| Superwoman | |
|---|---|
.png) Earth-Three Pre-Crisis Superwoman, inConvergence: Crime Syndicate #1 (April 2015). Art by Phil Winslade (pencils and inks) and Lovern Kindzierski (colors). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Justice League of America #29 (August 1964) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox Mike Sekowsky |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Diana / Lois Lane |
| Species | Amazon |
| Place of origin | Damnation Island (anti-matter analog ofParadise Island) |
| Team affiliations | Crime Syndicate |
| Partnerships | Ultraman Owlman Johnny Quick Power Ring |
| Abilities |
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Superwoman of theCrime Syndicate of America is asupervillain appearing in stories published byDC Comics. One of several characters to use the nameSuperwoman in DC, she is an alternate-universe counterpart ofWonder Woman. The character first appeared inJustice League of America #29 (August 1964).[1]
In 1964, an evil counterpart ofWonder Woman from a parallel universe named "Superwoman" was introduced. This Superwoman is a member of theCrime Syndicate of America, a villainous counterpart of theJustice League of America from the parallel world of "Earth-Three" (vs. the Justice League's world of "Earth-One"). Superwoman, like Wonder Woman, is anAmazon, and possesses similar powers of super-strength and flight. Unlike most/all other versions, hergolden lasso can change shape into any form she desires, including a giant winged serpent. The Crime Syndicate first comes to Earth-1 to battle the Justice League when, after near capture, they feel they need a real challenge to their powers.
Superwoman is defeated by Wonder Woman on Earth-1 when both deploy their lassos with Wonder Woman's proving itself the superior of the two. However each Crime Syndicate member has a fail-safe that transports them and the victorious Justice League member to Earth-3. Another battle ensues and this time Wonder Woman falls victim to Superwoman's lasso. The Syndicate puts the League into a trance on Earth-1 while they prepare to battle theJustice Society of America on Earth-2, an Earth that will provide a neutral location for a final battle.[2]
Superwoman is again defeated by the host Earth's heroine, this timeBlack Canary, who is able to use Superwoman's strength against her and encircles her with her own lasso. Another fail-safe transports them to Earth-3 where Black Canary and the rest of the Justice Society are imprisoned. Superwoman and Wonder Woman have a final showdown on Earth-2 where neither has a home Earth advantage. Superwoman yanks Wonder Woman's lasso from her and proceeds to hurl both ropes at her rival, ensuring Wonder Woman will not be able to make a move against her, but is surprised when the ropes sail high, realizing it takes more super-strength to control both lassos. Wonder Woman, having anticipated this, lets her lasso be taken and then relies on her super-swiftness to put Superwoman out of commission before she can recover from her surprise. The Syndicate, having all been defeated, are imprisoned between Earth-1 and Earth-2 byGreen Lantern in a green bubble.[3]
The Crime Syndicate are freed by the time-traveling villainPer Degaton after he is caught in a time-storm and discovers their bubble. They try to get him, but he made sure that he and his Time Machine would vibrate at a different speed to them, meaning that they cannot touch him. They help him change history and conquer Earth-2 by stealing nuclear missiles from theCuban Missile Crisis ofEarth Prime. The Syndicate eventually betrays him and are sent to 1982 of Earth-1, as he made sure that this would happen when they touched him. They materialize on the JLA's satellite headquarters and defeat the heroes. The JSA are imprisoned in their prison, but the combined powers ofStarman andDoctor Fate got them out. The Sydicate help Degaton again when theJLA tries to restore history, though are planning to betray him. When Degaton is defeated, this timeline is erased and the Syndicate is re-imprisoned.
The pre-Crisis version of Superwoman is killed, along with the rest of theSecret Society of Super-Villains, while trying to save Earth-Three from being destroyed by theAnti-Monitor's antimatter wave.[4]
During theConvergence storyline, Superwoman is on death row after killingBruno Mannheim. Due to the Rogue Hunter's interference, the Crime Syndicate fails to rescue Superwoman from being executed.[5] Superwoman is later revealed to have survived and fights her Justice League 1,000,000 counterpart.[6]
In post-Crisis continuity, as established in the 2000 graphic novelJLA: Earth 2 byGrant Morrison, Superwoman and the rest of the Crime Syndicate comes from a parallel world similar to Earth, but located in anantimatter universe (also home to the planetQward).[1]
Superwoman continues to make occasional appearances as a member of the Crime Syndicate, most recently appearing in storylines in theJustice League andSuperman comics. Unlike her pre-Crisis counterpart, her magic lasso does not change shape but releases the inhibitions of anyone tied to it (just as Wonder Woman's compels victims to tell the truth). She also possesses heat vision, asSuperman and Ultraman do.
Taking the alias Lois Lane, Superwoman is anAmazon by birth, and has risen through the ranks to become the chief editor of theDaily Planet in what she calls "Patriarch's World". This disguise resembles Wonder Woman's secret identity of Diana Prince. At thePlanet, Superwoman is shown to upset her colleagues; the antimatter-Cat Grant refers to Superwoman as "Queen Bitch", and negatively alludes to her "friendship" with the antimatterJimmy Olsen. In later appearances, it is stated that prior to taking on Lois Lane's identity, Superwoman was born on Damnation Island, presumably the Antimatter counterpart toThemyscira (Paradise Island). It is mentioned that she had murdered all of her fellow Amazons, and upon meetingDonna Troy, she becomes ecstatic over the prospect of being able to murder another one of her kind for the first time in years.[7] The Antimatter Universe's version of Superwoman is the first version of the character to combineDiana of Themyscira and Lois Lane.
