Mordru , also known as Mordru the Merciless , is a supervillain featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Curt Swan , Mordru made his first appearance in Adventure Comics #369 (June 1968).
105-578: Originally Wrynn , a scion of a notable family in Gemworld who sought power through black magic, released an entity whom served the Lords of Chaos, Wyrnn's mind was overtaken and replaced with a different being who christened himself as Mordru. Future accounts of the character later retroactively revealed Mordru to be akin to a parasitic-like cosmic entity who possess hosts. A sorcerer who often seeks to conquer and amplify his already overwhelming level power, he
210-628: A superhero published in American comic books created by DC Comics . Created by writers Dan Mishkin , Gary Cohn and artist Ernie Colón , she debuted in The Legion of Superheroes #298 in April 1983. Born into the Amethyst royal family of Gemworld, a fictional dimension full of magic and magical creatures, her parents were killed shortly after her birth by her future archenemy, Dark Opal. She
315-591: A "maxi-series") establishes Gemworld, Amethyst's identity, and several of her recurring villains. The limited series was followed by a 1984 annual and a sixteen-issue ongoing series. The ongoing series was followed by the 1986 Amethyst Special one-shot and a four-issue limited series that ended the character's adventures (penciled by Esteban Maroto ). There was also a one-shot with Superman in DC Comics Presents #63 (Nov. 1983). The character re-emerged in 2005 after 18 years of sporadic appearances, in
420-412: A battle of the old guard against these uncompromising protectors in a conflict that will define what heroism truly is and determine the future of the planet. When comic book artist Alex Ross was working on Marvels , published in 1994, he decided to create a similar "grand opus" about characters from DC Comics . Ross wrote a 40-page handwritten outline of what would become Kingdom Come and pitched
525-472: A battle with Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld , Mordru is banished from Gemworld and imprisoned inside the planet. During this time, Mordru develops taphophobia (the fear of being buried alive), which becomes his " Achilles' heel ". Infinite Crisis erases the Gemworld origin and continues Mordru's post- Crisis battles with Doctor Fate and other super heroes. Instead of possessing Wrynn, Mordru controls
630-463: A child, but he deduces the news first. Diana asks Bruce to serve as godfather , surprising the World's Greatest Detective. Clark tells Bruce he will provide a balancing influence to the child, adding that in spite of their differences over the years, he has always trusted Batman. Bruce accepts, touched by his old friend's words. As they leave the restaurant, Bruce notices Norman and Jim Corrigan discussing
735-605: A devastated Kansas (an homage to the Kingdom Come series) although Superman states the entire planet is in the same condition. With advice from this future Superman, Captain Atom returns to the present and uses a robot made by Toyman to destroy the giant meteorite of kryptonite, preventing this future from coming true. In a follow-up to this story, Captain Atom: Armageddon , the titular Captain Atom finds himself in
840-478: A large empire in the 28th and 29th centuries before being imprisoned by Mysa (now his daughter rather than his apprentice) in a vault on the Yuen asteroid. In the battle, Mysa's allies are killed and she is severely aged. Mordru is released by a mining project on the Yuen asteroid controlled by a group of disgruntled Legion rejects. The new Legion consisting of Sensor , Umbra and Magno investigates unusual events on
945-509: A message of hope for humanity. Among the congregation is Jim Corrigan , the Spectre's human host. The first additional scene (four pages) takes place near the end of the second part of the series. Superman visits Orion on Apokolips , which has changed very little despite Darkseid no longer being in power. He asks Orion for his advice on what to do with the captive rogue metahumans. Orion, who has grown to resemble his father and has adopted
1050-545: A myriad of powers, including flight , spellcasting , energy manipulation, energy constructs, eldritch blasts, matter transmutation, magic resistance, atmokinesis, chronokinesis, chlorokinesis, elemental control, life creation, reality alteration, crystal enchantments, crystal generation, conjuration, summoning, size alteration, divination, hypnotism, emotion manipulation, telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, dimensional travel, invisibility, illusion casting, invoking spirits, necromancy, healing others, and hyperawareness, as well as
1155-458: A rather jaded view on life, initially offers to accept Superman's charges as exiles to Apokolips. Superman rejects that solution, claiming he can learn nothing from Orion, and goes back to Earth with Big Barda and Scott Free. The second additional scene is an eight-page epilogue. Clark Kent and Diana Prince meet with Bruce Wayne at 'Planet Krypton', a superhero-themed restaurant owned by Michael Jon Carter . They plan to tell Bruce they are expecting
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#17327833939461260-458: A second volume ntitled Revelations ) to the text, containing further sketches and developmental artwork from Ross, showing the development of the character designs and the storyline. A 1998 special from Wizard magazine contains the original proposal for the series by Ross, providing notes on what was changed and why. Ross's comments on The Kingdom are also included. DC released an Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover edition in 2006. It collects
1365-582: A similar suit and works at the Daily Planet, which was attacked, presumably by the Joker. His Earth was designated as Earth-96, a reference to the year the comic was released. Furthermore, Kevin Conroy portrayed a variation of Bruce Wayne from Earth-99 that also incorporated elements of the Kingdom Come version, such as the character wearing an exo-suit. Hachette Audio released an audio dramatization of
