actually working with his future son.

THE FACE THAT LAUNCHED A THOUSAND COMMERCIALS

Booster Gold combined courage with a flair for self-promotion and proudly endorsed companies that paid him enough!

B BOLT DEBUT

BOODIKKA Blue Devil #6 (Nov. 1984)

Larry Bolatinsky HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 220 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Teleportation; energy blasts; expert assassin and special-effects coordinator. ALLIES Deadshot, Merlyn, Chiller, Deadline ENEMIES Sideways, Blue Devil, Batgirl, Captain Atom AFFILIATIONS Killer Elite, Suicide Squad REAL NAME

Bolt is a former specialeffects expert who moved into the world of freelance killing. As a top-ranked mercenary assassin he has faced foes as diverse as Blue Devil, Captain Atom, and Starman. Bolt demands a high price, despite many failures to complete his contracts. At one point, he joined a group of assassins called the Killer Elite, which included Deadshot and Merlyn. Then he served briefly on the Suicide Squad. Eventually, Bolt was killed by his son, Dreadbolt, who continued his father’s legacy as a member of the Terror Titans. Bolt briefly returned as a member of the undead Black Lantern Corps, and was fully resurrected after Flashpoint. Resuming his trade, Bolt worked for the villain Knightfall and later with Dark Star Sciences CEO Leto Dominus as she sought to capture and exploit the powers of the new teen hero, Sideways.

BORDEAUX, SASHA

BOUNCING BOY

DEBUT Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #751 (Dec. 2000)

DEBUT

HEIGHT

BASE

Ability to overcome great fear; expert fighter and hand-to-hand combatant; weapons include Green Lantern ring. ALLIES Chaselon, Kilowog ENEMIES Star Sapphire, Flicker, Cyborg Superman, Doomsday

Washington D.C.; The Castle, Swiss Alps HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 135 lbs EYES One red, one blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Expert bodyguard; highly adept martial artist; enhanced strength and speed. ALLIES Wonder Woman, Etta Candy, Steve Trevor, Batman, Mr. Terrific, Jessica Midnight ENEMIES Doctor Cyber, Maxwell Lord, David Cain AFFILIATIONS A.R.G.U.S., Checkmate

DEBUT

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #20 (Jan. 1992)

5ft 8in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES White HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES

A natural fighter with no qualms about showing off her skills, Boodikka hailed from the planet Bellatrix. After working as a member of the mercenary group Bellatrix Bombers, Boodikka joined Green Lantern Corps. With her aggressive attitude and problem with authority figures, she initially had a difficult time fitting in at the Corps, but she proved her worthiness in battle. When Hal Jordan was corrupted by the being Parallax, Boodikka fought him, but had her hand severed by him in the process. After a brief time spent as a member of the Brotherhood of the Cold Flame, she was promoted into the Alpha Lanterns, a police force within the Green Lantern Corps. After valiant fights with villains including Cyborg Superman and Doomsday, Boodikka was killed by the Alpha Lantern Varix.

BASE

Sasha Bordeaux was a bodyguard who came to lead some of the world’s most powerful spy organizations. She first entered Bruce Wayne’s life when Lucius Fox assigned her as his bodyguard. Although Bruce initially kept her at arm’s length, she soon discovered his secret and was allowed into Batman’s life, adopting a mask and assisting on missions. When Wayne was framed for murder, Bordeaux was sentenced to jail as his accomplice. Here she was recruited by spy agency Checkmate, quickly rising to be its Black Queen. Her body was augmented by O.M.A.C. technology, effectively changing her into a cyborg. She later became Director of A.R.G.U.S., where she was kidnapped by rival covert group Godwatch. Replaced with an android, Bourdeaux was eventually rescued by Commander Etty Candy.

Action Comics (Vol. 1) #276 (May 1961)

Charles Foster Taine Legion Headquarters, New Earth HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 227 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Can inflate to shape of large, bouncing ball; invulnerability to impact trauma; advanced combat training; possesses Legion flight ring. ALLIES Legion of Super-Heroes ENEMIES Horraz Collective REAL NAME

Growing up on the free-floating bubbled enclaves constituting Earth in the 31st century, young prodigy Charles Taine is a Doctor of Metaphysical Gateway Sciences and a forthright critic of the United Planets organization. A level 8 meta, he can super-inflate his body into an invulnerable globe, propelling his form with devastating accuracy at super-velocities. After much practice he also developed an innate understanding of vectors, trajectories, and direction. He initially refused when invited to join the UP-sponsored, Legion of Super-Heroes, but reconsidered after assurances that the team’s purpose was to fix as much as defend the United Planets. Easy-going and unassuming he rejected dramatic, imposing codenames such as Bullet or Battle Ball, for the milder designation Bouncing Boy.

BRADLEY, SLAM Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #1 (Mar. 1937) Samuel Emerson Bradley BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 205 lbs EYES Gray HAIR Dark Brown (with gray temples) POWERS/ABILITIES Excellent brawler and hand-to-hand combatant; expert marksman; adept detective with decades of experience; possesses a particular talent for disguise and mimicry for undercover work. ALLIES Catwoman, Sam Bradley, Jr., Holly Robinson, Superman ENEMIES Black Mask AFFILIATIONS Gotham City Police Department (formerly) DEBUT

REAL NAME

Slam Bradley hails from Cleveland, Ohio, but has spent most of his time in two of the United States’ most famous cities—Gotham City and Metropolis. He earned his nickname on the streets of Cleveland, however, growing up in a fairly rough neighborhood. He was only 12 years old when he challenged a local 17-year-old bully and knocked the boy out with a single punch. As an adult, Slam tried stints in both the army and the police force before settling in for a life as private investigator; a job where he was his own boss. Slam worked in Metropolis, Keystone, and New York City, before opting to move to the East End of Gotham City, where he befriended Catwoman. Slam soon found himself falling in love with Catwoman, who had too much on her plate to ever significantly return Slam’s feelings. However, the two remained allies, even after Catwoman had a child with Slam’s son, Sam Bradley, Jr. TO CATCH A CAT

Slam became a staunch ally of Catwoman after being hired by the Mayor of Gotham City to locate her. He grew to care for Selina and her circle of friends.

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B BRAIN DEBUT

Doom Patrol (Vol. 1) #86 (Mar. 1964)

Paris, France; Telistocc, Russia POWERS/ABILITIES Genius-level intellect ALLIES Monsieur Mallah ENEMIES Doom Patrol, Teen Titans, The Flash AFFILIATIONS Brotherhood of Evil, Secret Society of Super-Villains BASE

Very little is known about the anonymous French scientist known as the Brain. The infamous criminal mastermind claimed to have worked with Niles Caulder before the maverick researcher formed the Doom Patrol. Brain also believed Caulder, who was envious of his work, was behind the accident that nearly took his life. The Brain’s most important work was the radical course of treatments that elevated a gorilla’s intelligence to a level beyond human genius. The grateful primate returned the favor by transplanting the dying man’s brain into a cybernetically enhanced containment unit. A close intellectual relationship developed as the ape—dubbed Monsieur Mallah—kept the Brain alive, helping him orchestrate a campaign of vengeance against Caulder and the world. They went on to recruit villains to their Brotherhood of Evil.

BRAINWAVE

BRANDE, R. J.

BRIMSTONE

DEBUT All Star Comics (Vol. 1) #15 (Feb.–Mar. 1943)

DEBUT Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #350 (Nov. 1966)

DEBUT Legends (Vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 1986)

Henry King BASE Mobile EYES Covered by thick opaque glasses HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Psionic ability: hallucination creation, illusion casting, astral projection, telepathy. ALLIES Jonni Thunder, Obsidian ENEMIES Justice League, Justice Society of America AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, Injustice Gang

REAL NAME

Ren Daggle BASE United Planets HQ, 31st century Daxam EYES Red HAIR Gray POWERS/ABILITIES Cunning and ruthless politician; (assumed) Durlan shapeshifting. ALLIES Legion of Super-Heroes, Science Police ENEMIES Horraz, Crav the General Nah AFFILIATIONS United Planets Ruling Council

HEIGHT

REAL NAME

Physically weak Henry King developed psionic abilities which he used for crime. As Brainwave, he clashed with the Justice Society of America and All-Star Squadron during World War II and into the 1950s. He was inactive for decades and it was later revealed that he had used his powers to marry Merry, Girl of 1000 Gimmicks. His son, Henry Jr. adopted the guise of Brainwave Jr. to clear his family name and he joined Infinity Inc. and the Justice Society. When his father died, he received a psychic power-boost, sparking mental instability. After Flashpoint, a third Brainwave— Henri Roy, Jr.—attempted to conquer the survivors of Earth-2, but has not been seen since the Rebirth event.

BRAINIAC 5 Action Comics (Vol. 1) #276 (May 1961) REAL NAME Querl Dox BASE Legion Headquarters, 31st-century Metropolis, New Earth HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 160 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Super intelligence; perfect memory; strategic skills; advanced unarmed combat training; weapons expert; Legion flight ring. ALLIES Imra Ardeen/Saturn Girl, Superboy Jon Kent ENEMIES Horraz Collective, Crav the General Nah, Fatal Five AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes, Science Command DEBUT

Querl Dox is a 12th-level mind, the smartest individual of the most brilliant species in known space. He is a direct descendant of Vril Dox, the infamous, self-styled Collector of Worlds, and his brilliance counted as a unique superpower when he was asked to join the recently convened Legion of Super-Heroes. His inherited honorific as the fifth Brainiac became his codename. Unlike many hyper-intelligent beings, Querl accepts the force of emotion on sentient beings, taking pains to interact on a friendly, inclusive level using a process he calls Emotional Fact. Greatly concerned with the orderly running of the universe, he was active in politics, giving a crucial speech to the United Planets on why there must be a Science Police force. His believes that peace and constant advancement are vital and he is driven to find the best way to achieve his aim. Brainiac 5 fights best from a laboratory, as a researcher, advisor, tactician, and support scientist. Inventor of multifunctional Legion flight rings and AI servant C.O.M.P.U.T.O., he is the team’s intellectual backbone, frequently acting as if he is the de facto leader in action and policy-making.

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Madam Honor President Brande is the dominant force in the vast federation of civilizations called the United Planets. Few of those billions of sentients know she is also a shapeshifting Durlan. A hard-headed politician with big ideas, soaring ambition, and a will of Inertron, Brande leads the 1,000-year-old UP, deftly wrangling fractious leaders from many worlds. She is credited with creating the Legion of Super-Heroes. Sensing an opportunity to build a youth movement and recreate the fabled “Age of Heroes,” she sponsored three superpowered teens—Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad. Expecting to control the organization, Brande realized too late that the kids—and their army formed from every UP world—only listen to their own consciences. Her son Reep Daggle is her representative on the team as Chameleon Boy.

Apokolips 50ft 6in WEIGHT 60,000 lbs EYES Yellow HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Pyrokinesis; incineration; flaming-energy construct creation. ALLIES Glorious Godfrey, Darkseid ENEMIES Suicide Squad, Firestorm, Cosmic Boy, Teen Titans AFFILIATIONS Gods of Apokolips BASE

The techno-seed that grew into Brimstone was created in the labs of Apokolips during Darkseid’s campaign to destroy humanity’s concept of heroism. When launched into a fusion reactor on Earth, it became a walking incinerator, targeting Super Heroes and terrorizing civilization. The colossal monster was actually a semi-sentient artificial intelligence. Composed of super-heated hydrogen plasma wrapped around a core nexus of programming, its appearance was maintained by a delicate balance of magnetic fields. Though dangerous at full expansion, the construct was vulnerable to disruption of its magnetic shield. It carried a flaming sword and made declarations of being an “avenging angel” sent to destroy “false gods and graven images.”

ON THE RECORD Brainiac 5 has supreme confidence

in his mental strength but frequently shows appalling judgment. In a Silver Age tale, his Artificial Intelligence creation named Computo killed fellow Legionnaire Triplicate Girl and almost conquered Earth before he found a way to shut it down. That recklessness was still evident in a later tale of his early years when he breached a vault containing the first Brainiac’s cached inventions. They ran amok and would have decimated the planet Colu if not for his new-found Legion allies.

CLEAN-UP CREW

Brainy’s notions would have caused as much carnage as any marauder, if it wasn’t for the diligent work of his Legionnaire allies.

B

DATA

BRAINIAC Action Comics (Vol. 1) #242 (Jul. 1958) Vril Dox BASE Mobile HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES 12th-level intellect/artificial hybrid; controls multiple drone bodies; possesses accumulated technologies from numerous destroyed worlds; has access to an array of hi-tech weaponry and infamous skull-shaped ship. ALLIES Lex Luthor, Vril Dox II ENEMIES Superman, Justice League, Perpetua AFFILIATIONS Legion of Doom DEBUT

ON THE RECORD

REAL NAME

He is the Collector of Worlds—a being whose only purpose is the gathering of information and knowledge by capturing entire civilizations on a whim. A 12th-level intellect, Vril Dox has become the cruel and calculating Brainiac. He wishes not to share and spread information, but to hoard it, ensuring he is the only being to unlock the mysteries of the universe. Brainiac is Vril Dox, a Colu native considered to be his planet’s greatest shame and highest criminal. Banned from his own world due to his zealot-like quest for knowledge, Brainiac is a super-intelligent being. He employs his hi-tech skull-shaped ship and a variety of drones to travel the cosmos and imprison his chosen cities, miniaturizing them to preserving them in his perverse pursuit of universal knowledge. On his mad quest he has clashed with multiple heroes, but none more than Superman. As the captor and bottler of the Kryptonian city Kandor, Brainiac has more than earned the ire of Krypton’s most famous survivor and champion. After the Source Wall—the cosmic barrier separating the universe from previously unknown powers—was broken, Brainiac did the unthinkable. He went to Earth not to conquer, but to recruit its heroes to his cause. Four powerful cosmic beings called the Omega Titans had been unleashed on the galaxy, and they had their sights set on Earth and Colu. However, before he could further instruct his recruited heroes, Brainiac was taken out of commission by an attack from Amanda Waller’s Task Force XI. Colu was destroyed in the aftermath, unleashing entire planets held in its nursery and creating a new Ghost Sector of space. But Brainiac didn’t stay “dead” for long. Through the genius of the notorious criminal scientist Professor Ivo, and with Lex Luthor’s support and backing, Brainiac was brought back online and became a valued member of Luthor’s new Legion of Doom. Brainiac attempted to double cross Lex, but found Lex had hidden a virus in his own mind, giving Brainiac no choice but to embrace Luthor’s cause. The Legion of Doom then helped free the mother of the Multiverse known as Perpetua. However, Brainiac was transformed by the cosmic being into her very throne with some of his power channeled into Luthor. A ghost lost in Perpetua’s machine, Brainiac will no doubt return and regain his traditional form some day, reestablishing his unrelenting quest for information at any cost.

When Superman first met

Brainiac he seemed to be an organic being intent on repopulating his dead world with Earthlings, but he was soon re-imagined as a devious construct spying for mechanical villains, the Computer Tyrants of Colu. Brainiac was radically altered in the 1980s into a scarily remorseless and predatory mechanoid intent on subjugating all organic life. These and many other versions resurfaced in Convergence, when a Brainiac from beyond the Multiverse began assimilating his parallel selves while collecting cities from all 52 alternate universes and their attendant or divergent timelines. These stolen cities were then pitted against each other, with Brainiac’s enslaved ringmaster Telos arranging the bouts.

ALIEN ENCOUNTER

For many years, Superman was unaware that his force field-shielded arch-foe was also a man of steel (and gears, tubes, plastic relays, and chemicals).

TASK FORCE XI

The mastermind behind Task Force X (also known as the Suicide Squad), Amanda Waller kidnapped the greatest psychic minds on the planet to hack Brainiac, calling them Task Force XI.

BRAIN POWER

A ruthless master of mentality, Brainiac’s physical form is secondary to his artificially enhanced mind.

CLASSIC STORIES Action Comics (Vol. 1) #242 (Jul. 1958) Superman battles an alien city-stealer who is defeated when his own lab monkey turns off his force-field. There is no hint that Brainiac is an artificial foe. Superman (Vol. 1) #141 (Nov. 1960)

Superman time-travels to Krypton and helps his father construct a massive space-ark. But the factory is in the city of Kandor, which is bottled by Brainiac. Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 1) #223–224 (Dec. 1976) Brainiac reappears

in the 30th century as Pulsar Stargrave, impersonating Brainiac 5’s father. He tries to trick the Legion of Super-Heroes into helping him conquer the universe.

WEAKNESS IN NUMBERS

A Brainiac threatened every world in the Multiverse, but they were all just tasty morsels for the all-consuming, all-conquering being.

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B BRONZE TIGER

BRAINSTORM REAL NAME

Richard Dragon: Kung-Fu Fighter (Vol. 1) #1 (Apr.–May 1975) (as Benjamin Turner); Richard Dragon: Kung-Fu Fighter (Vol. 1) #18 (Nov.–Dec. 1977) (as Tiger)

BASE

REAL NAME

DEBUT

DEBUT

Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #32

(Dec. 1964)

Frederick Storm Mobile EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Super genius; psionic ability; hallucination creation; reality alteration triggered by a cerebral enhancement helmet. ALLIES Axel Storm ENEMIES Justice League of America AFFILIATIONS Injustice Gang of the World

Benjamin Turner Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 196 lbs EYES Brown HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Superb martial artist; can shift into animalistic tiger form. BASE

POWER OUTAGE

Brainstorm’s brain wave’s posed problems for several Super Heroes, including causing Superman to temporarily lose his superpowers.

Fred Storm was a petty man who envied the adulation given to Super Heroes. Using a helmet which sporadically enhanced his mental abilities and afforded him “brainstorms” of inspiration, he conducted a vindictive campaign to humiliate— and ultimately destroy—the Justice League of America. His title of Brainstorm has also been used by a number of others, including his brother Axel and S.T.A.R. Labs volunteer Alan Barnes. After Flashpoint, scientist Dominic Lanse studied mind-control and artificial intelligence in machines, eventually acquiring the ability to influence the minds of others. His mind-manipulating powers indirectly caused the death of Paula Holt, Mr. Terrific’s wife. In response, the outraged champion of “Fair Play” almost beat Lanse to death in a shocking act of violence, which was witnessed by television audiences and almost ended the Super Hero’s career.

A man of mystery, Bronze Tiger is one of the greatest martial artists. A major player in mercenary circles, he is an ally of Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke the Terminator. In Ra-’s al Ghu-l’s League of Assassins, he won great power and influence among its fanatical killers. When Red Hood was recruited, Bronze Tiger welcomed him to their fabled city ‘Eth Alth’eban. The Tiger has a complicated history with premier assassin Lady Shiva and reported ties to Richard Dragon. A mystic a talisman transforms him into a tiger form, but the change comes at a cost—supposedly “burning away” some of his soul each time. Guided by his personal code, he operates on both sides of the law, working with the Suicide Squad and Batman, as both a source of information on the mercenary world and a potent ally in battle.

BROTHER BLOOD

BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL

BULLETEER

BULLETMAN

The New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #21 (Jul. 1982)

DEBUT

Doom Patrol (Vol. 1) #86 (Mar. 1964); New Titans Annual #6 (1990) (Society of Sin) MEMBERS/POWERS Phobia: Projection

DEBUT Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #1 (Jan. 2006)

DEBUT

Alix Harrower HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 155 lbs EYES White HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Skin bonded with Smartskin, making her nearly invulnerable and immune to pain; superhuman strength. ALLIES Firestorm, Firehawk, Super-Chief ENEMIES The Nebula Man, Sally Sonic AFFILIATIONS Seven Soldiers of Victory, Justice League of America

REAL NAME

DEBUT

Hollywood, California HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 193 lbs EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Able to heal wounds; enslaves others by contact with their blood; charismatic leader with fanatical followers. ENEMIES Titans, Teen Titans, Ravagers, Animal Man, Animal Girl BASE

Hereditary cult leader Brother Blood is connected to the Red—an intangible energy-web connecting all animals. Blood sought to kill the Ravagers and came into conflict with the Teen Titans, hoping to use Beast Boy’s blood to create a doorway to the Red. He was defeated by the Ravagers and his temple was destroyed. Blood then targeted Animal Man Buddy Baker, entering the Red by drinking Buddy’s blood. He tried to take over the dimension, but was stopped by Animal Man and his daughter, Animal Girl. After constant failures and abuse of his position, the Brother was supplanted by Mother Blood, Sonya Tarinka. She tried to use her connection to the Red and the released forces of the sundered Source Wall to subjugate the Multiverse via the interconnecting dimensional realm called the Bleed, but was thwarted by the Titans.

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of illusions animating a foe’s greatest fear; Plasmus: Protoplasmic burning touch; Warp: Teleportation; Silverback: Cybernetic enhancements, firearms expertise. ENEMIES Titans, Blue Beetle, La Dama The Brotherhood of Evil was formed years ago by the Brain and his ape companion, Monsieur Mallah. Sometimes known as the Society of Sin, it has changed members often. Recently, the group divided, with the Brain and Mallah becoming a Brotherhood of Two when their comrades went to hunt the extraterrestrial Scarab found by Jaime Reyes. Phobia, Plasmus, and Warp were joined by gun-toting cybernetic gorilla Silverback, who threatened them if the Scarab was not located. Agents of La Dama and soldiers of the Reach also had their own designs on the Scarab. Meanwhile, Brain and Mallah went about boosting Brain’s processing power, attempting his digital ascension to a world-altering, weather-controlling Hypergenius. But with the Brain growing more deadly, distant, and self-involved, an increasingly isolated Mallah barely put up a fight when the Titans ended the mad scheme.

REAL NAME

Alix Harrower’s scientist husband Lance was working on a “Smartskin” project—turning soft tissue into a metal material stronger than steel. Obsessed with preserving not only his youth, but that of his 27-year-old wife, Lance tried the Smartskin on himself, and died by suffocation. Before he breathed his last, he touched Alix, passing his Smartskin on to her. She survived the bonding process and then discovered that Lance had been obsessed with a Super Hero on the Internet named Sally Sonic. In despair, Alix ran into the night, happening upon a building on fire and saved its residents. Realizing her calling, she became the Bulleteer, a Super Hero inspired by the World War II Bulletman. She later served with honor in the Seven Soldiers of Victory as well as the JLA.

Nickel Comics (Vol. 1) #1 (May 1940)

James Barr Fawcett City HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 177 lbs EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Able to fly and repel bullets thanks to his Gravity Regular Helmet; superhuman strength and intelligence. ALLIES Bulletgirl, Starman, Shazam ENEMIES Weeper AFFILIATIONS All-Star Squadron BASE

The inspiration for the later crime fighter Bulleteer, Bulletman was a Super Hero active during World War II. The son of a police officer who was killed on duty, Jim Barr opted to become a crime fighter using his science smarts to increase his strength and develop a Gravity Regulator Helmet that allowed him to fly. Taking the name Bulletman from the Gravity Regulator’s appearance, he was soon joined by Bulletgirl, Susan Kent. The two fought bravely during the war and afterwards retired to live in Fawcett City. Later, as an old man who had made a good living from Bulletman merchandise, Jim was falsely accused of having committed treason back in 1942. However, Shazam and Starman teamed up to prove he was innocent of all charges.

B BULLOCK, HARVEY

ON THE RECORD

Batman (Vol. 1) #361 (Jul. 1983) Harvey Bullock BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 248 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Excellent detective; able brawler with street smarts and years of experience; highly trained in police procedure; extremely loyal to his friends. ALLIES James Gordon, Batman, the Batman Family, Renee Montoya ENEMIES Anarky, The Joker’s Daughter, Dr. Death AFFILIATIONS G.C.P.D., Batman Task Force DEBUT

In his early appearances, Harvey

REAL NAME

Bullock was a clumsy slob who got in the way more than he helped. He also clashed with Commissioner Gordon. In time, Harvey changed his ways, making friends with the second Robin, Jason Todd. He later began work at the government spy agency Checkmate. In the 1990s, he became the longtime partner of officer Renee Montoya, but the infamously unorthodox cop finally crossed the line in 2000’s “Officer Down” storyline and resigned from the G.C.P.D.

Sometimes the best cops in Gotham City are hard to spot in a lineup. Although his uncouth attitude and slovenly appearance suggest otherwise, Harvey Bullock is in truth one of the few good cops left in a city filled with corruption, and he is a steadfast supporter of James Gordon and his high ideals. While perhaps tempted by an amoral police department in the past, Bullock was inspired by the arrival of Lieutenant James Gordon, sticking up for him when he doggedly pursued underworld boss Roman Sionis. Bullock also worked with Gordon to catch Dr. Death during the city’s Zero Year event. They slowly became allies as Gordon rose through the ranks to become Gotham City’s Commissioner. After years of dedicated service, James Gordon was imprisoned for a murder he did not willingly commit. Bullock remained loyal to Gordon, and when he was finally released and became the city’s official new Batman, Harvey remained by his side as a member of the Batman Task Force. Despite his adversarial relationship with all Bat-vigilantes, Bullock assumed Gordon’s role as the Police Commissioner of beleaguered Gotham City when the malign Batman Who Laughs infected Gordon with the corrupting power of evil.

BUMBLEBEE Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #45 (Dec. 1976) (as Karen); Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #48 (Jun. 1977) (as Bumblebee) REAL NAME Karen Beecher-Duncan BASE Metropolis HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 130 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Energy generation; able to shrink and fly; high-tech battlesuit. ALLIES Malcolm Duncan ENEMIES Mr. Twister, Psimon, Fearsome Five AFFILIATIONS Teen Titans, Meta Solutions, S.T.A.R. Labs DEBUT

The wife of former Teen Titan and award-winning movie composer Malcolm Duncan, Karen Beecher-Duncan has her life change forever after the birth of her baby girl. Karen has no idea that in previous realities she was a Super Hero too. She believes she first met her husband when she was a technical consultant on one of his films. Mal affectionately nicknamed her “Bumblebee.” They married and Karen became pregnant, subsequently experiencing the first flash of a possible previous life after discovering she could emit energy bursts. Mal knew the cost of superpowers so together they approached Meta Solutions—a bio-company claiming to remove unnatural abilities. Sadly, it was a front for Super-Villain Psimon and his Fearsome Five team. When Mal realized and called in the adult Titans, they found Karen had already been transformed into a size-changing warrior in advanced armor. When the Five crushed the heroes, Bumblebee savagely routed the villains, but not before Psimon wiped her memory of all traces of her life, husband, and child. She eventually regained her memories after battling H.I.V.E. and an evil future Troia. When the Justice League disbanded the Titans, she retired from a life of action to raise her child.

BAD NEWS BULLOCK

When he first appeared, Lt. Bullock wasn’t a fan of either Batman or Commissioner Gordon, referring to Gordon as a “weak sister,” and Batman as “fancy britches.”

BUNKER ON THE RECORD

DEBUT

Before Flashpoint,

REAL NAME

Karen Beecher-Duncan was the Super Hero Bumblebee. Involved in a relationship with Teen Titan Mal Duncan, better known as the hero Herald (and much later, Vox), Karen decided to be a crime fighter herself, and designed her flying Bumblebee costume and weaponry. She was welcomed into the first Teen Titans team, and after that version disbanded, she worked for S.T.A.R. Labs before becoming a member of the Doom Patrol.

HEIGHT

BEE MINOR

During Infinite Crisis, Bumblebee’s physiology was altered, reducing her size to around six inches tall.

Teen Titans (Vol. 4) #1 (Nov. 2011)

Miguel Jose Barragan 5ft 8in WEIGHT 132 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Able to create bricks of psionic energy; infectiously positive disposition. ALLIES Beast Boy, Robin, Skitter, Solstice, Wonder Girl ENEMIES The Penguin, Detritus AFFILIATIONS Teen Titans, Red Hood Miguel Jose Barragan left a happy life in the Mexican village El Chilar to fulfil a dream: to become a hero like his idol Robin. Riding a train to the US, he discovered the cocoon of future comrade Skitter in one of the cars and was attacked by a homeless man— actually Robin in disguise. Robin believed that Barragan worked for evil organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. After a brief scuffle, Miguel suddenly hugged Robin, citing him as his inspiration for becoming Super Hero Bunker. Cofounding a new iteration of the Teen Titans, openly gay Miguel forged a stellar career, serving as a ray of positivity through turbulent times. When they disbanded, he joined Red Hood Jason Todd, who had taken over the Iceberg Lounge, to dismantle the Penguin’s criminal empire. However, unable to stomach the dirty tactics required, Bunker explosively severed ties with Red Hood.

59

C C.O.M.P.U.T.O. DEBUT Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #340 (Jan. 1966) REAL NAME Cyber-cerebral Overlapping Multiprocessor Transceiver Operator BASE Legion HQ, 31st-century New Metropolis POWERS/ABILITIES Incredible intelligence, limitless processing capacity, light manipulation.

C.O.M.P.U.T.O. is the autonomous data manipulation system devised by Brainiac 5 to administer the huge headquarters complex of the Legion of Super Heroes. As well as supporting the team members and their guests and visitors, C.O.M.P.U.T.O. also acts as a sounding board and knowledge base for Brainiac in his experiments and investigations. C.O.M.P.U.T.O. monitors events and data flow throughout the United Planets, looking for trends and patterns in the ebb and flow of trillions of beings. Notionally female in its current interface aspect, C.O.M.P.U.T.O. can manifest as a light energy construct to interface with Legionnaires and in “her” capacity as a social messaging system and broadcast personality. C.O.M.P.U.T.O. is located in the Legion complex on New Earth that is situated within the New Metropolis environment bubble. This sanctuary is circling the shattered remnants of the planet, while the rebuilding of humanity’s homeworld is ongoing.

CAIN, DAVID DEBUT

Batman #567 (Jul. 1999)

The Nursery, Prague, Czech Republic EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Highly trained killer, skilled in martial arts and swordsmanship. ALLIES Mother ENEMIES Cassandra Cain, Bluebird, Red Hood, Red Robin, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne AFFILIATIONS Mother’s organization, Lady Shiva Woosan BASE

A skilled and ruthless killer, David Cain worked for “Mother.” She kidnapped children and brainwashed them into becoming her obedient agents. As “Orphan,” Cain was her assassin, fighting Batman when he hindered her schemes. Cain also became obsessed with turning a child into a perfect killer. He subjected his own daughter, Cassandra, to a brutal regime, desensitizing her to violence, not letting her speak, and teaching her that sympathy was a weakness. She escaped and fled to Gotham City, adopting the identity of Batgirl. When Cain came to Gotham City to kill the hero Bluebird, Batgirl intervened and cut off his hand. He escaped to Mother’s Nursery facility where his hand was replaced by a cybernetic prosthesis. After he died battling Batman, Cassandra adopted his codename Orphan.

60

CAIN AND ABEL

BLOOD BROTHERS

House of Mystery (Vol. 1) #175 (Aug. 1968) (Cain); DC Special #4 (Jul–Sep. 1969) (Abel) BASE Cain: House of Mystery; Abel: House of DEBUT

Cain (left) and Abel are brothers bound together by fate, doomed to repeat a cycle of murder and resurrection.

Secrets Cain: 6ft 2in; Abel: 5ft 7in Cain: 174 lbs; Abel: 396 lbs EYES Cain: Brown; Abel: Blue HAIR Cain: Brown; Abel: Black WEIGHT

Immortality

DEBUT

New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #16 (Feb. 1982)

Rodney Rabbit BASE House of Heroes satellite, Earth-26 HEIGHT Over 6ft EYES White HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Eating cosmic carrots bestows Rodney with temporary superpowers. ALLIES Superman ENEMIES Starro the Conqueror, Frogzilla, Lord Havok, the Gentry AFFILIATIONS The Zoo Crew, Justice Incarnate, Multiversity REAL NAME

A rabbit from an alternate reality of cartoon animals, Rodney was a mild-mannered cartoonist until he ate a cosmic carrot. As superpowered Captain Carrot, he joined the Zoo Crew. Over many wacky adventures, they encountered both Superman and Starro the Conqueror. When their world was threatened, the Zoo Crew took its inhabitants to New Earth, where they changed into ordinary animals. Carrot became a stage rabbit, before regaining his powers and helping fight Darkseid during Final Crisis. He is Earth-26’s member in the pan-Multiversal super-team Justice Incarnate. They battled the Gentry and their Oblivion Machine, and fought the Legion of Doom when Earth’s heroes attempted to repair the ruptured Source Wall.

Julian Gregory Day Arkham Island HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 193 lbs EYES Black HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Hardened street fighter ALLIES The Squid, Arkham inmates ENEMIES Batman, the Riddler REAL NAME

Julian Day was a happily married man with a son, Aiden. When his wife died in a blackout caused by the Riddler, Day went off the rails and began working for a drug dealer called the Squid. When Batman met Aiden, the boy said that his father abused and neglected him. Batman beat up Day, accusing him of forgetting his son’s birthday. Consequently, Day became obsessed with dates. Taking the name Calendar Man, he committed several date-themed crimes and was incarcerated on Arkham Island. He then threatened to cause a blackout across Gotham City unless the man he blamed for ruining his life surrendered to him. Batman coerced the Riddler into helping him infiltrate Arkham, then handed him over to Calendar Man, who exacted his brutal revenge on the villain.

Cain and Abel are two brothers who dwell in the Dreaming, the realm of Morpheus. They inhabit the House of Mystery and House of Secrets respectively, and tell chilling stories to visitors. While Abel is timorous and soft-hearted, Cain has a cruel streak. Though he loves his brother, Cain often loses his temper and murders Abel in a gruesome fashion. However, Abel always comes back to life, as per the terms of a contract the brothers signed with Morpheus. When Abel was killed by the Furies of Greek Legend, his brother successfully petitioned Morpheus to resurrect him. They later ran the House of Mystery as a bar where customers paid for drinks by telling macabre stories. When the House of Mystery was destroyed, the brothers rebuilt it, but it soon became the Justice League Dark’s HQ. After Flashpoint, the Justice League United encountered Abel when they entered the House of Secrets.

CAPTAIN CARROT

Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #259 (Sep. 1958)

DEBUT

BASE

HEIGHT

POWERS/ABILITIES

CALENDAR MAN

CAPTAIN COMET DEBUT

Strange Adventures #9 (Jun. 1951)

REAL NAME Adam

Blake

Cairn HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 190 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength, super-speed, telepathy, telekinesis, flight, photographic memory, heightened intelligence. ALLIES Superman ENEMIES Doomsday BASE

A comet passing over the Blake family home in Kansas during Adam’s birth gave him latent superpowers. These manifested many years later when he learned from Professor Emery Zackro that his body had evolved thousands of years ahead of normal human biology. Adam discovered that his destiny lay in space as one of the first Neo sapiens, tasked with finding others who had also evolved ahead of their species’ timeline. While on this quest he battled Superman, whom he mistook for Superdoomsday. Realizing his error, he teamed up with the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor to fight off Mr. Mxyzptlk and an army of alternate Supermen threatening Metropolis. He then disappeared in his spaceship with its crew of Wanderers, their destination unknown. He later turned up as a member of the Crucible Academy.

CARR, SNAPPER DEBUT Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb.–Mar. 1960)

Lucas Carr Happy Harbor, Justice League Detroit complex HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 175 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Teleports by snapping his fingers. ALLIES JLA, Young Justice, Miguel Montez, Summer Pickens ENEMIES The Joker, Dominators, Khunds REAL NAME BASE

When Simon Carr bankrolled the Justice League of America and outfitted their base, his nephew Lucas lent a hand. As a reward, finger-popping teen, “Snapper,” became an honorary Leaguer. Years later, “John Doe” tricked Snapper into revealing the HQ’s location. Doe was The Joker, and Snapper quit in shame. He was experimented on by alien Dominators who activated his teleporting metagene. He and others escaped and struck back as the Blasters. One day, the Khunds severed his hands, but Colu’s Vril Dox replaced them. Snapper later mentored the android Hourman III, wrote his JLA memoirs, and coached Young Justice. He now runs the Super Hero museum and advised trainee crime fighters Miguel Montez and Summer Pickens after they acquired the incredible Super Hero generating H Dial.

C

DATA

CAPTAIN ATOM Space Adventures #33 (Mar. 1960) Nathaniel Adam BASE The Continuum, Kansas HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 200 lbs EYES Silver HAIR Silver POWERS/ABILITIES Can absorb and distribute energy at will; quantum bolt projection; super-strength, stamina, and endurance; quantum speed; draws on quantum field as an inexhaustible power source. ALLIES Justice League, Firestorm ENEMIES Ultramax, Doctor Manhattan AFFILIATIONS USAF, Continuum research facility DEBUT

MORE THAN HUMAN

REAL NAME

While possessing powerful quantumbased abilities, Captain Atom can also switch back to his human form as needed.

Captain Atom is a hero with the ability to manipulate the quantum field. Although the US military wanted to use him as a living weapon of mass destruction, he has chosen to wield his devastating power for the good of all mankind. However, with almost infinite energy at his command, he must constantly struggle to hold onto his humanity. Captain Nathaniel Adam was a USAF fighter pilot, but when his behavior became erratic following his father’s death, he was grounded. Nate then found work at the Continuum, a scientific research facility where he participated in an experiment run by renowned quantum physicist Dr. Megala, author of the controversial “M-Theory.” Megala believed that there were multiple parallel realities and he wanted Nate to pilot an experimental capsule designed to CAMERON SCOTT travel to other dimensions. When the capsule was activated, it imploded in a flash When Captain Atom of light, destroying Nate at a subatomic level. Somehow his consciousness survived returned from the past, and created a new body for itself, molecule by molecule. One month after he had his Super Hero form appeared a reddish gold. disappeared, the being that was once Nate Adam reappeared as a glowing silver He adopted the name form with a red atomic symbol emblazoned on his chest. Cameron Scott as an alias Nate discovered that he was now a living nuclear reactor that could also absorb to distance himself from energy and even transmute matter. However, when he used these powers, his own his earlier adventures. body became unstable. General Wade Eiling approached Nate and told him that he was now a military asset—and a living weapon of mass destruction. Nate refused to cooperate and chose to serve the world as Captain Atom instead. When Captain Atom grew more unstable and exploded, he sent himself back through time to the past of 1994. He started his life again, now without superpowers, and married a woman named Takara Sato. She became pregnant, but when Nathaniel was shot during a car jacking, Captain Atom was powered up again, and he returned to the present, not knowing his now 17-year-old son. Since his original explosion had killed three innocent people, Nathaniel followed orders and adopted the new identity of Colonel Cameron Scott, pretending to be the second Captain Atom. As he now possesseda different power set, the ruse worked and he fought the villain Ultramax, earning the interest of the Justice League. Captain Atom’s appearance changed back to its silver shade more recently when he was charged with keeping Super Heroes out of Gotham City after Bane’s hostile takeover. Gotham Girl didn’t agree with his orders, and despite the Captain’s power, she bested him and literally threw him out of town.

CLASSIC STORIES

ATOM VS. MANHATTAN

Captain Atom is believed to have faced Doctor Manhattan. He was surprised to find that even his power couldn’t stop this blue, godlike being.

ON THE RECORD

Armageddon: The Alien Agenda

The pre-Flashpoint Nate Adam

#1–4 (Nov. 1991–Feb. 1992) In this

was a decorated pilot framed for a crime he did not commit. To gain a pardon, Nate participated in an experiment involving an atomic bomb and a crashed alien spacecraft. Seemingly vaporized in the test, he reappeared 18 years later with a skin of alien metal and incredible powers. Calling himself Captain Atom, Nate was forced to work for the US government. Eventually, he cleared his name and left the Air Force. Nate battled villain Monarch in the 2001 “Armageddon” story arc and time-traveled to foil a plot by Super Hero-hating Maxwell Lord.

time-traveling epic, Captain Atom and his nemesis Monarch fight an alien threat in the prehistoric era, in Imperial Rome, and during World War II. Countdown: Arena #1–4 (Feb. 2008) Nate Adam becomes the new

incarnation of his main adversary, Monarch. He recruits an army to battle the Monitors, but is successfully opposed by a team of alternate Captain Atoms. The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom #1–6 (March–Aug. 2017) Nathaniel THE GOOD SOLDIER

As a military man, Captain Atom followed orders—even if it meant having to arrest the Dark Knight himself!

Adam travels to the past, only to be sent back to the future again. He gains a new power set along the way, but tragically loses his wife.

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C

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CAPTAIN BOOMERANG The Flash (Vol. 1) #117 (Dec. 1960) George “Digger” Harkness BASE Belle Reve Prison HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 167 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Expert with throwing weapons; carries a number of boomerangs at all times, including some with special properties such as razor-sharp sides, and others that explode or even allow him to fly. ALLIES Deadshot, Harley Quinn ENEMIES The Flash, Amanda Waller AFFILIATIONS Suicide Squad, the Rogues DEBUT

CLASSIC STORIES

REAL NAME

George “Digger” Harkness is a mercenary and killer with an aptitude for boomerangs and other projectiles. Antagonistic and often annoying to those around him, he has fought The Flash and, since his incarceration, has become a member of Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad.

The Flash #117 (Dec. 1960)

Captain Boomerang debuts and nearly kills The Flash by tying him to a giant boomerang that he catapults into space. Identity Crisis #5 (Dec. 2004) Captain Boomerang is hired to kill Tim Drake’s father—but both men end up dead. The Flash (Vol. 3) #7 (Jan. 2011) Recently brought back from the dead, Digger escapes jail and recalls his early years as a villain.

Born in Kurrumburra, Australia, George “Digger” Harkness grew up poor. His father was supposedly a US soldier who had abandoned his family when his son was very young. As a child, Digger developed an aptitude for boomerangs and soon became deadly with OUTBACK BATTLER them. After serving first in the military and then in the Australian Secret As a young child Service, he moved to the US where he turned to crime, battling The growing up in Australia, Flash on many occasions and becoming a longtime member of the Digger made his own boomerangs, and became Rogues. After Harkness went to prison, Amanda Waller selected him for Task Force X (the Suicide Squad) along with new member Yo-Yo, adept at throwing them. to replace fallen members Voltaic and Savant. While Harkness claimed to be the new team leader—and was given a detonator to control the explosive devices buried inside his fellow teammates—this was later revealed to be a ruse by Waller. Harkness was captured on a mission against the terrorist group known as Basilisk and seemed to betray the Suicide Squad—until he helped them break free. Waller had asked him to infiltrate Basilisk and get close to its leader, Regulus, to help defeat him. After many more missions with the Squad, Boomerang was seemingly killed by General Zod. Luckily for Digger, he was brought back to reality by new member Hack. One of his later missions led him back to his small Australian town, where he met a son he wasn’t quite aware of, Owen Mercer, who was now an adult and a brilliant arms dealer. Eventually, Captain Boomerang went on enough Suicide Squad missions to earn his freedom, although he almost immediately broke the terms of his parole by freely talking about the topsecret task force. In reaction, a new Squad captured Boomerang. When Digger’s old ally Deadshot was told to kill Harkness, Deadshot rebelled and killed their handler instead. The Suicide Squad escaped and ironically enough, The Flash rescued Boomerang from the authorities and brought him back to Australia. Never one to stay out of trouble, however, Digger opted to return to Central City and rejoin the Rogues.

ON THE RECORD Capitalizing on his Australian background, Captain Boomerang first came to fame as a toy spokesman before being exposed as a SuperVillain. A longtime member of the infamous Rogues—The Flash’s recurring adversaries—Captain Boomerang developed a harder edge after joining the Suicide Squad. He was later hired to kill Jack Drake, the father of Tim Drake (Robin, at the time), but as he carried out the contract, he too was killed—by his target. Harkness’ son, Owen Mercer, went on to become the new Captain Boomerang, while George returned as a Black Lantern during Nekron’s attack on Earth and was reborn following Nekron’s defeat.

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LETHAL WEAPONRY

LAST STAND

An aged, balding Captain Boomerang assassinated Jack Drake, but not before he was shot and killed by his victim.

Digger Harkness has created a number of weaponized and trick boomerangs, which become deadly tools in his hands.

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DATA

CAPTAIN COLD Showcase #8 (May–Jun. 1957) Leonard Snart BASE Central City HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 196 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Excellent tactician; has a cold gun that can create absolute zero, make super-dense blocks of ice, form ice barriers, and other cold-related effects; goggles protect him from the glare caused by using his gun. ALLIES Lex Luthor, Golden Glider ENEMIES The Flash, Crime Syndicate AFFILIATIONS The Rogues, Justice League (formerly), Suicide Squad (formerly), Legion of Zoom DEBUT

CLASSIC STORIES

REAL NAME

Showcase #8 (May–Jun. 1957)

Leonard Snart makes his first appearance as Captain Cold—and comes close to defeating The Flash. The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13 (Aug. 2007) Bart Allen’s short-lived

era as The Flash ends in tragedy when Captain Cold and the Rogues kill him. Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge (Sep.–Nov. 2008) On the run for killing

Leonard Snart is Captain Cold, one of The Flash’s main enemies and leader of the Rogues. While Snart has spent most of his life as a criminal, he does have a strict code of honor.

The Flash, Captain Cold and his allies plan revenge against fellow villain Inertia, who they believe used them to kill The Flash.

Leonard Snart had a troubled childhood. His father was an alcoholic, and Snart’s ICING THE FLASH relationships with his grandfather and his sister, Captain Cold is pretty good in a Lisa, were the only good things in his life. scrap, even without his cold gun. Following his father’s death, Snart left home and soon turned to petty crime to survive. When working as part of a criminal gang, he was arrested by The Flash and sent to jail. While in jail, Snart created a special cold gun that he hoped would give him the edge in his next confrontation with The Flash. After he was released, he returned to a life of crime, now as Captain Cold, and soon teamed up with other villains to form the Rogues. After several defeats by The Flash, Cold tried to upgrade the Rogues’ powers by using a Genome Recorder, but it backfired, leaving his friends injured and Lisa in a coma. When The Flash’s enemy Mob Rule caused a blackout, it threatened Snart’s sister’s chances of survival. Snart blamed The Flash and attacked the hero. In the end, The Flash not only stopped Captain Cold but used his Speed Force to help Lisa survive. She joined the Rogues as Golden Glider, having gained powers of her own. The Rogues had their own strict code—one that brought them into conflict with more brutal evildoers, such as Gorilla Grodd and the Crime Syndicate. Captain Cold joined Lex’s group of villains to attack the Syndicate, and after the its defeat, found himself hailed a hero. Hired as Lex’s bodyguard, Snart helped Lex and the Justice League combat the Amazo virus. A true criminal at heart, Captain Cold returned to the Rogues and planned the perfect heist against The Flash. However, Heat Wave deviated from the plan, causing The Flash to best them yet again. Despite using a new Black Ice gun, Cold was incarcerated. However, he used his time in Iron Heights Penitentiary to become the new head of Central City’s underworld, and he even killed his fellow inmate, Turbine. Later transferred to Belle Reve, Captain Cold served time with the Suicide Squad before Lex Luthor broke him free and upgraded his technology. Cold used his new enhanced cold-based weaponry to conquer Central City and imprison The Flash. However, The Flash teamed up with Golden Glider and other Rogues to knock some sense into Snart. Captain Cold remains at large, plotting his next course of action against The Flash and Central City.

ON THE RECORD Before the continuity-altering

Flashpoint event, Captain Cold lost his sister when she was killed by fellow ice-themed villain Chillblaine; Cold then killed Chillblaine in revenge. Alongside his fellow Rogues, Cold also took the life of Bart Allen’s Flash, but expressed remorse at his actions on discovering that this incarnation of The Flash was just a kid. ICED AGE

The pre-Flashpoint Captain Cold, with a fur-trimmed parka-style costume, lacked superpowers, relying instead on his ice guns for his criminal work.

COLD COMFORT They may be criminals, but Captain Cold and his fellow Rogues follow a strict moral code. They only kill if someone wrongs them or if they have no other option.

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CATWOMAN Batman (Vol. 1) #1 (Spring 1940) Selina Kyle BASE The East End, Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 128 lbs EYES Blue-green HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Master cat burglar; formidable fighter with expertise in boxing, acrobatics, and many martial arts; weapons include cat-o’-nine tails whip and gloves with diamond-tipped claws; wears protective goggles. ALLIES Killer Croc, Alice Tesla, Batman (on occasion) ENEMIES The Joker’s Daughter, Bone, Black Mask, Dollhouse AFFILIATIONS Calabrese Crime Family, Justice League of America, Batman, Inc. DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... Hard-knock life Selina Kyle was a child of the system. But in a town like Gotham City, that system tended to be as corrupt as its elected officials. Selina grew up in Oliver’s Group Home, coached in the ways of thievery by the institution’s headmistress, Miss Oliver. Getting organized Catwoman became the leader of an organized crime family when she discovered that her father, Rex “the Lion” Calabrese, the former head of Gotham City’s Mafia, was alive. He was residing in a cell in Blackgate Penitentiary, forgotten by the rest of Gotham City’s criminals. The Cat and the Bat Despite often being on opposite sides of the law, Catwoman and Batman have shared a romantic interest in one another for years. While Catwoman isn’t aware of Batman’s double identity, that hasn’t stopped the pair from having many intimate encounters and romantic flings.

CLASSIC STORIES Batman (Vol. 1) #62 (Dec. 1950)

Catwoman’s origin is revealed and tweaked for Earth-2’s Catwoman.

Catwoman is one of the great mysteries of Gotham City. Often switching from hero to villain in a single night, over the years Selina Kyle has been a help to Batman as often as she has been a thorn in his side. A capable leader, an intimidating fighter, and a savvy street-smart cat burglar, Catwoman has gone from being one of Gotham City’s many forgotten children to one of its most powerful figures. After a stint as one of Gotham City’s major crime bosses, Catwoman has returned to the rooftops once again as an independent creature of the night, answerable to no one except herself. Selina Kyle started life at a distinct disadvantage. As a child, she bounced around from foster home to foster home, before finding a more permanent residence at Oliver’s Group Home, run by the unscrupulous Miss Oliver. The kids at the home were forced to break into jewelry stores and homes, stealing priceless treasures for the strict Miss Oliver. Learning the ins and outs of thievery at Oliver’s, Selina retained a rebellious streak, often hiding expensive items in her teddy bear to invest in her future. Years later, after leaving Miss Oliver’s Home, Selina tried to build a better, legit future for herself and found gainful employment working for the city. She soon began using her access to Gotham City’s computer files to research her history. When she dug SIZE MATTERS too deep into her past, however, her boss promptly Young Selina Kyle realized the pushed her off a rooftop for her efforts. Her life was benefit of her small size when saved when she fell through a handily placed awning she was made to commit daring and awoke to find several cats attempting to rouse robberies for the head of her group home, Miss Oliver. her. The incident spurred her to return to her thieving ways, and Selina fashioned a costume from the very awning that broke her fall, setting a single-minded course for a life of crime and cat burglary as Catwoman. It wasn’t long before she attracted the attention of Batman and, as if to foreshadow the romance they would later share, the date of their auspicious first meeting was Valentine’s Day. On that occasion, Batman stopped Catwoman from robbing the Sunnyside Housing Project. The night’s events had a huge impact on Selina. She realized that while she couldn’t give up her life of crime, she would choose to steal from the rich rather than the less fortunate. Before long, Catwoman and Batman’s rooftop flirtations and verbal and physical sparring would turn into a full-blown romance. While Batman learned about Selina’s identity, Catwoman was never able to discover the Dark Knight’s real name, despite the intimacy of their relationship. Catwoman’s criminal acts, however, constantly caused a rift between the two, and they soon returned to their old status quo, with only the occasional team-up or confrontation.

Batman (Vol. 1) #404–407 (Feb.– May 1987) In the groundbreaking Batman: Year One, Selina Kyle goes from call girl to vigilante after being inspired by the Dark Knight. Catwoman (Vol. 1) #1–4 (Feb.–May 1989) Catwoman’s post-Crisis origin is

explored in detail, including her training by the hero Wildcat. Catwoman: When in Rome #1–6 (Nov. 2004–Apr. 2005) Catwoman

takes a trip to Italy with the Riddler in a tale emerging out of the powerful “Batman: The Long Halloween” series.

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Whip smart Catwoman’s cat-o’-nine tails remains her trademark weapon of choice. She has even incorporated the whip into her costume, using it as a belt when not caught up in a catfight.

IN THE DOLLHOUSE The daughter of the serial killer known as the Dollmaker, a twisted criminal called Dollhouse put herself in Catwoman’s sights when she began kidnapping Gotham City’s prostitutes and drug addicts. Afraid for the safety of those who had been taken, Catwoman investigated and discovered that Dollhouse used her victims to make macabre flesh-and-blood mannequins, positioning them like helpless living dolls, while selling their organs on the black market. With the timely help of Batman, Catwoman was able to shut down Dollhouse’s sick operation.

ART ATTACK

Selina stumbled on Dollhouse’s grisly handiwork, which the villain felt honored her family legacy and was also a form of artistic self-expression. Her victims felt quite differently.

C THE GRIP OF GOTHTOPIA In one his most ingenious “experiments” yet, the Super-Villain Scarecrow, aka Dr. Jonathan Crane, released a potent hallucinogen across Gotham City that made the entire populace believe their corrupt, shadowy metropolis had become a bright, crime-free utopia. In this world, Catwoman became Catbird, Batman’s Super Hero partner. However, it wasn’t long before the Dark Knight and Catwoman shook off the drug and brought a dramatic end to the Scarecrow’s scheme. CATBIRD CALLS

“My world is all just shades of gray, Batman. That’s why you’ll never understand me.”

In the faux world of Gothtopia, Catwoman became the equivalent of Robin. As Batman’s partner and lover, the role was perfect for Selina, who was disappointed when the illusion shattered.

SELINA KYLE

While Catwoman considers herself a solo agent, she was at one point recruited into the government’s own team of Super Heroes, the Justice League of America. Chosen for her criminal background, Catwoman was the perfect candidate to help the JLA infiltrate the Secret Society, a group of Super-Villains united under the leadership of the enigmatic Outsider. When the Justice League of America failed to have the staying power of its inspiration—the Justice League—Catwoman found herself a part of a different type of organization altogether, the Calabrese crime family. After learning that her father—the imprisoned former mob boss Rex “the Lion” Calabrese—was still alive, Selina Kyle decided to take over the family business, believing that if she could control organized crime in Gotham City, she could actually make the city safer in the process. Ultimately, however, she couldn’t betray her natural instincts, and soon handed over the crime syndicate’s operation to her cousin Antonia, returning to her fulfilling full-time role as Catwoman.

OUT OF UNIFORM

Selina Kyle often proved as great a threat as her costumed alter ego. She mixed easily with Gotham City’s elite, while always hiding her own personal agenda.

ON THE RECORD PICK AND CHOOSE

Never afraid to leap into battle, Catwoman picks her capers very carefully, often lashing out at injustices that affect her friends or her neighborhood.

Catwoman has changed considerably since her debut in 1940. Originally simply called the Cat, Selina Kyle adopted a cat mask after her very first encounter with Batman. Since then, her costume and origin have evolved several times over the decades, but her role as Batman’s chief femme fatale has remained constant. Top Cat In her original incarnation, Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, was a former flight attendant-turned-thief. After dozens of clashes with the Dark Knight, she turned over a new leaf and became a trusted ally of Batman’s. The two even formed a romantic relationship, learning each other’s secret identities in the process. After the cosmos-shattering I LOVE PURPLE events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, After the events Catwoman gained a new backstory. of Batman: Year A criminal who drifted into a life of One, Catwoman prostitution, Selina Kyle was inspired sported a gray bodysuit for by Batman to become a creature of a time before the night. But unlike the Dark Knight, switching to a Catwoman focused her nighttime variation of her exploits on personal gain, becoming original purple look. the quintessential cat burglar. Changing ways Having grown up in the troubled East End of Gotham City, Selina Kyle had remained very protective of her neighborhood, even as she spent most of her nights thieving from some of Gotham City’s more wellheeled areas. After a visit to her old stomping grounds, Selina decided to turn around her career as Catwoman, becoming the East End’s protector. She even retired from her life as a vigilante for a time when she had a baby. She briefly handed over the mantle of Catwoman to Holly Robinson, her loyal ally since her days as a prostitute. But Selina couldn’t keep her true calling suppressed for long, and eventually returned to her life as Catwoman. THE SACRIFICE

After having a daughter with her friend Sam Bradley, Jr., Selina realized her lifestyle was too dangerous for a family. However, she was still devastated when she gave up her child, Helena, for adoption.

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C CATMAN

ON THE RECORD

Detective Comics #311 (Jan. 1963) REAL NAME Thomas Blake BASE Gotham City; Plains of Africa HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 179 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Green POWERS/ABILITIES Talented inventor with high-level athletic ability; believed to have nine lives due to mystical cloth used in his costume. ENEMIES The Riddler, Batman, Green Arrow, Catwoman, Secret Society of Super-Villains AFFILIATIONS Secret Six

Previously, Thomas Blake worked as a big-game hunter, tracking big cats and selling them to zoos. His cat obsession led him to a Pacific island, home to a cat cult, from whom he stole a sacred cat carving and the cloth that covered it. Back in Gotham City, Blake became a costumed criminal equipped with felinethemed accessories inspired by Catwoman and Batman, including catarangs and a turbocharged cat-car. He eventually joined the Secret Six, before being exiled to another planet during Salvation Run.

DEBUT

Morally ambiguous and bored, Thomas Blake became Catman to challenge Batman. After years of losing ludicrous duels with the Dark Knight and rival villain Catwoman—and despite developing true feline abilities after adopting a mystic cape of nine lives—Blake accepted his fate as a C-list super-criminal. He retreated to Africa, living a life of simplicity within a pride of lions. However, the outer world soon reclaimed Blake. He refused when the Secret Society of Super-Villains demanded he join their ranks, and in retaliation they destroyed his animal family. Outraged, Catman soon found himself accidentally leading a team of criminal rebels dubbed the Secret Six. In various iterations, Blake and an ever-changing string of outcasts have bonded together to fight Super-Villains, demons, and psychotic maniacs. One of BLACK MAGIC When Black Alice these was the Riddler, who forcibly formed a new team to was threatened by satisfy his own perverse curiosity and play mind-games as the dark mystics out to mysterious Mockingbird. Mercenaries for hire, the Secret Six stop her full powers became a family of antiheroes—doing much good as even as emerging, Catman had to team up they did evil acts. When the team broke up, Blake returned to with Etrigan to Africa’s lion country, but constant global and Multiversal crises protect her. seem certain to bring him back into action again.

CARSON, CAVE

CATSEYE

DEBUT The Brave and the Bold #31

DEBUT

(Aug.–Sep. 1960)

BASE

Calvin Carson BASE Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 178 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Blue (Left), Red/ cybernetic (Right) POWERS/ABILITIES Intergalactic robot eye; expert in geology and related sciences. ALLIES Superman, Star Adam ENEMIES Eclipso, Borsten Family AFFILIATIONS Forgotten Heroes REAL NAME

Lab technician Calvin Carson developed a digging machine for E. Borsten & Co.—the Mighty Mole. When the US Government canceled the project, Carson stole the vehicle and explored Earth’s lower strata, becoming a leader in crypto-geology. He married Mazra P’Thrall, princess of Muldroog, and they had a daughter, Chloe. When the Government banned his explorations, Carson joined the Forgotten Heroes, helping Aquaman, the Sea Devils, Time Masters, Amanda Waller, the Justice League and Society of America. On one deep-earth mission, a mysterious robotic spider crawled into his skull and replaced his right eye. Wilful but generally obedient, it provides Carson with sensory information, deadly ray blasts and even cross-dimensional visions and travel.

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Suicide Squad (Vol.1) #53 (May 1991)

Tokyo HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 195 lbs HAIR Black EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Poison-tipped claws; enhanced speed and leaping ability. ALLIES Yakuza, Outsiders ENEMIES Suicide Squad A ruthless killer bioengineered as a metahuman agent of the Yakuza crime family, Catseye’s real name and origin remain a mystery. He clashed with various members of the Suicide Squad when the covert agency went to Japan on a mission to recover a stolen cache of Russian weapons, known as the Dragon’s Hoard. Several other rival groups came searching for the Dragon’s Hoard as well, including the clandestine Russian Red Shadows and the Khmer Rouge. Suicide Squad members Manhunter and Bronze Tiger were captured by the Yakuza, but freed by Katana from the Outsiders, while Catseye fought Atom for possession of the stolen weapons. Later Catseye attacked the Squad again, but was scratched by his own poison-tipped claws while fighting Bronze Tiger. Catseye met his end when he was incinerated in an explosion triggered by Deadshot.

CAT MEETS BAT

Catman, in his original Batman-mimicking regalia, grapples with the Dark Knight— the enemy who originally inspired him.

CHAIN LIGHTNING DEBUT

World's Finest Comics #272 (Oct. 1981)

CHAMELEON BOY DEBUT

Adventure Comics #267 (Dec. 1959)

REAL NAME Amy

REAL NAME

5ft 4in WEIGHT 121 lbs HAIR Blonde EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Absorption of electrical energy. ALLIES Shazam Jr. ENEMIES Mary Shazam

BASE

HEIGHT

Amy’s metagene kicked in during her early teens, but she was unable to control it until an unknown person provided her with a bodysuit that housed containment circuitry. Unfortunately, Amy also began suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Her dominant personality is the disturbed Amy, who tried to commit suicide in New York but was rescued by Shazam Jr., earning her lasting affection. Her other three identities, however, are less benign. Amber is destructive; the Inner Child is a hulking brute; while Id is a small girl trapped inside the others. Together, they are known as Chain Lightning, and at different times Amy’s powers appear as four distinct electrical beings. Shazam’s magic lightning bolt gave all four personalities physical form, and Shazam Jr. and Mister Scarlet had to subdue them before Fawcett City was reduced to rubble. Amy then underwent treatment at S.T.A.R. Labs.

Reep Daggle 31st century Legion HQ, New Metropolis, New Earth HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 135 lbs HAIR None EYES Yellow POWERS/ABILITIES Duplication of the appearance of any object or being. ALLIES R. J. Brande AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes Reep Daggle is a Durlan—a race of shapeshifters and a controversial part of the vast intergalactic coalition called the United Planets. A secretive member of a secretive species, Reep believes he was invited to join the Legion because his father is United Planets President R. J. Brande and the originator of the entire youth hero project. Quietly brilliant in many fields and a skilled observer of sentients, Reep is eager to prove his loyalty to the team, sharing his origins with Brainiac 5 and Saturn Girl. He is also constantly warning anyone who will listen that Brande is not to be trusted. He believes everything she does is provoked by a deep-seated fear of some unspecified threat, and that he and his teammates will ultimately end up being at the heart of fixing it all.

C CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN

ON THE RECORD

Showcase #6 (Jan.–Feb. 1957) BASE Challenger Mountain MEMBERS/POWERS Prof. Haley: Skin diver and oceanographer; Red Ryan: Mountaineer and former circus acrobat; June Robbins: Computer and robotics expert; Rocky Davis: Wrestling champion and top strategist; Ace Morgan: Former test pilot and amateur sorcerer; Bethany Hopkins: Soldier, war veteran; Trina Alvarez: Healer and herbalist; Moses Barber: Software expert and computer hacker; Krunch: Reformed criminal, murderer; Clay Brody: Former race-car driver; Marlon Corbett: Top-notch pilot; Kenn Kawa: Software and electronics specialist; Brenda Ruskin: Brilliant theoretical physicist. ENEMIES Barbatos AFFILIATIONS Blackhawks, Doom Patrol, Justice League, New Challengers

Particularly susceptible to reality-

DEBUT

alterations, the Challengers re-emerged after Flashpoint as survivors of a TV reality show that went badly wrong. Presenter Clay Brody, his producer June, and pilots Ace and Maverick crashed a plane full of contestant in the Himalayas. All but Ace reappeared later, after recuperating in Nanda Parbat, where a priest gave them a real-life mission: to beware the unknown, but also to challenge it and, in so doing, save the world.

The Challengers of the Unknown began in the 1950s when pilot “Ace” Morgan, wrestler “Rocky” Davis, circus daredevil “Red” Ryan, and diver “Prof.” Haley survived an airplane crash on their way to appear on a radio program. Declaring that they were “living on borrowed time,” the quartet united as adventurers, confronting uncanny events, mystical incursions, alien invasions, and super-criminals. They later learned that by cheating death, they no longer existed in the Book of Destiny, which led to them becoming its caretakers. The death-cheaters’ team expanded and contracted over the years—most notably admitting pioneering roboticist June Robbins—as cases became ever weirder. Eventually cut adrift from reality, they spent their time alternately countering a reality-altering menace from the Dark Multiverse, and awaiting the next crisis, sleeping in stasis within Challenger mountain. Lost for decades, they explosively returned to battle the invasion of Barbatos and his Dark Knights. Recently the original Challengers learned that a Dark Multiverse version of Prof. had formed a new team. Soldier Bethany Hopkins, healer Trina Alvarez, computer hacker Moses Barber, and professional thug Krunch were duped into helping him recover the scattered power-filled remains of a Dark Multiverse god. Initially violently at odds, old and new Challengers ultimately united and they now remain ready for the next unknown…

CHARYBDIS DEBUT

Aquaman (Vol. 5) #1 (Aug. 1994)

Seven Seas HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 237 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black BASE

Absorbs talents and powers of others; breathes underwater as Piranha Man. ENEMIES Aquaman POWERS/ABILITIES

Charybdis and his wife Scylla were terrorists named after two horrific characters from Greek mythology (Charybdis was a deadly whirlpool; Scylla a multiheaded monster). Scylla died when a bomb exploded in her hands, and her death drove Charybdis insane. After this devastating incident, he was seen displaying vast powers and a hatred for Aquaman. Defeating the Atlantean King in battle, Charybdis took his powers and caused the loss of Aquaman’s hand, before the villain was shot by Dolphin. Close to death, Charybdis absorbed the essence of the piranhas that had eaten Aquaman’s hand, preserving his life and allowing him to evolve into Piranha Man. He aimed to absorb every last shred of Aquaman’s powers, leaving him for dead. The Sea King finally got the better of Piranha Man, but not before seeing his loved ones suffer. Charybdis would later reappear as a member of the group Mera, assembled to hunt Aquaman when he took up arms against his former kingdom of Atlantis.

PIRANHA MAN

Charybdis transformed into Piranha Man when he was left for dead and attacked by piranhas. He was then able to communicate with fish.

INTO THE UNKNOWN

Unreal life had no rewrites or second takes for these Challengers of the Unknown.

CHASE, CAMERON DEBUT

Batman #550 (Jan. 1998)

New York City HEIGHT 5ft 5in WEIGHT 129 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Can dampen superhuman powers; skilled investigator; firearms and unarmed combat training. ALLIES Manhunter, Supergirl ENEMIES Justice League AFFILIATIONS Department of Extranormal Operations, FBI BASE

CUT TO THE CHASE

Agent Cameron Chase has honed multitasking to a razor-fine art.

Cameron Chase has disliked costumed crime fighters since childhood when her father, minor hero Acro-Bat, was killed by Dr. Trap. She works as one of the top agents in the Department of Extranormal Operations, which monitors Earth’s metahuman and supernatural beings. Working under Director Bones, she was sent to unmask Batwoman and Batman so they could be controlled though their secrets. Chase followed Bones’ orders even when he transformed her hunt for Batwoman into Operation Batfrack, releasing dangerous villains into Gotham City to flush out Batman. She held Gotham under martial law on his orders, but when she learned Bones had gone rogue, she quit the D.E.O. to become a private investigator. Chase later resumed D.E.O. operations, providing a secret identity, resources, and backstory to Supergirl after her powers misfired. Chase later worked with the FBI, exacting punishing oversight on Superman’s actions as he pursued the Invisible Mafia.

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C CHECKMATE

ON THE RECORD

Action Comics #598 (Mar. 1988) BASE Mount Rushmore; the Castle, Swiss Alps NOTABLE MEMBERS Maxwell Lord, Sarge Steel, Harvey Bullock, Sasha Bordeaux, Count Vertigo ENEMIES Leviathan, Spyral AFFILIATIONS A.R.G.U.S., D.E.O., S.H.A.D.E.

Previous versions of Checkmate

DEBUT

Checkmate was an international counterintelligence organization, reportedly created after World War II. Its last iteration was commanded by Maxwell Lord, balancing the needs of world governments while maintaining their independence. Characterizing itself as a “global peace agency,” the group was notorious for its questionable methods. Recent operations involved hunting O.M.A.C.—a biotechnologically enhanced version of Project Cadmus scientist Kevin Kho. O.M.A.C. was created by rogue sentient satellite Brother Eye who sought to destroy Cadmus. Checkmate agents—led by Sarge Steel and including Maribel, Little Knipper, and later, Mokkari—failed to capture O.M.A.C., after which Lord sought the assistance of S.H.A.D.E., despite Sarge Steel’s objections. Ultimately Brother Eye attempted to assassinate Lord, but was destroyed in battle at the Mount Rushmore HQ. Lord canceled the hunt for O.M.A.C., deeming it no longer a threat to global interests because it was once again under the control of Kevin Kho’s personality. Cold war between the intelligence agencies resumed. Checkmate was totally unprepared for the assault by Leviathan, which eradicated and absorbed many groups such as Kobra, Spyral, A.R.G.U.S., and themselves.

CIRCE Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #37 (Sep.–Oct. 1949) BASE The Island of Aeaea HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 135 lbs EYES Yellow HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Extremely powerful sorceress; able to transform humans into superhumans or animal/human hybrids; teleportation; production of illusions and alteration of physical objects; extremely long-lived. ALLIES Magog, Ani-Men ENEMIES Wonder Woman, Superman, Hippolyta DEBUT

Stories of the nefarious witch Circe date back to the days of ancient civilization and legendary tales such as “The Odyssey.” While determining fact from fiction can sometimes be difficult, when it comes to the sorceress’ past, it is clear that Circe has had a very longstanding rivalry with Wonder Woman’s mother, Hippolyta. When Hippolyta was a young queen, she accepted Circe’s services of enchanting the Amazon’s weapons in exchange for male Amazon heirs to serve as human fodder for Circe’s army of animal/human hybrids called Ani-Men. When Hippolyta backed out of her deal, making an alternative agreement with the god Hephaestus instead, Circe was enraged and began plotting her revenge. She took it out on Wonder Woman, lashing out at the Amazon by empowering a young man named David Reid with a hatred of Super Heroes. Circe transformed Reid into the powerful Super-Villain Magog and unleashed him on Superman, while she personally attacked Wonder Woman. Neither succeeded in their attempt to take down the heroes.

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were organized by Amanda Waller as an independent arm of Task Force X, a quasigovernmental bureau overseeing black-ops missions deemed vital to US interests. Task Force X also controlled the Suicide Squad, foreshadowing Waller’s later work assembling the squad when she was in control of A.R.G.U.S.. Maxwell Lord later supplanted Waller and took control of Checkmate, killing the Blue Beetle along the way and then unleashing O.M.A.C.

WHITE KNIGHTS?

Sarge Steele, Maribel, and Mokkari were members of Checkmate, with Maxwell Lord as their leader. PERSONAL TOUCH

Despite his mind-control powers, Maxwell Lord loved getting his boots on the ground and his hands dirty.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Circe is not above using her physical charms to get weak-willed men to do her bidding.

KOBRA STRIKES

Checkmate’s enemies were numerous, but none was more deadly—or persistent—than Kobra and his minions.

ON THE RECORD Circe originally challenged the

Golden Age Wonder Woman, then became a recurring figure in Diana’s Rogues Gallery in the early 1980s. Following Circe’s reinvention after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this modern version of the sorceress fitted perfectly with a Wonder Woman more grounded in Greek mythology than ever before. Replacing The Cheetah as Wonder Woman’s most dangerous foe, Circe even earned a place in the Injustice Gang during the late 1990s reboot of the JLA.

GOADING THE GODS

One of Circe’s most ambitious plots was to pit god against god in the miniseries War of the Gods. Even with an army of the undead behind her, Circe fell to Wonder Woman and her allies.

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CHEETAH, THE Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #7 (Aug. 1987) Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 120 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Channeling the spirit of The Cheetah grants superhuman strength and agility, razor-sharp claws, as well as bloodlust. ALLIES Circe, Etta Candy ENEMIES Wonder Woman, Amazons, Veronica Cale AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, Menagerie, Suicide Squad, Godwatch, Legion of Doom DEBUT

REAL NAME

One of the first friends Wonder Woman made when she left Themyscira’s shores, Barbara Ann Minerva betrayed Diana’s trust and became The Cheetah. Whether with the Suicide Squad, the Secret Society of Super-Villains, the Menagerie, or the Legion of Doom, The Cheetah has earned her place as one of the fiercest Super-Villains in the DC universe. Barbara Ann Minerva grew up in Oakstone Abbey, the daughter of Lord Cavendish, a strict man who did not share Barbara’s infatuation with Greek mythology. However, Barbara excelled at her studies and never lost her GODWATCH fascination with the ancient Greeks, despite her father Barbara Ann was forced burning her childhood toy sword and shield. to rejoin the corrupt By age 26, Barbara had two PhDs, spoke eight Godwatch organization languages fluently, and could speak another seven nearly as led by Veronica Cale. Other members of the well. She embarked on a quest to hunt down the Amazons, group included Doctor believing the ancient group of warrior women to be much Cyber and Doctor Poison. more than merely a myth. When Diana of Themyscira escorted Steve Trevor to the United States, Minerva was brought in to meet with her as a resident expert. She soon discovered Diana was a true Amazon, and the two became close friends. Meanwhile, Minerva continued her archeological pursuits, and began searching for the god Urzkartaga. But when Minerva found herself transformed into the villainous Cheetah by Urzkartaga while in a temple in a remote rainforest, Wonder Woman was unable to rescue her Over the years, The Cheetah became one of Wonder Woman’s most notorious villains. Despite all their clashes, Diana still saw the good in Barbara Ann, and eventually helped her defeat Urzkartaga, curing The Cheetah in the process. However, another of Wonder Woman’s enemies, Veronica Cale, soon blackmailed Barbara Ann into reclaiming The Cheetah role. She was injected with Urzkartaga’s DNA and transformed back into a Super-Villain. Her criminal career escalated as she joined forces with Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom. Given the fabled God Killer sword by Luthor, The Cheetah killed the goddess Aphrodite and then set her sights on the goddess Hera in a mad quest to “free” Wonder Woman from any obligation to her godly patrons. Diana condemned The Cheetah’s horrific actions and defeated her yet again, ensuring their rivalry would continue.

FELINE PHYSIOLOGY

The Cheetah has superhuman strength, speed, and stamina, has razor-sharp claws, and an unquenchable hunger for human flesh.

ON THE RECORD Two of The Cheetah’s aliases—Priscilla

Rich and Sabrina Ballesteros—mirror the identities of previous Cheetahs. Priscilla Rich was a socialite and also the first Cheetah, a Golden Age adversary of Wonder Woman. Priscilla’s niece Debbi Domaine succeeded her in 1980. Years after Crisis on Infinite Earths, corporate raider Sebastian Ballesteros was the fourth Cheetah. He usurped the powers of archaeologist Barbara Minerva after making a bargain with the African plant-god Urzkartaga. Minerva later killed Ballesteros and reclaimed the title of The Cheetah.

CLASSIC STORIES Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #6 (Fall 1943) Priscilla Rich suffers from a

split personality that leads her to become the first The Cheetah out of jealousy toward Wonder Woman. She joins Villainy Inc. Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #206 (Sep. 2004) After being outmaneuvered

by Sebastian Ballesteros and losing her powers, Barbara Minerva gets her revenge, killing him and becoming The Cheetah. Final Crisis: Resist #1 (Dec.

A HOST FOR HUNTING

Ballesteros convinced Urzkartaga to abandon its female host and use him as the conduit for the ancient powers of The Cheetah.

DEFENDING THE GODS

Wonder Woman was pushed to the limits of her powers when The Cheetah gained the God Killer sword and embarked on a mission to kill Aphrodite and Hera.

2008) Unaffected by the Anti-Life

Equation, The Cheetah has a brief affair with Snapper Carr, who helps her join Checkmate and fight against Darkseid.

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C CHEMO DEBUT

Showcase (Vol. 1) #39 (Jul.–Aug. 1962)

Mobile HEIGHT Variable: 25ft or far taller WEIGHT Variable: 5,697 lbs or more EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Can spew dangerous, extremely toxic, experimental chemicals from his mouth; enhanced strength and endurance; extremely limited intelligence. ENEMIES Metal Men, Superman BASE

Originally Chemo was a giant plastic waste container used by chemist Dr. Ramsey Norton to store his failed experiments. The chemicals achieved sentience and animation, killed Ramsay, and went on a destructive rampage until stopped by the Metal Men. Never really alive, toxin-spewing Chemo has been “reborn” many times since. Once it even combined with Dr. Will Magnus’ AI responsometers (the brain of his robot heroes), evolving into a pitiless killer rather than a randomly reacting monster. When natural laws were disrupted by Nth Metal from the Dark Multiverse, a new Chemo emerged in a secret Russian base, but was destroyed thanks to the foresightedness of Magnus and the Metal Men. Whether the liberated chemical ooze currently seeping through New York’s sewers will reform again is anybody’s guess.

CHESHIRE

CHIEF, THE

CHRONOS

DEBUT The New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) Annual #2 (Dec. 1983)

DEBUT My Greatest Adventure (Vol. 1) #80 (Jun. 1963)

DEBUT

Jade Nguyen BASE ’Eth Alth’eban, Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 135 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Master martial artist and fighter; expert in all poisons. ENEMIES Justice League, Arsenal, Titans, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, the Untitled, Aquaman, the Others AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of SuperVillains, Ninth Circle

REAL NAME

Dr. Niles Caulder HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 215 lbs EYES Red HAIR Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Genius level intellect; incredibly persuasive; uses experimental sciences. ALLIES Beast Boy, A.R.G.U.S. ENEMIES Crime Syndicate, Lex Luthor AFFILIATIONS The Doom Patrol

BASE

REAL NAME

In both the League of Assassins and terrorist organization Mayhem, the mercenary assassin Cheshire earned her reputation as one of the most dangerous people on Earth. She employs bleeding-edge technology, ancient weapons, and poisoned fingernails: a match for Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow. Although ruthlessly evil, Cheshire can show a softer side, especially for Roy Harper aka Arsenal. Once she stole Harper’s hat, flirting with him before freeing him from imprisonment. Rumors abound of romantic liaisons, and when she attended his funeral after he was murdered in the mental health facility Sanctuary, she was seen to shed a tear—perhaps the only one in her adult life.

CLOCK KING

CLUEMASTER

World’s Finest Comics #111 (Aug. 1960)

DEBUT

DEBUT

William “Billy” Tockman Seattle HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 235 lbs HAIR Black EYES Brown ABILITIES Exceptional criminal mind. ENEMIES Green Arrow, Richard Dragon REAL NAME BASE

Seattle crime boss Billy Tockman used a clock-repair shop called Clock King as cover for his illegal business dealings. When Green Arrow began complicating business for Seattle’s gangs, Tockman proposed a truce for them to unite against their common enemy. His criminal counterparts were not keen, and two of them—Jin Fang and Jimmy MacGowan— were soon killed, but not by Green Arrow. Their real enemy was Richard Dragon. Tockman cut a deal with John Diggle to take down Dragon. In return Green Arrow would ignore Tockman’s operations. However, Dragon outfoxed them, forcing Tockman to try to kill Q-Core employees Naomi Singh and Henry Fyff. In the event, Green Arrow’s daughter, Emiko, took Tockman down. Pre-Flashpoint, the Clock King was a clock-faced costumed criminal living on borrowed time, who was seemingly killed on a mission with the Suicide Squad.

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Detective Comics #351 (May 1966)

Arthur Brown BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 169 lbs HAIR Blond EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Various weapons and defensive items built into suit. ENEMIES Batman AFFILIATIONS Injustice League, Suicide Squad REAL NAME

Celebrity game-show host Arthur Brown lost his job after insulting a contestant. He then turned to crime as the Cluemaster, daring his pursuers to catch him by leaving clues at the scene of every crime. Batman discovered his secret identity, but let him go as Brown was providing for his family. Soon after, Cluemaster proposed to Lincoln March that they unite to bring down the Dark Knight for good. With a huge swath of Gotham City’s criminals, they exhausted Batman by executing several attacks at once. Cluemaster then confronted Batman on top of Beacon Tower. He taunted him, but became enraged when Batman called him a second-rate Riddler who could never have pulled off the operation by himself. Cluemaster was killed by Lincoln March as he was about to shoot Batman. His ultimate plot was foiled by a more subtle schemer—proving Batman right.

A wheelchair-bound mad scientist, Dr. Niles Caulder has a shared past with Dr. Caitlin Fairchild, and even spent time helping her team of runaway metahumans, the Ravagers. But Caulder is also a man of secrets, who successfully hid the truth that his ally was not the true Caitlin Fairchild, but a clone of the original. Later, Caulder formed his own Super Hero team, known as the Doom Patrol. A metahuman support group, it made heroes out of people on the brink of death. After his original team was wiped out by the Crime Syndicate, he recruited new members, including Robotman, Negative Man, Element Woman, and Elasti-Girl. They later battled with the Justice League over the fate of Power Ring (Jessica Cruz) before disappearing.

COBALT BLUE DEBUT

Speed Force #1 (Nov. 1997)

Malcolm Thawne HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 179 lbs HAIR Blond EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Possesses a gem whose flame can steal The Flash’s speed and displays other magical powers. ENEMIES The Flash AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains REAL NAME

The identical twin brother of Barry Allen—the second Flash—Malcolm Thawne was stolen and raised by an abusive family of crooks. When he learned of Barry’s existence and the loving family he would never know, he used his sorcery to vent his jealousy. As Cobalt Blue, he drew power from a mystic blue flame and a crystalline talisman that focused his anger and could steal Barry’s super-speed. Barry’s death during the Crisis on Infinite Earths appeared to have cheated Thawne of his revenge, so he traveled through time, trying to exterminate Allen’s descendants. The third Flash, Wally West, finally ended the menace of Cobalt Blue by running at such speeds that Thawne’s magical gem overloaded from the excess energy. Thawne was presumably gone, but his talisman— containing his consciousness—would be passed onto Thawne’s hate-filled progeny.

The Atom (Vol. 1) #3 (Oct.–Nov. 1962)

David Clinton Ivy Town, Connecticut; Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Time manipulation, time-travel; clock-based weapons and gimmicks, genius IQ. ENEMIES Atom (Ray Palmer), Atom (Ryan Choi), Justice League of America, Secret Society, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of SuperVillains, Injustice Gang, Injustice League, Crime Champions, Time Foes REAL NAME

When the Outsider– Alfred Pennyworth of Earth-3–traveled to the dimension of the Justice League, he paved the way for the arrival of his master, Owlman, and his allies, the Crime Syndicate. To that end, he gathered together some of Earth’s most dangerous Super-Villains to form the Secret Society. Desiring an HQ that could shift through time and space, the Outsider shackled and drained the energies of the time-traveling villain, Chronos, to fuel the hideout’s time leaps. Little else is known about the modern-day incarnation of Chronos. However, before the reality-altering event Flashpoint, Chronos was a recurring thorn in the side of the sizechanging Super Hero known as the Atom.

COMMANDER STEEL DEBUT Justice League of America Annual #2 (Oct. 1984)

Henry “Hank” Heywood III Sanctuary HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 180 lbs HAIR Red EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Enhanced steel physique gives him superhuman strength, speed, and durability. ALLIES Henry Heywood I ENEMIES Professor Ivo, Despero AFFILIATIONS Justice League of America, Justice League Detroit REAL NAME BASE

Henry Heywood III took over the legacy of his grandfather— the first Commander Steel—after the old man saved his grandson’s ailing body with steel enhancements like his own. The metal gave Heywood superhuman strength, speed, and durability, and he joined the Justice League Detroit. When he was fatally injured fighting one of Doctor Ivo’s androids, his body was put on life-support, but it was eventually torn apart during an attack by Despero. Commander Steel was one of the heroes resurrected with a Black Lantern ring during the Darkest Night event, but he was “killed” once more. Somehow alive again, Commander Steel took refuge at the Super Hero facility known as Sanctuary.

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CLAYFACE Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #40 (Jun. 1940) Basil Karlo BASE Gotham City HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Yellow HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Able to shift his claylike form into a variety of weapons including giant mallets and blades; superhuman strength that increases in proportion to his size; can become an exact clone of someone simply by touching them; gifted actor able to mimic a variety of voices and mannerisms. ALLIES Poison Ivy, Batwoman, Ragman, The Penguin, Secret Society of Super-Villains, Orphan ENEMIES Batman, the Batman Family AFFILIATIONS The Unknowns, Gotham Knights DEBUT

MAN WITHOUT A FACE

REAL NAME

Clayface’s powers eventually caused him to lose his own DNA, becoming those he mimiced right down to the cellular level.