Jimmy Olsen is the only civilian who knows of Superwoman's secret identity. A compliant sexual deviant, he does what she tells him in exchange for the favor of watching when she changes her outfit and receiving pieces of it for his "disguise kit". He is so besotted that he ignores her gibes and insults, even when she tauntingly refers to him as, "Superwoman's Snitch, Jimmy Olsen", and prints it in thePlanet.
Also in theEarth 2 story, her loverUltraman hates Superwoman's frigidity towards him. Meanwhile, she is carrying on a torrid affair withOwlman, and they sneak trysts whenever they feel Ultraman is not watching. However, from his floating fortress (the antimatter counterpart to theFortress of Solitude), Ultraman does not hesitate to fire warning bursts of heat vision towards them whenever he catches them together.[1]
In52 Week 52, a recreation ofEarth-3 is shown as a part of the newMultiverse. In the depiction are characters that are altered versions of the originalJustice Society of America, including Wonder Woman. The character is not identified in52,[8] but later inCountdown to Final Crisis, which identifies her as Superwoman of the "Crime Society of America", on an alternative world which is a reversed version of Earth-2. Based on comments byGrant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Three, making this a new character unrelated to previous versions.[9] Morrison also suggests that the Earth-3 and Antimatter Superwomen both exist post-52. Like the antimatter iteration of the character, she is indeed both a Lois Lane and Wonder Woman counterpart, despite possessingKryptonian abilities such as heat vision. InCountdown, she is recruited intoMonarch's army but has her eyes gouged out byJason Todd.
Following DC's 2011 reboot event, "The New 52", characters from Earth-3 are again revised. Beginning in 2013 comics, Superwoman, once again the alternate version of bothLois Lane andWonder Woman, is one of the members of theCrime Syndicate to arrive fromEarth-3 at the conclusion of the "Trinity War" event.[10] During theForever Evil storyline, Superwoman and Owlman raidArkham Asylum where they end up capturing Nightwing. During the Crime Syndicate's broadcast, Superwoman reveals Nightwing's identity on the broadcast.[11] WhileGrid looks over the biographies of the other Syndicate members, he finds that while data on the other members are there, Superwoman's were deleted, leaving her true past and identity still a total mystery. She is also pregnant, and engaging in affairs with both Owlman and Ultraman.[12] It was finally revealed that Superwoman is in a relationship with the crazedLex Luthor of Earth-3, who uses the power ofthe lightning and goes by the nameMazahs. She betrays Ultraman, revealing she and Luthor are carrying a child who is prophesied to bring an end to the world. After Mazahs is killed by the Luthor of the main universe, Superwoman is placed in captivity. Immune to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth, Wonder Woman attempts traditional interrogation of her counterpart about the entity that destroyed their world, but Superwoman does not reveal any information. Just then, she ends up announcing "The baby. It kicked".[13]
During theDarkseid War storyline, Superwoman is freed fromA.R.G.U.S. custody by the Justice League in order to help the Justice League deal with the Anti-Monitor.[14] Superwoman gives birth toher son during a battle with theNew Gods, but is killed by Grail, who takes the baby. Grail uses the baby as a host to resurrect her fatherDarkseid, who had been killed by theAnti-Monitor.[15]
Following the reboot of the multiverse afterDark Nights: Death Metal, a new Earth-3 and Superwoman are created. Unlike most incarnations, this Superwoman is an alternate version ofDonna Troy. She is the second daughter of QueenHippolyta of Themyscira, also known as Demon's Island; her older sisterDiana was apparently killed by their mother for weakness. Donna was trained from birth to be merciless in combat and anticipate any strategy her enemy may use.
In 1945, a man namedSteve Trevor came to Devil's Island, seeking Amazons to act as soldiers ina war that his side was losing. Donna fell in love with him but refused to leave her home, so Steve took her hostage and demanded that Hippolyta provide warriors for his cause or he would kill Donna. Much to his shock, Hippolyta simply told Donna to save herself, which she did, stabbing Steve in the stomach. Hippolyta explained that this was Donna's final lesson, words and emotion could be potent weapons which she would need to master. The Amazons had anticipated the rise ofmetahumans in Man's World and Donna was sent out to infiltrate and gain control over them. She plans to one day return home at the head of an army of metahumans, kill her mother and take the throne.[16]
Donna became the ambassador to the United States of America from Themyscira and she exerts influence over the American government by sexually dominating PresidentOliver Queen.[17]
When theStarro Collective invades Earth,Owlman develops a strategy to kill thequeen Starro by sendingEmerald Knight into its brain, as the energy from his power battery is extremely painful to it. Emerald Knight fails and the queen responds with a psychic attack on the attacking metahumans, turning their emotional vulnerabilities against them. Superwoman resists the attack and kills the queen as it begs for mercy.[16]
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