1470-605: A spell, at the expense of her own life. With this spell, she goes back in time and becomes responsible for the creation of the Legion. In the new timeline, Glorith orchestrates a battle between Mordru and the Legion. Glorith plans to have Mordru and the Legion destroy each other so she can come to power. Ultra Boy discovers her plan and coerces Mordru to attack Glorith. At this point, the Sorcerers of Zerox remove Mordru's powers and cure his mind. He then marries Mysa Nal and moves to
1575-502: A swift cease-and-desist notice from DC, objecting that the volume "constitute[d] an unauthorized derivative work that infringe[d] upon [DC's] copyrights, violates [their] trademark rights, and misappropriates [their] good will". Lamken acquiesced to the recall, despite protesting that DC had prior knowledge of the project. It is likely that the similarities between the material contained in the Revelations volume (available only with
1680-525: A tie-in to the Final Crisis storyline, Mordru is one of Superboy-Prime 's Legion of Super-Villains . Mordru rules the Sorcerers' World and holds the White Witch hostage. After killing Glorith, Dragonmage and Prince Evillo, Mordru holds the remaining magic of the universe. He also receives the power of Kinetix (killed by Superboy-Prime) and that of the other sorcerers of "Universe-247". However,
1785-523: A tyrannical ruler. Her given birth name is Amaya while her human identity is Amy Winston . After DC Rebirth , the character's original origin is restored, albeit without significant connection to the Lords of Chaos and Order . The character has received several media adaptations, having been featured in a short animation series featured on the DC Nation block on Cartoon Network . Amethyst's premise
1890-466: Is a 'cosmic fluke' and a cancer and that no other versions of him exist. Mordru is then defeated by Jakeem Thunder , who places him "somewhere where none of us will see him again". Mordru returns to again impersonate Fate, but the members of the Justice Society see the ruse. When cast out, Mordru returns to his original form (Volume 2, issue #34). In the 30th century, Mordru appears on Zerox,
1995-641: Is a four-issue comic book miniseries published in 1996 by DC Comics under their Elseworlds imprint. It was written by Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Alex Ross , who also developed the concept from an original idea. The story is set in an alternate future of the DC Universe . The new generation of heroes have lost their moral compass, becoming as reckless and violent as the villains they fight. The previous regime of heroes—the Justice League —returns under dire circumstances, which sets up
2100-416: Is able to temporarily restore Wrynn to his former self. Wrynn begs Donal to free him from Mordru's influence by killing him. Before Donal is able to fulfil the request he is distracted by Topaz's objections. This distraction allows Mordru to regain control of Wrynn and kill Donal. Enraged, Amethyst pulls The Child out of Emmy's body and banishes him back to Gemworld. In the final issue of the miniseries Mordru
2205-437: Is awakened prematurely by the Spectre. Amber (her magical construct daughter) is not created. Her friend Princess Emerald, the Gemworld royal families, and Earth family have unknown fates. Further illustrating that timeline is deleted, Mordru (a Chaos immortal energy being from Cilia) exists many eons before his "creation" in the Gemworld "origin" back story (making this a contradiction); the villain has battles against Dr. Fate and
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#17327833939462310-599: Is based upon the desire to prevent the loss of life. Moved by Superman's sentiments, Batman tells him that Captain Marvel is under Luthor's control and is on the way to the Gulag. Superman races to the prison, but upon arrival is struck down by Captain Marvel. The Gulag is breached, freeing the population, and inciting war between them and the Justice League. Batman's army arrives on site as an intervening third party, but
2415-517: Is frequently recognized as one of the most potent evil wielders of magic in the DC Universe , making him an adversary of many characters and teams, including the Justice Society , Amethyst , Doctor Fate , Justice League Dark , and most notably, the futuristic Legion of Super-Heroes . Mordru's character has been adapted in various media, including television series such as Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice League Unlimited . Mordru
2520-455: Is hidden on Earth by a witch and is adopted into a family, given the name Amy Winston . Eventually, she travels to Gemworld on her thirteenth birthday, learning of her heritage and became Gemworld's chief protector by opposing the Lords of Chaos and their agents, including Dark Opal. After the events of Flashpoint , the character was retroactively rebooted, having first been raised by her mother Graciel to help eventually liberate Gemworld from
2625-685: Is reduced to asteroid rubble and Amethyst is killed. During the Infinite Crisis storyline, Amethyst is first seen battling the Spectre on Gemworld in Infinite Crisis #2 and survived the attack. She later appears among the magical beings who are summoned to reconstruct the shattered Rock of Eternity in the Day of Vengeance Special. Amethyst is seen once again in Infinite Crisis #6 where she and other sorcerers pool their powers to summon
2730-431: Is reimagined as a Lord of Chaos. When the Justice Society face him in the present day, Jack Knight (the current Starman ) mentions that he knows of Mordru from his visits to the 30th century, and the android Hourman reveals that he attempted to use his time-manipulation to revert Mordru to a less powerful state but found that Mordru's timeline had no beginning or end, suggesting that he is immortal. Mordru attempts to steal
