| Emerald Empress | |
|---|---|
 Emerald Empress as depicted inSupergirl #8 (2017); art by Emanuela Lupacchino (penciler), Ray McCarthy (inker), and Hi-Fi Design (colorists). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Sarya) Adventure Comics #352 (January 1967) (Kesh) Legionnaires #2 (Falyce) Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 6) Annual #1 |
| Created by | (Sarya) Jim Shooter Curt Swan |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Sarya of Venegar Cera Kesh Falyce |
| Species | Venegarian(Sarya) |
| Place of origin | Venegar(Sarya) Orando(Falyce) |
| Team affiliations | |
| Partnerships | Mordru |
| Notable aliases | Empress |
| Abilities | [Universal]
[Sarya]
[Cera Kesh]
|
TheEmerald Empress is the name of several supervillains appearingAmerican comic books published byDC Comics, primarily as enemies of theLegion of Super-Heroes. The first incarnation of the character appeared inAdventure Comics #352 (January 1967).[1]
The first and mainstream version of the character isSarya, who discovered the Emerald Eye of Ekron on the planet Venegar and became a villain after being corrupted by its influence. Sarya turned to a life of piracy and began to gain a following before later founding theFatal Five and becoming an enemy of theLegion of Super-Heroes. The second incarnation of the character,Cera Kesh, is a teenaged fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes who auditioned to be a part of the team, only to be rejected. Sensing her anger and jealousy, the Emerald Eye of Ekron corrupts her into the second Emerald Empress, granting her both powers and the ability to become an idealized version of herself. The third incarnation of the character,Falyce, is a native of the planetOrando and victim of the planet'sduke. Wishing for the power to slay her torturer, the Emerald Eye of Ekron makes the third Emerald Empress but drives her insane.
Sarya of the planet Venegar (referred to simply as 'the Empress') is one of several criminals recruited bySuperboy and the Legion to combat the menace of theSun-Eater. Once the Sun-Eater is defeated, Sarya forms the Fatal Five withTharok,Validus,Mano, and thePersuader.[2]
The Emerald Empress dies when, at her request, LegionnaireSensor Girl uses her powers of illusion to mask Sarya's presence from the Emerald Eye of Ekron. As the Empress decays, she expresses relief to be free from the Eye's control, indicating that theirsymbiosis was unwilling and that the Empress was far older than she appeared.[3]
InDC Rebirth, the Emerald Empress appears as a member of theSuicide Squad alongsideLobo,Johnny Sorrow, andDoctor Polaris. The Empress is manipulated byAmanda Waller by potential information aboutSaturn Girl. When their first mission ends in disaster, Empress and the others are imprisoned. They are later freed by Lord as part of his own plan for domination.[4]
Cera Kesh first appears inLegionnaires #2, where she attempts to join the Legion of Super-Heroes using her innatetelekinesis, but is mocked byInferno for her appearance. Kesh flees and discovers the Emerald Eye of Ekron, which she uses to transform into her ideal self. Succumbing to the Eye's influence, Kesh becomes a criminal and member of the Fatal Five.[5]
Ingria Olav is the girlfriend of Legion of Super-Heroes enemy Leland McCauley. Having discovered a second Eye of Ekron, McCauley forms a new Fatal Five, with Olav serving as the Emerald Empress. However, Olav proves to be cowardly and an unskilled user of the Eye of Ekron. She is later tracked down by Cera Kesh, the other Emerald Empress, who kills her and takes the second Eye for herself.[6]
FollowingZero Hour: Crisis in Time!, which reboots the Legion'scontinuity, a character simply called the 'Empress' is introduced. This version is a sadistic killer who initially lacks powers before obtaining the Emerald Eye of Ekron.[7]
InLegion of Super-Heroes (vol. 6) Annual #1 (2011), the Eye finds a new Empress on the planet Orando. This young girl fightsShrinking Violet,Light Lass,Sun Boy,Sensor Girl, andGates of the Legion before being defeated by Violet. The girl is released from the control of the Eye, who flees.[8]
The first incarnation of the Emerald Empress, Sarya, possessed limited independent abilities, possessing greater than average human strength, a trait possessed by inhabitants of Venagar. Much of her abilities are centered upon the Emerald Eye of Ekron, in which she controls through her own mind and willpower. Having a symbiotic relationship with the artifact, she draws power from it while the Eye draws focus and both are more powerful the closer they are.[9][10]
Cera Kesh, the second incarnation of the Emerald Empress, possessed telekinesis.
Each user of the Emerald Eye of Ekron gains access to its nearly unlimited levels of emerald/willpower energies, the same power source used by theGreen Lantern Corps.[9][10] The Eye has been variously depicted as the disembodied eye of the entity Ekron and an independent being from another dimension.[11][12]
The Eye is virtually indestructible and obeys its user's mental commands.[13] Its powers allow it to project powerful energy blasts, generate force fields to protect from attacks, see through every spectrum and wavelength, create energy constructs, hypnotize others, castillusions, teleport people over short distances, and alter reality, like how Falyce rebuilt the planet Orando into a medieval-like society as she envisioned it. It can also grants its users the ability to fly and survive in space, superhuman strength, increase their size, enhance the innate skills of its current user, and turn them into ideal versions of themselves.
Emerald Empress was ranked 38th inComics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[14] Russ Burlingame of Comicbook.com described her as "a big player in the DC Universe of late" and that "she's one of the most identifiable Legion villains, with a cool gimmick and a great visual" noting her appearance inJustice League vs. Suicide Squad and in a crossover story betweenSupergirl andBatgirl.[15]
The Sarya incarnation of Emerald Empress appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[19]
The Sarya incarnation of Emerald Empress appears inLegion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century.[20]