Clayface is one of the most infamous and powerful Super-Villains in Gotham City, a rogue who has proven notoriously hard for Batman to defeat in combat. Able to transform his body into anything from a weapon to a perfect likeness of another human or animal, Clayface can blend into any crowd or choose to tower above it. An actor with delusions of grandeur, Clayface’s most prized role is as an arch foe to the Dark Knight. Basil Karlo was the son of a disgruntled monster make-up artist Vincent Karlo. While the two Clayface briefly tried weren’t close, Basil nonetheless felt the need to to reform his ways impress his troubled father. To that end, he while suffering from became an actor and even started to achieve amnesia. He joined the short-lived Super Hero acclaim, on his way to becoming a true Hollywood star. team led by Batwoman Basil had just landed the role of his dreams in the film called the Unknowns. Second Skin and was driving when he got a call about his father’s death. His reaction was so dramatic that he crashed his car, causing irreparable damage to his face. In a desperate attempt to continue his career, Karlo applied some of the Daggett Chemical product Renu on his face—a substance not meant for contact with human skin. He was able to mold his scarred visage back into the spitting image of his former self, but he knew it would run out before the filming on Second Skin wrapped. When Daggett Chemical claimed they didn’t make Renu any longer, Karlo traveled to Gotham City and broke into several of their factories until he was caught by Batman. The Dark Knight tried to get Karlo to testify against the corrupt Daggett, but Karlo instead tried to rob a police evidence locker. In the resulting scuffle, he was accidentally doused in dozens of cans of shattered Renu, altering him forever into the villain Clayface. Seeking revenge against Hollywood and Batman, Clayface became one of the Dark Knight’s most powerful enemies. He has attempted to reform from time to time, most notably as a member of the Gotham Knights, but he has since returned to his criminal ways. FEAT OF CLAY

ON THE RECORD In the long history of DC Comics, several villains have taken the name Clayface. The Golden Age Basil Karlo first adopted the villainous identity as a simple masked murderer. In the 1960s, the Clayface name was appropriated by Matt Hagen, who stumbled on a pool of unusual liquid that gave him shapeshifting abilities. Hagen died during Crisis on Infinite Earths, but not before Preston Payne stole his name as a tortured Clayface with a melting touch. The villain Kobra even created his own Clayface in the form of Lady Clay—Preston’s future lover and the mother of their son, Cassius, aka Clayface V.

CLASSIC STORIES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #298 (Dec. 1961) The second Clayface, Matt

Hagen, employs fantastic shapeshifting powers that truly earn him his villainous title. Batman (Vol. 1) Annual #11 (Nov. 1987) The tragic life of the third Clayface,

Preston Payne, is examined in detail, including his “romance” with a lifeless mannequin. Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #604–607 COMPOSITE CLAYFACE

Basil Karlo injected himself with a mix of Hagen, Payne, and Fuller’s blood, turning into the modern incarnation of Clayface.

(Sep.–Nov. 1989) Batman and his ally Looker fight the combined might of the united Clayfaces, with Basil Karlo transforming himself into the Ultimate Clayface.

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CONSTANTINE, JOHN Swamp Thing (Vol. 2) #37 (Jun. 1985) John Constantine BASE Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 158 lbs HAIR Blond EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Access to powerful mystical artifacts; vast knowledge of magical and arcane rituals. ALLIES Zatanna, Swamp Thing, Charles “Chas” Chandler ENEMIES Cult of the Cold Flame, Upside-Down Man, Neron, Nergal AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark DEBUT

UNHOLY SMOKE

REAL NAME

Constantine works best behind the scenes, manipulating other people. But, when the occasion calls for it, he can unleash his own formidable powers.

Feared by most, trusted by few, needed by many, John Constantine wields both powerful magic and a devious mind. He is untroubled by social mores and will use anyone to get what he wants. Fortunately for his friends and the millions of people he has saved over the years, he usually wants the right thing. Usually. A native of Liverpool, England, John Constantine has had many conflicting stories told about his childhood, but all end with the tragic loss of his family. He was drawn into the world of the occult as a young man and spent years traveling Europe to deepen his knowledge before going to New York City. FROM THE SWAMP There he clashed with—and learned from—Nick John Constantine Necro and met the sorceress Zatanna, with whom he befriended Swamp Thing years ago and had a brief relationship. His romance with Zatanna helped the muck was broken when a magic ritual resulted in the death monster discover his of her father, Zatara. While Zatanna blamed John at connection to the Green. the time, she didn’t realize that this had been a seed planted by her father to later rid the world of the threat of the Otherkind. The pair did not see each other again until John tracked Zatanna down after learning of the Enchantress’ separation from her human host, June Moone, and the threat she posed to the world. He was instrumental in bringing together the Justice League Dark team (including Zatanna) to fight the Enchantress, reuniting the villain with her host, despite the team’s objections. As a member of the Justice League Dark, Constantine helped battle an invasion from Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate and the threat of the sorceresses known as the Cult of the Cold Flame. He has also been key in stopping many other threats from beyond, including recent plots by the demon Neron. While not officially a current member, Constantine continues to work with the newest incarnation of the Justice League Dark, helping them against the evil Otherkind and their nefarious leader, the UpsideDown Man.

ON THE RECORD Constantine’s cynicism,

cigarettes, and trench coat are constants in his history across universes and storylines. However, his path to occult prominence differed in his first incarnations. After a traumatic childhood and a stint with a touring punk-rock band, John tried magic in an ill-fated ritual that ended with a demon capturing the girl he had intended to help. Shell-shocked, he spent time in a mental institution before embarking on a career as a paranormal investigator. Mistrusted by friends and enemies, he has a solid partnership with the Swamp Thing, who has known him since his earliest days in the paranormal business.

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CLASSIC STORIES Hellblazer #11 (Nov. 1988) The tragic story of the Newcastle Crew—a loose group of young occult investigators who try, and fail, to save the child Astra Logue from the demon Nergal. Swamp Thing (Vol. 2) #46 (Apr. 1986) Constantine introduces the Swamp Thing to the Parliament of Trees, setting the stage for the Swamp Thing’s ascent into the role of Avatar of the Green. BOYS ON FILM

When a US cable channel wanted to film a documentary on his old band Mucous Membrane, John found himself looking into strange goings-on in Newcastle.

Hellblazer #41–46 (May–Oct. 1991)

John’s past and bad habits catch up with him all at once as he faces terminal lung cancer and a devil determined to collect his soul.

FIGHT FOR ZATANNA

Nick Necro and John Constantine battled each other. One of them had to be sacrificed if the woman they both loved, Zatanna, was to be saved.

C COMEDIAN Watchmen (Vol. 1) #1 (Sep. 1986) Edward Blake BASE New York City HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 225 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Highly skilled with weapons, hand-to-hand combat, counterintelligence, sabotage, and survival techniques. ALLIES None ENEMIES Moloch, Ozymandias AFFILIATIONS Crimebusters, the Minutemen DEBUT

REAL NAME

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

Edward Blake used the alias of the Comedian, although not many people who met him came away laughing. He had leapt at the chance to join the Super Hero team known as the Minutemen, hoping he could use it to his advantage somehow. But his time with the Minutemen ended in disgrace after teammate Hooded Justice caught him assaulting Silk Spectre. However, his public image was still that of a crimefighting hero, and the US government employed him to boost morale as the personification of American patriotism. Service in the Pacific during World War II changed Comedian forever. The atrocities he saw hardened his heart and he became ever more ruthless. However, an unlikely reconciliation with the former Silk Spectre resulted in a daughter, Laurie, although she would not know who her real father was until she was an adult. In 1985, Comedian discovered a plot by the former hero Ozymandias to destroy half of New York City. Rather than risk Comedian revealing the truth, Ozymandias threw him out of a window to his death. It is believed that Doctor Manhattan went back in time to transport Comedian mid-fall to another Earth inhabited by heroes and villains, where he pursued Ozymandias. Lex Luthor later sent Comedian back to his former reality—still falling from his apartment building.

COPPERHEAD The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 1) #78 (Jun.–Jul. 1968) DEBUT BASE

Mobile

Unknown 6ft 2in (human); variable (reptiloid) WEIGHT 200 lbs (human); variable (reptiloid) EYES Brown (human); green (reptiloid) POWERS/ABILITIES Serpentine contortionist; enhanced speed, reflexes, and strength; venomous, fanged bite; nearfrictionless movement; prehensile tail; scaling sheer surfaces; crushing prey. ALLIES Hellgrammite ENEMIES Batman, Black Canary, Nightwing, Huntress, Batgirl AFFILIATIONS Snake Gang, Secret Society of Super-Villains, Black Lantern Corps REAL NAME

AMBUSH PREDATOR

For all his reptilian prowess and mystical augmentation, Copperhead was only a real threat when he could take his opponents by surprise.

HEIGHT

Career criminal Copperhead utilized a technologically advanced snake-themed costume that mimicked the evolutionary advantages of various reptiles. However, his reputation for infallibility was ruined as soon as he came up against Super Heroes. A ruthless adversary for regular police, he became something of a joke among metacriminals. On a frustrating downward spiral, Copperhead sold his soul for increased power and was mystically transformed into a snake-human hybrid. Sadly, although the transformation granted him lethal natural powers, it also diminished his intellect. He became a brutish thug, enslaved to the carnivorous appetites of the reptiles he embodied, his body and mind gradually

regressing to those of a savage beast. Still ferociously dangerous, Copperhead became an enforcer and assassin in groups like the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Arrogant and over-confident, he was easily killed by Deathstroke the Terminator during the Crime Syndicate’s invasion. Resurrected after Rebirth, Copperhead now works with reptilian criminals in the Snake Gang, but is no match for Batgirl’s Birds of Prey team.

The Comedian was notorious for finding the humor in even the bleakest situation, and so it was only natural the bright yellow smile badge would catch his eye while he was on a secret mission for one of his former teammates.

COPPERHEAD II DEBUT

All-Star Batman (Vol. 2) #5 (Nov. 2016)

Unknown BASE Central City EYES Green HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Advanced unarmed combat training; expertise with poisons. ENEMIES The Flash, Batman, Captain Cold, Superman REAL NAME

DEADLY SCHEMER

The mystery woman known as Copperhead caused mayhem in Central City. She is now behind bars, but for how long?

A former mercenary and assassin, a mystery woman now uses the name Copperhead. She began her rise to the top rank of Super-Villains after she returned to Central City to secure her family’s former position as the leading crime gang in the region. When Captain Cold organized his fellow Rogues into an old-fashioned crime-syndicate to rule Central City’s underworld, Copperhead used her expertise and mercenary contacts, hiring Super-Villains such as Shrapnel, Black Spider, and the Trigger Twins to even the odds. Their deadly gang war imperiled the entire city and soon involved the city speedster heroes. Playing a devious game, she called a truce with Cold to remove The Flash and Kid Flash, and seemed to be caught unprepared when the Rogues betrayed her. However, after the dust settled, the Rogues were trapped by The Flashes, and Copperhead walked away, free to continue her efforts. She later attacked Daily Planet reporters who were investigating her, and was arrested by Superman and remanded to the Super-Villain penitentiary, Iron Heights.

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COSMIC BOY Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #247 (Apr. 1958) 31st-century New Metropolis REAL NAME Rokk Krinn HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 145 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Generation and manipulation of magnetic fields; unwavering dedication and devotion to the concept of the Legion; expert fighter; Legion flight ring. ALLIES Shadow Lass, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl ENEMIES Crav, the General Nah; Mordru AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes DEBUT BASE

Possessing unparalleled strength and incomparable skill in manipulating magnetic fields and forces, founding Legionnaire Cosmic Boy is the backbone of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Voted team leader by his colleagues, Rokk Krinn is an athlete-turnedhero, never hesitating when it comes to fighting for what is right.

CLASSIC STORIES Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #247 (Apr. 1958)

History-loving Cosmic Boy leads his friends back in time to recruit Superboy and play a little joke on the mythic Boy of Steel. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #297 (Mar. 1983)

After his family are caught in a terrorist nuclear strike, the usually stable, stoic Cosmic Boy goes on a fury-fueled rampage of vengeance. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 3) #62 (Jul. 1989)

With the Magic Wars devastating the laws of reality, Rokk’s younger brother Pol—fresh out of the Legion Academy—sacrifices his life to save the universe.

On the planet Braal, only one percent of the population has control over magnetic fields. Luckily for Rokk Krinn, he was not just one of that one percent, but was so good at magnetic LEGIONNAIRES 3 manipulation that he became a champion athlete. The original three Legionnaires—Saturn Due to his achievements and impressive fighting Girl, Cosmic Boy, and skills, he was nominated by the Braal World Lightning Lad—leapt into Congress to join the Young United Planets. action when defending Rokk met with Garth Ranzz from Winath President R.J. Brande from a Horraz attack. and Imra Ardeen from Titan aboard a ship belonging the president of the United Planets, R.J. Brande. As Brande was discussing forming not just a Young United Planets, but something more, the group was attacked by alien Horraz forces. The three young heroes acted quickly and without hesitation, stopping the attack and saving the life of their president. As a result, Brande petitioned the United Planets to form a Legion of Super-Heroes—a group of young heroes inspired by 21st-century teams like the Justice League and the Teen Titans. While she met with some resistance at first, Brande was ultimately successful, and the Legion set up shop in New Metropolis. Cosmic Boy was the first elected leader of the Legion of Super-Heroes and remained in that position when the team decided to recruit Superboy (Jon Kent) from the past. Rokk led a team to Rimbor in an attempt to smooth over recent diplomatic issues with that planet’s leader, Crav, the General Nah. When the conflict escalated, he imprisoned Crav and helped battle his attacking forces. Despite facing setbacks like losing his position as Legion leader to Ultra Boy, Cosmic Boy continues his service with the 31st-century’s premier Super Hero team.

ON THE RECORD In every continuity, Cosmic Boy had a unique bond with Garth, Imra, and Superboy: a deep connection beyond even Legion camaraderie. When the adult Superman was captured by the Legion of SuperVillains, Rokk led his friends back in time to rescue him. On a prior occasion, following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Rokk learned history had changed, with Superboy now never becoming a Legionnaire. Cosmic Boy and his girlfriend, Night Girl, were catapulted to the End of Time, where their struggle against Time Trapper ended inconclusively; they never realized that they had been allowed to escape.

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FORCE OF NATURE

Rokk Krinn’s most potent talent was his ability to attract valiant, idealistic youngsters to the Legion, and to shape them into universe-saving heroes. MAGNETIC INTERFERENCE

Cosmic Boy was always a hero who fought as much with his mind as with his mighty magnetic powers.

YOUNG UNION

When Superboy joined the Legion, Cosmic Boy and Shadow Lass had just begun a romance, referred to in 31st-century terms as a “union.”

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DATA

COURT OF OWLS Batman (Vol. 2) #1 (Nov. 2011) Originally Gotham City, now global NOTABLE MEMBERS Benjamin Orchard, John Wycliffe, Maria Powers, Joseph Powers, Sebastian Clark, Lincoln March, Robin (Damian Wayne), Dick Grayson, Nightwing ALLIES Army of Talons and fellow secret Owl members ENEMIES Batman, the Batman Family, Talon (Calvin Rose), Bane, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin AFFILIATIONS High society around the globe DEBUT BASE

CLASSIC STORIES Batman (Vol. 2) #1–10 (Nov. 2011– Sep. 2012) Batman first discovers the

Court of Owls, battles his way through their labyrinth, and learns Lincoln March’s connection to both the Court and his past. Batman and Robin (Vol. 2) #23.2 (Nov. 2013) The Court’s past is

COURTING THE YOUTH

The Court of Owls starts its members at a young age, welcoming them to their cause and desensitizing them to the violence inflicted by their Talon servants.

exposed, from the early days of Gotham City’s rundown area, the Narrows in 1862, through the 1970s to the present day.

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them or they’ll send the Talon for your head.” That rhyme about the Court of Owls is as old as Gotham City itself, but as Batman has recently discovered, this supposedly urban legend is very real and very dangerous.

Batman (Vol. 2) #39 (Apr. 2015)

The Dark Knight finds himself returning to the Court’s labyrinth in order to attempt to recruit the Owls’ help in defeating The Joker.

A secret society comprised of only the most elite and corrupt figures, the Court of Owls is a veritable who’s who The Court of Owls uses of Gotham City’s wealthy sociopaths. The Court believes they assassins known as own the city and they enforce that idea with an army of Talons to do their assassins called Talons, ready to kill any person who gets in bidding. They kill at their way. night, in an unseen fashion and covering up While the Dark Knight only recently found proof any signs of wrongdoing. of the Court’s existence, there have been tales of their activity as far back as 1862, when they unleashed a Talon called the Gotham Butcher on political targets. Instead of killing his prey, as intended, and disappearing into the night, the Talon made a spectacle of his murders and attracted the attention of the newspapers. In 1891, a photographer tried to expose the Court of Owls’ nefarious activities and was hanged for his actions. And in 1914, Court member Benjamin Orchard punished Gotham City’s mayor and imprisoned him in the Court’s labyrinth that runs beneath the city streets. Batman discovered that same labyrinth while investigating the Court of Owls. He was forced to run a gauntlet and fight off a powerful Talon determined to break him. Batman soon deduced that his associate Lincoln March was actually a member of the Court’s ranks and was attempting to make off with its fortune by betraying them. While the Dark Knight successfully defeated crazed March—who insisted he was Bruce Wayne’s brother—it was too late to prevent the villain from poisoning a roomful of the Court’s most valuable members. March would later wheedle his way back into the Court of Owl’s good graces when he recruited Dick Grayson into their clandestine organization. However, Dick was secretly attempting to dismantle the court from the inside and he succeeded in shutting down a section of the international Parliament of Owls. Despite the work of Batman and his allies, the Owls still thrive in Gotham City and beyond. They were even able to successfully brainwash Grayson for a time, using his recent head injury to convince him that he really was a loyal Talon. FOWL PLAY

BROTHERLY HATE?

Batman and Lincoln March battled over the rooftops of Gotham City when March tried to convince Bruce Wayne that he was Thomas Wayne, Jr., his brother. OWL-WOL

Calvin Rose was intended to be a Talon, but he rebelled and Bane brutally showed him the error of his ways. Rose eventually secured his freedom and joined Batman, Inc.

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C COUNT VERTIGO World’s Finest Comics (Vol. 1) #251 (Jun.–Jul. 1978) REAL NAME Werner Zytle BASE Vlatava HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 189 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Causes disruption of equilibrium; jams technology; wears gravity boots for powered flight. ALLIES The Rogues ENEMIES Justice League, Green Arrow, Arsenal, Shado, Black Canary, Leviathan AFFILIATIONS Legion of Doom, Checkmate

ON THE RECORD Count Vertigo’s first appearance was

DEBUT

Werner Zytle is heir to the throne of Balkan nation Vlatava, an ancient monarchy that ended when the Soviet Union annexed the country after World War II. Reared as an aristocrat in exile, Zytle grew up angry, aggrieved, and vengefully violent. As Count Vertigo he can emit a pulse to disorient and destabilize opponents thanks to an electronic device implanted in his brain. The implant also acts like an electromagnetic pulse on any technology within range, disrupting and overwriting data functions. Vertigo began as a costumed criminal, battling Green Arrow and Speedy (Roy Harper) in Seattle. When the archer’s sidekick succumbed to substance abuse, the Count’s drug, Vertigo, became another means of getting high. Zytle used his drug on Speedy until Green Arrow intervened, allowing Harper to begin his recovery. Although unsubstantiated reports abound of the Count working for Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad and for one of the many iterations of espionage agency Checkmate, the latest verified instance of Count Vertigo comes from his recent escape from Mount Rainer Correctional Facility. With his powers exponentially increased due to Dark Matter incursions from the Dark Multiverse, Zytle began reordering reality and escaped to take vengeance on Roy Harper. On learning his obsession was already dead, Vertigo was easily recaptured by Green Arrow and Black Canary.

CREATURE COMMANDOS Weird War Tales (Vol. 1) #93 (Nov. 1980) The Ant Farm NOTABLE MEMBERS Frankenstein; Lady Frankenstein; the Mermaid (Dr. Nina Mazursky); the Werewolf (Warren Griffith); the Vampire (Vincent Velcoro); G.I. Robot; G.I. Zombie; the Mummy (Khalis); Bogman; Dr. Medusa ALLIES S.H.A.D.E., Father Time, Ray Palmer ENEMIES Random monsters

Werner Zytle believed that his ability to twist perceptions and mangle minds put him beyond the reach of common heroes.

POWER POLITICS

Count Vertigo understood how to use power, choosing allies for their immediate usefulness rather than any long-term potential.

ON THE RECORD

DEBUT

The original Creature Commandos

BASE

first appeared in 1980 in Weird War Tales. Labeled Project “M,” the unit was a World War II-era innovation, creating nightmare soldiers that would terrify the Axis. This original team was led by Lt. Matthew Shrieve and included both the Werewolf and Vampire from the current roster, as well as a Frankenstein-like monster named Elliot Taylor. Two further versions of the Commandos were introduced prior to their post-Flashpoint reincarnation.

Hidden in a flying, mobile, three-inch indestructible globe is the headquarters of S.H.A.D.E.—the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive. Reached via a hybrid of teleportation and shrink technology designed by the S.H.A.D.E. science liaison, Ray Palmer, the sphere serves as the base of operations for some of the most bizarre metahuman heroes on the planet—the Creature Commandos. Led by Agent Frankenstein—the monster famed for being fictionalized in the pages of Mary Shelley’s celebrated Gothic tale—the Creature Commandos take their ultimate orders from Father Time, S.H.A.D.E.’s head of operations. While Father Time currently resembles a young girl, the natural-born leader has taken many bodies over the course of his long life. The Commandos are officially called Division M and are mostly the results of S.H.A.D.E.’s science division experiments, except for the Mummy, who is reportedly thousands of years old and was simply discovered by S.H.A.D.E. Frankenstein joined the team when his ex-wife went missing while investigating a monster attack. This led S.H.A.D.E. to travel to the so-called Monster Planet on a successful mission that warmed Frankenstein to the prospect of working with a field team. They have since become the first line of defense against things that go bump in the night.

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DIZZY WITH POWER

during his attempt to steal back the crown jewels Vlatava had sold off during the war. Confronted by Green Arrow, he unleashed his disorientation powers, which were a side-effect of technology used to correct a hereditary ear condition. Following years of criminal activity, Vertigo was finally imprisoned and joined the Suicide Squad to reduce his sentence. He was eventually recruited to United Nations intelligence agency Checkmate, becoming Amanda Waller’s White Knight.

CREATURES ON THE LOOSE

Superman met the Creature Commandos when touring the restored city of Kandor in the Arctic. Kidnapped by Brainiac, this team had served in World War II and included G.I. Robot.

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DATA

CRIME SYNDICATE DEBUT

CLASSIC STORIES Justice League of America #29–30 (Aug.–Sep. 1964) The Crime Syndicate look for a new challenge—and bite off more than they can chew when the villains take on both the Justice League and the Justice Society of America.

Justice League of America #29 (Aug. 1964)

MEMBERS (EARTH SUPER HERO COUNTERPART) CURRENT INCARNATION: ULTRAMAN (Superman); SUPERWOMAN (Wonder Woman) OWLMAN (Batman); POWER RING (Green Lantern); JOHNNY QUICK (The Flash); DEATHSTORM (Firestorm)

JLA (Vol. 1) #107–114 (Dec. 2004 –Jul. 2005) The Anti-matter Universe version of the Crime Syndicate invades Earth, and brings with it the dire attentions of the alien Qwardians.

FORMER MEMBERS:

(Atom); SEA KING (Aquaman); GRID (Cyborg) Secret Society of Super-Villains, Perpetua ENEMIES Justice Leagues, Injustice League, Alexander Luthor, Teen Titans, Doom Patrol ATOMICA ALLIES

PERPETUAL RULE

JLA (Vol. 2) #50–53 (Dec. 2010

Perpetua transformed the citizens of Earth-3 into apex predators, forcing the Crime Syndicate to rule a world of monsters.

–Mar. 2011) The Syndicate reluctantly teams up with the Justice League to battle the Omega Man, before Owlman betrays the Justice League. Batman, anticipating this, executes a plan to resurrect Lex Luthor.

The tyrannical Earth-3 version of the Justice League, the Crime Syndicate of America, saw Earth-0 as a new frontier to conquer after the Anti-Monitor’s devastating attack on the Syndicate’s home planet. But first the team needed to defeat its Earth-0 counterparts, who received help from unexpected quarters… The Crime Syndicate came together as the brutal overlords of Earth-3, a world where ideas of right and wrong were completely abandoned and only strength mattered. An attack by a mysterious entity (later revealed NEW ARRIVALS as the Anti-Monitor) laid waste to much of the planet, As several members of the causing the Crime Syndicate to look for a new world to Crime Syndicate arrived dominate. Its members set their sights on Earth-0, in the Justice League invading after two members—Atomica and Watchtower on Earth-0, Sea King seemed not to The Outsider—laid the groundwork by gathering have survived the trip the Secret Society of Super-Villains and plotting from Earth-3. with them to weaken the Justice League. The Outsider had obtained Pandora’s Box and used it to open a portal between the two Earths, sparking a brief reign of terror during which the Syndicate’s members killed a number of Earth-0’s heroes. Power Ring, The Outsider, Atomica, and Johnny Quick were killed in a fight against the combined forces of all three Justice Leagues and several defecting members of the Secret Society. In the aftermath, the rest of the Syndicate either died or went their separate ways. However, as Earth-0 shifts and evolves, so do the other worlds of the Multiverse. Earth-3 was recently revealed to be an active world, still under the thumb of the main five Crime Syndicate members: Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Power Ring, and Johnny Quick. Called into service by the mother of the Multiverse, Perpetua, this Crime Syndicate was tasked with ruling an Earth-3 citizenry of Perpetua’s evolved apex predators. When Johnny Quick protested, he was effortlessly killed by Perpetua, forcing the rest of the Super-Villains to fall in line in her service.

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3

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ON THE RECORD The Crime Syndicate has plagued the Justice League and Justice Society for decades, ever since the 1960s. The original Earth-3 was wiped out during 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, but has since reemerged thanks to the rebirth of the Multiverse.

SURPRISE ATTACK!

The classic Crime Syndicate lineup launched an offensive on an unprepared Justice League, who were expecting a visit from the JSA.

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5

DEADLY DOPPELGÄNGERS Crime Syndicate members: 1 Ultraman 2 Superwoman 3 Deathstorm 4 Power Ring 5 Grid 6 Owlman 7 Johnny Quick 8 Atomica

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C CREEPER

ON THE RECORD

Showcase (Vol. 1) #73 (Mar.–Apr. 1968) Jack Ryder HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 194 lbs EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, endurance, agility, and healing; able to leap far distances; can transform into costume by activating a subspace trigger. ALLIES Batman, Justice League ENEMIES Proteus, Hellgrammite, Eclipso

After Flashpoint the Creeper was

DEBUT

re-imagined as a mystical creature called the Oni Demon who came through a “crack in the world” into 16th-century Japan. Assuming the form of a boy named Jakku, it caused years of mayhem before being trapped by a samurai inside the mystical Soultaker sword. Centuries passed and the sword fell into the possession of the hero Katana. While she battled Killer Croc, the sword shattered, freeing its prisoners, including the Creeper, who then possessed and reanimated the recently killed corpse of talk-show host Jack Ryder.

REAL NAME

The original version of the Creeper debuted in the late 1960s when TV journalist Jack Ryder investigated the abduction of scientist Professor Yatz. Ryder was captured at a masquerade party while disguised as a monster in a yellow bodystocking, green trunks, and red, boa-like fur. The dying Yatz concealed his discoveries—a bio-enhancement formula and trans-dimensional storage device—within Ryder’s body, accidentally granting him superhuman abilities and the ability to transform from human form into an apparently demonic terror. Obsessed with justice, Ryder waged war on crime, pretending to be a supernatural beast at odds with law and order. His secret crusade brought him into contact with many more conventional heroes such as Batman and the Justice League. The Creeper’s campaign against evil was boosted by his insane battle-style and a manic laugh that instilled fear into criminals’—and even other heroes’—hearts. The Creeper’s backstory has frequently altered after realitychanging events. Changes include Ryder actually suffering bipolar disorder, succumbing to narcotics-induced madness and paranoia, and even becoming the Creeper because of The Joker’s venom.

WHO’S LAUGHING NOW?

The Creeper has always combined a valiant heart with the barely restrained chaos of a rampaging maniac to defeat his foes and protect the innocent.

CRIMSON AVENGER

MANY CRIMSON FACES

Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #20 (Oct. 1938) (male Lee Travis) DEBUT

Lee Travis New York City, Earth-2 HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 135 lbs HAIR Black EYES Brown ABILITIES Skilled investigative journalist. ALLIES James Wing

Jill Carlyle (1), the male Lee Travis (2), and a female reporter of the same name (3) are all linked to the Crimson Avenger.

REAL NAME BASE

The first Crimson Avenger was Lee Travis, publisher of the daily Globe-Leader. In his costumed guise, he was DC’s first masked Super Hero and was ably assisted by his valet, Wing. They joined the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and the Nebula Man sent Travis forward in time, where he learned how he died. Travis’ twin Colt pistols later found their way to a young African-American lawyer called Jill Carlyle in Detroit. She discovered that the guns were cursed and they transformed her into a spirit of vengeance known as the Crimson Avenger. Post-Flashpoint, another Lee Travis worked as a reporter for Earth-2’s Global Broadcasting Corporation. She was present at the debut of the new Wonders of the World when they battled the life-draining Solomon Grundy. She later witnessed, alongside photographer James Wing, the apparent death of Alan Scott (Green Lantern) at the hands of Steppenwolf and his Hunger Dogs—perhaps hinting that a new Crimson Avenger may appear.

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1 3

2

CRUSH Teen Titans Special (Vol. 1) #1 (Aug. 2018) DEBUT

Xiomara Rojas New York City, New York HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown HAIR Black EYES Red ABILITIES Super-strength, stamina, and durability; accelerated healing; sentient chain weapon. ALLIES Obelus, Djinn, Roundhouse ENEMIES Lobo, the Other, Deathstroke AFFILIATIONS Teen Titans REAL NAME BASE

Xiomara Rojas came to Earth as a baby with nothing but a chain that was actively protecting her. Taken in by loving but chaotic parents, Xiomara believed she was the daughter of Super Heroes until, as a teen she saw the alien villain Lobo on television. Her resemblance to him told her the truth—that she was his daughter. She left home in anger, but when she returned, she found find her adoptive parents dead and her sentient chain, named Obelus, missing. Xiomara went on the run, calling herself Crush, eventually joining the Teen Titans. She was later reunited with Obelus, and her father Lobo, who tried to kill her. Besting him with the help of her teammates, Crush realized that the Teen Titans were her family now.

SINS OF THE FATHER

Crush’s discovery that the ultraviolent villain Lobo was her father brought her no happiness—he tried to kill her!

C CRUZ, JESSICA Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #20 (Jul. 2013) Jessica Cruz BASE Portland, Oregon HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 141 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Green Lantern ring gives her the ability to create light constructs and force-fields, fly, and travel through space. ALLIES Green Lantern (Simon Baz), Starfire, Cyborg, Azrael ENEMIES Darkseid AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, Justice League DEBUT

REAL NAME

Jessica Cruz had been living in fear since being the only survivor of an attack on her group of friends. This crippling anxiety led her to be chosen as the unwilling host of the Ring of Volthoom. However, with help from Batman and Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Jessica was able to draw on hidden reserves of courage. When she apparently sacrificed herself saving The Flash (Barry Allen), Volthoom’s hold on her was destroyed, and she was chosen as a Green Lantern. She and Simon Baz were assigned to protect Earth’s space sector, though Jessica still struggled with doubts over her worthiness to be a hero. Later, Jessica teamed up with Cyborg, Starfire, and Azrael to discover the mysteries of the Ghost Sector, but in the process she was killed by Darkseid’s Omega Beams, her Green Lantern Ring crushed into fragments in her body. However, the combination of the Omega energy and the Power Ring caused Jessica to return to life, and was imbued with the power to fly and fire Omega Beams like Darkseid. When Darkseid tried to manipulate time to restore his homeworld of Apokolips and enslave the universe, Jessica and her allies teamed up with a time-displaced version of herself to try and stop him.

CRUX Red Hood and the Outlaws (Vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 2011) DEBUT

Simon Amal 7ft 7in WEIGHT 380 lbs HAIR None EYES Yellow POWERS/ABILITIES Flight; enhanced strength and durability; xenobiology expertise. ALLIES Arsenal, Red Hood ENEMIES Tamaraneans AFFILIATIONS Outlaws REAL NAME HEIGHT

Simon Amal’s parents, both researchers in extraterrestrial life, were killed when a Tamaranean spacecraft crashed into them. Driven to seek revenge against all aliens—but Tamaraneans in particular—he continued his parents’ research and devised a way to splice alien DNA into his own genome. This gave him the ability to transform into a large, winged reptilian form. When Simon saw a picture of Starfire, he recognized her as a Tamaranean and hatched a plot to kill her in his new guise as Crux. Attacking her in Colorado using remnant Tamaranean technology, he found himself facing Jason Todd and Roy Harper. He was overpowered and Jason Todd left him at Arkham Asylum. Later, with Starfire missing, Todd asked Crux to help find her. A penitent Crux agreed to join Arsenal and Red Hood in the search.

WIELDING DARK POWER

Jessica Cruz did not choose metahuman abilities, rather they chose her—first via the evil Ring of Volthoom and then a Green Lantern ring. She learned to master her fears to become a hero of great courage.

HOLDING A GRUDGE

Simon Amal’s scientific genius enabled him to take on the form of a terrifying winged monster to fulfill his vendetta against Tamaranean aliens.

CUPID Green Arrow and Black Canary #15 (Feb. 2009) DEBUT

Carrie Cutter 5ft 8in WEIGHT 130 lbs HAIR Red EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Special ops training; enhanced senses; expert archer and marksman. ALLIES John King ENEMIES Green Arrow REAL NAME

DESPERATELY SEEKING...

Cupid’s passionate obsession with Green Arrow Oliver Queen threatened to destroy her and anyone else who stood in her way.

HEIGHT

Special ops soldier Carrie Cutter was so deeply disturbed by what happened on one of her missions that she chose to undergo experimental treatment with the organization C.O.B.A.L.T. She gained enhanced physical and sensory abilities, but at the cost of her emotional stability. When Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) killed her husband in a case of mistaken identity, Carrie fell obsessively in love with him and became Cupid. With no moral compass, she viewed winning Green Arrow as the only worthwhile goal in her life, and would kill anyone—in particular Black Canary—to make it happen. Cupid murdered many of Queen’s enemies and then disappeared. She later emerged in Seattle, where Green Arrow’s nemesis, John King, brought together a villainous gang to eliminate Oliver.

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DATA

CYBORG DC Comics Presents (Vol. 1) #26 (Oct. 1980) Detroit REAL NAME Victor Stone HEIGHT 6ft 5in WEIGHT 385 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Genius-level IQ; implants give him massively enhanced strength; armored chassis and promethium-impregnated flesh provide superb damage resistance; sensors and onboard processors intercept signals and hack systems remotely; can create Boom Tubes for transport; can fly using boot jets; arms can be reconfigured into energy or projectile weapons. ALLIES Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz), Azrael, Starfire ENEMIES Darkseid, Crime Syndicate, Grid, Malware, Anomaly AFFILIATIONS Justice League, Justice League Odyssey BASE

AT A GLANCE... Man vs. machine The cybernetic enhancements implanted by his father saved Vic’s life, but the experience proved traumatic. The young hero fears losing his humanity and becoming a machine that merely thinks it is human. As host to several advanced AI systems, he is also vulnerable to hacking—as became clear when his robotic parts were hijacked by Grid during the Crime Syndicate’s attack on the Justice League.

Weapons systems In addition to his other hi-tech capabilities, Cyborg can reconfigure himself to create powerful arm cannons to suit a particular combat mode. In his first clash he deployed a sonic white-noise cannon to obliterate a Parademon; other variations include the twinGatling gun setup he used to fight the Spore creatures.

CLASSIC STORIES The New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 1980) Cyborg joins the Teen

Titans on their first mission. They save the United Nations from invading aliens. DC Special: Cyborg #1–6 (Jul.– Dec. 2008) Vic Stone is forced to battle a cybernetically enhanced former friend and a version of himself from an alternate future. Teen Titans Spotlight #13 (Aug. 1987) Scarred villain Two-Face resents how Victor has managed to become a hero despite being maimed and he plots to destroy Cyborg’s hard-won reputation. JLA/Titans #1–3 (Dec. 1998– Feb. 1999)

When Vic returns from deep space as part of a Technis construct that absorbs the moon, the Titans embark on a mission to restore their friend’s humanity.

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Victor Stone was born to scientists Dr. Silas and Elinore Stone. Both parents doted on Vic, but when Elinore was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Silas became single-minded in his daily life, ignoring Vic in the hopes of discovering a cure. Although she lived much longer than expected, Elinore succumbed to the disease and died. All the while, Vic had no idea of his mother’s illness and simply felt ignored by his father.

DEBUT

Killer apps Cyborg integrates advanced tech that gives him access to vast databases of knowledge and allows him to hack enemy systems. He provides the Justice League with a hi-tech edge in their battles and serves as a vital source of intelligence.

Vic Stone found the attention he craved as a high school football star who wanted to play professionally, but this brought him into conflict with his father, who insisted that his son become an academic. Vic went to S.T.A.R. Labs to confront his father, who was working on reverse-engineering a “Mother Box”—a sentient extraterrestrial computer. Vic and Silas quarreled. Then the Mother Box pinged, generating a Boom Tube portal, out of which shot a blast of red energy that struck Vic’s body. His father dragged him into the lab’s Red Room, which contained experimental technology. He replaced the damaged parts of Vic’s body with cybernetic systems and promethium skin grafts, incorporating the Mother Box’s energies into Vic’s new form. When a Parademon from Apokolips broke into the Red Room, Vic’s arm automatically reconfigured into a white-noise cannon that vaporized his foe. INTERFACED The Parademon attack on S.T.A.R. Labs was not an isolated incident: Boom Tubes were opening all over As alien energy devoured Vic Stone’s body, his quick-thinking the world, disgorging Parademons. Vic learned that his father Silas implanted and cybernetic system could pick up communications from activated advanced cybernetics, which saved his son’s life. the aliens’ Mother Boxes and even generate its own Boom Tubes. His Mother Box then transported him to Metropolis, where the world’s Super Heroes had gathered to face Darkseid himself. In an epic battle, Cyborg generated a Boom Tube that carried Darkseid back to Apokolips and ended the invasion. In the aftermath of the attack, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash decided to create a team to defend Earth, and Cyborg joined their ranks as a founding member of the Justice League. Over the years, Cyborg has stayed with the team, fighting a number of Super-Villains and powerful foes. When the evil Crime Syndicate attacked the Justice League, Vic’s cybernetic systems were taken over by an artificial intelligence that created a malign, separate entity called Grid. Vic was fitted with a new body that took down Grid, and the Crime Syndicate was ultimately defeated.

THRONE OF ATLANTIS When sub-aquatic warlord Ocean Master flooded Gotham City and led the forces of Atlantis against the surface world, the Justice League responded—but most were captured and imprisoned beneath the sea. Proving his heroism and leadership ability, Cyborg replaced his remaining lung with a module for underwater operations, recruited new Justice League members, and went to rescue his teammates. TERROR FROM THE DEEP

Cyborg led the rescue mission after Aquaman’s evil half-brother, Ocean Master, had captured several Justice League members.

C DARK CYBORG Corrupted and forced to work as Darkseid’s minion toward the eventual goal of conquering the Multiverse, Vic Stone’s heroic nature showed through. He was able to send messages to Green Lantern Jessica Cruz and he helped thwart Darkseid’s plans by sending false information to the evil New God’s attacking hordes.

“If I could unplug, I would, but unlike you I can’t take my costume off…” CYBORG

In his solo career, Vic fought off an invasion by the alien Techsapiens, as well as other cybernetic threats like Malware and Anomaly. He and his father began working together at S.T.A.R. Labs Detroit and they tried to fix their strained relationship. But while on an outer-space mission with the Justice League, Victor learned of the Ghost Sector—a section of space populated by planets once miniaturized and now held on the planet Colu. Feeling compelled to travel there, Vic set out in a repurposed Brainiac spaceship, alongside allies Starfire and Azrael, and was soon joined by Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. This informal Justice League Odyssey soon encountered a bizarre prophecy and the machinations of Darkseid. He was trying to use technology from Epoch, the Lord of Time, to rewrite the entire Multiverse in the image of his recently destroyed homeworld, Apokolips. While Darkseid succeeded in restoring Apokolips and even took control of Cyborg for a time as his mind-controlled servant, the heroes made use of the time-travel tech for their own purposes and stopped the evil New God from completing his plot.

CYBERNETIC CHAMPION

Cyborg gets his power from hi-tech upgrades, but it is his human heart and courage that make him a hero.

DISASSEMBLED

When the Crime Syndicate launched its attack on Earth, Vic Stone’s systems were hijacked by an AI calling itself Grid.

ON THE RECORD The pre-Flashpoint incarnation of Vic Stone was a star football player and an all-around athlete. After he was mortally injured in a laboratory experiment gone wrong, his father turned him into a cyborg to save his life. This was the first of several transformations the young hero would undergo in his career. Technis transformation Vic joined the Teen Titans but was seriously damaged when Jericho, son of Deathstroke, betrayed the team. He was rebuilt by Soviet scientists, but had seemingly lost his memories. An alien cybernetic hive mind called the Technis restored him, absorbing him and assimilating his humanity into their sterile AI collective. Vic was then taken to the Technis’ homeworld and transformed into a being called Cyberion. Reintegration Vic/Cyberion returned to the solar system as a herald of the Technis and transformed the moon into a Technis construct. The Justice League of America perceived Cyberion as a threat to be eliminated, but the Titans were determined to save their friend. The two sides clashed, but in the end the young heroes were able to build a rapport with Vic and channel his life energy into an artificial body, restoring his humanity.

MACHINE CIVILIZATION

The artificial intelligences of the Technis collective chose to absorb Cyborg in order to learn about humanity.

Team player When a new Teen Titans team was formed, Vic served as advisor and elder statesman. However, he left Earth during Infinite Crisis to help battle Alexander Luthor and he sustained heavy damage. After undergoing repairs, Vic led a new Titans East squad and helped the other Titans battle their zombified former teammates during Blackest Night. He then joined the Justice League, providing tech support and forming a close bond with the android Red Tornado. TITANS TOGETHER

Victor felt his cybernetics made him an outsider and a freak, but found a new family in the Teen Titans.

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D CYBORG SUPERMAN

ON THE RECORD

Adventures of Superman #465 (Apr. 1990) BASE Mobile REAL NAMES Hank Henshaw HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable POWERS/ABILITIES Power over machinery and computers; physical strength and offensive powers mimicking those of Superman. ALLIES Brainiac, Doomsday ENEMIES Superman, Supergirl

After Flashpoint, Superman’s uncle Zor-El, escaped Krypton’s destruction, thanks to Collector of Worlds Brainiac. Subjected to cybernetic augmentations that deranged his personality, Zor-El became Cyborg Superman—Brainiac’s scout for a stronger species in the universe.He attempted to conquer Earth, battling Superman and his own daughter Kara Zor-El, but somehow escaped the black hole doom that befell Brainiac. Also surviving the Rebirth event, Cyborg Superman reanimated the dead Krytponians of Argo City and again attacked Earth, only to be defeated by Supergirl and Superman.

DEBUT

Astronaut Hank Henshaw was on board the LexCorp space shuttle Excalibur with his wife Terri and two other crew members when it crashed. At first, the accident was thought to have been caused by Superman who had created a solar flare—exposing the crew to a fatal dose of radiation. With his body deteriorating, Hank transferred his consciousness into LexCorp’s mainframe, recreating himself as a cyborg in Superman’s image. When Terri later died, a deranged Hank blamed Superman for her death, and became one of the Man of Steel’s fiercest foes. With Mongul, he orchestrated the obliteration of Coast City and became an intergalactic threat battling the Green Lantern Corps alongside Sinestro. Henshaw seemingly vanished during the realty-altering Flashpoint event, but reappeared when Convergence uncovered countless alternate realities set to war by the almighty being Telos on behalf of a trans-universal composite of Brainiacs. Restored on Prime Earth, Henshaw assembled a cadre of powerful villains into an Anti-Superman Gang, only to again meet defeat due to dissent in its ranks and the combined power of the Man of Steel and his allies. He remains a threat to all living things.

DAMAGE DEBUT

Damage #1 (Apr. 1994)

Grant Emerson BASE New York City EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Biochemical fusion reactor in his body provides increased strength, durability, and energy projection. ENEMIES Symbolix, Zoom AFFILIATIONS New Titans, Justice Society of America REAL NAME

The boy who grew up to be Damage was the product of an in utero genetic experiment overseen by Vandal Savage. Savage had provided an expatriate German scientist with funding on behalf of a company called Symbolix, together with cellular samples of other heroes. The research bore fruit and when the child was born, Savage had his mother killed and placed the infant, who was called Grant Emerson, with an abusive surrogate family. Grant’s powers manifested when he was 16, and Symbolix came to collect him. They killed Grant’s foster family but he escaped. Adopting the name Damage, he began learning how to use his powers with the New Titans. Adopting a mask after his face was badly scarred in a fight with Zoom, he joined the Justice Society of America and was later killed and reanimated by Black Lanterns during Blackest Night. Retaining his own mind, he sacrificed himself to destroy other Black Lanterns before they breached the JSA stronghold.

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ARMORED AND DANGEROUS

Cyborg Superman’s right arm can extend and change shape. His cybernetic eye projects heat beams.

DAMAGE LIMITATION

The fires of Damage’s biochemical reactor always burned, as did the trauma of his abusive upbringing.

FAMILY AFFAIR

Despite every change and mutation, Zor-El held fast to the idea that Earth could become the New Krypton his bloodline deserved.

DAMAGE II Dark Days: The Casting (Vol. 2) #1 (Sep. 2017)

DEBUT

Ethan Avery Mobile EYES Brown (Ethan), yellow (Damage) HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Can change for one hour, once a day into Damage—a being with superhuman strength and durability. ALLIES Poison Ivy, Swamp Thing ENEMIES Gorilla Grodd, Colonel Marie Jones, Echidna AFFILIATIONS None REAL NAME BASE

No relation to the original Damage, Ethan Avery was a soldier, chosen by the US Army to become something more… Damage. Injected with a serum, Ethan could transform into a mighty behemoth for just one hour, once a day. In this form he possessed strength almost without limits. Ethan could communicate with Damage as two separate consciousnesses, but not control him. Damage was intended to be a weapon of mass destruction to be used against his country’s enemies, but it soon became apparent that the army could not keep him in check. Ethan learned how to work with Damage to achieve balance in himself, and left the army behind to make his own way in the world.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

The US Army created an uncontrollable monster when soldier Ethan Avery was injected with a special serum.

D DARHK, DAMIEN DEBUT

The Titans #1 (Mar. 1999)

6ft WEIGHT 160 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Highly intelligent, tech-savvy, ruthless; possibly immortal. ALLIES Adeline Kane ENEMIES Teen Titans AFFILIATIONS H.I.V.E. HEIGHT

The mysterious, boyish-looking Damien Darhk has evaded all attempts to pin down his sketchy background, despite extensive investigations by the CIA, the FBI, and even the Teen Titans. The latter encountered him while battling H.I.V.E. and Grant Wilson—the son of Deathstroke also known as the Ravager. Darhk’s role in H.I.V.E.’s machinations remains unclear, and it is also not understood how he came to occupy such a powerful, well-connected position within H.I.V.E. at a relatively young age. During the final confrontation between the Teen Titans and H.I.V.E., Darhk suffered a near-fatal gunshot wound courtesy of Vandal Savage. He survived only after receiving a blood transfusion from thenH.I.V.E. Mistress Adeline Kane, perhaps granting him immortality. Darhk’s current whereabouts are unknown.

DAWNSTAR Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 1) #226 (Apr. 1977) DEBUT

Dawnstar Gr’ell 31st-century Metropolis HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Flight, expert tracker. ALLIES None ENEMIES The Horraz, Krav AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes REAL NAME BASE

Dawnstar was recruited by Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy to the Legion of Super-Heroes from her home planet of Starhaven, after they saw footage of her fighting the Red Horraz. At first Dawnstar was reluctant, not wanting to join a team that was answerable to the United Planets, but she was persuaded that the young heroes would have full autonomy. Dawnstar had an eight-pointed star symbol on her forehead and “spirit wings,” which only manifested when she needed to fly or when she was using her heightened powers of tracking. After joining the team, Dawnstar was very excited to meet Superboy (Jon Kent), whom she credited with inspiring her to become a hero.

DARK OPAL

DARKSTARS

Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #298 (Apr. 1983)

DEBUT

Gemworld 6ft 4in WEIGHT 235 lbs EYES Red HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Immense strength, expert swordsman, variety of mystical powers. ENEMIES Child, Amethyst AFFILIATIONS House of Opal

Ferrin Colos; Munchukk; Carla White; Medphyll; John Flint (dismissed); Donna Troy (retired); John Stewart (retired); Hollika Rahn, Mo Douglas, Charlie Vicker, Galius Zed, K’ryssma, Threllian (all

DEBUT BASE

HEIGHT

By making pacts with otherworldly forces, forging secret alliances with rival Houses, and mastering sorcery, Dark Opal became ruler of Gemworld. However, he failed to kill the infant heir of the House of Amethyst, who was hidden on Earth. That heir grew up to be Amy Winston, a potent mystic known as Amethyst. Amy went to Gemworld and thwarted Dark Opal’s various attempts to forge a suit of armor containing slivers from each of Gemworld’s 11 Houses. Amethyst ultimately deposed him and went on to lead an alliance of all Gemworld’s other Houses. Dark Opal was presumed killed in a powerful backlash of mystical energies, but the sorcerer had only retreated into the enchanted clasp of his cloak. Dark Opal returned to retake Gemworld, but was destroyed by Child, a Lord of Chaos, and his servant, Flaw.

ON TRIAL!

Dawnstar’s tracking and guiding skills, and ability to fly at supersonic speeds in outer space proved a great addition to the Legion of Super-Heroes.

BASE

Darkstars #1 (Oct. 1992)

Space

NOTABLE MEMBERS

SHINING LIGHTS Key Darkstars line up for action.

1 2 3 4

Ferrin Colos John Flint Carla White Mo Douglas

deceased). Their exo-mantle battle suits provide super-strength, speed, and flight; they carry force-field projectors and laser blasters. ALLIES Green Lantern Corps ENEMIES Grayven POWERS/ABILITIES

The Darkstars were formed to patrol space and destroy chaos by the Controllers, an aggressive sect of the Guardians of the Universe, and N.E.M.O., the Network for the Establishment and Maintenance of Order. Ferrin Colos of Zamba, joined the group and was assigned to Earth. After the Darkstars, L.E.G.I.O.N., and the Green Lantern Corps defeated the Triarch—a trinity of evil ancient deities—the three groups agreed on their separate peacekeeping roles in the universe. When the Green Lantern Corps was torn apart by Hal Jordan, the Darkstars were left to patrol space themselves, recruiting former Green Lantern John Stewart and New Titan Troia to their ranks. Eventually, most Darkstars resigned or were killed by Darkseid’s son, Grayven, leaving only Chaser Bron, Munchukk, and Ferrin Colos to carry out the Controllers’ intergalactic mission of eradicating evil.

1

4 2 3

DAXAMITES DEBUT BASE

Adventure Comics #312 (Sep. 1963)

Daxam

Similar to Kryptonians when exposed to the rays of a yellow sun. ALLIES Green Lantern Corps, Superman ENEMIES Sinestro Corps, Dominators POWERS/ABILITIES

A genetically variant race descended from exploring Kryptonians, Daxamites possess similar powers to their ancestors when in the presence of a yellow sun. They allied with a number of other alien races led by the Dominators to conquer Earth and control its unusual propensity to produce superpowered beings. The Daxans were initially relegated to a support and science role, but they soon discovered the extra abilities they developed in the yellow

radiation of Earth’s sun. A Daxamite detachment fought Superman, beating him badly before succumbing to Earth’s dire air pollution. Superman then saved their lives, spurring them to switch sides and turn against the rest of the Dominator invasion force. One of this rebel group, Lar Gand (also known as Mon-El and Jonathan Kent) was later instrumental in forming the United Planets consortium of worlds. Another Daxamite, Sodam Yat, would go on to become a Green Lantern. He would turn Daxam’s sun yellow so they could battle the Sinestro Corps. MIGHTY DAXAMITES

The inhabitants of Daxam appeared to be like Earth’s humans, but their solarreceptive biology was more advanced.

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DATA

DARKSEID Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen#134 (Dec. 1970) Justice League (Vol. 2 ) #3 (Jan. 2012) REAL NAME Uxas BASE Apokolips HEIGHT 8ft 9in WEIGHT 1,815 lbs EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Formidable intellect, godlike strength and endurance; eyes fire target-seeking Omega Beams; access to advanced Apokoliptian technology, including Mother Boxes; projects Boom Tubes for interdimensional teleportation. ALLIES Parademon legions, Desaad, Steppenwolf, Kanto, Female Furies, Grail, Granny Goodness ENEMIES Mr. Miracle, Big Barda, Orion, Highfather and the inhabitants of New Genesis, the Justice League, the Anti-Monitor DEBUT

CURRENT VERSION

AT A GLANCE... Lust for power Darkseid’s motivation is not wealth or revenge: he wants to control every being in the entire universe. When he confronts an enemy, Darkseid prefers to break their will and subjugate them, rather than destroy them outright. This has been seen in his confrontations with Superman, his estranged foster son Mister Miracle, and the mortals of Earth. Omega Beams Darkseid can kill with a glance by firing destructive Omega Beams from his eyes. These glowing red blasts change course to track their targets, though they can be evaded. Both the Flash and Supergirl were fast enough to avoid Omega Beams in battles with Darkseid.

Darkseid is one of the most feared entities in the universe: a ruthless, unstoppable tyrant with godlike power and an all-consuming obsession with enslaving every being in existence. As the evil dread lord of the hellish planet Apokolips, Darkseid commands armies of henchmen and bizarre, lethal Parademons. He can access incredible technologies, such as the sentient Mother Boxes that serve as floating sensor drones. Moreover, as well as emitting deadly beams from his eyes, Darkseid has proved to be a formidable combatant, capable of taking on several mortal heroes at a time and emerging triumphant. The being who would become Darkseid was once called Uxas, the youngest son of Yuga Khan, one of the legendary Old Gods. Resenting their authority, the rebellious and cunning Uxas whispered lies and words of hate into the Old Gods’ ears. Under his deceitful influence, the Old Gods fought and killed each other, and as they died Uxas stole their power to become a New God, Darkseid. Seizing his chance, Darkseid went to war against his weakened elders, persuading his benevolent older GOD SLAYER brother Izaya to reluctantly join him, and making an enemy of their Uxas’ hatred of the Old Gods saw him slaughter father Yuga Khan. When father and sons finally clashed, Yuga them—and seize their Khan was slain by Uxas, ending the rule of the Old Gods. power for himself. In the aftermath, the dying Sky God passed the last traces of his power to Izaya, also transforming him into a New God. Izaya tried to convince Darkseid that they should usher in a new age of enlightenment together, but Darkseid refused, destroying their world. Izaya then left to create a planet called New Genesis, which he presided over as Highfather, while Darkseid made Apokolips, an industrial hell-world populated by his engineered Parademon troopers and cruel New God minions. Darkseid then embarked on a multidimensional campaign of conquest, seeking the Anti-Life Equation, the cosmic formula that would allow him to eliminate free will and control reality. World after world fell before him, their inhabitants enslaved or fed into flesh-recycling plants. However, the alternate world of Earth-2 managed to stave off an invasion, though its incarnations of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman sacrificed their lives in the process.

Apokolips Darkseid’s homeworld is a hellish industrial planet with a surface cratered by fire pits. Slaves provide labor for its many armament production facilities, while its barracks and Parademon factories train hordes of faceless troopers for Darkseid’s armies.

CLASSIC STORIES The New Gods (Vol. 1) #1–2 (Feb./ Mar.–Apr./May 1971) In one of his first-ever stories, Darkseid’s deadly scheme is foiled by his estranged son, Orion. New Gods (Vol. 3) #8 (Sep. 1989)

This story tells of Darkseid’s romance with the beautiful pacifist Suli. Tragically, she is murdered by Desaad, and the trauma helps turn Darkseid into a ruthless villain. Final Crisis #1–7 (Jul. 2008–Mar. 2009) In this cosmos-altering event, Darkseid attempts to conquer reality by unleashing the power of the Anti-Life Equation on Earth.

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DARKSEID VS. THE JUSTICE LEAGUE When the evil lord Darkseid launched his first attack on Earth-0, he initially inflicted heavy punishment on the planet’s gathered Super Heroes—his mighty Omega Beams even knocked Superman out of action. However, Darkseid was then stabbed in the eyes by Wonder Woman and Aquaman. This act gave Superman the chance to recover and knock the villain into a Boom Tube portal summoned by Cyborg. This battle was one of Darkseid’s most humiliating defeats, and it took him a long time to recover. The threat posed by Darkseid also served as the catalyst to unite Earth’s heroes as the Justice League.

FOR GREAT JUSTICE

Even when they united, the Earth’s most powerful Super Heroes— including Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman—could barely defeat the almighty Darkseid.

D Darkseid’s armies then launched an attack on Earth-0 using Boom Tubes to create teleportation portals and attack multiple sites simultaneously. They were opposed by the world’s champions, including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. The heroes held their own against the attacking Parademons, but when Darkseid himself emerged from a Boom Tube, they found themselves outmatched. However, just as Darkseid was claiming victory, Earth’s champions regrouped and launched a furious counterattack, grievously wounding the dark lord. Superman then forced Darkseid into a Boom Tube, sending him back to Apokolips. Heavily weakened, Darkseid sealed himself in the Mobius Chamber at Apokolips’ core, tapping into the planet’s energies to heal himself. With Apokolips now deteriorating, he set it on a course for Earth 2, planning to drain its life energies to replenish his world. Meanwhile, Darkseid’s estranged foster-son Mister Miracle launched a stealth attack on Apokolips and found his ‘father’ in the Mobius Chamber. Miracle tried to kill him with the Boom Spheres invented by Mister Terrific, but these merely freed Darkseid. Darkseid used a Terraformer to begin harvesting Earth-2 to replenish Apokolips. A small force of Earth-2 heroes confronted him, but they proved no match for the villain. He declared war on Earth-0, but was opposed by Mister Miracle and Myrina Black—an Amazon who had secretly given birth to his daughter whom she had plotted to use against him. Naming her Grail, Myrina had sent her child to find a being who could defeat Darkseid, and Grail had returned with the cosmic force of annihilation, the Anti-Monitor. Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor clashed on Earth, and their conflict threatened to destroy the planet. As the two fought, the Anti-Monitor revealed that the Anti-Life Equation— DEATH OF A GOD The lord of Apokolips was the ultimate power Darkseid had thirsted for—ran in his veins. killed by the Anti-Monitor With that, the Anti-Monitor used the Black Racer—the very and the Black Racer (who embodiment of death itself—to slay Darkseid. had possessed The Flash).

“All hail Darkseid!” STEPPENWOLF

OMEGA POWER

ON THE RECORD

The wielder of the power of the Old Gods, Darkseid proclaimed himself a New God. He can focus the Omega energy he possesses through his hands to generate huge shock waves.

THE WORLD’S END If his clash with the Justice League marked an ignominious defeat for the evil Darkseid, his apocalyptic war against Earth-2 showed him at his most ruthless and powerful. As his forces inflicted a devastating defeat on this Earth’s military, Darkseid personally defeated the planet’s united heroes. The world was left in his grasp, to be consumed at his leisure.

THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HAND

Victory in the battle for Earth-2 marked one more triumph in Darkseid’s campaign of cosmic conquest.

Darkseid was introduced as a godlike being obsessed with cosmic domination, and this would remain the defining nature of his character. In his time, the all-conquering SuperVillain has undergone several startling transformations.

KILL OR BE KILLED

Batman planned to shoot Darkseid with the same bullet that Darkseid had used to kill Orion, but he had to avoid the Omega Beams.

Secret agents In the 30th century, Darkseid secretly initiated a plan of conquest using cloned Super Heroes as his agents. Under his influence, the mighty Daxamites— whose powers were similar to Superman’s—sculpted their planet’s surface in Darkseid’s own image, and began to transform it into a new Apokolips. The Legion of Super Heroes soon discovered the threat, and Darkseid was defeated. From dark to light On one occasion, Darkseid launched an attack on the Amazon island of Themyscira, and Wonder Woman punished him in a unique fashion. Using a mental link created by the Super Hero Raven, she imbued Darkseid with some of her compassion, sapping his power and tempering his darkness. Wonder Woman and the Amazons even allied with Darkseid to save Apokolips and Earth from the threat of Brainiac-13’s Warworld. Mob warfare After Darkseid had his heart torn out by his son Orion, the villain found a human host on Earth: a mob boss called ‘Boss Dark Side’. Operating out of the Dark Side Club in Blüdhaven, the Boss plotted to overtake reality. During the Final Crisis event, Darkseid seemingly killed Batman with his Omega Beams, but was defeated and slain by Earth’s heroes.

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DATA

DEADMAN

CLASSIC STORIES Forever People #9–10 (Jun.–Jul./ Aug.–Sep. 1972) Deadman’s quest to track down the Hook gets help from an unexpected quarter—the Forever People. They also temporarily housed Deadman’s spirit in an artificial body.

Strange Adventures #205 (Oct. 1967) REAL NAME Boston Brand BASE Mobile HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 201 lbs EYES White HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Able to possess human bodies for limited periods of time, communicate with spirits, and travel across dimensional boundaries; flight; invisibility. ALLIES Madame Xanadu, Batman ENEMIES Felix Faust, Enchantress, Specter Collector AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark DEBUT

Brightest Day #1–24 (Jun. 2010 –Jun. 2011) A White Lantern ring gives

Boston Brand the chance to live again. He must protect the Star City forest from the Dark Avatar of Nekron. Mortally wounded in the forest, Brand is again condemned to a ghostly existence. Deadman: Dead Again #1–5 (Oct.

Circus acrobat Boston Brand, traumatized by the anger and abuse he experienced as a child, was murdered and then given a new chance at life. As Deadman, he can inhabit the bodies of the living and is always driven to atone for the selfish way he lived his life by bringing hope to the hopeless. Brought up in a household bristling with anger, Boston Brand ran away to the circus, becoming a star but also a selfish hedonist with violent tendencies. As Deadman, he was a star acrobat DEAD RECKONING and aerialist, until a mysterious assassin After being shot dead, shot him and made his circus moniker Deadman found himself face to face with Rama all too real. Brand was transformed into Kushna in a place a spirit being by the Hindu goddess between life and death, Rama Kushna. He returned to the world sin and absolution. of the living on the condition that he do good deeds to atone for his sins. Brand would later see his killer arrested, when Rama sent him to live in his killer’s body. However, Deadman’s own sins were not yet admonished. He was approached by June Moone who asked him for protection from the Enchantress, who had been using June as a host. While trying to help her, Deadman was also recruited into the Justice League Dark by Madame Xanadu, who believed he would play a critical role in the League’s battle against an oncoming occult threat. John Constantine—another of Xanadu’s recruits—forcibly reunited June and the Enchantress, infuriating Deadman, who nevertheless joined Justice League Dark to face the menace of Cain, the progenitor of all vampires. Deadman continued to fight with the League against supernatural and magical dangers, the Crime Syndicate and the Blight. Along the way, Constantine and Deadman clashed again after the former locked Deadman inside the body of the dead Sea King from Earth-3. While Deadman is not against teaming with the newest version of the Justice League Dark, he is back on his own these days, undertaking solo adventures and helping purge haunted houses of unfriendly spirits.

ON THE RECORD In pre-Flashpoint stories, Boston Brand’s assassin was discovered to be the Hook, an aspiring member of the League of Assassins who killed Boston Brand as his initiation into the group. This backfired when the League’s leader, the Sensei, thought Brand was still alive due to Boston’s twin brother, Cleveland, temporarily becoming the trapeze artist Deadman. The Sensei put an end to the original Hook, but witnessing his killer’s death gave Deadman no peace. Most versions of Deadman were invisible and intangible to humans, who lacked any form of preternatural perception. This was an advantage to him, but it also reinforced how alienated he was from the living, and at times made it difficult for him to live up to his mission of helping people who never knew he existed.

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BY HOOK OR BY CROOK

Deadman asked Batman to help him find his killer—whom he believed was a villain named the Hook.

2001) As the Crisis on Infinite Earths rages around him, Deadman battles the sorcerous plot of Darius Caldera to provide heroic souls for the demon Neron.

TAKING SIDES

In search of Pandora’s Box, Deadman and Justice League Dark battled a disunited Justice League and A.R.G.U.S., not realizing they were all being manipulated.

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DATA

DEADSHOT Batman (Vol. 1) #59 (Jun.–Jul. 1950) Floyd Lawton BASE Belle Reve Penitentiary HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 202 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Expert marksman with extensive training in unarmed combat and use of other weapons; armored suit includes targeting optics; wears gauntlets featuring built-in laser designators and submachine guns. ALLIES Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Liveshot, Dogshot ENEMIES Batman, Amanda Waller, Deathstroke, Black Mask AFFILIATIONS Suicide Squad DEBUT

REAL NAME

MAD LOVE

Deadshot had a brief fling with fellow Suicide Squad member Harley Quinn. He soon learned that his Joker-obsessed teammate was mad, bad, and very dangerous to know!

An expert marksman with a callous disregard for life, Deadshot worked as a professional hitman until he was imprisoned at Belle Reve Penitentiary, a notorious prison for superpowered criminals. The authorities then forced him to “volunteer” for the Suicide Squad, a team of expendable Super-Villains used for dangerous black-ops missions by the US Government. The lone-wolf sniper soon found himself leading a motley crew of unpredictable bad guys on a series of near-impossible missions. Floyd Lawton was one of Gotham City’s rich socialites, the sort of man that rubbed elbows with people like Bruce Wayne. However, he was inspired to leave his boring life behind when one SUICIDAL TENDENCIES of the fancy galas he attended had a particular memorable party Deadshot soon discovered that one of the only things crasher: Batman. Seeing a chance to be more than his rather shady he had in common with his past, Floyd took up a costumed identity himself as the killer-for-hire Suicide Squad teammates known as Deadshot. was a propensity for A consummate professional, Deadshot prided himself on never extreme violence. missing a shot. But when the notorious terrorist cult called Kobra kidnapped Floyd’s estranged daughter, Zoe, to use as leverage against him, Deadshot cut a deal with Batman. Instead of shooting the target Kobra wanted dead—who, ironically enough, was Bruce Wayne—Deadshot and Batman worked together. Deadshot then successfully killed the Kobra agent holding Zoe hostage. Batman saw to it that Deadshot was put in prison for that kill, and soon, Deadshot was recruited into a clandestine government operation called Task Force X. As part of this so-called Suicide Squad, Floyd went on a variety of missions with a different teams. Before being sent into action, each team member had a bomb implanted in their neck to ensure obedience. Though he preferred to operate as a solo agent, Deadshot proved an effective leader, and his self-proclaimed death wish made him an ideal candidate to return to the Squad again and again. He eventually befriended other longtime Squad members including Captain Boomerang and Harley Quinn. In fact, after Waller was ousted from Squad control, Deadshot found himself disobeying orders when told to kill Boomerang. Deadshot chose instead to help a fledgling band of rebels escape Squad custody. While on the run, he was able to visit his daughter Zoe, who had begun calling herself Liveshot in honor of her dad. Soon after, Deadshot was seemingly killed in action by the criminal Black Mask, finally granting him his death wish.

ON THE RECORD The pre-Flashpoint Deadshot came

from a wealthy family. The pivotal moment in his childhood occurred when he accidentally shot his brother instead of his abusive father. When Lawton first embarked on his career as Deadshot, he seemed to be a hero that rivaled Batman. In reality, his “crime fighting” career was a scheme. He was actually running a criminal gang. Deadshot worked as a solo assassin, taking on targets that included Deathstroke and The Joker, but spent most of his career as part of Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad and joined the Secret Six for a time. As a member of the Six, he teamed up with his former Suicide Squad comrades to take on the undead Black Lanterns in the “Danse Macabre” crossover story.

CLASSIC STORIES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #474 (Dec. 1977) Deadshot embraces Super-Villainy and KILLER WITH A CODE

SIX OF THE WORST

Deadshot experienced both comradeship and betrayal when he joined the Secret Six.

Even though he is a ruthless killer, Floyd Lawton lives by a strict code of honor: He would never kill for free, and he would never waste a bullet. For Lawton, every life has value—so he expects to get paid for each one he ends.

marks Batman for death, utilizing his distinctive targeting eyepiece sight and glove-mounted guns for the first time. Secret Six (Vol. 3) #1–7 (Nov. 2008– May 2009) The Secret Six is hired to protect

Tarantula from a horde of Super-Villains who covet a mystical object in her possession—a card that entitles a sinner to get out of Hell. Justice League of America (Vol. 3) #7.1 (Nov. 2013) A moving chronicle

of Floyd’s tragic childhood—and a thrilling assassination mission in which Deadshot delivers a precision sniper shot while in free fall.

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DEATHSTROKE

CLASSIC STORIES

DATA

Identity Crisis #3 (Oct. 2004)

The New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #2 (Dec. 1980) REAL NAME Slade Wilson HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 225 lbs EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Master tactician with Special Forces training; experimental gene treatments boost strength, speed, toughness, mental acuity, and healing rate to superhuman levels; skills and enhancements allow him to anticipate and avoid enemy attacks; weapons master who employs Deathstroke sword; wears hi-tech Ikon suit that charges via kinetic energy and offers enhanced durability, information, and communication functions. ALLIES William Wintergreen, Ravager (Rose Wilson), Jericho, Dr. Light (Arthur Light), Red Lion, Adeline Wilson ENEMIES Batman, Robin, Teen Titans AFFILIATIONS Team 7, Suicide Squad, Secret Society of Super-Villains DEBUT

Deathstroke is the most feared and respected mercenary in the world. His elite military training and a genetically enhanced physique make him a very dangerous combatant, but his deadliest weapon is his mind. A master strategist and tactician, Deathstroke specializes in psychological warfare tactics that he uses to devastating effect.

Deathstroke accepts a contract to protect the villain Doctor Light from the Justice League—and almost defeats the heroic team single-handedly. The New Titans (Vol. 1) #71–84 (Nov. 1990–Mar. 1992) Deathstroke

finds himself fighting to protect his foes, the Teen Titans, against his insane son Jericho in the classic “Titans Hunt” epic. Deathstroke (Vol. 2) #7 (May 2012) Slade Wilson is targeted by his

unhinged son, Grant, as his offspring attempts to prove that he is a better warrior than his father.

DEFIANCE

Deathstroke briefly attempted work-for-hire on the side of the angels, wearing a cape and starting his own Super Hero mercenary team called Defiance.

Slade Wilson enlisted in the United States Army at the age of 17 and proved to be an exceptional soldier, earning decorations for valor in combat. He was groomed and trained STROKE OF DEATH Deathstroke took his name by Adeline Wilson for genetic experimentation that boosted from a sword that he won his physical capabilities to superhuman levels. While the in a poker game It was an treatments were a success, Slade hid the results from antique grete war blade. everyone, included Adeline, who had become his wife and given birth to two sons, Grant and Joseph. Slade began to go on covert ops. Adopting the codename Deathstroke while in the field, Slade earned a reputation for ruthless efficiency. However, his work soon followed him home, and an enemy slit Joseph’s throat, rendering him mute. Adeline was furious at Slade and shot him in the back of the head. Deathstroke survived, but lost an eye. When Grant Wilson grew up, he became the mercenary Ravager, but was killed while facing the original Teen Titans. Deathstroke swore a vendetta against the Titans and even hired the faux Super Hero Terra to infiltrate their ranks. As if his family wasn’t troubled enough, Deathstroke also had a daughter out of wedlock, Rose, who later became the new Ravager. Meanwhile, Joseph embraced his metahuman abilities and became the hero Jericho. To make himself even more of a killing machine, Deathstroke adopted a hi-tech Ikon uniform after rescuing his old friend Wintergreen. He clashed with the likes of Batman and Superman, and even briefly decided to offer his services to the good guys for once, founding the team Defiance with Ravager (Rose Wilson), Jericho, Kid Flash, Power Girl (Tanya Spears), and Terra. When tensions once again escalated with the Teen Titans, Deathstroke was killed by Red Arrow. However, Slade’s healing factor had been recently working in overdrive, and he healed from the would-be fatal wound. While he debated giving up his career to live quietly with his reunited family and work as a nurse, he was soon back in action—even clashing with Batman again in Gotham City—unable to give up his violent side.

ON THE RECORD Prior to the Flashpoint event,

Deathstroke was defined by his complex relationship with the Teen Titans and his tormented son, Jericho. The young man joined the Titans—whom Slade had earlier been contracted to kill—to oppose his father, but when Jericho was possessed by the evil Spirits of Azarath, he turned on his team. Deathstroke helped the heroes and killed Jericho to save him from the torment of possession, but was later possessed by his son’s spirit. Slade’s daughter Rose (Ravager) initially became a mercenary like her father, but later joined the Titans, alongside a revived Jericho.

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DEADLY ACCURACY

Slade’s combat skills and preternatural reflexes make him an almost unstoppable force in battle. TEEN TERROR

Deathstroke was the Teen Titans’ deadliest and most persistent foe. However, he was sometimes forced to help the team and he developed a grudging respect for the heroes.

D DEFIANCE DEBUT BASE

Deathstroke (Vol. 4) #20 (Aug. 2017)

The Bronx, New York City

MEMBERS/POWERS Adeline Kane: Leader, special ops; Deathstroke: Master assassin with enhanced strength, reflexes, intellect, and healing factor; Jericho: Telepathy, telekinesis, projecting consciousness into others; Kid Flash: Superspeed; Power Girl (Tanya Spears): Superhuman strength and durability, size-changing, genius intellect; Rose Wilson: Superhuman strength, durability, speed, healing, martial arts expert; Terra: Geokinetic abilities; Wintergreen: Military and espionage skills. ALLIES None ENEMIES Dr. Ikon, Secret Society

FAMILY AFFAIR

Led by the violent Deathstroke and largely made up of members of his troubled family, it’s no wonder that Defiance was a shortlived venture.

DEBUT

Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #176 (May 1984)

Rosie’s Bar, New Orleans, Louisiana MEMBERS/ABILITIES Rosie: Team leader, who wields a rapid-fire hot rivet gun; Hardhat: Uses powered helmet and strength-boosting harness; Jackhammer: Deploys a jackhammer capable of untold destruction; Scoopshovel: Mechanical excavator arm can dig up anything; Steamroller: Drives steamroller that can flatten buildings. ALLIES Congressman Bloch ENEMIES Predator, Blood Pack, O.M.A.C. BASE

DEBUT

Thera, Skartaris HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 193 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black BASE

When worlds converged, Deimos used the power of the Time Masters to destroy Warlord—before attempting to take control of the Multiverse.

Immortal; used Atlantean computer to perform “magic.” ALLIES The Evil One ENEMIES Warlord AFFILIATIONS Thera An inhabitant of Skartaris—the realm within Earth’s core—High Priest Deimos used the knowledge he found in the Scrolls of Blood along with his mastery of Atlantean computer technology to rule the kingdom of Thera. He then tried to conquer all of Skartaris, but was killed battling United States Air Force pilot Lt. Colonel Travis Morgan, better known as the hero Warlord. One of Deimos’ minions resurrected him with the Mask of Life, which also gave Deimos magical powers and immortality. Warlord executed Deimos, throwing his head to the wolves, while Warlord’s son Joshua trapped the sorcerer within a magic mirror, but Deimos always returned. During the Convergence event, when Brainiac’s servant Telos forced the heroes of alternate Earths to battle for their very existence, Deimos launched his master plan. He tapped into the power of the Time Masters in an attempt to conquer all reality, but was killed by the entity Parallax.

DEMON KNIGHTS

DAY OF WRECKENING

Guaranteed to leave a trail of destruction, the Demolition Team used all manner of repurposed tools and building equipment to provide cheap muscle for bad guys on a budget! 1 Scoopshovel 2 Steamroller 3 Rosie 4 Hardhat 5 Jackhammer

Demon Knights #1 (Nov. 2011) MEMBERS POWERS The Demon (Etrigan): Demonic physiology, sorcery; Jason Blood: Sorcery; Madame Xanadu (Nimue Inwudu): Sorcery; The Horsewoman: Archery, empathic link with horses; Sir Ystin the Shining Knight: Immortality, flying horse (Vanguard), magic sword (Caliburn); Al Jabr: Genius scientist; Exoristos the Amazon: Immortality, superhuman strength, agility, and stamina; Vandal the Savage: Immortality, tactical genius. DEBUT

DARK KNIGHTS

While helping to protect civilization in a barbaric age, the dysfunctional members of the Demon Knights fought each other as well as their enemies.

ALLIES Alba Sarum denizens, Merlin, King Arthur ENEMIES

The Demolition Team is a group of mercenaries armed with construction equipment that has been re-purposed for combat. The group all have blue-collar day jobs, but when leader Rosie lines up a contract, they drop everything and get tooled-up for action. Corrupt congressman Jason Bloch hired them to wreck Ferris Aircraft, but the team was stopped and easily beaten by the enigmatic Predator —the male alter ego of Carol Ferris. When Coast City was reduced to rubble by Mongul, the Demolition Team decided to destroy threats to the planet. After upgrading their gear, they attacked a nuclear power plant in Germany, but were stopped by the corporate-funded heroes Blood Pack. Rosie then briefly became part of the composite hero Enginehead, but soon reunited with the Demolition Team. Most of them were apparently killed when the O.M.A.C.s attacked Earth, though Hardhat survived.

TAKEOVER

1st Issue Special #8 (Nov. 1975)

POWERS/ABILITIES

Following a brush with the infinity of the cosmos inside the Speed Force, Deathstroke—a man once nicknamed the Terminator—decided to renounce killing and start a team of Super Heroes. The new team was named Defiance, and was very much a family affair, including as it did Deathstroke’s ex-wife Adeline, his daughter Rose, and his son Joey, aka Jericho. The team was kitted out with Ikon suits—“gravity sheaths” that acted almost like force-fields. However, not all the team were in it for altruistic motives, and divisions and mistrust ran deep. Defiance disbanded rapidly after Power Girl questioned Jericho’s life choices and Kid Flash could no longer stomach being allied with Deathstroke, who soon returned to his old ways.

DEMOLITION TEAM

DEIMOS

1 5

2

3

4

Questing Queen, Morgaine le Fey

In the Dark Ages, the evil Questing Queen attacked the village of Little Spring, but her armies were driven off by a motley group of adventurers. Calling themselves the Demon Knights, this fractious team comprised Vandal Savage, Amazon warrior Exoristos, Moorish scientist Al Jabr, the archer Horsewoman, the Shining Knight, Madame Xanadu, and the demon Etrigan (with his human host Jason Blood). The “heroes” then searched for Avalon and clashed with Morgaine le Fey. Betrayed by Etrigan, they were taken to Hell, but were later freed by Jason Blood and the Shining Knight. In Avalon, they defeated the armies of the Questing Queen and Lucifer (with help from Merlin and King Arthur). Merlin named the group as the first-ever Stormwatch team, but they immediately disbanded. However, Al Jabr later reunited the Demon Knights to battle vampires on Themyscira and embark on a quest for the Holy Grail.

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D

DEMON, THE

CLASSIC STORIES Swamp Thing (Vol. 2) #49–50

Demon (Vol. 1) #1 (Aug.–Sep. 1972) REAL NAME Etrigan/Jason Blood BASE Hell HEIGHT 6ft 4in (as the Demon); 6ft (as Jason Blood) WEIGHT 352 lbs (as the Demon); 182 lbs (as Jason Blood) EYES Red (as the Demon); Brown (as Jason Blood) HAIR None (as the Demon); Brown with white streak (as Jason Blood) POWERS/ABILITIES Preternaturally strong, agile, and heat-resistant; fire breath; powerful claws and fangs; knowledge and application of magical spells ALLIES Merlin, Madame Xanadu ENEMIES Morgaine le Fey, Belial AFFILIATIONS Demon Knights, Unknowns

(Jun.–Jul. 1986) When Swamp Thing, Deadman, and the Phantom Stranger recruit Etrigan to take part in a battle to decide the fate of the world, the demon leads the assault on the Great Darkness.

DATA

DEBUT

Etrigan was a lesser demon of Hell who burned with rage and ambition. When he rebelled against his master Lucifer, the infernal lord allowed the magician Merlin to bind Etrigan to a human scribe named Jason Blood. When danger threatens, Jason switches with Etrigan, but is transported to Hell while the demon is in control. For his part, Etrigan resents being forced to act like a ‘hero’ for a human and plots to gain his freedom.

Hitman #16–19 (Jul.–Oct. 1997)

Hitman Tommy Monaghan uses Etrigan to get his hands on the Ace of Winchesters —the one gun that can slay the firearmsdemon Mawzir. Shadowpact #11 (May 2007)

Etrigan tries to take the Trident of Lucifer, but is turned to stone by the Shadowpact (and used as a hat rack in the Oblivion Bar).

MATCH MADE IN HELL

Etrigan seems eternally chained to Jason Blood, as Blood is in turn chained to Etrigan. Neither is happy about their partnership, especially Etrigan, who has noticed Blood’s humanity seeping into him over the centuries.

The legend of Etrigan begins in hell and in the legendary Camelot. It is said that Jason Blood and Etrigan Merlin punished both his were bound together by the magician Merlin just as Camelot rebellious scribe Jason fell. Immortal, Jason wandered the world and rescued Blood and the demon sorceress Madame Xanadu, who was about to be burned Etrigan by binding them together—a union that at the stake as a witch. The pair became lovers, and to help would last for centuries. keep Etrigan under control, Xanadu romanced the jealous demon as well. When the demon hordes of the Questing Queen threatened the village of Little Spring, Jason joined a group of disparate warriors to fight her and her dragons. Etrigan, Xanadu, and their fellow Demon Knights successfully fought off the Questing Queen’s army. After many more adventures with the Demon Knights, Etrigan was imprisoned beneath London, but he broke free in the 21st century. He clashed with Stormwatch (the modern incarnation of the Demon Knights) and later teamed with Batwoman to prevent the return of Arthurian villainess Morgaine le Fey. He later fended off an attack from his father Belial at Death Valley, conquering him to become king of Hell. Since Etrigan has been seen hanging around the Oblivion Bar more recently, it seems his rule was short-lived. Enlisted to fight the Lords of Order, who had taken it upon themselves to destroy every magical being on Earth, Jason Blood summoned Etrigan, only to have the Demon ripped from his form and sent back to Hell. Meanwhile, Jason began to age rapidly without his demon partner. The Justice League Dark embraced chaos magic to fight the Lords of Order, and Zatanna gave Jason his youth back by entwining him with the notorious Demons Three. Whether Jason is still bound to these demonic entities remains to be seen. INFERNAL FUSION

ON THE RECORD The post-Crisis incarnation

of Etrigan was the son of the demon Belial. In the Dark Ages, Merlin summoned him in a vain attempt to save Camelot from Morgaine le Fey’s horde, binding him to a human host, the peasant Jason Blood. This made Jason immortal, and he studied demonology to better understand the entity within him. In the 20th century, Blood came across an incantation that allowed him to transform into Etrigan, and used it to battle various occult foes. Later, during the Blackest Night event, he battled Black Lanterns after being possessed by Deadman.

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DARK SUMMONING

GOING MEDIEVAL

After being released in the 20th century, Etrigan relished the opportunity to inflict some old-fashioned demonic mayhem! The modern-day minions of Morgaine le Fey discovered this to their cost!

By uttering the rhyme, “Gone, gone, the form of man. Rise the Demon Etrigan!” Jason Blood summons the Demon from Hell.

D ON THE RECORD

DESPERO DEBUT

mastermind who preferred to defeat his foes using elaborate games. He later evolved a physical form powerful enough to battle the entire Justice League single-handed. In one battle at the United Nations building, he was only defeated when Martian Manhunter showed him a vision of the thing he most wanted: the destruction of the Justice League. At peace, Despero reverted (temporarily) to a harmless fetus.

EYES

In his very first encounter with the Justice League, Despero captured the team and then forced The Flash to play against him in a game to win their freedom.