2835-461: Is seduced by Jean Loring , host of Eclipso, then murders Shazam moments after Mordru escapes. After escaping from the Rock of Eternity, Mordru seeks revenge on Fate and the Justice Society. During Mordru's battle with Fate (now manifesting in his helm and cloak on his own without a host), Mordru and Fate encounter different timelines, such as the Kingdom Come timeline. Fate mocks Mordru, suggesting he
2940-456: Is sentenced to banishment from The Twelve Kingdoms of Gemworld following his defeat. Amethyst, dissatisfied with this sentence and angry over Donal's murder, banishes Mordru into Gemworld by merging him with the planet where he remains for many years. Amber is revealed to be Amethyst's daughter, not Topaz and Turquoise's. Realizing that the end of her time on Earth has brought imbalance to the forces between order and chaos, Amethyst charges Emmy with
3045-496: Is successful in rallying support from most of the other Houses and gains friendship in Lord Topaz, Lady Turquoise, and Princess Emerald (Emmy). The first series ends with the defeat of Dark Opal, the liberation of Gemworld, and Amethyst's return to Earth. During the second series released in 1986 it is revealed that in the aftermath of Dark Opal's defeat, conflict among the other Royal Houses of Gemworld caused friction throughout
3150-513: Is the designation of the Kingdom Come alternate universe. In Justice Society of America (vol. 3) , a new Starman appears wearing a costume identical to that of the Starman from the Kingdom Come series. It is soon revealed that this individual is indeed the Starman from Kingdom Come , and that he is also Thom Kallor , a native of the planet Xanthu and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in
3255-572: Is unable to stop Wonder Woman from killing the supervillain Von Bach, which increases the fury of the riot. As conditions worsen, United Nations Secretary General Wyrmwood authorizes the deployment of three tactical nuclear warheads, hardened against metahumans. In the middle of their fight, Batman and Wonder Woman see the incoming bombers piloted by the Blackhawk Squadron . They break off fighting and manage to stop two bombs, but miss
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3360-462: Is wrong as Doctor Fate and the Legion of Substitute Heroes show to warn them that there is a traitor among them. Just then, Eclipso rips himself out of Wildcat 's body and starts eclipsing everyone. Using one of Huntress ' arrows to combine with a spell and the energies of Solaris, Legionnaire has the arrow fired at the Black Diamond which defeats Eclipso. Wildcat is restored and Eclipso
3465-507: The Infinite Crisis mini-series. In 2012, Amethyst appeared as the main character of the new Sword of Sorcery as part of The New 52 line. This lasted until May 2013, when Sword of Sorcery was cancelled. In 2019, DC relaunched the Young Justice title, with Amethyst as one of the members. A six-issue miniseries Amethyst (2020) by Amy Reeder was published the following year. In 2012, DC published an Amethyst volume of
3570-494: The Showcase Presents series. It reprinted the character's appearances in The Legion of Super-Heroes #298, the original Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld 12-issue limited series, Amethyst Annual #1, DC Comics Presents #63, and the first 11 issues of the 16-issue ongoing Amethyst series. Amethyst appeared in the 1997 " Convergence " crossover that ran through Book of Fate , Night Force , Challengers of
3675-574: The Justice League . He recruits new and old heroes. The most prominent exception is Batman , who resents Superman for leaving the world 10 years ago. Batman warns him that his idealist notions are outdated and his violent interference will only exacerbate the world's problems. In response to Superman's Justice League, Batman activates his own network of agents, the "Outsiders", made up largely of younger second and third-generation heroes. Trusted veterans, such as Green Arrow , Black Canary and Blue Beetle , are chosen as lieutenants. Lex Luthor organizes
3780-574: The Justice League Dark upon being brought to Earth in an effort to reconnect Tim Hunter with magic. Amethyst remains on the team to recover the portal stone that John Constantine has stolen. She is told not to trust any promises Constantine has made. Soon after, she has an adventure while exploring the House of Mystery with her allies Black Orchid and Frankenstein . They destroy several malicious threats that try to devour them. During
3885-480: The Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th Century. After his transformation into Mordru, Wrynn sets off on conquest which eventually leads to a confrontation with Amethyst and in which Flaw is destroyed. Amethyst pursues Wrynn across Gemworld where they battle a second time. Meanwhile, The Child has returned and abducted a now-adult Emmy from Earth. He plans to use her as leverage for Mordru to defeat Amethyst. The ploy eventually fails as Donal arrives to help Amethyst, who
3990-464: The WildStorm universe and in another homage to Kingdom Come , his appearance mysteriously changes to that of his Earth-22 counterpart. In the second arc of Batman/Superman: World's Finest , entitled "Strange Visitor" and written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Dan Mora, a young boy named David Sikela arrives on Earth-0, where he is found by Batman , Superman , and Robin . They quickly realized
4095-471: The " Trinity War " storyline, Amethyst is among the superheroes who feel the disturbance in the magical plane when Shazam picks up Pandora's Box. In 2019, DC relaunched the Young Justice title, with Amethyst as one of the members. On this Gemworld, there is no time difference passing between dimensions. If one day passes on Earth, then only one day passes on the Gemworld. Dark Opal exists as an ongoing villain and apparently never died. Amethyst possesses
