| Eclipso | |
|---|---|
 The Bruce Gordon incarnation of Eclipso as depicted inCountdown to Mystery #4 (February 2008). Art by Stephen Jorge Segovia. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | House of Secrets #61 (August 1963) |
| Created by | Bob Haney Lee Elias |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Kaala(current) Galid(former) |
| Species | Ghost |
| Place of origin | Gemworld(As Kaala) |
| Partnerships | Mordru Obsidian Hosts: Bruce Gordon Alex Montez Jean Loring |
| Notable aliases | Lladiz Prince of Darkness Vengeance Demon The Lord of the No-Man's Land Between Light and Darkness |
| Abilities |
|
Eclipso (/ɪˈklɪpsoʊ/) is asupervillain inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. Created byBob Haney andLee Elias, the character first appeared inHouse of Secrets #61 (August 1963). The character bears notable similarities toDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Eclipso is a powerful magical entity often portrayed as a primordial manifestation of divine wrath, believed to be linked to the wrath of God. Comparable to theSpectre, Eclipso is considered an Angel of Vengeance. Following his removal from his original position, Eclipso is sometimes associated with theLords of Chaos as their agent. In the New 52 continuity onward, it is revealed that Eclipso occasionally reincarnates into different lives. One such incarnation isKaala, also known as the Lord of House Onyx, hailing fromGemworld. Throughout Eclipso's history, Eclipso is frequently depicted as an adversary of the Justice League, its affiliated teams, andAmethyst, Princess of Gemworld. Eclipso is also able to possess others, causing distinctive blue facial markings resembling an "eclipse."
Eclipso appeared as the main antagonist of the second season ofThe CW television showStargirl, portrayed as an adult byNick E. Tarabay and Jason Davis and as a young boy by Milo Stein.
Eclipso first appeared inHouse of Secrets #61 (August 1963) and was created byBob Haney andLee Elias.[1][2]
Originally, Eclipso was written as a generic villain who would routinely enact an elaborate plot to fulfill hishedonistic motivations. However, the 1992Darkness Within miniseries modified Eclipso to be an evil and megalomaniacal entity. Eclipso's character laments the power he once had as a spirit of divine vengeance. Eclipso would frequently seek to possess beings of incredible power likeSuperman,Lar Gand, andCaptain Marvel to achieve his ends.
Eclipso's early comics debut is tied to his first modern host, Bruce Gordon (named afterBruce Wayne andCommissioner Gordon as an inside joke),[3] a scientist specializing in solar energy. While in the jungle to view a solar eclipse, Gordon is attacked by a tribal sorcerer named Mophir. Before plunging to his death off a cliff, Mophir wounded Gordon with a black diamond, causing him to transform into Eclipso whenever an eclipse occurred. A blue-gray or purple circle covered the rightmost two-thirds of his face, resembling a partial eclipse.[4] Gordon experienced manyJekyll-and-Hyde transformations and misadventures inThe House of Secrets. During this period, Eclipso was portrayed as a conventional villain, possessing super strength, partial invulnerability, and eye blasts. Eclipso's transformations were later altered so that any type of natural eclipse, lunar or solar, would cause Eclipso and Gordon to split from one another, while an "artificial eclipse"—an object blocking out a light source—would merely transform Gordon to Eclipso. Any bright flash of light would banish Eclipso back into Gordon's body or reverse the change.[5]
In the early 1990s, DCretconned Eclipso in a company-widecrossover built around theminiseriesEclipso: The Darkness Within. Eclipso was revealed not simply to be Bruce Gordon's dark half, but a vengeful demon who had possessed Gordon. Eclipso's soul had originally been bound inside a giant black diamond called the "Heart of Darkness" in Africa. A treasure hunter found it in the late 19th century and brought it to London in 1891, where he had a jeweler cut it into 1,000 shards. This weakened the binding spell, allowing Eclipso to possess anyone who became angry while in contact with one of the shards. He was no longer limited to possessing Gordon during an eclipse, but pretended otherwise so that Gordon would not know the truth about the black diamonds.[1]
Over the next 100 years, Eclipso gathered the diamond shards with the intention of destroying them all, freeing his true power. When Lar Gand discovered Eclipso's palace on the moon and wandered inside, it inspired Eclipso to possess all of Earth's heroes and use them towards his ultimate goal, the conquest of Earth and revenge against God for imprisoning him. Eclipso claimed he had spent the last several years "posing as a B-level villain" to remain undetected by Earth's heroes and had limited himself to targeting Gordon for the purpose of quashing Gordon's research into solar science. If Gordon had achieved his goal of making solar energy the planet's primary energy source, any solar-powered device could be used as a weapon against Eclipso.