Despero’s psychic and physical power enabled him to conquer entire planets.

Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #1 (Oct.–Nov. 1960) Yellow HAIR None HEIGHT 8ft 1in WEIGHT 850 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Third eye channels phenomenal psychic powers including telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, astral projection, and illusion creation; superhumanly strong; capable of interstellar flight; invulnerability and regenerative powers. ALLIES Crime Syndicate ENEMIES Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, Justice League AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains

Despero was initially a psychic

GAMES MASTER

CONQUEROR

Despero was a member of a powerful alien race—the Klanorian—who became obsessed with conquest, and made himself ruler of three planets inhabited by less powerful beings. The Justice League attempted to overthrow him on one of their very first missions, and after a close battle he was defeated by the Martian Manhunter. Despero became obsessed with revenge, and attacked the Justice League’s Watchtower satellite while junior members Atom, Firestorm, and Element Woman were left in charge. He appeared unstoppable, but once again the Martian Manhunter managed to defeat him in a psychic battle and he was imprisoned. When the evil Crime Syndicate from Earth-3 invaded Earth-0 and defeated the Justice League, they freed Despero and he joined the Syndicate. The alien then used his prodigious mental powers to imprison Justice League members within their own minds, and appeared to beat his nemesis Martian Manhunter to death—though this proved to be a very convincing illusion. Following the defeat of the Crime Syndicate, mastermind Manchester Black manipulated the Teen Titans into breaking Despero out of prison for his own purposes, but the “Despero” they were rescuing turned out to be an illusion created by Doctor Psycho.

DESAAD

ON THE RECORD

The Forever People (Vol. 1) #2 (Apr.–May 1971) Apokolips EYES Black HAIR Black HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 152 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES New God physiology bestows immortality and superhuman physical capabilities; can take on illusionary appearances, mentally influence others, and gain power from others’ pain. ALLIES Darkseid, Steppenwolf ENEMIES Mister Miracle, Power Girl, Huntress, Superman (Val-Zod), Batman (Earth-2), the Wonders of the World AFFILIATIONS Apokolips

The post-Crisis Desaad discovered his sadistic side when young Prince Uxas— the future Darkseid—tricked him into killing his own pet. Desaad became Uxas’ minion, helping him to steal the Omega Force from his brother Drax. However, he did once betray his master by trying to steal the Omega Force with Highfather’s staff. Desaad also corrupted others, possessing Mary Shazam during Final Crisis, before being banished.

DEBUT BASE

Desaad is a New God of Apokolips, and a henchman of its overlord Darkseid. On Apokolips cruelty is a way of life, but Desaad is infamous for his sadism, drawing power from others’ agony. He became Darkseid’s interrogator and took part in Steppenwolf’s attack on Earth-2. When the forces of Darkseid invaded Earth, Desaad tortured the Man of Steel, planning to use his DNA to create more powerful Parademons. The invasion failed, leaving Desaad stranded on Earth, where he used his advanced technology and mind-control powers to spread strife, corruption, and suffering. When businessman and hero Mister Terrific was exiled to Earth-2 in a quantum-tunneling mishap, Desaad stole his identity, and clashed with Terrific’s girlfriend, Power Girl, and her companion Huntress, as he constantly tried to find his way back to Apokolips and his master. Desaad was summoned to take part in Apokolips’ second attack on Earth-2. Working from a hidden lair beneath Geneva, he turned Huntress into a warped Fury called Famine and created a new breed of warriors that helped Darkseid conquer Earth-2: The Protofuries.

PAIN AND PUNISHMENT

Desaad fed on the fear and pain of others, but when Darkseid caught him siphoning emotions from Orion and Kalibak, he destroyed Desaad with his Omega Beams.

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D DETECTIVE CHIMP Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #4 (Jul.–Aug. 1952) Magnificent Finder of Tasty Grubs, “Bobo” BASE Oblivion Bar HEIGHT 3ft 8in WEIGHT 76 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Highly intelligent, deductive skills; immortal; briefly had powers of Doctor Fate; current custodian of Myrran Sword of Night ALLIES Rex the Wonder Dog, Batman, Nightmaster, Blue Devil ENEMIES The Spectre, Eclipso, Trickster, Upside-Down Man AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark, Guild of Detection, Shadowpact, Bureau of Amplified Animals DEBUT

REAL NAME

Chimpanzee “Magnificent Finder of Tasty Grubs” was a sideshow act dubbed “Bobo” until he drank from the Fountain of Youth. This granted him a genius intellect and the ability to speak. After solving a murder, he went into business as “Detective Chimp,” but his nonhuman status caused legal issues and his agency failed. Crushed, he began drinking heavily at the Oblivion Bar, a watering-hole for occult beings run by former rock star Jim Rook aka Nightmaster. He was also the mystic guardian of other-dimensional Myrra. When The Spectre sought to banish magic, Bobo recruited fellow drinkers to fight back, and the arcane Super Hero team Shadowpact was born. After thwarting numerous catastrophes, the team—with Bobo as notional leader—split up. Doctor Fate’s Helmet then chose Bobo as its new host, but he found its power overwhelming and rapidly rejected it. When not consulting with fellow sleuths like Batman, Detective Chimp hung around the Oblivion Bar until it was attacked by Barbatos’ Dark Knights. Sacrificing himself to save everyone, Rook appointed Bobo as Nightmaster of Myrra, returning him to the role of hero. He is a most reluctant one: lonely, self-critical, and subject to depression, but he has heroically given his all in Justice League Dark, battling Circe, the Otherkind, and a constant stream of hellish foes. His greatest regret is his failure to save Myrra from the Lords of Order who began their own campaign to eradicate magic in that shadowy realm.

DEVASTATION DEBUT

Wonder Woman (Vol. 2) #143 (Apr. 1999)

4ft 6in WEIGHT 82 lbs EYES Pale blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman abilities, tactical genius, supersonic flight; can cause earthquakes and manipulate emotions. ALLIES Cronus, Dr. Poison, Agua Sin Gaaz, Lady Zand ENEMIES Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), Young Justice AFFILIATIONS The Titans HEIGHT

Devastation was created by the Titan Cronus as a weapon to cause discord on Earth. When she raised havoc in a small South Carolina town, Wonder Woman arrived to confront her, but quickly discovered that Devastation was just as powerful as she was. Devastation spread rioting and destruction across the South and tried to detonate a nuclear weapon, but Wonder Woman buried it underground and Devastation was atomized in the blast. Seeking revenge, Devastation reconstructed herself and used her mind-warping powers to turn Wonder Woman’s protégé, Wonder Girl, against her. Wonder Woman used her love for Cassie to break Devastation’s programming, though, and the villain fled. Cassie later joined Young Justice, and when the team invaded the Super-Villain haven of Zandia, Devastation agreed to help defend it on the condition that she got to take on Wonder Girl herself— but was beaten in a muddy brawl.

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TINY TERROR

Devastation’s divinely bestowed powers and bottomless appetite for destruction made her a fearsome opponent, despite her diminutive size.

DEVILANCE THE PURSUER

DEX-STARR

DEBUT

Forever People (Vol. 1) #11 (Oct.–Nov. 1972)

DEBUT Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 (Dec. 2008)

Apokolips Blue HEIGHT 7ft 1in

BASE Ysmault

BASE EYES

Red Lantern power ring gives speed, toughness, strength, interstellar flight, and can create Red Energy constructs. ALLIES Atrocitus ENEMIES Guy Gardner, Lobo AFFILIATIONS Red Lanterns POWERS/ABILITIES

405 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality, strength; energy lance tracks targets and allows flight. ALLIES Darkseid ENEMIES Forever People, Lobo, Starfire, Animal Man, Adam Strange, New Genesis WEIGHT

Devilance is the huntsman of Darkseid and the New God of Pursuit, dispatched to track down enemies of Apokolips. Darkseid sent Devilance to Earth to capture the Forever People of New Genesis, and the young heroes only escaped by switching places with Infinity Man, who was trapped in a pocket dimension. Infinity Man grabbed Devilance’s weapon, and both were seemingly destroyed in an explosion. Years later, however, Animal Man, Adam Strange, and Starfire encountered Devilance when they were stranded on a paradise planet. The Pursuer took the heroes prisoner, but they managed to escape, stealing his lance to power their ship. Devilance pursued them, but was attacked and killed by the alien bounty hunter Lobo, who impaled the New God’s head on his own lance.

Dexter was once an ordinary cat, but when he saw his human companion murdered he was overcome by anger and was chosen by a Red Lantern power ring. After exacting revenge on his human companion’s killers, he joined the Red Lantern Corps as Dex-Starr and developed a close bond with its leader, Atrocitus. He also gained the ability to create energy constructs by licking up the blood of his fellow Lantern, Rankorr. When Guy Gardner defeated Atrocitus and took over the Corps, the loyal Dex-Starr took Atrocitus to safety and helped him recruit an army to attack Gardner and his Red Lanterns. Gardner won the battle, but quit the Corps and Atrocitus took command again. Dex-Starr was later killed by the bounty hunter Lobo, but was reborn from a pool of Red Lantern blood as a being of pure rage.

D DIAL H FOR HERO House of Mystery (Vol. 1) #156 (Jan. 1966) PAST CALLERS Robby Reed, Christopher King, Victoria Grant, Hero Cruz, Father Time, Nelson Jent, Snapper Carr, Miguel Montez, Summer Pickens POWERS/ABILITIES H-Dials tap into the metaphysical Heroverse to transform users into monsters, villains, and Super Heroes. ENEMIES Mister Thunderbolt AFFILIATIONS Dial Bunch, Justice League, The Overvoid DEBUT

The Multiverse is a complex assembly of overlapping dimensions and energy zones, all combining into a unified but constantly changing whole. One particular conceptual realm contains the infinite potential to improve living beings and can be tapped by four devices that look like telephones. When technically astute teen Robby Reed found a weird rotary dial in a cave, his investigations found that it could temporarily transform him into an infinite number of Super Heroes when he dialed H-E-R-O. He was unaware that the first time it activated, it also split him into two beings—The Operator and wicked Mister Thunderbolt— who both lived independently of him. As a number of ordinary people used the scattered dials to briefly become incredible and weird beings, the Operator and Thunderbolt dueled with reality at stake: one wanted to restore cosmic balance and remove the dials while the other sought to unleash total chaos by empowering every being in the Multiverse. The simmering cold war exploded into conflict after runaway teens Miguel Montez and Summer Pickens took control of the dials, encountering Super Hero-addicted past dialers, who were becoming increasingly bizarre and ultimately transcended existence to help The Operator triumph at last.

DIGGLE, JOHN Green Arrow (Vol. 5) #24 (Dec. 2013) REAL NAME John Andrew Diggle BASE Seattle, Washington HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 209 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Special forces training and combat experience makes him a formidable opponent. ALLIES Green Arrow, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) ENEMIES The Clock King, Richard Dragon and the Longbow Hunters, John King AFFILIATIONS Team Arrow DEBUT

Former Green Beret John Diggle was working as a bodyguard at Queen Industries when Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) showed up at his Seattle apartment. The bow-slinging vigilante offered Diggle a job as “point man” in his war against crime. Diggle accepted on condition that he didn’t have to wear tights or a mask. They fought crime together for a year, but when Oliver went into mourning following his mother’s death, Diggle donned the Green Arrow outfit without permission to take down crime lord Ricardo Diaz. Following an argument, Queen fired Diggle. Years later, when Green Arrow fought Komodo and the Outsiders in Prague, Diggle resurfaced to stop Seattle gangster Richard Dragon, who was seizing control of the underworld. Betrayed by the Clock King, Diggle was captured by Dragon—Ricardo Diaz’s son. Green Arrow saved Diggle and they united to best the villain, with Diggle joining Team Arrow to defeat criminal mastermind John King and secret society the Ninth Circle. When Diggle unexpectedly saved Queen’s archenemy Dark Archer Merlyn—paying a long-standing debt of honor—the hero alliance ended acrimoniously. They last met at the funeral of Roy Harper (Arsenal) but remain at odds with each other.

ON THE RECORD The first known dial-user was teenager Robby Reed, who discovered an alien dial in a cavern. However, when he dialed S-P-L-I-T while battling Shirkon of the Many Eyes, he divided into two beings. The good Wizard and the evil Master became foes of Chris King and Vicki Grant, the next dial-wielders, until Robby’s halves were reunited. A flashback later revealed that Robby had once used his dial to switch the JLA’s powers, thus helping them to defeat the Injustice League.

DIAL P FOR PATRIOTISM!

In one of his early adventures, Robby Reed transformed into the star-spangled Yankee Doodle Kid and battled the villainous Cougar.

THE FALL GUY

When Richard Dragon declared war on Green Arrow and his allies, he tortured John Diggle before kicking him out a window. Fortunately, Green Arrow broke his friend’s fall with a foam arrow.

PARTNERS IN CRIME FIGHTING

Diggle was a practical and pragmatic counterpart to the flamboyant and idealistic Green Arrow.

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D

DATA

DOCTOR FATE DEBUT More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940) (Doctor Fate); Convergence: Aquaman #2 (July 2015) (Khalid Nassour) REAL NAME Khalid Nassour BASE Tower of Fate, Salem, Massachusetts HEIGHT 5ft 5in WEIGHT 120 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Helmet of Fate bestows powers of flight and healing; ability to channel and redirect wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning; other magical abilities including phasing through walls. ALLIES Kent Nelson ENEMIES Anubis, Nabu, Upside-Down Man AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark

NABU RETURNS

Khalid proved to Nabu that there was still a chance for humanity. As a result, Nabu ceded control of his power in order for Khalid to officially become Doctor Fate.

Down the millennia, the gods of Egypt have chosen brave champions to wear Nabu’s golden helmet and accept the sacred duty of protecting the world as Doctor Fate. When Khalid Nassour was chosen, his world changed forever. He discovered that he now possessed incredible element-controlling powers, and soon found himself a member of the Justice League Dark. At the dawn of man, a group of sorcerer kings called the Lords of Order discovered magic so powerful their bodies could not contain it, so they bound themselves to objects. One of those kings was named Nabu, and the object to which he bound himself was the Helmet of Fate. Over the years, the Helmet of Fate has found different hosts, most notably Kent Nelson, who served valiantly with the mystery men of the 1940s known as the Justice Society of America. As Kent grew older, the helmet found Egyptian-American med student and Brooklyn resident Khalid Nassour. Khalid became Dr. Fate for a brief time, but realized he had much to learn. To that end, he began to study under his great-uncle, Kent Nelson, at the Tower of Fate in Salem, Massachusetts. TOWER OF FATE However, when the mysterious Source Wall at the edge of the universe was The Tower of Fate has no doors or windows. Its pierced and the very laws of magic began to change, Nabu decided to put an end to interior is only accessible magic. He took control of Kent Nelson’s form and the helmet, locked Khalid in a piece by magic. Once inside, the of ancient pottery, and opened a portal, allowing the so-called Otherkind into the Tower is a twisted maze of stairways and hallways; world. Nabu’s goal was to destroy the source of all magic—the realm called the Sphere the laws of physics seem of the Gods. This plan would kill all magical beings, but would also put an end to the not to apply. threat of the Otherkind so would thereby ensure the Multiverse’s survival. Luckily, the Justice League Dark discovered Nabu’s horrific plan, and Man-Bat accidentally freed Khalid from his magical prison. As Nabu teamed with other Lords of Order, the Justice League Dark embraced dark magic and temporarily became the new Lords of Chaos in order to end Nabu’s threat. Later, when the Justice League Dark was locked in battle with the witch Circe’s Injustice League Dark, Khalid joined forces with Nabu and donned the Helmet of Fate once more. Khalid became Doctor Fate, a trusted member of Justice League Dark. Together, they embarked on a quest to stop the Otherkind and their leader, the terrifying Upside-Down Man.

ON THE RECORD Several heroes have served as Nabu’s host, assuming the role of Doctor Fate over the years. Kent Nelson found the Helmet of Fate in an Egyptian archaeological dig and began his career as Doctor Fate in the 1940s. When Kent died 40 years later, the Helmet passed to Eric Strauss, who mystically merged with his stepmother Linda Strauss to become the second Doctor Fate. After Eric was killed, Linda continued as Doctor Fate and came into conflict with the God of Chaos and possessed Benjamin Stoner, the evil Anti-Fate. On Linda’s death, Kent Nelson’s wife Inza briefly succeeded her, after which smuggler Jared Stevens served as the reluctant Fate until the late 1990s when he was murdered. Hector Hall, son of the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl, took the role next, and after he was depowered by the Spectre, Kent Nelson’s grandnephew, Kent V. Nelson, became Nabu’s host. On Earth-2, Khalid Ben-Hassin donned a helmet that imbued him with Nabu’s essence. He became that world’s Doctor Fate, and joined the Super Hero team the Wonders of the World.

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FUTURE FATE

A Doctor Fate exists as far into the future as the 31st century. This alien Doctor Fate is a proud member of the galactic defenders known as the Legion of Super-Heroes.

CLASSIC STORIES The Immortal Doctor Fate #1–3

MYSTERY MAN

Kent Nelson was a proud member of the first generation of Super Heroes and a founding member of the Justice Society.

LEGACY OF FATE

Alcoholic former psychologist Kent V. Nelson was at rockbottom when he found his great-uncle’s helmet. Soon he rose to become the new Doctor Fate.

(Jan.–Mar. 1985) A collection of the definitive adventures of the original Doctor Fate, Kent Nelson, as he clashes with the likes of Wotan, Khalis, and Anubis. Doctor Fate (Vol. 1) #1–4 (Jul.–Oct. 1987) Eric Strauss is chosen to wear the

Helmet of Fate, merging with his stepmother Linda to become a new Doctor Fate. Countdown to Mystery #1–8 (Nov. 2007–Jun. 2008) Kent V. Nelson, the

grandnephew of the original Doctor Fate, continues the family tradition by donning the Helmet of Fate as the world moves inexorably toward Final Crisis. The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 3) #30 (Feb. 2010) Kent Nelson places

part of his spirit in Green Lantern Hal Jordan’s ring so that he might see into the future, but discovers how he will die.

D DIRECTOR BONES DEBUT

Infinity Inc. #16 (Jul. 1985)

The Lipstick Building, New York City HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 165 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Toxic “cyanide touch;” is immune to cyanide. ALLIES Agent Chase ENEMIES Batwoman, Batman, Blue Beetle AFFILIATIONS Department of Extranormal Operations BASE

The skull-faced Director Bones led the Department of Extranormal Operations, a secret government agency that monitored superhuman activity. Bones focused on gathering intelligence on “capes” and then utilizing this information to control them for his own ends. After gaining information on Batwoman’s secret identity, Bones convinced her to work for him by threatening to incarcerate her father. She teamed up with Wonder Woman to track down the Medusa. The director then forced her to help him uncover Batman’s secret identity by revealing that her long-lost twin sister Beth was in custody. Batman and Batwoman teamed up to save Beth. Mounting concern over Director Bones’ sociopathic behavior led to his eventual incarceration in a secure facility.

DJINN

DOC MAGNUS

Teen Titans Special (Vol. 1) #1 (Aug 2018)

DEBUT

DEBUT

Unknown Mobile HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Purple HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Magical powers include shapeshifting, levitation, possession, creating illusions, and manipulating reality itself. ALLIES Robin, Crush ENEMIES Elias, The Other, Deathstroke AFFILIATIONS Teen Titans REAL NAME BASE

Djinn was a sila—a rare female genie. Although she appeared to be a teenager, she was in fact 4000 years old. As a young girl she had been cursed by her evil older brother to be imprisoned in a magic ring, the slave of anyone who wore it. Djinn had to follow the orders of some of history’s most brutal megalomaniacs, committing deeds that haunted her. When Robin (Damian Wayne) invited her to join the Teen Titans, Djinn saw it as a chance to redeem herself by saving people. Later trapped in her ring, she realized that it was within her power to free herself. After millennia, Djinn could live her own life, and she bid farewell to the Teen Titans so she could experience true freedom for the first time.

Showcase #37 (Mar.–Apr. 1962)

William Magnus BASE US Army Research Lab, Adelphi, Maryland EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Scientific genius and inventor with a talent for robotics. ALLIES Cyborg ENEMIES Chemo, Technosapiens AFFILIATIONS Metal Men, US Army REAL NAME

DOCTOR DESTINY

DOCTOR LIGHT II

Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #3 (Jul.–Aug. 1971)

DEBUT Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #5

DEBUT

BASE

Dherain Purple HAIR None

EYES

EYES

HAIR

Telepathy ENEMIES The Flash, Green Lantern, and other Earth-2 heroes. AFFILIATIONS Hunger Dogs POWERS/ABILITIES

Doctor Bedlam is a devoted follower of Darkseid and now most commonly refers to himself simply as “Bedlam.” His past is shrouded in mystery, but he was one of Steppenwolf’s Hunger Dogs alongside Brutaal and Beguiler. He attacked Earth-2’s heroes, but when Brutaal was revealed to be Superman, he used his telepathic powers to control several people, including Mister Terrific. He forced them to try and create a device that would move Earth-2 so that it could become a new home for his master, Darkseid. Pre-Flashpoint, Doctor Bedlam could also manipulate people telepathically, but was a being of pure psionic energy which he housed in an android body. If this body was destroyed, Doctor Bedlam would simply move his consciousness into another one— although it seemed he was eventually killed by the Infinity Man.

(Jun.–Jul. 1961)

Red None

Uses the Dreamstone to bring nightmares to life. ENEMIES Justice League Dark, Madame Xanadu AFFILIATIONS The Cold Flame POWERS/ABILITIES

Doctor Destiny could make nightmares become real and trap people in their own dreams. He was the son of Madame Xanadu who had a vision when he was born of how evil he would become so was forced to abandon her child lest she destroy him as her vision had foretold. When Xanadu was part of the Justice League Dark, alongside John Constantine and Swamp Thing, her son, now calling himself Doctor Destiny, attacked the team. He had been given the Dreamstone by agents of the Cold Flame and he used it to steal the House of Mystery. Swamp Thing was imprisoned in the House, but eventually broke free and helped to stop Doctor Destiny, who was then killed by Madame Xanadu. In his pre-Flashpoint incarnation, Doctor Destiny gained his power from stealing the Dreamstone (known as the Materioptikon) from Dream of the Endless.

Doc Magnus’s sentient robot Metal Men seemingly inherited their inventor’s independent temperament.

Temperamental robotics genius Dr. William Magnus was hired by the US Army to create a robot suitable for search-and-rescue missions. He invented the Responsometer— a compact Artificial Intelligence that could shape metal around it. Magnus used it to make the “Metal Men”—sentient robots formed from different metals: Gold, Tin, Platinum, Iron, Lead, and Mercury. However, when ordered to assassinate an enemy in Kahndaq, the robots refused. They went AWOL and hid in Magnus’ apartment before sacrificing themselves to defeat the villain Chemo. When the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth, Magnus rebuilt the Metal Men so they could help Cyborg take down the Syndicate’s AI, Grid. Magnus and the Metal Men also helped Cyborg fight and defeat the Technosapien invaders.

DOCTOR BEDLAM DEBUT

MINDS OF THEIR OWN

Crisis on Infinite Earths (Vol. 1) #4 (Jul. 1985)

Kimiyo Tazu Hoshi Hall of Justice, Washington D.C.; formerly Japan EYES Black HAIR Black HEIGHT 5ft 3in WEIGHT 105 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Can control light in all its forms; flight. ENEMIES Doctor Light (the original, villainous Arthur Light) AFFILIATIONS Justice League REAL NAME BASE

Kimiyo Tazu Hoshi was a Japanese scientist and astronomer who became the second Doctor Light during the first great Crisis. The Monitor, realizing he needed to recruit more Super Heroes, sent a beam of energy to Earth that struck Kimiyo, giving her the ability to control all forms of light. As Doctor Light, Kimiyo used her powers for good, but her arrogant attitude annoyed other heroes at first—until she witnessed Supergirl’s heroic death during the fight against the Anti-Monitor. After the battle, a more respectful Doctor Light fought alongside both the Doom Patrol and the Justice League, spending time with the League’s European branch. As a single mother with two kids, she decided to put her family first and became a reserve member of the Justice League, but heeded the call when needed. She returned to active duty to fight Eclipso, the

SOLAR POWER

While Kimiyo’s powers are very strong, she needs light energy to feed them. If she is trapped in darkness, her abilities will simply fade away.

Secret Six, and the Crime Syndicate. In post-Flashpoint reality, Kimiyo was the wife of scientist hero Arthur Light.

95

D

DATA

DOCTOR LIGHT Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #12 (Jun. 1962) Dr. Arthur Light BASE Chetland United Atlantic Islands EYES Black HAIR Black HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 171 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Light manipulation that includes blinding brightness, powerful laser beams, hologram projects, solid light constructs; flight. ALLIES Deathstroke ENEMIES The Outsider, Crime Syndicate, Justice League AFFILIATIONS Justice League of America, A.R.G.U.S., Crimson Men

CLASSIC STORIES

DEBUT

Secret Origins (Vol. 2) #37 (Feb.

REAL NAME

1989) The truth about Doctor Light’s

Doctor Arthur Light was a dedicated scientist working for A.R.G.U.S. when an accident gave him amazing metahuman abilities. A married man with a family, Arthur Light had no intention of being a Super Hero, but was forced into the role as part of the Justice League of America—with fatal consequences.

ASHES TO ASHES

Doctor Light came to a horrific end. After he accidentally hit Wonder Woman with his powers, an enraged Superman inadvertently decapitated him with his heat vision.

origins are revealed—including details of the original Doctor Light. Identity Crisis (Aug. 2004–Feb. 2005) Doctor Light takes on a darker

twist as secrets of his past are revealed, including his part in one of the most horrific attacks ever to take place on a member of the Justice League. Justice League (Vol. 2) #22 (Sep. 2013) The new, heroic Doctor Light—still a relative newcomer to the Super Hero world—is killed by Superman when the Man of Steel’s powers misfire.

BROUGHT TO LIGHT

Caught in the Lasso of Truth, Doctor Light came to the terrible realization that he is in fact already dead.

Arthur Light was a scientist working for A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Superhumans) and the Justice League of America. A married man with three daughters, Arthur lived an unremarkable life until tasked with studying a coin used for communication by agents of the Crime Syndicate. While investigating it, the coin received a signal and Arthur was engulfed in a blast of light that transformed him into a metahuman. While A.R.G.U.S. helped him come to terms with his new abilities, they also put him to work as a member of the Justice League of America. On his very first mission his light powers seemed to set off Superman’s heat vision and Doctor Light was killed. After the Crime Syndicate took over Earth-0, an energy apparition of Doctor Light appeared and was taken in by the Crimson Men who promised to return him to a physical form if he gave them information on Steve Trevor. When Doctor Light was forced to attack Trevor, he found himself also fighting Killer Frost. Trevor used Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth on Doctor Light, causing him to remember that he had died. Realizing he was just an echo of the real Doctor Light, the apparition vanished in a blast of energy. Doctor Light embarked on a criminal career, adopting a white and black costume. However, he was well aware that he was a dead man, simply a reconstructed consciousness made of pure light. He eventually moved to the Chetland United Atlantic Islands and was granted asylum in exchange for gifting that country’s dictator “Radiant Men,” artificial light-powered soldiers under Light’s command. When his ally Deathstroke was seemingly killed, Doctor Light attended the funeral that was populated by dozens of Super-Villains. He even created a holographic image of Superman hovering above the festivities to trick other Super Heroes into believing that the criminals were being kept in line by a watchful eye.

ON THE RECORD Dr. Arthur Light worked at S.T.A.R.

Labs where his colleague Dr. Jacob Finlay had created an energymanipulating costume to become a Super Hero called Doctor Light. After accidentally killing Finlay, Arthur took the costume and name to fight the Justice League and Teen Titans as a true Super-Villain. A brief member of the Suicide Squad, Light was retroactively revealed to have assaulted the Elongated Man’s wife Sue Dibny during the Justice League of America’s earlier years. He later helped murder the Martian Manhunter. The Spectre eventually executed the villain for his crimes in Final Crisis: Revelations #1 (Oct. 2008).

96

LIGHT GOES BLACK

Doctor Light returned as a Black Lantern to attack his successor, Kimiyo Hoshi, during the Blackest Night event.

D DOCTOR MANHATTAN Watchmen (Vol. 1) #1 (Sep 1986) Jonathan Osterman BASE Mars HEIGHT 6ft 5in WEIGHT Variable EYES White ALLIES Silk Spectre (Laurie Juspeczyk) ENEMIES Ozymandias AFFILIATIONS Crimebusters DEBUT

REAL NAME

HAIR

None

Nuclear physicist Jonathan Osterman was working at a research facility when he was accidentally trapped in a test chamber for molecular experiments. Jon was disintegrated by the machine and pronounced dead, but over the following months his consciousness began to reassemble itself as a completely new kind of being. This being became known as Doctor Manhattan, and it soon became apparent that his powers were far beyond anything that had been seen before. The US authorities seized on the opportunity to use Doctor Manhattan as a kind of living nuclear deterrent. Doctor Manhattan’s incredible abilities—experiencing different moments in time simultaneously, including future events, reshaping matter at will, and withstanding almost any attack—could have made him a great Super Hero. However, his transformation had left Doctor Manhattan emotionally detached from humanity’s problems. Departing Earth for the solitude of Mars, he used his powers to create a shimmering glass palace from the planet’s dust. At one point, Doctor Manhattan seemingly came to Earth, intrigued by a vision in which he was attacked by Superman. As it became apparent that Superman was trying to protect him, not hurt him, Manhattan realized that the hope that the hero represented was a constant throughout the Multiverse. He transferred his powers to a young boy whom he named Clark, leaving him to be raised by former comrades Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, and vanished from existence.

A QUESTION OF POWER.

It is believed that Doctor Manhattan may have been drawn to Earth for a confrontation with Superman.

DOCTOR MID-NITE Doctor Mid-Nite #1 (1991) (Pieter Cross) Pieter Anton Cross, M.D. BASE Portsmouth City EYES Blue HAIR Black HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 175 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Able to see in the dark; carries inventions to aid his crime fighting, including blackout bombs; excellent medical and surgical skills. ENEMIES Johnny Sorrow, Icicle, Ultra-Humanite, Mordru, Endless Winter, Mircea AFFILIATIONS Justice Society of America DEBUT

REAL NAME

Pieter Anton Cross was the second person to take on the role of Doctor Mid-Nite. The original, Dr. Charles M. McNider, had saved Pieter’s pregnant mother when she’d been attacked, and helped her give birth to Pieter. Cross grew up to be a physician himself, graduating from Harvard Medical School aged only 19, and worked with McNider, who became his mentor. While investigating the origins of a dangerous drug called A39 (a variation of the Venom serum), Cross was knocked out and injected with the drug by the dealers, who placed him behind the wheel of a car. Cross regained consciousness just as the car struck a woman. The drug and accident left him blind but astonishingly allowed him to see during the night. He became Doctor Mid-Nite to bring the dealers to justice, and then continued in the role, joining a reformed “YOU’LL LIVE” Justice Society of America. When not crime fighting, he often As the de facto team medic, Doctor Mid-Nite treated used his medical skills to aid other Super Heroes and later Mr. America’s injuries when mentored the young Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes). he received a nasty beating In the post-Flashpoint reality, Pieter Cross worked as a doctor at the hands of the corrupted in Seattle, and aided the Green Arrow after he was wounded. missionary William Matthews.

DOCTORS IN THE HOUSE

Two other heroes took on the role of Doctor Mid-Nite. The original, Dr. Charles McNider (top), lost his sight to a grenade, and fought crime alongside the original Justice Society of America. The second was Beth Chapel (above). She became a member of Infinity, Inc. but was killed by Eclipso soon after becoming a hero.

97

D DOCTOR PHOSPHORUS DEBUT

Detective Comics #469 (May 1977)

Alex Sartorius BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 169 lbs HAIR None EYES White POWERS/ABILITIES Combusts in oxygen, emits toxic fumes; manipulates radiation. ALLIES Arkham Knight, Neron ENEMIES Starman, Batman REAL NAME

Eternally burning from millions of radioactive phosphorus particles embedded in his body, Doctor Phosphorus joined the Secret Society of SuperVillains and was remitted to Arkham Asylum when the Crime Syndicate’s invasion collapsed. He was later broken out as war loomed between The Penguin’s costumed crew and the murderous Carmine Falcone. Phosphorus vanished into Gotham Underground, taking over Charneltown with his daughter, Tinderbox. He sought to control the Underground and strike at the world above, but needed to alter the surface environment, or his nature, to survive there. Failing in his attempts to destroy Gotham City by converting it into fiery terrain he could endure, Phosphorus vanished until he was recruited by the Arkham Knight. Astrid Arkham involved him in a scheme to destroy Batman, but again he was defeated.

DOCTOR POLARIS

DOCTOR PSYCHO

DOCTOR THIRTEEN

Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #5 (Jun.–Jul. 1943)

DEBUT

DEBUT

Edgar Cizko 3ft 9in WEIGHT 85 lbs HAIR None EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Psionic ability; hallucination creation; astral projection. ENEMIES Plastic Man, Justice League, Wonder Woman AFFILIATIONS The Cabal, Secret Society of Super-Villains REAL NAME HEIGHT

Doctor Psycho is a diminutive psychologist and con man with psionic abilities, who carried out séances to telepathically steal his clients’ identities and data, and used his illusion-casting abilities to seduce women. Overwhelmingly arrogant, Psycho has clashed with many Super Heroes,including Wonder Woman, Superboy, The Question, and Superman. He has also joined numerous criminal groups such as the Secret Society of Super-Villains and the League of Villainy. However, he never received the respect he felt was his due. In recent times he allied with Hugo Strange, Queen Bee, Per Degaton, and the android Amazo in a clandestine organization dubbed the Cabal, but was again abused and physically humiliated: This time by the absurd Super Hero Plastic Man.

Star-Spangled Comics #122 (Nov. 1951)

Gotham City REAL NAME Terrence Thirteen II HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 168 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled chemist and supernatural investigator. ALLIES Phantom Stranger ENEMIES Haunted Highwayman AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark BASE

In 1880s Gotham City, Doctor Terrence Thirteen exposed fraudsters preying on the gullible. When he helped arrest Professor Jonathan Rood—a thief posing as the Haunted Highwayman—a stray bullet from the ensuing fight killed Rood’s mother. Before he was hanged, the Professor cursed Thirteen and his descendants. Many of them also became “Ghost Breakers” catching conmen. One of them used his investigative and medical talents during Justice League Dark’s battle against the Blight. He and Nightmare Nurse even resurrected the dead heroes before Thirteen joined the Phantom Stranger to save young Chris Esperanza from Blight possession. Doctor Thirteen also maintains that the supernatural is nonsense, despite his teenage daughter Traci being one of the most powerful witches on Earth.

DEBUT Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #21 (Jun. 1963)

DOCTOR SIVANA

New Mexico REAL NAME Neal Emerson HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 194 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Wields magnetic energy to levitate, move metallic objects, and make force fields. ALLIES Neron ENEMIES Green Lantern Corps

Whiz Comics #2 (Feb. 1940) REAL NAME Thaddeus Bodog Sivana HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 123 lbs HAIR Bald EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Wide-ranging mastery of scientific and technical disciplines; magical abilities. ALLIES Mr. Mind, Black Adam ENEMIES Justice League AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains

BASE

Neal Emerson’s research into magnetic polarity resulted in several medical breakthroughs. However, his work also caused him to develop a personality disorder. Over time, his darker side became the villainous, power-hungry Doctor Polaris. Polaris clashed with Hal Jordan, Earth’s Green Lantern, several times, with Hal often coaxing out Neal’s benevolent personality, and so ending Polaris’ magnetic rampages. Emerson originally used technology to control magnetism, but his body eventually internalized the power. After the Anti-Monitor attacked Earth, Polaris and other villains tried to destroy all Earth-based Green Lanterns. During Infinite Crisis, Polaris joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains, but later perished in an explosion. His successor, John Nichol, was killed by the Black Lantern version of Emerson.

98

DEBUT

When his scientific investigations failed to provide answers in his quest to save his family from a terrible threat, Doctor Sivana turned to magic. He learned the story of Teth-Adam becoming Black Adam, and went to the site in Iraq he thought contained his tomb to search for an entrance to the Rock of Eternity. As the tomb opened, a bolt of lightning struck Sivana, scarring his face and giving him the ability to see magic through his damaged eye. Black Adam emerged from his tomb and together they hunted for Shazam, unleashing the Seven Deadly Sins along the way. When they located Shazam, Black Adam left Sivana. Distraught, Sivana returned to the entrance of the Rock of Eternity where he met a strange worm-like creature calling itself Mr. Mind, who said that he and Sivana would be the “best of friends.” Mr. Mind was also the inventor of the secretive Unternet system—later corrupted by Darkseid for his own use. A Legion of Sivanas from the different worlds united to destroy the Shazam Family and conquer the Multiverse, attempting to seize control of the Rock of Eternity.

DOLL WOMAN AND DOLL MAN Feature Comics #27 (Dec. 1939) (Doll Man); Doll Man #37 (Dec. 1951) (Doll Girl)

DEBUT

Darrel Dane (Doll Man); Martha Roberts (Doll Girl) BASE Earth-X HEIGHT/WEIGHT Variable (Doll Man, Doll Girl) HAIR Brown (Doll Man, Doll Woman) EYES Blue (Doll Man); Brown (Doll Girl) POWERS/ABILITIES Shrinking effect increases strength and physical abilities. ALIIES Uncle Sam, Human Bomb, Black Condor ENEMIES Nazis, Adolf Hitler II, Adolf Hitler III, Overman AFFILIATIONS Freedom Fighters REAL NAMES

Martha Roberts was the original Doll Girl. Her fiancé Darrel Dane, the original Doll Man, gave Martha shrinking powers like his so they could fight together. A second Doll Girl was a member of the Teen Titans. After Flashpoint, Doll Man was Dane Maxwell, longtime friend of Jennifer Knight. While helping Knight track down her parents’ murderers, Dane was shrunk to a minute size. Their crusade brought them to the attention of Uncle Sam, who recruited them. On Earth-X the Nazis won World War II. Doll Man and Doll Woman battled with Uncle Sam’s Freedom Fighters until he died in 1963. Decades later, Martha ultimately defeathed fascism with a new team.

ON THE RECORD Doctor Sivana was originally a mad scientist but, during his Golden Age history, his feud with the Marvel Family got more personal. He was now a rogue scientist and corrupt billionaire implicated in the murders of archaeologists C.C. and Marilyn Batson. Sivana attempted to steal the scarab necklace of the ancient wizard Shazam. He was thwarted by the wizard’s champion, whom Sivana learned was young Billy Batson. Billy mockingly called Sivana “The Big Red Cheese.”

GOLDEN AGE ADVERSARIES

Doctor Sivana and his family—which include Georgia and Sivana Jr.—have long been foes of the Shazam family.

D DOLLMAKER Gotham City Barton Mathis HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 160 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled surgeon. ALLIES The Joker ENEMIES Batman BASE

REAL NAME

DOLPHIN

FAMILY RESEMBLANCE

Barton Mathis’ tribute to his father was to include parts of his face in his horrific skin mask of many faces.

Young Barton Mathis’ father Wesley was a cannibal serial killer, who took his son along on his murderous hunts. Deranged by this experience, Barton became further unhinged when he witnessed his father’s killing by a young Gotham City police officer named James Gordon. The orphaned boy was placed into foster care, but ran away, surfacing years later as the Super-Villain Dollmaker. Mathis wore a gruesome mask stitched together from other faces—one of which was his father’s—and led a gang of thugs with similar skin masks. Dollmaker conspired with The Joker to capture Batman and Commissioner Gordon, cutting off The Joker’s face and providing a new one so that he could escape Arkham Asylum while people believed he was dead. Their plot failed when Batman freed himself and went after Dollmaker, who escaped, leaving behind The Joker’s face—which became an object of perverse worship for The Joker’s minions.

DEBUT

DOMINATORS

Showcase #79 (Dec. 1968)

DEBUT

Atlantis HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 145 lbs EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Very fast swimmer who can breathe in air and water; able to withstand deep-sea pressures. ALLIES Aquaman, Tempest ENEMIES The Spectre AFFILIATIONS Forgotten Heroes BASE

A woman nicknamed Dolphin is the sole surviving member of an alien experiment on humans. She was freed by the spirit of Kordax the Cursed— which hailed from Atlantis’ earliest days—and then found by Navy officer Chris Landau and his crew. Dolphin was initially the main attraction at Oceanworld, but eventually returned to the sea, where she discovered Atlantis and was made welcome. She met Aquaman during a battle with Charybdis and later fell in love with Aquaman’s adopted son, Tempest. Dolphin joined father and son on several missions until she and Tempest married. They had a child during the war between Atlantis and Cerdia, and the baby was named Cerdian to help heal the conflict. Dolphin later insisted that Tempest leave the Teen Titans to devote his time to their family and home in Atlantis.

DOOM PATROL

The Dominion is a highly advanced, technological civilization organized along rigid hierarchical lines and based on genetic manipulation. Using sampled metagenes, Dominators create specialized members of their society tailored for specific roles with a variety of powers and abilities. Extremely ambitious, Dominators constantly seek to expand their sphere of influence and are adept at political intrigue. When they deemed Earth’s metahuman potential to be a danger, they coordinated a shaky coalition of space-faring civilizations to eradicate humanity. Even after an army of Super Heroes defeated the scheme, the Dominion profited, as they had used the opportunity to add many metagene samples to their inventory. In recent times their operatives clashed with rogue Guardian of the Universe Rami and attempted a second invasion of Earth, which was repelled single-handedly by Superman.

ON THE RECORD

My Greatest Adventure #80 (Jun. 1963) BASE Los Angeles CURRENT MEMBERS/POWERS The Chief (Dr. Niles Caulder): genius intellect; Elasti-Girl (Rita Farr): elasticity, size alteration; Negative Man (Lawrence Trainor): radioactive projection, can fly and become intangible; Robotman (Cliff Steele): nanomachine-created robot body with various powers; Element Woman (Emily Sung): metamorphosis, elemental manipulation. ALLIES A.R.G.U.S., Justice League ENEMIES Crime Syndicate of America DEBUT

Dr. Niles Caulder—also known as the Chief—created the Doom Patrol from a group of ostracized and traumatized metahuman misfits, figuring they would have nothing to lose. The first roster, which included the likes of Scorch, Karma, Negative Woman, and Tempest, were all killed in a fight with Johnny Quick and Atomica of the Crime Syndicate of America when they invaded Earth. As a result, Dr. Caulder brought together a new team: Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Robotman, and Element Woman, who was estranged from the Justice League. The team went after the new Power Ring (Jessica Cruz), but during the mission the members of Doom Patrol learned that Caulder was not at all what he seemed, when they crossed paths with Justice League members also pursuing Cruz. Not only did Dr. Caulder try to lobotomize Jessica so that he could control her, but Lex Luthor informed the Doom Patrol that Caulder himself was also responsible for the freak accidents that gave the members their MOTLEY CREW powers. Celsius and Tempest, previous Doom 1 Robotman Patrol members, had faked their own deaths 2 The Chief to free themselves of his control. In the 3 Element Woman aftermath of these revelations, the future 4 Negative Man 5 Elasti-Girl of the team is uncertain.

Adventure Comics #361 (Oct. 1967)

Dominion HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Black HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Master geneticists with highly advanced technologies. ENEMIES Superman. Green Lantern Corps AFFILIATIONS None for any length of time BASE

5

4

1

2

The first Doom Patrol—Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, and Robotman—was assembled by the wheelchair-bound Dr. Niles Caulder. He believed that his band of alienated outcasts would be willing to risk their lives as the world’s strangest Super Heroes battling equally bizarre villains. By contrast, the pre-Flashpoint Caulder manipulated and betrayed the trust of the team, even as he encouraged them to fight the Brotherhood of Evil and General Immortus. One especially odd later addition to the team was the sentient road, Danny the Street, who later helped the Teen Titans escape the evil Harvest.

3 UNDER FIRE

Niles Caulder put the Doom Patrol together, but he wasn’t sentimental about individual members whom he considered a threat.

99

D

CLASSIC STORIES

DOOMSDAY

Superman (Vol. 2) #75 (Jan.

DEBUT

1993) Doomsday falls to Superman’s ultimate efforts. The unconscious monstrosity is carted away into captivity as Earth mourns the death of its greatest hero.

BASE

Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/

DATA

Superman: The Man of Steel (Vol. 1) #17 (Nov. 1992) Mobile HEIGHT 7ft 6in WEIGHT 915 lbs EYES Red HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Overwhelming strength, regeneration, invulnerability, able to learn and adapt after its own death. ALLIES None ENEMIES Superman, Wonder Woman, Justice League

Prey (Vol. 1) #1–3 (Apr.–Jun. 1994)

Thrown into space, Doomsday landed on Apokolips and battled Darkseid. He was then transported to the planet of Calaton, with Superman in hot pursuit. Superman: The Doomsday Wars (Vol. 1) #1–3 (Nov. 1998–Jan. 1999)

Doomsday is an alien creature of overwhelming force and savage bloodlust whose appearance invokes terror. When he first arrived on Earth, his rampage of mindless destruction devastated Metropolis. The carnage ended only after Superman died putting the mindless beast down.

Doomsday is plucked from the End of Time and his body merged with Brainiac’s intellect in a lethal experiment. THE OZ EFFECT

When Superman banished Doomsday to the Phantom Zone, the beam was intercepted by his father Jor-El, who imprisoned Doomsday in a misguided attempt to keep his son safe.

Doomsday was created on Krypton nearly 250,000 years ago. The alien that would become a hulking creature of pure destruction was actually the subject of a cruel experiment. He was PRISON UNIFORM killed and then cloned, killed and cloned again. When Superman first The process was ruthlessly repeated daily in faced Doomsday, as well some cases. The child learned to live longer and as when Doomsday reappeared in Metropolis longer each time, finally become a killing recently, the monster machine himself at the end of an was wearing a green evolutionary journey that lasted decades. bodysuit that hid his Doomsday was imprisoned, but horrible visage. eventually found his way to Earth. He carved a bloody swath to Metropolis, where Superman successfully stopped him, but at the cost of his own life. While Superman later returned, thanks to Kryptonian technology and a visit from his father in the afterlife, so too did Doomsday, the creature even stronger than before. Superman has fought, and defeated, Doomsday many times, despite Doomsday often receiving an upgrade from time to time. When the creature once again rampaged through Metropolis recently, Superman sent him into the Phantom Zone after receiving some help from both Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor. However, that transmission was intercepted by Superman’s Kryptonian father Jor-El, who kept Doomsday restrained in order to protect his son. When Jor-El finally revealed to his son that he had indeed survived the destruction of Krypton, Superman was both shocked and disgusted that his father was holding Doomsday captive. Restrained for now, it is only a matter of time before Doomsday breaks free to wreak havoc once more.

ON THE RECORD Doomsday debuted in 1992:

a relentless, unreasoning juggernaut of destruction intent on invading Metropolis. Draped in a shroud with futuristic, broken shackles, it smashed its way across America and was only stopped at the cost of Superman’s life. In 2011, mere months before the Flashpoint event, Luthor unleashed a wave of Doomsday clones against every hero wearing Superman’s symbol. The furious onslaught enveloped Superboy, Supergirl, Eradicator, Steel, and even Cyborg Superman. None knew their true enemy was an intelligent and manipulative super-Doomsday clone called the Doomslayer.

100

WALKING NIGHTMARE

Ruthless, relentless, unstoppable; the monolithic monster spread terror and death wherever he went. REIGN OF THE DOOMSDAYS

Although no longer unique, the alien entity Doomsday was always an aptly named, serious threat.

D DRAGON, RICHARD DEBUT Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter (Vol. 1) #1 (Apr.–May 1975) REAL NAME Ricardo Diaz, Jr. BASE Seattle EYES Brown HAIR

DRAGON’S HORDE

The merciless and deadly Crime King of Seattle took whatever he wanted and defended his treasures with an army of lethal metahuman killers.

Bald

POWERS/ABILITIES Accomplished martial

artist; strategic and tactical mastermind. ALLIES Billy “The Clock King” Tockman, Count

Vertigo, Red Dart, Brick, Killer Moth ENEMIES Green Arrow, Shado, John Diggle AFFILIATIONS The Longbow Hunters, League of Assassins

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #317 (Feb. 1964) DEBUT

Legion HQ, 31st-century New Metropolis Nura Nal HEIGHT 5ft 5in WEIGHT 120 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Oneiromancy, preternaturally accurate precognitive dreams. ALLIES High Seer of Naltor ENEMIES Horraz Collective AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes, Legion of Substitute Heroes BASE

REAL NAME

Nura Nal is a near-infallible precognitive seer who foresees forthcoming events when she sleeps. As Dream Girl she represents Naltor in the Legion of Super-Heroes, hailing from an extremely advanced species almost universally capable of seeing the future. After joining the multiplanetary team, she ensured every teammate knew that she saw a great and glorious future for them all: a boon made easier with her ability to psychically share her visions with others. However, she later reveals to the United Planets Council that her reason for joining the Legion is that for many months (cycles) she has seen a galaxy-shattering “Great Darkness is coming”… Glitteringly resplendent and physically beautiful by human standards, Dream Girl is astute, sensitive and diplomatic. Her powers make her a brilliant judge of sentient character and she always knows exactly how best to spread the news, good or otherwise.

DEBUT

DREADFULS, THE

Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #18 (May 2007)

BASE Talok V, Qward, Sector EYES

Red

HAIR

3500

Black

Emotional empathy, prognostication, seduction through storytelling. ALLIES Arkillo, Amon Sur ENEMIES Green Lantern Corps, Guardians of the Universe, Sinestro AFFILIATIONS Sinestro Corps, Black Lanterns POWERS/ABILITIES

Purportedly recruited by Sinestro himself to haunt Space Sector 3500, the empath was one of his most effective Yellow Lanterns. Drak also recorded the Legion of Fear’s atrocities in the Book of Parallax. A gifted seer and raconteur who could seduce the unwary with horrific tales, she tested Yellow Corpsmen. When Arkillo finished their training in ring-wielding, Drak would make them confront their darkest terrors in her Fear Lodge. All who failed died horribly, their fates recorded in the Book. After being captured by John Stewart and Guy Gardner, Drak was imprisoned in a Sciencell on Oa. When Blackest Night commenced, she attempted to steal the Book of the Black, but was trapped within its pages before being released and becoming its keeper.

Ricardo Diaz, Jr. is the son of criminal royalty. Until Green Arrow and John Diggle stopped him, Diaz Senior ruled Seattle’s underworld, and when they destroyed the enterprise his son swore vengeance. He joined the League of Assassins and was trained by Richard Drakunovski in all aspects of the martial arts. Ricardo readily absorbed the combat lore of the fabled “Richard Dragon” but rejected his sensei’s attempts to instill a moral code or compassion. When he learned all he could, Diaz killed his mentor, taking his name. Returning to Seattle, the new Dragon began reclaiming his inheritance, killing gang bosses and bringing together the fragmented groups to form an army of terror. He organized a Super-Villain task-force to collect a multi-million dollar bounty on Green Arrow and tried to force the hero into accepting him as Seattle’s ultimate power.

DREAM GIRL

DRAK, LYSSA

TRUE VISIONARY

Dream Girl’s superpower is just a handy qualifying detail for Legion membership. Her true value is as an independent, inspirational strategist.

DUCARD, HENRI DEBUT

Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #599 (Apr. 1989)

Paris, France HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 215 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Gray POWERS/ABILITIES Keen deductive reasoning, expert marksman. ALLIES Morgan Ducard ENEMIES Bruce Wayne BASE

Manhunter and mercenary, former French Interpol agent Henri Ducard was considered the world’s greatest tracker. He was sought out by young Bruce Wayne, who wanted to learn all his techniques for his own future role as a crime fighter. When the implacable stalker at last agreed to teach the boy-millionaire, Ducard paired him with his own son, Morgan, to track a terrorist across Paris. Wayne was unaware Ducard had been hired to murder their target, or that his classmate was avidly learning all the tricks of a successful killer for hire. As a deadly graduation test, the remorseless and utterly amoral tutor tasked Morgan with killing Bruce, but when the junior Ducard failed, Henri cut off all contact with his son.

DEBUT BASE

The Terrifics (Vol. 1) #11 (Jun. 2017)

Mobile

Doc Dread: Genius intellect, armor giving him super-strength and durability, flight and energy blast ability; Metalmorpho: Robotic version of Metamorpho from Earth-44; Plasma-Man: Vampire from Earth-43, stretching ability; Phantom Boy: Ghost teen from Earth-13. ALLIES None ENEMIES The Terrifics MEMBERS/POWERS

Java, the hyperintelligent Neanderthal who worked for businessman Simon Stagg, was intensely jealous of Mr. Terrific and invented the villainous persona of Doc Dread to bring him down. When this failed, Doc Dread decided to use a stolen T-sphere to travel the Multiverse and eliminate all the versions of Mr. Terrific in every reality. Since he had failed to defeat Mr. Terrific alone, he assembled a team of alternate versions of the Terrifics, named The Dreadfuls. As Mr. Terrific pursued them across realities, The Dreadfuls confronted him on Earth-23. They appeared to have the upper hand until backup arrived—the reassembled Terrifics and Earth-23’s Ms. Terrific. The Dreadfuls were brought to the House of Heroes at the heart of the Multiverse to be tried by Justice Incarnate.

DURLANS Action Comics (Vol. 1) #283 (Dec. 1961)

DEBUT

Durla Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Variable HAIR Variable POWERS/ABILITIES Elastic physicality, able to instantly reshape their form. ENEMIES Other Durlans AFFILIATIONS United Planets BASE

HEIGHT

Durla was a wealthy, technologically advanced world until a “Six-Minute War” between its leading nations left the planet a radioactive ruin. The conflagration turned the planet into a desert husk where survivors mutated into physically unstable shapeshifters who chose a base shape— usually multi-tentacled and enshrouded. These Durlans gradually formed regressive anti-technology clans, perpetually at war with each other, but uniformly suspicious of—and xenophobic towards—off-worlders. In time, a separate sub-group evolved out of the warring sects. Futurist Durlans resolved to regain control of their species’ mutated genome, actively embraced science, and infiltrated Earth in the early 20th century to exploit its rapidly growing technological base.

101

E ON THE RECORD

ECLIPSO

Pre-Flashpoint, Eclipso was

House of Secrets (Vol. 1) #61 (Jul.–Aug. 1963) REAL NAME Kaala BASE Heart of Darkness (his Black Diamond) HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Fueled by rage; invulnerability, dark energy generation, teleportation through shadows, telepathy, telekinetic manipulation, body possession, memory manipulation; powers magnified during an eclipse. ALLIES Kaala, Alex Montez, Gordon Jacobs ENEMIES Team 7, Lady Chandra, Princess Amaya, Justice League, Justice Society AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, House Onyx, House Diamond DEBUT

Created at the dawn of time, Eclipso is the evil Spirit of God’s Vengeance. Over eons he possessed many hosts until he incarnated on the Gemworld as Lord Kaala, scion of House Onyx and House Diamond. Kaala launched a war but was defeated by Lady Chandra of House Amethyst, who trapped him in a Black Diamond, subsequently hiding it on Earth. The “Heart of Darkness” holding Eclipso was recovered in modern times by America’s Team 7 and locked in A.R.G.U.S.’s Black Room. Catwoman stole it for Alex Montez, who became Eclipso’s new host. John Constantine offered Montez/ Eclipso passage to Gemworld, sealing the portal after him. Eclipso seized control of House Onyx and House Diamond again, leading them against House Amethyst, but was returned to the Black Diamond by Princess Amaya. The gem returned to Earth, where Eclipso found new host Gordon Jacobs, before being sealed in his gem once more. Following Rebirth, when Justice League Dark battled both the Otherkind and Circe over the fate and direction of magic, Eclipso was again released to capitalize on the wickedness of humanity and war between the realms of magic.

God’s original Spirit of Vengeance, but when it turned evil it was replaced by The Spectre. Eclipso initially possessed solar-technology expert Bruce Gordon, though he later broke free. Alex Montez then used a set of mystic tattoos to harness Eclipso’s power without surrendering control to the spirit. During the Day of Vengeance, Eclipso possessed the Atom’s ex-wife, Jean Loring, and drew Mary Shazam under his evil influence. When the Brightest Day event occurred, the villain plotted to kill God.

SPLIT PERSONALITY

When hosted by scientist Bruce Gordon, Eclipso found himself unwillingly forced into the role of hero.

EDGE, MORGAN DEBUT Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #133 (Oct .1970)

Metropolis 6ft 2in WEIGHT 235 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Bald (black) POWERS/ABILITIES Ruthless but highly intelligent businessman. ENEMIES Superman BASE

HEIGHT

Media baron Morgan Edge is the President and CEO of the Planet Global Network and owner of the PGN TV network and The Globe tabloid. He also acquired the Daily Planet newspaper, replacing its iconic globetopped building with a sleek modern office block. As CEO of PGN, he backed the Challengers adventure-reality TV show (starring the Challengers of the Unknown) and shamelessly exploited the tragic deaths of three team members for publicity. Edge also aired a report that (incorrectly) claimed to reveal Superman’s identity— over the objections of PGN’s executive producer, Lois Lane. Edge’s cavalier approach to journalistic ethics led to Clark Kent and Jack Ryder quitting. However, when Metropolis was attacked by an alien, Edge displayed a gift for leadership.

NEW PLANET

Edge’s new and more callous style of business management won him few friends among long-serving Daily Planet staff.

BLOOD SACRIFICE

Eclipso persuaded Gordon Jacobs to release him from the Black Diamond—by mutilating himself with the gem.

DARK NEMESIS

Though Eclipso has been defeated multiple times, this relentless, malevolent villain always returns, seemingly more powerful than before.

TAKING POSSESSION

Eclipso escaped the Black Diamond on Kalaa and possessed Deathstroke, but was imprisoned in the jewel again by Slade’s Team 7 comrades.

102

E EFFIGY

EL DIABLO (CHATO SANTANA)

DEBUT Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #110 (Mar. 1999)

DEBUT

Martin Van Wyck New York City EYES Blue HAIR Blond HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 195 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Flies through space, generates flame bursts, creates fiery energy constructs. ENEMIES Green Lantern, The Spectre REAL NAME BASE

Disgruntled loser Martin Van Wyck was abducted by the alien Controllers and given fire-based powers before being deemed a “failed experiment” and sent back to Earth. When using his powers, Van Wyck transformed into a white-skinned, flame-headed being and took the name Effigy. With no other ambitions, he wreaked havoc, setting fire to the Hollywood sign. After a battle with Green Lantern, he was reclaimed by the Controllers. Effigy later returned to Earth, where he fell for Killer Frost, but when she was buried in an avalanche, he callously abandoned her. The villain then served in the Society and Libra’s Secret Society of Super-Villains and was briefly exiled to the planet of Salvation. Effigy suffered a gruesome death during Final Crisis, when The Spectre burned him alive in a lantern.

El Diablo (Vol. 3) #1 (Nov. 2008)

Chato Santana BASE Belle Reve Penitentiary EYES Black HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Tattoos provide flame-generation powers; can also use these powers to heal by burning toxins from people’s systems. ENEMIES Basilisk, Resurrection Man, Bloodletter REAL NAME

Born in a deprived neighborhood, Chato Santana joined a street gang and developed a fearsome reputation as “El Diablo.” Demoniclooking body tattoos gave him pyrotechnic powers. When a rival gang crossed him, he set their house ablaze, realizing too late that there were women and children inside. Overcome with remorse, El Diablo did not resist arrest. Imprisoned at the Belle Reve Penitentiary, he was chosen by Amanda Waller for her Suicide Squad, a secret government-backed team of Super-Villains. After a potentially lethal training exercise, El Diablo saw a chance for redemption. Recently, El Diablo received an pardon and left Belle Reve for his old neighborhood, only to come up against a deadly gang and their superpowered leader, Bloodletter.

EL DIABLO (LAZARUS LANE)

ELEMENT LAD

DEBUT

All-Star Western (Vol. 2) #2 (Oct.–Nov. 1970)

DEBUT

REAL NAME

Lazarus Lane Blue HAIR Black with white streak HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 182 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Rendered unconscious, Lane releases El Diablo, a Spirit of Vengeance armed with revolver, bolos, and flaming whip. ENEMIES Black River

REAL NAME

EYES

BASE

Old West bank teller Lazarus Lane was struck by lightning and sent into a coma. He was then cursed by an Apache shaman, Wise Owl, and when he awoke he was the host for El Diablo, a demonic masked vigilante. From then on, whenever Lane was unconscious, El Diablo appeared and meted out harsh justice with his six-guns and fiery whip, soon becoming a feared figure on his black stallion, Lucifer. When a town faced a zombie curse, El Diablo confronted the villain behind it—a Native American spirit warrior, Black River. Black River told him to punish the white men for killing Native American tribes and stealing their land. However, El Diablo stated that more killing would not change the past. El Diablo later inspired other heroes, including Rafael Sandoval and Chato Santana.

ELASTI-GIRL/ELASTI-WOMAN My Greatest Adventure (Vol. 1) #80 (Jun. 1963) Rita Farr BASE Los Angeles HEIGHT 5ft 6in; Variable WEIGHT 126 lbs; Variable EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Unstable body structure allows her to change size and shape, but if she loses focus she is in danger of losing her human form and turning into a blob of protoplasm. ALLIES Niles Caulder, Negative Man, Robot Man, Element Woman ENEMIES Galtry, Madame Rouge AFFILIATIONS Doom Patrol

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #307 (Apr. 1963)

Jan Arrah Legion Headquarters, 31st-century New

Earth Green HAIR Yellow 5ft 7in WEIGHT 140 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Transmutation of elements, elemental energy blasts; Legion flight ring. ENEMIES Horraz Collective AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes EYES

HEIGHT

Jan Arrah is the last survivor of the planet Trom. Once inhabited by an insular race of matter transmuters, Trom was invaded by the Horraz Collective who ordered their new chattels to change the elemental properties of substances to enrich their new masters. When the Trommites unilaterally refused, the Horraz eradicated the species. Jan remains tight-lipped about how he escaped the genocide, but in the aftermath he fled and offered his services to the newly formed Legion of Super-Heroes. Wry and laconic, he finds it difficult to socialize in large crowds, but is a valiant fighter. He proudly boasts that he can alter the elemental composition of (almost) anything, but frankly admits that he still has problems changing things back to their original state.

ON THE RECORD

DEBUT

The original Rita Farr joined Doom

REAL NAME

Patrol as Elasti-Girl and married the psychic hero Mento. While on a mission, Rita was seemingly killed in an explosion. The pre-Flashpoint heroine later reunited with Mento and the Doom Patrol with no memory of how she had cheated death. Years later, it was revealed that the returned Elasti-Girl (or Elasti-Woman, as she was now called) was actually a protoplasmic duplicate created by the Chief—and that Mento had been manipulating her mind.

Movie star Rita Farr was filming on location in an African swamp when she was exposed to a mysterious gas that disrupted and broke down her cellular structure. Afterwards, she could alter her size and shape at will. However, if she lost concentration her shape would soften and she risked slipping into a formless mass. Rita suffered a nervous breakdown and opportunistic mad scientist Niles Caulder suggested she join his “super support group” for people with unwelcome superpowers—the Doom Patrol. As Elasti-Girl, she joined Negative Man, Robotman, and, over the years, many others. Caulder (“the Chief”) led them on missions against monsters, Super-Villains, and uncanny threats before being exposed as having manufactured the accidents that created his Freak Heroes. Rita tried to regain a semblance of normal life, marrying billionaire self-made Super Hero Steve Dayton (Mento) and adopting orphaned Beast Boy Gar Logan, but they too fell under Caulder’s toxic influence. Rita found a measure of peace after being killed by Madame Rouge, but her new form was easily reconstructed and she returned to fight again in increasingly strange circumstances. At one stage she was even used by transdimensional Reality KEEPING IT TOGETHER Agents Retconn as a conceptual source for Elasti-Girl may have once been a commercial alternate existences. beloved Hollywood celebrity, but her Finally freed from everybody else’s expectations, transformation into a metahuman left Elasti-Woman is now the emotional core of a new, her physically and mentally unstable. Caulder-free family of Doom Patrollers.

ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMAN

Elasti-Girl took center stage as the Doom Patrol were forced to team up with their archenemies, the Brotherhood of Evil, to defeat the cosmic criminal Zarox-13.

103

E ELEMENT WOMAN DEBUT

Metamorpho (Vol. 1) #10 (Feb. 1967)

Emily Sung Justice League’s Watchtower satellite EYES Violet HAIR Purple POWERS/ABILITIES Can metamorphose into any element found in the human body. ALLIES Firestorm, Metamorpho ENEMIES Despero, Crime Syndicate AFFILIATIONS Justice League, Doom Patrol

ELONGATED MAN The Flash (Vol. 1) #112 (Apr.–May 1960) Ralph Dibny BASE New York City HEIGHT 6ft 1in (variable) WEIGHT 178 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Can alter his body to change his appearance, increase in size, stretch, or even turn into a parachute. ALLIES Superman, Etrigan the Demon, Scandal Savage, Ragdoll, Jeanette ENEMIES The Riddler (Mockingbird), League of Assassins, Leviathan AFFILIATIONS Secret Six, Justice League

REAL NAME

DEBUT

BASE

REAL NAME

Emily Sung used her extraordinary elemental-transformation abilities to fight villainy as Element Woman. During the short-lived war between America and Atlantis, Emily was invited to join the Justice League. She and fellow novices Firestorm and the Atom helped to defend the League’s satellite from alien intergalactic conqueror Despero. She later used her powers to remove a sliver of deadly Kryptonite from Superman’s brain. When the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth and took on the Justice League, Element Woman was imprisoned within Firestorm; when released, she disappeared. Her molecules were found and contained by Dr. Niles Caulder of the Doom Patrol, who convinced her that the Justice League did not want her, and offered her a place in his own team. Emily accepted, and she briefly battled her former teammates when the two groups clashed over Jessica Cruz, aka Power Ring.

PERSONAL ISSUES

Element Woman has amazing powers, but is plagued by insecurity and fear of rejection—which makes her easily manipulated by Niles Caulder.

Ralph Dibny gained his amazing powers of contortion through unknown means—reputedly a metabolic reaction to Gingo, a plant extract unique to carbonated beverage Gingold. He used his abilities in his career as a ‘detective with bonuses’. He and beloved wife Sue became jet-setting investigators, working with the world’s Super Heroes. Everything changed when the couple attempted to recover a priceless diamond during a party on The Riddler’s yacht. As the mastermind brazenly propositioned Sue in front of Ralph, the lights went out. Chaos ensued, explosions devastated the ship— and Sue and the diamond vanished. Traumatized, Ralph became sizealtering detective Big Shot to track her down, but was captured by the mysterious Mockingbird, along with Strix, Porcelain, Catman, Ventriloquist, and Black Alice. “Big Shot” helped them escape and provided sanctuary in his family home. The “Secret Six” became his new family, with Ralph acting as a father figure. After the group rescued amnesiac Sue from Mockingbird (who was actually the Riddler), Ralph revealed his true identity as the Elongated Man, and remained with the Secret Six until they disbanded. Semi-retired, he later worked with Lois Lane, Batman, and a group of other Super Hero detectives to uncover the identity of the new global spymaster Mark Shaw during Event Leviathan.

ON THE RECORD Pre-Flashpoint, young Ralph Dibny was fascinated by

traveling contortionists and worked out that their abilities stemmed from Gingold, a soft drink containing juice from the gingo fruit. When Ralph drank a concentrated gingo extract it gave him amazing stretching powers. He moved to Central City to start a career as a Super Hero: the Elongated Man. Initially mistaken for a villain by local champion, the Flash, Ralph quickly built a reputation as an eccentric hero, detective, and member of several Justice League teams. He also somehow found time to fall in love with Sue Dearbon, and after they were married, the couple traveled the country, solving mysteries. Ralph was devastated when Sue was murdered by Jean Loring. The sorcerer Felix Faust tried to trick Ralph into raising Sue from the dead, but the hero turned the tables on him, trapping the magician and his master, Neron, in Doctor Fate’s tower—but at the cost of Ralph’s own life. Ralph and Sue were finally reunited in the afterlife and became ghostly detectives. Their corpses were briefly animated during Blackest Night. ’TIL DEATH DO US PART?

Reunited in the afterlife, Ralph and Sue became the world’s foremost ghost detectives.

104

E ENCHANTRESS

ENEMY ACE

Strange Adventures (Vol. 1) #187 (Apr. 1966) DEBUT

Our Army At War #151 (Feb. 1965) REAL NAME Hans von Hammer BASE Germany POWERS/ABILITIES Superb aerial combatant. ENEMIES The Hangman, Allied Forces DEBUT

With the twin guns of his Fokker triplane blazing a trail of destruction, the Enemy Ace, Hans von Hammer, became a legendary German pilot during World War I. The “Hammer of Hell” was the son of aristocrats and grew up in the Black Forest in south-west Germany, where he became an expert fencer and a true man of honor. To the other pilots in his fighter squadron, he was a human killing machine with more than 70 enemy deaths to his name. Although he was unhappy with the Nazi regime, he was persuaded to come out of retirement and piloted a jet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262 during World War II. In the waning moments of the war, von Hammer’s plane was shot down, and he landed in the Dachau concentration camp. Facing the horrific mass genocide of the Nazis for the first time, the renowned fighter renounced the Nazi regime and surrendered to the Americans. One of von Hammer’s most unusual adventures occurred when he teamed up with the present-day members of the Justice League United in the French town of Arracourt. That site became unmoored in time, owing to the presence of an anomaly in the universe known as a “breaker.” During that distortion in time, the Enemy Ace of 1940 shot down the high-flying Stargirl of the 21st century. The breaker had trapped von Hammer, Sgt. Rock, the Unknown Soldier, and the Creature Commandos within a jumbled timescape that included the past and future, leading them to fight over and over in that one location.

June Moone Washington, DC EYES Blue HAIR Blond (as Enchantress: Red) HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 126 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Powerful magician; can warp reality and create duplicates of herself. ALLIES Deadman, Justice League Dark ENEMIES Felix Faust AFFILIATIONS Justice League Dark, Suicide Squad, Shadowpact REAL NAME BASE

FIRING LINE

Mistaking Stargirl for a flying enemy combatant, von Hammer blasted her with machine gun fire from his Fokker triplane. Later, he would nurse her back to health and offer to fight alongside her and the Justice League United.

June Moone is unwilling host for the magical entity Enchantress, bestowing incredible magical power but consequently affecting her sanity. As Enchantress, June was a troubled villain, or occasional heroine seeking atonement. When Madame Xanadu separated their personas, June slipped into near-madness while Enchantress unleashed deadly magic across Earth, seeking to reunite with her “bright half.” The Justice League confronted Enchantress but were driven off, prompting Zatanna to assemble occult heroes to meet her threat. Battling Justice League Dark, June ultimately merged with Enchantress to achieve atability. Later, Enchantress was one of many occult beings captured by Felix Faust to power the Crime Syndicate’s Thaumaton weapon, before Justice League Dark stopped the mad mage. Remanded to the Suicide Squad, Enchantress’ dark attitudes were softened by an unlikely relationship with Killer Croc, but she still had the power to defeat Superman when Maxwell Lord orchestrated war between the Squad and Justice League. She failed, however, to stop the mindbending rogue spymaster, and Lord escaped.

EMOTIONAL TRAUMA

Bonding with Enchantress took a heavy toll on June Moone’s sanity.

ON THE RECORD Perhaps no story better distilled

the essence of the Enemy Ace better than “Killer of the Skies,” (Showcase #57, Aug. 1965). In that four-part epic, von Hammer ruefully admitted that he was trained to kill and took no pleasure in his victories or the deaths of his opponents. The Enemy Ace and two other German pilots then took to the skies to battle a Canadian pilot he had nicknamed the ‘Hunter.’ Von Hammer was appalled by the cowardice of his comrades when they realized the skill of their quarry and turned tail—only to be shot down as they fled the fight. The Enemy Ace then proposed a duel of honor, which the Hunter willingly accepted. As each man saluted the other, von Hammer confessed, “I will regret having to kill such a superb fighting man.” After a thundering dogfight in the sky, both planes crashed to the ground. Refusing to be taken prisoner, the badly injured Hunter died in the field of battle, and von Hammer saluted his gallant foe one final time.

ACES HIGH After a stunt pilot was murdered on the set of a movie about Enemy Ace, Batman investigated rumors that von Hammer’s ghost was responsible. The culprit turned out to be a crew member, Heinrich Franz, an alleged descendant of Hans von Hammer.

105

E EQUINOX DEBUT

SEASONAL WARRIOR

Equinox utilizes the powers of the seasons to battle the deadly, unstoppable Whitago.

Justice League United #0 (Jun. 2014)

Miiyahbin “Mii” Marten BASE Ontario, Canada POWERS/ABILITIES Flight, ice control, wind bursts. ALLIES Justice League United ENEMIES The Whitago REAL NAME

Miiyahbin Marten was a native Canadian and a citizen of the Cree Nation. When she turned 16, she was threatened by the Whitago, a dangerous supernatural creature that took its power from the seven dark pillars of Cree life. Instinctively tapping into buried knowledge, Miiyahbin uttered the ancient word “Keewatin” and was transformed into the hero Equinox. In her new identity, she invokes the power of the Midayo, the embodiment of the seven heroic aspects of the Cree: love, humility, bravery, truth, respect, wisdom, and honesty. This power, inherited from her grandmother, enables Miiyahbin to continue to protect her people from the Whitago, which can never be fully destroyed. Equinox has a deep, spiritual connection to her homeland and its weather, and her powers change with the four seasons. When she experienced trouble controlling those powers, she reached out to the Justice League United for help. Eventually, she joined as a full member of the team.

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DEBUT

EXTREME JUSTICE

Action Comics Annual #2 (1989)

Extreme Justice #0 (Jan. 1995) Captain Atom: Atomicbased powers Amazing Man Transforms into any material Blue Beetle: Wielder of hi-tech Booster Gold: Superb athlete Maxima: Super-strong and

DEBUT

Energy manipulation and projection, regeneration, flight, superstrength, heat vision, computer faculties, soul absorption ENEMIES Supergirl, Superboy, Power Girl, Darkstars ALLIES Zod, Green Lantern Corps POWERS/ABILITIES

MEMBERS POWERS

cunning alien queen BASE Mount Thunder, Nevada ENEMIES Legion of Doom

A Kryptonian AI superweapon, the Eradicator eliminated contaminating alien influences. On Earth, it built the Fortress of Solitude before trying to convert the planet into New Krypton. It took Superman’s form after Doomsday killed him and, on his resurrection, melded with S.T.A.R. Labs scientist David Connor. After Flashpoint, an Eradicator program constructed Supergirl’s Sanctuary of Solitude before determining Power Girl was Supergirl’s clone and attacking her. A new Eradicator emerged following Rebirth: one of an army of police robots designed by General Zod. This unit observed Krypton’s destruction and reprogrammed itself to preserve the lost civilization—including Kryptonian souls. After joining Hank Henshaw’s Superman Revenge Squad, the Eradicator served Zod’s family, battling the Darkstars, and ultimately died fighting the Justice League.

WISH YOU WEREN’T HERE 1 Dreamslayer 2 Death Bat 3 Doctor Diehard 4 Brute 5 Tracer 6 Gorgon 7 Lord Havok

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ERADICATOR

Officially known as Justice League West, the Super Hero team Extreme Justice formed when Captain Atom decided the world needed crime fighters willing to play by tougher rules than the Justice League. The new team’s mission was to deal out “extreme justice” and, unlike the Justice League, they chose not to be sanctioned by the United Nations. Instead, Extreme Justice worked alone, seeking out criminals rather than responding to threats. One of their first successful missions was ending a military coup and preventing nuclear holocaust. The team later expanded to include the heroes Firestorm, Plastique, and Wonder Twins Zan and Jayna. Their most notable battle was with the Legion of Doom, an equally tough Super-Villain team. Extreme Justice disbanded after their final mission, in which they invaded the country of Bialya and destroyed an army of cyborgs.

EXTREMISTS

EXTREME MEASURES

1 Amazing Man, 2 Captain Atom, 3 Maxima, 4 Booster Gold, 5 Blue Beetle

Justice League Europe #15 (Jun. 1990) MEMBERS POWERS/ABILITIES Lord Havok: Battlesuit can mutate on command Gorgon: Cybernetic hands and tentacles on his head Dreamslayer: Ability to manipulate matter and teleport Tracer: Deadly blades attached to his arms Doctor Diehard: Can control magnetism ALLIES Barracuda ENEMIES Monarch, Challengers of the Unknown DEBUT

After Flashpoint on Earth-8, a band of metahuman criminals attempted to seize power and accidentally destroyed the world. Fleeing between realities, they clashed with the Challengers of the Unknown and joined time-travelling tyrant Monarch in a plot to eradicate weak worlds across the Multiverse. When reality shifted after Rebirth, the villains’ history altered. Now, when Super-Villain Lord Havok attempted to pacify his chaotic homeworld Angor, unified resistance there led to a devastating nuclear war. Fleeing the devastation, Havok and his unscrupulous allies. Dreamslayer, Death Bat, Doctor Diehard, Brute, Tracer, and Gorgon, arrived on Earth-0 with the same goal but with new tactics. This time they would save the planet rather than destroy it. Of course, they would do it their way… Targeting small nation Kravia, the Extremists planned a gradual piecemeal conquest, but were quickly challenged by Batman’s rapid-response team, the Justice League. After a brutal conflict in a politically explosive region of Earth, the surviving Extremists were incarcerated, but Lord Havok and Dreamslayer soon escaped into the unexplored Microverse, determined to retrench and try again.

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E FAITH DEBUT JLA (Vol. 1) #69 (Oct. 2002)

Unknown HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 148 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Telekinesis; emits positive vibrations that help calm those around her, flight, highly trained former government agent. ALLIES Green Arrow, Nightwing, Nudge, Hawkgirl, Major Disaster ENEMIES Kanjar Ro, Lord Crucifer, Crime Syndicate AFFILIATIONS Justice League, Doom Patrol REAL NAME

FALCONE, CARMINE Batman (Vol. 1) #405 (Mar. 1987) BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 205 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Gray POWERS/ABILITIES Powerful crime boss with many connections in the underworld; extremely wealthy; very intelligent strategist. ALLIES Mayor Sebastian Hady, Jack Forbes, Tiger Shark ENEMIES Batman, Catwoman, James Gordon, The Penguin, Professor Pyg AFFILIATIONS Falcone Crime Family DEBUT

Engimatic metahuman government operative Faith. She was raised by the military and worked with a black ops team as “the Fat Lady” (because she finished what others started, as per the saying “it’s not over until the fat lady sings”). When the Justice league were sent thousands of years into the past during the Obsidian Age, Faith was one of the replacements called in to cover, and remained after the League returned. Soon after, she joined the Doom Patrol, becoming a role model to a young hero called Nudge, before returning to the Justice League when the Crime Syndicate invaded. She has no apparent connection to the murderous child, Faith who was transformed by alien Bloodlines parasites in Pine Ridge.

When Batman first embarked on his crime-fighting career in Gotham City, it took his and James Gordon’s combined efforts to drive the notorious mob leader Carmine “the Roman” Falcone out of their town. More than five years later, when Commissioner James Gordon was imprisoned after being falsely accused of murder, the Roman reemerged in Gotham City, realizing it was the opportune time to reestablish his criminal empire. He had spent years in Hong Kong and had been successful overseas, but he had been looking for the chance to retake his home turf. One of Carmine’s first actions was to take revenge on Catwoman for scarring his face. He kidnapped her, only to be attacked and taken hostage himself by one of Gotham City’s newer Super-Villains, Professor Pyg. Carmine’s illegal activities later caught up with him, and he was arrested and imprisoned by Detective Jason Bard. The Falcone family remains active in Gotham City, however, and played an integral part in corrupting Harvey Bullock’s G.C.P.D. partner, Nancy Yip.

FAIRCHILD, CAITLIN Deathmate Black (Sep. 1993) HEIGHT 5ft 7in/6ft 4in (max. size) WEIGHT 133 lbs / 300 lbs (max. size) EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Can increase in size and weight; superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; extremely intelligent with advanced knowledge of robotics and biology, psionic communication ALLIES Superboy, Dr. Niles Caulder, Ridge ENEMIES Rose Wilson, Harvest, Deathstroke, Warblade AFFILIATIONS Ravagers, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (formerly) DEBUT

Caitlin Fairchild was the daughter of Alex Fairchild, a member of the strategic task force called Team 7. Caitlin benefited from her father’s connections, receiving an internship at the prestigious Advanced Prosthetic Research Center. However, that ‘benefit’ would turn out to seal her doom when the A.P.R.C.’s Project Spartan got out of hand. Caitlin was turned into a cyborg and was no longer in control of her own body, killing her father when he attempted to rescue her. In turn, she was eliminated by his Team 7 comrade Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke. However, the complex life of Caitlin Fairchild did not end there. Prior to her death at the A.P.R.C., Caitlin had been secretly cloned and her clone now worked for Harvest at the clandestine operation N.O.W.H.E.R.E., believing she was the original Fairchild. Initially lending her expertise to Harvest’s Superboy project, Caitlin had a change of heart when she learned of the culling process for N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s metahumans, and helped a group of superpowered teenagers escape his horrific killing fields. The escapees became a short-lived Super Hero group called the Ravagers, but were ultimately defeated by Harvest and his employee Deathstroke.

ON THE RECORD Carmine Falcone first appeared in Gotham City in “Batman Year One,” which retold Batman’s origin after the Crisis on Infinite Earths. A near-untouchable crime boss, Falcone’s most obvious physical trait was a scratch on his face made by Catwoman. His past and family were further examined in Batman: The Long Halloween, a series where he met his end at the hands of a crazed Two-Face.

FAMILY TIES

In Batman: Dark Victory, the follow-up series to The Long Halloween, Catwoman revealed that she believed Carmine Falcone was her real father.

ON THE RECORD Caitlin Fairchild debuted

in a different reality. The daughter of Alex Fairchild in this reality too, smart, quiet Caitlin attended Princeton University, where she was recruited into Project Genesis. As a result of her experimental work, she became “Gen-active,” and developed superpowers. When she realized she was being used as a lab rat of sorts, she fled the project with a few other powered teens. They formed the Super Hero group Gen-13, in which Caitlin served as the leader.

NEXT GEN

While Caitlin Fairchild had a different past in previous incarnations, she always retained her distinctive green and purple costume color scheme.

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F FAORA

ON THE RECORD

Action Comics (Vol. 1) #471 (May 1977) REAL NAME Faora Hu-Ul HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 150 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES As a Kryptonian exposed to Earth’s yellow sun, Faora has all the powers of Superman including heat vision, freezing breath, superhuman strength, endurance, durability, enhanced senses, and the ability to fly; extremely proficient in fighting arts; a tactical and weapons expert. ALLIES General Zod, Non ENEMIES Superman, Wonder Woman DEBUT

Hailing from the planet Krypton and born years before Kal-El— the hero who would become Superman—the notoriously cruel Faora Hu-Ul was a loyal lieutenant to Dru-Zod. Working alongside the rebel scientist Non, Faora was chosen from thousands to serve General Zod. Relishing her role in Zod’s quest for power and war, Faora helped him fabricate a conflict with the alien Char, and the pair began a romantic relationship. However, their crimes were finally discovered by Kal-El’s father, Jor-El, and they were sentenced, along with Non, to the dreaded prison dimension known as the Phantom Zone. Decades later, General Zod would escape the Phantom Zone and arrive on Earth, where he encountered Superman. He soon showed his true colors, tricking the Man of Steel into taking him to his Fortress of Solitude, where he freed Faora from the Zone and departed the Fortress with her. When Superman pursued them, they attacked him, causing Wonder Woman to also join the fray. After Zod and Faora narrowly won the battle, Superman and Wonder Woman adopted new armor, but were brutally dispatched when the Greek god Apollo came to the villains’ aid. Zod and Faora then opened a portal to the Phantom Zone to access the Warworld and rain devastation down on Earth. However, their plans were thwarted when the portal was destroyed by a nuclear explosion set off by Superman and Wonder Woman, which trapped the evil Kryptonians in the Phantom Zone once more.