4200-436: The "Mankind Liberation Front". The MLF is secretly a group of Golden Age villains and third-generation villains like Ra's al Ghul 's successor, Ibn al Xu'ffasch , who is Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul 's son. The MLF works to take control of the world from the heroes. Superman's Justice League gathers more captives than converts, and his prison (nicknamed "the Gulag") is quickly filled to capacity. Superman works to persuade
4305-473: The 30th and 31st centuries. Due to a time-travel error, Starman traveled to Earth-22 before arriving in 21st-century New Earth. The "Thy Kingdom Come" story arc of the Justice Society of America title features the involvement of Alex Ross, as well as the appearance of the Kingdom Come Superman. Seeing the connection between Gog of New Earth and Magog of Earth-22, Superman from Earth-22 and
Mordru - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-550: The Batcave with the intent to kill Clark Kent, because according to him, Clark is responsible for the destruction of the Earth. Kingdom Come Superman suddenly vanishes while being distracted by his past self calling him "Clark". It is eventually revealed that this Superman came from a future in which a kryptonite meteorite crashed to the Earth. Later, due to a burst of quantum energy, Captain Atom arrives in this future. He appears in
4515-487: The Dark Lord is choosing his conquests carefully "as if selecting baubles from a jeweller's tray" thus suggesting his power has wavered. In a large space battle, the Legion defeats the Dark Lord's armada. Mordru fights back by appearing as a hundred-foot armored giant. After he defeats the Legion, he reverts to his normal stature to rejoice in his victory, failing to notice that Mon-El and Superboy were not present during
4620-470: The Demons Three. During the battle, the Justice League and the Justice Society ally with the Legion of Super-Heroes . His plan fails. There is some loss of continuity following Crisis on Infinite Earths , the battle is restored to continuity by the events of Infinite Crisis , where the Justice League and the Justice Society reside on a combined "New Earth". After Crisis on Infinite Earths , Mordru
4725-462: The Dominion sign an extended peace treaty. Mordru flees to Avalon, a backwater planet, and takes the name Romdur (an anagram of Mordru). Star Boy uses his "mass-inducing" power to collapse Mordru's castle, trapping him again. One of Darkseid 's Servants of Darkness frees Mordru from imprisonment on Avalon, and Darkseid steals his powers. He is left powerless on Zerox. Mordru is fated to rule
4830-581: The Gemworld (Zerox) is not destroyed during the 30th century. In 2012, DC relaunched the long defunct Sword of Sorcery title as part of The New 52 (a reboot of the DC Comics universe) with Amethyst as the lead story written by Christy Marx with art by Aaron Lopresti . In this version, Amethyst is Princess Amaya of House Amethyst, taken to Earth and raised as Amy Winston by her mother Lady Graciel to protect her from Amaya's ruthless aunt Mordiel, who has usurped control of their house. Amethyst later joins
4935-467: The Gemworld dimension, only 13 years time will pass on Earth. Lord Topaz and Lady Turquoise are married and have three children: twin sons Wrynn and Donal, and four-year-old daughter Amber. The miniseries also sees the rise of Mordru in the form of Wrynn when he accidentally summons Flaw back to life. With the help of Flaw and The Lords of Chaos, Mordru transforms himself into a powerful sorcerer. He would become Amethyst's greatest enemy and goes on to plague
5040-482: The Gulag. Batman's forces ambush Luthor and his conspirators, but are unable to restrain Batson, who transforms into Marvel and flies off. While Wonder Woman leads the Justice League to the prison riot, Superman confronts Batman. Batman tries to justify inaction, saying the world would be better off if all the metahumans destroyed each other. However, Superman knows that Batman will act, because his entire crimefighting life
5145-621: The House of Opal. Following the death of Amethyst's parents, the witch Citrina whisks her away to be reared in safety by the Winston family on Earth . At the age of thirteen, Amethyst is attacked by Dark Opal. After her return to Gemworld, Amethyst discovers her magical powers and decides to use them to rebel against Dark Opal's oppression over Gemworld. Upon befriending the winged unicorn Max, Amethyst journeys in search of allies among The Twelve Kingdoms of Gemworld that do not support Dark Opal. She
5250-549: The JSA seek to prevent New Earth from going the way of his own world by stopping Gog in his crusade to rid the world of false gods, and before he can choose a successor one day in Magog. The JSA is split in their opinions on Gog; some believe he is truly benevolent, while others are suspicious of his true intentions. To prove himself, Gog heals certain JSA members such as Starman, Doctor Mid-Nite , and Damage , and he resurrects Lance from
5355-516: The Justice League. Luthor's plan is to exacerbate the conflict between the League and Gulag's inmates. Batman quickly discovers that an adult Billy Batson is under Luthor's control. Batson, as Captain Marvel, is the only metahuman capable of matching Superman's power. When the inmates riot and kill Captain Comet , Luthor unwittingly reveals to Batman he intends to use the brainwashed Batson to break open
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#17327833939465460-517: The Justice Society following the Post-Crisis time. Moreover Mordru possesses former sorcerer Arion (Lord of Atlantis) and never Wrynn ( Justice Society , #42-50, 1999). Donal, Wrynn, and Amber are post- Infinite Crisis (alternate timeline) characters no longer existing in the DCU. About 4 years of DC comics time passes between Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis . In the revised continuity,