In the climax of the story, several of Earth's heroes are possessed by Eclipso and transported to the moon during an eclipse. Eclipso absorbs these heroes into his body, gaining their powers. Gordon leads a group of heroes armed with solar weapons to the moon in an attempt to defeat Eclipso once and for all. The absorbed heroes are freed afterWill Payton destroys Eclipso's moon base by detonating his own solar-powered body. Eclipso's diamond shards remain on Earth.
Following the crossover event, Eclipso appeared in a solo series. He conquered the South American country of Parador by possessing one person at a time. The United States sent an investigation team consisting ofCave Carson, Bruce Gordon, and Gordon's fiancé Mona Bennet. Carson's legs are broken and he is left at the border.
Gordon and Bennet were taken on a tour and shown various atrocities, such as piles of children's corpses. They escaped with the assistance of theCreeper and formed a group of heroes dubbed theShadow Fighters. This group was led byAmanda Waller, formerly of theSuicide Squad. In issue #13 of the series, Eclipso confronts the group, killingWildcat,Doctor Mid-Nite,Commander Steel,Manhunter, andMajor Victory.[1]
Elipso attacks the survivors with a Parador missile, which they evade usingNightshade's teleportation ability. During the escape, Bennet's father is snatched from their vehicle, but survives. The survivors arrive in theUnited Nations building, just in time to foil another plot of Eclipso by landing their vehicle on his intended victim.
Eclipso is finally defeated when thePhantom Stranger gathered all 1,000 black diamond shards and fused them into the Heart of Darkness, imprisoning Eclipso again. His physical body, the adult child of Bennet and Gordon, evaporates in front of his parents.
In the seriesThe Spectre (vol. 3), it is revealed that the Spectre was not the first embodiment of the wrath of God, but was Eclipso's replacement. Series writerJohn Ostrander chose to portray this as a distinction between the Spectre's pursuit of "vengeance" and Eclipso's pursuit of "revenge". In a Biblical context, Eclipso was responsible forNoah's Flood, while the Spectre was theAngel of Death who killed the first-born Egyptian children.
The Spectre destroys the Heart of Darkness, along with the remains of Eclipso's palace on the moon, burning them to ash and casting the ashes into outer space.
Eclipso returns after several years' absence in the "Princes of Darkness" storyline inJSA as an ally of the other villainsMordru andObsidian. Alexander Montez, cousin of Wildcat, vows revenge on Eclipso for her death. To this end, he gathers the 1,000 black diamonds, liquefies them and injects them into himself; all save one, which he keeps to evoke Eclipso. Exactly how Eclipso's diamonds had returned was unknown. Montez covers his body in tribal tattoos he claims he had learned about on Diablo Island. With these tattoos, Montez can summon all the powers of Eclipso by triggering the diamond with his anger, while remaining in control of himself and keeping Eclipso trapped within. As the new Eclipso, he joins the short-lived team of loose-cannon heroes assembled byBlack Adam, which was the subject of the subsequent storyline "Black Reign".
During Adam's reign inKahndaq, Alex becomes romantically involved with his teammate Soseh Mykros, also known asNemesis. During the battle, one of Alex's binding glyphs (which keeps Eclipso in control) is broken via a shoulder wound. Eclipso soon kills Nemesis. Alex commits suicide to prevent Eclipso from controlling him further.
Despite the loss of the other black diamonds, Eclipso tries to possess Superman by antagonizing him through many deaths.[6] He eventually possesses Superman by upsetting him via his possession ofLois Lane.[7] At this point, the wizardShazam steps in by sending Captain Marvel to fight the possessed Superman. Thanks to Superman's weakness to magic, Captain Marvel is able to do a significant amount of damage to Eclipso.[8]
Shazam removes Eclipso from Superman by calling upon the hostless Spectre to do it. The Spectre forces Eclipso back into a lone black diamond. The Spectre then warns Shazam that he has made an enemy of Eclipso and that the currently-hostless Spectre will no longer be able to defend him, as he lacks the coherence necessary to effectively recall anything beyond his 'mission'. At the end of this series, the black diamond appears inJean Loring's cell inArkham Asylum.[8]
In theDay of Vengeance miniseries, Jean Loring discovers the last black diamond in her prison cell, becomes the new Eclipso, and tricks the Spectre into attacking magic-based heroes as her revenge against Shazam. After fending off multiple attacks upon herself, Loring is teleported into orbit around the Sun.
InInfinite Crisis,Alexander Luthor Jr. sendsSuperboy-Prime to recover the black diamond and. It is revealed thatPsycho-Pirate delivered the diamond it to Loring on Luthor's orders and manipulated Eclipso into manipulating the Spectre. This was all done in the interest of breaking down magic into raw magical energy, which Luthor could use for his own ends.