FATALITY DEBUT

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #82 (Jan. 1997)

REAL NAME Yrra

Cynril BASE Zamaron; mobile HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, durability, and endurance; expert fighter; Violet Lantern ring. ALLIES Star Sapphire, Wonder Woman ENEMIES Green Lantern John Stewart AFFILIATIONS Legionnaires Club, Demon Knights, Justice League United, Zamaron Star Sapphires Oldest child of planet Xanshi’s ruling family, Yrra Cynril was off-world studying fighting arts with the legendary Warlords of Okaara when her world was destroyed due to a terrible mistake made by Green Lantern John Stewart. Seemingly her world’s only survivor, she swore vengeance against all Green Lanterns. In defiance of her warlord tutors, she left Okaara and became one of the fiercest warriors in the universe. Now with the name Fatality, Yrra concentrated on eliminating Earth’s Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner, but was unsuccessful. Fatality joined the Sinestro Corps before being “rehabilitated” by Zamaron Star Sapphires. She then found herself partnering with Lanterns from every spectrum of light, forming the New Guardians in the process. However, when separated from her Star Sapphire ring, she realized how she had been manipulated by the Zamarons, and

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LOVE CONQUERS ALL

During her time as a Star Sapphire, Fatality embraced the role, letting love overwhelm her and even falling for the destroyer of her world, John Stewart.

FATHER TIME Seven Soldiers Frankenstein #3 (Apr. 2006) DEBUT

Ant Farm (mobile) 4ft 1in WEIGHT 56 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black BASE

HEIGHT

Natural leader; expert strategist and hand-to-hand combatant; powerful espionage connections. ALLIES Creature Commandos, Ray Palmer POWERS/ABILITIES

she renewed her hatred for John Stewart. In recent times, she has rejoined the Star Sapphire Corps, battling beside her sisterhood and Wonder Woman to destroy invading Dark Multiverse God Karnell.

Every decade, the mysterious man known as Father Time generates a new body at random to act as his host. Currently housed in the body of a young Asian girl, Father Time is the active director of S.H.A.D.E.— the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive—which is often at the forefront of metahuman conflicts. S.H.A.D.E. has a hand in many projects, including a strike force called the Creature Commandos, put together by Father Time and led by agent Frankenstein. During Frankenstein’s missions, Father Time communicates with him via holographic projection, providing mission-critical data and instructions. Father Time’s mobile headquarters is the Ant Farm, a three-inch indestructible globe that requires agents to deploy Ray Palmer’s shrinking technology in order to enter it. An expert tactician and brilliant negotiator, the gruff Father Time works with other top secret groups like Checkmate, to make sure S.H.A.D.E. runs smoothly.

Faora first appeared in Metropolis

after escaping the Phantom Zone. She had survived the destruction of Krypton, and had found a way to shift in and out of the Phantom Zone, making her a huge threat to the Man of Steel. Faora had been sentenced to the zone for causing the death of 23 Kryptonian men. After Crisis on Infinite Earths, Faora reemerged as one of the fighters for a new version of General Zod.

INVADER FROM KRYPTON

When Faora Hu-Ul first debuted, it was in a phantom form. When she caused havoc in the streets, Superman attacked her, not realizing that she was a person.

TIME IS PRECIOUS

Despite appearances, Father Time is a seasoned leader. His innocent guises often lead his opponents to underestimate his abilities.

F FATAL FIVE

ON THE RECORD

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #352 (Jan. 1967) MEMBERS/POWERS Tharok: Energy being with mind-control powers; The Emerald Express: Flight, force fields, energy projection, and other powers bestowed by the Emerald Eye of Ekron; The Persuader: Superhuman strength and endurance, atomic ax; Validus: Nearinvulnerable juggernaut; Mano: Antimatter touch; Promethean Giant: Colossal size and immense cosmic power. ENEMIES Legion of Super-Heroes, Science Police, United Planets, Justice League United DEBUT

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A thousand years from now, when the United Planets were menaced by the cosmic threat of the Sun-Eater, the Legion of Super-Heroes was ordered to collect five of the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals to help fight it: Tharok, Emerald Empress, Validus, Mano, and the Persuader. Once the Sun-Eater was vanquished—at the cost of Legionnaire Ferro Lad’s life—the criminal quintet remained together as the Fatal Five. With minor lineup changes, the Fatal Five battled the Legion and menaced the United Planets for years, never triumphing, but always managing to elude justice. At some stage, the occasionally precognitive Emerald Empress had a vision that Supergirl would battle her to a final conclusion, and that in the clash, the Empress’ father would die. Galvanized to rash action, she traveled back to the 21st century, resolved to kill the Girl of Steel before they had ever met. To ensure her scheme’s success, the Empress created her own Fatal Five, recruiting sorceress Selena, deranged god-killer Magog, killer android Indigo and a clone of unliving monster Solomon Grundy. Despite overwhelming force and a cruel campaign of misinformation painting Supergirl as an out-of-control alien menace, the Girl of Steel and her allies ultimately triumphed and the Empress was forced to flee.

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The original incarnation of the infamous Fatal Five was involved in several important cosmic events. In one notable encounter with the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Five recruited hundreds of their alternate-world counterparts to take on the Legion. For their part, the Legion had to join forces with their 20th-century counterparts, the Teen Titans, to battle the Fatal Five. During the Final Crisis event, the Five joined Superboy Prime’s Legion of SuperVillains to battle the Legion of Three Worlds.

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KILLER QUINTET

1 Selena 2 Solomon Grundy (clone) 3 Magog 4 Emerald Empress 5 Indigo

FAUST, FELIX Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #10 (Mar. 1962) HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 172 lbs EYES Gray HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Faust is a formidable sorcerer, drawing his mighty mystical power from a demonic bargain. ALLIES Dr. Mist, Nick Necro, Demons Three, Crime Syndicate ENEMIES Justice League Dark, A.R.G.U.S. DEBUT

Once a major and persistent menace to the Justice League of America, sorcerer Felix Faust has been a pale shadow of his former self ever since Flashpoint and other multiversal reality shifts. Reduced to little more than a petty dabbler, Faust obsessed over finding the all-powerful Books of Magic. Learning that dead and damned sorcerer Nick Necro knew their location, Faust pledged his soul to a demon to free Necro from Hell. The pact bestowed great power on Faust, but turned him into a withered, ghoulish figure. Necro and Faust secured a box containing a map to the books, but with no way to open it, they tricked Justice League Dark into capturing them. When John Constantine used a mystic key to open the box, Faust escaped with the contents, but was ultimately outwitted by Constantine. After the Crime Syndicate invaded Earth, Faust and Necro worked on creating their Thaumaton weapon, which was powered by imprisoned occult Super Heroes including Black Orchid, Enchantress, Blue Devil, Sargon the Sorcerer, and Zatanna. However, they were again defeated by Justice League Dark, who later encountered a monstrous future version of Faust that was an immortal among the last living beings in existence. Faust has returned, but remains relatively ineffectual. He refused to join Neron’s mystic assault against Midnighter and Apollo, and was subsequently drained of power and sanity by the invading Otherkind.

A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH

The Fatal Five proved to be one of the Legion’s most formidable foes and even went head-to-head with Superman.

ON THE RECORD Felix Faust pledged his soul to the demon Neron, but was soon desperate to win it back. Faust posed as Doctor Fate and offered to bring Elongated Man Ralph Dibny’s dead wife Sue back to life with a magic spell. In fact, the spell was intended to damn the hero; Faust hoped to trade Dibny’s soul for his own and free himself from Neron’s thrall. Dibny outwitted Faust and trapped him and Neron in the Tower of Fate. The deed cost Dibny his life, and he was reunited with Sue in the afterlife.

IN FAUST’S HANDS

Felix Faust was an early foe of the Justice League of America. The evil sorcerer used his command of magic to turn the JLA into unwilling puppets.

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F FEARSOME FIVE

FERRO LAD

CRIMINAL CREW

The Fearsome Five were enthusiastic members of the Secret Society, but ultimately inept in battle. 1 Jinx 2 Psimon 3 Mammoth 4 Shimmer 5 Gizmo

New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1981) MEMBERS/POWERS Mammoth: Strength and durability; Gizmo: Rebuilds technology to create weapons; Jinx: Casts magic spells if in contact with Earth; Shimmer: Transmutes materials; Psimon: DEBUT

Mind control, can kill with a thought. Crime Syndicate, Secret Society ENEMIES Rogues, Metal Men ALLIES

Originally formed by Doctor Light, the Fearsome Five are a group of super-criminals who have formidable powers but lack true efficacy. They were recruited by the Crime Syndicate—invading Super-Villains from Earth-3—for their world-conquering Secret Society. The Fearsome Five were sent to punish the Rogues when they rejected the Crime Syndicate’s offer. The outnumbered Rogues fought valiantly, forcing all their foes through one of Mirror Master’s mirrors, which they then smashed. After this failure, Grid—the Crime Syndicate’s artificial intelligence—teleported the Fearsome Five to assist in his battle against Cyborg and the Metal Men. However, the Five were outclassed again, beaten, and captured by Doc Magnus’ metallic creations. Perennial pawns, the Five joined another coalition to destroy the Justice League and later clashed with their earliest nemesis, the Titans, while fronting for a company stealing and selling metahuman powers. They were completely unaware that their latest secret leader was Deathstroke the Terminator.

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Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #346 (Jul. 1966) DEBUT

Andrew Nolan Legion Headquarters, New Metropolis, 31st-century New Earth EYES Green HAIR Brown HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 155 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Transforms his body into metal, gaining great strength and durability. ENEMIES Sun-Eater, Rimbor Warrior Clan AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes REAL NAME BASE

Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #6 (Jan.–Feb. 1972) BASE Apokolips NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS Big Barda: Born leader, super strong and durable; Mad Harriet: Insane fighter with energy claws; Stompa: Powerhouse with anti-matter boots; Lashina: Energy whip-armed warrior; Bernadeth: Sneaky usurper wielding a deadly fahren-knife. ALLIES Granny Goodness, Darkseid, Steppenwolf, Desaad ENEMIES Mister Miracle DEBUT

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DARKSEID’S DEFENDERS

Big Barda returned to the forefront of the Furies to protect Darkseid from his own daughter, Grail... and brought backup. 1 Barda, 2 Mad Harriet, 3 Stompa, 4 Lashina, 5 Bernadeth, 6 Kanto, 7 Kalibak, 8 Steppenwolf

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The ghostly form of Ferro Lad gave Polar Boy and the Invisible Kid a somber warning when they visited the afterlife.

Andrew Nolan of Earth was born in the 31st century. He is an accomplished warrior with the ability to transform his body into the hardest substance known to science. This process causes all his life functions to pause until he returns to flesh and blood, but even Brainiac 5 is unable to explain (yet) how Ferro Lad moves, senses his environment, and thinks in this state. A veteran of many combats—earning him a well-deserved place in the Legion of Super-Heroes—Nolan is confidant and commanding and was pivotal in the defeat of deranged Rimborian Crav, the General Nah. In a previous reality, when the solar system was menaced by the Sun-Eater, Ferro Lad sacrificed his own life to carry an Absorbatron Bomb into the core of the cosmic monstrosity and end the threat. He then returned as ghost to save his fellow Legionnaires from a rogue Oan Controller, before passing beyond the realms of life. No Legionnaire has ever proved more valiant or dedicated.

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A HERO FROM THE PAST

The Female Furies are the elite warriors of Apokolips, trained from childhood in combat and indoctrinated to be fanatically loyal to Darkseid. However, the abuse and intolerance they continually endured from male warriors of all ranks in the dark overlord’s patriarchal, militaristic regime served to make them rebellious and ruthless. After helping Darkseid attain supreme power, warrior Granny Goodness was increasingly sidelined by his chauvinistic inner circle. Left to train mere women, they were driven to be ferocious and uncompromising. As the cadets gained in skill and power, their continual treatment as morons and casual toys led to the death of squad leader Aurelie. Pushed too far, the Furies rebelled, murdering their prime abuser, Willik. As Granny Goodness orchestrated her own plan of advancement, the Furies were dispatched to Earth to capture absconder Scott Free, whose influence had prompted the mutiny and escape of second-in-command Barda. In the following chaos, the status of women as warriors on Apokolips was forever changed. Now they too were allowed to maim and kill and die for Darkseid. Barda abandoned Apokolips for her love, Mister Miracle. They fought side-by-side with the Justice League on many occasions, including in the Darkseid War. When he fell, his deranged daughter Grail fused the League’s New God powers with Superwoman’s baby to resurrect an even more powerful Darkseid. However, when all seemed lost, Barda brought reinforcements—the reformed Female Furies—to turn the tide of battle.

ON THE RECORD The Female Furies were trained by

Granny Goodness to serve Darkseid. When Big Barda fled Apokolips to join her beloved Mister Miracle on Earth, the team was sent to attack the happy couple (and the planet’s other Super Heroes) on numerous occasions. The Furies were presumed killed during the Death of the New Gods, but Mary Shazam used the Anti-Life Equation to create new Furies from human females during Final Crisis, and the Rebirth event restored the original individuals to continuity.

THE FIGHTING FURIES

On the trail of renegade Fury-turned-SuperVillain, Twilight, Supergirl had to confront the combined might of the Female Furies.

F FIREBRAND IV DEBUT

Battle for Blüdhaven #1(Jun.2006)

Andre Twist BASE The Heartland EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Pyrokinesis ALLIES Teen Titans ENEMIES Father Time, King Bullet, the Jester AFFILIATIONS The Freedom Fighters REAL NAME

FIRE

ON THE RECORD

Super Friends #25 (Oct. 1979) REAL NAME Beatriz “Bea” Bonilla da Costa HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 140 lbs EYES Green HAIR Green POWERS/ABILITIES Can take on a fiery form at will, fly, and fire green energy blasts of flame. ALLIES Ice ENEMIES Peraxxus, Signal Men AFFILIATIONS Justice League International DEBUT

Andre Twist was the fourth individual to assume the role of Firebrand. A courageous, opinionated, politically left-leaning resident of Blüdhaven, Twist gained extraordianary pyrotechnic superpowers when living weapon Chemo was dropped on his city. Calling himself Firebrand, Twist began hearing voices in his head. They turned out to be Uncle Sam, urging him to become part of a new Freedom Fighters team. He was later captured and tortured by Father Time until freed by Uncle Sam. Firebrand then joined the modern-day incarnation of the Freedom Fighters, Freedom Force, helping them stop various threats, including an alien invasion. Twist was crippled while fighting King Bullet’s armies, and was later killed by the Jester on his first mission back.

FIREFLY Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #184 (Jun. 1952) REAL NAME Ted Carson BASE Gotham City EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Pyromaniac with specialized armor enabling flight; explosives and pyrotechnics expert. ENEMIES Nightwing, Batgirl DEBUT

When Ted Carson—the ex-boyfriend of movie star Cindy Cooke—was found dead in a burned-out building, it looked like he had been murdered. Around the same time, an arsonist started to destroy anything in Gotham City linked to Cindy. The culprit turned out to be Firefly—a flying villain in a flaming metal suit. When Nightwing and Barbara Gordon investigated, it seemed that Firefly was the known-arsonist Garfield Lynns. The heroes even found a clue in Lynns’ empty apartment: a list of potential targets with only one location not yet destroyed. It was a false trail. Firefly had maneuvered the police into a particular place, leaving Cindy unguarded. Realizing that they had been duped, Nightwing raced to Cindy’s penthouse, but arrived too late—Firefly attacked, apparently killing her. However, the burned victim was Cindy’s agent. Firefly was actually Ted Carson. He had faked his and Cindy’s deaths in an attempt to secretly abduct her and restart their relationship on his terms, but his mad plot was foiled by Nightwing and Barbara. In recent times Carson has revived his Firefly guise, acting as an incendiary mercenary killer, but he always ends up falling foul of Batman.

Beatriz “Bea” Bonilla da Costa was born in Brazil. Originally a spy for the Brazilian Secret Service, Bea was on a mission when she came into contact with a strange chemical mix called pyroplasm. Her exposure to the substance gave her the metahuman ability to control a green flame that could cover her whole body and allow her to fly. When Andre Briggs decided to create a Justice League International team that operated under the guidance of the United Nations, Bea was selected to be Brazil’s representative. She fought alongside Ice, Guy Gardner, Rocket Red, Vixen, Godiva, and August General in Iron, under the leadership of Booster Gold. Bea helped the team defeat the alien Peraxxus, who was using Signal Men robots to try to destroy the world, having already removing minerals and wealth from the planet to sell elsewhere in the universe. After defeating him, the JLI was about to meet the public when an explosion killed Rocket Red and left several members—including Bea—severely injured.

Originally known as Green Fury,

Bea made her debut fighting a brainwashed Superman in Super Friends #25 and was later assisted the JLA on several cases. Fire’s original appearance was that of a more traditional costumed crime fighter. She was a member of the Global Guardians before joining the original Justice League International formed by Maxwell Lord. Her close friend, Ice, was also a member. Fire later joined the Checkmate organization and worked for Bruce Wayne.

JOINING FOR JUSTICE

Fire was one of ten superpowered beings whose common goal was to champion justice and tolerance for humans and metahumans alike.

ON THE RECORD The original Firefly was special effects creator Garfield Lynns. He emitted intense lights from his belt, and his colorful appearance was in keeping with the lighter tone of the Batman stories of the 1960s. The second Firefly was Ted (Theodore) Carson, who debuted in Batman #126 (Sep. 1959). Again, he wasn’t an arsonist so much as a winged villain who projected a deadly ray from a helmet lamp.

RAINBOW RIVAL

The original Firefly, known as “The Man of 1,000 Lights,” projected his colorful light to distract and disorientate his victims.

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FIRESTORM Firestorm (Vol. 1) #1 (Mar. 1978) Ronald “Ronnie” Raymond and Martin Stein BASE Pittsburgh HEIGHT (as Firestorm) 6ft 2in (as Raymond) 6ft 1in (as Stein) 5ft 10in WEIGHT (as Firestorm) 202 lbs. (as Raymond) 179 lbs. (as Stein) 165 lbs. EYES Blue (Raymond); Brown (Stein); Fire (Firestorm) HAIR Brown (Raymond); Gray (Stein); Fire (Firestorm) POWERS/ABILITIES Ability to control and rearrange inorganic matter, fly, manipulate his own molecular structure, and emit energy blasts. ENEMIES Deathstorm, Pozhar, Killer Frost, Typhoon, Multiplex AFFILIATIONS Justice League

DATA

DEBUT

REAL NAMES

Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein are two very different personalities, one is the epitome of youthful exuberance, the other rational thought personified. But when merged into a single entity, these opposites compliment each other’s strengths as Firestorm, the Nuclear Man. While much remains a mystery about the origin of the hero Firestorm, it is believed that a nuclear explosion fused Professor Martin Stein and teenager TWO HALVES Ronnie Raymond together over seven years ago. For Ronnie had a strained relationship much of Firestorm’s career, this event was thought to with his true father, and his mother had died years before his accident. be an accident, one that sparked Ronnie’s latent It made him a perfect choice for metahuman abilities and turned the pair into the hero Stein’s experiment, as he reminded Firestorm. However, in the events now dubbed the Martin of his own son. Doomsday Clock, Ronnie witnessed a vision that casts doubt on the accident’s legitimacy, making Raymond believe the event could have been planned in collaboration with the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Whatever the true cause of the explosion, afterward, Ronnie and Martin became Firestorm, giving Ronnie control over their physical form. Empowered with the ability to arrange the molecular structure of inorganic matter, Firestorm combined Ronnie’s bravery with Martin’s knowledge and fought storied battles against numerous Super-Villains, including Killer Frost (Dr. Louise Lincoln), Typhoon, and Multiplex. After proving his worth, Firestorm was even recruited to join the Justice League. Through events that are unclear due to manipulation of reality itself, Ronnie would later go on to partner with fellow student Jason Rusch as the other half of his Firestorm identity. It was this version of Firestorm who helped battle the nefarious Crime Syndicate, when they invaded Earth-0 from their home, Earth-3. In this tumultuous fight, Firestorm’s matrix was used to trap many of his Justice League teammates against his will. He later recovered, his teammates were freed, and Firestorm continued his heroic journey. It is believed that Ronnie recently rekindled his Firestorm partnership with Dr. Stein, yet even that partnership is in doubt, with rumors circulating that Stein actually helped orchestrate Ronnie’s original transformation into Firestorm.

Firestorm (Vol. 1) #1 (Mar.

Firestorm’s appearance has

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Firestorm is a living nuclear reaction and one of the mightiest—and potentially deadliest— heroes in the world.

CLASSIC STORIES

ON THE RECORD hardly changed since his debut, despite numerous people being part of the Firestorm matrix. Originally, the nuclear-powered hero was the result of student Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein being caught in an explosion at the Hudson nuclear facility. Ronnie and the Russian hero Pozhar later combined for another incarnation. Ronnie later died, passing the mantle to Detroit teenager Jason Rusch. After Blackest Night, Ronnie came back and reprised his Firestorm role.

NUCLEAR POWERED

1978) Firestorm’s origin is revealed. Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein find themselves changed forever when they combine to become a nuclearcharged Super Hero. JLA (Vol. 1) #69 (Oct. 2002)

When the Justice League is trapped in Atlantis, Firestorm joins a new lineup of the team to rescue the original members. Firestorm: The Nuclear Man (Vol. 3) #23–27 (May–Sep. 2006)

FIRESTORM AND FRIENDS

Firestorm has been part of several different lineups of the Justice League.

One year after the Final Crisis, Jason Rusch merges with Lorraine Reilly (Firehawk) to create a new Firestorm and search for the missing Professor Stein.

FRAME JOB

During events dubbed the Doomsday Clock, Firestorm was framed for murder while fighting Pozhar—later revealed as another plot by the villain Ozymandias.

F FIRST BORN DEBUT

Wonder Woman (Vol. 4) #12 (Oct. 2012)

Olympus HEIGHT 7ft 6in WEIGHT 375 lbs EYES White HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Exceptional physical power and durability; gains strength from cannibalism; acquires knowledge by eating brains; wears impregnable dragon-hide armor. ALLIES Minotaur, Strife, Cassandra ENEMIES Apollo, Zeus, Hades, Wonder Woman BASE

UNHOLY RAGE

As the eldest son of Zeus, First Born traveled to Mount Olympus to claim the Olympian gods’ throne.

The First Born was the first child of Zeus and Hera. When a witch foretold that the child would one day rule Olympus in Zeus’ stead, the god had the baby taken to the African savanna and left to die. However, the infant survived and was raised by hyenas and, in time, used his divine might to conquer an empire, seeking to make Zeus acknowledge him. When Zeus remained silent, the First Born declared war on Olympus. The gods sent a wave to drown his army, while the warrior-king himself was swallowed up by the Earth. It took the First Born millennia to dig his way out. When he emerged in the 21st century, he set out to take the throne of Olympus, which he thought was rightfully his. After clashing with Wonder Woman in London, he confronted the current ruler of Olympus and killed him, devastating Olympus in the process. The First Born also conquered Hades, but was then hurled into the abyss by the new God of War: Wonder Woman.

FISHERMAN DEBUT

Aquaman (Vol. 1) #21 (May–Jun. 1965)

Zandia HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 196 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Wields titanium fishing rod and gas-bomb lures; hood boosts strength and allows breathing underwater. ALLIES Shark, Kobra ENEMIES Aquaman, Blue Devil, G’Nort, King Shark AFFILIATIONS Terrible Trio BASE

The Fisherman is an enigmatic maritime villain and longtime Aquaman foe. His signature weapon is a custom titanium-alloy fishing rod which he can use to entangle foes, slice them with a razor-sharp hook, or snag nearby objects. He also carries fishing lures which function as gas bombs. Fisherman’s identity remains a mystery, but his standard modus operandi is to carry out daring seaborne thefts. During Infinite Crisis, he went on a murderous spree in Gotham City before being shot dead by police. Soon after, Aquaman encountered another Fisherman and made a terrifying discovery: The Fisherman’s hood was an alien parasite which controlled its human host and gave them powers, such as breathing underwater. When the current host dies, the parasite finds a new one.

FLAMINGO DEBUT

Batman (Vol. 1) #666 (Jul. 2007)

Eduardo Flamingo Gotham City EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled combatant ALLIES Mad Hatter, Scarecrow ENEMIES Batman AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of SuperVillains, Arkham Asylum inmates REAL NAME BASE

After receiving radical brain surgery that turned him into an unpredictable killer, Eduardo Flamingo was a hit man for the Penitente Cartel before going solo. “The Flamingo” became notorious for his fashion choices (a pink jacket with gold epaulets) as well as his tendency to eat people’s faces. Following a number of run-ins with Batman in Gotham City, he was imprisoned in Arkham Asylum. When the Crime Syndicate staged a prison break during its invasion of Earth, Flamingo joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains. He sided with the Arkhamites in the war between Arkham Asylum and the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary, then served as a security guard when the Scarecrow took over Arkham during the Gothtopia incident. He escaped from Arkham, but was soon recaptured following an ill-advised attempt to play matador with the Batmobile.

FLAG JR., RICK The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 1) #25 (Aug.–Sep. 1959) Richard Rogers Flag, Jr. BASE Belle Reve Penitentiary HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 189 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Military pilot and skilled tactician with extensive combat and special-operations training. ALLIES Amanda Waller, Bronze Tiger, Nightshade ENEMIES Rustam, Brimstone, Zod AFFILIATIONS Task Force X, Navy Seals, Suicide Squad DEBUT

REAL NAME

Colonel Rick Flag, Jr. came from a career military family and dedicated his life to living up to the legacy of his father and grandfather. During World War II, combat pilot Richard Montgomery Flag led “the Suicide Squadron”—a misfit unit he honed into an elite combat team. Post-war, Flag, Sr. joined the government’s classified Task Force X program and was reported killed in action. When Amanda Waller reactivated the Suicide Squad as a covert penal unit utilizing incarcerated Super-Villains, Flag’s grandson, Richard Flag, Jr., took on the role of Field Commander. He accepted the job because bad guys needed killing and he also wanted to get out of the military prison where he was serving an indefinite sentence for refusing to carry out an illegal order. Despite misgivings, Flag Jr. excelled among the metahumans, battling many incredible threats but eventually wearying of the constant intrigue. He sacrificed his life to stop the rampaging Kryptonian Zod, but was later found in the Phantom Zone. Flag Jr. accepted the White House’s request to rejoin the team, partly from a sense of duty, but also because he had heard that Amanda Waller might have been the one who originally sent him to military prison, and he wanted to find the truth.

COMMANDING PRESENCE

Flag is an expert tactician and leader, and he has years of combat experience to settle any firefight!

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F

DATA

FLASH, THE Showcase #4 (Sep.–Oct. 1956) Barry Allen BASE Central City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 179 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed, super-endurance, and accelerated healing; he can think quickly, mapping out the potential outcomes of a situation and reading books in an instant; can vibrate his molecular structure fast enough to pass through objects. ALLIES Iris West, The Flash (Wally West), Kid Flash (Wallace West), Impulse ENEMIES The Rogues, Gorilla Grodd, Reverse-Flash, Professor Zoom AFFILIATIONS Justice League DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... Super-speed As the self-professed Fastest Man Alive, Barry Allen believes he can outrun Superman in a running race, even though Superman’s ability to fly may give him the edge. The Flash’s metahuman ability helps his body to avoid the friction caused by his high speeds and to contain the damage it should ordinarily cause around him. He keeps his costume in a ring.

Rogues Gallery A number of Super-Villains have become obsessed with The Flash. Chief among these are the Rogues—a group of criminals formed by Captain Cold. Operating out of Central City and Keystone City, the Rogues became “heroes” when they were tasked with hunting The Flash down after he briefly became a wanted man.

CLASSIC STORIES Showcase #4 (Sep.–Oct. 1956)

Barry Allen makes his first appearance in this classic tale that heralded the start of comics’ Silver Age. He also meets his first enemy, Turtle Man—the slowest man alive! The Flash #123 (Sep. 1961) Barry Allen meets the original Flash, Jay Garrick (of Earth-2), as he crosses over to Earth-2 for the first time and helps the retired Jay defeat three of his old enemies. Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (Nov. 1985) Barry Allen’s last stand as The

Flash sacrifices his life to save the universe from the Anti-Monitor’s deadliest weapon. Flashpoint (Vol. 2) #1 (Jul. 2011)

The Flash wakes on an Earth that is not his own and he must change reality itself to save the planet—even though doing so means he must confront his darkest hour.

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Speed Force The Flash’s speed comes from the Speed Force, which grants several speedster heroes and villains their powers. Barry Allen is one of the few who have spent time living inside the Speed Force dimension.

Barry Allen is The Flash—the Fastest Man Alive. A living conduit for the Speed Force—a strange other-dimensional energy field that gives all speedsters their power—Barry is capable of amazing acceleration and he uses his powers to fight crime in his hometown of Central City. The Flash is a founding member of the Justice League, joining with his fellow Super Heroes when Darkseid, ruler of Apokolips, and his demonic legions attacked Earth. He remains a key member of the team and has formed lasting friendships with other members. The Flash not only runs at extraordinary speeds, he also has lightning-quick wits! Young Barry Allen’s life changed forever when his mother was murdered and his father, Henry Allen, was blamed for the crime. But Barry never believed his father was guilty. As an adult, Barry found work as a forensic scientist in the Central City police department. One night, Barry was working late in his lab when lightning struck, showering the young investigator with a strange mix of chemicals. He woke in hospital, covered in bandages, but soon found the accident had given him amazing powers of speed. As Barry tested his powers, burning through hundreds of pairs of sneakers, he ended up accidentally running into a possible future, one ruled by the villainous King Turtle. Barry met his future self, who told him about his life as The Flash—a name inspired by comic books Barry used to read as a kid. The future LIGHTNING FAST Flash helped Barry return to his home time via Showered in laboratory chemicals and a device called the Cosmic Treadmill. struck by lightning, Barry Allen ends Reeling from this adventure, Barry went up with astonishing powers. to meet his love interest, Iris West, for a coffee, but ended up saving her from the present day Turtle. Barry soon developed several prototype The Flash suits, but only settled on his final costume when King Turtle from the future arrived in the present day, forcing The Flash to defeat him. The Flash continued his career and eventually gained a number of foes, including a variety of colorful Rogues. He continued to learn about his powers and discovered he had tapped into the Speed Force—a mysterious ancient power that had caused the extinction of the Mayans and had sped up the evolution of a tribe of gorillas in East Africa. When someone started killing people linked to the Speed Force, the killer—who called himself Reverse-Flash—turned out to be Iris West’s younger brother, Daniel, who was trying to steal Speed Force energy to travel through time and alter his own past. The Flash managed to drain the Speed Force from Daniel and prevent changes in the timeline. Barry then learned that a time-traveling speedster called Professor Zoom (Eobard Thawne) was responsible for his mother’s death. He defeated Thawne, but would continue to battle him many times in future encounters. The Flash’s life is always accelerating. When the criminal organization called Black Hole created a lightning storm in Central City, many civilians were granted access to super-speed powers from the Speed Force. Most notable among them were Barry’s colleagues police officer August Heart, the young Avery Ho, and S.T.A.R. Labs scientist Dr. Meena Dhawan. Barry’s own nephew, Wallace West, already had speed powers, but the storm enhanced his abilities as well. While most of the other potential speedsters gave their powers willingly to Barry through a shared Speed Force connection, Avery kept hers and became a new Flash, later joining the Justice League of China. Wallace became the heroic new Kid Flash and a mainstay of the Teen Titans. However, August had less than heroic plans for his speed. He used it to kill the suspect in his brother’s murder and then continued a criminal killing streak as the villainous Godspeed until The Flash stopped him. Eobard Thawne kidnapped Iris, brought her to the 25th century, and unmasked Barry, shocking Iris. She and The Flash returned to the present, but not before the villain was able to expose The Flash to Negative Speed Force

F REBIRTH FANTASTIC FORCES The Flash has learned that the Speed Force is not the only cosmic force of its kind. There are four forces that choose avatars to help protect space and time. The Flash soon met the avatars of the other forces: Steadfast from the Still Force, Psych from the Sage Force, and Fuerza from the Strength Force. However, The Black Flash—the angel of death to speedsters—began hunting these avatars and killed Psych.

ON THE RECORD FAST FACT

The world’s greatest speedster can use the Speed Force to travel through time.

Since The Flash’s groundbreaking first appearance in 1940, several people have taken on the role, each adding something unique to the hero’s mythos. Jay Garrick was the first Flash, making his debut in Flash Comics #1 (1940). He fought crime in New York City, although this was later changed to Keystone City. A new era Barry Allen made his first appearance as The Flash in Showcase #4 (Sep.–Oct. 1956). The story heralded a new style of Super Hero comics and marked the start of the Silver Age. This version of The Flash also sported an all-new red costume. During his time as The Flash, Barry broke through the dimensional barrier between Earths to meet Jay Garrick. Wally and Bart Following Barry Allen’s apparent demise during Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally West took on The Flash identity. He uncovered the secret of the Speed Force and raced alongside other speedsters, such as Jay Garrick, Impulse, and Jesse Quick. It took a while for the new hero to feel worthy of his mentor’s name, and when Wally disappeared, Bart Allen became The Flash until he was killed by the Rogues. HEROIC DEMISE

“I’m Barry Allen. The Fastest Man Alive!” THE FLASH

RACING DEATH

During the cataclysmic war against Darkseid, The Flash was forced to become the host for the cosmic grim reaper, the Black Racer. After killing the previous host, The Flash was granted divine powers and became the God of Death.

energy. When Barry returned to his proper time, Dr. Meena Dhawan absorbed that negative energy and became the Negative Flash in the process. Between constantly thwarting plots by old foes like the Rogues and Thawne, rediscovering old friends like Wally West, Impulse, Jay Garrick, Max Mercury, and Jesse Quick, and fighting new enemies like Paradox, The Flash has no choice but to keep up his life’s hectic pace.

The Flash prepares to make Flash back the ultimate sacrifice to When Barry Allen stop the Anti-Monitor during escaped the Speed Crisis on Infinite Earths. Force and returned to active duty, he had trouble adjusting to the world around him. But with the help of his old friend Green Lantern, he came to terms with the time he had missed when trapped. The change in reality brought about by Flashpoint left Barry younger and single—in the new reality he had never married Iris West. SPEED FORCE HEROES

The Flash (Wally West), Impulse (Bart Allen), Jay Garrick, and Johnny Quick—all inextricably linked by the Speed Force—race to save the day.

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F FLASH (JAY GARRICK), THE

FLASH OF CHINA, THE

FLORONIC MAN

FORAGER

DEBUT Flash Comics (Vol. 1) #1 (Jan 1940)

DEBUT The Flash (Vol. 5) #3 (Sep 2016) REAL NAME

DEBUT The Atom #1 (Jun.–Jul. 1962) (as Woodrue)

DEBUT

Jason Peter Garrick BASE Keystone City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 178 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Gray (formerly blond) POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed ALLIES The Flash (Barry Allen), Impulse ENEMIES Turtle, the Thinker, Reverse-Flash AFFILIATIONS Justice Society of America, The Flash Family

Jason Woodrue HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Red and black HAIR Flowers POWERS/ABILITIES Rapid cellular growth and change; can manipulate the Green to grow fabulous plants (as Seeder); can control plant life around the world and draw considerable power from the Green (as Avatar of the Green and Avatar of the Parliament of Flowers). ALLIES Circe, Legion of Doom ENEMIES Swamp Thing, Justice League Dark AFFILIATIONS Parliament of Flowers

HEIGHT

REAL NAME

Jason “Jay” Garrick was the original Flash—a speedster and founder of the Justice Society of America in the mid-20th century. Jay acquired the power of super-speed after a lab accident. Using it to fight crime, he donned his father’s World War I helmet—which had wings like the god Mercury—called himself The Flash and wore a lightning-bolt symbol. The Flash and his Justice Society teammates’ exploits were wiped from the timestream by Doctor Manhattan, but only temporarily. Later, Jay and the Justice Society were brought to the present from 1941 and they assisted the Justice League against Perpetua and the Legion of Doom. Perpetua triumphed and Jay and the team went into hiding. Jay was called into action once more to help Barry Allen and Wally West reach the Mobius Chair before the Batman Who Laughs.

Avery Ho HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Brown HAIR Black and purple POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed via the Speed Force, intangibility, invisibility, time travel. ALLIES The Flash (Barry Allen) ENEMIES Godspeed, Lantern Corps of China AFFILIATIONS Justice League of China

REAL NAME

Avery Ho received her superpowers when Speed Force lightning struck dozens of Central City citizens. At first she could not stop moving, unable to control her incredible new powers. The Flash (Barry Allen) taught the young girl a way of centering herself in order to stop the vibrations—what she had to do was focus on the things she loved in order to keep herself grounded. Later, Avery encountered the Justice League of China and joined the team as The Flash of China. She wasted no time in taking on China’s Super-Man in a race to find out who was the fastest—a contest that she won easily.

FOREVER PEOPLE

TOGETHER FOR INFINITY

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Forever People (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971) BASE New Genesis MEMBERS/POWERS Dreamer Beautiful: Creates illusions from others’ minds; Mark Moonrider: Megaton touch, can fire blasts of pure force; Big Bear: Super-strength; Serafina: cosmic cartridges alter atoms and perform miracles; Vykin: Computer mind, controls magnetism, safeguards Mother Box. ALLIES Infinity Man, Himon ENEMIES Mantis, Devilance, Female Furies, Desaad, Darkseid AFFILIATIONS Academy of Higher Conscience DEBUT

In the aftermath of war between Apokolips 1 and New Genesis, Izaya the Inheritor rejected mindless aggression and sought a more peaceful way. Part of that was rearing the next generation of New Gods in a free and gentle manner, with choice as their credo. Five of these idealistic youngsters— Big Bear, Beautiful Dreamer, Mark Moonrider, Vykin, and cowboy enthusiast Serifan—called themselves Forever People. Closer than family, they used a communal Mother Box to trade existence with the enigmatic Infinity-Man. When Darkseid abducted Beautiful Dreamer, her companions came to Earth to rescue her. As explorers and ambassadors, the naive Forever People learned the ways of humankind, explored history with the help of ghost Deadman to find his killer, and prevented Darkseid from securing the Anti-Life equation. Although gentle souls still, they have become feared by many Apokoliptians, such as Granny Goodness and Desaad, who have many reasons to regret crossing swords with them. Today, they act as reluctant warriors when the need arises.

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Otherdimensional exile Jason Woodrue was fascinated by the idea of using plants to recreate the world. In exchange for saving Swamp Thing (Alec Holland) from a sorcerer, Earth’s Parliament of Trees gave Woodrue the ability to shape the Green—the lifeforce of all Earth’s plants. As the Seeder, he created wondrous foliage. The Parliament later elected him their Avatar, but, when Seeder tried to kill Earth’s animal life, Holland reclaimed the role. When the Parliament of Trees was replaced by a Parliament of Flowers, Floronic Man Woodrue cultivated their new avatar, Oleander Sorrel. When he was ready, Floronic Man consumed him and became Earth’s plant elemental.

Big Bear Serafina Baldaur Vykin Baldaur Dreamer Beautiful Mark Moonrider

Unknown BASE New Genesis 5ft 10in WEIGHT 162 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Physicality of a New God; enhanced strength, speed, and agility; can climb walls with adheso-grips, fire acid from suit pods, and modulate his pheromone output. ALLIES Hooligan, Kuzuko, Orion, Lightray, Batman, Sandman (II and III), Atlas, OMAC ENEMIES Darkseid, Mantis, Metron, Black Racer AFFILIATIONS New Gods of New Genesis Forager was raised as a Bug—an insectoid species introduced to New Genesis by Darkseid to ravage the planet’s food supplies. Bugs rapidly evolved into humanoid forms, proliferating across the planet. When Forager learned that Mantis of Apokolips was uniting rival Bug colonies to invade Earth, he helped Lightray and Orion repel the invasion. Forager sacrificed himself to save the galaxy and was replaced by a female champion who continued his heroic legacy. After Flashpoint and Rebirth, the original Forager returned, going on a wild ride through Earth’s history to thwart a cruel experiment of Metron’s. With his companions Kuzko and her sentient teddy bear, Hooligan, Forager met many unconventional Super Heroes before learning he was actually a New God.

ON THE RECORD After Flashpoint, the Forever People subtly altered. Now Vykin, Serafina, Mark Moonrider, and Dreamer Beautiful were young New Gods on a field trip to Earth, chaperoned by seasoned warrior Big Bear, who ran the local New Genesis headquarters in Venice Beach, California. While investigating an agricultural project, they were attacked by Apokoliptian Mantis and his insectoid minions. They discovered that when they all touched their Mother Box computer and spoke the word “Taaru,” they became a single mighty hero—Infinity Man. As Infinity Man they defeated Mantis.

4

2

New Gods (Vol. 1) #9 (Jul. 1972)

REAL NAME

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5

DRIVING FOREVER

The Forever People rode in a three-wheeled, all-terrain Super-cycle. Designed by the engineers of New Genesis, it could travel at supersonic speeds on the ground or in the air.

F FORTUNE, AMOS DEBUT Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #6 (Aug.–Sep. 1961) BASE A paddle steamer on the Mississippi

5ft 8in WEIGHT 233 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Advanced intellect and gambling ability makes him appear lucky; uses various tech as a member of the Royal Flush gang. ENEMIES JLA, Roulette AFFILIATIONS Royal Flush Gang

HEIGHT

When Amos Fortune’s father died, the only thing he left Amos was his lucky deck of cards. By age 16, Amos was making money through card tricks and he hired four of his fellow students to be his lookouts. They quickly became a gang and came to the attention of local gangster Jimmy the Gent. He employed them for several jobs, then sent them into a mobsters’ card game. Amos won, but instead of giving the money to Jimmy, he used it to arm his own group. Inspired by the Royal Flush he’d had during the card game, Amos led the first “Royal Flush” gang, with members modeling themselves on playing cards. They fought the Justice League of America and later Amos created a global network of Royal Flush gangs. Following another defeat at the hands of the JLA, Amos was shot by the wife of a deceased gang member.

FRANKENSTEIN Detective Comics #135 (May 1948) BASE Magus Theatre, Monstertown, Gotham City HAIR Black EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Immortal zombie with no need to drink, eat, or breathe; superstrong, skilled swordsman and marksman. AFFILIATIONS Gotham City Monsters, S.H.A.D.E., Creature Commandos, Justice League Dark DEBUT

Frankenstein is a former Super Human Advanced Defense Executive agent and a reluctant hero with Justice League Dark. Accidentally created with a conscience, the seeming brute turned on his creator Victor Frankenstein, freeing prisoners scheduled for experimentation. Afterwards, the creature left to explore the world and confront the nature of his origins. He still cannot decide whether he is alive or dead. Calling himself “Frankenstein,” he finally gained purpose in life after being recruited by S.H.A.D.E.’s commander, Father Time. Fighting in both World Wars and the Korean conflict—often supported by fellow warrior outcasts the Creature Commandos—he wed Lady Frankenstein (a S.H.A.D.E. agent codenamed “The Bride”). But tragedy dogged them. She was forced to kill their son when he proved twisted and evil, ultimately begging for his own death. The marriage sundered, but both continued working for S.H.A.D.E., saving the world from many horrific threats. Frankenstein also fought alongside Swamp Thing against the Rot and in the Trinity War as part of Justice League Dark. He recently found a home of sorts by defeating archfoe Mr. Melmoth’s threat to the already endangered Multiverse. Frankenstein learned of an encroaching, undisclosed threat (Perpetua) and resolved to protect his outcast kind in a new team: the Gotham City Monsters.

ON THE RECORD A creature named Ivan referred

to as Frankenstein’s Monster, first appeared in Detective Comics in the 1940s. He was Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s large and lumbering assistant who was returned to life following a huge electrical shock. Another version—more in keeping with the origins of Mary Shelley’s original character—fought the Phantom Stranger. A more heroic variation met the Young All-Stars before emerging from the shadows in Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein, setting the stage for the latest incarnation.

MINDLESS MIGHT

A very different Frankenstein’s Monster, nicknamed Ivan, once fought Batman and Robin in 19th-century Europe.

FOX, LUCIUS Batman #307 (Jan. 1979) Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 170 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Exceptional business acumen coupled with excellent engineering and inventive skills. ALLIES Bruce Wayne, son Luke Fox (Batwing), son Timothy Fox (future Batman) ENEMIES Lex Luthor, The Riddler AFFILIATIONS Wayne Industries DEBUT BASE

Lucius Fox is one of the most respected financial minds on Earth, but in his first stint at Wayne Industries he was fired by Bruce Wayne’s uncle, Philip Kane, who was seeking control of the business. Fox briefly worked at Gotham School of Engineering, helping Wayne defeat “Doctor Death” and The Riddler when he inflicted Zero Year on the city. Shortly after, Bruce rehired Fox, making him Wayne Industries CEO. When Bruce went public with his support for Batman, Fox became more active, developing weaponry and technology for the Dark Knight. He built Batwing’s new costume unaware his own son had secretly become the hero. Luke Fox’s vigilante career caused conflict with his father as Lucius felt his son was slacking when, in reality, he was fighting crime. Fox is married man with three children and, like all high-ranking Wayne Industries staff, carries a tracking chip at all times. When Alfred Pennyworth was killed by Bane, Fox adopted the confidant’s role in Batman and Bruce Wayne’s lives—an advancement that made him a prime target during The Joker’s lethal war on the Dark Knight’s friends and family.

EVERY MAN’S LAND

Lucius Fox had a career studded with many achievements. One of his greatest triumphs was in the aftermath of an earthquake that devastated Gotham City. His quick thinking stopped Lex Luthor’s corporation from acquiring most of the city’s real estate.

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F NEW CREW

1 2 3 4

Black Condor II Uncle Sam Phantom Lady II Human Bomb III

FREEDOM FIGHTERS

ON THE RECORD

Justice League of America #107 (Sep.–Oct. 1973) NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS Uncle Sam: The living embodiment of the American Dream; The Ray: Can absorb and control light; Human Bomb: Generates huge explosions; Black Condor: Super-strong and can fly at exceptional speeds; Firebrand: Pyrokinesis; Phantom Lady: Black light bands provide invisibility and intangibility; Doll Man: Can shrink to a height of just six inches. EARTH-X MEMBERS Uncle Sam: The living embodiment of the American Dream; Cache: Tech expert and pilot of the Blue Tracer; Human Bomb III: Generates explosions, limited invulnerability; Black Condor II: Inventive flyer with weaponized wings; Phantom Lady II: Teleporter; Doll Woman: Enhanced speed and strength; stuck at six inches tall. ALLIES Justice Society of America, Justice League of America ENEMIES Nazis, Adolf Hitler III, PlaSStic Men, Renegades, Father Time, Secret Society of Super-Villains AFFILIATIONS All-Star Squadron

The original Freedom Fighters existed on Earth-X—an alternate version of Earth where the Nazis had won World War II. The Freedom Fighters were Super Heroes waging a war against them. After ending the Nazi threat, the team sought further action and crossed over to Earth-1 where their allies—the Justice League of America—existed. While it took them a while to adjust to their new home, they continued their fight against evil.

FIRST APPEARANCE

1

4

On every Earth, wherever America’s liberty is imperiled, the Freedom Fighters exist to destroy tyranny. Usually led by patriotic avatar Uncle Sam, teams consist of different heroes but generally include the Ray, Black Condor, Firebrand, Human Bomb, Phantom Girl, and Doll Man/Doll Woman. In post-Flashpoint continuity they were operatives of S.H.A.D.E., defending the nation from alien and superhuman threats. They were convened by S.H.A.D.E.’s leader, Father Time, to find a reborn Uncle Sam. An updated group assembled by a new embodiment of Uncle Sam comprised fresh incarnations of Black Condor II, Cache, Human Bomb III, Phantom Lady II, and Doll Woman. The team’s greatest triumph occurred on Earth-X, where Germany had won World War II and Uncle Sam was banished for two generations. Here, original survivors of the conflict and legacy heroes reviving their glorious names sparked a new American revolution. Calling up a reinvigorated Uncle Sam, they brought liberty back to the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

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3

FIGHTERS REFRESHED

The new Uncle Sam introduced the Human Bomb to his teammates Phantom Lady, Doll Man, and the Ray.

FUNKY FLASHMAN DEBUT

Mister Miracle #6 (Jan.–Feb. 1972)

6ft 1in WEIGHT 170 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Charismatic master conman who can sell anything to anyone. ALLIES Colonel Mockingbird (formerly) ENEMIES Mister Miracle, Justice League AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, The Penguin HEIGHT

Charismatic Funky Flashman is a sleazy, persuasive salesmen with no discernible moral code. When the monthly allowance granted him by Colonel Mockingbird ran out, he latched on to Scott Free—superescape artist and New God Mister Miracle— in a bid to become his manager. Scott’s wife, Big Barda, deduced Flashman’s motives, but Scott accepted the offer. She was proved right: Flashman stole Scott’s Mother Box, and Darkseid’s Female Furies tracked it to his home. Flashman sacrificed his assistant, Houseroy, to facilitate his own escape. Later, he used Mister Miracle’s name to peddle intergalactic cleaning products. Then he led the Society of Super-Villains before being ousted by Gorilla Grodd. Flashman still clings to the fringes of the metahuman community, selling hero-themed cars and cruising for fresh suckers at The Penguin’s high-stakes card games.

118

FURY DEBUT

FIGHTING SPIRIT OF LIBERTY

Uncle Sam and co. traveled to Earth, but their surprise appearance in Times Square saw them arrested for causing a public disturbance.

UNLEASHING FURY

Wonder Woman #300 (Feb. 1983)

Blue HAIR Black EYES

POWERS/ABILITIES

Being half Amazon, Fury was gifted with wisdom, immortality, and super-strength. She was also a formidable warrior.

Strength and speed of her mother, Wonder Woman; aggression and power of her father, Steppenwolf. ALLIES Steppenwolf, Wonder Woman ENEMIES Darkseid, Big Barda

Fury is the daughter of Earth-2’s Wonder Woman and Steppenwolf. A ferocious fighter, she was trained by Big Barda and raised to believe in Steppenwolf’s violent ways—even helping him wipe out her fellow Amazons. She eventually saw the error of her ways and helped Mister Miracle escape Darkseid’s forces, joining Earth-2’s heroes in their fight against the villain. Fury survived Earth-2’s destruction, and on the journey to a new planet her ship, the TSS Aphrodite, crashed and a radiation leak threatened the lives of all 77,000 people on board. In desperation, Fury merged their bodies with the souls of departed Amazonians that were stored in the Pandora Vessel—an ancient Themysciran artifact. These survivors established the secret kingdom of Amazonia on their new homeworld, where Fury began training a new generation of Amazons. There have been other female warriors called Fury who have been inspired and empowered by the Amazons. The first of these, Helena Kosmatos, passed the mantle and name to her daughter, Lyta Trevor.

HELENA KOSMATOS During World War II, Helena unwittingly unleashed the Furies—the Greek goddesses of vengeance— and became a vessel for their power. She channeled the spirit of the demonic Fury Tisiphone, the Blood Avenger. LYTA TREVOR

Inheriting her mother Helena’s powers, Lyta had a life marked by heroism and tragedy. After her husband, Hector Hall, vanished, her son Daniel was taken to become the Lord of the Dreaming. Daniel finally reunited them all in his realm to protect them from the marauding Spectre.

G

DATA

G.C.P.D. Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #27 (May 1939) Gotham City

DEBUT BASE

ON THE RECORD

NOTABLE MEMBERS COMMISSIONER JAMES GORDON;

Before the reality-altering events

COMMISSIONER MAGGIE SAWYER; COMMISSIONER HARVEY

of Flashpoint, the Gotham City Police Department had been slowly developed since Commissioner Gordon’s debut appearance alongside Batman in 1939’s Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #27. While characters such as Bullock, Montoya, Sawyer, and Gordon have appeared in the modern G.C.P.D., some officers have not yet been updated for the new continuity, including Crispus Allen, “Hardback” Bock, and Josephine “Josie Mac” MacDonald. Also notably absent is Detective Sarah Essen Gordon, James Gordon’s second wife, who took over for him briefly as commissioner. She was part of a nascent G.C.P.D., playing a major role in the landmark “Batman: Year One” storyline.

BULLOCK; DETECTIVE RENEE MONTOYA; DETECTIVE CARLOS ALVAREZ; DETECTIVE TRAVIS NIE; DETECTIVE TAMMY KEYES; DETECTIVE JIM CORRIGAN; OFFICER HENRY WALLACE; DETECTIVE MELODY MCKENNA; OFFICER NANCY STRODE; DETECTIVE NANCY YIP; COMMISSIONER JACK FORBES; COMMISSIONER JASON BARD; COMMISSIONER GILLIAN B. LOEB ALLIES

The Batman Family, Birds of Prey Arkham Asylum inmates, Blackgate inmates.

ENEMIES

The Gotham City Police Department has been marred by corruption almost since the founding of the city itself. It took the efforts of many good people to fight the corruption from the inside, rooting out the department’s worst offenders. Now that the noble tenure of Commissioner James Gordon has come to an abrupt end, loyal cop Harvey Bullock picks up where his old boss left off, hoping to keep Gotham City’s cops on the up and up. When James Gordon first reported to the G.C.P.D, transferring from Chicago, he was astounded to see how high Gotham City is known the corruption reached. The incumbent Commissioner, Gillian B. for the police blimps Loeb, had his hands in a variety of criminal enterprises, and that dot the city’s famous allowed many illegal actions to take place right under his nose. skyline—often making life He even blatantly attended the outlawed dogfights that many of tough for a certain rooftop-traveling vigilante. his officers organized. Frustrated with his fellow officers, Gordon began to work with a few of the good apples among them—men like Harvey Bullock—and eventually rose in power thanks to his valiant efforts to save Gotham City during an attack by The Riddler during the so-called Zero Year. Gordon became Commissioner, and began working side by side with another uniformed crusader in the form of the vigilante, Batman. Following years of a success, James Gordon was framed for a crime he did not commit. He was jailed as the corrupt Jack Forbes stepped up to replace him, quickly replaced again by the equally unscrupulous Jason Bard. When Bard saw the error of his ways—thanks in part to the actions of Batman—he worked to free Gordon. While Gordon did not return to his position, the upstanding Maggie Sawyer was promoted to Commissioner, and Gordon moved to head the Batman Task Force, wearing a robotic, armored Batman suit as part of a special division of the G.C.P.D. while the real Dark Knight was MIA. However, the true Batman returned to reclaim his mantle, and Gordon was reinstated as Commissioner until he fell under the control of an evil Batman from the Dark Multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs. Harvey Bullock now serves as Commissioner as Gordon attempts to get his life back in order.

FLACK FOR FLASS

Arnold Flass was a notorious example of how corrupt the G.C.P.D. was early on. During Batman: Year One, Flass repeatedly clashed with the upright James Gordon, giving him plenty of bruises for his efforts.

AIR PATROL

2 4 3 1 GOTHAM CITY’S FINEST?

1 Former Commissioner Jack Forbes 2 Former Commissioner Jason Bard 3 Commissioner Harvey Bullock 4 Former Commissioner Maggie Sawyer

ONE POLICE PLAZA

Located squarely in the neighborhood of Old Gotham, One Police Plaza is the main headquarters of the G.C.P.D. It hosts the iconic Bat-Signal on its rooftop to summon the Dark Knight whenever Batman is needed.

G.C.P.D. BLUE

The G.C.P.D. is a brotherhood that has clashed with Batman nearly as many times as it has worked with him. In Gotham City, good cops are hard to come by.

119

G ON THE RECORD G’NORT Justice League International (Vol. 1) #10 (Feb. 1988) DEBUT

G’Nort Esplanade G’Neesmacher HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 195 lbs EYES Black HAIR Reddish brown POWERS/ABILITIES Ability to overcome fear; power ring can create nearly anything its wearer imagines, permits flight, and space travel. ENEMIES Gods of the House of Tuath-Dan REAL NAME

Perhaps one of the oddest members of the Green Lantern Corps, the canine-like G’Nort is a proud ring bearer, despite only getting the job because his uncle called in a favor. After 17 years of Green Lantern training, G’Nort finally began his career as a Super Hero, although his assignment of a space sector was later revoked after he accidentally destroyed a planet. While not often the most effective Green Lantern in a fight, G’Nort opposed Larfleeze on the planet Sorrow before teaming up with the so-called Agent Orange and discovering they were actually cousins. Together they took on the Gods of the House of Tuath-Dan, a horde of rampaging robots, and a sentient, inter-dimensional portal set on destroying Sorrow. After vanquishing foes, G’Nort accepted a role as Larfleeze’s sidekick.

GANG, THE DEBUT Adventures of the Super Sons #1 (Oct. 2018) BASE

4019, Mobile

Rex Luthor Evil genius; Brainiac 6 Electronic nemesis; Joker, Jr. Comedy turncoat; Kid Deadshot Killer marksman; Ice Princess Supreme sub-zero threat; Shaggy Boy Brutal little giant monster. POWERS/ABILITIES Technological duplication of individual Earth Super-Villains. ENEMIES Damian Wayne (Robin), Jon Kent (Superboy), Tommy Tomorrow, Planeteers AFFILIATIONS Injustice Army, Takron Galtos

NOTABLE MEMBERS

The populace of Cygnus 4019 is addicted to watching life on Earth, but one child took it too far. Calling himself Rex Luthor and particularly enamored of Super-Villains, the adolescent psychopath convinced his school friends to become copies of bad guys and insert themselves into the drama. When they didn’t comply, Rex made them. Planning to replace his screen idols as the ultimate villain, he began by stealing the awesome Hypercube from the Fortress of Solitude and trying to kill Robin (Damian Wayne) and Superboy (Jon Kent). Little Luthor’s plan fell apart, prompting a chase across the universe, but he almost succeeded— especially after expanding his six-person gang into a vast army of junior injustice.

120

GARDNER, GUY Green Lantern (Vol. 1) #59 (Mar. 1968) 6ft WEIGHT 180 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Able to overcome great fear; weapons include Green Lantern ring, a device capable of creating nearly anything its wearer imagines, limited only by his or her will; the ring also allows for flight, forcefields, and space travel, and can impart encyclopedic knowledge to its wearer. ALLIES Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kilowog ENEMIES Atrocitus, Sinestro AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, Justice League International, Red Lantern Corps DEBUT

HEIGHT

Guy Gardner gained his attitude and famous chip on his shoulder at a young age. The product of a dysfunctional home, Guy had idolized his older brother, Gerard, who was a football star in school. When Guy’s parents weren’t doting on Gerard, they were lavishing praise on Gloria, Guy’s younger sister. However, when Guy’s mother died, Gerard became abusive. Guy let his brother take his anger out on him, knowing his sibling needed to vent his rage. But when Gerard hit his sister, Guy lashed out with a baseball bat, causing his BROTHERLY LOVE Guy became his brother’s brother to be out of action for the football season. personal punching bag in a In turn, Guy’s father, a decorated cop, violently self-sacrificing attempt to help lashed out towards Guy. Gerard deal with his issues. As an adult, Guy followed a long family tradition and became a cop in the Baltimore Police Department, but he was kicked off the force after showing poor judgment. However, he later exhibited great courage, saving his brother Gerard’s life from a hail of bullets during a police shoot-out with a criminal gang. In that moment of unflinching bravery, a Green Lantern ring found Guy, and he began life as a fully fledged hero, finding time to also serve briefly in the Justice League International.

While he debuted in the late 1960s, Guy Gardner did not rise to real stardom until his placement in the Justice League International during the mid-1980s. Famous for losing a fight to Batman—it only lasted one punch—Gardner became a longtime member of the team and the love interest of fellow hero, Ice. After a falling out with the Green Lantern Corps, Guy claimed a yellow power ring to continue fighting crime. He discovered his Vuldarian heritage and became a living weapon in the form of Warrior, using powers he would lose during Hal Jordan’s return, when both reclaimed their Green Lantern status.

RESTAURANT OF CHOICE

Always one to stay in Super Hero circles, Guy Gardner opened his own heroically themed restaurant called Warriors.

FROM GREEN TO RED

Guy took Atrocitus’ Red Lantern ring and joined a new corps, where he could channel his anger. He later returned to life as a Green Lantern.

G

DATA

GENERAL ZOD Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #283 (Apr. 1961) Dru-Zod BASE Jekuul HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 215 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Under a yellow sun, he has all the solar-charged abilities of a Kryptonian: super-strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, and enhanced senses; possesses a keen strategic intellect; highly skilled in Kryptonian martial arts and military tactics. ALLIES Ursa, Lor-Zod, Eradicator ENEMIES Superman, Supergirl, Justice League, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) AFFILIATIONS Phantom Zone Criminals, Suicide Squad, Superman Revenge Squad DEBUT

KNEEL BEFORE SQUAD

REAL NAME

Kryptonians, like most beings in the universe, have a vulnerability to magic. Knowing this, Katana was able to hurt Zod with her Soultaker sword when Zod escaped the Phantom Zone.

An extremist general from Krypton, General Zod was placed in the other-dimensional Phantom Zone for crimes against his people. Banished to a world of wraithlike phantoms and the endless ravages of a timeless environment, Zod’s punishment actually worked out to his benefit; when Krypton exploded he was safely off world. He finally escaped his prison, coming to Earth as Superman’s equal and opposite number. Driven half-mad by the Phantom Zone, when Zod first found his way to Earth, he came into conflict with Superman, and the two clashed repeatedly, with Superman eventually locking Zod the I WILL ALWAYS BE powerful Zod back into the Phantom Zone. Zod was freed again YOUR MONSTER Unrepentant, Zod and his from the Phantom Zone by the government black ops group of comrades were banished Super-Villains called the Suicide Squad. The Squad’s leader, to the Phantom Zone, but Amanda Waller, implanted a Kryptonite bomb inside were convinced they Zod’s skull, threatening to detonate it if he didn’t would eventually return. follow orders. Zod used his heat vision to slice into his own head and remove the bomb, before escaping alongside Cyborg Superman’s Superman Revenge Squad. With the promise of finding his way back to his loved ones trapped inside the Phantom Zone, Zod worked with Cyborg Superman’s team until he got his hands on Superman’s Phantom Zone projector. Then Zod freed his wife Ursa and their son Lar-Zod and departed Earth for the planet Jekuul alongside the Kryptonian artificial intelligence known as the Eradicator. There Zod could live as a king under Jekuul’s two yellow sons. The native citizens there acted as his willing slaves, believing him to be a god. Determined to remake Jekuul into a New Krypton, the so-called House of Zod soon came under fire from the Green Lantern Corps. However, Zod joined forces with the Lanterns soon after to battle the greater threat of the lethal enforces called the Darkstars. Zod next learned of Rogol Zaar, the being claiming the blame for Krypton’s destruction. While he seemingly teamed with Zaar (with whom he had previously escaped from the Phantom Zone), Zod was actually working to bring him to justice. After Zaar’s defeat, Superman and Zod parted ways as uneasy allies, and Superman allowed Zod to returnto his planet in order to create the New Krypton of his dreams.

CLASSIC STORIES ON THE RECORD

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #283 (Apr. 1961) In a Superboy story flashback,

A minor villain since his 1961 debut,

General Zod became a recurring threat in the years preceding the mid-1980s Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the 1986 Superman reboot, Zod and fellow Kryptonians Qwex-Ul and Zaora annihilated an alternate Earth, forcing Superman to end their lives. However, Zod’s demise was short lived and in subsequent years he returned in various incarnations. In 2010, following Brainiac’s defeat and the establishment of New Krypton in Earth’s solar system, Zod was released from the Phantom Zone to lead the Kryptonian military. However, the warmonger instigated a “100 Minute War” against Earth, resulting in New Krypton’s destruction and his return to the Zone.

General Zod debuts as an inmate of the Phantom Zone. Attempting to conquer Krypton with imperfect duplicates that look like Bizarro, Zod is eventually sentenced to the Phantom Zone. DC Comics Presents (Vol. 1) #97 (Sep. 1986) In an untold tale of pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths reality, the final chapter of Zod and the rest of the Phantom Zone villains is revealed. Action Comics (Vol. 1) #844-846, HISTORY MAN

UNFORGIVING

General Zod is obsessed with Krypton’s glorious military past and is determined to make himself its greatest war hero.

851, Annual #11 (Dec. 2006–Jul 2008) Zod, Ursa, and Non strike terror

into Metropolis as Superman meets the son of Zod.

Whether addressing the last Son of El, inferior Earth-Men, or his own troops, Zod would never be content until he made all kneel before him.

121

G GENERAL IMMORTUS

GENERAL, THE

DEBUT My Greatest Adventure (Vol. 1) #80 (Jun. 1963)

DEBUT

5ft 7in WEIGHT 132 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Brilliant criminal strategist with extremely high intellect; longevity. ALLIES Professor Achilles Milo, Mr. Polka Dot, Sportsmaster, Condiment King ENEMIES Doom Patrol, the Human Flame AFFILIATIONS Brotherhood of Evil, Army of the Endangered

BASE

HEIGHT

General Immortus is one of the original enemies of the Doom Patrol. No one knows how old he is, as he has extended his life for centuries with a mysterious elixir. After losing the formula to his potion, he hired the brilliant Dr. Niles Caulder to recreate the formula. When Caulder learned of Immortus’ identity and plan, he destroyed his work, and later, as the Chief, formed the Doom Patrol to thwart Immortus and his schemes. After repeated clashes with the Doom Patrol, Immortus organized a new team of metahuman followers, featuring minor criminals such as Mr. Polka Dot and the Condiment King. He named this team the Army of the Endangered and had limited success until he crossed paths with another villain who would become his enemy: the Human Flame.

GENTLEMAN GHOST DEBUT

Flash Comics (Vol. 1) #88 (Oct. 1947)

James Craddock BASE Hell, Gotham City HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable HAIR Red EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Intangibility, invisibility, flight, teleportation, control of the dead. ENEMIES Hawkman, Batman, Batwing, the Spectre AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, Suicide Squad: Black Squad REAL NAME

English highwayman James Craddock went to Hell after being hanged for his crimes. Centuries later, he returned to Earth, using ethereal powers to somehow regain physical form. He scoured the world for mystic artifacts that might help him regain a proper body. In New York City, Gentleman Ghost clashed with Hawkman while procuring resurrection tool the Mortis Orb. That only gave Craddock a zombie army, not a new body. The Orb was later re-energized by contact with Hawkman’s Nth Metal, and Craddock tried stealing lifeforce from New York’s mortal inhabitants. Instead, the orb dispatched the ghost back to Hell. Recently returned to Earth, Craddock became an assassin for hire and after failing to kill Batman, was forced to join Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad.

122

Captain Atom (Vol. 2) #1 (Mar. 1987)

REAL NAME Wade

Eiling

Mobile EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES

Skilled tactician; highly trained in military combat; ruthless strategist. ALLIES Dr. Heinrich Megala ENEMIES Captain Atom, Firestorm, Superman AFFILIATIONS US Army, Security Agencies Professional soldier and ultra-patriot, Wade Eiling rose to the rank of General by always knowing where the next threat lay. In the days of alien incursions, masked supermen, and uncontrolled technological advancement, the highly decorated veteran was convinced that Super Heroes acting with public support—but no government control—were a menace to mankind. The General toiled tirelessly and with no concern for ethics or human rights to ensure that quantum metahuman and former soldier Captain Atom remained a military asset. He called him “the super weapon that will keep America on top.” Eiling later conspired to create Major Force as another secret weapon. He used him in attempts to press-gang Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, into being the latest asset in his stockpile.

GIGANTA Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #9 (Summer 1944) Doris Zuel BASE Ivy Town HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength and durability; superior intellect; limited invulnerability derived from the ability to increase her physical size and mass; proficient unarmed combatant. ALLIES Ryan Choi, Queen Clea ENEMIES Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Justice League AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, Secret Six, Injustice League, Villainy Incorporated DEBUT

REAL NAME

GEO-FORCE DEBUT The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 1) #200 (Jul. 1983)

Prince Brion Markov Markovia HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength and durability; lava blasts; terrain-manipulation/ earth-moving. ALLIES Katana, Batman ENEMIES Baron Bedlam AFFILIATIONS Outsiders REAL NAME BASE

Second-in-line to the throne of Markovia, Prince Brion Markov volunteered to undergo scientific experimentation to become his nation’s super-guardian. Empowered by Doctor Helga Jace—author of the contentious “Superman Theory” of creating metahumans—he attained numerous Earth-based abilities. As Geo-Force he quashed an invasion by usurper Baron Bedlam with the aid of Batman, Katana, and other costumed heroes calling themselves the Outsiders. Brion stayed with them, relocating to America, where he was reunited with his half-sister, Tara Markov. Geo-Force eventually assumed command of the team when Batman left. He briefly ruled Markovia, but surrendered the throne for a life of action.

SHOCK TACTICS

Doctor Zuel was always ready for a fight and did not care what the human insects beneath her feet thought.

Doctor Doris Zuel was a brilliant scientist with a fatal blood disease. To save her own life, she attempted to place her consciousness into Wonder Woman’s body, but instead ended up trapped in a gorilla named Giganta. Eventually escaping the beast’s body, her mind and spirit lodged inside a comatose metahuman named Olga, and she took over her victim’s mystical ability to alter size. Doris became an adrenaline junkie, drunk on her newfound power. Apart from a brief period teaching at Ivy Town University, where she was romantically involved with Ryan Choi, the second Atom, she rejected science research to be a Super-Villain. Confrontational and amoral, Giganta reveled in her shattering power and left the scheming to more ambitious heads. She also preferred to work in a group, joining several mercenary or criminal organizations, but was equally happy to join semi-heroic teams such as the Secret Six or the government’s Suicide Squad. The latter association proved particularly rewarding for Giganta as she was paid with the name of the man responsible for murdering her beloved Ryan and was allowed to torture him to death.

ON THE RECORD The original Giganta was a female gorilla subjected to evolutionary enhancement. She transformed into a powerful human woman who wanted Wonder Woman’s boyfriend, Steve Trevor. Giganta was far less comical on her introduction to the modern DC universe: crushing jets, smashing buildings, and generally treating humans as if they were all bugs to be stepped on. Her lack of caution and consideration was revealed as a side-effect of her expansions; the bigger Giganta grew, the more her intellect diminished. BRAWN OVER BRAINS

The post-Crisis Giganta, Doctor Zuel, learned that although rational reasoning had its benefits, brute force solved most problems more quickly.

G GIZMO DEBUT

GOLDEN GLIDER New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #3 (Jan. 1981)

Mikron O’Jeneus BASE Platinum Flats EYES Green HAIR Bald HEIGHT 4ft 2in WEIGHT 87 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Genius intellect, engineering prodigy, flight (jet pack), array of hi-tech weaponry and gadgets. ENEMIES Teen Titans, Djinn, Psimon, Birds of Prey, Dr. Sivana AFFILIATIONS Fearsome Five, Silicon Syndicate REAL NAME

A diminutive inventor with a gift for turning everyday objects into deadly devices, Mikron O’Jeneus sold weapons to villains via his company Gizmo, Inc. In the Fearsome Five, he was frequently beaten by the Teen Titans and shrunk to microscopic size by teammate Psimon. He was then shot in the head by Dr. Sivana for failing on a mission. Resurrected by Macintech Research & Development, Gizmo joined the Silicon Syndicate—a villain cabal extorting hi-tech companies. This deal was ended by the Birds of Prey, but Gizmo survived the encounter. He worked with the Fearsome Five again and sold illegal arms. Recently he tried to become immortal by nuking New York City, using the energy unleashed to upload his consciousness to the Internet.

DEBUT

The Flash (Vol. 1) #250 (Jun. 1977)

Forever People (Vol. 1) #3 (Jun.–Jul. 1971)

DEBUT

BASE

Super Friends (Vol. 1) #7 (Oct. 1977) Justice League International (Vol. 3) #1 (Nov. 2011)

REAL NAME

REAL NAME

CURRENT VERSION

Apokolips Albert Pratt EYES Amber HAIR Brown HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 195 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Immortal, superhuman physiology, unnaturally charismatic, ultrapersuasive voice. ENEMIES New Genesis, Batman family, Desaad, Granny Goodness AFFILIATIONS Darkseid’s inner circle

Olympic-level skater Lisa Snart is the former girlfriend of Mirror Master Sam Scudder. When her brother Len (Captain Cold) forced the Rogues to metabolize their weapons’ energies to create metahuman abilities, Lisa fell in a coma. Manifesting in astral form, she sought revenge as the ethereal Glider. Lisa led the Rogues against her brother and The Flash, but they joined forces when Central City was overrun by Gorilla Grodd’s ape army. She freed Scudder from a Mirror World, but her astral form was destroyed. Escaping her coma thanks to the Pied Piper, she fell in with Cold again. Later she rejected crime, but her new life was wrecked by Cold. When he became an agent of Perpetua, she joined The Flash and others in defeating “King Cold” and saving Central City.

As archpropagandist for Darkseid, Glorious Godfrey uses his great eloquence and psionic suggestion to persuade and deceive. He is Darkseid’s advance guard, visiting new worlds and spreading the influence of Apokolips through mass communications, usually as a populist media personality or a religious figure. When Darkseid was in stasis, Godfrey served his master’s son and heir, Kalibak, collecting the Chaos Sliver and the sarcophagus of Damian Wayne so Darkseid could power his Chaos Cannon. However, Batman tracked Godfrey down. When not advancing Darkseid’s philosophy offworld, Godfrey amuses himself by fomenting suspicion and dissent among his rivals in the Dark Lord’s inner circle.

Dora Leigh Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Can control her prehensile hair. ALLIES Booster Gold ENEMIES Peraxxus, O.M.A.C., the Burners AFFILIATIONS Justice League International EYES

Blue

HAIR

When prehensilehaired British Super Hero Godiva (Dora Leigh) was offered a position in Justice League International, she was immediately attracted to the group’s dashing leader, Booster Gold. However, she thought the team was lacking in power, and she was proven right when they were forced to retreat by a giant robot controlled by alien asset-stripper Peraxxus. After Peraxxus captured Batman and the JLI, and placed them in cocoons, Godiva used her hair to remove a laser cutter from Batman’s utility belt and free the team, allowing them to defeat the alien. In clashes with O.M.A.C. and superterrorists the Burners, Godiva proved herself a valuable League member, and finally kissed Booster Gold. Things got awkward, however, when her old flame Olympian joined the team, just before the JLI disbanded.

RAPID REACTION FORCE

GLOBAL GUARDIANS DC Comics Presents #46 (Jun. 1982) BASE The Dome NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS Crimson Fox III (Vivian and Constance D’Aramis, France): Pheromone control; Tasmanian Devil (Hugh Dawkins, Australia): Transforms into giant marsupial; Jet (Celia Windward, Jamaica/ Zamaron): Flight, electromagnetic powers; Manticore (Real name unknown, Greece): Beast powers; Gloss (Xiang Po, China): Immortal, draws power from ley lines; Freedom Beast (Dominic Mndawe, South Africa): Mind control, super-strength, can merge animals; Sandstorm (Real name unknown, Syria): Sand powers; Tuatara (Jeremy Wakefield, New Zealand): Precognition; Doctor Mist (Nommo of Kor, Africa): Magic; Little Mermaid (Ulla Paske, Denmark): Aquatic being; Rising Sun (Isuma Yasunari, Japan): Absorbs and projects solar energy; Seraph (Chaim Levon, Israel): Various powers from ancient artifacts. The Global Guardians began in the early 1950s. With superhumans emerging across the world, the nations of the European Economic Community created the Dome, to manage and coordinate metahuman activity. The Dome extended its membership to include almost every nation, and African sorcerer Dr. Mist oversaw the creation of its Super Hero arm: the Global Guardians. Despite pan-national idealism, the team frequently faltered, and when their funding was cut in favor of Justice League International, several Guardians accepted invitations to defect to a new Dome in the nation of Bialya. There, they were brainwashed by Bialya’s Queen Bee, who used them against their JLI allies. The Global Guardians later built another Dome in the Pacific and were deputized into the UN’s covert Checkmate organization. Several members were subsequently murdered by the villain Prometheus. The organization is believed to have disbanded during the Doomsday Clock affair. With disinformation campaigns making metahumans globally unpopular, the Guardians quit to join state-sponsored national teams, such as Japan’s Big Monster Action and Great Britain’s Knight’s Inc.

GODIVA

DEBUT

Lisa Snart BASE Central City EYES Blue HAIR Blonde HEIGHT 5ft 5in WEIGHT 117 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Projects an astral form that can fly and move through solid objects; trails razor-sharp tendrils. ALLIES Sam Scudder (Mirror Master), Len Snart (Captain Cold) ENEMIES The Flash, Gorilla Grodd AFFILIATIONS The Rogues REAL NAME

DEBUT

GLORIOUS GODFREY

The Global Guardians’ duties took them all over the world, from urban Europe to the barren Russian wilderness. 1 Sandstorm 2 Gloss 3 Jet 4 Tasmanian Devil 5 Manticore 6 Freedom Beast 7 Crimson Fox III

1

3

4

5

2

6

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE

The Global Guardians helped Checkmate fight Mesopotamian dragon Azhi Dahaki in the Australian Outback.

7

123

G GODSPEED DEBUT The Flash: Rebirth (Vol. 2) #1 (Aug 2016) REAL NAME August

Heart

Central City Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed, ability to create a double of himself. ALLIES The Flash (Barry Allen) ENEMIES Reverse-Flash AFFILIATIONS None BASE

HEIGHT

August Heart was a detective in the Central City P.D. and one of Barry Allen’s best friends. When his brother was murdered and the perpetrator escaped justice, August wanted vengeance. His chance came when he was struck by Speed Force lightning and was one of many Central City citizens who became new speedsters. August’s obsession led him down a dark path, and he adopted the persona Godspeed. He stopped at nothing to find the criminal, including killing other speedsters and taking their power for himself. After being captured by The Flash, Godspeed had time to think and reflect on his actions, realizing he had done wrong. He helped The Flash defeat Gorilla Grodd, but was later killed by the Reverse-Flash.

GOG Gog #1 (Feb. 1998) William Matthews BASE A hidden jungle temple in the Democratic Republic of Congo HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Seemingly divine-level super-strength, teleportation, energy manipulation, healing, resurrection, and reality-altering powers. ALLIES Gog (Third World god) ENEMIES Infinity Man, Superman, Justice Society of America DEBUT

REAL NAME

THE KINGDOM OF GOG

William Matthews was haunted by visions of another world—one in which an alternate Superman was unable to prevent a terrible nuclear catastrophe.

In an ancient temple in the jungle of the Democratic Republic of Congo, American missionary William Matthews unearthed Gog, the last surviving god of the fabled Third World. Within the temple, William experienced terrifying visions that drove him insane and convinced him that dormant Gog would arise to save the world. William took the god’s name and staff—which granted him extraordinary powers—and embarked on a crusade to prepare for Gog’s imminent awakening by eliminating all “false gods.” His targets included Infinity Man, Hercules, and Superman, the latter whom he blamed for a nuclear disaster he had seen in a vision. When the Justice Society of America confronted him in his temple, Gog was absorbed into the face of the lost god, bringing the original divinity to life. The deity emerged from the earth and declared his peaceful intentions. After seeing Gog create miracles, some JSA members became followers, but when the team learned Gog would soon bond with the Earth and potentially destroy it, they turned on him. They cut off Gog’s head, and the Superman of Earth-22 embedded it in the Source Wall.

GORDON JR., JAMES Batman (Vol. 1) #407 (May 1987) BASE Gotham City REAL NAME James Craddock HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled tactician and analyst; an expert with knives and explosives. ALLIES Amanda Waller, Knightfall ENEMIES Batgirl, Batman, Commissioner James Gordon AFFILIATIONS Arkham Asylum inmates, Suicide Squad DEBUT

James Gordon, Jr. is the son of Commissioner James Gordon and Eileen Gordon, and younger brother of Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl. James’ sociopathic tendencies manifested in childhood when he killed the family cat. He became a serial killer and was imprisoned in Arkham Asylum, where he helped protect Charise Carnes (the villain Knightfall). James escaped during a riot and stalked his sister. However, when The Joker captured Barbara and began subjecting her to a twisted “wedding,” James saved her—because he wanted to kill her himself. After engaging Barbara in a game of cat-and-mouse, their climactic clash occurred at Gotham Bay Aquarium. Presumed dead, James resurfaced as an analyst for the Suicide Squad. Determined to prove himself—he was in love with his boss, Amanda Waller—he was instrumental in countering a Crime Syndicate attack. Determined to atone, Gordon, joined the battle against the Batman Who Laughs, but the monster caused a multiple personality crisis. Utterly unaware of his actions, he began killing women who resembled his sister. When Batgirl stopped him, Gordon was overcome with guilt and remorse and killed himself. MY SISTER, MY ENEMY

James clashed with his sister Barbara in a life-anddeath struggle that led to his disappearance.

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DIVINE POWER

Armed with the panoply and power staff of Gog, William Matthews became a match for the mightiest heroes.

KNEEL BEFORE GOG

The awakened divinity only wanted to be loved…or else.

ON THE RECORD In the pre-Flashpoint universe,

James was Barbara Gordon’s stepbrother. When he was just a baby, James, Jr. was kidnapped by gangsters, and his father and Batman rescued him. James, Jr. displayed murderous tendencies from a young age, possibly killing Barbara’s friend, Bess Keller. He became a prolific serial killer and plotted to taint baby food with psychosistriggering drugs, but was stabbed in the eye by Barbara during a battle. It slowed him down long enough for James’ father to stop his son once and for all.

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT JIM, JR.

Commissioner James Gordon was troubled by his own role in the dark path his son had taken.

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DATA

GORDON, JAMES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #27 (May 1939) James Worthington Gordon BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 168 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red (graying) POWERS/ABILITIES Natural leader with expertise in police procedure; highly trained fighter and former marine; long history of working with Batman and his allies; expert detective; weapons include police-issued firearm; formerly employed a robotic Batsuit armed with a variety of non-lethal, hi-tech crime-fighting equipment. ALLIES Batman, the Batman Family, Batgirl, Harvey Bullock ENEMIES James Gordon, Jr., The Joker, Mr. Bloom AFFILIATIONS G.C.P.D., Batman Task Force, The Infected DEBUT

REAL NAME

INFECTED

One of the six heroes infected by the Batman Who Laughs, Gordon called himself simply the Commissioner. He was changed back to normal when Lex Luthor injected a “cure” of sorts into the Batman Who Laughs, making this evil Batman unable to broadcast his Dark Multiverse energy to his minions from the regular Multiverse.

James Gordon is the law in Gotham City. Before his arrival from Chicago, Gotham City was mired in corruption, a seemingly impossible metropolis for the hero cop to bring to justice. Gordon worked his way up through the Gotham City Police Department to commissioner, setting the new standard for the force. Before his recent forced sabbatical, Gordon worked hand-in-hand with the city’s other protector, the vigilante known as the Batman. Family man James Gordon transferred from the police force in Chicago to the Gotham City Police Department shortly before the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Three weeks after his transfer, Gordon was still getting the lay of the land, realizing how corrupt the police force truly was. Having had a rough time in Chicago, Gordon wanted the best for his young family, including his wife Barbara and his two kids, Barbara and James Jr. When he discovered a police-run illegal dogfight—just the tip of the G.C.P.D.’s corruption that ran all the way up the ladder to Commissioner Loeb—Gordon stood up against his fellow officers, even after one of the dogs attacked him. A tough cop, he left, shook off his injuries, and walked his beat, only to discover the Waynes shot dead in a nearby alley. From that day forward, Jim fought against the corruption of his city, working his way up to Lieutenant during Gotham City’s Zero Year, around the time Batman first appeared. At that time, Gordon paid several visits to the newly returned Bruce Wayne, perhaps suspicious that the resourceful young man may have ties to the city’s newest vigilante. Despite Batman and Gordon remaining dubious of each other’s intentions, the two began to work closely together, helping fight off the Riddler and saving the city from destruction. This act of valor earned Gordon a promotion to Commissioner, a position he kept until he was framed and temporarily replaced by Jason Bard. Gordon later regained his position, only to become corrupted by an evil version of Batman from the Dark Multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs. This evil Batman, who had been infected by The Joker, likewise infected Jim, causing him to once again lose his job, this time replaced by his friend Harvey Bullock. Jim is currently attempting to make amends for his past sins as a civilian, trying to reaffirm his bond with daughter Barbara. ROUGH START

Gordon was suspicious of Bruce Wayne when the young man returned to Gotham City. By the same token, Bruce wrongly assumed that Gordon was a corrupt cop.

ON THE RECORD

CLASSIC STORIES

The Gordon bloodline has been the

World’s Finest Comics (Vol. 1) #53

subject of constant revision in Batman’s many comic book titles. In 1951, it was established that James Gordon had a son named Tony. However, Tony was soon overshadowed by Barbara Gordon, James’ daughter and the heroine Batgirl. After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Gordon family was reimagined in “Batman: Year One,” which introduced his infant son James, and relegated Barbara to the role of adopted niece. The lineage became even more complex when Batman: Gotham Knights #6 (Aug. 2000) established that Gordon had an affair with his brother’s wife, making Barbara Gordon his true daughter by blood.