5565-535: The Legion) in their plans. For example, Pulsar Stargrave masquerades as Brainiac 5's father and sends his real father on a series of missions to gather artifacts that could defeat Mordru. Stargrave enlists the aid of the Time Trapper, a "time manipulator". Stargrave orders the Time Trapper to prove his worth by killing the Legion. When the Time Trapper fails, Stargrave tries to enlist the Legion themselves. Later on,
5670-545: The Lord of Chaos known as Child and his golem servant Flaw. After defeating Flaw, Amethyst ends the battle between herself and The Child by merging him with Gemworld. As a consequence, she is forced to merge with The Child. The Amethyst miniseries sees the characters' return from their fates and takes place about two decades after Crisis on Infinite Earths (time passes differently in Gemworld). When 20 years of time pass in
5775-935: The Smallville townsfolk, Mordru finds the Legion. They battle and again, Mordru is left imprisoned and comatose. Mordru manipulated the Resource Raiders, the Khunds , the Dark Circle and events on Weber's World (a diplomatic conference between the United Planets and the Dominion) to take over Earth and defeat the Legion, but is defeated. In the aftermath of the crisis, the Khunds and the Dark Circle are driven out of United Planets territory. The U.P. and
5880-619: The Titans and becomes Superman's sidekick, Boy Thunder. While things start out well, a team-up between the Joker and The Key results in David being tortured by the Joker, which heavily traumatized him. In a fit of rage, David attempts to kill the Joker. While he was unsuccessful, David vows that he will one day kill the Joker, as it is revealed he is a younger version of Magog from Kingdom Come . David's actions deeply concern Superman, Batman and
5985-484: The Titans, with Superman briefly considering siphoning off David's powers, but decided against it, believing that David deserved a chance to try to fix his own mistakes. The Key took this opportunity to attempt to use David's ship to unlock the secrets of the multiverse, triggering the ship's systems and causing it and David to be transported into an unknown world in the Multiverse, where he meets an alien being going by
6090-532: The Unknown and Scare Tactics . This story depicts an alternate Gemworld experiencing a civil war. Here, Amethyst is portrayed as a villain who wants to unify all the family houses in Gemworld by any means. In the alternate timeline of the 2011 Flashpoint storyline, Amethyst is a member of the Secret Seven . Princess Amethyst, the daughter of the ruling House of Amethyst, was orphaned by Dark Opal of
6195-606: The White Witch absorbs Mordru. Due to Mordru's evil in doing, so she becomes the "Black Witch". In 2011, " The New 52 " rebooted the DC universe. In the Demon Knights series, Mordru and Questing Queen work together to find a specific artifact, and come into conflict with Etrigan the Demon . Within the DC Universe , Mordru is recognized as an ultimate-level magic wielder capable of performing virtually manipulating any force within
6300-479: The Witch Girl , and Stargirl where he helps to apprehend Harlequin's Son and states that he wants to be a member of the JSA. They eventually allow him to join on a provisional basis. However, this causes them to come into conflict with the Legion of Super-Heroes, who believe that he still has the capacity for evil and want to imprison him. During the fighting between both sides, Legionnaire senses that something
6405-553: The ability to tap into other mystical sources so she can amplify her own capabilities to near-incalculable levels. Amethyst’s magical prowess is so vast that Doctor Fate once said she can be considered one of the most powerful beings in the entire universe. She is capable enough to engage in battle with the Spectre and survive. Amethyst appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . Kingdom Come (comics) Kingdom Come
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#17327833939466510-529: The alien sorcerer Sden tries to trick the Legion into retrieving yet another artifact, again with the goal of defeating Mordru. After Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! , the future of the DC Universe was rebooted. Instead of an established Legion, a new Legion with younger heroes had just been formed, and the history between the 21st and 30th centuries had changed. The story after Zero Hour has Mordru establishing
6615-653: The asteroid. Mordru searches for his lost talismans which hold his power such as the Emerald Eye of Ekron . The owner of the Eye defends the relic until a Legion led alliance (including Mysa (who is now de-aged), the Workforce , and the Amazers ) defeats Mordru and imprisons him in an airtight sphere. Although the "Elements of Disaster" threatened at one point to revive him, Mordru remains imprisoned. In Legion of 3 Worlds ,
6720-409: The audio version was composed by John Bauers. In January 1999, Harbor Press published the first (special) issue of their comics magazine Comicology . The 272-page Comicology: Kingdom Come Companion , edited by Brian Lamken, focuses heavily on Kingdom Come , featuring an A-Z of almost everything, with extensive illustrations by Ross and various other commentary on the miniseries. It was the subject of
6825-472: The body and power of the newest Doctor Fate, but is subsequently imprisoned in Fate's amulet. After escaping, he overpowers Fate ( Hector Hall ) and steals his collar and amulet. With the aid of Eclipso and Obsidian , Mordru tries to conquer the world, but is defeated by Doctor Fate and the Justice Society. Fate imprisons Mordru within the Rock of Eternity. There, Mordru is guarded by the wizard Shazam . Spectre
6930-549: The boundaries of his imagination and requires a physical vessel and host to use his magical powers. The Legionnaire (also known as the Golden Age Legionnaire ) is a younger version of Mordru who operated as a hero and sought to prevent himself becoming a villain in the future where he aided Atom , Ma Hunkel , and the All-Star Squadron before mysteriously vanishing. By " Flashpoint Beyond ", he