The Spectre, desiring revenge on Eclipso for his manipulations of him duringInfinite Crisis, but rendered incapable of taking it owing to his present lack of a host, orders Dibny to punish Eclipso in return for his wife's life. Dibny, realizing that this meant punishing Jean Loring, his wife's murderer, and temporarily granted the power of the Spectre, takes Eclipso back to the point at which she murdered his wife Sue. He restores Loring's sanity, forcing her to relive her murder ofSue Dibny.
Her sanity restored and Eclipso purged out of her, Loring tearfully begs for forgiveness, screaming that she was not acting rationally when she murdered Sue. Dibny, affected by her pleas, his sense of compassion, and his own feelings on watching his wife's death, refuses to complete his pact with the Spectre, returning Eclipso to her orbit around the Sun.
Loring later appears inBlue Beetle (vol. 7) #16, searching for a new host. Having come to the conclusion that her hosts' corrupted souls are the cause of her failures, she tries to possess a baby with great magical potential and a pure, uncorrupted soul. She is foiled in this attempt byBlue Beetle andTraci Thirteen. She even manages to take control of Blue Beetle and grants him his "supreme desire of power", intending to use Blue Beetle to kill the defenders of the baby. To her mortification, this means Blue Beetle's wish, to become a dentist to provide for his family, is fulfilled, which does not benefit her.[9]
Eclipso is seen inCountdown to Final Crisis #38 watchingMary Marvel and plotting to make Mary into her minion. Increasing her anger and suspicions around the other magical beings around her, she manipulates Mary and offers herself as a friend and confidante. After attempting to make her Darkseid's concubine, however, Mary rebels and attempts to kill her.[1]
After discovering Eclipso's manipulation of her, Mary Marvel sacrifices her abilities and attacks Eclipso with all her power, leaving Mary and Loring to fall into the ocean surroundingThemyscira. Loring is last seen sinking into the ocean with a shark approaching and Eclipso returns to inhabit Bruce Gordon, declaring her lost.
Eclipso kidnapsShade,Acrata,Nightshade,Shadow Thief, Bette Noir, and Dark Crow, all of whom possess shadow-based abilities. After brainwashing his captives, Eclipso travels to an extradimensional plane and frees a demonic entity known asSythunu, who agrees to serve Eclipso. With his small team ready, Eclipso travels to the Emerald City thatAlan Scott established on the Moon, intending to captureJade.[10] After taking over Jade, Eclipso defeats and possesses the Justice League's reserve roster. With the Justice League outnumbered, Eclipso then reveals his ultimate goal is to kill God.[11] Eclipso then tortures Zauriel, attracting the attention of the new Spectre,Crispus Allen. The Spectre arrives on the Moon, where Eclipso ambushes and kills him, absorbing the Spectre's powers. With his newfound abilities, Eclipso reveals that God relies on the collective love of humanity to stay alive, and that by destroying Earth, Eclipso will kill God. Just as the members of the JLA prepare to wage a counterattack, Eclipso destroys the Moon, apparently dooming all life on Earth.[12] After theAtom andStarman break Eclipso's link to his brainwashed slaves, the combined attack Eclipso together, defeating him.[13]
In 2011, "The New 52" rebooted the DC universe. Eclipso is depicted as the god of vengeance and once again trapped in the Heart of Darkness.[14] A criminal organization working for Kaizen Gamorra tries to steal the item, withTeam 7 trying to stop them. During the fight,Slade Wilson is briefly possessed by Eclipso.[15] With the help of Essence, the other heroes manage to trap him again in the black diamond, which is then sent to somewhere safe.[16] Five years later, Catwoman is hired to steal the diamond, now kept in one ofA.R.G.U.S.'s custody; she succeeds, although she is affected by the item's magic.[17]
Eclipso is subsequently revealed to be an inhabitant ofGemworld with the powers of House Onyx and House Diamond and was onceKalaa of the planet Gilaa.[15] He was trapped in the diamond by the then-Princess of House Amethyst centuries ago.[18] Now possessing Alex Montez, he is sent back to Gemworld byJohn Constantine, where he seizes control of the two Houses to which he is connected.[19] Seeking revenge on House Amethyst, he is defeated byPrincess Amaya and again trapped in the diamond.[20]
Later, the black diamond is delivered to scientist Gordon Jacobs, who has fallen from grace. Using Gordon's rage, Eclipso from inside the gem manipulated him into cutting himself with the gem so he can possess him. After taking his body, Eclipso murders Jonah Bennet, Gordon's partner and father of his fiancé, Mona, who has come to visit Gordon, but after that, Gordon realizes that he was out of control and he must destroy the gem. Eclipso tells him that if he does, he will also kill himself, because they are one and the same now. Eclipso also manipulates and convinces Gordon not to throw away the gem, using Mona as an excuse. Eclipso warns that if the diamond and he are destroyed, the blood bond between them means Gordon will die too. Manipulatively, Eclipso reminds him that with Jonah's death, Gordon must be there to comfort her and soon, Gordon is convinced.[21]