(Aug.–Sep. 1951) Commissioner Gordon’s private life is revealed as readers discover that he has a son named Tony. Batman (Vol. 1) #404–407 (Feb.–

VIGILANTE COP

PARTNERS IN CRIME BUSTING

Post-Crisis, Gordon’s first wife left him just after his move to Gotham City from Chicago. Gordon remarried his colleague Detective Sarah Essen, who was later shot and killed by The Joker.

Gordon was invited to head up the Batman Task Force as the city’s new Batman for a time. He got into shape and became the best Batman he could be, piloting a giant mechanical suit.

May 1987) Gordon arrives in Gotham City just as Batman first emerges in this groundbreaking origin retelling that features a very human—and very tough—Jim Gordon. Batman: Gordon’s Law #1–4 (Dec. 1996–Mar. 1997) Commissioner Gordon

gets his first miniseries, which results in a sequel series (Batman: Gordon of Gotham) the following year.

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GORILLA GRODD FIRST CONTACT

The Flash (Vol. 1) #106 (Apr.–May 1959) BASE Gorilla City HEIGHT 6ft 6in WEIGHT 600 lbs EYES Gray HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Violent and very strong; can control others with his mind; genius-level intellect; possesses psionic abilities to move objects remotely. ALLIES Crime Syndicate, Raijin, the Negative Flash, Multiplex, Poison Ivy ENEMIES The Flash, Rogues, Solovar, Damage AFFILIATIONS Legion of Doom, Legion of Zoom

DATA

DEBUT

During The Flash’s first meeting with the inhabitants of Gorilla City, King Grodd hoped to gain The Flash’s speed force by consuming his enemy’s brain.

OUTCAST

Gorilla Grodd is a violent and deadly Super-Villain. Since first meeting The Flash (Barry Allen) in Gorilla City, Grodd has had a deep hatred of the hero and believes he can gain The Flash’s powers if he eats his brains. Grodd is not only fast and immensely strong, but also has amazing psionic abilities from contact with the Speed Force.

Grodd was ousted by his own Gorilla people, filling him with jealous hate for Barry Allen’s family and friends.

When the Speed Force struck a tribe of gorillas deep in the jungle of Africa, it sped up their intelligence and evolution. They then created their own kingdom, Gorilla City, and worshiped the “light”—their own name for the Speed Force. Grodd became their king moments before GORILLA WARFARE The Flash first arrived. Grodd had his own father killed Grodd waged a brutal war against his fellow and he ate his brains, believing they would give him his gorillas when they father’s power. The Flash escaped Gorilla City and attempted to make defeated Grodd, who was buried under the rubble of an peace with the humans ancient temple during their fight. He was dug out by General of Central City. Silverback and soon reclaimed his control over Gorilla City, leading the gorillas on an invasion of The Flash’s home of Central City. Grodd nearly killed The Flash, who was only saved when the gorilla known as Solovar risked his own life to rescue the hero. The Flash later took Grodd into the Speed Force and defeated him in battle, leaving Grodd trapped there. Grodd was freed by the Crime Syndicate and found he now had increased psionic abilities. Arriving in Central City just as his fellow gorillas were making peace with the humans, Grodd took over, killing anyone—gorilla or human—who opposed him. With The Flash missing (seemingly killed by the Crime Syndicate), Gorilla Grodd renamed Central City “Gorilla City.” When the Rogues refused to join the Crime Syndicate’s new order, the Syndicate sent Grodd and other Super-Villains to kill them. The Rogues won the day, however, with Mirror Master trapping Grodd and his fellow villains in a mirror dimension. Later, Grodd learned he was dying from a rare degenerative disease. He used his powers to team with the villainous Black Hole organization in an attempt to save his own life by draining Central City of its speed. The Flash cured Grodd’s condition and the Gorilla City Guard arrived to take Grodd away as their captive. However, Grodd almost immediately partnered with Poison Ivy in order to destroy the “world of man,” only to be stopped this time by the rampaging behemoth known as Damage. Grodd continued to find nefarious partners in crime, harnessing the Still Force and teaming with Lex Luthor to help form the Legion of Doom and free the evil mother of the Multiverse, Perpetua.

ON THE RECORD Gorilla Grodd has become ever more brutal and savage since his first appearance. His origins have also changed significantly. Originally Grodd and his fellow gorillas gained their amazing intellects thanks to a radioactive meteor falling on their land. This meteor was connected to the source of Green Lantern foe Hector Hammond’s powers. At one point, Grodd and Hammond joined forces to fight The Flash and Green Lantern. The source of Grodd’s power was later altered to alien intervention. Grodd and his enemy Solovar both originally had telepathic abilities. The latter asked for The Flash’s aid when Grodd tried to lead an invasion of Central City after he had used his strength and abilities to seize control of their kingdom.

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CLASSIC STORIES The Flash #106 (May 1959) In his

debut, Grodd gains the secret of mind control from fellow gorilla Solovar and uses this power to seize control of Gorilla City. The Flash (Vol. 2) #178 (Nov. 2001) The Flash (Wally West) takes on

Grodd as the gorilla launches his most violent attack yet on Keystone City. Salvation Run #4 (Apr. 2008) APE ATTACK

The Flash (Wally West) tries to stop Grodd’s rampage in Keystone City.

When Gorilla Grodd is trapped on a prison planet with other Super-Villains, violence soon ensues as he seemingly kills fellow gorilla Monsieur Mallah and the Brain.

G GOTHAM GIRL

GOTHAM ACADEMY

SCHOOL SLEUTHS

Gotham Academy #1 (Dec. 2014) BASE Gotham City FACULTY Headmaster Hammer: Principal; Professor MacPherson: History; Mr. Scarlet: Librarian; Professor Milo: Chemistry; Coach Humphreys: Athletics; Mr. Trent: Drama; Professor Hugo Strange: Guidance Counselor; Ms. Harriet: Administrator STUDENTS Mia “Maps” Mizoguchi; Olive Silverlock; Kyle Mizoguchi; Pomeline Fritch; Colton Rivera; Heathcliff; Tristan Grey (exchange student); Damian Wayne ALLIES Batman ENEMIES Clayface DEBUT

New pupil Mia Mizoguchi was determined to investigate Gotham Academy’s mysteries, and recruited a motley gang to aid her investigations. 1 Pomeline Fritch, 2 Colton Rivera, 3 Kyle Mizoguchi, 4 Olive Silverlock, 5 Mia “Maps” Mizoguchi 2

3

Gotham Academy is a very old and exclusive private school with a sinister reputation. Bruce Wayne is its patron, providing funding as well as Wayne Foundation scholarships. Freshman student Mia “Maps” Mizoguchi was thrilled to receive one of these scholarships. Having arrived at the Academy, she set about exploring its mysteries, dragging fellow student Olive Silverlock into her schemes. The pair had to be saved by Batman after falling from the school’s ruined clock tower. They then explored the derelict North Hall, rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a former student, Millie Jane Cobblepot. Instead they found Killer Croc, who had escaped from Arkham Asylum through a system of tunnels leading to the school. Mia and Olive, along with Mia’s brother Kyle and fellow students Colton and Pomeline, formed a “Detective Club” to investigate other bizarre goings-on at the Academy. They discovered that the gym teacher was actually a werewolf, and they foiled Clayface’s attempt to ruin the school’s performance of Macbeth. The group’s most heartbreaking discovery was that Olive’s mother Sybil had once been the villainess Calamity, who had been imprisoned in Arkham Asylum.

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DEBUT

DCU: Rebirth (Vol. 1) #1 (Jul 2016)

Claire Clover Gotham City HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength and speed, invulnerability, ultra-vision. ALLIES Batman ENEMIES Psycho-Pirate AFFILIATIONS None REAL NAME BASE

Claire Clover grew up idolizing her brother Hank as well as Batman. The Clover siblings wanted to help their home city of Gotham so much that they bought incredible superpowers for themselves, but at a great cost. The more they used their new powers, the shorter their lifespans became. After an attack by Psycho-Pirate, Hank tragically died and Claire—now calling herself Gotham Girl—was emotionally damaged. She fell under the influence of Bane, believing that he would help her get Hank back, and during Bane’s rule over Gotham City she was the sidekick to Thomas Wayne’s Batman. After the defeat of Bane finally freed Gotham Girl from his control, Batman gave Claire a piece of platinum Kryptonite, which granted her the ability to use her powers with no ill effects on her health.

THE PRICE OF POWER

GRANNY GOODNESS Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #2 (May–Jun. 1971) Apokolips HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 256 lbs EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES A New God, Granny has superior strength, agility, stamina, and mental capabilities; canny tactician; accomplished warrior; Apokoliptian technology. ENEMIES Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Desaad AFFILIATIONS Darkseid’s Elite DEBUT

Gotham Girl’s powers came at a grave cost to her physical and psychological well-being.

BASE

Born and raised on Apokolips, the woman named Goodness was taught, like all denizens of that hellish world, that cruelty and ambition were the only way to improve life and status. As one of the “Lowlies”—Apokolips’ oppressed peasant class— she was removed from her parents to train as a “Hound.” As part of her military indoctrination and to prove her absolute obedience, Darkseid forced Goodness to kill her beloved dog, Mercy. This act earned her the dark lord’s admiration and a place as one of his Hounds. She grew to believe that serving prince Darkseid was all that mattered. When her master seized control of Apokolips, Goodness murdered his despised mother, but Desaad took the credit for it. Women had always been treated as less than Lowlies, but now, with the dark overlord’s amused permission, Goodness was allowed to train girls to be elite warriors. The task took years and cost many lives, but eventually the Female Furies became a force to be feared and they forever changed male opinions. Appointed mistress of Apokolips’ orphanages and tasked with making the dross of society useful, she took the ironic title “Granny,” as she systematically crushed her charges’ spirits, making them unthinking tools of Darkseid. However, the boy she dubbed “Scott Free” refused to break. Escaping to Earth, he became Mister Miracle and—adding to his sin—lured Granny’s favorite Fury, Big Barda, to join him. Always busy, Granny imperiled Earth after imprisoning the Olympian Gods, triggering war between the Amazons and the USA. She posed as Athena to recruit human as new Furies. Although Granny was destroyed by Infinity Man when he began killing New Gods, her spirit possessed Alpha Lantern Kraken. She attacked Green Lantern homeworld Oa before being captured by Hal Jordan.

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G GRACE DEBUT

GRAVEDIGGER Outsiders (Vol. 3) #1 (Aug. 2003)

Grace Choi HEIGHT 7ft WEIGHT 203 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Bana-Mighdall Amazon ancestry gives her superhuman strength, speed, and toughness, plus rapid healing ability. ENEMIES Sabbac, Simon Hurt REAL NAME

As a child, Grace Choi ran away from a foster home, only to be captured by a childslavery ring and suffer terrible abuse for three years. When she was almost 12, her latent superpowers activated, and she used her newfound strength to free herself and the other kids. Grace eventually found work as a bouncer at metahuman nightclub Chaney’s, where she was approached by Arsenal and recruited into The Outsiders. Though her brash and abrasive attitude caused some friction, she eventually settled into her role as the team’s bruiser. She helped to disrupt the child-slavery ring that had abused her, and discovered that she was descended from the Bana-Mighdall Amazons. When Batman took over The Outsiders, Grace invited her lover, Thunder, to tag along, but she quit when Thunder was rendered comatose by a booby trap. She later joined Black Lightning’s Outsiders team, but it soon disbanded.

DEBUT

Men of War (Vol. 1) #1 (Aug. 1977)

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #71 (Feb. 1996)

Mobile EYES Red HAIR Gray HEIGHT 7ft 3in WEIGHT 665 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES New God-level strength and endurance; fires energy blasts from eyes; strong leadership and strategic skills. ALLIES Brainiac 13 ENEMIES Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Darkstars, Superman, Imperiex AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Super-Villains, Suicide Squad Third son of Darkseid, Grayven sought to prove his worthiness by leading a fleet in a destructive swath across the galaxy toward Apokolips. His advance stalled when Green Lantern Kyle Rayner defeated him on Rann. Grayven was banished by Darkseid after conspiring against his father with Brainiac 13. When Infinity Man began eliminating New Gods, Grayven ZetaBeamed the killer to Darkseid’s throne room to kill his father. However, Martian Manhunter —disguised as the Black Racer—destabilized the scheming heir by “revealing” that he was not Darkseid’s son. Unhinged, Grayven teleported to Apokolips and was slain by the god-killer. In reality alterations, Grayven returned, recently seeking to regain influence by attempting to buy Earth at a cosmic auction held by the Slave Lords of Dhor.

DEBUT

WildC.A.T.s (Vol. 1) #1 (Aug. 1992)

Cole Cash New Orleans, Louisiana HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 195 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Telekinesis; telepathy; can detect Daemonites; special forces veteran. ALLIES Max Cole, Sofia Cordon, Deathblow ENEMIES Daemonites, Helspont, Synge REAL NAME BASE

Cole Cash, codename Grifter, was a member of elite special ops unit Team 7. He quit and made a living as a conman in New Orleans. After a particularly lucrative scam, he was kidnapped by Daemonites— spectral telepathic aliens who were intent on possessing human bodies and infiltrating their society. One Daemonite tried using Cole as a host, but Cole awoke and broke free before the process was completed. He later realized the disruption had given him psychic powers, including a proximity sensitivity to nearby Daemonites. Flying out of town, he killed a Daemonite-possessed passenger, and became a fugitive from both the police and the aliens. Concealing his face with a red bandana, he began a one-man war against the invaders.

PATRIOTIC POWER

The Great Ten are a formidable team, ready to lay down their lives in the service of China. 1 Socialist Red Guardsman, 2 Mother of Champions, 3 Celestial Archer, 4 Thundermind, 5 Seven Deadly Brothers, 6 Shaolin Robot, 7 Accomplished Perfect Physician, 8 Ghost Fox Killer, 9 August General in Iron

The Great Ten were convened as a metahuman force to defend the People’s Republic of China. Comprising the greatest and most loyal heroes, the group serves under leader August General in Iron—a devotee of ancient war-master Sun Tzu. The Great Ten only deploy after official approval has been secured, such as when Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan entered Chinese airspace to capture Evil Star. Former Chinese ally Black Adam committed a massacre in Bialya and began rampaging across the world, but the Great Ten only reacted when he entered China. Adam killed Immortal Man-in-Darkness and wrecked Shaolin Robot. Communications with Beijing were lost, so August General in Iron took a risky chance, requesting outside help. A host of international heroes responded, with Shazam ultimately ending the threat. Steadfastly isolationist and dedicated to maintaining order, the Great Ten always concentrate on Chinese interests. They intervened when Checkmate and the Outsiders attacked Chang Tzu’s Oolong Island lab; they sealed the borders during the Doomsday Clock crisis; and recently they attempted to absorb the Justice League of China into an expanded Great Twenty.

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GRIFTER

BASE

Growing up in the American South in the early 20th century, Ulysses Hazard was a born fighter, battling both polio and racial prejudice. When the United States entered World War II, Hazard enlisted, but despite his evident skill and determination, he was assigned latrine and grave-digging duties because of his skin color. After proving his worth by single-handedly storming the Pentagon, he was used as a one-man strike force, gaining a cross-shaped facial scar and becoming a legend as Gravedigger. He survived the war, retiring a Colonel. Later, Tyson Sykes of Checkmate took the Gravedigger name. Post-Flashpoint, Sgt. Joe Rock met an undead soldier who called himself Gravedigger and claimed to have fought in the American Civil War. His connection to Hazard is unknown.

52 #6 (Jun. 2006) Great Wall Complex, China MEMBERS/POWERS Accomplished Perfect Physician (Yao Fei): Heals or causes great damage with his voice; August General in Iron (Fang Zhifu): Armored skin, energy staff; Celestial Archer (Xu Tao): Fires energy arrows; Ghost Fox Killer: Death touch, controls ghosts of men she kills; Immortal Man-in-Darkness (Chen Nuo): Pilots advanced Dragonwing aircraft built using Durlan technology; Mother of Champions (Wu Mei-Xing): Gives birth to 25 super-soldiers every three days; Seven Deadly Brothers (Yang Kei-Ying): Kung-fu master, splits into seven clones; Shaolin Robot: Ancient robot built for first emperor of China; Socialist Red Guardsman (Gu Lao): Radioactive; Thundermind (Zou Kang): Accesses the powers of the Buddhist Siddhis. ENEMIES Hawkman, Batman, Black Adam, Batwing, The Spectre AFFILIATIONS Justice League of China BASE

DEBUT

Ulysses Hazard HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Exceptional physical strength and endurance; skilled in multiple martial arts and the use of all weapons. ENEMIES The Axis REAL NAME

GREAT TEN, THE DEBUT

GRAYVEN

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ON THE RECORD

Star-Spangled Comics #7 (Apr. 1942) REAL NAME James Jacob “Jim” Harper BASE S.T.A.R. Labs Advanced Ideas Division, New York HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 205 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Peak fitness, military training; equipped with a combination hoverboard/shield for protection and transport. ALLIES Newsboy Legion, Jimmy Olsen, Superman ENEMIES Parasite, Hammersmith, Leash, Rose Wilson, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. AFFILIATIONS Project Cadmus, S.T.A.R. Labs

The man known only as “Michael”

DEBUT

served in the United States Air Force before managing security for S.T.A.R. Labs’ Advanced Ideas Division. There he was assigned the codename Guardian and provided with a blue-and-gold armored suit. He battled the monstrous Parasite with Superboy (Jon Lane Kent) and helped rescue Superboy clone Kon from an Alaskan N.O.W.H.E.R.E. facility. Kon merged with Jon, and temporarily boosted the Guardian’s strength. However, when attacked by a mob of hostile alternate-world Superboys, Michael was badly beaten. Ultimately, Jon and Kon defeated their doppelgängers, sending them back to their home realities, and getting the Guardian to safety.

During World War II, Jim Harper was trained by specialist coach Joe Morgan (who also trained Wildcat and the Atom), but rather than seek fame and fortune as an athlete, the young idealist became a policeman. Patrolling Suicide Slum, Harper befriended juvenile trouble-magnets the Newsboy Legion, and devised his Super Hero persona, the Guardian. When he was murdered decades later, Harper’s genetic material was harvested by Project Cadmus. The top-secret genetics facility was headed by his old Newsboy wards and they used his perfect DNA to clone him as chief of security. Using advanced technology, the reborn Harper continued the good fight as the Golden Guardian, dividing his time between safeguarding the Project and defending Metropolis against many menaces. A Guardian has recently returned to action there, aiding Superman and Superwoman. The Guardian name, reputation—and possibly DNA—have been used by many Super Heroes, including Teen Titan Mal Duncan, an enigmatic security manager at S.T.A.R. Labs’ Advanced Ideas Division, and the corporate figurehead the Manhattan Guardian.

GUARDIANS OF THE UNIVERSE Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #1 (Jul.–Aug. 1960) Oa POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality; supreme intellects; psionic powers including telepathy and telekinesis. ALLIES Templar Guardians, Manhunters (formerly), Green Lantern Corps (formerly), Third Army ENEMIES Sinestro, Atrocitus, Weaponers of Qward, Manhunters, Empire of Tears, Parallax, Volthoom, Larfleeze, Spider Guild, the Reach, Mad God of Sector 3600, the Red, Blue, and Green Lantern Corps AFFILIATIONS Zamarons, Psions, Controllers, Darkstars DEBUT BASE

Creation’s oldest civilization developed on the planet Maltus where some inhabitants evolved into intellectual super-beings—scientistphilosophers with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. One of their number called Krona wanted to discover the very origins of creation. He conducted experiments, but they critically damaged the universe, and his comrades resolved to become its Guardians. Relocating to the planet Oa, the Guardians dedicated their mighty brains to eradicating chaos. Eons passed and their bodies atrophied, decreasing in size as their mental powers grew. Ideological schisms developed and factions were created such as the Controllers and Zamarons. The Oans tapped the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum, concentrating the universal pool of willpower in a Central Battery while suppressing other colors. Green was used to fuel a succession of peacekeeping militias, beginning with robotic Manhunters. These malfunctioned, slaughtering an entire space sector, and were replaced by living recruits—Hallas—who in turn were supplanted by the Green Lantern Corps. After billions of years struggling against unceasing evil, the Guardians’ altruistic atonement soured. They began to impose their own logical thought processes upon unruly life, seeking to obliterate free will through their bio-manufactured Third Army. Ultimately, most of the Guardians were killed by their renegade agent, Sinestro.

FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT

During his career as the Guardian, Jim Harper battled a variety of foes, from Darkseid’s fanatical Female Furies to Nazi agents.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

The Oans’ plans to eradicate free will were resisted by their distant and still-compassionate cousins of the Templar Guardian Sect.

ON THE RECORD The Guardians began as patriarchal advisers, but over time their omniscient benevolence was seen as dictatorial manipulation and their seeming solidarity was questioned by many—including one of their own. During the 1970s, Appa Ali Apsa, also known as the “Old Timer,” abandoned emotionless immortality to travel with Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen. A sensitive companion, he strove to understand the lesser creatures in his care, but eventually descended into dangerous insanity.

EFFICIENCY SAVINGS

The emotionless Guardians had no qualms about eradicating their faithful servants when they were no longer of any use.

ISOLATED INCIDENT

Appa Ali Apsa’s separation from his immortal brethren taught him the value of emotions, but eventually drove him to madness and murder.

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GREEN ARROW More Fun Comics #73 (Nov. 1941) Oliver Queen BASE Seattle HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 185 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Expert archer and highly trained martial artist; excellent hunting skills; quiver stocked with hi-tech arrows; access to Queen Industries fortune. ALLIES Black Canary, Red Arrow, John Diggle, Arsenal, Henry Fyff ENEMIES Count Vertigo, Clock King, Ninth Circle, Malcolm Merlyn, Cheshire, Brick AFFILIATIONS The Arrow Clan, Justice League, Justice League United DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... Stranded Oliver Queen rejected his father’s attempts to make him take his heritage seriously and seemed destined to waste his life drifting from party to party. This changed dramatically when a terrorist explosion at his party on a Pacific oil rig seemingly killed everyone except Oliver and Tommy Merlyn. Stranded on a desert island, Oliver was forced to master the skills he had once spurned, becoming an expert hunter and archer to survive. Social justice warrior After returning to Seattle, Oliver was a changed man. While he served as the head of Queen Industries, by night he would patrol the streets as Green Arrow—a liberal crime fighter often viewed as a hothead for spouting his politics to anyone who would listen. However, he often felt like a hypocrite, warring against “the man” while also being that very “man” himself.

CLASSIC STORIES Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #85 (Aug.– Sep. 1971) When Green Arrow learns

that his sidekick, Roy Harper, has gone down a dark path and become a drug addict, Green Arrow and Green Lantern try to help him and find the dealer responsible. Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters #1–3 (Aug.–Oct. 1987)

Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance (Black Canary) grow closer as he moves from Star City to her home of Seattle. But when he crosses paths with the assassin called Shado and Black Canary is viciously attacked, Oliver’s life changes forever. Green Arrow #17–24 (Apr.–Dec. 2013) Oliver Queen is attacked by a

deadly new foe—the assassin Komodo— and learns shocking secrets about his past. Oliver’s life and his adventures as the Green Arrow take a new direction, with some close to Oliver paying the ultimate price.

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Family secrets After discovering his links to the Arrow Clan and meeting his half-sister, Emiko, Oliver became her guardian. Both had trouble adjusting to their new roles but quickly developed a strong bond, and Emiko would later adopt the role of Red Arrow.

Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow—a hero who uses his skills as an expert archer to bring justice to the streets of Seattle. Son of billionaire industrialist Robert Queen, Oliver wasted his younger years as a playboy before a terrorist attack left him stranded on an island where he was forced to use his skills to survive. After three years, he returned home a changed man, determined to be something new; something better. Facing assassins and superpowered villains while dealing with secrets from his own family’s past, the Green Arrow is determined to bring justice to the streets of his city, one arrow at a time. Oliver Queen was heir to the Queen family fortune. He grew up in Seattle, a city founded by his ancestor, the archer Robin Queen. Ollie had everything, but seemed to turn his back on his birthright. His father, Robert Queen, owner of Queen Industries, tried and failed to instill some sense of commitment in his son. Whether Robert created positions for Oliver in Queen Industries or provided archery lessons for him, Oliver preferred to party. He was eventually given a clerical job on an oil platform, PARTY GUY but instead of working, Oliver threw a lavish party on the rig. When terrorists attacked, Oliver The young Oliver Queen often showed off his archery skills while inebriated arrogantly thought he could save everyone, and at parties. When he arranged a party shot the detonator out of the terrorist leader’s on an oil rig, it changed his life forever. hand, only for it to hit the side of the rig and set off a series of bombs. Only Oliver and his best friend, Tommy Merlyn, survived. Oliver was washed up on a deserted island and, with the world thinking he was dead, he was forced to use his skills to survive. By the time he left the island, Oliver was an expert archer and a changed man. On his return to Seattle, Oliver learned that his father had died. He soon began covertly using Queen Industries’ resources, along with his own wealth, to fuel his vigilante activities as Green Arrow. He partnered with the young thief and tech genius Roy Harper, who became his sidekick, Speedy, and introduced a variety of trick arrows into Ollie’s quiver. However, Ollie didn’t give Roy the father figure he desperately needed, and Roy turned to alcohol and drugs, eventually parting ways with his mentor. Oliver briefly joined the Justice League of America, and later the Justice League United. He fought the likes of the villain Komodo, learned about his father’s involvement with the clandestine Arrow Clan, and even discovered that his father was still alive. Robert Queen had once had an affair with the assassin Shado, with whom he had a daughter, Emiko. Komodo had kidnapped Emiko and raised the child as his own daughter. Robert died saving Emiko’s life and in revenge she killed Komodo. For Oliver’s part, rather than assume his role as leader of the Arrow Clan, he opted to focus on Seattle and his war on crime. That war was only getting started. Green Arrow discovered that his mentor, Queen Industries CFO Cyrus Broderick, was working with a criminal organization called the Ninth

THE DEATH OF ARSENAL When Green Arrow had discovered that Roy Harper was an addict, he reacted harshly, unable to contain his disappointment. He threw Harper out of his home in a decision he would always regret. Later, when he had a chance to reconnect with an adult Roy, Oliver took it. He tried to prove that he had changed from the fledging, stubborn hero he once was, and even helped Roy defend his childhood home on a Native American reservation. Roy sought out help from the Super Hero recovery center called Sanctuary, but with tragic results. He was killed there when The Flash (Wally West) briefly lost control of his powers. While Ollie and Roy had mended their rift, Green Arrow’s guilt magnified. He had lost his old friend just as he was beginning to get him back.

SAD DAY

The death of Roy Harper, aka Arsenal was mourned by many in the Super Hero community.

G REBIRTH PRETTY BIRD When social activist and spoiled rich kid Oliver Queen met hardheaded realist Dinah Lance, there was an instant spark and they began a relationship, as though they had known each other from a past life. After a long and supportive partnership, even moving in together in an under-served area of Seattle, the two nevertheless parted ways when Black Canary’s old espionage contacts set their sights on Green Arrow.

Circle. Essentially a bank that financed Super-Villains and terrorists, the Ninth Circle framed Oliver for murder, allowing Broderick complete control over Queen Industries. Bankrupt and on the run, Oliver teamed with Black Canary, Emiko (now going by the name Red Arrow), computer genius Henry Fyff, old ally John Diggle, and even his former sidekick Speedy, who now went by the name Arsenal. In a long and uphill fight, Green Arrow suffered plenty of setbacks. The Ninth Circle succeeded in planting their own mayor in Seattle, and soon changed the name of the city to Star City, making it the first corporate-owned metropolitan city in the country. However, Green Arrow proved himself innocent and helped restore Seattle to its former name and prestige. While he successfully took back his company, he discovered along the way that his mother, Moira Queen, was part of the criminal conspiracy. After a clash with a government agency and parting ways with Black Canary, Green Arrow was recruited by Batman into a team of detectives to investigate the threat of a new spy organization called Leviathan. With Seattle relatively safe, Green Arrow seems to be playing on the world stage now.

ON THE RECORD Green Arrow has undergone many changes since his first appearance in 1941. On his debut, Green Arrow, aka Oliver Queen, was part of a crime-fighting duo with teen sidekick Speedy (Roy Harper). He not only used trick arrows to combat criminals, but also drove an arrowshaped car and operated from the Arrow Cave. His physical appearance was more like the traditional Hollywood image of Robin Hood.

SHARP SHOOTER

While lacking in superpowers, the Green Arrow’s skills as an archer make him a deadly hero, intent on bringing justice to the crime-ridden streets of Seattle.

Road trip In the late 1960s, Oliver Queen lost his fortune but gained newfound empathy for the common man and shifted left in his political views. He teamed up with the second Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) to see what was really happening in America. The two went on a road trip across the USA, helping the less fortunate along the way. Oliver also tried to help Roy Harper overcome his drug addiction.

“My name is Oliver Queen… the Green Arrow. And I’m just getting started.” OLIVER QUEEN

SHADO WARRIOR

Oliver encountered the deadly assassin Shado—his father’s old lover and the mother of Emiko, his half-sister.

Hunters While the Crisis on Infinite Earths left Oliver’s past relatively unchanged, he began to feel disconnected from his life as a hero, and went back to basics. After spending several years in Seattle with Black Canary, he separated from his longtime lover and later had a chance reunion with his adult son, Connor Hawke. Back from the dead Oliver Queen eventually gave his life saving people from a terrorist bomb blast. When his friend Hal Jordan became the villain Parallax, he used his cosmic abilities to return Oliver from the dead. The resurrected Oliver then had to reclaim his soul, with the help of his friends. He made a fresh ANOTHER LIFE start with a new Speedy, After a long and the ex-drug addict Mia often troubled relationship, Green Dearden. Oliver later Arrow proposed to became mayor of Star Black Canary. The two City, marrying his old were later married. flame, Black Canary.

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GREEN LANTERN Showcase (Vol. 1) #22 (Oct. 1959) Harold “Hal” Jordan BASE Coast City (when on Earth), Mobile HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 212 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Indomitable willpower commanding a power ring that is able to materialize hard-light constructs, translate languages, facilitate in-planet and intergalactic flight, and protect against hostile environments and enemy attack. ALLIES The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Green Lantern (Kilowog), Green Arrow, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman ENEMIES Sinestro, Black Hand, Larfleeze, Controller Mu AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, Justice League DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... High flyer After witnessing his father’s death, Hal grew up a troubled, attention-seeking risk taker. On his 18th birthday he enlisted in the Air Force, resolved to be a hotshot pilot like his dad, but his cocky attitude ended that dream too.

Battle of wills Hal’s apparently infinite power and antipathy to authority made him dangerously reckless and overconfident. When Apokolips invaded Earth, Hal trampled over Batman’s jurisdiction, deriding his merely human capabilities. This earned him the Dark Knight’s disdain, although they’ve learned to trust and respect each other over the years. Fear my power The Green Lanterns’ power rings operate on intense concentration, allowing users to shape green light into solid objects. The rings can perform any task imaginable, fueled by the green energy of willpower generated by all lifeforms.

Hal Jordan is arguably the greatest Green Lantern. Valiant, honest, and able to conquer great fear, he battled threats alien and terrestrial, implementing unyielding willpower through a ring able to create constructs of anything he could imagine. Part of an intergalactic police force, he patrolled space sector 2814, tasked with protecting all life. Yet he found it increasingly difficult to blindly follow the directives of his Oan masters—the Guardians of the Universe. While colleagues ignored their own misgivings, Hal spoke out, even as his triumphant exploits won him a reputation as the foremost Green Lantern in history. Young Hal seemingly lost all sense of fear after watching his dad, a pilot, die in a plane crash. Years later, while stubbornly following in his father’s footsteps, he encountered a dying alien, Abin Sur. Sur wanted Hal to replace him in the Green Lantern Corps—an intergalactic police force that had safeguarded the universe for untold generations. Hal accepted and was summoned for basic training at the Corps headquarters on the planet Oa. On completion, he was FEAR NO EVIL assigned to Thaal Sinestro of Korugar, who was considered the “Greatest Green While following in his father’s footsteps to become a test pilot, Hal was summoned Lantern” for his unparalleled ability to to dying Abin Sur’s side and offered the keep order in his space sector. Sinestro universe on an emerald platter. befriended the idealistic, hot-headed human, mentoring his transition from rookie to fully qualified officer, but their relationship soured when Hal discovered why Sector 1417 was so peaceful. Sinestro had conquered the sector and was governing it as an absolute dictator. Following a tremendous struggle, Hal liberated Korugar. The Guardians banished Sinestro to the Anti-Matter Universe, where the renegade worked with the Weaponers of Qward to develop yellow power rings. Armed with this new weapon, Sinestro fought Green Lantern repeatedly, and eventually formed his own Corps to terrorize the positive-matter universe. For years Jordan excelled, even becoming a founding member of the Justice League. He defeated innumerable menaces, but invariably at great cost to his private life. Personal and romantic relationships foundered and he started to seriously question his masters’ edicts, resulting in him taking numerous leaves of absence, which he spent roaming the United States in search of personal fulfillment and renewed perspective. The call of duty brought Hal back to the Corps, but when Coast City was destroyed, he snapped. Grief led to his possession by the yellow-hued fear parasite Parallax, who induced Jordan to eradicate the Corps.

CLASSIC STORIES Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #40 (Oct. 1965) The origin of the Guardians of the

Universe and the introduction of obsessed Oan researcher Krona lay the groundwork for decades of cosmic storylines. Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #76 (Apr. 1970) Green Lantern accepts reduced

duties in order to investigate the nature of good and evil, with social reformer Green Arrow as his guide. Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #25 (Jan. 2008) The Sinestro Corps War climaxes with the renegade Green Lantern’s utter defeat, heralding the cataclysmic uprising of the corrupted dead.

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Love conquers all Hal’s unattainable off-and-on girlfriend Carol Ferris was beguiled into joining the rival Star Sapphire Corps: warrior women whose rings are powered by the violet light of love.

SUPER-PARALLAX While on a mission to Earth, Hal met with Superman, only to discover that the evil Parallax entity had possessed the Man of Steel. However, after a well-placed punch by Superman, Hal realized that Parallax wasn’t the culprit. His mind had been manipulated by Hal’s old adversary, Hector Hammond.

G TO SERVE AND PROTECT THE UNIVERSE

Years of confronting evil and saving billions of lives have taught Hal that Power and Will are worthless without empathy and a sense of purpose.

Hal eventually returned to his senses and continued his alliance with the Green Lantern Corps with renewed dedication. Later, when Jordan found himself without a power ring, he forged his own out of pure willpower. He returned to the fray just in time to help his teammates battle Sinestro, who had based the Sinestro Corps on the artificial battle planet called Warworld. With Warworld evacuated, Hal and Sinestro fought to the seeming death. However, White Lantern Kyle Rayner managed to restore Hal using Hal’s own homemade ring. Hal helped with dozens more missions as the Green Lanterns’ most trusted officer, fending off attacks from the Darkstars, Sinestro Corps, and, after the Green Lanterns relocated from the planet Mogo to New Oa, Hal even bested the Controller Mu and his fleet of Blackstars. When the Young Guardians replaced the elders of the Guardians of the Universe, Hal was reassigned back to Earth. Once again able to embrace his lone cowboy attitude while battling crazy threats and reality-warping Super-Villains, Jordan continues to shine as one of Earth’s greatest Super Heroes, and as the most impressive Green Lantern.

BLACKSTARS

Due to the manipulations of the Controller Mu, Hal Jordan briefly found himself in an alternate reality where he wasn’t a Green Lantern, but a Blackstar.

REBIRTH DECORATED OFFICER After Hal Jordan defeated the threat of Controller Mu, the Guardians of the Universe wished to reward him. However, over the course of his career, Jordan had already earned every honor a Green Lantern can possibly receive. The Guardians instead gave Hal an upgraded power battery that promised to have some new and surprising features.

ON THE RECORD On first joining the cosmos-spanning Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan was a loyal, obedient servant, doing whatever the Guardians dictated without question or quibble. However, as the years passed, he increasingly began to feel their edicts were far from benevolent. Mosaic world An early sign of the Guardians’ fallibility came when Appa Ali Apsa went mad. Abducting communities from worlds he had visited, the “Old Timer” transplanted them to a distant planet, pitting the terrified townships against each other in bizarre social experiments. It took the united will of Hal and fellow Earthian Green Lanterns John Stewart and Guy Gardner to stop him. The Guardians were then able to restore the victims to their proper places in the universe.

“Beware my Power… Green Lantern’s Light.” HAL JORDAN

Emerald twilight After years of faithful service, Hal rebelled against the Guardians when they refused to let him change history and restore Coast City after Mongol destroyed it. Unbeknown to anyone, Jordan was infected by the fear parasite Parallax, which had been imprisoned for eons in the Central Power Battery on Oa. It drove Hal to attack hundreds of his comrades, stealing their power rings as he stormed across the universe to a titanic confrontation with the Guardians’ last hope—a freed and restored Sinestro. Even the arch-renegade could not stop Hal from destroying the Battery and ending billions of years of Green Lantern-enforced peace and order. However, when the Earth’s sun was destroyed, Hal expended all his energy to revive the dying star and save the planet.

REDEMPTION

After eradicating the Green Lantern Corps, the deranged, Parallax-possessed Hal Jordan became a despised pariah. It took the threat of Earth’s extermination to bring him to his senses.

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GREEN LANTERN (KYLE RAYNER) Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #48 (JAN. 1994) Kyle Rayner BASE Mobile, New York City (when on Earth) HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES Dark green HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Indomitable willpower commanding a power ring that is able to materialize hard-light constructs, translate languages, facilitate in-planet and intergalactic flight, and protect against hostile environments and enemy attack; artist with tremendous creativity. ALLIES Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Lantern (John Stewart), Green Lantern (Kilowog), Green Lantern (Guy Gardner), Ganthet ENEMIES Sinestro, Darkstars, Soranik Sinestro AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, White Lantern Corps, New Guardians

DATA

DEBUT

CLASSIC STORIES

REAL NAME

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #51 (May 1994) The only remaining Green Lantern in the universe, Kyle Rayner has to figure out ring-slinging as he goes along! Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #76–77, Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #110-111 (Jul.–Aug. 1996) In this four-part

crossover, the successors to the famous Green Lantern/Green Arrow pairing become the “Hard-Traveling Heroes” of a new generation. Ion #1 (Jun. 2006)

During one of the Green Lantern Corps’ darkest hours, young artist Kyle Rayner was chosen to be the universe’s lone Green Lantern by a Guardian of the Universe named Ganthet. The torchbearer for all the Green Lantern Corps would become in the future, Kyle Rayner went on to master all seven colors of the emotional spectrum, the only Lantern to ever truly accomplish such a feat. When longtime Green Lantern Hal Jordan was infected by the Parallax entity and set out to destroy WHITE LANTERN the Green Lantern Corps, the Guardian known as Kyle has played many Ganthet picked the rather young and inexperienced roles in his career, but artist Kyle Rayner to be the only Green Lantern in the his time as a White universe. Learning on the job, Kyle became a youthful Lantern certainly proved his worth as the only inspiration and faced countless Super-Villain threats Lantern to master all as the torchbearer keeping the Green Lantern light seven rings. alive. After the Green Lantern Corps was restored, Kyle joined a team of representatives from the other colors of the emotional spectrum called the New Guardians. Kyle went on to master, not just the Green Lantern ring, but all seven lights of the emotional spectrum as the White Lantern. However, this role was not to last. When Kyle was tasked with resurrecting the Blue Lantern Corps, his grasp of the spectrum shattered, and only his Green Lantern ring remained with him. Kyle embraced the return of his classic power set, and became a Green Lantern once more, adopting a costume nearly identical to his original and helping the Green Lantern Corps make peace with their rivals in the Sinestro Corps. When Kyle withheld knowledge of a future child he and Sinestro Corps leader Soranik Natu might have, he pushed Soranik over the edge, and she branded his chest with the Sinestro Corps symbol before the two Corps split in anger. Traumatized by this event, Kyle nevertheless continued his heroic duties, facing threats like the Controllers, General Zod, and the Darkstars. As a veteran Corps members, Kyle has helped train newer members Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz.

ON THE RECORD Kyle debuted during the 1990s at a time

when many heroes were being replaced by temporary successors. After the success of the “Death of Superman” and “Knightfall” storylines, which saw Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne removed from their roles, “Emerald Twilight” sought to achieve the same exciting shake-up of the status quo. While some fans were enraged at Hal Jordan’s transformation into Super-Villain—a fate spared both Superman and Batman—Kyle’s individuality and interesting approach as the solo Green Lantern made him a hit as well, and he soon found prestige as a member of the JLA. THE REPLACEMENTS

The popular JLA of the late 1990s featured legacy heroes including Kyle Rayner and Wally West.

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After the events of Infinite Crisis, Kyle Rayner adapts to his new overwhelming powers as the spacefaring Ion.

AN ARTIST AT HEART

As a skilled cartoonist, Kyle’s constructs range from the imaginative to the impossible. Even with the power of a Green Lantern ring at his disposal, he’s often found sketching in a more traditional manner.

G GUNFIRE Deathstroke the Terminator Annual (Vol. 1) #2 (Oct. 1993) DEBUT

REAL NAME Andrew Van

Horn New York City HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 190 lbs EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Can agitate molecules in matter, causing them to create blasts; wears customized hi-tech armor. ALLIES Argus, Anima, Ballistic, Geist, Hook ENEMIES Venev, Ragnarok, Mirror Master BASE

GUNNER AND SARGE

HAND WEAPON

Gunfire’s ability to transform any object’s mass into blasts of concussive energy effectively turned anything he held into a firearm.

Young businessman Andrew Van Horn’s metagene was triggered when, as part of a concerted invasion of Earth, he was attacked and left for dead by a spinal-fluidconsuming alien. In the aftermath, the stunned survivor developed the power to ferociously agitate molecules and redirect them as blasts of concussive force, initially using any object he could hold in his hands. Equipped with a prototype suit of polymer armor built by his munitions company, Andrew hunted the creature that had “killed” him and thereafter became the globe-trotting Super Hero Gunfire. The same attack that transformed Andrew also killed and mutated his father Gunther, who became his deranged arch-enemy, Ragnarok. After finally defeating his father, Gunfire attempted to monetize his gifts by joining other metahuman survivors of the alien attack in a corporately funded team called the Blood Pack. Gunfire retired after his hands were cut off by the Super-Villain Prometheus.

All-American Men of War #67 (Mar. 1959) DEBUT

REAL NAME “Gunner” MacKay, Sarge

Clay Fully trained US Marines in peak physical condition; exceptional reactions and marksmanship. ALLIES Pooch, Captain Storm, Johnny Cloud, Mademoiselle Marie, Haunted Tank crew ENEMIES Nazi Germany, Japanese Empire AFFILIATIONS US Marine Corps, The Losers POWERS/ABILITIES

BROTHERS IN ARMS

Before joining the Losers, Gunner and Sarge fought as an effective team in many brutal battles against the Imperial Japanese Army.

“Gunner” McKay and his military mentor “Sarge” Clay had a unique tactic for fighting the Japanese on a succession of Pacific Islands during World War II. The young private was an astonishingly fast and accurate shot with any weapon and would hang back or conceal himself while Sarge would deliberately make himself a target for enemy fire. The veteran trusted that his own years of experience would allow him to anticipate or evade the inevitable attack long enough for his infallible comrade to finish off the shooters. They were assisted by a highly intelligent battle dog named Pooch, who accompanied them when—with Naval Captain Storm and pilot Johnny Cloud—they became part of a Special Operations squad nicknamed “the Losers” because of their bad luck. The Losers were eventually killed in combat, but Gunner was soon recovered and resurrected as a cyborg-zombie, becoming part of the covert military unit dubbed the Creature Commandos.

ON THE RECORD

GYPSY Justice League of America Annual (Vol. 1) #2 (Oct. 1984) REAL NAME Cynnthia Mordeth HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 110 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Mystically generated illusion casting; light-bending; sound projection and distortion; advanced unarmed combat techniques. ALLIES Vibe, Breacher ENEMIES Mistress Mordeth, Amanda Waller, Rupture AFFILIATIONS Traders of Piradell DEBUT

HIGHER PLANES DRIFTER

After years of traversing dimensions and fleeing from every conceivable danger, Gypsy finally realized safety lay in confronting her pursuers.

The original Gypsy was teenager GYPSY MAGIC

Vibe’s every instinct said to trust the captivating Circus detainee, even though his A.R.G.U.S. bosses said Gypsy was a threat to the entire planet.

Unearthly refugee Cynnthia Mordeth always led a fairytale life. Her trans-dimensional trader father entered into a dynastic marriage with a rival tribe’s queen and was reduced to a monstrous man-shaped packet of sentient energy. Her mother also transformed, becoming a planet-ravaging predator. Gypsy fled across myriad dimensions, unaware that she was the key to her mother’s invasion plan for other realms. On Earth, Cynnthia was imprisoned by the US Government agency A.R.G.U.S., never realizing it was all part of a bargain between her father and agent Amanda Waller. Cynnthia was caged in the Circus—a clandestine containment facility built to hold metahumans from other universes—and used to trick Cisco “Vibe” Ramon into becoming Waller’s interdimensional alarm system and watchdog. When Gypsy escaped, she befriended Cisco and slowly won him over to her cause. Together they traversed several multiversal breaches, eventually arriving on Cynnthia’s homeworld Piradell. Here they destroyed the evil Mistress Mordeth after liberating Cisco’s older brother Armando from murderous servitude to her. On returning to Earth, Gypsy helped Vibe renegotiate the terms of his employment with Waller and A.R.G.U.S., before vanishing from public view.

Cindy Reynolds, who fled suburbia when her metahuman abilities abruptly manifested themselves. Living on the streets of Detroit, she survived using her chameleon-camouflage and illusion-casting powers. Gypsy joined a reconfigured Justice League that included Vibe, Dale Gunn, and the Martian Manhunter. She later became a valued, covert operative of special ops organization Justice League Task Force, and then joined Barbara Gordon’s Birds of Prey team.

HIDE AND SEEK

Gypsy’s guileful intelligence-gathering and undetectable groundwork usually led to a punishing follow-up from her mighty, but not-so-subtle, associates.

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GREEN LANTERN CORPS Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #9 (Nov.–Dec. 1961) New Oa

DEBUT BASE

NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS HAL JORDAN, JOHN STEWART, KYLE RAYNER, GUY GARDNER, JESSICA CRUZ, SIMON BAZ, KILOWOG, SALAAK, TWO-SIX, GORIN-SUNN, ARISIA RRAB, SODAM YAT, MOGO. Drawn from across the Multiverse, Green Lanterns use willpower to operate power rings able to materialize hard-light constructs, allow flight, maintain protective fields, and universally translate languages, among other functions. ALLIES Red Lantern Corps, Blue Lantern Corps ENEMIES Sinestro, Sinestro Corps, Manhunters, Nekron, Larfleeze, Black Hand, Darkstars, Controller Mu

AT A GLANCE... Central Power Battery The colossal, lantern-like engine on New Oa condenses the willpower of all sentient life in the universe and redistributes it as green light to each Green Lantern officer’s personal power battery. The finite energy-charge in each officer’s ring is replenished by touching it to their personal battery long enough for them to utter the sacred oath: “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night; No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power... Green Lantern’s light!” Full mental jacket Courage, good intentions, and the mightiest personal weapon in the universe are not enough. The Corps’ basic training is physically and mentally punishing. It teaches recruits to fight under pressure against multiple foes and that clear thinking will always win the day.

CLASSIC STORIES Tales of the Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 1) #1–3 (May–Jul. 1981)

The entire Corps is mustered when Krona attempts to return the universe to its primal state, allowing death-personification Nekron access to the realm of the living. Tales of the Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 1) Annual #2 (1986) The Guardians’ fallibility is exposed in “Tygers” when Abin Sur visits the planet Ysmault and is infected with fear by the prophecies of the Five Inversions. Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 2) #20–26 (Mar.–Sep. 2008)

A contingent of Green Lanterns dispatched on a “Ring Quest” to confiscate deadly yellow power rings clashes with cosmic terrorist Mongul who has revived the Sinestro Corps under his own leadership.

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Enhanced security The Guardians eventually altered how their Green Lanterns operated. Without disclosing that they now considered lone agents untrustworthy, the Oans doubled the ranks, with officers native to each sector patrolling in pairs. This caused friction as the traditionally independent Lanterns often could not collaborate or cooperate.

The Green Lantern Corps is a peacekeeping force created by the self-appointed Guardians of the Universe. The immortals sought to maintain order and foster the rise of civilization amongst lesser beings throughout the cosmos. Methodically dividing all of known space into 3,600 sectors, they personally selected the organization’s peacekeeping officers from all over creation. Over eons the Guardians developed automated systems and now the power rings that all Green Lanterns employ automatically seek out honest beings capable of overcoming great fear whenever a wielder dies in the line of duty. From the earliest times of existence, the immortals of Oa sought to impose order on universal chaos, which they saw manifested as acts of evil perpetrated by deviant or antisocial beings. Their first solution was a vast army of robotic Manhunters who policed a scrupulously demarcated cosmos, reacting to crises, suppressing violence, and preventing disorder from spreading. When the Manhunters malfunctioned, the appalled Guardians mothballed their mechanical agents. Some of the mechanoids, however, refused to abort their programmed mission, vanishing into the dark corners of the universe to plot revenge. The Guardians replaced their artificial MOGO intermediaries with sentient beings recruited A living planet and Green Lantern member, from the 3,600 sectors into which they had Mogo was the home base for the Green divided the known universe. These individuals Lantern Corps after the destruction of were capable of swift assessment and certain the planet Oa. Unlike Oa, Mogo is capable of moving through space. judgment. They would also be fearless, honest, and dedicated to preserving life, maintaining order, and furthering progress. Now organized along more military lines, the Corps’ administrative offices were based on Oa, which also housed the immense Central Power Battery and Sciencells containing the universe’s greatest felons and menaces. After the destruction of Oa, the Green Lantern Corps relocated to the living planet and fellow Green Lantern Mogo, and soon fell under the field command of longtime Lantern John Stewart. Under Stewart’s leadership, the Green Lanterns united with the Sinestro Corps for a time and faced the relaunched Darkstars— armored, lethal “peacekeepers.” The Lanterns triumphed, but Stewart eventually left his leadership position as he became more active in the Justice League.

RIGHTEOUS RETRIBUTION For millennia, the Guardians used Urak to store power batteries, and their energies made the resource-poor world flourish. When the Guardians changed policy and withdrew them, Urak’s ecology crashed. Now, with an uncanny capacity to overwhelm willpower, Urak’s Keepers erupt upon the universe, slaughtering at will and especially targeting Green Lanterns. When John Stewart’s squad was overcome, he had to kill one of his team to preserve Oa’s security, and Guy Gardner’s only viable rescue plan involved resurrecting the Mean Machine—the meanest, most ornery officers in the Corps.

WILLPOWER WIPEOUT

The Keepers wanted other worlds’ resources to rebuild Urak, but also relished the chance to slaughter the Guardians’ “pets” in the Green Lantern Corps.

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GREEN LANTERNS UNITE

REBIRTH

While it’s impossible to list all Green Lanterns past and present, there are always shining stars in any era of the cosmic team. 1 Kilowog 2 Simon Baz 3 Arisia Rrab 4 Gorin-Sunn 5 John Stewart 6 Guy Gardner 7 2-6-8-1-7-9-5 (Known as “Two-Six”) 8 Salaak 9 Lok Neboora

GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are new recruits of the Green Lantern Corps. Despite originally disliking one another, they were ordered to work together as Earth’s Green Lanterns. The two formed a friendship after a trial by fire, and both served together on the fabled team of Earth-based Super Heroes, the Justice League. However, Jessica eventually ended their partnership when she left Earth to protect the area of space known as the Ghost Sector.

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After several large scale battles, including an infiltration of the Green Lanterns’ Central Power Battery at the hands of the villainous Cyborg Superman, the Guardians relocated the Green Lantern Corps from Mogo to their artificial planet, New Oa. There they were able to assign their favorite operatives to appropriate missions, including Hal Jordan, who helped them fight off Controller Mu’s Blackstars. When the elders of the Guardians of the Universe left Oa to wage something they called the “Ultrawar,” new replacements were bred with a combination of Guardian, Zamaron, and Controller DNA. These Young Guardians began to challenge the old ways that the Green Lantern Corps was run, promising a bold new era in the days to come.

9

8

ON THE RECORD 3

7

Originally the Green Lantern Corps were depicted as running their own affairs within their personal interstellar beat, separate from the Guardians and seldom impinging upon each others’ jurisdictions.

4

Emerald army During the 1960s the Corps’ ranks expanded and were cautiously explored. A huge variety of valiant alien Green Lanterns were introduced, but though many become eagerly anticipated guest-stars, none were quite as effective as Earth’s Hal Jordan. He frequently won the day with solutions beyond his peers’ comprehension, and even managed to come back from the dead.

6

5

“We’re Lanterns… we’re always on duty.” GUY GARDNER

THE PHANTOM RING Longtime enemy of the true Man of Steel, Cyborg Superman was able to corrupt the Green Lantern battery, hacking into Green Lantern rings as soon as they recharged. When Hal took the fight to Cyborg Superman, the villain employed a Phantom Ring and attacked Coast City. With some help from his fellow Green Lanterns, Jordan stopped the villain in his tracks, his years of ring-slinging experience enough to vanquish Cyborg Superman’s novice attempts. SHEDDING LIGHT

With the Green Lantern Corps damaged by Cyborg Superman’s attack, the Guardians realized they needed to finish their construction of New Oa more than ever.

Green Lantern citadel Following the Multiverse-altering Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Corps was relieved of strict assignments to specific sectors, and both the Guardians and the female Oans who had evolved into the Zamarons retired from the universe for a period of reflection and contemplation. Advised that Earth would play a crucial role during the next millennium, several Green Lanterns—Katma Tui, Salaak, Ch’p, Kilowog, and Arisia—relocated to that world with Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and maverick Guy Gardner, and were on hand to witness the transformation of the so-called “New Guardians.” Sinestro Corps war The Corps faced their greatest challenge when the renegade Sinestro launched an all-out attack on the cosmos. Although Sinestro was defeated, the events helped lead to the horrific event that would be known as the Blackest Night.

HEAVY HITTERS

Yellow Lanterns were not the first to mistakenly confuse Green Lanterns’ respect for rules with timidity, or their concern for life with weakness.

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H H.I.V.E. DEBUT

H’EL New Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #1 (Nov. 1980)

REAL NAME

Holistic Integration for

Viral Equality BASE Metropolis ENEMIES Superman, Hector Hammond, Superboy, Psycho Pirate, Killer Frost AFFILIATIONS N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Psiphon, Doctor Psycho

The clandestine organization known as H.I.V.E. was created by persons unknown for ostensibly altruistic reasons. Its avowed purpose—as defined by the ruling H.I.V.E. Queen—is to release the world from the bondage of individual freedoms and create global parity for every living creature on Earth. To these ends, they have abducted children, murdered thousands of innocents, and consorted with criminals, all while making a tidy profit. Casualties have included scientist Dr. Caitlin Snow, who was transformed into Killer Frost after H.I.V.E. sabotaged her invention to protect its own financial interests in the energy industry. But H.I.V.E.’s major area of endeavor is psionics. For years it has stolen humans with telepathic potential, turning them into warriors, research subjects, or drones.

DEBUT

Supergirl (Vol. 6) #13 (Dec. 2012)

Black POWERS/ABILITIES All the physical enhancements of a Kryptonian under a yellow sun, plus telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, force-field projection, limited mind control, size alteration, astral projection, and time manipulation. ALLIES Supergirl ENEMIES Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Justice League, Teen Titans EYES

White

HAIR

H’El attacked Earth believing he was acting for the House of El. He had spent decades exploring the universe, preserving Krypton’s history. Finding cousins on Earth, H’El resolved to turn back time. When he tried to avert Krypton’s destruction using Earth’s sun as fuel, Earth’s defenders defeated him and he fell through a time rift. Arriving on Krypton when Jor-El was a student, H’El learned he was a clone-hybrid spontaneously generated from millions of Kryptonian cell-samples. A freak accident had created him within a star-spanning time-capsule; his aberrant mind forming from the historical records archived on the vessel. Enraged, H’El staged a multi-chronal assault which simultaneously besieged Krypton in three different eras. He was again defeated by Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl, and left trapped in a time loop.

HADES

HAMMER AND SICKLE

DEBUT

Wonder Woman (Vol. 1) #329 (Feb. 1986)

DEBUT

Hell, Sphere of the Gods POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality, telepathy, metamorphosis, illusions, control of the dead. ALLIES Persephone, Poseidon ENEMIES First Born, Hephaestus AFFILIATIONS Gods of Olympus

Boris and Natasha Ulyanov Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Hammer Enhanced strength, durability, large war hammer; Sickle Enhanced speed, agility, razor-sharp sickle. ENEMIES Outsiders, Suicide Squad, Catwoman, New Teen Titans, Red Star AFFILIATIONS People’s Heroes, Red Shadows, the Society

BASE

Hades is one of the most powerful of the Olympian gods. When he and his brothers Zeus and Poseidon slew their father Chronos, his brothers claimed dominion of the skies and seas respectively, and Hades was left with the underworld—the realm of spirits. His kingdom is built from all the souls that have entered his realm, which Hades reshapes into settings to suit his mood. When Zeus died, his queen Hera took on his role, sparking a civil war that embroiled the Olympians and their offspring in a catastrophic conflict. Devious, bored, mistrusting, and incapable of love, Hades agreed to Wonder Woman’s peace plan for him to wed Hera. When this failed, he tried to forcibly marry Diana instead, but was foiled by Hephaestus. As the war raged, Hades was seemingly killed by First Born.

Outsiders (Vol. 1) #10 (Aug. 1986)

REAL NAMES BASE

Russia

EYES

Russian Boris Ulyanov was dedicated to the Soviet Union. He and his wife Natasha, were augmented by state scientists to counter American patriotic groups such as the Force of July. Boris—wielding a bone-crushing hammer with mutant super-strength and vitality—became field leader of the People’s Heroes. Natasha used a sickle with her enhanced speed and agility, serving beside Boris in the team (and its successor Red Shadows) as they repeatedly clashed with the Outsiders and the Suicide Squad. Later the Ulyanovs operated as a duo, battling the Teen Titans over Russian fugitive Red Star. When the Berlin Wall fell, they fell out of favor in the new Russia. As superpowered mercenaries and assassins in the West, they joined Super-Villain coalition the Society and clashed with Catwoman.

HALO The Brave and the Bold (Vol. 1) #200 (Jul. 1983) Gabrielle Doe, Violet Harper, Marissa Barron BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 120 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Resurrection; spectrum of light-based effects generated as bodily auras or haloes (Red: heat; Orange: concussive force; Yellow: blinding light; Green: stasis effect; Blue: holographic distortion; Indigo: tractor beam); used in combination the light effects afford physical protection and flight; using the Violet power suppresses Halo’s personality, allowing the deceased Violet Harper to take control of the body. ALLIES Batman, Katana, Sebastian Faust, Alfred Pennyworth ENEMIES Violet Harper, Marissa Barron, Masters of Disaster DEBUT

REAL NAMES

Halo was born when teenage sociopath Violet Harper was murdered by the costumed assassin Syonide. The crime was observed by an invisible ancient light entity—one of the Aurakles—which accidentally became trapped in the corpse, reanimating it while also bestowing a range of abilities. Violet’s personality was suppressed, leaving an innocent amnesiac who took the name Gabrielle Doe. Her light-based superpowers brought her to the attention of Batman, who recruited and trained her as part of his undercover team, the Outsiders. After many adventures, the still largely naive and innocent Gaby was murdered on the orders of criminal mastermind Marissa Barron, who also died in the attack. The Aurakle then transferred itself into Barron’s body, which promptly resurrected with Gaby’s personality and powers. Resuming her career on the fringes of the Super Hero community, Halo withdrew from the spotlight. During a mission for Red Robin and Batman Incorporated she was lost and declared dead. She now operates completely off the grid as part of the Dead Heroes Club, taking on covert missions for Batman.

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BEACON OF HOPE

Halo’s immense powers were balanced by a childlike nature and desire to please. However, she developed a hard-won maturity during Blackest Night. She was especially effective against Black Lanterns, mercilessly eradicating Katana’s resurrected children and GeoForce’s sister Terra.

H HAMMOND, HECTOR

ON THE RECORD

Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #5 (Apr. 1961) BASE Metropolis; Coast City, California REAL NAME James Craddock HEIGHT 5ft 1in WEIGHT 156 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Hyper-advanced intellect and numerous psionic abilities including telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, mental blasts, and illusion creation. ENEMIES Green Lantern, Superman, Orion, Kroloteans, Sinestro, Justice League, Darkstars AFFILIATIONS H.I.V.E., Secret Society of Super-Villains DEBUT

THINKING MAN’S VILLAIN

Anyone who mistook Hector Hammond’s paralysis for helplessness learned to their cost that vengeance and agony are all in the mind.

Astrophysics and aeronautics consultant Hector Hammond was secretly experimented on by Kroloteans—an alien species of arms manufacturers. They amplified Hammond’s psionic abilities, hoping to sell him as the ultimate weapon, “the God Brain.” They similarly mutated William Hand (Blackhand) and a shark, who all became foes of Green Lanterns. Hammond’s mentality expanded exponentially and he became a menace to everyone around him. His burgeoning psionic powers proved too much for rookie ring-bearer Hal Jordan, but Hammond was overwhelmed by Hal’s mentor Green Lantern Sinestro. Imprisoned in isolation and studied by scientists, Hammond’s powers constantly grew—as did his skull. Hammond was incapable of physical movement, but possessed lethal psionic abilities that fed parasitically on the minds around him and hungered for dominance. His psychic range spanned galaxies and his cruel, playful predations caused chaos for the Guardians on Oa and the homeworld of the New Gods. QUEEN FOR A DAY H.I.V.E.’s psionic Hal Jordan saved Hammond from the Kroloteans when empress was no he tried to retrieve their ripe bioweapon, and Hammond repaid match for the his debt by helping to defeat the Controllers and Darkstars. decrepit-seeming

HARBINGER

HARVEST

Titans (Vol. 1) #21 (Nov. 2000) NOTABLE MEMBERS Breathtaker, Provoke, Shock Trauma, Stranglehold, Killshot

New Teen Titans Annual (Vol. 1) #2 (1983) (as Lyla); Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 (Apr. 1985) (as Harbinger)

DEBUT

Dr. Psycho ENEMIES Titans, Batman II (Dick Grayson) and Robin, Teen Titans AFFILIATIONS The Society, Secret Society of Super-Villains

BASE

ALLIES

The Hangmen were mercenaries hired by Quraci nationalists to assassinate the terrorist Cheshire— an act which brought them into repeated conflict with the Titans. The asphyxiation-themed team fought in the Battle of Metropolis as part of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, but preferred looting to fighting. Supposedly killed by Doctor Psycho for dereliction of duty, they had actually bribed him to fake their deaths. The Hangmen were executed months later by the Spectre, after seeking to join Libra’s new Secret Society of Super-Villains during Infinite Crisis. After their executions, their costumed identities and murder methods were appropriated by a new group of anonymous felons in Gotham City, who clashed with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne—the second Batman and Robin team—and later Damian Wayne’s new Teen Titans team.

petty crook who found a meteor that could evolve organic life. He used it on kidnapped scientists, enriching himself through their discoveries—until Green Lantern intervened. Hammond evolved himself too, but the high cost of increased mental powers was the total loss of physical mobility. From his cell, Hammond plagued many heroes, including The Flash, the Justice League, and Superman, but he always reserved his greatest hatred for Hal Jordan.

BODY OF EXPERIENCE

Forced to live life vicariously, Hammond was determined the lives he plundered would be full of adventure, glamor, triumph, and tragedy.

Hammond.

HANGMEN DEBUT

The original Hector Hammond was a

DEBUT

House of Heroes EYES Orange HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Multiversal omniscience; Transmatter Cubes summon agents. ALLIES All heroes in the known multiverse ENEMIES Gentry, He Whose Hand Is Empty

Harbinger is the hyper-evolved artificial intelligence that administers the 52 universes known as the Orrery of Worlds, within the greater Multiverse. Her face and personality are based on Lyla Michaels, who faithfully served yet ultimately murdered the original Monitor during Crisis on Infinite Earths. These Multiversal realignments occur from time to time and are referred to as “Crises” by the mortals who endure them. The Harbinger AI eventually gained full autonomy and inherited the Monitor’s mission to safeguard the Multiverse after Nix Uotan was captured by the “Gentry” —invaders from beyond. She sought out an army of Super Heroes, transported them to the transdimensional House of Heroes, and supervised their battle to save the Monitor and all realities.

BASE

Teen Titans (Vol. 4) #7 (May 2012)

The Colony

Advanced military training; chronokinesis; centuries of stolen futuristic weapons and technologies. ALLIES Jon Lane Kent ENEMIES Teen Titans, Superboy AFFILIATIONS N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Ravagers POWERS/ABILITIES

MILLENNIUM MAN

Nothing Harvest had seen over a thousand years of history convinced him to abandon his dream of a world without metahumans.

Harvest was a colonel in the militia of 31st-century Earth who spent his life battling metahumans as they attempted to eradicate the human populace. When his son was killed, he resolved to rewrite history. He began traveling incrementally backward in time, and with each stop gathered more technology and power, gradually transforming himself into a lethal and inhuman monster. To aid him in his dangerously misguided mission to save mankind, Harvest kidnapped and indoctrinated Jon Lane Kent, the superpowered son of Superman and Lois Lane from a possible future reality. Arriving in the 21st century, he created N.O.W.H.E.R.E., gathering together young metahumans and forcing them to kill each other in a periodic Culling. The survivors would form the basis of Harvest’s army of Ravagers. His obsessive campaigns brought him repeatedly into conflict with Superboy and the Teen Titans, and he was killed after attempting to combine a mass of metahuman DNA into an ultimate weapon.

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H

DATA

HARLEY QUINN The Batman Adventures (Vol. 1) #12 (Sep. 1993) Dr. Harleen Quinzel BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 131 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde/Red/Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Unpredictable due to insanity; extremely agile and capable fighter; highly intelligent; specialist knowledge of psychiatry; adept at manipulating others; weapons include a giant mallet and other clown-themed items. ALLIES Poison Ivy, Power Girl, Booster Gold, Gang of Harleys, Batgirl, Batman (on occasion) ENEMIES The Joker, Punchline, Granny Goodness, sometimes Batman (when Harley’s being mischievous) AFFILIATIONS Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey REAL NAME

Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s dramatic transformation into the Super-Villain Harley Quinn is a tale that has changed over the years due to Harley’s own retellings and her penchant for exaggeration. According to Harley’s latest version, she grew up in a fairly quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Harleen had several brothers and a bit of a delinquent streak. She soon met a like-minded boy named Bernie Bash, who proved even more dangerously unstable than Harleen. To win her affections, Bernie threw their classmate Bonnie Harper out of his car into the path of an oncoming truck. Bonnie had picked on Harleen in school, and Quinzel was moved by Bernie’s YOUNG SCHOLAR “romantic” gesture. When he was arrested, From an early age, Harleen had a keen Harleen broke into Bernie’s interest in psychiatry. Amadeus Arkham’s Studying the Criminal Mind gave her an parents’ place and stole a insight into how to manipulate people. stuffed beaver to remember him by—a beaver she would later talk to as if it were a real person. Harleen experienced her first heartbreak when Bernie was arrested and it worsened when he was killed while in juvenile detention. After concentrating on her studies, Harleen won several scholarships to Gotham University. She graduated at the top of her class and found work as a psychiatrist at a prominent hospital in Gotham City. Fascinated by the criminal mind, Harleen transferred to Arkham Asylum. Dr. Quinzel claims that when she was working at Arkham Asylum, she was constantly annoyed that the inmates did not open up to her. She convinced the warden to allow her to join Arkham Asylum’s general population, intent on getting close to the inmates as one of their peers. To that end, she dyed her blonde hair red and black and faked insanity, earning the attention of The Joker. She fell in FALLING FOR IT love with the Super-Villain and then broke Harleen was betrayed him out of the Asylum. Later, the Clown by The Joker when he Prince of Crime dropped Harley in a vat of threw her into a vat

AT A GLANCE... Who’s that girl? Much like The Joker, Harley’s mental instability has led to conflicting origin stories. Most versions agree that she was a former Arkham Asylum psychiatrist who fell in love with her main subject, The Joker, and quickly dropped everything for a chance to impress him as the villain Harley Quinn. Boy trouble Harley tried to play the role of the doting girlfriend to the insane Joker, despite him tossing her into a vat of chemicals. She acted ditzier than usual to attract him, but soon found that the Clown Prince of Crime tired of her, eventually discarding her like yesterday’s whoopee cushion.

CLASSIC STORIES The Batman Adventures: Mad Love #1 (Feb. 1994) Harley Quinn’s

obsession with the Clown Prince of Crime is examined in this comic that shines a light on Harley’s origin, as well as the couple’s abusive relationship. Batman: Harley Quinn #1 (Oct. 1999) Harley navigates her way into the

DC universe during this special prestigeformat tie-in with the epic “Batman: No Man’s Land” crossover. Gotham City Sirens #1 (Aug. 2009) Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley all share the spotlight in this ongoing series featuring Gotham City’s most infamous femme fatales. Harley Quinn (Vol. 2) Annual #1 (Dec. 2014) Readers are treated to a comic as zany as Harley herself in this special scratch-and-sniff issue that featured a disclaimer from DC due to some of its more controversial scents.

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Harley Quinn has been a psychiatrist, The Joker’s lethal sidekick, a key member of a secret government-sponsored strike force, a Brooklyn landlady, a roller derby champion, a burlesque dancer, a nurse, and a punk rocker. But to hear her tell it, all those lives are behind her now and she has set off on her newest mission: to be a real, honest-to-goodness Super Hero. While she hasn’t always had the highest regard for human life, Harley has always maintained a strict moral code that often sees her fighting for the underdog. So maybe she’s got a chance at this hero thing after all. Stranger things have happened in Gotham City…

DEBUT

of chemicals.

Wardrobe changes Harley Quinn has adopted several looks over the years, from her classic jester look to the roller-skating costume she wore when participating in the— often bloody—sport of roller derby.

SQUAD LIFE When government agent Amanda Waller decided to set up Task Force X—a covert strike force made up entirely of Super-Villains—Harley Quinn was one of her repeat recruits. Knowing that Harley was sharper than she often let on and was fully capable of holding her own in a fight, Waller employed Harley’s special brand of chaos more often than not. While Harley eventually won her freedom and was released from Belle Reve Penitentiary, she seemed to enjoy her time running amok for the government. FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

Harley became close with several of her Suicide Squad teammates. She even had romantic flings with both Deadshot and Rick Flag, Jr.

H chemicals which dyed her skin bright white and drove her insane. Adopting the name Harley Quinn, she became The Joker’s number-one accomplice, acting even crazier than usual to keep his attention. But the two eventually—and somewhat violently—parted ways. Harley went from one job to the next, working for the US government as part of the Suicide Squad when she got herself arrested, and becoming a landlady in Coney Island, Brooklyn when she didn’t. She was more than over her relationship with The Joker, and built herself a nice supportive community of likeminded misfits in Brooklyn. Tragedy struck a serious blow, however, when Harley lost her mother to cancer. After being falsely accused of murder at the Super Hero therapy center called Sanctuary, Harley has decided to turn her life around even further by becoming a full-fledged hero, and has even teamed with the heroic Birds of Prey from time to time. She toyed with the idea of dating Booster Gold, but has put that plan on hold, opting to help fight on Batman’s side during The Joker’s most recent campaign of terror, the so-called “The Joker War.”

REBIRTH

“How cool would it be to have my own comic book?” HARLEY QUINN

GAL PALS? Harley Quinn has always shared a special bond with Poison Ivy, dating back to the earliest days of Harley’s criminal career. However, when Harley decided to become a Super Hero, the idea didn’t mesh with Poison Ivy’s current way of thinking, and the two broke up. (It didn’t help that Harley had just spent a road trip bonding with a plant clone of Poison Ivy, and couldn’t tell the difference between her and the real thing!)

ON THE RECORD Harley Quinn’s popularity didn’t originally stem from the comics themselves, but from her original appearances on the award-winning cartoon, Batman: The Animated Series.

EXPLOSIVE PERSONALITY

Harley Quinn is not just a loose cannon, she is an entertaining loose cannon. When aimed at the right target, Harley can be a zany force for good, but cross her, and you won’t be laughing for very long.

PLAYING WITH POWER The hero Power Girl found herself in one compromising position after another after Harley found her crashlanded near her Brooklyn home. Harley decided to convince the amnesiac Power Girl that they were Super Hero partners, and even began fighting crime as Power Girl’s sidekick, just for the sheer enjoyment of it. However, when this dysfunctional duo crossed paths with Super-Villains Clock King and the Sportsmaster, they found themselves on several adventures through the far reaches of space. Eventually, they fought their way home, only for Power Girl to regain her memories and quickly quit her partnership with Harley. GIRL TROUBLE

When Power Girl finally found out the truth about her “Super Hero” partner Harley Quinn, it took all her heroic restraint not to totally pummel her former “sidekick.”

From cartoon to comic-book star Harley Quinn first appeared on Batman: The Animated Series as The Joker’s partner-in-crime, and soon found her way into the tie-in comic book series The Batman Adventures in 1993. It was six more years before she drifted into the mainstream DC universe, introduced in her own one-shot special during the epic “Batman: No Man’s Land” crossover between all the Batman titles. In this version of her origin, Harley wasn’t actually a doctor of psychiatry, but simply an intern. She fell in love with The Joker, broke him out of prison, and adopted a clownish look, complete with a red and black jester cowl.

Toxic friendship After The Joker first attempted to kill Harley, she befriended Poison Ivy. The eco-terrorist took a liking to Harley’s zany antics and gifted her with a formula that made Harley mostly immune to toxins and poisons and gave the kooky clown-in-training enhanced agility and strength. Now ready to go toe-to-toe with Batman himself, Harley truly began her career of crime.

TRICKY TRIO

Harley not only became fast friends with Poison Ivy, but also with Catwoman, who later began living with the pair despite their many differences and approaches to crime.

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H HAUNTED TANK DEBUT BASE

G. I. Combat #87 (May 1961)

Mobile

A tank haunted by the ghost of General James Ewell Brown Stuart and members of the crew connected to it; provides protection against magical attack and can also teleport. ENEMIES Nazis POWERS/ABILITIES

GUARDIAN GHOST

The M3 Stuart Light Tank was possessed by the ghost of Jeb Stuart’s ancestor. Jeb could see and hear the ghost, who offered guidance in combat.

In World War II, the Haunted Tank was commanded by Jeb Stuart and watched over by the ghost of one of his ancestors— a Confederate general named James Ewell Brown Stuart. In 1942, Jeb was ordered to locate a stash of mystical artifacts that had been collected by Hitler, and he ended up using the Tank to fight several strange threats along the way. Years later, when Jeb was 98 years old, the Tank materialized outside his house after his grandson, Sergeant Scott Stuart, was captured in Afghanistan. Old Jeb and the tank vanished in front of A.R.G.U.S. agents who had started tracing the tank after it went missing from a vault. Jeb and the tank reappeared in Afghanistan, where they rescued Scott. The tank then teleported to the North Pole, where they stopped descendants of World War II Nazis unleashing a deadly “Warwheel” piloted by a Nazi Ghost. Jeb died in action, but his ghost seemingly lived on in the vehicle, talking to his grandson who had inherited the family connection to the Haunted Tank.

HAWK, SON OF TOMAHAWK

HAWKE, CONNOR

DEBUT Tomahawk #131

DEBUT

(Dec. 1970)

Echo Valley, Mid-West America HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 166 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown with blond streak POWERS/ABILITIES Expert horseman, tracker, and hunter. ALLIES Firehair, Jonah Hex, Swamp Thing ENEMIES Black Bison, Wise Owl BASE

Hawk was a Western hero born in 1800. He was the son of Tomahawk (Tom Hawk), a famous revolutionary hero, and a Native American woman called Moon Fawn. Hawk was raised in Echo Valley, where he learned the ways of the Wild West from his father, and the secrets of Native American culture from his mother, along with his brother, Small Eagle. Hawk became an expert tracker, hunter, and fighter. He was soon helping others and formed a close friendship with the heroic Firehair. Later, he joined forces with other Old West heroes to fight the mystical villain Black Bison. Hawk helped Swamp Thing when he time-traveled to the 1870s. Bison gave Swamp Thing a magic talisman, the Claw of Aelkhünd, to help him return to his own time. Just before he died, Hawk published his autobiography.

HAWK AND DOVE Showcase #75 (Jun. 1968) REAL NAMES Hank Hall (Hawk) and Dawn Granger (Dove) BASE Washington, D.C. HEIGHT 6ft 1in (Hawk); 5ft 9in (Dove) WEIGHT 197 lbs (Hawk); 120 lbs (Dove) EYES Brown (Hawk); Blue (Dove) HAIR Brown (Hawk); White (Dove) POWERS/ABILITIES Hawk: Enhanced agility, strength, body density, and vision, healing factor; Dove: Enhanced strength, intelligence, and empathy, flight, danger sense. ALLIES District of Columbia Police Department, Deadman, Batman ENEMIES Alexander Quirk, Condor, Swan, the D’Yak, Blockbuster, the Hunter, Mister Twister, Fearsome Five DEBUT

When brothers Hank and Don Hall discovered that criminals were planning to murder their father, Don wished they had the power to save him—and divine agencies answered. Brash, aggressive Hank transformed into Hawk, Avatar of War, while calm, rational Don became Dove, Avatar of Peace. They saved their father and used their gifts as small-town Super Heroes and in the Teen Titans. Don died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. Although bereft, Hawk continued as a lone avenger, growing ever more enraged without the stabilizing influence of his brother. Balance returned for Hank in the shape of Dawn Granger, selected by higher powers to be the new Dove, and the two heroes reluctantly formed a new partnership. Mirroring Hank’s relationship with his brother, the duo clashed over ethical questions, with Hank favoring force and Dawn preferring pacifism and reason. But they united to face fellow avatars Condor and Swan, as well as the mysterious D’Yak. Hawk and Dove encountered the Teen Titans while investigating a sinister mystery in the small town of Hatton Corners in the east of the United States: a case that returned to haunt them and which served to reignite their crusade against evil in the post Rebirth era against the reality-shredding threats of Barbatos, The Batman Who Laughs, and Perpetua.

142

Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #0 (Oct 1994)

Connor Hawke BASE Star City 5ft 9in WEIGHT 160 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Highly skilled in archery and martial arts. ALLIES Eddie Fyers, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Black Canary, Robin (Tim Drake) ENEMIES Lady Shiva, Doctor Sivana, Onomatopoeia, Constantine Drakon AFFILIATIONS Justice League REAL NAME HEIGHT

Connor Hawke was the son of Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), although his father did not know of his existence until the two met in the Ashram Monastery during a dark time in Queen’s life. Connor showed a natural aptitude for archery and martial arts, and Queen took him under his wing. When he eventually discovered the truth about their connection, Queen was mistrustful of the young man— and before they could repair their relationship, Queen was killed in an explosion. Connor took up his father’s mantle as Green Arrow and even joined the Justice League in his stead. After Oliver Queen returned from the dead, Connor was able to bond with him as a son, but their relationship remained fragile.

ON THE RECORD The pre-Flashpoint Don and Hank

Hall received their powers from the Lords of Chaos and Order and joined the Teen Titans. When Don died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Dawn Granger took his place as Dove. Their partnership ended when Dawn was seemingly slain by Monarch, an evil future version of Hank. Hank then became the time-warping villain Extant and was later killed, only to be reborn as a zombie in the Blackest Night, when he fought the new Hawk and Dove—Holly and Dawn Granger—and was brought back to life by the power of the white light.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Hawk and Dove’s relationship was marked by tension, but when combined, they could be an unstoppable force for good.

H

DATA

HAWKGIRL The Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940) (as Kendra Saunders); JSA Secret Files and Origins #1 (Aug. 1999) REAL NAME Kendra Saunders HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 135 lbs EYES Hazel HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Trained archaeologist; Nth Metal wings and harness allow flight; skilled with variety of weaponry; highly skilled warrior with memories of past lives. ALLIES Hawkman, Martian Manhunter ENEMIES Barbatos, Perpetua, Legion of Doom AFFILIATIONS Justice League, Guild of Detection, Blackhawks DEBUT

Using the power of Nth Metal, Kendra Saunders is Hawkgirl, one of the Justice League’s newer recruits. Having no trouble standing shoulder to shoulder with giants, Hawkgirl’s fighting spirit and determination has made her feared throughout the galaxy. LADY BLACKHAWK

While fighting the forces of the Dark Multiverse and the demon Barbatos, Kendra was transformed for a time into a living embodiment of her codename, Lady Blackhawk.

The original souls that would become Hawkman and Hawkwoman—Ktar and Shrra—had been cursed to reincarnate time and time again over the centuries, to make up for Ktar’s sins of making countless sacrificial murders to a being called the Lord Beyond the Void. They lived many lives, from ancient Egyptians to 1940’s crime fighters Hawkman and Hawkwoman of the

ON THE RECORD The original Hawkgirl was Shiera

Sanders Hall, who first appeared in Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940) as the girlfriend of Hawkman. After several continuity changes, Hawkgirl was reintroduced as a member of the JSA in 1999. This version’s alter ego was Kendra Saunders, a distant cousin of the very first Hawkgirl. After The Flashpoint event radically changed Hawkman’s history yet again, Kendra reemerged on Earth-2, a blue-clad freedom fighter against Darkseid’s tyranny. A new Kendra only recently found her way back into the main continuity of Earth-0 during the Dark Nights: Metal miniseries.

WINGED WARRIOR

Hawkgirl was one of the main heroes fighting Darkseid’s forces on post-Flashpoint Earth-2.

ALIEN OUTFITTERS

Hawkgirl wears a costume that invokes uniforms worn on the planet Thanagar, and utilizes the Nth metal mined there to great effect.

Justice Society of America. However, in modern times, something strange happened. While there is only one Carter Hall, there were two women who shared a history as the reincarnated form of Shrra. The first was Shayera Hol, Empress of the planet Thanagar, also known as Hawkwoman. The second was Kendra Saunders, who gave up her wings to join a covert anti-apocalypse team of soldiers called the Blackhawks. As Lady Blackhawk, Kendra helped the Justice League during the Dark Multiverse’s invasion of Earth. She soon earned a spot in their ranks as the hero Hawkgirl. While on a mission to Thanagar Prime, Kendra met Shayera Hol, discovering that their history had been split due to the energy known as the Totality. The cosmic being Perpetua did not want her spirit whole. However, Starman (Will Payton) had merged with this Totality, and was able to make both women whole again, effectively making Kendra her own separate person, free to explore her own destiny. Hawkgirl did just that, fighting the forces of Perpetua with the rest of the Justice League. In the process, she grew close with the Martian Manhunter, and the two began a romance, even discovering that they had a child in another reality. Later, when the world seemed to fall to Perpetua and turn to doom, Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter fought valiantly to ensure the Multiverse lived to see another day.

CLASSIC STORIES Hawkgirl (Vol. 1) #50 (May 2006)

As part of the “One Year Later” event, Hawkgirl starts a new life in St. Roch, but soon finds herself troubled by nightmares of Hawkman. Blackest Night #1–8 (Jun. 2009– May 2010) Hawkman and Hawkgirl are

murdered only to return as Black Lanterns. Hawkgirl is reborn at the end of the series, but with a new set of memories. Earth 2: Society #8 (Mar. 2016)

While searching her new world, Kendra learns that Fury is training a new generation of Amazons.

HAWKWOMEN

There have been a variety of Hawkwomen over the years, all reincarnated forms of the angel-like herald Shrra. Despite her appearance and name, Hawkgirl has now broken away from her ties to Hawkman and his ancestry.