7035-580: The care of her daughter and takes them both back to Earth. Amethyst returns to Gemworld and merges with the planet. By displacing Gemworld into Earth's universe, the setting is a "possible" future +13 years following the Crisis on Infinite Earths series. Time passes and the Gemworld is renamed Zerox. Late in the 30th century, Zerox (The Sorcerers World) is destroyed by an entity battling the Legion of Super Heroes in LSH series (1984) #60-63 ("The Magic Wars"). The planet
7140-426: The classic crime-busting vigilantism of the past. In the epilogue, the heroes strive to become fully integrated members of the communities. Wonder Woman's exile from Paradise Island ends. She becomes an ambassador for super-humanity, taking the survivors of the Gulag to Paradise Island for rehabilitation. Batman abandons his crusade and becomes a healer, rebuilding his mansion as a hospital to care for those wounded by
7245-609: The dead to make him his successor, Magog. Soon, the JSA learns that Gog is forming a parasitic relationship with the planet Earth. If he remains long enough, the planet will not be able to survive without him. The JSA remove Gog's head, and Superman and Starman take it to the Source Wall . Starman sends Superman back to Earth-22 in time to see the carnage caused by Captain Marvel detonating the bomb. The events of Kingdom Come continue from there and conclude in its entirety, with additional scenes depicting Superman's life and legacy for
7350-413: The desire outcome. Despite his immense power, Mordru has claustrophobia and cannot properly perform magic when methods such as burial or entrapment are employed. Mordru's overconfidence in his abilities often proves to be a hindrance, making him underestimate opponents or overlook potential threats in which creates opportunities for his opponents to exploit. Furthermore, Mordru is also somewhat limited by
7455-470: The destruction of the Gulag. He reconciles with both Dick Grayson and Ibn al Xu'ffasch. Superman begins the task of restoring the Midwestern farmlands devastated after Magog's attack. He comes to terms with his past as Clark Kent by accepting a pair of glasses from Wonder Woman, and shares a kiss with her before she returns to Paradise Island. Norman McCay resumes pastorship of his congregation, preaching
7560-476: The entire concept as "Gemworld". Amethyst first appeared as a special insert preview in The Legion of Super-Heroes #298 (April 1983). Her original story began shortly afterward in the twelve-issue Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld limited series in 1983, written and created by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn with Ernie Colón as the artist. The initial 12-issue limited series (identified by DC Comics as
7665-421: The entire series in a significantly larger page format, along with interviews with Waid and Ross, character artwork, sketches, and a complete annotation for the series. It was released again in the second quarter of 2018. The novelization was written by Elliot S. Maggin . It was published by Warner Aspect as a hardback, and (in limited numbers) a slip-cased, signed edition. It fleshes out characters such as Magog,
7770-416: The fight. The two seal him in an airless vault which is then placed beneath Legion Headquarters. While exploring the headquarters, Shadow Lass finds Mordru's vault and opens the outer door. While trying to open the main door, she is interrupted by Mon-El, who warns Shadow Lass and shuts the vault. He opens an outer glass window which lets them see safely inside, but they see Mordru is revived and coming thru
7875-548: The form of sorcerer Arion , and was previously imprisoned in the Rock of Eternity. Chronologically (in DC Universe time), Mordru's first battle with costumed superheroes occurs during a meeting between Earth-One's Justice League of America and Earth-Two 's Justice Society of America . Mordru (who inhabits the Earth-One universe) captures members of the JLA and JSA from the 20th century and forces them to retrieve artifacts to free
7980-665: The future from a dying Wesley Dodds . The Spectre appears to McCay and recruits him to help pass judgment on the approaching superhuman apocalypse. An attack on the Parasite , led by Magog, goes awry when Parasite tears open Captain Atom . As a result, much of the American Midwest is irradiated, killing millions and destroying a large portion of the United States's food production. Coaxed back into action by Wonder Woman , Superman returns to Metropolis and re-forms
8085-553: The grown son of Superman and Wonder Woman, who would be mentored by Gog. Waid and Ross disagreed on several concepts, and Ross decided to leave the project. Without Ross's involvement, Waid continued the story in the New Year's Evil: Gog one-shot. The Kingdom miniseries soon followed, featuring a two-part series and several one-shots focusing on specific characters. The series was used to present Grant Morrison 's Hypertime concept. The final issue of 52 reveals that Earth-22
8190-474: The idea to James Robinson as a project similar in scope to Watchmen (1986–1987) and Alan Moore 's infamous "lost work" Twilight of the Superheroes . Ultimately, Ross teamed with writer Mark Waid , who was recommended by DC editors due to his strong familiarity with the history of DC superheroes. In this Elseworlds story, Superman and the Justice League abandon their roles as superheroes after
8295-532: The inmates that their methods are wrong-headed and dangerous, to no avail. With hostile heroes and villains locked up together, pressure builds. Meanwhile, Superman learns that Wonder Woman's ardent militant stance may be influenced by her recent exile from Paradise Island: in the eyes of the Amazons , her mission to bring peace to the outside world has failed, and she has thus been stripped of her royalty. Batman and his Outsiders seem to ally themselves with MLF against