In the storylineJustice League vs. Suicide Squad,Maxwell Lord hasLobo,Johnny Sorrow,Emerald Empress, Rustam, andDoctor Polaris—the original members of theSuicide Squad—to steal the Heart of Darkness fromAmanda Waller's base. Using the Heart of Darkness, Lord 'succeeds' in bringing 'peace' across America, but it quickly degenerates into mass hysteria as the crystal corrupts those around him. Waller is able to snap Lord back to his senses and he realizes that the Heart of Darkness is manipulating his power to sow rioting and chaos.[22] Before Waller can help Lord remove the Heart of Darkness, it infects Lord and turns him into a host for Eclipso, leaving onlyBatman and the Suicide Squad to stand against his Justice League. Eclipso is able to take over most of the Squad by drawing on their darker desires, but Batman and Lobo hold them off long enough forKiller Frost to use her powers to create a prism, perfectly modulated to reflect Superman's heat vision at a frequency that drives Eclipso back.[23]
Eclipso is a formidable and powerful spiritual entity, representing the primordial embodiment of God's wrath. Possessing extraordinary abilities, Eclipso's powers are diverse and impressive. Eclipso exhibits attributes such as invulnerability and immortality. Eclipso's vast magical powers enable the performance of godlike feats. These include manipulating the weather and seas, causing natural disasters like floods and thunderstorms. Eclipso can also alter their size, growing to giant proportions, has the ability to emit deadly rays of dark light from his left eye and a powerful burst of paralyzing black light from his right eye by looking through a shard of the Heart of Darkness gem. Furthermore, Eclipso has demonstrated the ability to absorb the powers of the Spectre and project potent energy from their hands, capable of stunning or even killing adversaries. Having once served God, Eclipso possesses the ability to communicate in the angelic language, which encompasses elements of harmony, discordance, vibration, and telepathy. This linguistic skill enhances Eclipso's command over their powers and facilitates communication on a divine level.[24][25] Eclipso carries a seemingly unbreakable mystical sword and is a considerable swordsman.[24]
Originally, Eclipso's abilities in possession were derived from contact with the Heart of Darkness. In later iterations, Eclipso's possession capabilities have become even more potent. After overtaking Maxwell Lord, his ability to possess and corrupt individuals was significantly amplified. Unlike before, Eclipso no longer requires physical contact with the gem to influence others. He can remotely possess multiple hosts, as long as he can first corrupt them. Moreover, his influence tends to amplify the darker tendencies within those under his control. The individuals he possesses undergo a visible transformation, adopting a more monstrous physical appearance.
When manifested into his true form, Eclipso often wears the Heart of Darkness on his chest and channels its power. On its own, Eclipso possesses the ability to overshadow individuals who come into contact with the cursed Heart of Darkness gem. Once overshadowed, Eclipso controls the host's powers, manipulates their behavior, and alters their memories to serve his own purposes. Additionally, he can augment his host's existing abilities or grant them new powers, thereby strengthening them.
Despite Eclipso's considerable power, he remains bound by the divine laws set by the Presence, and transgressing these bounds can result in severe punishment from the Presence. Additionally, Eclipso has a vulnerability in the form of the Heart of Darkness, which can be used to seal him away. Certain adept practitioners of magic, such as Doctor Fate and Sebastian Faust, have demonstrated the ability to hinder and exorcise Eclipso's possession through the use of specific magical spells and abilities.
The Bruce Gordon incarnation of Eclipso appears inSmallville Season 11: Chaos. Amidst an archaeological dig in Africa, Eclipso possesses Gordon, travels toMetropolis, and battlesSuperman before eventually possessing him andSuperboy, leaving Gordon to be taken into custody and the Black Diamond destroyed.S.T.A.R. Labs recover the shards, learning that they are sending signals to each other.Steve Lombard later takes one of the shards, causing him to be possessed by Eclipso untilHank Henshaw andGreen Lantern defeat him and take the shards into space.[35][36]
In August'sThe House of Secrets #61, writer Bob Haney and artist Lee Elias used a black diamond to transform Dr. Bruce Gordon into Eclipso.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
| |||||||
| Members |
| ||||||
| Supporting characters | |||||||
| Antagonists |
| ||||||
| Locations |
| ||||||
| |||||||||
| Current members |
| ||||||||
| Notable former members |
| ||||||||
| Antagonists | |||||||||
| Film |
| ||||||||
| TV series | |||||||||
| Video game | |||||||||
| Related articles | |||||||||