143

H

HAWKMAN Flash Comics #1 (Jan. 1940) Carter Hall BASE Midway City HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 195 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Thanagarian Nth Metal harness features retractable wings and allows for enhanced strength, stamina, and endurance; extensive battle training and weapons expertise; speaks thousands of languages; history expert with a wide breadth of cultural knowledge. ALLIES Hawkwoman, Atom (Ray Palmer), Hawkgirl, Madame Xanadu, Adam Strange ENEMIES Gentleman Ghost, Lion-Mane, Shadow Thief, Byth, Idamm AFFILIATIONS Justice League of America, Justice Society of America, The Infected, Guild of Detection

DATA

DEBUT

REAL NAME

Carter Hall has lived many lives. While he is an archaeologist and the Super Hero Hawkman in the present, in his past he has been an Egyptian prince, a medieval knight, a Wild West gun hand, and a Thanagarian soldier. A hero in every generation, Carter both studies and lives history. Carter Hall has been reincarnated many times, but his first life was on Qgga as Ktar Deathbringer, a winged servant of an entity called the Lord Beyond the Void. SKY TYRANT He and his fellow Deathbringers brought The Batman Who Laughs from the Dark humanoid sacrifices to their Lord from planets Multiverse successfully infected Hawkman, transforming him for a brief time into one including Earth, Thanagar, and Rann. After of The Infected. Hawkman became his seeing an angelic herald named Shrra on Earth-3 past life, the Sky Tyrant. every killing field, Ktar led a revolt against his lord, ending the Deathbringers. In death, he was given a chance to redeem himself. He was to be reborn until he had saved as many lives as he had taken. Shrra chose the same fate. First Carter returned in ancient Egypt as Prince Khufu Maat Kha-Tar, in love with a woman named Chay-Ara—the reincarnated Shrra. They found an alien craft with Nth Metal, which they used to craft belts and harnesses. Thanks to Nth Metal’s gravitynegating properties, they could fly. In medieval times, Carter became the Silent Knight, and in the old West, he fought as Nighthawk. On Thanagar, he was Wingman Katar Hol serving in the police. In the Microverse, he was the hero Avion. On Krypton, he was Catar-Ol. He was Airwing of New Genesis, Katarthul of Rann, and the Dragon of Barbatos, among others. As Hawkman, Carter served on the Justice Society of America in the 1940s and later with the Justice League of America. When the Deathbringers returned, led by TEAMWORK Idamm—the partner Carter once betrayed—Carter summoned his past lives into an Hawkman was army to defeat Idamm. Later, he and Hawkwoman came face-to-face with the Lord recruited to the Beyond the Void. The heroes defeated him, but were killed in the process. The two were Justice League by resurrected, but with their debt fully paid, they were told that this would be their last life. Amanda Waller.

ON THE RECORD

144

Hawkman’s harness and wings are made of a mysterious substance known as Nth Metal, mined on the planet Thanagar. He can retract his wings into the harness when not in use.

CLASSIC STORIES

Originally a reincarnation of the

Egyptian Prince Khufu, Hawkman’s physical appearance has changed little since his debut. Reborn as archaeologist Carter Hall, he adopted the hawk emblem of the Egyptian God Horus for his role as the hero Hawkman. He also began searching for his lost love, Princess Chay-Ara, who had been reincarnated as Shiera Sanders and, after they met, became Hawkgirl. Hawkman was chairman of the JSA and owned a hawk, Big Red. When the hero was revived in the 1960s, his backstory was changed. He became a Thanagarian law enforcer who had traveled to Earth in pursuit of a criminal and decided to remain there to fight crime.

NTH METAL

Hawkworld #1–3 (Aug.–Oct. 1989)

Katar Hol lives on Hawkworld, working as one of the Wingmen militia. When he uncovers a conspiracy, it almost destroys him. JSA #22–25 (May–Aug. 2001)

The JSA and Hawkgirl travel to Thanagar, where she learns the truth about Hawkman’s past and helps bring him back to life. Hawkman (Vol. 4) #1–6 (May–Oct. 2002) Hawkman meets his true love, Hawkgirl, once more. However, Kendra Saunders—the new Hawkgirl—has no memory of her past lives. GOLDEN AGE

Hawkman’s look has remained largely the same: enormous wings, a beaked mask, and, since he was an archaeologist, weapons borrowed from the museum he curated.

PAST LIVES

Hawkman recently experienced a vision of his many past lives, both on Earth and on other planets.

H HAWKFIRE DEBUT

Batwoman (Vol. 2) #16 (Mar. 2013)

Mary Elizabeth Kane BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 120 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Olympic-level gymnast and swimmer; highly trained fighter. ALLIES Batwoman ENEMIES The Hook REAL NAME

Mary Elizabeth “Bette” Kane enjoyed a highly privileged upbringing as part of Gotham City’s rich Kane family. She was a successful tennis player and skilled in martial arts and gymnastics. When she discovered Dick Grayson was Robin, she decided to become a hero, too. Bette called herself Flamebird and joined the Teen Titans. Bette learned that her cousin, Kate Kane, was secretly Batwoman. Batwoman proved a strict teacher, burning Bette’s old costumes and renaming her “Plebe.” A battle with the monstrous Hook left Bette in a coma, but she recovered and returned to crime fighting when Medusa attacked her cousin and Wonder Woman. Wearing a new costume and calling herself Hawkfire, Bette battled Hook once more and this time tore his signature weapon from his arm. She continued to fight crime in Gotham City alongside Batwoman.

HEAT WAVE

ON THE RECORD

The Flash (Vol. 1) #140 (Nov. 1963) REAL NAME Mick Rory BASE Central City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 179 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Creates flame with his body and fires it from his chest; possesses Heat Gun. ALLIES Captain Cold, Golden Glider ENEMIES The Flash, Crime Syndicate, Royal Flush Gang AFFILIATIONS The Rogues DEBUT

Obsessed with fire from childhood pre-teen Mick Rory set his home alight and stood mesmerized by the flames as they burned the house down. After several similar incidents, Rory—a hopeless pyromaniac—followed his obsession to Central City. As Super-Villain Heat Wave, he wore a protective costume and used flamethrowers to cause panic and destruction. Defeated by The Flash, Rory joined a growing group of local costumed criminals: the Rogues. When Captain Cold tried giving them all metahuman powers using a genome recorder, a horrific accident left Rory hideously burned, but able to hurl flames from his chest. Despite often seeking to cure his fiery addiction, Heat Wave remained a loyal Rogue, fighting alongside his allies against the Crime Syndicate and as mercenaries hired to hunt down The Flash. Rory only rebelled after his leader accepted the dark gifts of reality-revising Perpetua. As “King Cold” overwhelmed Central City, Heat Wave joined Golden Glider, Weather Wizard, Mirror Master, and a team of Flashes to defeat him.

Heat Wave originally made a

costume of asbestos (before the dangers of asbestos were known) to protect himself from his flamethrower and the fire it created. During his first appearance he teamed up with Captain Cold to attack The Flash, but the two villains fell out when they realized they were both attracted to a local television personality named Dream Girl. He also temporarily went straight and helped The Flash catch a corrupt parole officer using his Heat Wave costume and weaponry. It wasn’t long though before he was back to his villainous fiery ways.

FIREARMED AND DANGEROUS AN INCENDIARY TEMPER

When Heat Wave gets angry, he can engulf buildings in flames. In this instance, drinkers at the Keystone Saloon were rescued just in time by The Flash (Barry Allen).

HAWKWOMAN DEBUT The Brave and the Bold #34 (Feb.–Mar. 1961)

Heat Wave wore a flame-retardant suit and used a Heat Gun—a re-purposed flamethrower—with which he could create firestorms and raise the ambient temperature of his surroundings.

Shayera Hol Thanagar Prime HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 145 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Flight, rapid-healing; elite military training, adept in use of Nth Metal. REAL NAME BASE

Due to the realityaltering properties of Nth Metal, alien Shayera Hol and Kendra Saunders share a soul. As Hawkwoman and Hawkgirl, the two-in-one hero is forever-reincarnating. Prior to Crisis on Infinite Earths Shayera came to Earth with her husband, Katar Hol, chasing a criminal from their homeworld of Thanagar. They fought crime and joined the Justice League of America. Shayera split with Katar and became a policewoman in Detroit, but soon donned armor again to fight shapeshifting criminal Byth. By the Rann-Thanagar War, she had left Earth to fight for Thanagar, but was killed by Queen Komand’r of Tamaran, aka Blackfire. Post-Flashpoint, Shayera Hol was reborn as the daughter of Thanagar Emperor Provis. Thinking her lover, Katar Hol, had killed her brother Corsar, she tracked him to Earth, only to find Corsar was alive, but insane. After Rebirth, Shayera returned as Last Empress of Thanagar Prime. She and Hawkgirl learned of their shared existence.

FAN OF FLAMES

As a pyrokinetic, Heat Wave generates flames from an opening in his chest. He wears protective goggles and armor.

145

H HAZARD DEBUT

Infinity, Inc. #34 (Jan. 1987)

Rebecca “Becky” Sharpe HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 112 lbs EYES Green HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Psionic powers and mystic dice give her the ability to bring good or bad luck to others. ENEMIES Infinity, Inc., Global Guardians AFFILIATIONS Injustice Unlimited REAL NAME

Becky Sharpe was the granddaughter of Steven Sharpe, an infamous hustler known as the Gambler and a member of the original Injustice Society. Despite his skills, Steven lost all his money gambling at the Taj Mahal casino in Las Vegas, which had rigged the games in their favor. Haunted by the loss, he killed himself shortly after. When Becky learned of this, she swore to avenge her grandfather. She gained psionic powers and a set of mystical dice that enabled her to give good or bad luck to others. Calling herself Hazard, she joined the Wizard’s Injustice Unlimited group after being told the group would not kill, and coerced Wildcat II and Tasmanian Devil into helping her bankrupt the casino that had caused her grandfather’s death. As a member of Injustice Unlimited, she fought Infinity, Inc. and the Global Guardians. She left the group when she realized her teammates were willing to kill after all.

HELLGRAMMITE

HERALD (VOX)

DEBUT

The Brave and the Bold #80 (Oct.-Nov. 1968)

DEBUT

Roderick Rose Metropolis HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 325 lbs HAIR None EYES Red POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength and speed; spins webs; turns enemies into larvae. ALLIES Neron, Bloodsport ENEMIES Superman, Batman, Green Arrow

Malcolm Duncan BASE San Francisco HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 210 lbs HAIR Black EYES Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Expert boxer, trained fighter proficient with exotic weapons, formerly sonic blasts; Gabriel’s Horn opens space-time warps. ALLIES John Gnarrk, Bumblebee ENEMIES Doctor Light, Mr. Twister, Psimon, Troia AFFILIATIONS Titans, Teen Titans

REAL NAME BASE

Roderick Rose, an expert entomologist, became a superhuman after exposure to a mutating agent gave him a thick exoskeleton, super-human strength, and the ability to leap like a grasshopper. Calling himself Hellgrammite after a type of fly larva, Rose fought Super Heroes including Batman and Green Arrow, and discovered that he could transform other humans into subservient, larval versions of himself. A deal with the demon Neron gave Hellgrammite enhanced powers and he became fixated on the most powerful Super Hero of all: Superman. He joined Bloodsport, Riot, and other villains to gang up on the Man of Steel when he reappeared after Infinite Crisis, but they failed in their mission. Hellgrammite was subsequently defeated by Donna Troy, following the destruction of Star City at the hands of his ally, Prometheus.

HELSPONT WildC.A.T.s #1 (Aug. 1992) HEIGHT 6ft 9in WEIGHT 375 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Healing factor, chronokinesis, shapeshifting, phasing, possession of others’ bodies. ENEMIES Superman AFFILIATIONS Daemonites DEBUT

A legendary all-conquering warlord, Helspont ruthlessly expanded Daemonite hegemony over countless planets and peoples, but his ever-escalating exploits drove jealous rivals to unite in a plot to betray him. Helspont was defeated and imprisoned within the Eye—a giant starship that would later become the headquarters of covert planetary defense squad Stormwatch. When Harry Tanner, Stormwatch’s Eminence of Blades, inadvertently destroyed the Eye, wreckage rained down upon Earth— including Helspont’s cell, which crashed down in the Himalayas. Here, the liberated Daemonite lord established a new base, seeking to recreate his former dominance. His activities drew the attention of Superman, who fiercely engaged Helspont in battle. The Daemonite overpowered the Kryptonian and tried to win him over as an ally, claiming they were both too good for the people they had tried to help—and advised Superman would eventually be betrayed just as he had been. Helspont offered to ignore Earth if the Man of Steel assisted him in exacting vengeance on the treacherous Daemonites. Superman, of course, refused, sparking an inconclusive battle that raged across the mountains and only ended when Helspont teleported away, doubtless to pursue his vengeful ambitions by other means.

146

Teen Titans (Vol. 1) #26 (Mar.–Apr. 1970)

REAL NAME

Malcolm Duncan grew up in Harlem, New York. When his sister Cindy was harassed by a racist street gang, Mal attacked them and was assisted by the Teen Titans in their civilian identities. “Mal” joined the team, but, possessing no superpowers, he felt like an ineffectual outsider. This changed when Mal became the Herald after Karen Beecher (Bumblebee) helped him build the teleporting device, Gabriel’s Horn. During Infinite Crisis, he suffered an accident in space that left him unable to speak. After accepting a cybernetic voice box similar to Gabriel’s Horn, he joined Doom Patrol as Vox. Following reality alterations, Mal’s history changed. Although a former Teen Titan who had battled the Fearsome Five and Mister Twister, Duncan preferred the life of a retired Super Hero, new father and successful composer. However, when his wife Karen developed powers and had her memories stolen, Duncan assembled a battlesuit and

HERALDING A CHANGE

Formerly known as Herald, because he appeared first when teleporting groups using Gabriel’s Horn, Duncan became Vox after losing and regaining his voice.

weapons to hunt the perpetrators with his old friend Gnarrk—an actual caveman and former Teen Titan. This brought him and the Titans into conflict with many old enemies and exposed the hidden mastermind of Troia: an evil future version of Donna Troy.

ON THE RECORD Helspont first appeared as a foe of

the WildC.A.T.s—a team of human-alien hybrids founded by Kheran Lord Emp to counter Daemonite infiltration of Earth. The alien and the militant hero Mr. Majestic obsessively despised each other, and it was Mr. Majestic who thought he had destroyed Helspont forever in a battle over a doomsday machine called the Planet Shaper.

C.A.T. FIGHT

Helspont and Mr. Majestic squared off after the WildC.A.T.s discovered his plans to unleash the world-destroying Planet Shaper.

H HERCULES DEBUT

Hercules, out to avenge his ancient betrayal by the king of Atlantis, vents his rage on Aquaman.

All-Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941)

Olympus HEIGHT 6ft 5in WEIGHT 327 lbs HAIR Black EYES Blue BASE

Immortality; super-strength. ALLIES Wonder Woman ENEMIES Giant-Born AFFILIATIONS Olympian Gods POWERS/ABILITIES

Hercules (or Heracles) is the champion of Greek myth and son of Zeus, king of the Olympian Gods. After performing legendary labors during the era of antiquity and clashing with the ancient Amazons, Hercules vanished from history for centuries. He was not even seen during the fearsome battle for the throne of Olympus after Zeus disappeared. It was revealed much later that Hercules had helped Atlan, the ancient king of Atlantis, battle and imprison the monstrous beings known as the Giant-Born. His efforts saved Atlantis, but he was betrayed by Atlan and imprisoned with the Giant-Born in Hell. The Giant-Born eventually warped Hercules’ mind and transformed him into a weapon at their disposal. When they were released from Hell to attack Atlantis once again, Hercules was an instrument of their vengeance. He fought Aquaman and Mera before Aquaman called in Wonder Woman to save Atlantis once more and restore Hercules to his senses. GUNS BLAZING

Jonah Hex doesn’t usually go for subtlety. He fires his two six-guns until there’s no one left to fire back.

JINNY HEX

RUNNING AMOK

DEBUT

Batman Giant (Vol. 1) #4 (Dec 2018)

Jinny Hex Mobile HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown HAIR Auburn EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES A range of mystical powers via the objects in Jinny’s trunk. ALLIES Teen Lantern, Naomi, Wonder Twins, Batwoman ENEMIES Dr. Glory, Lex Luthor, Hex AFFILIATIONS Young Justice REAL NAME BASE

Jinny Hex came from Dripping Springs, Texas, and was the great-greatgranddaughter of legendary Old West bounty hunter Jonah Hex. However, Jinny knew nothing of her heritage until her dying mother passed on the family heirloom—an antique trunk full of mystical artifacts. Concerned about having such powerful objects in her possession, Jinny loaded the trunk onto her truck and set off for Metropolis, where she became part of the Young Justice team. Jinny first discovered the potential of the contents of her trunk on Earth-3 with Young Justice while they fought evil versions of themselves. She could not only massively increase in size, but also replicate herself. Finally she—and her teammates—could see how she would compete in a Multiverse full of superpowered beings.

HEX, JONAH

ON THE RECORD

All-Star Western (Vol. 1) #10 (Feb.–Mar. 1972) REAL NAME Jonah Woodson Hex BASE American Old West frontier HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 189 lbs HAIR Red EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES Uncanny marksman, skilled with a tomahawk; indomitable courage; fierce strength of conviction. ALLIES Amadeus Arkham, Bat Lash, Tallulah Black, El Diablo (I), Batman ENEMIES Quentin Turnbull, Court of Owls, El Papagayo, Vandal Savage DEBUT

WET WORK

Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham took a shortcut through a strangely familiar cave when they investigated the deadly Court of Owls.

Jonah Hex’s life was blighted by misfortune. Born in 1839, the son of a brutal drunk, Jonah was abandoned by his mother and sold to Apaches by his father. Raised an Native American until jealous rival, Noh-Tante, betrayed him, Hex returned to the white world and, despite hating slavery, fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Afterwards, he sought out childhood sweetheart White Fawn and killed Noh-Tante. His punishment was scarification with a burning tomahawk. As a bounty hunter, Hex was hired by Amadeus Arkham to catch serial killer the Gotham Butcher. This uncovered two secret societies: The Court of Owls and devotees of the Crime Bible. Exploiting the rivalry between the groups, Hex and Arkham defeated the Crime Bible acolytes, forging a friendship with Alan Wayne, who funded the first Arkham Asylum. When an adventure with a time-traveling Booster Gold went awry, Jonah appeared in the 21st century, meeting Superman and Swamp Thing, before having his face reconstructed. Gold then returned Hex to his own time period, where he killed a man impersonating his scarred self before starting a new life at sea with fellow bounty killer Tallulah Black. In modern times Hex’s legacy lives on through great-greatgranddaughter Jinny Hex, who inherited his guts, determination, and strongbox, containing all the magical and super-scientific weapons Jonah confiscated in his incredible career.

In his previous incarnation, Jonah

Hex became a feared bounty hunter and fathered a child with a woman named Mei Ling. She left him after he broke a promise to give up his violent ways. His most outlandish adventure was a time-traveling odyssey in which he teamed up with a future Batman to battle the crime syndicate known as the Combine. Hex was finally killed by a bank robber and his taxidermied body was displayed in a New York City amusement park. He was later reanimated as part of the Black Lantern Corps, but returned to death following Hal Jordan’s triumph over Nekron.

DEAD OR ALIVE

Jonah Hex, bounty hunter, has often had a hefty reward placed on his own head.

147

H HIGHFATHER New Gods (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971) REAL NAME Izaya BASE New Genesis HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 277 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black/White POWERS/ABILITIES As a New God, Highfather is immortal and has superhuman mental and physical abilities; finely attuned to disturbances in the cosmic Source; skilled warrior, strategist and tactician. ALLIES Metron, Himon, Orion, Divine Guards, Council of Eight ENEMIES Darkseid, all Lantern Corps AFFILIATIONS New Gods of New Genesis, Quintessence DEBUT

Izaya was born millennia ago on the planet Genesis. He was the son of Yuga Khan, one of the merciless Old Gods who ruled that world. Izaya was peaceful, but his brother Uxas despised the Old Gods and began a war. Uxas defeated the Old Gods and stole their power to become New God Darkseid. A dying Old God bequeathed his energies to Izaya, also making him a New God. Izaya suggested he and his brother create a peaceful world, but Darkseid destroyed Genesis and the two went their separate ways. Izaya built floating city New Genesis, but it was constantly besieged by his brother’s forces. The Source Shard advised Izaya that, for peace, he must exchange his son, Scott, for Darkseid’s scion, Orion. Torn between emotion and duty, Izaya chose duty. His conscience departed in the form of Infinity Man and Izaya became the authoritarian Highfather. Obsessed with defeating Darkseid, he fought the Green Lanterns in the hope of taking their power. The war left New Genesis in ruins, and Highfather, realizing his folly, rediscovered compassion. As the Multiverse descended into chaos, Highfather became one of the divine Quintessence, safeguarding life and order, but he decreed New God neutrality when the Green Lanterns sought aid to end the threat of the Controllers and Darkstars.

HIPPOLYTA All-Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941–Jan. 1942) REAL NAME Hippolyta BASE Paradise Island HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 150 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES As an Amazon of Themyscira, has received divine blessings that bestow enhanced physical and mental capabilities. ALLIES Wonder Woman, Zeus, Demon Knights ENEMIES Hera, Cain, Strife AFFILIATIONS Amazons of Themyscira DEBUT

Queen Hippolyta ruled the Amazons of Paradise Island for many centuries. One night, Hippolyta encountered the god Zeus in the form of a spear-wielding warrior. They dueled, and the god seduced her with his martial skills. Hippolyta later gave birth to Princess Diana (Wonder Woman), but fearing the wrath of Zeus’ wife Hera, she claimed that she had shaped Diana from clay, which was then brought to life by divine means. When Diana was fully grown she ventured into the world beyond Themyscira and returned with a woman named Zola, who was pregnant with another of Zeus’ children. This drew Hera to Paradise Island and Hippolyta apologized for her involvement with Hera’s husband, offering her life as recompense. Hera refused the offer; instead, she transformed the queen into a clay statue and the Amazons into snakes. Although her subjects were soon restored, Hippolyta herself was dissolved in a storm and she became one with the island.

148

ON THE RECORD In pre-Flashpoint reality,

Izaya was not Uxas’ brother, but a warlord from the planet of New Genesis. Darkseid had Izaya’s wife Avia killed, provoking New Genesis into attacking Apokolips. Disillusioned by the bloody conflict, Izaya found the mysterious secret of the Source and became the peaceful, benevolent Highfather, securing a treaty with Apokolips. Highfather was slain by the war-god Ares, and the human, Takion, took his place as leader of New Genesis.

WAR AND PEACE

Highfather’s commitment to peace transformed New Genesis society and inspired Super Heroes across the universe.

ON THE RECORD

HIMON Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #9 (Jul.–Aug. 1972)

DEBUT

Academy of Higher Conscience 5ft 8in WEIGHT 163 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Gray POWERS/ABILITIES A New God, Himon is immortal, and physically and mentally superior to a human; a master of New Genesis technology. ENEMIES Darkseid BASE

HEIGHT

Himon was the headmaster at the Academy of Higher consciousness on New Genesis. He educated young minds and indoctrinated them with the philosophies of Highfather, New Genesis’ ruler. His by-thebook approach did not sit well with his more laid-back subordinates, including Big Bear. Himon tried to stop the Forever People from going to Earth to join Big Bear by giving them a faulty Mother Box, but Vykin made it work. On Earth, the team encountered Infinity Man, an opponent of Highfather’s benevolent autocracy. Himon sent Vykin’s girlfriend Serafina to retrieve the Forever People and lied to Highfather about what had happened, knowing that news of the Infinity Man would disturb him. The Infinity Man then appeared out of a Boom Tube and warned Himon off interfering with in his plans.

HITMAN DEBUT

Demon Annual (Vol. 3) #2 (1993)

Before Flashpoint, the Amazons

REAL NAME Tommy

were created when the Olympian goddesses fashioned new living bodies from seabed clay for the souls of women who had been slain by men. Hippolyta was the first to swim to the surface, so she became queen. Hippolyta was fiercely protective of her daughter Diana (Wonder Woman), but could not prevent her being killed by Neron. Hippolyta then took on the role of Wonder Woman herself, becoming a member of the Justice Society of America. She died battling the alien Imperiex.

BASE

AMAZON QUEEN

Hippolyta ruled Themyscira for many centuries, dealing both with mythical threats and the encroachment of modernity.

Monaghan Noonan’s Bar, Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 185 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Telepathy; night vision; expert marksman and street fighter. ALLIES Natt the Hat, Section 8, Superman ENEMIES Dubelz crime family, Glonth, the Mawzir, the Arkanonne, Mr. Truman Irish-American Tommy Monaghan was raised in an orphanage and served with honor in the Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm. He then became Hitman, though he would never kill targets unless they “deserved it.” While Hitman was stalking mobster Robert Dubelz, he was infected by the alien parasite Glonth. The alien’s attack gave Hitman useful combat powers of telepathy and night vision that attracted the attention of the Arkannone, Hell’s Lords of the Gun. When Hitman refused to join up with them, they attacked him, but he gunned them down with help from the demon Etrigan. Tommy repeatedly came into conflict with CIA agent Mr. Truman, and when Truman launched an all-out attack on him at Noonan’s Bar, Tommy went down in a blaze of glory, taking Truman with him.

H HOURMAN

ON THE RECORD

Adventure Comics #48 (Mar. 1940) Rex “Tick-Tock” Tyler BASE New Gotham City EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Miraclo pill gives incredible strength, speed, and durability for one hour, but early formulations are addictive and later ones cause deadly side-effects. ALLIES Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Starman (Ted Knight), Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) ENEMIES Doctor Glisten, Johnny Sorrow AFFILIATIONS Justice Society of America, Justice Legion A DEBUT

REAL NAME

The third Hourman was an 853rd-century android created by software derived from Rex Tyler’s DNA. This Hourman used New Gods technology to travel back in time, meeting his predecessors and ultimately sacrificing himself so Rex Tyler could live again. Following the time manipulations of Doctor Manhattan, and the reality alterations caused by the liberation of Multiversal originator Perpetua, the artificial Hourman returned. Once again he met Rex Tyler for the first time and assisted the Justice Society, Justice League, and Justice Legion A in the war against the Legion of Doom.

Several heroes have taken the codename Hourman. The first was brilliant chemist Rex Tyler, who invented a vitamin he called Miraclo. It gave Rex superpowers—but only for one hour. Donning a distinctive caped-and-hooded costume, Rex was a founding member of the Justice Society of America. Unfortunately, he became addicted to Miraclo and was unable to develop a non-addictive POWER BOOST version. Rex was almost killed by timeMiraclo gave Rick warping villain Extant during Zero Hour, Tyler the might to take on Earth-2’s but android Hourman Matthew Tyler Superman (Val-Zod). switched places to save him. Rex’s son, Rick, initially spurned his father’s legacy, but during Crisis on Infinite Earths he donned an Hourman costume and took Miraclo to save lives. Rick was one of many second-generation heroes in a new JSA but, like his father, he also suffered from Miraclo addiction. His formula was appropriated by factions of the US military and Colonel Maria Jonas, resulting in the creation of walking WMD codename Damage. Rex Tyler and the JSA were excised from history by Doctor Manhattan, but returned to reality to battle the Legion of Doom with the Justice League and future champions Justice Legion A.

HUMAN DEFENSE CORPS DEBUT

Human Defense Corps #1 (Jul. 2003)

BASE Area

53 (underwater), Fort Olympus

(satellite) Sergeant Montgomery Kelly; Private Chad Kiyahani; Colin Mitchell Specialist; Charlie Graham Chaplain; Private Eric Stewart; Private David Page; Colonel Reno Rosetti; Dr. Zaius Ape biology researcher; Calcabrina “Pet” demon. NOTABLE MEMBERS

ALLIES

US military, General Sam Lane Neron, Calcabrina, Durlans, Khunds

UNDER FIRE

No terrain or mission was off-limits for the Human defense Corps. One assignment even led the hi-tech operatives to invade Hell itself!

ON THE RECORD

3 2

After Flashpoint, Hourman

was a hero of Earth-2. Rick Tyler’s father invented the Miraclo serum before it was stolen by Thomas Wayne, forcing the distraught son to become Hourman to reclaim his birthright. With Impossible, Johnny Sorrow, and Anarky, he clashed with Earth-2’s Batman, The Flash, and Superman. When Hourman was stripped of his Miraclo, evil entrepreneur Kyle Nimbus supplied a version laced with mind-control chemicals. Under its influence, Hourman attacked Batman (Dick Grayson), but was incapacitated with reformulated Miraclo. He joined the Wonders of the World Super Hero team, embracing the opportunity to fight for a worthy cause.

HUMAN TARGET DEBUT

Action Comics (Vol. 1) #419 (Dec. 1972)

Christopher Chance BASE Boston, Massachusetts EYES Blue HAIR Black HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 180 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Master of disguise; actor; expert martial artist; superb athlete. ALLIES Batman, Angel O’Day, Harvey Bullock, Jonny Double ENEMIES Deadshot REAL NAME

1

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’

Like the march of time itself, the Hourman legacy has continued through the centuries. 1 Hourman I (Rex Tyler) 2 Hourman II (Rick Tyler) 3 Hourman III (Matthew Tyler)

HUNTER, TIM DEBUT The Books of Magic (Vol. 1) #1 (Jan. 1990) BASE The Wild Area EYES HAIR

Brown Brown

POWERS/ABILITIES A

magician of huge potential, prophesied to be the only person who can safely wield the Books of Magic. ALLIES Justice League Dark ENEMIES Felix Faust, Nick Necro, Dr. Mist

ENEMIES

During his brief term in office, President Luthor created the Human Defense Corps task force to counter alien threats, believing that the Justice League could not be relied on. The elite 10,000-man unit was equipped with cutting-edge gear, including advanced firearms, powered exoskeletons, amphibious assault aircraft, and S.A.R.G.E. remotecontrolled scout vehicles. In Bulgaria, the troops faced vampire forces and drove them off with “holy napalm” strikes. They followed up with an amphibious strike across the river Styx into Hell itself, where Sergeant Montgomery Kelly—who had demon ancestry—became a ruler. The Corps was later integrated into Project 7734, an anti-alien task force run by General Sam Lane. It conducted actions against Kryptonians when the city of Kandor and its population arrived on Earth.

When Christopher Chance was just a boy, a loan-shark sent a hit man to murder his father over a bad debt. The lad tried to stand in the killer’s way, but could not save his father. When Chance grew up, he became the Human Target—a bodyguard who specialized in impersonating clients marked for death. In his time, he has masqueraded as a rodeo rider, an elderly oil magnate, and a tightrope walker. Chance was even hired to impersonate Bruce Wayne while Batman was recovering from a vampire bite. The assassin Deadshot soon had the fake Wayne in his sights, and the Dark Knight had to go into action to save the Human Target’s life. Asides from the risk of death, there is a big drawback to Chance’s work: he has become so adept at imitating others that he has begun to lose his own identity.

Timothy Hunter is a teenage boy said to be the only person capable of using the mighty Books of Magic without being corrupted. Zatanna and John Constantine sought him out in London to teach him magic, but he was overwhelmed by the experience and chose to return to his mundane life. However, when Justice League Dark tried to claim the books to stop them falling into the hands of the nefarious Felix Faust, Tim helped to recover the arcane volumes. When he opened one of the books he was teleported to a dimension called the Wild Area. Its magical denizens told him that he was Hunter, the descendant of their long-lost mage-king, and that they had been conquered by the technology-wielding humans of Epoch. With assistance from his father, Tim helped to free the magic land and decided to remain there.

149

H

ON THE RECORD The original Rip Hunter was a

HUNTER, RIP

MAN OF ACTION

Showcase #20 (May–Jun. 1959) REAL NAME Classified (possibly Richard or Ripley Carter) BASE Vanishing Point EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Genius-level intellect, adept in physics, engineering, spatio-temporal mechanics and theory; skilled tactician and strategist; proficient in many martial arts and the use of ancient and future weaponry. ALLIES Booster Gold, Michelle Carter, Skeets, Supernova, Waverider ENEMIES The Time Stealers, Per Degaton, Mr. Mind, Ultra-Humanite AFFILIATIONS Time Masters, Linear Men, Forgotten Heroes DEBUT

Rip Hunter is a genius and master of temporal theory, but he is also a rough-and-tumble adventurer who has survived in dozens of dangerous epochs.

Chronicling the history of a time-traveler is invariably tricky. Rip Hunter may be the same hero who served with temporal enforcers the Linear Men, helping unify parallel timelines during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. He could be an alternate incarnation from a parallel Earth or timeline that no longer exists. Whatever his origins, he certainly knows how to cover his tracks. The Rip Hunter who consistently interacts with Earth’s modern Super Heroes also protects their history from manipulation by time-traveling villains. Following the reality-shredding Infinite Crisis—which resulted in the creation of a new cosmology of 52 parallel realities—Hunter recruited 25th-century hero Booster Gold to save all of existence from the cosmic devourer Mr. Mind and bring stability to the new Multiverse. He and Booster later formed the core of a fluctuating team that countered plots by Despero, Per Degaton, Ultra-Humanite, Black Beetle, and others trying to rewrite history and warp reality. Even Booster was not immune to temptation: he tried to change history by preventing the murder of his friend Ted Kord. Eventually, though, Booster realized the scale of his selfish crime and reordered reality, proving himself worthy of the rank of Time Master. Rip later admitted that Booster would one day become his father. Rip Hunter emerged largely unchanged from the reality-altering Flashpoint event. In the aftermath he sought out his father and met a different Booster Gold instead. They located Rip’s future dad just as another chronal crisis began: a lethal Convergence in which past, present, and previously erased realities were thrown into conflict, involving every Super Hero from every possible point of existence.

HUSH Batman (Vol. 1) #609 (Jan. 2003) REAL NAME Thomas Elliot BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 220 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Tactical genius; expert surgeon; skilled marksman with a pistol; uses holograms to create decoys. ALLIES Jason Bard, the Architect ENEMIES Batman, the Batman Family, Spoiler DEBUT

When Tommy Elliot was a child, he idolized his best friend Bruce Wayne. He even went so far as to kill his own parents so he would be an orphan just like Bruce. However, Bruce finally rejected Tommy when his friend began to impersonate him. Tommy became obsessed with destroying his former idol. Swathing his head in bandages, he became a sworn nemesis to both Bruce Wayne and Batman as the criminal surgeon and master criminal Hush. After launching a campaign of bloody attacks on Batman and his loved ones, Hush vanished, but later resurfaced with a new plan to rip Batman’s life apart. He framed Commissioner Jim Gordon for murder, injected Alfred with fear toxin, and triggered riots and terrorist attacks all over Gotham City. His masterstroke was destroying Arkham Asylum, which led to a mass breakout of inmates. Hush then blew up Batman’s secret weapons cache underneath the city, causing the seizure of Wayne Industries’ assets by the authorities. Batman finally captured Hush, but when an alliance of villains attacked Gotham City, Elliot escaped to deploy the Batcave’s resources against the Batman Family. He was defeated by Alfred Pennyworth, but after a period of detention has returned, still seeking vengeance and validation, beside Bane and other Bat-foes.

150

clean-cut scientist/adventurer who built his Time Spheres to uncover the secrets of history. With mechanic Jeff Smith, girlfriend Bonnie Baxter, and her little brother Corky, Rip traveled across Earth’s past and future, encountering infamous individuals like Cleopatra, Kublai Khan, and Adolf Hitler along the way. They also encountered an immense number of alien races who had visited our world but who had been lost to history.

HISTORY LESSONS

Rip and his fellow Time Hunters soon learned to expect the unexpected when they ventured into a new era.

CLASSIC STORIES Showcase #20 (May–Jun. 1959)

In their very first adventure, the original Rip Hunter and the first Time Masters team take a trip back into prehistory, where they battle dinosaurs and criminals. Time Masters #1–8 (Feb.–Sep. 1990)

Rip Hunter’s time-travel research makes him a target for Vandal Savage and the Illuminati. He and his fellow Time Masters uncover their conspiracy and battle them at key moments in history. Time Masters: Vanishing Point #1–5 (Sep. 2010–Feb. 2011)

Rip, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, and Superman team up with Batman, who has been cast adrift in time after battling Darkseid during the Final Crisis.

BURNING RAGE

Hush’s ultimate objective is to destroy Batman and everything he holds dear—including Gotham City.

ON THE RECORD The pre-Flashpoint Hush was

traumatized by an abusive childhood and plotted to kill his parents to get their money. He harbored a grudge against his childhood friend Bruce Wayne because of his wealth and status. As Hush, he plotted with the Riddler to destroy Batman through a series of attacks intended to break his body and spirit. In “Heart of Hush” he intensified his campaign of terror by literally stealing the heart of Batman’s beloved Catwoman.

EQUAL AND OPPOSITE

Tommy Elliot would stop at nothing to assume every aspect of Bruce Wayne’s life, including replacing him as Batman.

H

DATA

HUNTRESS, THE

ON THE RECORD The original Huntress was Helena Wayne,

the daughter of Earth-2’s Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle (Batman and Catwoman). A late addition to the Justice Society of America, Helena fought alongside Power Girl and Earth-2’s Robin, also working in the same legal practice as Dick Grayson in her civilian life. After the Earth-2 Huntress died on Crisis on Infinite Earths, Helena Bertinelli was introduced to the universe left in the Crisis’ wake. She was considered the violent black sheep of the Batman Family, even when she took the mantle of Batgirl during the No Man’s Land crossover. After Flashpoint, The Huntress returned to her Earth-2 roots. Helena Wayne served as Bruce Wayne’s Robin before, stranded on Earth-0, she became The Huntress.

All-Star Comics #69 (Nov.–Dec. 1977) REAL NAME Helena Bertinelli HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 140 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Extensive training in acrobatics, stealth, and martial arts; expert shot with a crossbow; highly trained espionage agent; ties to network of spies and information. ALLIES Batgirl, Black Canary, Nightwing ENEMIES Mr. Minos, Calculator, Blackbird AFFILIATIONS Birds of Prey, Spyral DEBUT

As a child, Helena Bertinelli saw her mafia family gunned down before her eyes by the rival Cassamento crime family. While Helena played possum, her father, brother, and seemingly her mother were all killed. Helena was sent by her family’s allies to Sicily, where her Uncle Claudio helped train her in archery and martial arts, astonished by her anger, aptitude, and dedication. Eventually, Helena joined the international espionage group known as Spyral as its Matron. She befriended Dick Grayson (Nightwing) when he became one of their agents, not realizing at first that Dick was there to infiltrate the organization and help shut it down. Under the leadership of Mr. Minos, Spyral had become corrupt, and soon Helena teamed with Grayson to stop Minos. She adopted command and continued to root out even more wrongdoing. After parting ways with Spyral, Helena returned to Gotham City. She became a hunter, killing mafia hitmen with her trusty crossbow. When she crossed paths with Batgirl and Black Canary, also known as the Birds of Prey, she reluctantly joined forces with them to hunt the mysterious mob boss Fenice, only to discover that Fenice was actually her mother. Maria Bertinelli previously had an affair with Santo Cassamento and had arranged the death of her husband. Unable to reconcile her love for her family with her mother’s criminal activities, The Huntress put her mother and her father’s killer behind bars, showing them a rare mercy. Later, Fenice was killed by the Calculator, causing The Huntress even more pain. The longer she fights as one of the heroic Birds of Prey, the more Huntress has adjusted her methods accordingly. She is constantly inspired by her crime-fighting partners.

HUNTING TOGETHER

As an agent and then the head of Spyral, Helena worked closely with Dick Grayson. The two even formed something of a romance.

CODE OF VENGEANCE

After her family was slaughtered, the post-Crisis Helena turned herself into a ruthless anti-Mob vigilante.

UNHOLY RAGE

While a devout Catholic, The Huntress is often at war with her inner rage, never fully recovering from the death of her family.

CLASSIC STORIES DC Super Stars #17 (Nov.–Dec. 1977) The Huntress’ origin is revealed for the first time, establishing her family history as the daughter of Earth-2’s Batman. The Huntress #1 (Apr. 1989) In her first solo title, Helena Bertinelli gains a new origin and fights the villain Omerta. Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood HUNTING IN STYLE

The Huntress was often seen speeding to a crime scene on her powerful motorcycle; one customized to match her Super Hero attire.

#1–6 (Jun.–Nov. 2000) The Huntress’

search for redemption leads her to The Question and Richard Dragon.

151

I IBAC Captain Marvel Adventures #8 (Mar. 1942) DEBUT

Kahndaq EYES Black HAIR Brown BASE

Skilled and ruthless as both a general and a warrior. ALLIES Barbarian hordes ENEMIES Black Adam POWERS/ABILITIES

Almost 4,000 years ago, a Barbarian warlord known only as “Ibac the First” invaded the country of Kahndaq and enslaved its people. He forced them to build a mighty capital and erect temples to his gods. The people of Kahndaq rose up against him, but their rebellion was brutally put down by Ibac’s hordes. Among the victims were the wife, children, and nephews of a man called Adam. The gods of Kahndaq gave Adam their power so that he could free his nation; he struck down Ibac’s soldiers with lightning before turning the tyrant’s body to stone. The story of Ibac and Black Adam has become legend, but the statue of Ibac, contorted in his death throes, still stands in the capital as a warning to tyrants. Ironically, a dictatorial president, also named Ibac, now rules Kahndaq.

ICEMAIDEN DEBUT

Super Friends (Vol. 1) #9 (Dec. 1977)

Sigrid Nansen White POWERS/ABILITIES Cryokinesis—can control cold and ice, and create icy armor. ENEMIES Delores Winters, Mist AFFILIATIONS Global Guardians, Justice League, Justice League International REAL NAME EYES

Blue

HAIR

Sigrid Nansen’s dedicated scientist mother forced her to take part in a series of experiments by the Norwegian government to replicate the powers of a mythical tribe of ice-people. The tests succeeded, giving Sigrid cryogenic powers, but also turning her skin blue. Sigrid was selected to join Dr. Mist’s international Global Guardians team. When Tora Olafsdotter (a genuine member of Norway’s ice-people tribe) joined the Global Guardians as Ice, Sigrid felt outclassed and left. After Ice was killed by Overmaster, Icemaiden agreed to take her place in Justice League International. She was tricked into deserting the team by the villain Mist, who took her form to attack the JLI from within, killing Amazing Man, Blue Devil, and Crimson Fox. Sigrid was later captured by an organ-stealing operation run by Delores Winters, who grafted Icemaiden’s skin onto herself, gaining her powers.

152

ICE Justice League International (Vol. 1) #12 (Apr. 1988) Tora Olafsdotter HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 163 lbs EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Uses cryokinesis to hurl freezing blasts, create ice constructs, and fly on a levitating a platform of ice. ALLIES Fire (Beatriz Bonilla Da Costa), Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) ENEMIES Peraxxus AFFILIATIONS Justice League International, Birds of Prey, Global Guardians DEBUT

REAL NAME

Born with cryogenic powers, Norwegian Tora Olafsdotter decided to leave her native country to pursue a Super Hero career as Ice. She soon formed a close friendship with fellow heroine Fire, and dated the temperamental Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Ice was selected as the Scandinavian member for the UN-sponsored Justice League International team. On their first mission to Peru, she was caught in a thermal blast from a giant alien robot, forcing the team to retreat. The JLI subsequently confronted the robot’s master, the alien resourceplunderer Peraxxus, and drove him away. Later, while the JLI were onstage at a publicity event, a bomb exploded. Team member Rocket Red was killed and Ice was seriously injured, requiring emergency surgery. After recovering, Ice did not rejoin Justice League International. She sought to repair her tempestuous relationship with Gardner, but the traumas of her heroic life weighed upon her and she admitted herself to Sanctuary—a top-secret mental health facility in Kansas created OPPOSITES ATTRACT by Superman, Batman, and Ice’s fiery romance with hot-headed Red Wonder Woman. She was Lantern Guy Gardner was a constant cycle peripherally involved in the of break-up and make-up. facility’s greatest crisis—a mass killing by timeON THE RECORD displaced patient Wally West (the original Kid Pre-Flashpoint, Ice was princess of an Flash). Her treatment isolated tribe of ice-people who possessed at a new facility cold-based is powers. She left her people to join ongoing. the Global Guardians and then Justice League International. Ice was seemingly killed by the villain Overmaster, but her cryogenically preserved body was found by the Birds of Prey. She recovered, but was traumatized by the experience and unleashed a mighty ice storm endangering everyone. Finally coming to her senses—after a firm slap from The Huntress— she left with the Birds of Prey for a new life.

CHILLING OUT

Ice’s cryogenic powers gave her many options in combat, allowing her to freeze enemies, generate ice barriers, or create slides for rapid action. CHILD OF THE NORTH

Ice originally served as a representative of Norway in the Global Guardians, but soon found her own identity as a hero.

I

ON THE RECORD Pre-Flashpoint, Cameron Mahkent was

ICICLE Infinity Inc. (Vol. 1) #34 (Jan. 1987) REAL NAME Cameron Mahkent HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 175 lbs EYES White HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Ice-control and ice-generation powers. His body appears to be made of living ice and can alter shape as required. ALLIES Bellachek Temple ENEMIES Green Team, Nightwing DEBUT

Ruthless and sadistic career criminal Cameron Mahkent was given ice-generation powers by mega-wealthy Bellachek Temple. The mysterious mogul gave Icicle a special assignment: guarding a meteor while it was stripped of minerals by nanobots, and then crash it into southern California. This would potentially kill millions, but Icicle did not care so long as he was well paid. When rich-kid Super Heroes the Green Team investigated the meteor, Icicle froze their craft, causing it to crash-land. He similarly incapacitated the nano-armor of team leader Commodore Murphy, and ruptured the ship with expanding ice. Icicle seemingly outmatched the Green Team using an array of ice-weapons, but ultimately they caused an explosion that tore the meteor in half and marooned Icicle in space. His fate remains unknown.

the son of the original villainous Icicle, Joar Mahkent, who debuted in All-American Comics (Vol. 1) #90 (Oct. 1947). His powers were innate, as his DNA had been altered by exposure to his father’s cold-projector. He served in the Injustice Society and joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains during Infinite Crisis. While in the Injustice Society, he met Tigress, and they later had a daughter.

COLD-BLOODED

Cameron Mahkent inherited his powers (and morality) from his father, and carried on the family tradition by becoming a Super-Villain.

FROZEN SOLID

Icicle used his power to down the Green Team’s spacecraft on Bellachek Temple’s asteroid.

CHILLS AND THRILLS

Icicle displayed a sadistic glee when he got the chance to use his icy abilities against the Green Team.

IMPULSE The Flash (Vol. 2) #92 (Jul. 1994) REAL NAME Bart Allen BASE Central City HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Yellow HAIR Auburn POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed ALLIES Superboy (Conner Kent), Tim Drake, Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) ENEMIES Reverse-Flash, Lex Luthor, Dr. Glory AFFILIATIONS The Flash Family, Young Justice DEBUT

Bart Allen was Impulse, a speedster from the 31st century who was the grandson of The Flash (Barry Allen) and Iris West. Like his grandfather, he had incredible powers derived from the Speed Force, including the ability to travel in time. He used this to travel to the 21st century to learn how to control his powers from the speedsters of the era. Although Bart became an important member of both The Flash Family and the Young Justice team, a Multiverse-altering crisis occurred while he was trapped in the Speed Force, resulting in most of his teammates forgetting him and their shared history. Released when the Force Barrier was broken, Bart sought out his friends and family. He discovered that Superboy (Conner Kent) was missing and he scoured the Multiverse for his friend until he found him. He later confided to Superboy that he had moved through the timestreams so much that he no longer had any idea which reality was his own, or even how old he was—a fact that was not helped by his super-fast metabolism. However, getting Young Justice back together made him feel more grounded, and a talk with Barry Allen helped him to focus on living in the moment he was in.

THE FLASH FROM THE FUTURE

Impulse was a fast-talking, curious teenager much beloved by friends and family, and his incredible Speed Force powers made him a valuable addition to any team.

IGNITION Adventures of Superman (Vol. 1) #582 (Sep. 2000) DEBUT

568 lbs Suit provides heavy armor protection, immense strength, flight, and energy projection powers. ALLIES Emperor Joker ENEMIES Superman AFFILIATIONS The Joker’s League of Anarchy, Zod Squad HEIGHT

7ft 5in

WEIGHT

POWERS/ABILITIES

Superman first encountered Ignition on a bizarre version of Earth that The Joker created after stealing Mr. Mxyzptlk’s reality- warping powers. A hulking juggernaut, Ignition was a member of The Joker’s League of Anarchy in the city of Meflopolis. However, The Joker later denied creating him, hinting that Ignition may have actually come from the real universe. Superman assumed that Ignition vanished when The Joker’s mad realm did, so he was shocked when the armored villain reappeared as part of Zod’s conquering army in the former Soviet nation of Pokolistan. Ignition was assigned to protect the solar converter arrays Zod was using to change the Sun’s color from yellow to red. Metallo attacked the arrays, overwhelming Ignition and wiping out the converters. After the Man of Steel defeated Zod, Ignition disappeared.

IMMORTAL MAN DEBUT Strange Adventures (Vol. 1) #177

(Jun. 1965) REAL NAME

Klarn Arg

POWERS/ABILITIES Reincarnation, flight,

telekinesis, fires flaming eye blasts. Caden Park, Council of Immortals, the Immortal Men, Roderick Cavanaugh ENEMIES The Infinite Woman, Vandal Savage, Barbatos, House of Conquest, Batman Who Laughs, the Hunt, the Kill AFFILIATIONS Bear Clan, Forgotten Heroes ALLIES

Fifty thousand years ago, Klarn Arg defended his people from vicious rival Vandar Adg, aka Vandal Savage. When Klarn and his four Bear Clan siblings confronted Vandar over a fallen meteor, they gained power, immortality, and the ability to create metahumans. For millennia, they nurtured humanity, with five Houses. Klarn’s House of Action made heroes who operated from the shadows. His sister Kyra created the House of Conflict, honing humanity’s killer instincts. Kyra grew apart from her kin and by the 21st century she was their biggest threat. When her agents killed Klarn, his legacy was only preserved by psychic Caden Park and Immortal champions Ghost Fist, Reload, Stray and Timber. However, Klarn was a brilliant planner. Could he have anticipated his own end and found a way to return?

153

I IMPERIEX DEBUT

Superman (Vol. 2) #153 (Feb. 2000)

6ft 7in WEIGHT 986 lbs Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Manipulates entropy; incomprehensible strength and durability; black hole generation; universe destruction. ENEMIES Superman, President Lex Luthor, Mongul, Brainiac 13, Darkseid AFFILIATIONS Hollowers, Warworld

ON THE RECORD

INDIGO TRIBE Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #25 (Jan. 2008) Nok POWERS/ABILITIES Flight; teleportation; protective force-fields; aura projection; energy-casting; light-construct creation; close-range channeling of other colors of the Emotional Spectrum (all manipulated through power staffs augmented by their rings). ALLIES Green Lantern Corps, Blue Lantern Corps ENEMIES Sinestro, Black Hand, Third Army, Guardians of the Universe AFFILIATIONS Natromo, New Guardians

HEIGHT

DEBUT

EYES

BASE

Imperiex is a conceptual entity: the sentient embodiment of entropy. Composed of pure energy, the “Destroyer of Galaxies” is the agent of decline and obliteration, and precedes the first universe. Generally clad in robotic armor, its function is to eradicate each old, flawed universe and create—via a Big Bang—a new one, in the quest for a perfect universe. Imperiex targeted Earth with drones, casually destroying all planets in its path as it drew closer. It was impeded by an unlikely coalition of heroes. With Luthor and Darkseid directing resistance against the Destroyer of Galaxies, Superman found himself losing many beloved comrades in the battle. These resisters trapped Imperiex’s consciousness inside Warworld and propelled it through a temporal Boom Tube to the beginning of time. Here it triggered its inevitable Big Bang and began the present universe.

INFINITY MAN DEBUT Forever People (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971)

New Genesis 6ft 4in WEIGHT 247 lbs BASE

HEIGHT

Flight, energy bursts, incredible strength, and durability. ENEMIES Mantis, Himon POWERS/ABILITIES

Infinity Man is the physical manifestation of all that was compassionate within Izaya, Lord of New Genesis. Infinity Man split away from Izaya, and what remained became Highfather, who was committed to preserving peace and order rather than freedom. On a quest to redeem Highfather, Infinity Man chose five young New Gods— the Forever People—as his agents. When the Forever People were attacked on Earth by the villain Mantis, their sentient Mother Box began to glow. They touched the Box and disappeared in a flash of light. They were replaced by the imposing Infinity Man, who drove off Mantis. After the Forever People awoke in an alley, Infinity Man appeared on nearby TV monitors. He told them that together they would fight for freedom from both the benevolent despotism of Highfather and the cruel oppression of his evil brother, Darkseid.

154

The nomadic Indigo Tribe utilize the Emotional Spectrum’s light of compassion, drawn from every living being in creation. The light is embodied by the patron entity Proselyte, who personifies the mantra “Rage grows from murder. Hope from Prayer. And at last, Compassion is offered to us all.” Indigo Lanterns are all former criminals—killers, or worse. But compassion’s radiance suppressed their other emotions and compelled them to change. They are constantly re-examining their awful pasts, while acting in a benevolent, life-affirming manner. Their actions are unpredictable. The Tribe generally refrain from assertive action, preferring to intervene only as a last resort. The arcane monk Natromo originally harnessed the light for Green Lantern Abin Sur. He foresaw that the Guardians of the Universe would eventually betray the Green Lantern Corps and become a threat to the whole of creation. Needing a force to counter the Guardians emotionless might, Sur believed success would come not through conflict but through rehabilitation. The Indigo Tribe speak a language that is untranslatable by other beings or by green power rings. Their sworn oath is: “Tor lorek san, bor nakka mur, LAST RESORT The aloof and enigmatic Indigo Tribe Natromo faan tornek wot ur. only appear to intervene when life Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur, itself is in the direst need and all Taan lek lek nok—Formorrow Sur!” other agencies have failed.

The Indigo Tribe are the least understood of all the Lantern Corps. Though not pacifistic, they seem strictly reactive, preferring to distance themselves from conflict and advance their own agenda unless the universe itself is imperiled. Their staffs and rings negate the other colors of the Emotional Spectrum, even Black Lantern energies, which made them the deciding factor in overcoming the risen dead during the War of Light’s Blackest Night.

RAINBOW WARRIORS

The rapacious, reawakened dead would have ultimately consumed all life had the Indigo nomads not finally joined and completed the universe’s spectrum of champions.

I INDIGO 1 Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #25 (Jan. 2008) REAL NAME Iroque BASE Nok EYES Indigo HAIR Purple POWERS/ABILITIES Leadership and fierce compassion; flight; teleportation; protective force-fields; aura projection; energy-casting; light-construct creation; channeling of other colors on the Emotional Spectrum (all manipulated through her power staff or ring). ALLIES Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner ENEMIES Sinestro, Black Hand, Guardians of the Universe AFFILIATIONS Indigo Tribe, Natromo, New Guardians DEBUT

Iroque was a lethal villain who battled Green Lantern Abin Sur and considered her greatest triumph to be eliminating his daughter. Abin later brought Iroque to the former prison-planet Nok, where he had conspired with the aged cleric, Natromo, to construct a power battery that would utilize the rarest light of the Emotional Spectrum—indigo. Iroque was forced to wear an indigo ring and was instantly overwhelmed by the horrific consequences of her past actions. She became driven to make amends and tirelessly began the slow process of recruiting others to the Indigo Tribe’s cause. No one wears an indigo ring voluntarily and so Iroque had to ruthlessly coerce her disciples—drawn from the worst malefactors in existence— to become members of the growing Tribe. They patiently awaited the time foreseen by Abin Sur, when the Guardians would betray the universe and then the Indigo Tribe would be called to defend it. Indigo 1’s greatest achievement came after Nok’s Central Power Battery was destroyed. Deprived of their rings’ constant compassion, the rest of the tribe reverted to the monsters they had once been. Iroque, however, had permanently changed, experiencing genuine remorse, which enabled Natromo to reconstruct the battery and continue the crusade.

ON THE RECORD Following a failed Earth invasion

by a coalition of alien civilizations, some Dominion, Durlan, Khundish, Thanagarian, and other defeated participants infiltrated America’s government. Covertly establishing a testing site in the Midwest, they experimented on human children to gain the secrets of the metagene. Their schemes were thwarted by their own rejected guinea pigs whose survivors united into a very different, dangerous, and unpredictable “Inferior Five.” The results of their ultimate emancipation were no laughing matter…

POLITENESS COUNTS

Crime and injustice had little to fear when the Inferior Five suited up for action.

ON THE RECORD Indigo 1 always pursued undisclosed

aims, dictated solely by her innate compassion. After Sinestro was forcibly returned to the ranks of the Green Lanterns, he was abducted by Nok and forced to wear an indigo power ring. Sinestro’s spiritual redemption took immediate effect and was only halted by the sudden destruction of the Indigo Tribe’s Central Power Battery. If not for this, Iroque might have been able to rehabilitate one of the universe’s greatest threats.

FALLEN HERO

Iroque’s determined persuasions dug deep into Sinestro’s black soul and reached the noble champion he used to be.

INFERIOR FIVE Showcase #62 (May–Jun. 1966) Megalopolis MEMBERS/POWERS Merryman: Smart but puny; White Feather: Omniphobic archer; Dumb Bunny: Super-strong and hyper dense; Awkward Man: Super-strong, invulnerable, but super-clumsy; The Blimp: Floats in air, but lacks propulsive force. ALLIES Police Chief Geronimo ENEMIES Man-Mountain, Masked Swastika, Sparrow, Speed Demon, Silver Sorceress AFFILIATIONS Freedom Brigade, Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew DEBUT

BASE

The Inferior Five are the saddest legacy heroes in creation. Children of World War II’s legendary Freedom Brigade, they were each pressured by their doting parents into forming a new anti-evil alliance, despite an utter lack of dedication or even the remotest interest in crime-busting. Although their combined skills and super-abilities are impressive— especially Leander Brent/Awkward Man’s capacity for accidentinduced collateral damage—their motivations for taking up costumed crusading are simply nonexistent. Comic book artist Myron Victor would far rather draw SuperVillains than fight one as Merryman, while Herman (Blimp) Cramer only wants to create meals in his little diner. Photographer William (White Feather) King is even afraid of the models he photographs, except for sweet and very, very simple Athena (Dumb Bunny), but he is even more scared of admitting that to his dad. Against all odds, the quivering quintet have beaten a remarkable number of sinister adversaries—usually by sheer luck, as much as concerted effort—and have made their families proud. However, they still regard any day in which they keep their civilian clothes on and their dignity intact as a major victory.

155

I INFINITY, INC. DEBUT

All-Star Squadron (Vol. 1) #25 (Sep. 1983)

NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS (ORIGINAL TEAM)

Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton): Cosmic converter belt; Fury (Lyta Trevor): Super-strong, immune to magic; Jade (Jennifer-Lynn Hayden): Green Lantern; Nuklon (Albert Rothstein): Density control; Power Girl (Kara Zor-L): Kryptonian; Brainwave, Jr. (Hank King, Jr.): Psychic powers; Northwind (Norda Cantrell): Flight, magic; Mr. Bones: Cyanide touch; Silver Scarab (Hector Hall): Flight; Wildcat (Yolanda Montez): Exceptional agility and claws.

4

5

NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS (LUTHOR’S TEAM)

2 1

1 Vaporlock 2 Vanilla 3 Amazing Woman 4/5 Nuklon

1

Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #111 (May–Jun. 1974) (Libra team); JLA (Vol. 1) #9 (Sep. 1977) (Luthor team) MEMBERS/POWERS (LIBRA TEAM) Libra (Justin Ballantine): Superpower absorption; Chronos (David Clinton): Time manipulation; Mirror Master (Sam Scudder): Laser blasts; Scarecrow (Dr. Jonathan Crane): Fear toxins; Poison Ivy (Pamela Isley): Plant control, poisons; Shadow-Thief (Carl Sands): Shifts into shadow state; Tattooed Man (Abel Tarrant): Living tattoos. MEMBERS/POWERS (LUTHOR TEAM) The Joker: The Joker venom, deadly gadgets; Doctor Light (Arthur Light): Light powers, energy projection and absorption; Mirror Master (Evan McCulloch): Mirror dimensional travel powers; Ocean Master (Orm Marius): Strength, underwater adaptation, controls sea life; Jemm: Flight, super-strength, psychic powers; Circe: Sorcery; Queen Bee (Zazzala): Stingers, mind-fogging pollen; The General (Wade Eiling): Super-strength and durability; Prometheus: Cybernetic enhancement. DEBUT

The first Injustice Gang was made up of six villains recruited by the enigmatic Libra, ostensibly to balance out the Justice League. The Injustice Gang even operated from a satellite that orbited Earth on the opposite side from the JLA’s. The Injustice Gang went off to battle the JLA, but they had been tricked; Libra had used them to lure the JLA out so he could steal half the heroes’ powers with his Energy Transmortifier. Having taken their power into himself, Libra began to expand in size and was absorbed into the cosmos. The Injustice Gang then briefly worked for the Construct and Abra Kadabra before disbanding. When Superman became leader of the JLA, Lex Luthor created a new Injustice Gang to oppose what he saw as an escalation in the conflict between himself and the Man of Steel. He tried to sow dissent within the JLA and force it to break up, but was unsuccessful. Lex’s revamped Injustice Gang was also a failure, falling under the control of the alien weapon Mageddon before being defeated.

4

2

5 3

Infinity, Inc. started as a junior counterpart to the Justice Society of America. When four young heroes were denied membership in the JSA, the Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton) proposed that they start their own team, and Infinity, Inc. was born. Transported back to World War II, the teens were manipulated into turning against the Justice Society. It was an inauspicious beginning, but the team went on to have a series of more successful adventures, and quickly earned the respect of their seniors. When Infinity, Inc. clashed with mad scientist Dr. Benjamin Love, they also recruited two of his test subjects, Mr. Bones and Wildcat (Yolanda Montez). However, this would ultimately lead to tragedy. While fighting Solomon Grundy, Mr. Bones was hurled into Skyman (as the Star-Spangled Kid now called himself) and accidentally killed him with his cyanide touch. Devastated by the loss of their leader, the team broke up. The Infinity, Inc. name was later used by heroes who had largely acquired their powers from Lex Luthor’s Everyman Project. Dubbed “Luthor’s Own Justice League” by the media, the new Infinity, Inc. were a publicity coup for LexCorp and a defense against rogue metahumans created by it. The team was led by Steel and included Vaporlock, Amazing Woman, Nuklon, Everyman, Vanilla, and the new Skyman.

INJUSTICE GANG

156

6

Steel (John Henry Irons): Powered armor, kinetic hammer; Vaporlock (Natasha Irons): Flight, magic; Amazing Woman (Erik Storn): Gender transformation; Vanilla (Mercy Graves): Weapons expert, superb fighter; Nuklon (Gerome McKenna): Self-duplication. ENEMIES Ultra-Humanite, Solomon Grundy, Dr. Benjamin Love

3

LUTHOR’S LEAGUE

7

NEXT GENERATION HEROES—THE FIRST INFINITY, INC.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Nuklon Silver Scarab Huntress Power Girl Brainwave, Jr. Jade Star-Spangled Kid

INJUSTICE LEAGUE DARK DEBUT DC Justice League Dark (Vol. 2) #14 (Oct. 2019)

DEBUT

Montego Bay, Jamaica Circe: Demigoddess who wields powerful magic; Floronic Man: Plant control, access to the power of the Green; Klarion the Witch Boy: Shapeshifting, telekinesis; Teekl: Klarion’s feline familiar, enhanced senses, ability to transform into a large beast; Papa Midnite: Voodoo powers; Solomon Grundy: Zombie with super strength and durability. ALLIES Upside-Down Man ENEMIES Justice League Dark AFFILIATIONS None BASE

MEMBERS/POWERS

To help her win the Witching War and become Goddess of Magic, Circe assembled a team of evil magical beings intended to defeat the Justice League Dark. She sent her team out into the world to bring the powers of life and death under her control, stealing them from the servants of the goddess Hecate. Having succeeded in this, and with Circe possessing the body of Wonder Woman, Injustice League Dark was ready to face their heroic counterparts and take what they wanted—the powerful Eclipso Diamond. However, Wonder Woman fought off Circe’s control and returned to stop the Witch Queen. This defeat saw the disbanding of Injustice League Dark.

I INJUSTICE LEAGUE DEBUT

ON THE RECORD

Justice League International (Vol. 1) #23 (Jan. 1989)

The first pre-Flashpoint Injustice

League was an incompetent team of Justice League International foes who were hired as “Justice League Antarctica” by Maxwell Lord. However, Silver Age: Showcase #1 chronicles the adventures of an even earlier Injustice League, which included Lex Luthor. Luthor also founded Injustice League Unlimited—a large team that enjoyed some success against the Justice League, but which is most famous for crashing Green Arrow and Black Canary’s wedding.

MEMBERS/POWERS

Lex Luthor: Amoral genius; Black Manta: Optic blasts; Black Adam (Teth-Adam): Godlike power; Subject B-0: Unfinished Superman clone; Captain Cold (Leonard Snart): Cryogenic powers. ALLIES Batman, Catwoman, Justice League ENEMIES Crime Syndicate, Secret Society AFFILIATIONS Justice League

When the Crime Syndicate (an evil version of the Justice League from Earth-3) invaded Earth and took the Justice League teams out of action, many of the world’s Super-Villains chose to serve the conquerors and became part of their so-called Secret Society. Not so Lex Luthor. He decided that if the Justice League couldn’t free the world then it was up to him to do it. After retrieving a suit of powered armor from LexCorp, he recruited fellow refuseniks Black Adam, Black Manta, and Captain Cold into his own Injustice League, along with half-finished Superman clone B-0. After linking up with Batman, Catwoman, Sinestro, and Deathstroke, the Injustice League confronted the Crime Syndicate. B-0 was killed, but Lex defeated Ultraman and Mazahs (an alternate-world Lex Luthor with Shazam’s powers), and Captain Cold killed Johnny Quick. This gave Batman the chance to release the Justice League from their prison within the Firestorm Matrix. With the Crime Syndicate beaten, the Justice League agreed to wipe the records of the Injustice Society members. Without the threat of the Crime Syndicate to unite them, the Injustice Society disbanded—although Captain Cold and Lex Luthor decided to join the Justice League.

THE TABLES TURNED

The Injustice League had their heroic opposite numbers on the ropes on numerous occasions, as when they tortured the Justice League to enrage Superman.

INTERNATIONAL ULTRAMARINE CORPS

INJUSTICE SOCIETY DEBUT

DEBUT

All-Star Comics #37 (Oct.–Nov. 1947)

BASE

NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS (FIRST TEAM) Wizard (William Zard): Magician, illusionist; Brain Wave (Henry King, Sr.): Psychic powers; Gambler (Steven Sharpe III): Master of disguise; Per Degaton: Precognition, time travel; Thinker (Clifford DeVoe): Mind control, telekinesis; Vandal Savage: Immortality, vast mental and physical abilities; Fiddler (Isaac Bowin): Musical hypnosis; Harlequin (Molly Mayne): Hypnotic glasses; Shade (Richard Swift): Shadow powers; Solomon Grundy (Cyrus Gold): Super-strength. NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS (LATER TEAM) Johnny Sorrow: Psychic, deadly gaze; Tigress (Artemis Crock): Athlete; Geomancer: Elemental control of earth; Icicle (Cameron Mahkent): Cryogenic powers; Killer Wasp: Flight, electrical blasts.

3

1

6

(Noelle Avril). 4

Gen. Wade Eiling/Shaggy Man, Gorilla Grodd, Sheeda

ENEMIES

2 ANTISOCIAL SOCIETY

1 2 3 4 5 6

Warmaker One (Lt. Scott Sawyer); 4D (Capt. Lea Corbin); Flow/Glob (Maj. Dan Stone); Pulse 8 (Capt. John Wether); Knight (Cyril Sheldrake); Squire (Beryl Hutchinson); Goraiko; Vixen (Mari McCabe); Jack O’Lantern (Liam McHugh); Kid Impala; Olympian (Aristides Demetrios); Tasmanian Devil (Hugh Dawkins); Fleur-de-Lis MEMBERS

5

The Injustice Society was founded by the Wizard with the objectives of defeating the Justice Society and taking over America. The Society used various ploys to trap the JSA team members, before putting them on trial. However, Green Lantern was able to infiltrate the proceedings and free his comrades, leading to defeat for the villains. The Wizard went on to convene at least two more Injustice Societies, who also met with limited success. Some decades later, Johnny Sorrow formed another Injustice Society. This team attacked the JSA headquarters, but they were beaten single-handedly by grizzled boxer Wildcat—who was nursing an injured arm at the time! Sorrow then used the Injustice Society as pawns to summon the reality-devouring King of Tears, but both were vanquished thanks to The Flash, who cast the King of Tears to another dimension. Subsequently, the Wizard founded yet another Injustice Society, which Johnny Sorrow quickly took over. He used the Injustice Society’s members as sacrifices to bring back the King of Tears, and kidnapped young JSA All-Stars member Stargirl for a ritual intended to restore him to human form. Once again, he was defeated.

DC One Million #2 (Nov. 1998)

Superbia

Wizard Rag Doll Solomon Grundy Gentleman Ghost Tigress Icicle

VILLAINS UNITED

The Injustice Society’s very first attempt to bring down the Justice Society almost succeeded. The heroes were at the villains’ mercy —until Green Lantern outwitted the bad guys.

With global threats escalating, Gen. Wade Eiling decided the US needed a national hero team. Four soldiers were genetically engineered into superhumans: Warmaker One, 4D, Flow, and Pulse 8 became the International Ultramarine Corps. Eiling had them attack the JLA. But, when they learned Eiling had gone insane and transplanted his personality into the unstoppable Shaggy Man, they joined forces with the JLA and exiled Eiling. The Corps then created the floating city of Superbia above the ruins of Montevideo. However, they suffered a setback when Gorilla Grodd took control of Superbia and Sheeda took control of the team. After the Justice League defeated the mind-controlled Ultramarines, they sent the team to serve as heroes in the young universe of Qwewq.

157

I INTERGANG Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen (Vol. 1) #133 (Oct. 1970) Metropolis CURRENT MEMBERS/POWERS Whisper A’Daire: Poison spit; Johnny Stitches: Gang boss whose face is stitched together with animal and human skin. FORMER MEMBERS/POWERS “Moxie” Mannheim: Intergang’s shrewd first boss; Bruno “Ugly” Mannheim: Massive size and strength, ruthless disposition; Morgan Edge: Consummate wheeler dealer ENEMIES Superman, Batman Family, Jimmy Olsen, the Question DEBUT

BASE

Intergang is a criminal organization run like a business corporation by media mogul Morgan Edge, with extensive resources and an international reach. It has had secret investors, including Desaad of Apokolips and his master Darkseid, who wished to spread chaos and evil on Earth. Intergang was supplied with advanced Apokoliptian weaponry, which helped it to become a force to be reckoned with in the criminal underworld. When Edge was hospitalized with a heart attack, Intergang underwent a series of leadership changes. First the gangster “Ugly” Mannheim took charge. After he was seemingly killed in a Boom Tube accident, his father Moxie Mannheim took over. Lex Luthor then conspired to take control of Intergang from behind the scenes, with Moxie serving as a figurehead for the organization until he was murdered by Superboy-Prime. “Ugly” Mannheim then unexpectedly resurfaced, claiming to have been “reborn” as a devotee of the Religion of Crime. He used Intergang to spread its commandments. Cultists worshiped the Biblical character of Cain—whom they regarded as the first-ever murderer—and practiced human sacrifice and cannibalism. Intergang’s influence grew as it expanded operations into Africa and Gotham City, and effectively took control of the Metropolis underworld.

INQUE DEBUT EYES

Batman Beyond (Vol. 1) #6 (Aug. 1999)

Gray

HAIR

Black

Liquidized shapeshifting—can alter form at will to create tendrils, spikes, or waves, but body can be temporarily disrupted by a hard enough blow. ENEMIES Brother Eye, Batman (Terry McGinnis) POWERS/ABILITIES

In a near-future, Brother Eye (an artificial intelligence created by Batman and Mister Terrific) launched a campaign to gain control of humanity by using a techno-organic virus to transform people into cyborg slaves. Inque was a corporate saboteur who was turned into a liquidized shapeshifter by mutagenic experiments. She often clashed with the second Batman (Terry McGinnis) and was blackmailed into working for Brother Eye after it kidnapped her daughter Deana and held her hostage on the moon. Brother Eye ordered Inque to capture the third Batman (Tim Drake) and Commissioner Barbara Gordon. After an intense battle, Inque snared the pair with her viscous form and took them back to Brother Eye for “conversion.” However, Batman managed to escape with Gordon and pledged to help Inque get Deana back. Inque joined Batman’s fight against Brother Eye and sacrificed her own life to destroy the malignant artificial intelligence.

158

PATCHWORK MAN

After Johnny Denetto was horribly mutilated and left for dead, Bruno Mannheim stitched him back together and recruited him into Intergang. As Johnny Stitches, Denetto took control of Intergang’s operations in Gotham City.

ALIEN ARSENAL

Bruno Mannheim’s Intergang was supplied with Apokoliptian weapons, giving its Gassers, Wall-Crawlers, and Shock Troops an edge in gang warfare in Gotham City, Metropolis, and beyond.

UNHOLY HUNGER

When he returned from the dead, Bruno Mannheim was a fanatical devotee of the Religion of Crime. He set about taking control of the Metropolis underworld by killing (and eating) his rivals.

INVISIBLE KID

ION

ISIS

Legion of Super-Heroes Annual (Vol. 2) #1 (1982)

Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1 (Aug. 2007)

DEBUT

REAL NAME

Jacques Foccart Legion headquarters, 31st century HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 170 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown with white streak POWERS/ABILITIES Invisibility; teleportation into the afterlife; Legion flight ring gives flight and life-support in space.

EYES

BASE

POWERS/ABILITIES

DEBUT

When the Legion of Super-Heroes suffered heavy losses in action, one of the victims was Lyle Norg, the first Invisible Kid. Legion Academy member Jacques Foccart took the formula that Norg had used to give himself invisibility powers and became the new Invisible Kid. The Legion and the United Planets were then attacked by the Fatal Five, who caused chaos on many worlds. When the Invisible Kid was on a cruiser that crashed into one of the massive Stone Promethean Giants, he used his powers to save himself and fellow Legionnaire Polar Boy by instinctively teleporting himself to what appeared to be the afterlife. Here he met the spirit of Lyle Norg. The Invisible Kid then teleported himself and Polar Boy back to Earth, where they helped defeat the Fatal Five.

DEBUT

Green

None Interstellar flight; space/time manipulation; creates manifest green energy constructs. ALLIES Green Lantern Corps ENEMIES Relic, Anti-Monitor, Sinestro AFFILIATIONS Emotional energy entities HAIR

Ion is the living embodiment of willpower, represented by the color green on the Emotional Spectrum. It was long contained within the Central Power Battery on Oa, where it provided energy for the power rings of the Green Lantern Corps. When the Battery was destroyed, the entity took Kyle Rayner as its host and transformed him into the hero known as Ion. During the Sinestro Corps War, Sinestro physically drew the Ion entity from Rayner and imprisoned it at Qward, but it was retrieved by the Lanterns and bonded with Sodam Yat. When the power of all the Lantern Corps began to ebb, a being called Relic destroyed the Green Lantern Battery and warned that the energies of the Emotional Spectrum were running out. Ion and the other entities sacrificed themselves to replenish the energies of the Emotional Spectrum and save reality.

52 #3 (May 2006)

REAL NAME Adrianna Tomaz

Shiruta, Kahndaq 6ft 1in WEIGHT 135 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Super-strength; flight; mastery of the elements; healing. ENEMIES Intergang, Death, Felix Faust BASE

HEIGHT

Egyptian Adrianna Tomaz was enslaved by Intergang and gifted to Black Adam, the superpowered ruler of Kahndaq. Adam killed the criminals and set Adrianna free. Captivated by her courage, honesty, and desire for justice, Adam took her as his consort and gave her a mystic amulet that transformed her into the divinely empowered Isis. Adrianna freed her brother Amon (Osiris) from slavery, but both were killed by a vengeful Intergang. Adam tried to raise Isis from the dead but was tricked by the evil sorcerer Felix Faust, who returned Isis to life, but as his unwilling slave. Isis broke free and exacted a gruesome revenge on Faust. She had become embittered and ruthless, and set herself up as absolute ruler of Kahndaq. After Flashpoint, Adrianna was a young Kahndaqi who summoned Black Adam to free her nation when her brother was killed by the country’s cruel dictator.

J JACK O’LANTERN

JADE

DEBUT Super Friends (Vol. 1) #8 (Nov. 1977) (Daniel Cormac); Justice League Quarterly #14 (Mar. 1994) (Liam McHugh)

DEBUT

Liam McHugh Blue HAIR Blond HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 188 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Lantern provides flight, teleportation, increased strength, and fog summoning. AFFILIATIONS Leymen (Primal Force), International Ultramarine Corps REAL NAME EYES

The first Jack O’Lantern, named Daniel Cormac, was given a magic lantern by the fairy queen Maeve, but he fell foul of a power struggle in Bialya between would-be dictator Colonel Harjavti and the country’s ruler, Queen Bee. Maeve then gave the lantern to native Bialyan Marvin Noronsa, who was killed by a bomb. The lantern then passed to Cormac’s cousin, Liam McHugh. He managed to absorb the lantern’s powers so he no longer needed to carry it. McHugh served with Doctor Mist’s Leymen and the International Ultramarine Corps. He was later taken over by an alien Sheeda spine-rider and made to join Gorilla Grodd’s latest bid to destroy humanity. McHugh escaped and went on to safeguard the sentient, time-traveling universe Qwewq (Neh-Buh-Loh).

JEMM, SON OF SATURN All-Star Squadron #25 (Sep. 1983)

Jennifer-Lynn Hayden HEIGHT 5ft 3in WEIGHT 110 lbs EYES Green HAIR Dark green POWERS/ABILITIES Forms energy constructs; controls plants and photosynthesizes; wields Green Lantern power ring. ALLIES Kyle Rayner, Alan Scott, Todd Rice ENEMIES Thorn, New Gods AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, Infinity Inc., Starheart REAL NAME

Given up for adoption and raised separately, twins Jennifer-Lynn Hayden and Todd Rice (Obsidian) are the children of Green Lantern Alan Scott and the villainess Thorn. Jennifer-Lynn discovered her ability to wield the mystic energies of Starheart when she was attacked as a teen. Her powers were triggered and her hair and skin turned green. Reunited with Todd, they joined Infinity, Inc. Jade had a relationship with Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, who gave her a power ring after she lost her powers. She joined the Outsiders and died during Infinite Crisis. Jade returned as a Black Lantern during Blackest Night, but was fully resurrected by White Lantern power. She helped free the Starheart-controlled Obsidian. Jade and Obsidian were erased by Doctor Manhattan but were restored after his defeat.

JERICHO Tales of the Teen Titans #42 (May 1984) REAL NAME Joseph Wilson HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 195 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Can control the minds of others; wears multipowered, gravity sheath (Ikon Suit). ALLIES Adeline Wilson, Rose Wilson (Ravager), Slade Wilson (Deathstroke) ENEMIES David Isherwood, Terra AFFILIATIONS Defiance DEBUT

Joseph Wilson is the second son of Slade Wilson—the legendary mercenary Deathstroke. Joseph was believed to have been killed when Slade’s enemies attacked the home of Slade and his wife Adeline. He survived, but could no longer speak. His older brother Grant was an early casualty in Deathstroke’s mercenary assassination career, and Joseph grew up emotionally poisoned by his parents’ toxic relationship. He developed a love/hate relationship for both of them. Running Adeline’s business empire, Joe used his metahuman powers of bodily possession to gather information and pursue a hedonistic lifestyle, but was inevitably sucked into his father’s Super-Villain intrigues. Joe stole a superpowered suit from his lover and mentor David Isherwood (a minor Canadian Super Hero called Doctor Ikon) to become costumed adventurer Jericho. He was deeply traumatized by the fact that he was prepared to commit murder to get it. When his fiancée Etienne was also murdered, Joe joined his father in Adeline’s Defiance super-team and found himself once again caught up in the cold war between his parents. However, after slipping ever-deeper into depression and paranoia over the lethal machinations of his father, Jericho joined teammates Power Girl, Kid Flash, Terra, and unsuspected half-sister Rose in having Deathstroke arrested and treated in Arkham Asylum.

DEBUT

Jemm, Son of Saturn #1 (Sep. 1984)

Saturn HEIGHT 6ft 6in WEIGHT 340 lbs EYES Yellow HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Flight and superhuman strength; forehead gem senses others’ emotions and emits force beams. ALLIES J’onn J’onzz ENEMIES Claudius Tull, Jogarr, Synn AFFILIATIONS Red Saturnians, formerly Injustice Gang BASE

Jemm is the prince of the Red Saturnians— a race created by the Green Martians. His people were at war with the rival White Saturnians, but Jemm was born with a gem in his forehead—a sign that he was destined to bring peace to Saturn. After White Saturnians killed his family, Jemm fled to Earth, where Lex Luthor used the mind-controlling Worlogog to make him join his Injustice Gang as a rival to J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter. He was freed from Luthor’s control by the JLA, and the Martian Manhunter helped him to recover. Jenn then married the White Saturnian Cha’rissa, bringing peace to the races of Saturn. He sided with the Rannians in the Rann-Thanagar War, and represented his people’s interests when new Krypton was created in the solar system.

JINX DEBUT

Tales of the Teen Titans #56 (Aug. 1985)

5ft 9in WEIGHT 136 lbs Brown HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Sorcery ALLIES Dr. Sivana, Calculator ENEMIES: Teen Titans, Superman, Wonder Woman AFFILIATIONS Fearsome Five, Troia HEIGHT EYES

Jinx studied magic in her native India, but after murdering her teachers and fellow students was confined at S.T.A.R. Labs. She was liberated and recruited by the Fearsome Five, subsequently clashing with their enemies the Teen Titans. The Fearsome Five broke up following a battle with Superman, and Jinx was locked up in Alcatraz with other group members. She and the rest of the Five were freed by Doctor Sivana. He ordered them to attack LexCorp facilities, but they were stopped by the Outsiders. A post-Flashpoint incarnation of Jinx appeared alongside the rest of the Fearsome Five in the Outsider’s Secret Society of Super-Villains. Following Rebirth, Jinx and her allies tried lying low as the spearhead of H.I.V.E.’s scheme to steal and resell metahuman abilities, but she soon inevitably clashed with Titans, Teen Titans, and the Justice League.

ON THE RECORD The original Jericho possessed

formidable psychic powers and joined the Teen Titans team, despite them being bitter foes of his father, Deathstroke. However, he was then possessed by the warped souls of Azarath, who turned him against the Titans. Deathstroke was forced to kill Jericho to release him from their possession. Jericho’s soul survived but was driven insane, and it went on to wreak havoc in a succession of unwilling host bodies.

THE CURSE OF AZARATH

In a tragic twist of fate, the Souls of Azarath drove Jericho mad, transforming him into a vicious, violent monster.

159

J

DATA

JOKER, THE Batman (Vol. 1) #1 (Spring 1940) Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 160 lbs EYES Green HAIR Green POWERS/ABILITIES Unpredictable actions and fighting techniques due to extreme insanity; natural, charismatic leader and brilliant strategist; agile and relentless fighter; twisted genius; adept in chemistry; has used chemical compound Dionesium to heal wounds; weapons include a variety of clown and joke-themed deadly devices, as well as the deadly toxin known as The Joker Venom. ALLIES Punchline, Jackanapes, The Joker’s Daughter ENEMIES Batman, the Batman Family, Commissioner James Gordon, Harley Quinn AFFILIATIONS Arkham Asylum inmates, Red Hood Gang, Legion of Doom DEBUT BASE

AT A GLANCE... Mystery man The Joker’s past remains a mystery, but Batman believes his nemesis was once the brilliant leader of the Red Hood Gang— a criminal outfit that plagued Gotham City early during Batman’s career. After a fall into a vat of chemicals stained his skin white and his hair green, this Red Hood seemed to opt for a career as The Joker, giving in to his every insane impulse. Tools of the trade The Joker employs a variety of clown- and circusthemed weaponry, ranging from razor-sharp playing cards to acid-squirting lapel flowers. He often sets up shop in deserted card factories or on dilapidated former circus grounds, keeping to his favorite themes.

CLASSIC STORIES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #168 (Feb. 1951) The Joker’s origin is explored

for the first time, introducing the concept of the Red Hood and the incident that birthed Batman’s greatest foe. Batman: The Killing Joke #1 (Mar. 1988) The Joker’s origin is given

a modern twist as the villain indulges in his latest criminal campaign: an attempt to drive Commissioner Gordon as crazy as The Joker is himself. Batman (Vol. 1) #426–429 (Dec. 1988–Jan. 1989) In “A Death in

the Family,” Batman faces real tragedy once again when The Joker successfully kills the second Robin, Jason Todd. Arkham Asylum #1 (Oct. 1989)

The madmen are running the asylum when the Clown Prince of Crime takes over Arkham Asylum, aided and abetted by some of Gotham City’s most dangerous psychopaths.