8400-435: The major characters were also included. The trade was also printed as a hardback (without dustjacket) by Graphitti Designs. Alex Ross provided a new cover painting for a new trade paperback released in 2008 that features a deluxe foldout cover only on its first printing (subsequent printings will not include the foldout). A separate deluxe slipcased two-volume hardback edition, also copublished by DC and Graphitti Designs, added
8505-426: The name of Gog. A boxed-set of the four individual issues was packaged in a die-cut cardboard sleeve with a Skybox trading card, part of a short-lived experimental program to package comics for resale at Toys "R" Us and other mass-market retailers. The original trade paperback from 1997 collects the entire series along with twelve additional pages by Ross, including the epilogue. Promotional artwork and sketches of
8610-624: The next 1,000 years. Alex Ross states that this story is not intended as a sequel to Kingdom Come since that would negate the purpose of the original story. A major subplot of Judd Winick and Keith Giffen 's 2010 maxiseries, Justice League: Generation Lost concerns the events of Kingdom Come . The story sees Maxwell Lord being tasked by the Entity with killing Magog before he can inadvertently trigger an apocalyptic war between Earth's superhumans, which ultimately brings Magog and Lord into conflict with Justice League International . To drive
8715-553: The planet Tharn. Following the Magic Wars, there is a galactic economic collapse and Tharn faces destruction by the Khund. To protect the planet against the Khund starships, the Sorcerers' Council restores Mordru's powers, even though they know the power will corrupt him. Mordru defeats the Khunds and becomes Emperor, allying with Glorith. Due to Mordru's power, other would-be conquerors of the 30th century consider Mordru (and hence
8820-505: The planet of sorcerers, and takes control in a coup. In doing so, he steals the sorcerers' powers, but his apprentice, Mysa Nal (the White Witch ) escapes. Mordru, now known as the "Dark Lord", creates an unstoppable, tyrannical space empire by conquering nearby planets. He combines the technology of the conquered planets with his sorcery. For example, he can jam an enemy's weapons before a space battle. However, Brainiac 5 notices that
8925-608: The point home, the Entity shows Lord a series of visions taken directly from Kingdom Come , including Magog and the Justice Battalion attacking Parasite. Lord eventually succeeds in arranging Magog's demise, and his life is returned by the Entity. During the first arc of the Superman/Batman series written by Jeph Loeb , what appears to be the Kingdom Come Superman appears via a Boom Tube in
9030-447: The process. Despite Marvel's sacrifice, most of the metahumans are obliterated in the explosion. Superman is unharmed, but does not realize that there are any other survivors. Enraged at the tremendous loss of life, he flies to the U.N. Building and threatens to kill the delegates as punishment for the massacre. The surviving metahumans arrive, but McCay is the one who talks him down, pointing out how his appearance and behavior are exactly
9135-1146: The purchase of the considerably-more-expensive Graphitti/DC two-volume set) contributed to the recall of the Comicology volume. The recall made the Companion arguably the most difficult Kingdom Come item to find. In 1996, Fleer / Skybox released a set of trading cards based on Kingdom Come , entitled Kingdom Come eXtra . Alongside the 50 basic cards, featuring art by Ross and text by Waid, there are 15 "sketchboard" cards, three "Kingdom Classics" (featuring Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in iconic poses), six "Alex Ross Original" cards, and some rarer autograph cards. DC Direct (the exclusive collectibles division of DC Comics ) has produced three waves of action figures based on Kingdom Come ' s artwork. The first wave of figures included Superman , Wonder Woman , Green Lantern and Hawkman . The second wave included Batman , Red Robin , Captain Marvel and Kid Flash . The last wave included Magog , Flash , Armored Wonder Woman and Deadman . An exclusive figure of Red Arrow
9240-481: The restaurant's "Spectre Platter", with Corrigan showing irritation that this is how he is being remembered, and Norman assuring him that it is good to be remembered at all. Due to the popularity of the series, Mark Waid and Alex Ross began to plot a sequel/prequel titled The Kingdom . Alex Ross's original intent was for Gog to be an alien, twice the size of a human, from the planet Urgrund that split into two and created Apokolips and New Genesis and for Magog to be
9345-563: The restored Spectre to Stonehenge . In the aftermath of the event, all of the other Lords of Order are apparently destroyed by the Spectre, signaling the end of the Ninth Age of Magic and leaving Amethyst as the only known surviving Lord of Order in the Tenth Age of Magic. Infinite Crisis erases the events of the 1987 Amethyst four-issue mini series. Amethyst never goes into 20 years (13 years Earth time) of crystal glass hibernation and
9450-510: The rise and strong public support of a superhero named Magog , who has no qualms about killing—notably the Joker before his trial for the mass murder of the Daily Planet staff, including Lois Lane . In the ensuing years, a newer generation of superpowered metahumans arise. They engage in destructive battles with little distinction between "heroes" and "villains". The narrator , minister Norman McCay , receives apocalyptic visions of
9555-426: The sort of reasons that normal humans fear the superpowered. Superman immediately ceases his rampage. He is handed Captain Marvel's cape, and tells the U.N. that he will use his wisdom to guide, rather than lead, humankind. Superman ties Captain Marvel's cape to a flagpole and raises it among the flags of the member nations of the U.N., suggesting that this role of guidance will be more political and global in nature than
