Comics character
Lady Styx
is a
supervillain
in the
DC Comics
Universe
. Her first appearance occurred in the weekly series
52
.
Publication history
[
edit
]
Lady Styx first appeared in
52
#31 as the main antagonist to
Adam Strange
,
Animal Man
, and
Starfire
. She later made appearances in
Omega Men
and
Countdown to Adventure
. Though not present herself, Lady Styx's cult appeared in
Rann/Thanagar: Holy War
.
Keith Giffen, breakdown artist for
52
, commented that Lady Styx was created to be a villain similar to
Darkseid
, who they felt was being overused.
[1]
Fictional character biography
[
edit
]
Lady Styx's origins are at this time unknown, though the
Guardians of the Universe
(clearly distressed by her presence) believe she originates from somewhere outside the known cosmos. Worshipped as a
goddess
by her followers, the Lady sends forth her legions to ravage planets and transform their populations into her undead slaves. This is known as the "Stygian Passover". In her twisted mind, this is a way of bringing order to a chaotic universe, uniting all peoples as one race with a single purpose, the worship of her.
Lady Styx's missionaries are known as
Darkstars
, a name taken from a former intergalactic peacekeeping force. Transformed into
zombies
and robbed of their individual identity, these brainwashed beings preach the glory of the Lady, urging their enemies to "believe in her".
In
52
, it is implied that Lady Styx put a bounty on the heads of
Starfire
,
Adam Strange
, and
Animal Man
,
[2]
DC heroes who had been stranded in space following the events of
Infinite Crisis
. Seeing the destruction wrought by her followers and fearing their homeworlds could be next, the trio of space heroes decide to make a stand against her. They are begrudgingly aided by the former intergalactic bounty hunter
Lobo
, who takes them to the Lady on the pretense of collecting on their bounty. The resulting battle leads to the apparent death of Animal Man via a necrotoxin (though he was later resurrected by the very aliens who originally gave him his powers). Lady Styx is apparently killed in Week 36 of
52
, absorbed by a Sun-Eater while battling the
Green Lantern
Ekron (a.k.a. the "Emerald Head").
[3]
Some time later, she's able to grow new flesh for herself from a pregnant captive.
One Year Later
[
edit
]
Following the
one-year gap
during which
52
takes place, she has reappeared in several of DC Comics'
science fiction
series. In
Mystery in Space
, she is the source of
Captain Comet
's death and rebirth, a cycle which began when her forces attacked him in
52
. In the 2006
Omega Men
miniseries, Lady Styx appears as the central antagonist, seeking powerful artifacts known as "heartstones" in her attempt to remake the universe and usurp the role of
God
. Apparently trapped in another dimension, Lady Styx manifests in this series as a
giantess
.
Once again, she tries growing new flesh from the bodies of her followers. Using the stones as a focus, she recreates a new, giant body, combining and reshaping her supplicants' bodies. She is stopped in her plan by the Omega Men and finally killed by a resurrected and empowered Felicity (wife of the Omega Men's commander-in-chief
Tigorr
), now re-christened
Nimbus
. Lady Styx was apparently able to hold her consciousness together in Felicity's subconscious. There, the Lady waits to strike again.
In
Countdown to Adventure
, it appears that the Lady has been able to infect both the planets Earth and Rann. On Earth, there have been random outbursts of people acting homicidal and psychopathic, and on Rann, the public has become supportive of their new hero, an Earthman named Champ Hazard, and his destructive and violent ways.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Commentary by Keith Giffen in
52: Volume Three
trade paperback, p. 117.
- ^
52
Week 35 (January 3, 2007)
- ^
52
Week 36 (January 10, 2007)
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2000 AD
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DC Comics
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Marvel Comics
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Vertigo
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Boom! Studios
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Early work
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Notable characters
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Related articles
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