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Insane inspiration The Joker has inspired many criminals to follow in his footsteps, most notably his former romantic interest, Harley Quinn. But Harley wasn’t alone in her obsession with the so-called Clown Prince of Crime. The underground villain called The Joker’s Daughter also strives to imitate Gotham City’s most notorious and feared criminal, as does his new sidekick, Punchline.

The Joker possesses what must arguably be the most dangerous criminal mind on the planet. With no moral compass to speak of and a sick sense of humor that derives joy from witnessing the pain of others, the notorious Clown Prince of Crime is the smiling foil to the Batman’s grim and serious demeanor. With a reputation as infamous as that of the Dark Knight, The Joker has become a one-man movement in the city of Gotham City, attracting a sea of followers as he proceeds to indulge in unthinkable crimes that would give even the cruelest career criminal pause.

Little is known about the true past of The Joker. The madman has created a vast number of legends surrounding his crazed persona, some insisting that he is an ancient trickster being as old as Gotham City itself. The world only knows of conflicting stories that The Joker himself tells, often to manipulate those within earshot to one of his twisted causes or schemes. According to The Joker—an unreliable narrator if ever there was one—he lived a rough childhood, raised in part by his Aunt Eunice. She was mentally unstable herself and scrubbed her young nephew with bleach in order to get him clean. When the young Joker GOING JACKANAPES returned from school after being beaten up by The boy destined to become The Joker loved his toy monkey Gaggy. So much so that a female classmate, he was again beaten by when the adult Joker discovered a gorilla at his enraged aunt. The young boy grew up in Gotham City Zoo, he kidnapped it and made squalor with very little to eat and was ridiculed it his “henchman,” Jackanapes. by his classmates on a regular basis. His only comfort during that time was a stuffed toy monkey he called Gaggy. While the rest of The Joker’s past remains shrouded in mystery, Batman believes the deranged criminal could have been part of the Red Hood Gang when he reached adulthood. A ruthless organization bent on taking over Gotham City’s underworld, the Red Hood Gang had risen to power during the time when Batman first emerged on the crime-fighting scene. Though still working out the kinks of combating crime, Batman managed to take down the Red Hood during a confrontation in a processing plant known as ACE Chemical. It was here that the gang’s presumed leader fell into a vat of chemicals. After the event, Batman tried to research this Red Hood’s identity, only to find more questions at every turn. Soon after this, the mysterious Joker first emerged in Gotham City. The Joker had bleached-white skin, green hair, and a perverted sense of humor that could only result from extreme insanity. As he committed crime after crime, he revealed not only an obsession with clown-related imagery, but also with Batman himself. The Joker seemed to feel it was his job to better the Batman by challenging him at every opportunity. The Joker killed the second Robin, Jason Todd, shot and paralyzed Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), and has become known as Batman’s archenemy. When The Joker unleashed a virus on Gotham, turning its citizens into grinning, violent, zombie-like pawns, Batman was able to cure the virus, but fought The

DEATH OF THE FAMILY After enduring a bizarre ritual of having his face literally cut from his head by the Dollmaker, The Joker kidnapped those close to Batman and Bruce Wayne. Holed up in Arkham Asylum with a few fellow criminals including Two-Face and The Penguin, The Joker then tricked the Batman Family into believing that he had cut off his hostages’ faces as well. While Batman managed to save his partners, a rift formed within the family because of the secrets that the Dark Knight had kept from those closest to him.

MASKING HIS EVIL

The Joker wore the skin from his face as a macabre mask, held on by a strap he wrapped around his head. The villain later lost this mask and it was found by a girl living in Gotham City’s underground society. She went on to adopt the name The Joker’s Daughter.

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THE JOKER’S GARAGE

When The Joker set his sights on the Batman Family, he dressed as a mechanic with a dangerous tool belt.

Joker in a battle that nearly cost the pair their lives. The Joker later resurfaced in Gotham City, as did Batman, thanks to a mysterious metal called Dionesium, and the villain has since taken their conflict up a notch. Now aware of Batman’s secret identity, The Joker launched “The Joker War”—an extremely hostile takeover of Wayne Industries and its holdings. With the help of his new partner in crime Punchline, The Joker conquered Gotham City, nearly killed Batgirl, almost drove the Batman insane, and even took over the mind of Nightwing. The heroes rallied thanks to Batman’s leadership (and a quick save from The Joker’s former love Harley Quinn), and defeated the Clown Prince of Crime, even though he had adopted a Batman costume—one suitably redesigned to his liking.

ENDGAME The Joker turned almost the entire Justice League against Batman using his Joker virus. The Dark Knight was forced to adopt a protective battle suit dubbed the Justice Buster to confront them. Barely escaping with his life, Batman realized that this time, The Joker had raised the stakes and seemed to be playing for keeps. The Dark Knight tracked down a cure for the virus despite a wealth of misinformation spread through various sources. He discovered that The Joker was indeed a mortal man, despite what the legends would have the citizens of Gotham City believe. TOUGH ODDS

A Superman infected by The Joker was the biggest threat Batman had to face during his battle with the Justice League—who were all under the influence of The Joker’s toxin.

ON THE RECORD

THE THREE JOKERS

It is believed that Batman once learned that there were not just one Joker, but three: the Clown, the Comedian, and the Criminal. However, with the state of the DC universe in flux thanks to the machinations of the powerful being Doctor Manhattan, it is unclear whether this revelation exists in Batman’s current timeline, or in another reality.

THE ETERNAL JOKE

The Joker is obsessed with Batman—a relationship the Dark Knight is often forced to return in kind to save innocents from The Joker’s disturbed schemes.

“I’m the one who laughs... at the great joke... that any of it matters.” THE JOKER

The Joker has been a part of the Batman mythos almost from the beginning. When he first appeared, he was portrayed as a murdering clown, but like Batman, his image softened over the course of the 1950s and 1960s. When the 1970s rolled around, The Joker was once again returned to his dark, menacing roots, becoming the maniacal threat he was destined to be. The man who laughs The earliest incarnation of The Joker was a cutthroat killer, who planned to murder the city’s most notable officials at midnight on each occasion. He was brought to justice by Batman, but would return in later in that same issue. Playing his cards right The Joker’s dangerous persona was only amplified in the wake of the continuity-altering event Crisis on Infinite Earths. His sick crimes would become even more twisted as he shot and paralyzed Barbara Gordon, and then photographed her wounded body in an attempt to drive her father, Commissioner James Gordon, insane. Gordon proved a stronger man than The Joker, however, and Batman soon returned the villain to captivity.

THE JOKER’S FIVE-WAY REVENGE

Back to his murderous self in the 1970s, The Joker killed four former associates in bizarre ways as Batman desperately sought to stop the death of the fifth. Their tumultuous battle came to a head in an aquarium near Gotham City’s docks.

Pushed to the edge But The Joker was not done with the Batman Family. He went on to kidnap the second Robin, Jason Todd, and savagely beat him before killing him in an explosion. This murder nearly drove Batman over the edge, but he maintained his moral code, and never stooped to the insane villain’s level. CHEATING DEATH

After The Joker killed Jason Todd, Batman believed the villain had perished in a helicopter crash. However, the Clown Prince of Crime would not be so easily killed.

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J JOKER’S DAUGHTER, THE DEBUT

Batman Family #6 (Jul.–Aug. 1976)

Duela Dent Nethers, Gotham City EYES: Blue (left), Green (right) HAIR Pink POWERS/ABILITIES Insanity and viciousness give her an edge in combat. ALLIES Dollmaker, Red Hood, Arsenal ENEMIES Batman, Catwoman, Nightwing, Arsenal, Red Hood, Harley Quinn, Charon Harley Quinn, Charon AFFILIATIONS Iron Rule, Suicide Squad, The Outlaws REAL NAME BASE The

Duela Dent had a conventional upbringing in Gotham City’s suburbs, but developed a morbid fascination with the twisted and ugly. Scarring her own face, she ran away from home, and living in the subterranean Nethers where Gotham City’s homeless congregate. She found The Joker’s flayed face floating in the water and at first mistook it for her own reflection. Placing it t over her own, she immediately felt giving her power. Calling herself the Joker’s Daughter, she became obsessed with the Clown Prince of Crime, attracting his attention by committing acts of mayhem. She even had the Dollmaker stitch The Joker’s face to her own. After joining a plot to summon deceased Deacon Blackfire, she was recruited to the Suicide Squad, but left after constantly clashing with Harley Quinn. She allied with mercenary heroes Red Hood and Arsenal during the War of the

THE NEW BEAUTIFUL

Wearing The Joker’s face, the Joker’s Daughter has launched her own psychotic war on society’s ideas of beauty.

Robins, before betraying them to bounty hunters the Iron Rule. Duela recently injected herself into Nightwing’s new life, following his personality change after being shot in the head: her contribution to the deadly Joker War decimating Batman’s “family.”

JOR-EL More Fun Comics #101 (Jan. 1945) REAL NAME Jor-El BASE Mobile HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Kryptonian powers, including super-strength, super-speed and senses; additionally, shards of kryptonite in eye capable of firing radioactive blasts. ALLIES Superman, Superboy (Jon Kent) ENEMIES Doomsday, Rogol Zaar AFFILIATIONS House of El, The Circle DEBUT

Kryptonian scientist Jor-El feared that his planet would be destroyed, and tried to warn the Science Council of the impending disaster. When his concerns were brushed aside, Jor-El decided that the only option left to him was to send his baby son Kal to a planet where he could be safe. Jor-El was proved right, and Krypton exploded, killing his wife and nearly every other Kryptonian in existence. However, Jor-El was removed at the last moment by the actions of Doctor Manhattan and placed on Earth, where his son had ended up. Finding Earth unworthy of his son, Jor-El adopted the name Mister Oz and began interfering with the planet’s affairs from the shadows. Eventually he revealed himself to a stunned Kal, now grown into the hero Superman. The two would have a difficult relationship, and Superman had grave doubts when Jor-El expressed a desire to take his grandson Jon on a tour of the galaxy to broaden his horizons. Jor-El’s trip with Jon was interrupted by the fallout of Rogol Zaar’s quest to eliminate all Kryptonians, and Jor was eventually arrested by the Thanagarians for his role in enabling Zaar to destroy Krypton during his time with the secret Circle group. Found guilty, his sentence was to be returned to his proper place in the timestream—Krypton at the moment of its death.

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JOKERZ DEBUT

Batman Beyond (Vol. 1) #1 (Mar. 1999)

Neo-Gotham, (formerly Gotham City) Impostor Joker (Winslow Heath): Leader of innumerable faceless goons KEY MEMBERS Joker King (Doug Tan), Terminal (Carter Wilson) (Winslow Heath): Leader of innumerable faceless goons ENEMIES Batman, (Terry McGinnis), G.C.P.D BASE

FOUNDING MEMBER

Following the apparent death of The Joker, Gotham City was plagued by bizarrely clown-costumed fans hooked on street drug “Joker Juice.” Creating disruptive flash mobs, they looted and rioted until The Joker imitator who supplied the drug and started the craze upped the stakes by shooting a police officer. Soon, a fake Batman was urging citizens to fight the Jokerz, and violence escalated across the city. Although the real Batman quashed the incident, a new gang and lifestyle had gelled around the young, disaffected, and disturbed. Decades later, the Jokerz was a global force and rebel ideology, lacking only a leader. More nuisance than true menace, the suggestible army was ripe for exploitation, and by the time Terry McGinnis patrolled Neo-Gotham as Batman, were a commonplace but disagreeable facet of city life. This changed when nihilistic student Doug Tan appointed himself Joker King, assembling “10,000 Clowns” to assault the city. Although defeated by Batman, the King’s precedent inspired ambitious leaders

DOWN WITH THE CLOWN The Jokerz started out just wanting to have some crazy fun—but things always get out of hand…

such as J-Man, Chucko, and Terminal—who actually succeeded in making part of Neo-Gotham his Joker-town—all craftily exploiting the movement. The scheme only failed because of Batman and the innate chaotic nature of the Jokerz.

HOUSE OF EL

Jor-El was fiercely proud of his family and would stop at nothing to defend them. He believed that Earth was unworthy of his son because of the human tendency to brutality.

J JUDOMASTER Special War Series #4 (Nov. 1965) (Rip Jagger); Birds of Prey (Vol. 1) #100 (Jan. 2007) (Sonia Sato) DEBUT

Sonia Sato EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Martial arts expert; aversion field makes it impossible for attacks aimed at her to hit (though field does not work against random or area-effect attacks). ALLIES Birds of Prey, Justice Society ENEMIES Blood Soldiers REAL NAME

HARD TARGET

Sonia’s metahuman aversion-field power came in very handy when facing gun-wielding enemies of the Birds of Prey.

The first Judomaster was Sgt. Hadley “Rip” Jagger, who used his judo skills to fight Japanese soldiers during World War II. After he was killed during Infinite Crisis, the name was briefly used by an unnamed hero before it was taken by Sonia Sato, the daughter of Yakuza hitman Yoshio Sato. When Sonia was born, he tried to quit the Yakuza, but was killed. Sonia mastered martial arts to avenge her father. She was recruited by Oracle of the Birds of Prey to help break an innocent girl out of prison and served with the team on subsequent missions. In New York, she was attacked by the Blood Soldiers, a superpowered squad of Yakuza hitmen. The Justice Society stepped in to help her and she eventually joined up, siding with Gog when he caused a schism in the team. Sonia fell in love with team member Damage, and was distraught when he was killed during Blackest Night.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA DEBUT

SECOND CHANCES

Justice League of America Rebirth #1

(Apr. 2017) BASE Watchtower, Secret

Sanctuary, Hall of Justice

Batman assembled a tight group of former menaces and heroes whom he believed had never reached their true potential.

MEMBERS/POWERS

Batman: Combat and investigative training; Black Canary (Dinah Lance): Martial arts, sonic cry; Atom (Ryan Choi): Scientific acumen, martial arts, size and weight alteration; Vixen (Mari McCabe): Channels animal attributes; The Ray (Raymond Terrill): Flight, invisibility, controls light; Frost (Caitlin Snow): Emits energy; Lobo: Superhuman physicality, regeneration; Aztek (Nayeli Constant): Hi-tech battlesuit. AFFILIATIONS Justice League; Suicide Squad

Following Rebirth, the Justice League was acknowledged as Earth’s primary metahuman guardians, but Batman felt it was too ponderous for certain missions. He was also keen to create a situation where inexperienced heroes might be trained and Super-Villains rehabilitated. The official team’s recent victory over the Crime Syndicate was in part thanks to the help of villains, and as reformed predator Killer Frost put it “Everybody deserves that chance”. Batman brought in Black Canary as field commander, pitting his team against bizarre and deadly threats such as The Extremists, Queen of Fables and a time-unravelling Chronos. Gradually ceding control, the Dark Knight saw his theory confirmed when his all-conquering Justice League of America transformed itself into a multi-national Justice Foundation.

JUSTICE INCARNATE The Multiversity Vol. 1 #2 (Jun 2015) BASE House of Heroes MEMBERS/POWERS Superman (Earth-23): Kryptonian powers under a yellow sun, including super-strength, speed and durability, flight, heat vision, freeze breath Mary Batson (Earth-5): Super-strength, speed and durability, flight; Thunderer (Earth-7): Super-strength and durability, ability to summon lightning and manipulate weather; Machinehead (Earth-8): Wears suit giving him energy powers and flight; Aquawoman (Earth-11): Super-strength, speed and stamina, can exist indefinitely underwater, uses trident that summons lightning; Batman (Earth-17): Wears a mech suit that enables him to fly and fire blasts; Green Lantern (Earth-20): Wears Green Lantern ring giving him the power of flight and ability to create light constructs; Captain Carrot (Earth-26): Super-strength and durability, flight, can survive almost any injury thanks to cartoon laws of physics; Red Racer (Earth-36): Speed Force powers, genius intellect. ALLIES Justice League ENEMIES Empty Hand, The Gentry, The Gatherers, Prophecy DEBUT

PROTECTORS OF THE MULTIVERSE

A Multiverse needs a multiversity of heroes, and Justice Incarnate were formed as a cosmic police force to watch over every reality from their base in Valla-Hal, the House of Heroes.

In the bleedspace between universes orbited the House of Heroes. Originally used by the Monitors, it gained a new purpose when its resident AI—Harbinger—awakened and began summoning heroes from across the Multiverse to respond to an existential threat following the apparent death of the last Monitor. Traveling via transmatter cubes, a selection of the greatest heroes from multiple Earths arrived at the heart of the Multiverse, the Orrery of Worlds. After the heroes had gathered, they learned that each of their Earths occupied the same space in their respective universes, vibrating together and creating a pitch, with each world having its own unique tone. This enabled inter-reality travel via the Ultima Thule, a ship that navigated with music. The Superman of Earth-23 emerged as the natural leader of the group—as well as being a powerful hero, he was also the president of the USA on his planet. He proposed a volunteer superarmy to deal with threats to the life and existence of the Multiverse, calling it Justice Incarnate. The team would comprise 50 heroes from around the Multiverse, although there were nine key members. Justice Incarnate were able to help Superman of Earth-0 defeat Prophecy and the Gatherers, and also to rescue all those they could from realities destroyed by Perpetua.

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JUSTICE LEAGUE The Brave and the Bold #28 (Feb.–Mar. 1960) Hall of Justice

The Justice League is the foremost Super Hero team in the known worlds. Governments seek their aid, other heroes want to join them, every villain out to make a reputation takes them on, and every would-be conqueror of Earth knows they are the planet’s first line of defense. This prominence has not come without cost, however, with the stress sometimes threatening to break the team apart. But whatever their passing disagreements with each other, they remain united against external threats.

DEBUT BASE

CURRENT MEMBERS/POWERS AND ABILITIES SUPERMAN

Kryptonian superpowers; WONDER Strength, flight, Lasso of Truth; BATMAN (BRUCE WAYNE) Intellect, expert martial artist, and investigative training; THE FLASH (BARRY ALLEN) Speed Force-derived super-speed; AQUAMAN (ARTHUR CURRY) Strength, marine telepathy; CYBORG (VIC STONE) Cybernetic enhancements; GREEN LANTERN (JOHN STEWART) Energy projection and constructs; MARTIAN MANHUNTER (J’ONN J’ONZZ) Martian superpowers; HAWKGIRL (KENDRA SAUNDERS) Combat training, flight. ENEMIES Legion of Doom, Secret Society of Super-Villains, Crime Syndicate, Darkseid (KAL-EL/CLARK KENT)

WOMAN (DIANA)

The core members of the Justice League—Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Cyborg, and Aquaman—first came together as each of them hunted the source of strange occurrences in their respective cities that prefigured an attack by Darkseid. Teenager Vic Stone, critically injured in the attack, became Cyborg when his father implanted experimental cybernetics in his dying body. This occurred just in time for him to take part in the counterattack against Darkseid and his Parademons, during which Batman rescued the kidnapped Superman from Apokolips. Sometime later, writer David Graves named the team the Justice League in a book about the events; they preferred this to The Flash’s off-the-cuff suggestion of “Super Seven.” Several other teams were created later, inspired by the original Justice League team. Conflict erupted between the Justice League, the similarly titled Justice League of America, and the occult-oriented Justice League Dark when the three groups clashed over the powerful artifact Pandora’s Box. At this point, the Justice League had adopted three new members to help them in the fight: the Atom (secretly a villain named The world’s greatest Atomica), Element Woman, and Firestorm. The mysterious Outsider was working with The Justice League is the world’s most Atomica, and took control of Pandora’s iconic Super Hero team, and still the Box, using it to open a portal to Earth-3, standard by which all others are judged. from which emerged the Crime Brought together to face a menace Syndicate—the villainous Earth-3 version that no hero could confront alone, of the Justice League. Cyborg’s the Justice League has consistently cybernetics tore themselves free of his taken a stand against the most LEAGUES IN CONFLICT body and rearranged themselves into the dangerous threats the universe can As an international incident brewed in Kahndaq, sentient Grid—allied with the Crime throw at them, and come out on top. the Justice League and the Justice League of Syndicate—and nearly killing Cyborg in America faced off over Pandora’s Box. the process. A number of key Justice League of America and Justice League heroes were trapped within a matrix created from the CLASSIC STORIES two parts of Firestorm, and soon the Crime Syndicate took control of Earth-0, bolstered by Justice League of America (Vol. 1) the Secret Society of Super-Villains. Seeing the threat escalate, Lex Luthor and a number of villains defected from the Society, joining forces with the heroes in their counterattack #21–22 (Aug.–Sep. 1963) The JLA Watchtower against the Crime Syndicate. The combined team won and Lex Luthor—despite and Justice Society of America team up The orbiting Watchtower was the Justice Superman’s objections—was admitted to the League, along with Shazam, Captain Cold, for the first time in “Crisis on Earth-One!” League’s HQ for a time, containing research and Power Ring (Jessica Cruz), who had all proven themselves. and “Crisis on Earth-Two!”, before the and training facilities, as well as living spaces Several adventures later, when Darkseid battled the Anti-Monitor, the Justice introduction of Earth-3’s Crime Syndicate for League members and their guests. It was League became stuck in the middle. Darkseid was killed in the event, but was later of America the next year. destroyed by Despero and later rebuilt in Justice League of America Annual resurrected into the baby son of Earth-3’s Superwoman. With the League triumphant orbit with the financial

AT A GLANCE...

(Vol. 1) #2 (Oct. 1984) The original JLA’s failure to handle a Martian invasion results in Aquaman dissolving the team. He starts anew with a headquarters in Detroit, admitting only heroes willing to commit full-time to the task of representing the JLA. The new roster consists of Aquaman, Zatanna, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man, the Vixen, and three younger recruits: Gypsy, Steel, and Vibe. Final Crisis #1–7 (Jul. 2008–Mar. 2009) The apparent deaths of Martian Manhunter and Batman, together with the resignations of Wonder Woman and Superman, leave the remaining members of the Justice League fighting the New Gods and the spirit of a fallen Darkseid.

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backing of Lex Luthor. ROCKY BEGINNING At first, the heroes who came together to form the Justice League responded individually to signs of Darkseid’s attempt to breach the dimensional barrier and conquer Earth-0 to use it as a Parademon breeding ground. As they met each other, their first reaction was often suspicion; but when they were forced to band together, they learned how powerful they could be—and how powerful they would need to be against godlike adversaries like Darkseid. FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The soon-to-be Justice League first met under trying circumstances.

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7 9

3

and Jessica Cruz becoming a true Green Lantern, they adjusted their ranks, losing members Luthor, Cold, and Shazam, but gaining Green Lantern Simon Baz. Later, Mera joined their roster as well. After many hard-fought battles, the League faced another restructuring when the mysterious Source Wall, which separates known space from the powerful energy beyond, was pierced during a battle with the forces of the Dark Multiverse. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman were joined by Hawkgirl, Green Lantern (John Stewart), and Martian Manhunter. They established a new headquarters— the Hall of Justice located in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor had formulated a master plan and recruited his own Legion of Doom. Through Luthor’s manipulations, the Source Wall itself was shattered, and the evil mother of the Multiverse, Perpetua, was released into the Multiverse. With Perpetua’s help, Luthor evolved into the half-Martian Apex Lex, but soon ran afoul of the Batman Who Laughs—an evil Bruce Wayne, infected by The Joker, hailing from the Dark Multiverse. Even as the heroes fell to Perpetua’s might, Perpetua decided to choose the Batman Who Laughs over Luthor as her new right-hand man. The world was transformed into a bizarre dark reflection of what it had once been, guided by the Batman Who Laughs’ perverse imagination. With no other choice but to embrace the chaos, the Justice League had to rally its forces and face doom head on.

“It’s time to be the team they thought we were, instead of the team we’ve been this past five years.”

6

AQUAMAN

ON THE RECORD The Justice League of America came into being as a reboot of the Justice Society of America, which flourished in the 1940s, but was later shelved during the 1950s as Super Hero comics had to share the stage with new genres. The Justice Society was later brought back into continuity as the heroes of Earth-2, while the Justice League were designated Earth-1.

1 2

JL ROSTER

4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Superman Batman Wonder Woman Aquaman The Flash Cyborg Martian Manhunter Hawkgirl Green Lantern

REBIRTH THE HALL OF JUSTICE The iconic Hall of Justice is not just the base of the Justice League, it also houses the hideout of the Justice League Dark in its basement. Moreover, it has become a Washington, D.C. landmark; one frequented by as many tourists as Super Heroes.

5

New beginnings A flagship team for decades, the Justice League of America in its various incarnations has had nearly as many origin stories as members. The first of these related the story of an invasion by the alien Appellaxians, which none of the solo heroes could successfully repel. Only by banding together could they save Earth—and the JLA was born. This origin story has been modified numerous times over the years and has involved a varying roster of founding members. What’s in a name? The original Justice League of America is informally known as the GOING SMALL Justice League or by its initials JLA. But there A JLA including have also been different iterations of the Hawkman, Black Canary, and Red group under various names over the Tornado hunted years: Justice League International, for the Atom in Justice League Europe, Justice the Microcosmos. League United, Justice League Dark… What they all have in common is usually some of the original Justice League’s members and a version of the original Justice League’s mandate: to protect and defend the people of Earth against the forces of evil. STEALING THE LOOK

No sooner had the new 1990s Justice Leagueteam formed than their likenesses—including the new blue Superman—were assumed by hard-light constructs created and controlled by the Injustice Gang.

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J JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK DEBUT BASE

Justice League Dark #1 (Nov. 2011)

Hall of Justice

FORMER MEMBERS/POWERS

Madame Xanadu: Wide array of magical powers; Constantine: Magical and occult knowledge; Deadman: Possession of human hosts, telepathy; Zatanna: Magical effects; Andrew Bennett: Mind control, shapeshifting; Black Orchid: Elemental force powers; Swamp Thing: Shapeshifting, control over plants; Nightmare Nurse: Magical

DARKNESS WITHIN AND WITHOUT

They have their share of internal rivalries and discord, but when they stand together, the Justice League Dark can overcome any occult threat.

NEW MEMBERS/POWERS

Wonder Woman: Amazon demigod: Zatanna: Magical effects; Swamp Thing: Shapeshifting, control over plants; Constantine: Magical and occult knowledge; Man-Bat; scientific genius, superhuman bat: Detective Chimp: immortal supergenius, magical sword; Animal Man: Avatar of the Red

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF CHINA DEBUT

New Super-Man (Vol. 1) #2 (Oct. 2016)

Jilin Province, China MEMBERS/POWERS Super-Man: Ability to focus qi to get super-strength, stamina, speed, and enhanced senses; X-ray and heat vision; can freeze breath; Wonder-Woman: Flight, telepathy, super-strength, magical lasso; Bat-Man: Genius inventor, computer hacker, highly skilled in combat; The Flash of China: Speed Force powers including super-speed, intangibility, and time travel; Aquaman of North Korea: Water manipulation, ability to command ocean creatures, magic sword; Robinbot: Flight, expert data analysis, rocket fists. ALLIES Justice League ENEMIES China White Triad, Lanterns of China, Freedom Fighters of China BASE

The Justice League of China was formed by the Ministry of Self-Reliance in response to the emergence of the Justice League in the US. The Chinese team was expected to protect its own country while also upholding its national values. At first the group only comprised two members—Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman— but they were later joined by the New Super-Man, Kong Kenan, and The Flash of China, Avery Ho. After failing to find a compatible human equivalent of Robin, Bat-Man built a high-tech robotic equivalent. The team eventually rebelled against their government, splitting from the Ministry of Self-Reliance and going out on their own. Later they got a new member—the Aquaman of North Korea, also known as Dragonson.

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Justice League International (Vol. 1) #7 (Nov. 1987) DEBUT

BASE Washington, D.C. MEMBERS/POWERS

NO SECRETS

Building on the Justice League’s legacy, but with a global perspective, Justice League International fractured after losing several of its members in early missions.

Booster Gold: Legion flight ring, power suit; Fire: Thermal energy blasts; Godiva: Prehensile hair; Green Lantern: Power ring; Ice: Ice creation and control; Firehawk: Flight, light energy control; Vixen: Totem powers; Batwing: Military training, computers; O.M.A.C.: Biotech weapon; Blue Beetle: Alien scarab powers; August General in Iron: Armored, energy

abilities including hard-energy constructs.

Madame Xanadu assembled Justice League Dark after experiencing a vision of a horrific future only they could prevent. She separated the Enchantress from her mortal host, June Moone, destabilizing the witch and sparking her lethal rampage. To protect her, Madame Xanadu gathered magic-wielding heroes, and John Constantine merged the Enchantress and June into a single, more stable being. Madame Xanadu’s vision then came to pass as Cain, sire of all vampires, was unleashed. Success followed and Steve Trevor enlisted the group to help A.R.G.U.S. protect its mystical artifacts from wizard Felix

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL

manipulation.

Faust. Trevor named the group Justice League Dark, as a specialized force to handle occult and magical threats. Facing a series of crises and the horrors of the Otherkind, Wonder Woman formed a new Justice League-sponsored team to tackle mystical chaos. They battled Lords of Order and others striving to take advantage of the mystical sea change created by the invasion and the rise of eldritch evil triggered by the return cosmic Originator Perpetua.

STATE OF INDEPENDENCE

The Justice League of China soon rejected government interference in their activities and attitudes and decided to go their own way.

Justice League International was the brainchild of mind-controlled entrepreneur Maxwell Lord. After he regained his senses, the squad became a force for good. However, they could never persuade public opinion that they were more than second-raters and eventually disbanded. Following the reality-altering Flashpoint event, UN director Andre Briggs established a team to rival the US’s Justice League. Led by Booster Gold, it only accepted members with public identities. Batman was refused admission for this reason, but provided assistance against Peraxxus and the Signal Men. When the Burners killed Rocket Red and crippled Vixen, Ice, and Fire, Booster Gold recruited O.M.A.C., Batwing, and Firehawk. The JLI disbanded after Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) clashed with Booster Gold, and the team was devastated by rogue AI satellite, Brother E.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED DEBUT BASE

Justice League United #0 (Jun. 2014)

Canada

MEMBERS/POWERS Martian Manhunter: Super-strength, mind control, shapeshifting; Stargirl: Cosmic converter belt and staff powers; Green Arrow: Archery, acrobatics, unarmed combat; Adam Strange: Advanced Rannian tech and weapons; Animal Man: Shapeshifting, animal control, and telepathy; Supergirl: Super-strength, flight, invulnerability; Equinox: Powers of Cree Midayo.

Martian Manhunter, Stargirl, and Green Arrow formed the Justice League United after the dissolution of the A.R.G.U.S.sanctioned Justice League. Basing themselves in Canada, they recruited a number of other unaffiliated heroes, including a new member—the Cree girl known as Equinox. The team’s major battle was against the scheming Lord Byth, who sought to synthesize a number of alien genomes into a being he called Ultra the Multi-Alien. Byth corrupted a project begun by the people of Rann. They had envisioned Ultra as a sign of the interconnectedness of all sentient beings, but Byth instead planned to create the Slayer of Worlds. The JLU fought to prevent Byth realizing his apocalyptic goal. Members of the team then split into several different groups to battle the Breakers —a mysterious force causing disruptions in space-time—and they ultimately journeyed to the House of Secrets for answers.

SPLINTER CELL

The Martian Manhunter oversees a group that is beyond the grasp of A.R.G.U.S. and outside the currents of US politics.

J

DATA

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA DEBUT

All-Star Comics #3 (Dec. 1940)

THE JUSTICE SOCIETY

FOUNDING MEMBERS/POWERS AND ABILITIES

Tenacious spirit and expert fighter despite size; SANDMAN (WESLEY DODDS) Precognitive abilities and detective skills, sleep gun; THE SPECTRE (JIM CORRIGAN) Powerful spirit of vengeance, detective skills; THE FLASH (JAY GARRICK) Super-speed; HAWKMAN (CARTER HALL) Expert warrior, Nth Metal allows for flight; DOCTOR FATE (KENT NELSON) Magical abilities, flight; GREEN LANTERN (ALAN SCOTT) Ring conveys various powers including flight and the creation of energy constructs; HOURMAN (REX TYLER) Drug Miraclo allows for one hour of enhanced strength, speed, and stamina. ALLIES Justice League ENEMIES Vandal Savage, Ultra-Humanite, Injustice Society of America ATOM (AL PRATT)

The founding fathers of the Justice Society of America originally gathered in a brownstone building in the 1940s. 1 The Atom 2 Sandman 3 The Spectre 4 The Flash 5 Hawkman 6 Doctor Fate 7 Green Lantern 8 Hourman

The original Super Hero team that would inspire all others to follow, the Justice Society of America joined forces to protect the home front of an America torn apart by World War II. Some of the world’s first mystery men, this once forgotten team is back in the spotlight after being nearly omitted by the timeline itself.

3

4

5

6

The DC universe is a tumultuous 2 place, one where major crises rock the very foundation of its timeline on a regular basis. The Justice Society of America has fallen victim to the changing whims of demigods and reality-altering super-beings perhaps more than any other team in the Multiverse. The Justice Society of America was FOGGY MEMORIES the first team of Super Heroes. With Super Heroes During a time-travel still a relatively novel idea in the 1940s, the team 1 adventure, the Justice banded together in an effort to pool their strengths League was surprised to meet the JSA, a team and create a network in the mystery men community. they had never heard of. Conducting meetings out of a brownstone building, the Justice Society of America thwarted attacks on American soil by some of the worst Super-Villains of the Golden Age. Originally, the JSA existed in the dimension of Earth-2, until the cosmic threat of the Anti-Monitor changed all that. Their Earth was combined with that of the Justice League on Earth-1, and they became the inspiration for the modern day Justice League of America that would come decades after their tenure. After losing several of their number in another cosmic Crisis called Zero Hour thanks to the machinations of a being called Extant, the Justice Society was later wiped from history completely during the Flashpoint event. However, the Multiverse has a way of correcting itself, and these classic heroes soon reemerged on a new Earth-2, one besieged by the dark forces of the evil New God Darkseid. While their Earth was taken by Darkseid’s Apokolips troops, a few members survived to start anew on a new planet. Recently, due to the meddling of the powerful being known as Doctor Manhattan and other major events during the Justice League’s battle with the mother of the Multiverse, Perpetua, the Justice Society has been reborn in continuity once more. The team is now active again, saved from non-existence. Its roster has changed over the years; the Justice Society currently includes old timers like Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Wildcat (Ted Grant), but also includes young heroes, including Stargirl and Cyclone.

ON THE RECORD

8

CLASSIC STORIES

The Justice Society of America

is the first Super Hero team in the history of comic books, and has existed in one form or another since 1940. A number of characters made their debuts during this time, most notably Wonder Woman in 1942 (as the team’s secretary!) Headliners like The Flash and Green Lantern mingled with lesserknown players such as the Atom and Dr. Mid-Nite for a decade before going on hiatus. The JSA returned in 1963, soon beginning a series of memorable team-ups with Earth-1’s Justice League. A revived Justice Society feature in the 1970s even revealed the secret of the team’s formation and the confrontation with Congress that caused the heroes to retire.

7

All-Star Comics #11 (Jun.–Jul. 1942) In a surge of patriotism following

the attack on Pearl Harbor, the JSA members disbanded to enlist in the armed forces. The well-intentioned heroes proved such a disruptive influence that the US Government asked them to resume their costumed activities as the Justice Battalion.

DOOMSDAY CLOCK

During an international incident involving Superman, the modern Justice Society of America returned in all its glory, alongside a new incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #21–22 (Aug.–Sep. 1963)

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

The first meeting of the Justice Society of America. In attendance: The Atom, Sandman, The Spectre, The Flash, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, and Hourman.

The first meeting of the JSA and JLA kicks off a decades-long series of collaborative adventures spanning Earth-1 and Earth-2. JSA (Vol. 1) #16–20 (Nov. 2000– Mar. 2001) A reconstituted JSA faces a new Injustice Society headed up by Johnny Sorrow.

167

K KALMAKU, TOM

KALIBAK

ON THE RECORD

New Gods (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971) REAL NAME Kalibak BASE Apokolips HEIGHT 6ft 9in WEIGHT 469 lbs EYES Red HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES As a New God, he is immortal and has superhuman physical strength and toughness; wields Apokoliptian weaponry. ALLIES Darkseid, Glorious Godfrey, Desaad ENEMIES Orion, Batman, Batman Family, Superman, New Genesis, Olsen, Big Barda AFFILIATIONS Apokolips DEBUT

Brutal and pitiless, Kalibak is the eldest son of Darkseid, lord of Apokolips. He is a devoted to his sire, and a relentless foe of Orion, the son Darkseid allowed to be raised on New Genesis. When Darkseid was incapacitated, Kalibak took command, readying the Chaos Cannon (powered by a Chaos Shard and the body of Batman’s son Damian) to destroy inhabited planets and channel their energies back to Apokolips. Batman and his associates foiled the plan by returning Damian’s body to Earth. Kalibak pursued, but after a fierce battle in the Batcave he was knocked back through the portal to Apokolips. On Earth-2, Kalibak led Parademon troopers, defeating James Olsen, who had gained New God powers. Darkseid’s forces conquered Earth-2 and Apokolips destroyed the planet, though many inhabitants escaped via spacecraft. Kalibak fought for Darkseid when he attacked Earth-0, but was blinded by his half-sister Grail. Despite his wound (and the Anti-Monitor killing Darkseid) Kalibak fought on until finally taken down by Big Barda. Recently, he lead one faction seeking control of Apokolips, almost destroying the planet with his Chaos Cannon to defeat the Female Furies, Lex Luthor and Superman, Lois Lane and Superboy.

The original Kalibak was a

fierce adversary of Orion, his half-brother who had pledged allegiance to New Genesis, and they clashed on many occasions. Though Kalibak constantly sought his father’s approval, he was punished when he slew Darkseid’s interrogator, Desaad. The ruler of Apokolips killed him with his Omega Beams, but later brought resurrected him. Kalibak was destroyed by Infinity-Man during the Death of the New Gods event, but was reborn on Earth in a tigerlike form.

EARTH-SHAKING ENCOUNTER

On Earth, Kalibak caused widespread destruction when he clashed with his half-brother Orion.

Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #2 (Sep.–Oct. 1960)

DEBUT

Ferris Aircraft, Coast City Brown HAIR Black HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 155 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled mechanic and engineer. ALLIES Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) ENEMIES Sinestro AFFILIATIONS Ferris Aircraft BASE EYES

Tom Kalmaku is an Inuit from Alaska who traveled to California and landed a job at Ferris Aircraft as a mechanic and engineer. His keen intelligence and work ethic made him a vital part of the team. He became good friends with test pilot Hal Jordan and a huge fan of Coast City’s new Super Hero, Green Lantern. Tom soon worked out that Hal was Green Lantern but kept quiet about it, and Hal trusted him with his secret. Tom was also rumored to keep a secret journal of Hal’s adventures under lock and key. It was Tom who alerted Carol Ferris when Hal teamed up with his old enemy Sinestro. After Hal went missing, Tom and Carol opened Hal’s locker to look for clues to his whereabouts. To their embarrassment, they discovered a wedding ring that Hal had bought for Carol.

KAMANDI

KANTO

KARATE KID

KELLEY, CARRIE

Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #1 (Oct.–Nov. 1972)

DEBUT

Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #7 (Mar.–Apr. 1972)

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #346 (Jul. 1966)

DEBUT

EYES

Blue HAIR Blond 5ft 8in WEIGHT 159 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Resourceful survivor and warrior; skilled with firearms. ALLIES Ben Boxer, Steve, Renzi, Doctor Canus, Prince Tuftan, Pyra, Spirit, Batman, Superman ENEMIES Great Caesar, Tiger Empire, Rat Society, United States of Lions, Czar Simian, Lex Luthor

REAL NAME

Iluthin BASE Apokolips Blue HAIR Brown HEIGHT 5ft 11½in WEIGHT 170 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality; tracks prey with Mother Box. ALLIES Darkseid, Lashina, Desaad ENEMIES Mister Miracle, Justice League, Batman

REAL NAME

HEIGHT

EYES

HEIGHT

DEBUT

Kamandi was born in the aftermath of a Great Disaster that destroyed human civilization and evolved animals into nearhumanoid forms, with each species striving to be the dominant life form on Earth. “The Last Boy on Earth,” along with scientist Doctor Canus and radioactive mutant Ben Boxer, tried to restore human civilization. Kamandi frequently traveled in time, meeting Batman, Superman, and a group of alternate-Earth heroes during various reality crises. Multiversal chaos triggered by the breaking of the Source Wall revealed Kamandi to be a critical factor in the composition of all realities: He has travelled extensively across parallel existences and visited many possible futures. When Perpetua and the Legion of Doom sought to unmake the Multiverse, Kamandi allied with The Justice League and heroes from the past and future to stop them.

168

Darkseid’s assassin, Kanto, is a sadistic killer. Suave and cunning, he was key in a patriarchal conspiracy on Apokolips keeping Granny Goodness’ Female Furies from achieving an elite status. Armed with a dagger-shaped Mother Box, he can track targets across space and time. Only Mister Miracle and Batman have ever escaped Kanto, and the killer determined to rectify that situation. Darkseid sent Kanto and Lashina to Earth to hunt down Myrina Black, Amazon mother of Darkseid’s daughter, Grail. When Darkseid invaded Earth, however, he was killed by the Anti-Monitor and the Black Racer, leaving Kanto and other Apokoliptian minions to face Mister Miracle and the Justice League. In battle, Kanto hurled his blade into Mister Miracle’s side, but Scott Free was saved when his wife, Big Barda, charged into battle via Boom Tube and teleported Kanto to parts unknown with her Mega-Rod.

DEBUT

6ft

Val Armorr

185 lbs Master of all martial arts disciplines; can fly with Legion flight ring. ALLIES Princess Projectra, Diamondeth ENEMIES Mordru, Crav, the General Nah, Terrot of the Horraz AFFILIATIONS the Legion of Super-Heroes WEIGHT

POWERS/ABILITIES

Val Armorr is a being born to battle. The son a 31st-Century crime lord of Japanese descent, he was raised offworld by martial arts mater Sensei Toshiaki (White Crane) and trained to be a living weapon. As Karate Kid, he joined the Legion of Super-Heroes to prove his bravery and validate his training against Super-Villains such as Crav, the General Nah; however, his martial arts skills are not always a match for superpowers or advanced technologies. He enjoys and reveres the art and poetry of combat, and considers it an honor to only battle beings who would appear to be out of his league. His proudest moment thus far is kicking the archdemon and near-omnipotent Lord of Chaos Mordru in the face.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (1986)

Gotham City EYES Red HAIR Green POWERS/ABILITIES Skilled actor; encyclopedic knowledge of Shakespeare. ALLIES Damian Wayne, Alfred, Titus AFFILIATIONS Batman household BASE

Drama student Carrie Kelley was hired by Bruce Wayne’s son Damian to give him acting lessons so he could experience what it was like to be someone else. When Damian didn’t show up, she left her bill and a note for him at Wayne Manor. Bruce gave her a hefty check, but did not reveal the truth: his son—aka Robin—had been killed battling the Heretic. Carrie sensed Bruce was hiding something, and revisited the Manor, demanding to see Damian. Bruce informed her that Damian was studying overseas and told Alfred to show her out. Instead, the butler hired her to take care of the Manor’s Great Dane, Titus. Bruce reluctantly allowed Carrie to become part of the household. Pre-Flashpoint in a possible future for Gotham City, Carrie Kelley was a 13-year-old Batman fangirl who became the new Robin after saving the out-of-retirement and out-of-condition Dark Knight from the Mutant gang leader. She then helped track down and defeat The Joker. A faithful ally, she later took on the mantle of Catgirl, before growing into her mentor’s boots as Batwoman.

K KATANA

ON THE RECORD

Brave and the Bold (Vol. 1) #200 (Jul. 1983) (as Tatsu Yamashiro) REAL NAME Tatsu Toro BASE Mobile EYES Brown HAIR Black HEIGHT 5ft 2in WEIGHT 118 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Expert acrobat, martial artist, and swordswoman. ALLIES Green Arrow, Sickle, Halo -’s al Ghu -l, Cleaners, Onyx, Dagger Clan, ENEMIES Lady Eve, Kobra, Ra Poison Ivy, Killer Croc AFFILIATIONS Birds of Prey, Outsiders, Suicide Squad, Sword Clan

The original Katana was Tatsu

DEBUT

Yamashiro, whose husband, Maseo was slain with the magical sword Soultaker, wielded by his jealous gangster brother Takeo. Tatsu took up the Soultaker, trained as a samurai and, as Katana, joined Batman’s Outsiders. Takeo later tracked Katana to Gotham City and released all the souls in the Soultaker sword to attack her. After a long battle, Katana killed Takeo. During Blackest Night, Katana battled her undead husband, who had been raised from the grave by the Black Lanterns.

When Tatsu was a child her best friends were brothers Takeo and Maseo. Both fell in love with her, but she ultimately married Maseo. The brothers were members of the Sword Clan, one of several groups that made up the Outsiders, a secret organization devoted to preserving the balance of the world by eliminating evil and corruption. When Tatsu saw Takeo and Maseo arguing about her, she intervened, accidentally killing her husband with his sacred sword, Soultaker. It absorbed his spirit and, overwhelmed by grief, Tatsu took up Soultaker to stay close to Maseo. She then went into the world, seeking redemption as Katana. On the advice of her husband, who spoke to her through Soultaker, she briefly joined the Birds of Prey team, helping them battle Poison Ivy and terrorist-group the Cleaners. After violently encountering the mysterious Dagger Clan in Japan, Katana left the Birds to learn more about Soultaker and the Sword Clan. When Killer Croc broke the sword and released Maseo’s spirit, her late husband told Katana she had to let go of him and dedicate herself to redeeming the warring Outsiders. After Soultaker was reforged, she became head of the Sword Clan, helping Green Arrow defeat the Fist, Spear, Shield, and Axe clans when they planned a large-scale terror attack on Prague. Following Rebirth, she was hired by Amanda Waller to wrangle the rebellious convicts in the Suicide Squad, and clashed with King Kobra, before joining Batman in a new Outsiders team hunting Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl.

KENTS, THE Superman (Vol. 1) #1 (Jun. 1939) Smallville, Kansas POWERS/ABILITIES Ordinary pioneering humans, with strong ideals and clearly defined principles and ethics. ALLIES The Ross Family, the Lang Family ENEMIES John Wesley Hardin, Jesse James gang, Charley Quantrill AFFILIATIONS Jonah Hex, Scalphunter, Bill Hickock, George Armstrong Custer DEBUT BASE

The patrilineal side of the Kent family traces its history back to 6th-century England, where Sir Brian Kent battled tyranny as the Silent Knight. A thousand years later, the family had fallen from the aristocracy and at least one branch sought a better life in the New World. In 1854, patriarch and abolitionist Silas Kent was active in the anti-slavery movement. A printer and pamphleteer, he migrated west, MEN OF IRON The Kents had always settling in Lawrence, Kansas, with his oldest worked hard and put sons Nathaniel and Jebediah. His wife Abigail their lives on the line to protect their family, had remained in Boston to raise their remaining seven children. When she died three years later, friends, and most cherished beliefs. the children remained in Massachusetts. After the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Kansas Kents generally stuck to their lands as farmers, although a succession of Kent men proudly served in America’s overseas wars. The line looked likely to end in the 20th century with Jonathan and Martha Kent, until the childless couple found a son who fell to Earth in a rocketship. They subsequently raised him in the traditions and morals which had shaped generations of Kents. The child was called Clark and would grow up to be the world’s foremost Super Hero, an indomitable defender of truth and justice—Superman.

BETTER THAN THE MOVIES

While serving with Halo and Looker in the Outsiders, Katana clashed with Tengu spirits and Japanese gangsters in Hollywood!

FAMILY HONOR

Jonathan and Martha’s foundling son was destined to become the most famous Kent in the family’s long and valiant history—at least to those who knew his secret identity.

ON THE RECORD When baby Kal-El crashed to Earth he was adopted by a couple desperate for a child of their own. In the years that followed, while their status remained constant, the Kents’ ages varied to suit the times. In Superman #1 (1939), they were elderly and died before their son began his heroic career. In the 1960s, they were rejuvenated by alien science to become spry 40-year olds. However, the biggest change came in the 1986 reboot, where Mr. and Mrs. Kent again became an older couple, but never died; instead offering parental love and guidance to the Man of Steel.

HEAVEN SENT

The infant found by aging Jonathan and Martha was not just the answer to their prayers, but would become the savior of the world.

169

K KEY, THE DEBUT

KGBEAST

Justice League (Vol. 1) #41 (Dec. 1965)

Unknown BASE Alaska HEIGHT Unknown WEIGHT Unknown EYES Red HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Telepathy using psycho-chemicals. ALLIES Troia ENEMIES Justice League AFFILIATIONS Intergang REAL NAME

The archmanipulator known as the Key worked for Intergang on experiments with psycho-chemicals that unlocked his mental potential. He claimed to have 19 senses as a result of stimulating his brain with these chemicals, and gained the ability to unlock portals to other dimensions. The Key theorized that there was even greater potential power locked up in the minds of superpowered beings, and set about trying to release it. Working with a mysterious ally, who turned out to be Troia, an evil future version of Donna Troy, the Key lured four Justice Leaguers and their Titans equivalents to his bunker and tried to break them psychologically to release their emotional energy. Although he did release Troia’s power, she was defeated by the Titans and he was captured.

DEBUT

Batman (Vol. 1) #417 (Mar. 1988)

Anatoli Knyazev "The Beast" BASE Classified EYES Blue HAIR Blond HEIGHT 6ft 3in WEIGHT 231 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Espionage and combat training; cybernetically enhanced body; cannon replaces missing arm. ENEMIES Batman, Batgirl, Aquaman, the Operative, the Others ALLIES Bane, NKVDemon AFFILIATIONS Mayhem, Suicide Squad REAL NAME

Anatoli Knyazev served heroically in the KGB, earning the codename KGBeast, KGBeast was critically injured in a shootout with the Suicide Squad in the Moscow subway, but Mars Systems literally rebuilt him for combat. He then joined Soviet veteran NKVDemon in Mayhem, working to bring back the glory days of the USSR by holding the world to ransom with a nuclear-armed satellite. This brought him into conflict with the Others, a squad that included an old foe, the Operative, who destroyed KGBeast’s arm cannon before finishing him off in hand-to-hand combat. Rebranding as “The Beast,” he turned to mercenary work. Hired by Bane to assassinate Batman, The Beast shot Nightwing, causing massive brain trauma, but again failing in his mission.

KHUNDS, THE

KID ETERNITY

DEBUT Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #346 (Jul. 1966)

DEBUT

Khundia, Khundish Empire HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Aggressive and militaristic; urgent drive for status and territory. ALLIES Dark Circle ENEMIES United Planets, Thanagarians, Legion of Super-Heroes AFFILIATIONS Alien Alliance, Dominators

BASE

BASE

The Khunds are an extremely aggressive, territorial warrior-race who began carving out an intergalactic empire as soon as they freed themselves from the bounds of their heavy-gravity homeworld. Their culture is based on confrontation and dominance. Khunds consider all other species as inferior and every contact with a new culture is an opportunity for conquest and expansion. The Empire is a constantly shifting hierarchy of competing warlords with the mightiest fighter ruling only for as long as he can defeat all challengers. The most arrogant and belligerent members of the species take enormous pride in having their bodies cybernetically augmented: recreating themselves as living weapons. To a Khund, victory is everything and must be won at any price.

KID FLASH

Christopher “Kit” Freeman New York City HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 164 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Able to communicate with the newly dead for up to 24 hours. ALLIES Mr. Keeper

Chris Freeman was arguing with his N.Y.P.D. detective dad when they were both shot. He remembered dying and arriving in a grotesque waiting area with the rest of the newly deceased. His dad grabbed him, begging Chris not to leave him there. What Chris did not know was why or how he had returned to life, or how his dad’s corpse could say “you should be here, not me…” Working at the Police Morgue, Chris soon discovered a strange new ability: he could bring back dead people—“Fresh Ones”—and help them settle any unfinished business. When Darby Quinn was killed, Chris helped his ghost catch the murderer, only to find Quinn was a violent aggressor and had been shot in self defense. It also brought Freeman into conflict with the spectral Mr. Keeper, who warned him there were rules he needed to follow.

ON THE RECORD

The Flash Annual (Vol. 4) #3 (Jun. 2014) REAL NAME Wallace Rudolph West BASE Central City EYES Brown HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed; rapid healing; ability to absorb Speed Force energy; time-travel. ALLIES Teen Titans, Barry Allen ENEMIES Professor Zoom, Future Flash AFFILIATIONS Iris West, Daniel West/the Reverse-Flash DEBUT

Wally West’s father Rudy walked out on his family when the boy was still young. His mother vanished during the Crime Syndicate’s attack on Central City, and 12-year-old Wally went to live with his aunt Iris. Soon after, Wally was arrested by Barry Allen for vandalism, but despite this shaky start, and thanks to Iris’ persistence, they became firm friends. Twenty years in the future, a grief-maddened Barry Allen had seen his friends suffer and die while the Speed Force ruptured from being over-used for time-travel by numerous speedsters. As the Future Flash, Barry then raced back over his decades-long career, rectifying every failure, and intending to murder his younger self and use the liberated energies to “correct” history—and seal the temporal breach his actions had caused. The future Barry was thwarted by an older Wally who was also a speedster. Allowing both Flashes’ energies to pass through him, Wally sacrificed his life to reset history. He returned to his juvenile self, unaware of what had happened or that the trans-dimensional Speed Force had altered him and would soon make him a super-fast Super Hero, too. As the latest Kid Flash carved out his own reputation in the Teen Titans and under the controversial mentorship of Deathstroke in the mercenary’s Defiance team, his world was shaken by the return of another Wally West from a previous reality, further destabilizing him. Despite all the shocks to his system, Kid Flash remains devoted to his family and the rapid pursuit of justice.

170

Hit Comics (Vol. 1) #25 (Dec. 1942)

REAL NAME

Kid Flash was the first original sidekick of DC’s Silver Age, offering a

youngster’s perspective to the adventures of the Fastest Man Alive. Wally West shared cases with his mentor and joined fellow superpowered kids in the Teen Titans before inheriting the mantle and responsibilities of The Flash after Barry Allen gave his life during the Crisis on WALLY WEST The Flash’s Infinite Earths. helper rapidly Wally’s sometimeevolved into a sidekick and eventual vibrant hero successor was Bart succeeding on his on terms. Allen—aka Impulse—who inherited his grandfather’s powers and costumed identity before being killed by The Flash’s Rogues. Both champions were revealed to have a connection to the extradimensional Speed-Force, unlike Bar Torr, whose hyper-velocity remains an unexplained accident. A terrorist insurgent in his own BAR TORR time, he learned to be a hero, The amnesiac battling beside young 21stspeedster from the 30th century century metahumans as Kid learned how to Flash in the Teen Titans. run fast enough to escape the shame of his evil past.

K DATA

KILLER CROC Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #523 (Feb. 1983) Batman (Vol. 2) #1 (Nov. 2011) REAL NAME Waylon Jones BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 5in WEIGHT 300 lbs EYES Yellow HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Rare skin condition allows for enhanced durability; enhanced strength and endurance; excellent fighter with history of wrestling alligators; razorsharp teeth and claws. ALLIES Arsenal, Catwoman, Gotham City Monsters ENEMIES Batman, The Batman Family, Bane AFFILIATIONS Arkham Asylum inmates, Suicide Squad, Gotham City Monsters DEBUT

UPDATE

Killer Croc may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but his razorlike claws and teeth certainly make up for it. Almost more animal than man, this ferocious Super-Villain has challenged Batman to many fights— ones that the Dark Knight has been lucky to walk away from in one piece. Killer Croc is truly a force to be feared and remains one of the most dangerous inmates ever to be housed in Arkham Asylum. Waylon Jones had always been different. Growing up in a poor neighborhood in Gotham City, he lived a lonely life with his Aunt Flowers. With no parents of his own, Waylon had only his aunt to MOCKING THE CROC look up to, but she despised her nephew because of the way he As a boy, Waylon Jones’ skin condition caused him looked. Born with a rare medical condition that caused scales to form to be teased by his peers, on his body and bumpy, horn-like protrusions to grow on his head, leading to the nickname as well as giving him jagged teeth and claws, Waylon was cruelly Croc, which he would nicknamed “Croc” by the local kids. His aunt attempted to scrub off later fully embrace. Waylon’s scales when they first emerged, but had no luck making her nephew appear as normal as the boys and girls that mocked him. Years later, Waylon made his way to Jacksonville, Florida and became a sideshow act wrestling alligators in the Eddie Geisel Circus Sideshow. Now completely covered in hard green scales, Waylon was dubbed Killer Croc. Waylon became frustrated with his low income from Geisel, and literally bit the hand that fed him, quitting the act and returning to Gotham City to become a thief. He soon crossed paths with Batman and the original Robin during a jewelry heist. The two heroes brought him to justice, but would go on to see the fierce villain escape incarceration at Arkham Asylum time and again. On one occasion, he even chomped off the hand of one of the Asylum’s toughest guards, Aaron Cash. Recruited into Task Force X, the government’s secret Suicide Squad, Killer Croc went on a variety of covert operations and began a rather doomed relationship with a fellow Belle Reve inmate, Enchantress. While he mourned her loss when she seemingly died during a mission, Croc decided to stay on the side of the angels after earning his freedom thanks to completing a number of Suicide Squad missions. He joined up with a few fellow Gotham City Monsters for a time and began to run Tusk’s Hotel in Gotham City’s newly established Monstertown neighborhood. A clash with Batman earned Croc another stint in Arkham Asylum; however, but both he and Batman have high hopes that he will he will fully rehabilitate some day.

ON THE RECORD First appearing shortly before the

epic maxiseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, the original incarnation of Killer Croc was far smarter than his savage post-Flashpoint successor. Depicted as a criminal mastermind slowly taking over Gotham City’s underworld, Killer Croc—also called King Croc—murdered the Flying Todds, Gotham City’s newest trapeze act sensation. The Todds’ son, Jason, survived, and would go on to become the second Robin. Some years later, Jason’s story was rewritten with the future Robin now being depicted as an orphaned street kid with little historical connection to Killer Croc.

KILLER OR KING?

In his later appearances, Killer Croc became simply muscle-for-hire, a far cry from the gang boss that earned a feared reputation as King Croc.

MURKY DEPTHS

Killer Croc can often be found in the sewers, with the old tunnels providing him with the perfect hideaway. Croc often takes charge of some of the other forgotten souls who dwell there.

CLASSIC STORIES Detective Comics (Vol. 1) #525 (Apr. 1983) Batman tangles with Killer Croc in the Gotham City sewers, realizing how ferocious his new opponent truly is. Batman (Vol. 1) #359 (May 1983)

Killer Croc’s origin is told for the first time as he declares himself “King Croc,” and takes his place as one of Gotham City’s major criminals. Batman (Vol. 1) #489 (Feb. 1993)

Croc is given the spotlight as he takes on Robin, Azrael, and the threat of a formidable new villain, Bane. Batman (Vol. 1) #608 (Dec. 2002)

Killer Croc is mutated into a more animalistic state thanks to the meddling of new Batman foe, Hush.

BATTLE OF THE BRAWN

The powerful villain Bane challenged Killer Croc for territory while clad in a makeshift Batsuit. Bane came out on top, besting the scaly beast in fierce combat.

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K KILLER FROST DEBUT

NEW TERROR

Firestorm (Vol. 1) #3 (Jun. 1978)

Dr. Caitlin Snow HEIGHT 5ft 4in WEIGHT 123 lbs EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Can project ice and snow from her fingertips; feeds off others’ heat. ALLIES Steve Trevor, Batman ENEMIES Firestorm, Amanda Waller AFFILIATIONS S.T.A.R. Labs, Justice League of America, A.R.G.U.S. REAL NAME

Dr. Caitlin Snow was a brilliant employee of S.T.A.R. Labs, assigned to their Arctic base. Here she found her fellow scientists had been stymied in their work on a thermodynamic ultraconductor engine. Not knowing that her peers were associated with terrorist group H.I.V.E., Snow was blindsided by her colleagues and locked in with the experimental machine. While trying to save herself by pulling out the machine’s coolant wires, Caitlin was fused with ice and transformed into Killer Frost. Now needing to feed on heat from living things, Snow discovered that the energies of Firestorm were the only thing that sated her hunger, prompting many clashes with the hero. Constantly starving, she became a reluctant but predatory Super-Villain, but ultimately redeemed herself working with Steve Trevor and A.R.G.U.S. to battle the Earth-3 invasion of the Crime Syndicate. Frost was captured and remanded to Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad, but rescued by Batman, who saw her need to

While in the Justice League of America, Killer Frost warmed to tiny team member Atom and also faced the threat of Terrorsmith.

redeem herself was genuine. He placed her in his new Justice League of America team where she blossomed into a true hero while battling the likes of The Extremists, Queen of Fables, Chronos, and Terrorsmith.

KILLER MOTH DEBUT

Green Arrow (Vol. 5) #25 (Jan. 2014)

Drury Walker BASE Gotham City EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Mediocre combatant; employs moth-themed gimmicks to intimidate. ALLIES Richard Dragon, Brick, Red, Count Vertigo ENEMIES Green Arrow, Batman, Batgirl, Emiko Queen AFFILIATIONS Longbow Hunters REAL NAME

Killer Moth appeared during the super-storm that ravaged Gotham City in Year Zero. Obsessed with moths and money, he tried to kidnap billionaire Moira Queen, who was leading relief efforts. His airgun devastated her bodyguards, but was no defense against Batman and Green Arrow. Later, he joined the Longbow Hunters, costumed mercenaries paid millions to destroy everything Green Arrow cherished. Despite his murderous ways, Killer Moth was a coward. He was beaten by Oliver Queen’s assistant Naomi Singh and her little sister Emiko. Pre-Flashpoint and post-Rebirth, Killer Moth is a minor Batman villain, basing his MO on the Dark Knight’s arsenal, while terrorizing wealthy families and organizing gangs of super-criminals into a private army. His latest recruitment drive was dismantled by Batwoman, Robin (Tim Drake), Clayface, Spoiler, and Orphan.

KILOWOG Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 1) #201 (Jun. 1986) BASE Oa, Mogo, New Oa HEIGHT 8ft 3in WEIGHT 720 lbs EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Inspirational trainer, brilliant geneticist and technologist, skilled engineer, ferocious hand-to-hand fighter employing vast bulk and strength; experienced and imaginative wielder of the light of Willpower, channeled through a standard Green Lantern power ring. ALLIES Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Salaak, Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner ENEMIES Sinestro, Darkstars AFFILIATIONS Green Lantern Corps, Rocket Red Brigade DEBUT

FATHER FIGURE

Having lost his family and world twice, Kilowog was deeply invested in making sure his rookies were ready for anything.

172

Kilowog was a brilliant geneticist on bustling, Bolovax Vik. The psychic wrench of abandoning his species was tremendous, but Kilowog was also proud to serve the greater universe as Sector 674’s Green Lantern. When Bolovax Vik was destroyed during the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kilowog saved all 16 billion Bolovaxians by converting them to energy and storing them in his power ring. He could not repeat the feat when Sinestro eradicated them all after they resettled on a new planet. With his race twice-lost, Kilowog dedicated his life to the Green Lantern Corps. His entire nature centers on being part of a greater whole and he found purpose in training new recruits, giving them the tools necessary to survive the most dangerous job in creation. The greatest shock in his life came after discovering the Guardians of the Universe had betrayed their own principles, turning upon their Green Lanterns and attempting to eradicate Free Will with their abhorrent Third Army. Following the Guardians defeat and destruction at the hands of Sinestro, Kilowog stepped down as Corps Drill Instructor, reluctantly assuming the critical role of Protocol Officer for the now autonomous Corps. With the remaining repentant Guardians advisings Corps Director John Stewart, Kilowog faced constant change: a fractious alliance of Yellow and Green Lantern Corps, deadly attacks by Controllers, war against the Kryptonian House of Zod, and even an attack from the future by last Yellow Lantern Sarko. The most telling blow came when former student Tomar Tu betrayed his principles, murdering a prisoner in custody before leading the Darkstars in a war against the guilty and executing murderers as judge, jury, and executioner.

KILLER SHARK III DEBUT Blackhawk (Vol. 1) #50 (Mar. 1952) (Killer Shark I); Birds of Prey (Vol. 1) #114 (Mar. 2008) (Killer Shark III)

Various 5ft 11in WEIGHT 214 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Self-made millionaire; superb athlete; sharp teeth; customized weaponry. ALLIES Queen Killer Shark, Killer Shark I ENEMIES Lady Blackhawk, Birds of Prey BASE

HEIGHT

The man calling himself Killer Shark is the grandson of the original Killer Shark, a pirate of the Pacific Ocean. The elder Killer Shark raided ships using a variety of high tech devices to make off with his stolen loot. He was also a sworn enemy of the famous pilots called the Blackhawks, and even invented a serum that could make others do his bidding. When his grandson inherited his mantle and arsenal, a new Killer Shark was born. He quickly tracked down and kidnapped the time-displaced Lady Blackhawk, using his grandfather’s serum to change her into Lady Killer Shark. He was infatuated with his new “partner,” but when Lady Blackhawk’s Birds of Prey teammate Huntress came her rescue, Killer Shark attempted to force her to become his slave as well, leading to his ultimate defeat.

ON THE RECORD A lonely alien craving the tight communal affinity of Bolovaxians, Kilowog was drawn to his lost culture’s closest equivalent: Communism. He began to associate with the leaders of the Soviet Union and used his alien science to complete their Rocket Red armored super-soldier program. His disappointment in discovering that everyday practice did not live up to philosophical principles quickly drove Kilowog back to his only true comrades: the Green Lantern Corps.

THE GREATER GOOD

Kilowog could not grasp why his human Green Lantern friends thought his political associations would lead to trouble.

K KING SHARK DEBUT

Superboy (Vol. 4) #0 (Oct. 1994)

REAL NAME

Nanaue

Mobile HEIGHT 7ft 2in WEIGHT 380 lbs EYES Red HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Giant shark-like humanoid possessing incredible strength. ALLIES Mera, Aqualad ENEMIES Aquaman, Superboy AFFILIATIONS Suicide Squad, the Society BASE

OUT FOR BLOOD

Killer shark’s voracious appetitie makes him an unpredictable and dangerous threat—to foes and friends alike.

DEBUT Knight and Squire (Cyril): Batman (Vol. 1)

#62 (Dec. 1950–Jan. 1951); Squire (Beryl): JLA (Vol. 1) #26 (Feb. 1999) REAL NAME Beryl Hutchinson (Squire, then, later, Knight) HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 131 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Talented detective, trained acrobat, proficient in unarmed combat; martial artist, multilingual, genius-level problem-solver AFFILIATIONS Batman Incorporated

British crime fighters Knight and Squire are a generational hero- team with their origins in World War II, when Percy Sheldrake—a boy of noble birth—became sidekick to mystic warrior Shining Knight. As an adult, Percy trained his son Cyril to be his partner. Together they tackled injustice as Knight and Squire until Percy was killed by their archenemy Springheeled Jack. Cyril sank into depression until local lass Beryl Hutchinson helped him. He revived the family tradition with Beryl as his new Squire. They worked often with Bruce Wayne’s multinational Batman Incorporated and when Cyril was killed fighting Heretic—a giant monster clone of Damian Wayne— Beryl took over the Knight’s mantle. In the wake of the Doomsday Clock crisis, she organized Britain’s disparate Super Heroes into patriotic team Knight’s Inc.

DEBUT

Robin (Vol. 1) #2 (Feb. 1991)

Sir Edmund Dorrance BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 220 lbs EYES White (Blind) HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Expert martial artist; ties to the criminal underworld. ALLIES Lynx, Bane ENEMIES Batman, Red Robin, the Batman Family AFFILIATIONS Kobra, Black Lantern Corps REAL NAME

A mercenary who traveled to island nation Santa Prisca, Sir Edmund Dorrance lost his eyesight during a covert government commando raid on his forces. Dorrance escaped, leaving behind A son, whom he’d fathered with a local rebel. The child became the Super-Villain Bane, and Edmund himself grew infamous as King Snake: ruthlessly rising up the criminal ladder to become a major gang lord. After repeated clashes with Robin (Tim Drake), and a failed attempt to usurp leadership of global terrorist cult, Kobra, King Snake seemingly fell to his death battling Batman and Bane. However, Dorrance returned to terrorize Gotham City as a member of the undead Black Lantern Corps, and was restored to life and history following the Rebirth event. He was last seen battling Batman and Catwoman.

The Super-Villain known as King Shark is the son of Kamo, a being convinced that he was an ancient Hawaiian deity. When government agent Amanda Waller took Kamo into custody, she also kidnapped his son, King Shark. Considered the “first child of Belle Reve,” King Shark was raised in the high-security prison. As an adult, King Shark was tortured, along with other would-be members, by Amanda Waller as part of the loyalty test during her vetting process for Task Force X—a clandestine government strike force more commonly called the Suicide Squad. Despite his ordeal, King Shark joined the Suicide Squad, and while he has on occasion eaten a team member, he proved to be an effective operative before disappearing during a mission. He later resurfaced as a loyal servant of the amphibious Queen Mera.

KNIGHT

KING SNAKE

KNIGHT RIDER

Although dedicated to defending Britain from Super-Villain threats, the latest Knight is a hi-tech champion combatting evil on a global stage.

KNIGHTFALL DEBUT

Batgirl (Vol. 4) #10 (Aug. 2012)

Charise Carnes BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 141 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blond POWERS/ABILITIES Wealthy manipulator and actor; adept martial artist; well-connected, wears discarded Azrael suit. ALLIES Mirror, Grotesque, Gretel, James Gordon, Jr. ENEMIES Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Batwoman AFFILIATIONS The Outsiders, the Disgraced REAL NAME

The daughter of a real-estate millionaire, Charise constantly met men who liked her for daddy’s money. She thought Trevor was different—and he truly was. Trevor murdered her family in front of her eyes. Instead of reporting him, Charise bided her time and plotted revenge. Sentenced for her crimes, she reemerged from Arkham Asylum as Knightfall, kidnapping and torturing Trevor and clashing with Batgirl several times. All the while, Charise exploited her past to position herself as a well-respected member of society until her ultimate defeat at the hands of Batgirl and her allies. During the Doomsday Clock crisis, she used decommissioned Azrael Armor to join and work with Markovia’s Outsiders Super Hero Team.

KLARION DEBUT

The Demon (Vol. 1) #7 (Mar. 1973)

Klarion Bleak New York City HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 113 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Flight; teleportation; energy projection; shapeshifting, telekinesis. ALLIES Teekl, Beelzebub, Piper, Oblivion, Rasp ENEMIES The Necropolitan Club, Teen Titans, Etrigan the Demon, Justice League Dark AFFILIATIONS The Elite, Injustice League Dark, Seven Soldiers REAL NAME BASE

Hailing from a magical dimension, Klarion was a student of mystical arts. When he lashed out at his teacher using magic, he realized that he couldn’t return home, and he made his home on Earth. There he began to work and train at New York’s Moody Museum under a mysterious woman named Piper, meeting new magical allies. Klarion clashed with the Secret Six when their teen member Black Alice began disrupting the magical community with her hex powers. Klarian and his cat familiar Teekl are part of The Seven Soldiers, battling malign Sheeda invasions and traversing dimensions with young hero Sideways. During the reality-warping return of Perpetua and eldritch Witching War, Klarion chose evil and joined the resurgent Circle’s villainous cabal Injustice League Dark to remake magic in their image.

KNOCKOUT DEBUT

Superboy (Vol. 4) #1 (Feb. 1994)

6ft 1in WEIGHT 200 lbs Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength and durability; regeneration. ALLIES Scandal Savage, Rag Doll, Dubbilex ENEMIES Female Furies, Granny Goodness, Silicon Dragons, Vandal Savage AFFILIATIONS Female Furies, Secret Six HEIGHT EYES

Knockout rejected the brutal warrior’s life in Darkseid’s Female Furies and fled to Earth to have fun. Working as an exotic dancer in Hawaii, she clashed repeatedly with Superboy before being recruited into the Suicide Squad. Knockout walked a fine line between hero and villain; often pushing the heroes and villains she hung out with into less and less ethical actions. She later joined metahuman mercenaries the Secret Six where, at the request of its leader—and her latest love—Scandal Savage, Knockout, aka “Kayo,” infiltrated Lex Luthor’s Super-Villain group, the Society. After a period of thrilling capers on the run with Scandal, Knockout was killed by Infinity-Man. Her soul went to Hell, but was rescued by Secret Six comrade Rag Doll, who voluntarily took her place there.

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K KOBRA DEBUT

CULT LEADER

Kobra (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1976)

REAL NAME

Jeffrey Franklin Burr

Tibet HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 200 lbs EYES Black HAIR Bald POWERS/ABILITIES Charismatic leader; genius-level intellect; expert in unarmed combat. ALLIES Lady Eve ENEMIES Katana, Checkmate, Suicide Squad, Jason Burr, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Black Adam BASE

Jeffrey Burr was stolen by the ancient Kobra Cult and raised in their murderous ways. As “Naga-Naga,” he went on to battle countless Super Heroes in his struggle to rule the world. Jeffrey’s twin brother Jason had a regular upbringing, until government agents revealed to him that he was psychically linked to a brother he knew nothing about. The lawmen wanted to use that connection to control his brother, now called Kobra. Despite the efforts of several Super Heroes, Kobra had Jason killed before expanding his terrorist depredations. Years later, Black Adam killed Jeffrey, and the role of Kobra went to his archenemy and resurrected brother, Jason. Following, Convergence and Rebirth, a new, King Kobra arose. Anonymous and ruthless, this new Naga Naga attempted to conquer Markovia with a serpent army. He clashed with Katana and the Suicide Squad, and was accidentally responsible for creating new Super Hero Halo. In another encounter,

Jeffrey Burr, leader of the powerful Kobra cult, was prepared to stop at nothing to attain world domination.

his servant Lady Eve almost destroyed Task Force X. Kobra later fell foul of the Creeper and Black Adam during the Doomsday Clock affair. A megalomaniac convinced the world is his by divine right, Kobra plays no favorites, battling heroes like Batman and using villains like Bane in his march to power. His organization was severely damaged by Leviathan’s unilateral assault on covert groups, but he will inevitably rebuild.

KOMODO DEBUT

Green Arrow (Vol. 5) #17 (Apr. 2013)

Simon Lacroix HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 176 lbs EYES Black HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Highly intelligent; martial artist; highly skilled in Kyudo archery. ALLIES Mr. Kryp ENEMIES Green Arrow, Shado, the Bear AFFILIATIONS Outsiders, Arrow Clan, Magus REAL NAME

Born into abject poverty, Simon Lacroix amassed a huge personal fortune over time through sheer grit and his own innate brilliance. Working under Robert Queen, Simon shared his boss’ obsession with the obscure martial cult, the Arrow Clan. He was the son Robert had always wanted, rather than the wastrel Oliver, who was an embarrassment to the Queens. A man of overweening ambition, Lacroix then murdered Robert, adopted his illicit daughter Emiko, and trained with the bow until he became one of the world’s most lethal archers. Stealing the Queen fortune through his own company, Stellmore International, Lacroix adopted the masked identity of Komodo and framed Green Arrow for murder. A confrontation ensued, and after a battle with Green Arrow, Komodo lost an eye. He was later killed by Emiko when she learned of her true parentage.

KRYPTONITE MAN DEBUT

Action Comics (Vol. 1) #249 (Feb. 1959)

Clay Ramsay Metropolis EYES Blue HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Radiation absorption and generation, superhuman strength, and flight. ALLIES Lex Luthor, Dr. Abernathy, General Sam Lane ENEMIES Superman, Steel AFFILIATIONS Anti-Superman Army, K-Men REAL NAME BASE

Bully and wife-beater Clay Ramsay was an early recipient of Superman’s justice after the caped hero debuted in Metropolis. Tossed into Hob’s Bay, the psychopath transferred all his rage onto the Man of Steel. Increasingly unstable, Ramsay tried suing Superman after his wife left him, then volunteered for Lex Luthor’s Project K-Man. Luthor needed a Superman deterrent and Clay’s hatred for “the alien” made him the perfect subject. During his first treatment with stolen Kryptonite, Ramsay was accidentally given excess energy. Super-strong and radioactive, he escaped and attacked Superman, but was defeated. In custody, Clay was conscripted by General Sam Lane to be his secret anti-Superman weapon.

KRONA Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #40 (Oct. 1965) Maltus HEIGHT 3ft 5in WEIGHT 62 lbs EYES Green HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Immortality; full range of psionic abilities possessed by hyper-evolved Maltusians; flight; energy manipulation and projection; mind-control; overwhelming intellect and advanced technical genius. ALLIES Nekron ENEMIES Guardians of the Universe, Green Lantern Corps AFFILIATIONS Guardians of the Universe, Black Lantern Corps DEBUT BASE

Krona was the most exalted of the scientific super-beings who developed on Maltus when the universe was young. Obsessed with discovering how creation began, he ignored all warnings and built a machine that took him back to the dawn of time. The moment he glimpsed the birth of everything, his machine exploded, fracturing reality into a multiverse, and shortening the lifespan of all existence. This mishap also created the Anti-Matter Universe, unleashing evil upon all life. In response, his colleagues declared themselves Guardians of the Universe, eschewing all emotion and developing chaossuppressing organizations to mitigate the damage Krona had caused. Krona was converted into energy and set to eternally orbit the cosmos he had despoiled. The super-Maltusians subsequently divided into squabbling factions: Zamarons, Controllers, and Guardians. Billions of years later, Krona repeated his experiment, but was foiled by Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Returned to his energy state, the renegade then penetrated the Death Dimension and allied with Nekron, leading to the rise of Black Lanterns and Blackest Night. After attempting to seize the Emotional Spectrum’s Light Entities in his all-consuming obsession to learn the origins of creation, Krona was executed by Jordan. His body was given to Atrocitus by Guardian Ganthet, but was subsequently stolen by the Red Lantern’s son, Abysmus. The latter desecrated and consumed Krona’s body to acquire the power remaining within.

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KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Krona was enslaved by his need for answers and was oblivious to the untold suffering caused by his curiosity.

K KRYPTO

TRUE LOVE

Despite all the tragedies that stemmed from Krypton’s destruction, Superman’s joy was boundless after finding his oldest childhood friend was still alive.

Krypto and Superboy share a common bond: both are outcasts, science-enhanced instinctive warriors, and fiercely protective of their friends and family.

With Krypton crumbling to pieces around him, a desperate Jor-El sought refuge for his family in the Phantom Zone. When the prisoners exiled within threatened baby Kal-El, the El family’s faithful dog Krypto drove off the attackers, but was dragged into the timeless dimension with them. Deprived of all other options, Jor-El entrusted the life of his son to an experimental rocketship he sent to Earth, before apparently perishing with his wife and race. As Krypton exploded, the valiant hound—reduced to an intangible, timeless ghost—stayed close to his young charge. Despite being trapped behind imperceptible dimensional walls, Krypto loyally continued watching over Kal-El as he grew up on Earth. Eventually, Krypto was freed and reunited with his beloved Kal-El. Supercharged by yellow solar radiation, the good boy quickly adapted to his new solid-state existence and has extended his precious family. He mixes exploratory wanderings around the world with the sacred duty of protecting his two-legged family pack, which includes youthful El clone Conner Kent, young pup Jon Kent (Superboy), his mother Lois, and cousin Kara Zor-El. After a fun adventure with other animal heroes against bad beasts, Krypto embarked on a big trip guarding Supergirl as she scoured the galaxy for the true murderers of Krypton.

KRYPTONIANS Action Comics (Vol. 1) #1 (Jun. 1938) POWERS/ABILITIES On Krypton: high intelligence, dense molecular structure, cells capable of absorbing and storing certain frequencies of radiation. Under a yellow sun: super-strength, speed, flight, invulnerability, enhanced senses—all fueled by exposure to solar energy. ENEMIES The Char, Brainiac, the Multitude DEBUT

Krypton was a dense world circling the red sun Rao. Despite its immense gravity, a passionate, adventurous, and intelligent humanoid race flourished there. Over millennia—filled with periodic outbreaks of destructive warfare— Kryptonians reached an impressive level of technological advancement. Much of their later civilization was based on a multipurpose crystal mineral: Sunstone. For a time, Kryptonians were starfaring, but as a result of increasing planetary conflicts, they eventually lost the secret of escaping the planet’s potent gravity-well. They also developed cloning to a high degree, but when the mass-produced duplicates became entrenched as a slave species, the clones rose up in bloody revolt. The atrocities that followed led to cloning being outlawed and, over time, utterly detested. Ultimately, Kryptonian culture was ended through ignorance and arrogance. The ruling Council refused to acknowledge the findings of leading scientist Jor-El when he discovered the planet’s core was highly unstable and heading toward an annihilating atomic detonation.

ON THE RECORD

A BOY AND HIS DOG

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #210 (Mar. 1955) BASE Earth EYES Blue HAIR White POWERS/ABILITIES Brave, loyal, and determined; relatively advanced intelligence; flight, super-strength, speed, endurance; all the sensory and solar-fueled enhancements of Kryptonian physiology. ALLIES Superman, Superboy (Jon Kent), Supergirl, Superboy (Conner Kent), Robin (Damian Wayne) ENEMIES Kryptonite Man, Xa-Du, Eradicator, Dru-Zod AFFILIATIONS Wonder Woman, Legion of Super-Pets DEBUT

Superman’s best friend

has always been his dog. A test-subject in Jor-El’s rocketry experiments, canine Krypto was trapped in suspended animation n space for years, first coming to Earth when Clark Kent was still a Superboy. For decades, the Hound of Steel split his time between Earthly adventures and roaming across time and space. Faithful unto death, the Silver Age Krypto perished saving his beloved master from Kryptonite-Man.

FRISKY BUSINESS

Superboy’s elation with Krypto’s reemergence in his life was always tempered by the problems the Dog of Steel’s playful antics could cause.

ON THE RECORD SOLAR SUPERPOWER

All Krypton’s lifeforms possess a cellular structure that hyperefficiently processes yellow solar radiation. They gain superpowers after prolonged exposure.

An iteration of Krypton seems to

exist in each of the 52 universes of the Multiverse. Krypton-23’s last survivor became his adopted Earth’s American President Calvin Ellis, while on Earth-10 the stellar foundling crash-landed in Nazi Germany and his presence resulted in that world’s surrender to global fascism. The most radical alternate was Earth-3’s evil paragon Ultraman, who gained power by consuming Kryptonite and lost strength under a yellow sun.

ACME OF CIVILIZATION

Every incarnation of Krypton had used science to create a virtual paradise; but none could modify the all-too-human failings of its citizens.

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L

LADY SHIVA Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter (Vol. 1) #5 (Dec. 1975–Jan. 1976) Sandra Wu-San BASE Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 128 lbs HAIR Brown EYES Green POWERS/ABILITIES Universal mastery of martial arts, including unarmed combat and a wide array of weapons. ALLIES Richard Dragon, Orphan, the Signal ENEMIES Raˉ’s al Ghu ˉl AFFILIATIONS League of Assassins, League of Shadows, The Outsiders

DATA

DEBUT

REAL NAME

MORTAL COMBAT

Lady Shiva has often been spotted in Gotham City, clashing with the Batman family on multiple occasions.

CLASSIC STORIES Batman (Vol. 1) #509 (Jul. 1994)

After Batman is paralyzed by Bane, Lady Shiva works with him to regain not just the use of his legs, but his fighting spirit. Batgirl (Vol. 1) #73 (Apr. 2006)

Lady Shiva apparently dies in a battle to the death with Cassandra Cain.

DEATH OF DEATHSTROKE?

Lady Shiva urged fellow martial artist Bronze Tiger to trace his old friend and drinking partner, Deathstroke—and kill him.