9660-511: The story, adapted from the novelization, featuring the voice talent of Mike Mearian, Don Peoples, Garet Scott, John Cunningham, Kent Broadhurst, Jeff David, Chuck Cooper, Harry Goz , Barbara Rosenblat, Craig Zakarian, Mike Arkin, Bob Lydiard, Peter Newman, Birgit Darby, Mark Finley, Igot Goldin, Macintyre Dixon, and Chloe Patellis, along with the guest voices of Dennis O'Neil, Mark Waid, Mike Carlin, Dan Raspler, Charles Kochman, Peter Tomasi, Greg Ross, Janet Harvey, Elisabeth Vincentelli. The music for
9765-404: The surrounding kingdoms. The Lords of Chaos attempt to capitalize on Amethyst's absence and threaten to overtake Gemworld. During this time, Amethyst learns from Doctor Fate that she is a member of the Lords of Order as her father was. Amethyst is unique among the Lords as the only creation with a truly human form. After struggling with this revelation, she finally accepts her destiny and battles
9870-410: The third. Captain Marvel uses his lightning bolt as a weapon against Superman, who manages to grab Marvel and allow the bolt to transform him into Billy. Holding Batson's mouth shut, Superman tells him he is going to stop the remaining bomb. Batson must make a choice: either stop Superman and allow the warhead to kill all the metahumans, or let Superman stop the bomb and allow the metahumans' war to engulf
9975-627: The unique properties of David's biology give him powers upon exposure to the Earth's sun, and is brought to the Bottled City of Kandor to be examined by the Kandorian scientist Kim-Da. While there, Kim-Da fabricates David a costume inspired by Hel-Oz, an ancient Kryptonian hero. After a brief, but traumatic, excursion to Gotham, Robin takes David to the base of the Teen Titans , where he introduces David to his friends and partners. David joins
10080-444: The universe according to his own will and possess exceptional endurance surpassing superhuman limitations, superhuman strength, and immortality. Throughout the character's depiction, his powers were initially connected to his mastery of black magic but in more recent portrayals, Mordru's powers are instead derived from "chaos magic", which requires no systems ( pentragrams , sigils , grimoires , incanatations , etc.) in order to produce
10185-492: The universe for a thousand years. The Time Trapper tries to use the Legion to stop Mordru's rise to power, but in The Great Darkness Saga , the Legion become more powerful than expected. The Time Trapper realizes the Legion is a potential threat. When Mon-El destroys the Time Trapper, it disrupts the space-time continuum and reveals a universe in which Mordru does come to power. Glorith, a minor villain, casts
10290-469: The vault side. Mon-El sounds the alarm and Superboy tries to reach him but is rendered unconscious by Mordru, who has not yet regained his full strength. The Legion flee through a Time Bubble. The Legion have no time to set the bubble and arrive at its last setting, Smallville in Superboy's time. They hide the bubble and aided by Clark Kent (Superboy) they assume secret identities. Through Lana Lang and
10395-473: The world leaders, and the Batman/Ib'n connection. The book contains four new color pages by Ross, as well as four black and white sketches of the major players. Brandon Routh reprised his role of Clark Kent / Superman from the 2006 film Superman Returns in the 2019–2020 Arrowverse crossover event " Crisis on Infinite Earths ". This version of Superman takes inspiration from Kingdom Come . He wears
10500-434: The world. Superman tells Batson he must be the one to decide, as he is the only one who lives in both worlds: a man (as Batson) and a god (as Marvel). Batson, his mind now clear of Luthor's influence, turns back into Captain Marvel. He flings Superman to the ground and flies after the missile. Marvel intercepts the missile and shouts "Shazam!" three times in rapid succession, detonating the bomb prematurely, and killing Batson in
10605-556: Was among the thirteen missing Golden Age superheroes in the Time Masters ' capsules. When those capsules failed, they were all pulled back to their own time, with history rebuilding around them. In " The New Golden Age ", Legionnaire's bio was shown to have his information redacted, with his appearance silhouetted except for his Legion Ring. Legionnaire was first seen witnessing Alan Scott taking Ruby Sokov with him. Legionnaire then appears before Power Girl , Hawkman , Salem
10710-415: Was initially pitched to DC Comics under the title "Changeling", wherein its main character had been left on Earth as an infant. However, because another DC superhero formerly named Beast Boy was currently using that name at the time, Dan Mishkin decided on the alternative "Amethyst" as a replacement. This in turn inspired the jewel-themed renaming of the other characters in the series and the rebranding of
10815-416: Was originally an energy being who possessed Wrynn, one of the twin sons of Lord Topaz and Lady Turquoise. As Wrynn, Mordru studies black magic and accidentally resurrects the golem Flaw, a golem and servant of the Lords of Chaos who chooses him to assist them in retaking Gemworld. Over time, Mordru takes over Wrynn's mind and body and banishes him to his subconscious. After killing Wrynn's brother Donal during
10920-478: Was released through ToyFare magazine. DC Direct also released several other characters through their Elseworlds toylines. These figures included the Spectre , Norman McCay , Jade , Nightstar , Aquaman and Blue Beetle . An updated version of Kingdom Come Superman was released in JSA series2 , which was based on the covers that Alex Ross worked on. An action figure of Superman based on Kingdom Come 's artwork
11025-400: Was trapped in the Black Diamond. Legionnaire states that he'll put the Black Diamond somewhere secure on Gemworld. When Cosmic Boy asks what he'll do next, he is told by Legionnaire that he hasn't figured it out yet. Rainbow Girl comes up with a solution that involves Legionnaire and Huntress joining the 31st Century's version of the JSA. Gemworld Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld is
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