Mastering a number of different martial arts and weapons skills in her childhood, Lady Shiva was an expert assassin by the time she was a teenager. Batman has said she is without peer as a hand-to-hand combatant, and her skill with blades is equally superb. Born in a small Chinese village known as a place of assassins, Sandra Wu-San suffered a childhood filled with trauma—much of which remains a mystery. She trained hard to become an exceptional martial artist to seek vengeance on those that wronged her and later became an assassin for hire. Wu-San joined the League of Assassins and became known as Lady Shiva, after the Hindu god of destruction. Neither a conventional hero or villain, she has both fought and allied with a number of different heroes over the years, including Batman, Robin, Red Hood, and Nightwing. As an adult, she fought Dick Grayson the first time he went into the field as Robin to save Batman, defeating him easily and then advising him to get out of Batman’s shadow and forge his own identity. Several years later, she battled Nightwing and realized Grayson had taken her advice. As a trainer for the League of Assassins, she taught Red Hood, Bronze Tiger, and others, and allied with the League to fight off an Untitled infiltration of their hidden base. If Lady Shiva has a weak spot, it is her daughter, Cassandra Cain. The daughter of the assassin and original Orphan David Cain, Cassandra never knew her mother, and adopted the identity of Orphan when she chose to become a vigilante. Breaking away from Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl and taking command of his elite team known as the League of Shadows, Lady Shiva visited Cassandra on a trip to destroy Gotham City. Shiva killed Gotham City’s Mayor Hady and set her sights on razing the entire city in order to disrupt all the money and energy Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl had put into Gotham City over the years. Cassandra and Batman opposed Shiva, but it was Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl who shot and killed her. Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl resurrected Lady Shiva using the mystical, life-restoring Lazarus Pits; however, Shiva soon saw an opportunity to break away from his control again when the Super-Villain terrorist bombed a school in Metropolis. Shiva joined up with the principal of that school, Jefferson Pierce—aka Black Lightning—and his Super Hero team, The Outsiders. While her true motivation was another attempt to connect with her daughter, Shiva became more committed to defeating her old employer when Raˉ’s destroyed the village in which she had grown up. Lady Shiva successfully helped The Outsiders to defeat Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl’s latest terrorist campaign, even if her lethal methods clashed with the team’s own morals.

176

ON THE RECORD Lady Shiva was the mother of

Cassandra Cain, and challenged her daughter to a series of battles when the young woman first became Batgirl. With each duel, she taught Cassandra a little more, freeing the hero of her death wish. Eventually, Batgirl turned the tables on her mother and defeated Lady Shiva by forcing her to confront her own desire for death. Shiva has also demonstrated surprising loyalty to former teammates who have also been enemies. When Spy Smasher seized control of the Birds of Prey, Lady Shiva came to Oracle’s defense.

JADE WARRIOR

Lady Shiva was briefly allied with the Birds of Prey, adopting the name Jade Canary.

L L.E.G.I.O.N. L.E.G.I.O.N. #1 (Feb. 1989) Vril Dox II (leader): 12th-level intellect Captain Comet: Telekinetic Davroth Catto: Flight Darkstar (Lydea Mallor): Projects negative energy Marij’n and Garryn Bek: No superhuman abilities Amon Hakk: Khund strength Lobo: Regenerative abilities Zena Moonstruk: Light control Stealth: Soundwave control Strata: Super-strength Garv: Telepath DEBUT

MEMBERS/POWERS

ALLIES

LICENSED TO PROTECT

If you have an interplanetary crisis on your hands, L.E.G.I.O.N. will solve it... once they resolve their own issues.

LADY BLACKHAWK

LADY CLAY

DEBUT

Blackhawk #133 (Feb. 1959) Aerie HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 117 lbs HAIR Black EYES Brown ABILITIES Expert pilot, markswoman, and unarmed combatant. ALLIES Oracle ENEMIES Court of Owls, Secret Six AFFILIATIONS Blackhawks, Birds of Prey

DEBUT

BASE

REAL NAME

Green Lantern Corps, JLA, Omega Man

Formed after an alien invasion of Earth, the Licensed Extra-Governmental Interstellar Operatives Network (L.E.G.I.O.N.) is a heroic peacekeeping force that protects planets that subscribe to its services. The brilliant Coluan, Vril Dox II (son of Brainiac), founded L.E.G.I.O.N. after he and its original core members escaped from a Dominator-run “Starlag” prison camp. On their first mission, Vril Dox and his compatriots liberated Dox’s homeworld of Colu from the domineering grip of the ruling computer tyrants. They then cleaned out the riffraff from the vile planet of Cairn—the galaxy’s “drug world”—and made it their headquarters, though they established satellite command centers on every planet where they mounted sustained operations. L.E.G.I.O.N.’s rapid run of triumphs lured several high-paying clients and attracted new members, which led to the membership roster remaining in constant flux. L.E.G.I.O.N. continued its success until Dox’s super-smart, malevolent son, Lyrl,

usurped control and led the group down a very different path. In response, several members formed a rival team, R.E.B.E.L.S., to restore L.E.G.I.O.N.’s good name. Vril Dox eventually returned as the L.E.G.I.O.N.’s leader, just in time for the Rann-Thanagar War, and the team has since appeared battling alongside various Lantern Corps.

LANG, LANA Superboy (Vol. 1) #10 (Sep.–Oct. 1950) BASE Metropolis, Smallville HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 127 lbs HAIR Red EYES Blue POWERS/ABILITIES No superpowers, but a fiercely loyal friend with an unbreakable will; brilliant engineer and journalist. FORMER POWERS Solar energy conversion affording electrokinesis, EM spectrum manipulation and blasts, superhuman strength, invulnerability and flight. ALLIES Superman, John Henry Irons, Natasha Irons ENEMIES Lex Luthor DEBUT

The first Lady Blackhawk, Zinda Blake, became an expert pilot during World War II with the intention of becoming the first female member of the legendary Blackhawks. Soon accepted among their number, Blake joined their wartime exploits and fought Killer Shark. After the reality-warping event Zero Hour, Lady Blackhawk joined the Birds of Prey as a pilot, her loyalty contingent on Oracle’s role as team leader. Another Lady Blackhawk— Natalie Reed—served with the team from World War II into the Cold War years. A third, as yet unnamed Lady Blackhawk, wearing an eye patch, appeared as part of a Blackhawks covert-ops team. The group shut down the mysterious Mother Machine, averting the threat of a cyber-attack and a global release of dangerous nanotechnology.

Outsiders #21 (July 1987)

Sondra Fuller Gotham City HEIGHT Variable WEIGHT Variable HAIR None EYES Red ABILITIES Shapeshifting; flight. ALLIES Frankenstein, Red Phantom, Orca, Killer Croc, Andrew Bennett, Batwoman ENEMIES Melmoth AFFILIATIONS Kobra Cult BASE

Sondra Fuller used to work for the Kobra Cult, where she was transformed into a being of living clay with the intention of making her into a living weapon. After leaving Kobra, Sondra, also known as Lady Clay, spent her days trying to achieve perfection, to be the epitome of the ideal human. She could create people using parts of her clay body, and send them out into the world to have life experiences to bring her closer to perfection. When one of her “people” was killed in a ritual to raise the demonic Melmoth, Lady Clay had lost a piece of her soul. She agreed to team up with Frankenstein and other supernatural beings of Gotham City’s Monstertown to take down Melmoth.

WOMAN AND SUPERWOMAN

Empowered by the explosive demise of the post-Flashpoint Superman, Lana and the post-Flashpoint Lois Lane became twin heroes sharing the name Superwoman. Lois soon died, leaving Lana to battle a host of uncanny threats, including Ultrawoman, the Bizaress Army, and Skyhook.

Lana Lang was a close childhood friend of Clark Kent’s and one of the first people on Earth to learn of his extraordinary abilities. As teenagers, they were almost more than friends, but everything changed at a dance when Clark received the news that his parents had died in a car accident. Lana supported Clark’s dream of becoming a reporter, and left Smallville herself, eventually becoming a brilliant electrical engineer. Not one to hide from danger, she once restarted a doomed tanker’s engines in time to avert a deadly collision (with a little help from Superman), and later she met him again when a drilling project released a monster from deep underground—leading to an adventure in Imperial Subterranea. Back in Smallville, Lana helped Wonder Woman work out how Superman was affected by his battle with Doomsday, and uncovered Brainiac’s plot to use the brains of comatose humans —including those of her parents—to create a super network. After the Man of Steel gave his life to save his adopted planet, Lana Lang turned up at his memorial in Metropolis to keep a promise to Clark: To bury him with his parents in Smallville. She was interrupted by the alternate Earth Clark Kent, who had a plan to resurrect Superman. When that failed, he helped Lana LASTING LEGACY re-bury her friend’s remains. The energies released in that event Lana guided the alternate Earth Clark Kent to Superman’s Fortress turned her into a literal Superwoman. of Solitude hoping he could find a She began a relationship with inventor and former Super Hero Regeneration Matrix to revive the John Henry Irons (Steel), and eventually returned to human status, Man of Steel. Sadly, the artifact moving on to a career in broadcast journalism. didn’t exist in this Earth’s Fortress.

ON THE RECORD An earlier story about Lana

Lang had her marrying Pete Ross, who became Vice President in Lex Luthor’s White House (and later President when Luthor was forced from office). Feeling stifled in her role as First Lady— and also still bearing conflicted feelings about Clark—she divorced Pete and restarted her career. Later, Lana became the uncompromising CEO of LexCorp, and survived an alien attempt to turn her into a new Insect Queen, a nod to her insectoid transformations in both her Silver and Bronze Age incarnations (pictured right).

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Superman was often the subject of intense professional and personal rivalry between Lana Lang and the equally ambitious Lois Lane.

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LANE, LOIS Action Comics (Vol. 1) #1 (Jun. 1938) Metropolis HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 130 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Insatiable curiosity; excellent deductive reasoning and detective skills; militarily trained in unarmed combat; maintains contacts and informants all over the world. ALLIES Superman, Superboy (Jon Kent), Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, Batman, Catwoman, The Question II (Renee Montoya), Jessica Midnight ENEMIES Brainiac, Lex Luthor, Leviathan AFFILIATIONS The Daily Planet BASE

AT A GLANCE... Boss lady As The Daily Planet’s star reporter, Lois thrives under pressure, often working on more than one story at once. She’s learned from Perry White that journalistic integrity is paramount, even if she doesn’t particularly consider spellchecking a part of her job. When Lois walks into The Daily Planet’s bullpen, all eyes are on her.

Best Kept Secret Before Clark Kent came forward and announced his double life as Superman, Lois was charged with keeping her husband’s secret to herself, even though she knew she was sitting on one of the greatest newspaper stories in the history of the medium.

CLASSIC STORIES Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane (Vol. 1) #15 (Feb. 1960) All Lois’s dreams seemingly come true when Kryptonian weds Earthling in “The Super-Family of Steel!” However, the happy ending was actually for doppelgängers Sylvia DeWitt and Van-Zee of Kandor. Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane (Vol. 1) #70 (Nov. 1966) In a clever, fun story, Lois is mesmerized into becoming Catwoman while the real villainess magically transforms Superman into her cat. Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane (Vol. 1) #93 (Jul. 1969) Superman’s camaraderie with Wonder Woman—now a mortal adventurer—triggers insecurities that Lois must overcome to save the heroine’s life. Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane (Vol. 1) #111 (Jul. 1971) Lois first

encounters Darkseid’s secret invasion of Earth after being attacked by a tiny Justice League from the villain’s “Evil Factory.”

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Fiercely independent, relentlessly inquisitive, and possessing an unflinching sense of right and wrong, Lois Lane is one of the world’s most successful and influential investigative reporters. As she perfected her craft under legendary editor-in-chief Perry White at Metropolis’s prestigious The Daily Planet, Lois wrote innumerable high-profile stories, winning the envy and respect of her coworkers. Already a star reporter, her journalistic immortality was assured when—together with photographer Jimmy Olsen—Lois secured the first interviews with and official pictures of the mystery news sensation known as Superman.

DEBUT

Oh, little sister Lois’s sister withered rather than blossomed under Sam Lane’s parentage. A wild, rebellious kid, she grew up troubled and aimless. However, no matter how bad things were, Lucy always knew Lois would be there to pick up the pieces and clean up her messes.

Lois Lane was raised on US military bases around the world; an army brat constantly on the move as her soldier father, Sam Lane, rapidly advanced to the position of General. She is extremely protective of her younger sister Lucy, even if the sisters haven’t been as close as Lois would like them to be. Sam Lane pushed Lois to excel in physical activities. He trained her in unarmed combat, smallarms techniques, and ensured she became a qualified pilot. Consequently, Lois grew up with a potent sense of self-reliance and was always hungry to know all the answers: something which grew increasingly difficult as her father was regularly promoted into ever-higherFACE THE PRESS security positions. Lois could be deceptive, insistent, As she pursued a job in journalism at Metropolis’ sympathetic, and incisive: in order The Daily Planet, Lois soon met Clark Kent, a bumbling to extract the truth from the most fellow reporter. Despite herself, she found that she reticent interviewee. admired his genuine warmth and fellow feeling for the weak and the downtrodden. Lois respected Clark’s incisive mind and his hunger for the truth, but she often had a feeling that there was something he was keeping from her. Already a known commodity in the world of journalism, Lois became a household name when Superman first appeared in Metropolis and she nailed the scoop, giving the hero his famous name. Along with Clark Kent, Lois chronicled the majority of Superman’s adventures, thrilling Planet readers and helping inflate the newspaper’s subscription numbers. Perhaps because they worked so closely together as friendly rivals, Lois and Clark eventually fell in love. Clark proposed, and also revealed his double life as Superman to her. The couple stayed together through triumph and defeat, including Superman’s temporary death at the hands of the monster Doomsday. They eventually married and moved to California for a short time to give their newborn son, Jonathan Kent, a quieter life. Lois and Clark soon moved back to Metropolis, and Lois returned to her fast-paced life as a reporter. Things became more complicated, however, when she became the subject of news stories as well. She and Superman had been caught on camera while locked in a kiss, and rumors began to circulate that she had been cheating on her husband. While Lois seem unfazed by the cruel judgment that greeted her

SINS OF THE FATHER One of the most consistent problems in Lois’s life was her strained relationship with her father. Not only did she hate General Sam Lane’s smug self-assurance and lifelong habit of keeping secrets—from the general public and especially from her—but their diametrically opposed attitudes regarding Superman frequently set them at odds. Lois couldn’t help but take her father’s hatred of the Man of Steel personally. When Sam Lane was killed during the espionage coup called Event Leviathan, Lois was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. FATHER OF THE BRIDE

Before Sam Lane was killed, Lois had told him the truth about Superman. While he reacted badly at first, Sam said he would do his best to try and give Clark the benefit of the doubt.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Lois went on the television show The Perspective to share her knowledge about multiple worlds and splintered reality.

PAST LIVES As outside influences like the powerful Dr. Manhattan continue to alter and change the Multiverse, its residents are changed and altered along with it. Unlike most people, Lois has memories of a past version of herself, and worked with The Question II (Renee Montoya) and ex-spy Jessica Midnight to bring those facts to light. Lois also created the Unity Project, an organization that helped people who remember divergent timelines deal with the trauma that their memories caused them in their daily lives.

“This is why I was a prize-winning reporter while you were still baling hay.” LOIS LANE

L wherever she went, those problems eventually went away when Superman revealed his double identity to the world. Always on top of the news as it happens, Lois has created a close working relationship with Renee Montoya, the second vigilante to adopt the name of the Question. Renee was just one of the detectives Lois teamed with when investigating the threat of the mysterious organization called Leviathan, a group that had been systematically wiping out the world’s espionage agencies. While it was soon discovered that former hero Mark Shaw was behind Leviathan, the truth didn’t come to light until after Lois’s own father died amidst the chaos of the hostile takeover.

REBIRTH THE PRICE OF POWER Before Superman and his younger other half were merged and his continuity streamlined, there were two Lois Lanes active on Earth-0. The younger Superman died, and some of his energy was absorbed by the corresponding Lois. She spent some time as Superwoman before the energy proved too much for her, and she joined her reality’s Clark in death.

ON THE RECORD Lois Lane was arguably the first major recurring female character of the DC universe, debuting in 1938 in the original Superman story in Action Comics #1. An ambitious, glamorous, scoophungry reporter, Lois was prepared to ditch Clark in the middle of a hard-earned date when he wouldn’t stand up for her to a brute trying to cut in on their dance. Lois proved she could handle herself when she slapped the cad, but Superman had to step in later for the first of many saves.

Hold the front page After months being the Man of Steel’s foil and romantic interest, Lois won her own solo feature in Superman #28 (May-June 1944). Light-hearted, action-packed, and comedic, these short tales usually depicted her getting into and out of scrapes without any superpowered backup. Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths storyline, Lois took that independence a step further. Sophisticated, globally renowned and seemingly infallible, she consorted with kings, presidents, and billionaires who were generally terrified that she would ferret out their darkest secrets.

ALIEN AGENDA UNCOVERING THE TRUTH

Painfully aware that ordinary people suffer when the rich and powerful hide dirty secrets, Lois Lane tries to balance the scales while exposing the truth.

Though not one of Brainiac’s original Twenty, Lois proved the most effective. Her psionic powers briefly made her a match for Superman, until her resolutely independent streak rejected the transformation.

SOUL-SISTER

When comics started to become more socially relevant, the new go-getting Lois would do anything to get to the heart of a story. However, no journalist ever went as deeply undercover as Lois, when, with a little help from Superman’s Plastimold machine, she transformed herself into an African-American woman to fully investigate racial prejudice in her city.

Love triangle For more than 60 years, the Last Son of Krypton loved only one woman, but was his own rival for her affections. Lois Lane only had eyes for Superman, spurning every advance from her timid coworker Clark Kent. That painful quandary finally ended when Clark revealed his identity to Lois and they married. The new status quo benefited their journalistic partnership. Lois’s competition with Clark for headlines became keener than ever, but now they both knew when to bolster the power of the press with a helping hand from Superman.

PAGING MRS. SUPERMAN

Lois and Clark’s wedding was not the end of their love story, only the beginning…

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L LARFLEEZE DC Universe (Vol. 1) #0 (Jun. 2008) BASE Larfleezia, Okaara EYES White HAIR Orange POWERS/ABILITIES Sole wielder of the Emotional Spectrum’s orange light of Avarice, which offers immortality, flight, force-field protection, light constructs and animation; magic absorption; “hears” objects and people begging to be owned, then steals the personalities of those he kills and resurrects them as light-construct entities. ENEMIES Guardians of the Universe, Green Lantern Corps, Invictus, Sena the Wanderer AFFILIATIONS Orange Lantern Corps, New Guardians, Pulsar Stargrave, G’Nort DEBUT

Larfleeze, also known as Agent Orange, is the sole wielder of the orange light of Avarice. The most self-destructive color of the universe’s Emotional Spectrum, it precludes sharing and those it illuminates will fight for what they want until only one remains. Its power infects the mind and effectively owns its possessor. The embodiment of Avarice is Ophidian, who lives inside the battery and causes Larfleeze to hunger voraciously for everything he sees. Over billions of years, Agent Orange has indiscriminately turned his homeworld into a vast planetary hoard of junk, treasure, and corpses. He is the only Orange Lantern in the universe, but this incalculable, unshared power allows him to store the souls of every creature he has killed and resurrect them as semi-sentient light-constructs. To protect his most prized possession, the immensely long-lived Larfleeze has absorbed his Orange Lantern, becoming a living power battery. His unique oath reflects his philosophy: “What’s mine is mine and mine and mine, And mine, and mine, and mine! Not yours!”

LASHINA Mister Miracle (Vol. 1) #6 (Jan.–Feb. 1972) Apokolips HEIGHT 6ft 6in WEIGHT 225 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength and durability; devastating skill with razorsharp, flexible steel bands and straps; hands-on familiarity with all forms of weapons. ALLIES Amanda Waller, Big Barda ENEMIES Granny Goodness, Bernadeth, Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor AFFILIATIONS Female Furies, Suicide Squad, Dark Side Club DEBUT BASE

One of the deadliest warriors to graduate from Granny Goodness’ hellish Apokolips orphanage, Lashina’s incalculable military value is confirmed by the number of times Darkseid resurrected her. Fast, strong, and calculating, she served as Big Barda’s second-in-command in superpowered shock trooper unit the Female Furies. When Barda defected to Earth with Mister Miracle, Lashina led the team who was ordered to return the traitor to Apokolips. Instead, the Furies stayed on Earth for months, reveling in the primitive world’s freedoms. Ultimately, the Furies grew bored WARRIOR WOMAN and returned, prepared to face Apokoliptian punishment for As one of Granny Goodness’ going AWOL. most gifted Female Furies, Lashina knew the value of Eventually Lashina was appointed team leader—to the trusted comrades and when dismay of rival Fury, Bernadeth—and dispatched to Earth to sacrifice them. in order to retrieve captured Apokoliptian demagogue Glorious Godfrey. Seizing her moment, Bernadeth struck, wounding Lashina and leaving her for dead. The plotter died for her betrayal when Lashina returned as Duchess, leading the ferocious metahumans of the Suicide Squad in a counterattack on Apokolips. Lashina led the Furies when Darkseid and his daughter Grail clashed with Zeus, Wonder Woman, and the Amazons. She was temporarily captured, but quickly returned to her master.

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LIGHT’S OUT

For billions of years, Larfleeze obsessively ensured that nothing threatened his right to take whatever he wanted whenever he saw it.

ON THE RECORD Billions of years ago, thieves stole the

fear entity Parallax from the planet Maltus. Fleeing the Guardians’ robotic Manhunters, the bandits followed a map created by renegade Krona to the planet Okaara in the Vega system, where they found the orange power battery of Avarice. They squabbled over it until only Larfleeze remained. Unable to defeat Larfleeze, the Guardians bargained with him, promising him immunity and total autonomy of the Vega system in return for Parallax.

COLLECTOR MANIA

The things Larfleeze craves most are the rings and batteries belonging to the other Lanterns Corps.

L LEAGUE OF ASSASSINS

The League of Assassins—also known as the League or Society of Shadows— DEBUT Strange Adventures (Vol. 1) #215 (Dec. 1968) is an ancient secret organization created by -’s al Ghu -l to further his plans the immortal Ra BASE ’Eth Alth’eban POWERS/ABILITIES Trained in multifarious aspects of murder and to destroy decadent civilizations and create assassination, from hand-to-hand combat to expertise in all manner of an ordered world under his rule. exotic weaponry. For centuries, the League has sold its ALLIES Leviathan services—singly, through teams of agents, ENEMIES Batman, Red Robin, Nightwing, Batman Incorporated or as a whole—to the great and powerful of -’s al Ghu-l, Doctor Darrk, the Sensei, Demon Fang AFFILIATIONS Ra many nations. This allowed it to fund its own agenda and to gain clandestine political advantage. It is also the greatest teacher of the combat arts in history. Responsible for the training of numerous warriors and villains, its students also include heroes such as Damian Wayne, Red Robin, Red Hood, and Batgirl/Black Bat. In recent decades, the Society has suffered from continual -’s al Ghu -l internecine conflict, as deputies appointed by Ra overstepped their bounds or sought to seize complete control. This resulted in a number of splinter groups of assassins becoming competition and hindrances to the League. Another major stumbling block has been the loss of their cloak of anonymity, as the efforts of an increasing number of Super Heroes have successfully brought the Society’s hidden efforts out of the shadows.

ON THE RECORD The League was revealed as a -’s al Ghu -l died. family business after Ra His daughters Talia and Nyssa inherited control, but a schism saw one faction trying to resurrect their master: seeking to implant -’s’ spirit in Talia and Batman’s son Damian. Ra Another group pledged allegiance to the Sensei; the assassin-teacher who had coordinated the global murder enterprise -’s’ father, he for centuries. Revealed as Ra ruthlessly cemented his control in a campaign the Dark Knight only barely thwarted.

KILLER ELITE

Whether through blade, bullet, missile, toxin, empty hand, or magic, for centuries the aim of the League of Assassins never faltered or failed.

LEGION OF DOOM Justice League Vol. 4 #1 (Aug. 2018) Hall of Doom MEMBERS/POWERS Sinestro: Intergalactic villain and former member of the Green Lantern Corps turned evil; The Cheetah: Enhanced senses, genius intellect, cheetah physiology including speed and claws; Brainiac: Genius intellect, super-strength, stamina and speed, telepathy; The Turtle: Superslow villain with the power to absorb speed and slow interia; The Joker: Deranged genius, rapid healing; Black Manta: Skilled in combat, wears suit enabling him to survive underwater ALLIES Perpetua, the Batman Who Laughs ENEMIES Justice League AFFILIATIONS None DEBUT

BASE

Lex Luthor assembled the Legion of Doom to take advantage of the coming of the Totality, energy released from the Source Wall at the edge of the Multiverse. Luthor discovered that he could use the seven powers of the Multiverse to free the ancient goddess Perpetua and make himself her right-hand man, gaining supremacy over nearly all other beings in existence— including Superman and the Justice League. Luthor chose the members of the Legion of Doom carefully, with each of them having a special reason to wish to access one of the seven energies of the Multiverse. One was a mere baby—The Turtle—a scientist reborn with a connection to the Still Force, the opposite of the Speed Force. Sinestro was given access to the Invisible Spectrum, a secret force of negative emotional energy that made him more powerful than ever. The Cheetah was empowered with the Tear of Extinction, making her able to kill gods with her claws. Black Manta was given the Life Force from Poseidon’s trident, but he and The Joker would later leave the team, to be replaced by a resurrected Brainiac. The addition of Brainiac was key to finally freeing Perpetua. The Legion of Doom had apparently triumphed, but there was a nasty shock in store. Unbeknown even to Lex, Perpetua had planned all along to use the rest of the Legion as mere repositories for the hidden energies of creation, transferring them all to Luthor to make him far more powerful.

THE ART OF DEATH

-’s gone, the Sensei believed nothing With Ra could hinder his ambitions, but found Batman to be even more relentless and formidable than his diabolical offspring.

FORCES OF EVIL

The Legion of Doom originally comprised just a few key members, but Lex Luthor later filled its ranks with a throng of villains who would help Perpetua’s evil message to spread throughout the Earth.

RECRUITMENT DRIVE

Lex Luthor assembled a plethora of SuperVillains to fight the Justice/Doom War.

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LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #247 (Apr. 1958) 31st-Century New Metropolis

The 31st Century is a world where superpowered teenagers from all over the United Planets have gathered together, inspired by Superman, to fight evil on New Earth and across the galaxy. It exists after the future time of Batman Beyond, after the Great Disaster and the world of Kamandi, after the future of Booster Gold and that of O.M.A.C.

DEBUT BASE

NOTABLE MEMBERS/POWERS

Silicon-based living mineral, super-strength, durability. Ability to inflate and bounce. BRAINIAC 5 (QUERL DOX) 12th-level super-intellect. CHAMELEON BOY (REEP DAGGLE) Shape-shifting. CHEMICAL KID (HADRU JAMIK) Ability to alter chemical reactions. COLOSSAL BOY (GIM ALLON) Can shrink from large form to human size. COMPUTO Sentient computer program controlling New Metropolis. COSMIC BOY (ROKK KRINN) Generation of magnetic fields. DAWNSTAR (DAWNSTAR GR’ELL) Long-range tracking abilities. DOCTOR FATE Energy projection and spell casting. DREAM GIRL (NURA NAL) Dream interpretation to foretell the future. ELEMENT LAD (JAN ARRAH) Transmutation of elements. FERRO LAD (ANDREW NOLAN) Can turn body into hardest substance in the galaxy. GOLD LANTERN Energy constructs and projection. INVISIBLE KID (JACQUES FOCART) Bends light to go unseen. TRIPLICATE GIRL (LUORNU DURGO) Can split into multiple bodies. LIGHTNING LAD (GARTH RANZZ) Generation of electricity. LIGHTNING LASS (AYLA RANZZ) Generation of electricity. MON-EL (LAR GAND) Super-strength, flight, invulnerability. MONSTER BOY (ARUNE) Ability to change into a variety of monsters. PHANTOM GIRL (TINYA WAZZO) Ability to phase through solids. BLOK

BOUNCING BOY (CHUCK TAINE)

PRINCESS PROJECTRA (PRINCESS WILIMENA MORGANA DAERGINA ANNAXANDRA PROJECTRA VELORYA VAUXHALL)

Projects illusions. Extremely powerful telepath. Generation of darkness. SHRINKING VIOLET (SALU DIGBY) Size reduction. STAR BOY (THOM KALLOR) Can increase objects’ weight/mass. SUN BOY (DIRK MORGNA) Electromagnetic radiation. SUPERBOY (JON KENT) Kryptonian powers including superhuman strength, speed, flight, and heat vision. ULTRA BOY (JO NAH) Superhuman strength, flight, super-speed. WHITE WITCH (MYSA NAL) Arsenal of magic spells. WILDFIRE (DRAKE BURROUGHS) Human energy release generator. ALLIES Thorn (Rose Forrest), R.J. Brande, Science Police ENEMIES Mordru, Crav, the General Nah AFFILIATIONS United Planets SATURN GIRL (IMRA ARDEEN)

SHADOW LASS (TASMIA MALLOR)

The Legion of Super-Heroes got their start when Rokk Krinn, a magneticallycharged fighter from the planet Braal, Imra Ardeen, a telepathic rebel from the moon Titan, and Garth Ranzz, a lightning-powered political activist from Ranzz, were summoned by the president of the United Planets, R.J. Brande, to form a Young United Planets organization. While meeting with Brande, these three young heroes fought off an invading force of alien Horraz. Inspired by Super Heroes of the 21st century, Brande decided that these three exceptional youths should be the founding members of a team of galactic defenders called the Legion of Super-Heroes. Setting up shop in New Metropolis on New Earth, the Legion’s ranks quickly increased, even adding Brande’s own son, Chameleon Boy, to their number. But there was one member the team had their eye on who would be a little more difficult to recruit. Back in the 21st century, Superboy was looking to find a place for himself in the world. As the son of Superman, he had fought by his father’s side in the present day, and often teamed up with his best friend Robin (Damian Wayne). However, he had not been admitted into the Teen Titans, and after many years away in space (which seemed like only three weeks to the people on Earth due to Superboy traveling through a black hole), he no longer felt he had a place to belong on Earth. So when the Legion of Super-Heroes traveled to the past to be a part of the first-ever Unity Day—a major holiday in their future world—and offered Superboy membership in their group, Jon accepted, happy to have renewed purpose in life. Perplexed and amazed by the future of New Earth, its domed cities, and its lack of oceans, Superboy joined the team just as Ultra Boy and a team of Legionnaires underwent a mission on Planet Gotham. They bested the sorcerer Mordru and retrieved an ancient artifact that happened to be from Jon’s time period: Aquaman’s trident. The alien Horraz pirates followed Ultra Boy home, forcing Superboy to jump into the fray to help battle this invading force. When Superboy held Aquaman’s trident, the Horraz gang (and the Legionnaires) were caught in a flood of water, emanating from the trident itself. Superboy soon met Rose Forrest, Official Legion Liaison to the United Planets, and was

CLASSIC STORIES

AT A GLANCE... Flight ring The flight ring is the symbol of membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes and enables the wearer to fly in any environment. Made from the artificial element Valorium, which has anti-gravity properties, the ring is thoughtactivated and engraved with a signature “L.”

Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #352-353 (Jan.–Feb. 1967)

A short-handed Legion recruits five of the universe’s greatest villains to help save Earth from a Sun-Eater. The plan succeeds at the cost of Ferro Lad’s life, but results in the villainous quintet forming the Fatal Five. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #287, 290–294 (May, Aug.–Dec. 1982) Entire worlds are devastated by

shadowy agents of a Great Darkness as the Legion battles ancient heroes and villains who are gathering artifacts to restore the ultimate evil: Darkseid. Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds (Vol. 1) #1–5 (Oct. 2008–Sep. 2009) Reality is ripped apart and rewritten as three iterations from separate reboots are amalgamated and incorporated into the Legion of Prime Earth.

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NEW EARTH Earth in the 31st Century has changed drastically after many cataclysms, wars, and restructuring. It is now a series of domes connected to a planetary core. On one of those domes is New Metropolis. The entire city is the headquarters of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The oceans of the planet have since been restored, thanks to the Legion’s use of Aquaman’s powerful trident.

L ROBIN While touring Legion headquarters, Superboy learned of Planet Gotham, the galaxy’s first fully made artificial planet, one constructed by Quayne-Galactic as a tribute to the original Gotham City, complete with its own Blüdhaven sewer system. Unable to contain his youthful excitement, Jon traveled through time to bring Robin (Damian Wayne) to the future. The Legion quickly nixed this idea, returning Robin to the present day and wiping his memories of New Metropolis.

ON THE RECORD The Legion is probably the most rebooted Super Hero team of all time, although initially not the most serious. On their debut, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad traveled into the past and invited Superboy to join, only to reject him as part of a prank. His stoic acceptance of their judgment won him a place on the team. Unstoppable After several guest appearances, the Legion became a regular feature in Adventure Comics #300 in 1962, beginning a series of quirky futuristic adventures with Superboy as a regular guest star and amazed observer of life in the future. The team was so ahead of the times that its members elected a female—Saturn Girl—as their new leader in 1963! Having saved the United Planets from the Fatal Five, the members of the Legion were rewarded for their valor with a hugely impressive new headquarters complex. It was payment from the grateful governments of many worlds and confirmed the Legion’s vital role in intergalactic peacekeeping. However, during construction, a hidden coalition of belligerent races attacked Earth in overwhelming numbers. They were only defeated by use of a reality-warping Miracle Machine the Legion had been given by the Oan splinter group known as the Controllers.

TIME AFTER TIME

With Superman’s help, the Legion foiled a supremacist plan to rewrite history: eventually reestablishing a tolerant, civilized future for Earth.

MIRACLE CITADEL

After constructing the new Legion Plaza, the Miracle Machine was sealed away.

32

“Long live the Legion!”

30 31

DAWNSTAR

22

25

29

23

20

27 24 26

LEGIONNAIRE ROLL CALL

1 Cosmic Boy 2 Element Lad 3 Lightning Lass 4 Ultra Boy 5 Wildfire 6 Matter-Eater Lad 7 Timber Wolf 8 Dream Girl 9 Mon-El 10 Saturn Girl 11 Star Boy 12 Shrinking Violet 13 Superboy 14 Brainiac 5 15 Phantom Girl 16 Lightning Lad 17 Triplicate Girl 18 Dawnstar 19 Invisible Kid (he’s invisible) 20 Chemical King 21 Shadow Lass 22 Doctor Fate 23 Sun Boy 24 Gold Lantern 25 White Witch 26 Bouncing Boy 27 Princess Projectra 28 Karate Kid 29 Chameleon Boy 30 Blok 31 Colossal Boy 32 Monster Boy

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28

8 9

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12

10

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14

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7

shown around the Legion campus, including Heaven, their all-purpose consumption hall. He viewed an orientation program via a “memexe,” but was soon thrust into action again to battle not just the Horraz pirates, but also Crav, the General Nah, the father of Legionnaire Ultra Boy and the highestranking officer of the United Planets. Crav wanted Aquaman’s trident for himself, but in the resulting battle, Earth was showered in the trident’s waters, effectively restoring the oceans lost to New Earth years ago. With the United Planets’ continued approval and Superboy as one of their members, the Legion of Super-Heroes is determined to create a new golden age of heroes in the 31st Century.

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L LEGION OF SUBSTITUTE HEROES Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #306 (Mar. 1963) DEBUT

31st-century Metropolis Antennae Boy, Chlorophyll Kid, Color Kid, Double Header, Dream Girl, Fire Lad, Infectious Lass, Night Girl, Polar Boy, Porcupine Pete, Rainbow Girl, Star Boy, Stone Boy ENEMIES Ambush Bug, Plant Men, Captain Freeze AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes, Science Police BASE

NOTABLE MEMBERS

Not every applicant is deemed suitable for membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes— even if they have superpowers and the best intentions. Pre-Flashpoint, the Substitutes were all originally rejected because they were considered a liability to others or a danger to themselves, but came together in a support group under Polar Boy and Night Girl to prove the Legionnaires mistaken. Always working outside the spotlight, the Substitutes performed many valiant deeds, slowly gaining the official Legion’s respect. They welcomed former Legionnaires Dream Girl and Star Boy when they lost their places on the lead team. Their egalitarian attitude meant that eventually the squad became heavy with true no-hopers like Antennae Boy and Double Header, and became something of a joke. Eventually, Polar Boy and Night Girl’s inclusivity succeeded, and after they advanced to the big leagues, the Subs continued nurturing lesser lights and

LEMARIS, LORI DEBUT

Superman (Vol. 1) #129 (May 1959)

Lori Lemaris Atlantis EYES Blue HAIR Brown HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 145 lbs POWERS/ABILITIES Telepathic communication; can survive on land or above water; tail transforms into legs on land. ALLIES Superman ENEMIES Advance Man, Ronal REAL NAME BASE

Before he adopted his Superman alter ego, college student Clark Kent dated Lori Lemaris. She was confined to a wheelchair and only revealed to Clark the reason why: She was a mermaid from sub-aquatic city Tritonis and the chair allowed her to hide her tail. When she was injured Superman returned her to Tritonis where dashing researcher Ronal healed her with the magical Black Staff, which reshaped flesh. Lori and Ronal married, but he was corrupted by the Staff. He attacked Lori and was turned to stone after Superman shattered the staff’s gem. Despite some tension, Lori was bridesmaid at Lois and Clark’s wedding. She also had a brief career as a hero, taking on villainous cosmic herald Advance Man. Post Rebirth, an alternate-reality romance saw young navy cadet Clark Kent abandon his post to pursue a beguiling mermaid, battling Sea God King Poseidon to win his daughter.

184

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Whenever all hope seemed lost, the Substitute Legion always proved that ingenuity, guts, and determination were superior to any superpower.

encouraging them to shine. After a series of reality revisions, The Legion of Super-Heroes has been revitalized on the same inclusive lines, and it is uncertain if the Substitute division still exists.

LEGION OF SUPER-PETS Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #293 (Feb. 1962) DEBUT

21st-century Metropolis; 31st-century Metropolis FUTURE MEMBERS Krypto, Beppo, Streaky, Comet, Proty II (31st century) CONTEMPORARY MEMBERS Krypto, Titus the Bat-Hound, Streaky, Flexi the Plastic-Bird, Bat-Cow, Detective Chimp, Clay Critter (21st century) ALLIES Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Chameleon Boy, Saturn Girl ENEMIES Brain-Globes of Rambat, Rikkor Rost, the people of Than AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes, Legion of Substitute Heroes. BASE

In a kinder, gentler Possible Future, the Legion of Super-Pets formed out of desperate necessity. When planetary plunderers the Brain-Globes of Rambat attempted to steal Earth, neither Superboy nor the Legion of Super-Heroes could withstand their psionic domination. This was not the case for the valiant animal companions of the Boy of Steel or his cousin Supergirl. Using a time-bubble, the Legionnaires gathered Kryptonian survivors Krypto and Beppo the Super-Monkey, plus Earthborn pets Streaky the Super-Cat and Comet the Super-Horse, to route the marauders. Later, they inducted Chameleon Boy’s telepathic pet Proty II into their ranks. The time-traveling pets were formally invested as a branch of the Legion of

LEVIATHAN

WHO’S A GOOD BOY?

Although plagued by internal dissent, the Super-Pets could put aside their obvious differences to save the innocent and get the job done.

Super-Heroes. Although convening sporadically, they were always ready to lend a paw or hoof to save the world and protect those weaker than themselves. It was recently revealed that this Legion had its true beginnings in the 21st century, where Krypto and Streaky carried out two official cases with animal allies Detective Chimp, Titus the Bat-Hound, Plastic-Bird Flexi, Bat-Cow and Clay Critter: one painfully secret, and a second more public, stopping an alien stealing beloved animal companions.

Leviathan was a mysterious criminal organization that infiltrated and DEBUT Batman: the Return #1 (Jan. 2011) corrupted Gotham City. Led by a BASE Unknown; formerly mountain fortress Khadym slender figure in a mask and her HEIGHT 3ft 5in WEIGHT 62 lbs EYES Green HAIR Black monstrous bodyguard, Leviathan’s FORMER MEMBERS/POWERS Talia al Ghuˉ l: trained assassin; The Heretic: monstrous gangs of animal-masked goons Damian Wayne clone, trained in combat; Goatboy: rocket rifle; Doctor Daedalus (Otto eliminated rival gangsters and spread Netz): master tactician; Wishbone: sorceress; The Silencer (Honor Guest): superterror. Batman, Robin (Damian assassin able to neutralize sound. Wayne), and the other members of CURRENT MEMBERS/POWERS Mark Shaw: bio-augmented former Manhunter: Batman Incorporated investigated Guardian (James Harper) bio-enhanced enforcer; Frau Netz (mad scientist, deceased). Leviathan’s activities, combatting ALLIES Mutants gang, League of Assassins their man-bats, gangsters, and ENEMIES Batman, Inc., Batmen of All Nations, Checkmate, A.R.G.U.S., DEO, Spyral armies of crazed children. Leviathan’s leader was eventually revealed to be Batman’s former lover, Talia al Ghuˉl. When their son Damian left her to be with his father, Talia created Leviathan to punish Batman. Damian was slain by Talia’s bodyguard, the Heretic; Talia herself was apparently killed by Kathy Kane of Spyral. Revived by a Lazarus Pit, Talia repurposed the organization, using it as a weapon of extreme social change, to thwart the schemes of her oppressive father Raˉ’s al Ghuˉl. Building a vast global criminal network of underbosses and body-modified super-assassins, Talia overstepped while “cleaning house,” sparking a civil war, ended by her most special agent, The Silencer. No sooner had Talia regained control of the weakened Leviathan, than former Manhunter Mark Shaw seized the reins of power and took the name for his own: retasking the secret army to establish global order by mercilessly eradicating all other covert agencies. These included terrorist cabals such as Kobra’s cult to government agencies like A.R.G.U.S., Checkmate, the Department of Extra-Normal Operations, Spyral and others. His secret war was exposed by reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, but was largely successful, despite the late intervention of Earth’s Super Heroes. With the intelligence community in tatters, Leviathan remains at large.

L LIBERTY BELLE II Justice Society of America (Vol. 2) #1 (Aug. 1992) DEBUT

Jesse Chambers Keystone City HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 142 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Super-speed; strength; flight. ENEMIES Savitar AFFILIATIONS Justice Society of America, Justice League, Speed Force REAL NAME BASE

QUICK OFF THE MARK

Jesse Chambers inherited her Speed-Force powers from her father, Johnny Quick. She later joined the JLA as the new Liberty Belle.

The daughter of World War II heroes Johnny Quick (not the Crime Syndicate villain of the same name) and Liberty Belle, Jesse Chambers inherited her parents’ powers— notably her father’s access to the Speed Force, which she could tap into by reciting the formula “3x2(9YZ)4A.” Calling herself Jesse Quick, she fought alongside other speedsters, including The Flash (Wally West), Max Mercury, and Impulse. She joined the Justice Society of America and the Teen Titans, juggling those responsibilities with her role as CEO of Quickstart Enterprises after her father was killed by speedster villain Savitar. Later she adopted her mother’s role, becoming the new Liberty Belle and marrying JSA teammate Hourman. After the Teen Titans disbanded, Jesse maintained her heroic double duties by joining the Justice League.

LIVEWIRE DEBUT

Superman Adventures #5 (Mar. 1997)

Leslie Willis BASE Stryker’s Island penitentiary EYES Blue HAIR Pale blue POWERS/ABILITIES Electricity absorption and projection; flight using electromagnetic fields. ALLIES Killer Frost, Atomic Skull, Killer Croc, Shockwave ENEMIES Batman (James Gordon), Superman, Batgirl, The Flash AFFILIATIONS Secret Society of Villains REAL NAME

DANGER: HIGH VOLTAGE

Leslie Willis started out as a radio DJ with a fierce dislike for Superman. She became a real “shock jock” when she was struck by lightning.

Notorious vlogger Leslie Willis was famous for outrageous stunts, but transformed into a being of pure electricity when a highvoltage prank misfired. She joined the Secret Society of Super-Villains and clashed with Superman in Metropolis, but was caught in an energy trap by Batman and imprisoned in Stryker’s Island penitentiary. The Hooq Cult set Livewire free and she went on a rampage, using the Burnside electricity plant to charge up her powers. Defeated by Batgirl and new Batman James Gordon, she was imprisoned once again. This time, Livewire was freed by mysterious beings with energy powers. She joined forces with other villains in Metropolis, but they were defeated by Superman. After a long absence, she has been sighted in Metropolis again, and was vacationing in Zandia when The Flash infiltrated the Super-Villain resort.

LIGHTRAY

ON THE RECORD

New Gods (Vol. 1) #1 (Feb.–Mar. 1971) BASE New Genesis REAL NAME Sollis HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 181 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Strawberry blond POWERS/ABILITIES As a New God, Lightray is immortal and has physical capabilities beyond those of an ordinary human; he can also fly and fire blasts of energy from his hands. ALLIES Orion ENEMIES Darkseid, every Lantern Corps AFFILIATIONS New Gods, the Council of Eight

Lightray was a close companion of Orion, and even joined him in the Justice League while they were on Earth. It was while on Earth that Lightray died. He was struck by a freak shower of meteors and perished in front of a shocked Jimmy Olsen—a prosaic end for a New God.

DEBUT

Lightray was a general of New Genesis. His positivity, charm, and enthusiasm contrasted sharply with the temperament of Orion—foster son of New Gods leader, Highfather—but they were nevertheless close friends. Seeking a clue to unlock the powerful Life Equation, Highfather dispatched Lightray and other members of the trusted Council of Eight to acquire power rings from the various Lantern Corps. The theft of power rings provoked the various Emotional Spectrum Corps to unite and react. Black Hand of the Black Lantern Corps raised undead leviathans from within the Source Wall and the Lanterns used a redirected Boom Tube to transport the undead monsters to New Genesis. Lightray flew into battle, but was snatched up by one of the creatures, and only saved by Orion. Ultimately, Highfather realized the folly of his arrogance, and a truce was brokered. Lightray and his kin began rebuilding their ruined utopia but were soon diverted as the return of exotic ancient metals to our reality triggered the rise of Escahon Giants. These Nth Metal golems, created by Old God Yuga Khan, ruthlessly hunted New Gods. With the Green Lanterns help, Lightray and his brethren resisted, and tried to bolster the weakening Source Wall, but it sundered, releasing primordial creator Perpetua and instantly eradicating all New Gods except Orion.

In his pre-Flashpoint incarnation,

THE LIGHTBRINGER

When Lightray journeyed to Earth and tried to raise a human woman from the dead, he discovered that power sometimes comes at a terrible cost.

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LIGHTNING LAD Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #247 (Apr. 1958) Garth Ranzz BASE 31st century New Metropolis HEIGHT 5ft 10ins WEIGHT 145 lbs EYES One Blue, One Black HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Generation and manipulation of electricity; Legion flight ring. ALLIES Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lass ENEMIES Crav, General Nah, Mordru AFFILIATIONS Legion of Super-Heroes

DATA

DEBUT

REAL NAME

While his twin sister has a tendency to follow her impulses and jump into the fray before anyone else, Garth Ranzz has been known to take a more measured approach. Born with lightning manipulation abilities and no less heroic in his actions, Lightning Lad has made a name for himself as a founder of the Legion of Super-Heroes. On the planet Winath in the 31st century, a group of citizens was being rounded up by the BIG FAMILY Science Police and forced to move out of their Garth and Ayla are just two homes against their will. On this world—whose siblings in a large family. Raised by two mothers, there are seven overbeing is Validus, the Lord of Lightning— humanoids not born in pairs as twins are kids in the Ranzz family, including three pairs of twins. considered the Children of Validus. Twin siblings, Ayla and Garth Ranzz, stood up to the officers and protected these Children of Validus, showing off their natural-born lightning powers in the process. Successful at scaring away the Science Police, Garth and Ayla earned planet-wide attention and were invited to join the Young United Planets by the Science Command. While the politically minded Ayla angrily turned down the offer from what she considered a corrupt organization, Garth accepted it. Garth next met up with fellow teenagers Imra Ardeen from Titan and Rokk Krinn from the planet Braal aboard the spacecraft of R.J. Brande, the president of the United Planets. When Brande came under attack by a group of Horraz aliens, the three young heroes saved her life. Brande was inspired to organize a team of Super Heroes reflecting teams like the Teen Titans and the Justice League from the 21st century. She discussed the matter with the United Planets, and soon the Legion of SuperHeroes was formed, with Garth as one of its three youthful founders. A loyal Legionnaire, Garth was later joined by Ayla, who now fights for galactic peace as his teammate Lightning Lass.

LIGHTNING CRASHES

Lightning Lad and his twin sister Lightning Lass both have the power to project electricity.

ON THE RECORD Over the years, Lightning Lad has

been either the unluckiest hero in the universe, or the most fortunate. He has gained superpowers from an animal attack that should have killed him; he has died in battle, and been resurrected. He lost an arm but gained a new one; and, after a life of amazing adventures, he married his sweetheart and settled down. Then the Time Trapper tried to alter the events that created the Legion of Super-Heroes. He kidnapped Garth’s baby to control the hero, but was unprepared for Garth’s mature response, when the distraught father called in his comrades Rokk and Imra to help him rescue the child.

186

CLASSIC STORIES Adventure Comics (Vol. 1) #304 (Jan. 1963) Garth is the first Legionnaire to die in action, saving Saturn Girl from space marauder Zaryan the Conqueror. Adventure Comics (Vol. 1)#332 (May 1965) When Garth loses an arm battling the Super-Moby Dick of Space, the shock deranges him. His obsessive hunt for the beast almost costs him his sanity and place in the Legion. Legion of Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) SHOCK TACTICS

Always considered impetuous and hot-tempered, Lightning Lad surprised friends and foes alike when his son was abducted by the Time Trapper.

LEGION’S GOT TALENT

Much like the judges in a 21st-century talent competition, Garth, Imra, and Rokk called the shots when it came to auditioning prospective Legionnaires for their team.

#302 (Aug. 1983) Garth cataclysmically

and definitively clashes with his brother Mekt for the love and allegiance of their sister Ayla following her resignation from the Legion.

L

DATA

LOBO

ON THE RECORD

Omega Men (Vol. 1) #3 (Jun. 1983) HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 250 lbs EYES Red HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Regenerative healing; can withstand exposure to space vacuum; super-strength, stamina and enhanced durability; supersenses; custom-built spacecraft; employs very hi-tech alien weaponry. ALLIES Space Dolphins, The Atom (Ryan Choi), Crush (daughter) ENEMIES Anybody who gets in his way AFFILIATIONS Justice League DEBUT

Lobo is the last survivor of the alien Czarnian race, but only because he killed the whole lot of them. Crude, rude, and nearly impossible to kill, the super-tough bounty hunter wanders the cosmos on his space bike, flying from one assignment to another, with plenty of pit stops at local alien bars along the way.

The pre-Flashpoint Lobo was simply born to be bad. When he was a teenager, he created a plague of bugs that killed all five billion inhabitants on his homeworld of Czarnia—because he hated them all and wanted to be unique. (The only other Czarnian to survive was his fourth-grade teacher, Miss Tribb.) Lobo set off on his SpazFrag666 spacehog to prove that he was the meanest “bastich” in the universe. While working as a bounty hunter, he tangled with the Omega Men, the Teen Titans, and the legions of Hell itself. He did have a softer side, which was later revealed.

BAD TO THE BONE?

Unlike his deadly-serious temporary successor, the original Lobo was just a violent party animal (with a soft spot for Space Dolphins).

The intergalactic biker was born on Czarnia. After killing everyone on his planet to make himself more unique (and because they had it coming), he set out to kill other people for fun and profit. Unfortunately for anyone with a bounty on their heads, Lobo has been quite effective at achieving both. NOT THE MAIN MAN Making a brutal living all across the universe, Lobo On one occasion, a fake eventually found his way to Earth, where he encountered Lobo claimed he was the plenty of Super Heroes and Super-Villains to clash with. real deal while Lobo was It was not long before he was recruited into Amanda stuck in a hi-tech cell in the Catacombs prison. Waller’s first prototype Suicide Squad task force. However, the team were not the success Waller had anticipated. Lobo ended up locked in the most secretive high-security prison in the world, the Catacombs. Meanwhile, an imposter claimed the Lobo name and title, but was eventually imprisoned and miniaturized, locked away by Larfleeze as part of his hidden hoard on the planet Okaara. After being freed from captivity by Maxwell Lord, Lobo fell under Lord’s powerful mind-controlling powers. He was eventually released when Batman set off a bomb inside his head, completely blowing it up. In time, Lobo healed, and strangely decided that he owned Batman a favor for helping him regain his own mind. The Dark Knight cashed in that favor very quickly, playing on Lobo’s particular sense of honor and recruiting him into the Justice League of America. He stayed with the team longer than he had to, but the free-spirited Lobo eventually took off toward space, looking for new and deserving “bastiches” to “frag.”

CLASSIC STORIES Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special #1 (Dec. 1991) The Easter Bunny hires Lobo to kill Santa Claus himself–but jolly old Saint Nick is not going down without a fight. Lobo’s Back #1–4 (May–Nov. 1992)

Lobo is killed by two of his rivals, but after wreaking havoc in Heaven and Hell he comes back from the dead to enact his revenge. Lobo Annual (Vol. 3) #1 (Sep. 2015)

(The fake) Lobo accepts perhaps the most dangerous assignment of his entire career: to kill Sinestro, leader of the infamous and deadly Yellow Lantern Corps!

CANARY IN A COAL MINE

Lobo recruited Black Canary’s help when he tracked down the only other living Czarnian, the son of his former grade school teacher, Mrs. Tribb. Gusano Tribb had been killing space dolphins just to mess with Lobo, so the Main Man fed him to the very dolphins Tribb was trying to eliminate.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Lobo has mastered a vast arsenal of weapons, including the latest in hi-tech killing devices. However, he prefers to eliminate his opponents with razor-sharp blades, or with his fists.

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L LOOKER

KILLER LOOKS

Batman and the Outsiders (Vol. 1) #25 (Sep. 1985) (as Emily); Batman and the Outsiders (Vol. 1) #31 (Mar. 1986) (as Looker) DEBUT

Emily ‘Lia’ Briggs BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 115 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Telepathy; telekinesis; levitation; mind control; vampiric powers. ALLIES Batman, Geo-Force ENEMIES Leviathan, Abyssians AFFILIATIONS Outsiders REAL NAME

Lia Briggs’ newfound powers and appearance caused some rivalry among the Outsiders, but that didn’t stop the psychic vampire trying to save their lives.

Justice League Quarterly #3 (Summer 1991) DEBUT

Damon; Prince Alexi of Kravia Unknown POWERS/ABILITIES Wields the LightningAxe of Wundajin and the Omni-Gauntlets. ENEMIES The Retaliators, Future Family, G-Men AFFILIATIONS Ankor (Earth-8), Extremists REAL NAME EYES

Brown

HAIR

Damon—actually Prince Alexi of Kravia on Earth-8—was transformed by an experiment performed by Frank Future of the Future Family Super Hero team. Traumatized and physically scarred, Damon hid his face behind a forbidding skull mask and became Super-Villain Lord Havok. He stole three magical artifacts—the Omni-Gauntlets, the Lightning-Axe of Wundajin, and the Genesis Egg, to tap into the Power Eternal. When he tried hatching the egg, however, he was confronted by Frank Future, the Retaliators super-team and numerous multi-dimensional heroes. Frank begged him to stop, but Havok refused and demanded that Future kneel before him. When the egg hatched, Havok was driven insane by a vision of the entities within it, and was killed by one of the Retaliators. Reborn following Rebirth, Prince Alexi sold his soul to The Queen of Fables in return for transformative power, but accidentally destroyed his entire world while trying to seize control with his team of Extremists. Traveling to Earth-0, the

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DEBUT

The New Titans Annual (Vol. 1) #7

(1991)

Robert Long An alternate-future Earth HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 196 lbs EYES Black HAIR Gold POWERS/ABILITIES Possesses powers of Titan gods including super-strength, light-blasts, and flight; ability to command the earth and sea. ENEMIES Team Titans, Teen Titans, Titans of Myth REAL NAME BASE

POWER AND GLORY

Possessing the might of the Titanic gods from birth proved too much for young Robert Long—and he was quickly driven to madness.

In an alternate future, Troia (Donna Troy) and her husband Terry Long had a son named Robert, who had inherited Troia’s godlike powers. Possessing such power from birth drove Robert mad; he killed his mother and conquered the world as Lord Chaos. A group of superpowered rebels calling themselves the Team Titans traveled to the past to kill Donna and prevent Lord Chaos from being born. However, learning of their plan, Lord Chaos traveled back in time to stop the Team Titans, and summoned his soldiers from the future to conquer the world. Donna Troy battled her son and called on the Titans of Myth to remove the godlike powers from them both. The Titans of Myth agreed, taking the insane entity to their realm, but leaving the infant Robert Long in his mother’s arms. Robert was later killed in a car accident. However, Lord Chaos returned in undead form to attack Donna during the events of Blackest Night.

Librarian Emily Briggs was kidnapped by inhabitants of the underground realm of Abyssia. Exposed to light from Halley’s Comet, she received psionic superpowers and striking looks. Emily was rescued by Batman and the Outsiders, and began working as a supermodel. Emily (or ‘Lia’, as she preferred to be known) joined the Outsiders as Looker. She became a vampire after being bitten by a bloodsucker in the East European nation of Markovia. The Outsiders were seemingly killed when Talia al Ghuˉl blew up a satellite with them on board, but they resurfaced in Gotham City, secretly helping Batman fight Talia’s Leviathan conspiracy. They entered one of Leviathan’s bases that was boobytrapped and exploded. Looker saved them with a force field, but they were all badly injured. Looker later became a member of Amanda Waller’s team of psychics, tasked with hacking the mind of Brainiac.

LORD HAVOK

LORD CHAOS

MAGNIFICENT MONSTER

Arrogant but conflicted, Lord Havok wanted to be a hero but could not accept that his actions only ever caused terror, pain, and death.

LORD OF TIME Justice League of America (Vol. 1) #10 (Mar. 1962) DEBUT

REAL NAME

Epoch

ARMOR OF AGES

Equipped with armor from the far future, the Lord of Time is near impervious to assaults, even from Superhuman opponents.

BASE Palace of Eternity; Timepoint; Ghost Sector

5ft 9in WEIGHT 159 lbs Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Technology-assisted time travel and weaponry; knowledge of past and potential futures. HEIGHT EYES

Super-Villains tried again, but were defeated by Batman’s Justice League of America. Ultimately, Lord Havok and Dreamslayer— both desperate to atone—traded their lives for Batman’s when he was targeted by the Cosmic Adjudicator.

An immensely powerful individual from the year 3786, the Lord of Time attacked the first Justice League using his miraculous chrono-cube to peel back the fourthdimensional veil of time. Defeated, he learned to move laterally and diagonally through history, accessing armies and armaments spanning millions of years. He also built an artificial intelligence, the Eternity Brain, which tracked and displaced people in time. His ultimate goal was to conquer all space and time, and he plotted to rid himself of the Justice League by timetraveling back to eliminate their ancestors. At some point, the Lord of Time created a frozen moment in history called Timepoint, evolving into a being known as Epoch, now resolved to master the timestream, changing events to grant him power. To this end he traveled to the Ghost Sector during the chaos caused by the breaking of the Source Wall, intent on undoing the event, erasing Darkseid and re-imprisoning multiversal mother Perpetua. After being caught in a timeloop, Epoch joined Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, New

God Orion and the rest of Justice League Odyssey, utilizing the massed Implicate Time energy of the region to power his Revision Mechanism, but with no success.

L LORD, MAXWELL Justice League (Vol. 1) #1 (May 1987) REAL NAME Maxwell Lord IV BASE Mount Rushmore HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 185 lbs EYES Brown HAIR Brown POWERS/ABILITIES Telepathic mind control, brilliant strategist, ruthless sociopath. ALLIES Mokkari, Sarge Steel ENEMIES Amanda Waller, Brother Eye AFFILIATIONS Checkmate, S.H.A.D.E. DEBUT

Director of Checkmate—a Task Force X division regarded as a “Global Peace Agency”—Maxwell Lord oversaw the agency’s covert operations from a bunker within Mount Rushmore. Lord personally oversaw Checkmate’s Cadmus Project—a government program designed to negate the Justice League if they ever went rogue—and deployed elite agents when sentient satellite Brother Eye rebelliously created O.M.A.C. (One-Machine Attack Construct) from scientist Kevin Kho. When successive teams led by Sarge Steel and Mokkari failed, Lord requested S.H.A.D.E.’s help to counter the threat. Their top operative Frankenstein almost killed O.M.A.C. Lord himself had to fend off assassination by a soldier Brother Eye had subverted. Using his mind-control powers, Lord forced the would-be killer to turn the gun on himself. He outsmarted Brother Eye by magnetizing the satellite’s hull, causing passing asteroids to coalesce and trap Brother Eye inside, burning up on re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Lord’s pursuit of O.M.A.C. ended after Brother Eye gave Kho control over his O.M.A.C. body. Paranoid and holding grudges, Lord turned his attention to rival agency chief Amanda Waller, targeting her Suicide Squad with his own team, while tricking the Justice League into attacking her. His goal was to secure Eclipso’s mystic gem, the Heart of Darkness, which he used to “pacify” America. The plan failed after Lord succumbed to Eclipso’s influence and he was humiliatingly saved by Killer Frost and Superman. Over Waller’s protests, Lord later worked for Wonder Woman, but lost his political power and prestige after Checkmate was wiped out and absorbed by the predatory covert group Leviathan.

LORING, JEAN OUTSIDE THE LAW

Although Lord’s Checkmate organization was the world’s premier spy agency, its allegiances remained unclear.

DEBUT

Showcase #34 (Sep.–Oct. 1961)

5ft 8in WEIGHT 130 lbs Green HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Keen legal mind; as Eclipso, possesses vast magical powers, invulnerability, flight. ALLIES Ray Palmer ENEMIES Spectre, Shadowpact, Elongated Man, Mary Shazam HEIGHT EYES

Jean Loring was once a notable attorney and wife of Ray Palmer, the Atom. After Ray’s demanding double life came between them, they divorced. Loring continued her law career in Ivy Town, before suffering a complete mental collapse. She became convinced that she could restore her marriage to Ray by threatening or killing the loved ones of the Justice League of America. To that end, she shrunk herself, using one of Ray’s old costumes, and murdered Elongated Man’s wife, Sue Dibny, by giving her a stroke. When her crime was discovered, Loring served a term in Arkham Asylum, until she was infected by the sinister spirit of Eclipso and became his human host. As Eclipso, she seduced the Spectre into killing hundreds of Earth’s magic-users to bring about an end to the Ninth Age of Magic. The Shadowpact fought the Spectre and banished Loring into orbit around the Sun, but she returned, still bearing Eclipso’s powers, and tried without success to corrupt the spirit of Mary Shazam. Following Rebirth, she reverted to human status, but remained divorced from Palmer.

HEART OF DARKNESS

While confined in Arkham, Loring came across one of the black diamond shards of Eclipso’s Heart of Darkness, and was instantly possessed by it.

ON THE RECORD Pre-Flashpoint, Maxwell

Lord caused a terrible crisis of conscience for Wonder Woman after he used his mind-control powers to turn Superman into a weapon. This was part of his plot to exterminate the world’s metahumans using Brother Eye and O.M.A.C. Faced with the choice between saving millions of lives and keeping her oath never to kill, Wonder Woman killed Lord, and has lived with the consequences ever since. CHAIN OF DEATH

Blue Beetle attacked Lord when he discovered his plot to wipe out the world’s metahumans. Lord ended the fight by shooting Beetle in the head, only to have his own life taken by Wonder Woman, ending his schemes once and for all.

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LUTHOR, LEX Action Comics (Vol. 1) #23 (Apr. 1940) Alexander “Lex” Luthor BASE Metropolis HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Green HAIR None POWERS/ABILITIES Genius-level intellect; vast resources at his disposal; connected in business and criminal circles; employs technologically advanced warsuits; formerly melded with Martian DNA. ALLIES Captain Cold, Brainiac, Bizarro, Mercy ENEMIES Superman, Batman, Justice League, Lois Lane, The Batman Who Laughs AFFILIATIONS Legion of Doom, Secret Society of Super-Villains, Justice League, Injustice League DEBUT

REAL NAME

AT A GLANCE... Alien Rivalry Luthor believed no human was his equal and—after meeting Superman—set out to prove no alien was either. Lex had supreme confidence in his own intellect and scientific knowledge and was prepared to use any means necessary to get what he wanted. Business matters Global conglomerate LexCorp was built upon Luthor’s inventions and provided employment for most of Metropolis. As a generous, “philanthropic” owner, Lex basked in the adoration of the masses while his cutting-edge research facilities secretly developed the weapons he needed to combat Superman. LexCorp gave him two powers his enemy lacked: unlimited funds and the trust of international governments. War Footing Though his most powerful weapon is his own intellect, Luthor has spent billions creating armored outfits that make him the equal of any alien or metahuman.

CLASSIC STORIES Superman (Vol. 1) #38 (Jan.-Feb. 1946) Luthor uses an atomic bomb on

Superman. Scheduled to appear in 1944, the story was embargoed by the Defense Department until World War II ended.

Alexander Luthor is a very complex man. He is an intellectual genius, a flamboyant scientist, and a billionaire entrepreneur. However, he is also an utterly amoral, sociopathic Super-Villain, as well as an adulation-hungry would-be hero. Lex’s innate intellectual brilliance in a wide number of scientific disciplines is coupled with an obsessive need to be the undisputed best at whatever endeavor he attempts. Moreover, despite his vast organization of go-betweens and employees, Lex will get his own hands dirty when required. Unhindered by any scruple or ethical compass, Lex gets what Lex wants, and woe betide anybody who gets in his way. Lex Luthor grew up in Smallville, Kansas and knew Clark Kent when they were young, not realizing for years that the greatest thorn in his side—the future Superman—had been right under his nose all along. As a boy, Lex soon revealed his genius-level intellect. His father, Lionel, was a scientist, and had discovered an ancient race of apex predators that shared both human and Martian DNA. He located and trapped a young Martian boy named J’onn J’onzz, and began experimenting on him. Lex was permitted into the lab, and began to communicate with J’onn. The two became friends, and Lex helped J’onn escape when Lionel had DEADLY DISCOVERY planned to terminate the alien. The memory of this event A young Lex Luthor first showed was erased from both Lex and his father’s mind when Kryptonite to Clark Kent at a Lionel was betrayed by his business partner Vandal Smallville fair. Clark immediately Savage. This caused Lionel to turn to alcohol abuse, felt faint and collapsed. realizing something in his life was missing. In Smallville, Lex became strangely arrogant and aloof. An older student mostly avoided by Clark Kent and his friends Pete Ross and Lana Lang, Lex and his sickly sister Lena had a hard life, dealing with their now-abusive father. One night, when running from one of Lionel’s drunken tirades, Lex tripped and fell over a fragment of Kryptonite in his yard. He became fascinated with it, and the concept of extraterrestrial life. Putting his intellect to good use, Lex became a billionaire industrialist, setting up his LexCorp HQ in Metropolis. He ran a program where he would grant a lucky person waiting outside his building with a meeting with his “life engineers.” This gave Lex the appearance of an altruistic businessman. Successful on nearly all fronts, by the time Superman appeared in Metropolis, Lex owned 78 percent of the city. When the Super-Villain Parasite was formed inside Lex Luthor’s own building, Lex met Superman for the first time when the hero stopped the energy-sucking creature. Luthor couldn’t understand Superman’s motivation, but did not like being upstaged in his own city, and his rivalry against the Man of Steel was born. Over the years, Luthor has spent time as both hero and villain, even working his way onto the Justice League after leading the defeat of the planet-conquering Crime Syndicate from Earth-3. He created his own Superman in the form of Bizarro, and when that didn’t work out, he made a Superman-like battle suit and attempted to replace the Man of Steel himself. But there was no replacing Superman, and Luthor was even defeated by his own sister when Lena Luthor became the Super-Villain Ultrawoman. On his mad quest for more power, Luthor formed the Legion of Doom and helped free the cosmic entity

The Joker (Vol. 1) #7 (May–Jun. 1976) Luthor switches personalities

with the Joker, and a coldly rational Clown Prince of Crime hunts a literally mad scientist who would rather die than surrender the freedom of insanity. Action Comics (Vol. 1) #660 (Dec. 1990) Fatally irradiated by Kryptonite, Luthor fakes his own death. His brain is later transplanted into a healthy young clone with red hair and paperwork to prove he is Luthor’s son.

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FOREVER EVIL When the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3 invaded Earth, they recruited a host of Super-Villains to act as their vanguard and overwhelmed the world’s heroic defenders. Lex Luthor refused to be subservient to another’s will and organized like-minded metahuman criminals in an Injustice League. His nefarious team defeated the extra-dimensional conquerors, liberated Earth’s captive heroes, and thus saved humanity. In the aftermath, this most improbable hero even connived his way into the ranks of the Justice League.

CORPORATE RAIDER

Lex Luthor was never going to be a team player, unless he was in complete control of the team and giving the orders.

L APEX LEX When the Source Wall at the very edge of the universe was broken, Lex Luthor became obsessed with the power contained behind its walls, the cosmic entity called Perpetua. He understood that for the mother of the Multiverse to truly claim power in the world, the global attitude had to first shift to embrace doom. To do that, Luthor bestowed dark gifts on many of the world’s Super-Villains, and promised to give his fortune away to those who chose his dark philosophy. Surprisingly, while the Justice League was busy fighting evil in another dimension, public opinion shifted against them, and the world indeed chose doom, freeing Perpetua and empowering Lex even further.

REBIRTH

CHOOSE DOOM

Lex Luthor united his own Legion of Doom, but barely batted an eye when Perpetua imprisoned them in her throne in order to leech their various powers.

“It’s time to stop being selfish. The world needs Lex Luthor.” Lex Luthor

known as the mother of the Multiverse, Perpetua. He “died” and was reborn again as one of her apex predators, and even absorbed the Martian Manhunter into his own form, as the powerful being Apex Lex. Perpetua rewarded Luthor by channeling the powers of the rest of his captive Legion of Doom into him, making him stronger than he ever dreamed. However, Perpetua doublecrossed Lex by choosing an evil Bruce Wayne (infected by The Joker) from the Dark Multiverse to replace him as her right-hand man. This Batman Who Laughs swooped in at the last minute and stole everything for which Lex had worked. Betrayed, depowered, and dethroned, Lex Luthor nonetheless survived Perpetua’s reality-altering rule, and continues to plot his return to greatness.

METROPOLIS MARVEL After years struggling against Superman, Luthor realized that he should simply become the hero he despised. With the Man of Steel presumed dead, mimicking the power-set was easy. The real test was not slipping too far into the role of self-sacrificing do-gooder. However, Lex did not anticipate the challenges Superman faced on a daily basis, threats including Doomsday and Ultrawoman.

ON THE RECORD When he debuted, Luthor was the quintessential mad scientist. He was first depicted as a redheaded savant, but, following confusion among the artists drawing Superman’s stories at the time, it is believed he was accidentally switched with his own bald, burly henchman. The change stuck, and so the iconic, bald-headed evildoer has remained. War of the worlds After years of robbing banks and bedeviling the Man of Tomorrow with super-science gadgets—and barely a shred of success— Luthor was drastically overhauled in the early 1980s. After another humiliating and inconclusive clash, Luthor retired to the planet Lexor where he had long been considered a global hero and settled down with his wife Ardora. Sadly, due to a tragic misunderstanding, she and her entire world were obliterated. Blaming Superman, Lex rededicated his life to destroying his archenemy. Captain of industry Following the events of Infinite Crisis, Luthor began a supposedly philanthropic campaign to give ordinary people superpowers. His attention-seeking Everyman Project started well, with the first recipients becoming the latest incarnation of Infinity Incorporated, but the intention was actually to give the billionaire unbeatable metahuman abilities and ended up costing the lives of most of his test subjects.

THINKING OF YOU

Luthor’s intellect and utter lack of compassion make him the most dangerous man alive, capable of doing almost anything to satisfy his selfish desires.

RING OF DEATH

Luthor believed his stolen Kryptonite ring protected him from attack by Superman, unaware that its alien radioactivity was slowly killing him.

President Lex The maligned magnate achieved his greatest triumph when his money, technology, and publicity machine gained him the presidency of the United States. He even won acclaim for spearheading Earth’s defense against a colossal alien incursion by the cosmic force of destruction, Imperiex. His vindictiveness and chicanery eventually proved his downfall, and Luther was exposed when he injected himself with Kryptonite, mad with power.

HAIL TO THE CHIEF

Though he knew Luthor could not have won the election fairly, Superman had no proof and had to wait for his gloating enemy to make a mistake.

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L WORD OF POWER

When Alexander Luthor shouted the word “Mazahs!” he unleashed the power of the dark lightning. In moments, he killed both Johnny Quick and Bizarro.

LUTHOR, ALEXANDER DEBUT DC Comics Present Annual #1 (1982) (Vol. 2) #23 (Oct. 2013)

Earth-3 6ft 3in WEIGHT 210 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Analogous to those of Shazam; additionally absorbs the powers of anyone he kills. ALLIES Superwoman ENEMIES Crime Syndicate, Justice League UNIVERSE

BIDING HER TIME

There was no way that Lena Luthor would allow herself to be imprisoned in her brother’s lab for long—without getting her revenge.

HEIGHT

LUTHOR, LENA Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #23 (Feb. 1961) DEBUT

Lena Luthor Metropolis HEIGHT 5ft 8in WEIGHT 130 lbs EYES Green HAIR Blonde POWERS/ABILITIES Genius intellect; battlesuit gives her super strength and durability. ALLIES Bizarress Army ENEMIES Lex Luthor, Superwoman AFFILIATIONS None REAL NAME BASE

Alexander Luthor is the Shazam of Earth-3, known as Mazahs. His version of Shazam’s powers included the ability to absorb and retain the powers of any metahuman he killed. A mortal enemy of the Crime Syndicate of America and one of the few Earth-3 heroes to survive opposing them, he was brought to Earth-0 as a prisoner and held in the Justice League’s Watchtower. Released in the chaos of the battle between the combined Justice Leagues and the Crime Syndicate, he used his word of power to join the fray and declared he would kill everyone present, hero and villain alike. His rampage was only stopped when Lex Luthor realized that he had the same voice, and depowered Alexander with his own word of power. Lex then killed Alexander to avenge the fallen Bizarro—and of course save his own life. After his death, it was revealed that the Crime Syndicate’s Superwoman was carrying Alexander Luthor’s child.

When Lena Luthor was paralyzed, her brother Lex, the self-styled “smartest man alive” believed he could cure her condition. However, when he could not, the shame over his failure led Lex to keep Lena locked away in his lab. Lena too was a genius, and managed to break free from captivity before building herself a giant mech suit. Calling herself Ultrawoman, she was no longer confined to a wheelchair, but a formidable opponent in battle. She used her power to take control of Metropolis, having trapped Lex in the secret basement of his own building. However, Lena’s new form required so much energy that she needed a new power source, and chose the new Superwoman to be her living battery. Superwoman defeated her, and Lena was imprisoned once more at LexCorp.

LOSERS G.I. Combat (Vol. 1) #138 (Nov. 1969) Europe and Asia during World War II MEMBERS/ABILITIES Captain Storm: Indomitable will, a natural leader; Gunner: Commando skills, expert marksman; Johnny Cloud: One of the greatest fighter pilots of World War II; Ona Tornsen: Expert markswoman; Pooch: Specially trained military dog; Sarge: Impeccable commando skills; expert marksman. ALLIES Haunted Tank, Sergeant Rock, Easy Company ENEMIES Nazi Germany, Empire of Japan AFFILIATIONS US Army, Navy, and Air Force DEBUT BASE

The Losers were Allied servicemen during World War II, each of whom had suffered serious failures during their military careers. The crew of Captain Storm’s first command, PT-47, had been massacred by a Japanese submarine; a rookie pilot flying alongside Johnny Cloud had been killed in combat; and a band of raw recruits led by Gunner and Sarge had been wiped out during their first patrol. After Sergeant Jeb Stuart, commander of the Haunted Tank, persuaded the soldiers to help him destroy a Nazi radar tower, the four men stayed together, united by the Military High Command as a special task force. Briefly recruiting a fifth member, a Norwegian resistance fighter named Ona, the unit fought Axis tyranny across Europe and Asia, never quite shaking their self-imposed status as “Losers.” Tragically, all four men and their canine sidekick, Pooch, died in action during the final SUICIDE MISSIONS days of World War II. Decades later Gunner was Despite their seemingly terrible resurrected by Project M and recruited for the luck, the Losers had a knack of surviving against impossible odds. new Creature Commandos unit.

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1 4 2 3

5

6

WINNING COMBINATION

1 2 3 4 5 6

Gunner Johnny Cloud Captain Storm Ona Sarge Pooch

MAD HARRIET Mr. Miracle (Vol.1) #6 (Feb. 1972) Apokolips HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 146 lbs EYES Black HAIR Green POWERS/ABILITIES Fierce and ruthless warrior, trained by Granny Goodness; weapons include energy claws; superhuman agility, strength, durability, and endurance, extremely unpredictable. ALLIES Granny Goodness, Lashina, Stompa, Bernadeth ENEMIES Big Barda, Mr. Miracle, Bernadeth, Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor AFFILIATIONS Female Furies DEBUT BASE

Apokolips has spawned some of the most lethal and frightening villains in creation. Perhaps the most demented is Mad Harriet, one of Darkseid’s infamous Female Furies. The twisted result of being raised in Granny Goodness’ corrupt orphanage, Mad Harriet revels in torture and pain. Taking orders from Bernadeth—sister of Darkseid’s premier lackey and torturer, Desaad—Mad Harriet revels in her reputation as a “psychopathic harpy,” quick to use the slashing power spikes on her armed gauntlets. Her first commander was Big Barda, who led the Female Furies, but when she defected, fleeing Apokolips with her true love, Mr. Miracle, her former team happily pursued her to Earth. Barda convinced the Furies to abandon Darkseid and work with her and Mr. Miracle, but their true loyalties re-emerged, and they resumed their roles as Darkseid’s killer elite. Mad Harriet recently joined forces with Big Barda and the Furies to fight Darkseid’s daughter, Grail, who had enslaved newly resurrected Darkseid. Mad Harriet was captured by Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, but defied interrogation and soon returned to her dark Master.

THE MAD HATTER

ON THE RECORD One of Mad Harriet’s fiercest battles was with the Suicide Squad over the fate of Glorious Godfrey. During the fight, she was nearly killed when her energy claws backfired as she slashed at Bronze Tiger. She was far less fortunate in Countdown to Final Crisis, when she was accidentally incinerated by Apokolips’ Dog Soldiers during a confrontation with Mary Shazam, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman.

MAD, BAD, AND NO FUN TO KNOW:

Harriet and Harley turned a slug-fest into a hug-fest when they realized how much they have in common, especially their dubious sanity.

ON THE RECORD

Batman (Vol. 1) #49 (Oct./Nov. 1948) REAL NAME Jervis Tetch BASE Gotham City HEIGHT 4ft 8in WEIGHT 149 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Red POWERS/ABILITIES Extremely intelligent inventor and technician; uses drugged tea to enhance his own physical abilities; technological innovations let him control the minds of others. ALLIES Tweedledee, Tweedledum ENEMIES Batman, Red Robin, Bluebird, Black Mask, Anarky AFFILIATIONS Secret Society DEBUT

Jervis Tetch lived a tortured life, mostly due to his appearance. As a young boy, he became obsessed with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland stories. This, combined with his father’s haberdashery shop, would influence the later Super-Villain identity he would adopt for himself. As a boy, Jervis fell in love with a girl named Alice. While he was often undermined and bullied by his classmates, Jervis worked up the nerve to ask Alice on a date, and she accepted, accompanying him to a theme park called Wonderland. That day was the best day of his life, and Tetch became obsessed with it, even though Alice rejected him at a dance soon afterward. Highly sensitive about his short stature, Jervis began experimental testosterone therapy that altered his mind and slowly drove him insane. Years later, Jervis adopted the identity of the Mad Hatter and began hunting for his “Alice” over and over again, even killing the real Alice when he discovered that she was no longer the radiant beauty he remembered from his “perfect day.” With his inventive genius, the Mad Hatter developed mind-control devices designed to make future “Alices” more receptive to his every command.

The Mad Hatter first appeared in 1948, in the same issue of Batman that featured another new addition to the Dark Knight’s supporting cast—love interest Vicki Vale. His appearance was short-lived as Batman foiled his plan and he was locked away in Gotham Pen. While incarcerated, an impostor turned up on the scene in 1956 taking his name and MO, but sporting a handlebar mustache and a sane mind. The two Mad Hatters took turns matching wits with Batman over the years, but the later villain changed his name to Hatman in 2010. The Hatter later joined the Secret Six, helping them escape from the Doom Patrol, and Ragdoll rewarded him by pushing him off a bridge. He survived and sought revenge, only to find himself once more falling from a bridge to his apparent death after Ragdoll tossed his precious hat over the edge.

ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE

One of the many “Alices” the Mad Hatter was obsessed with and eventually killed was the sister of the future villain Anarky, who sought revenge for Tetch’s crime.

A HATTER FOR ALL OCCASIONS

Hatman made a reappearance in Batman #700 (Aug. 2010), attempting (and failing) to brainwash Robin, Batman, and Batgirl—and establishing his own credentials as a top-hatted trickster.

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M MADAME ROUGE

MAELSTROM

MAGENTA

DEBUT Doom Patrol (Vol. 1) #86 (Mar. 1964) My Greatest Adventure (Vol. 2) #1 (Dec. 2011)

DEBUT

Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #1 (Jan. 2009)

DEBUT

Laura DeMille HEIGHT 5ft 6in WEIGHT 118 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Stretching her body to incredible lengths; reshaping facial features. ENEMIES Doom Patrol, Teen Titans

REAL NAME

Maelstrom BASE Apokolips HEIGHT 6ft 2in WEIGHT 345 lbs EYES Blue HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; expert combatant; uses buzz-saw-like blade and Apokolips armor. ENEMIES Superman, Supergirl

BASE

REAL NAME

The first female member of the Super-Villain group the Brotherhood of Evil, Madame Rouge was originally a French film actress named Laura DeMille, who suffered from schizophrenia following a car accident. Mr. Brain and Monsieur Mallah used a ray treatment to suppress her kind side and help her along the road to villainy. DeMille adopted the name Madame Rouge, and was given powers by the brilliant Brain. Despite being attracted to the Doom Patrol’s chief, Dr. Niles Caulder, Madame Rouge fought his team many times, until the Doom Patrol seemingly sacrificed their lives to save a small New England fishing town from the Brotherhood of Evil. Years later, during a conflict with the Teen Titans, Madame Rouge was knocked into machinery that restored her original personality, but ultimately killed her. She later returned briefly in undead form as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.

On the hellish planet Apokolips, Darkseid lords over millions of lowlies. But one of his laborers, a woman named Maelstrom, loved him and longed to be his next bride. To catch Darkseid’s eye, she decided to give him a very special gift: Superman’s corpse. She convinced her accomplice Hadrok to steal a boom-tube device for her, killed him, and then traveled to Earth to locate Superman. She encountered and defeated Supergirl, but lost her fight with Superman, who destroyed her Boom-Tube generator while hurling her back to Apokolips. There she was relegated to the Terrorium arena and later the slave pits by Granny Goodness, but was eventually allowed to resume her war on Superman by Darkseid himself. She failed again in her goal when Supergirl and Superman teamed up to stop her and her new allies, the Female Furies.

MADAME XANADU Doorway to Nightmare #1 (Jan.–Feb. 1978) REAL NAME Nimue Inwudu BASE Dean Street, London, Mobile HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 125 lbs EYES Green HAIR Black POWERS/ABILITIES Sorceress well versed in the use of the mystic arts; able to predict the future to a degree, normally using tarot cards; seemingly immortal and doesn’t age. ALLIES Carter Hall, John Constantine, Shade the Changing Man, Zatanna, Etrigan the Demon ENEMIES Felix Faust, the Blight, Mordru, Dr. Destiny AFFILIATIONS Demon Knights, Justice League Dark DEBUT

After the fall of King Arthur and Camelot, Jason Blood was cursed: bonded to the demon Etrigan, as a result of the machinations of sorcerer Merlyn. Nimue Inwudu—calling herself Madame Xanadu—voyaged with her infernally twinned lover and met the Shining Knight, Al Jabr, Exoristos, Vandal Savage, and the Horsewoman. A LONELY ROAD: They banded together as the Demon Knights, sworn foes Madame Xanadu’s of malevolent mage Mordru. romances have ranged Centuries later, Madame Xanadu realized the from Etrigan to Jason Blood. She steered clear world was entering a time of great danger and began of Deadman, however, assembling a team to counter forthcoming threats. realizing that she had To unite these magical strangers—Shade the Changing to walk a lonely path. Man, Deadman, Zatanna, John Constantine, and Mindwarp—she had to escalate the conflict by helping the Enchantress fight her new champions. The team stopped Enchantress, but also discovered Xanadu’s treachery. Yet, when needed to tackle magical and supernatural th