| First appearance | Action Comics#1 (June 1938) |
|---|---|
| Created by | Fred Guardineer |
| Teams | All-Star Squadron Justice Society Dark Cult of the Cold Flame |
| Abilities |
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| Aliases | Master Magician |
Giovanni "John" Zatara, simply calledZatara, is a fictional magician and superhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. The character first appeared inAction Comics #1 in 1938 during theGolden Age of Comic Books, making him one of DC Comics' oldest characters.[1]
The son of Italian immigrants and a descendant ofLeonardo da Vinci, Giovanni becomes a successful stage magician and superhero. Originally depicted as human,[2] the character is later depicted as a homo magi whose teaching fromPhantom Stranger helped control his magical abilities at a young age.[3][4] In his adult hood, the character garners a reputation among his contemporaries, rivalingDoctor Fate,[5] and is the father ofZatanna and uncle ofZachary Zatara.[6] He is also a love interest ofMadame Xanadu prior to meeting Sindella.[7]
At the conclusion of the 1986Swamp Thing storyline "American Gothic", John Constantine assembles Zatanna,Mento, andSargon the Sorcerer to battle the entity known as the 'Great Evil Beast'. The four hold a séance at Wintersgate Manor, the home ofBaron Winters inGeorgetown, to summon the Beast. The Beast burns Sargon to death and attempts to kill Zatanna as well. Zatara absorbs the Beast's attack, sacrificing himself to save his daughter's life.[8]
Zatara has made sporadic appearances in the afterlife since his death. In theReign in Hell miniseries, Zatara is part of a resistance movement operating inHell. As with most of the 'dead', he risks becoming fodder for Hell, where the physicality of the damned is used for general resources. At his request, Zatanna sends Zatara's soul to the Abyss, a realm that Hell cannot touch.[9] In theBlackest Night event, Zatara is resurrected as a member of theBlack Lantern Corps and attacks Zatanna. Zatanna is successful in banishing the Black Lantern, but is left psychologically crushed from having to kill her father.[10]
A master magician, Zatara invokes magical effects and casts spells by speaking a spell or phrase backwards for a desired effect (known as "Logomancy").[11] Additionally, Zatara is a capable stage magician, skilled inprestidigitation, a skilled escape artist,[11] and can be manipulative and deceptive against other magicians.[12]
Zatara makes a cameo appearance inSuperman via a mural.[15]
Zatara appears as a character summon inScribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[16]
Philo Zeiss is a mercenary, contract killer and bodyguard, surgically enhanced to augment his speed and reflexes, and equipped with vision-enhancing goggles and extensive martial arts training. He is brought toGotham City by theSicilian Mafia, where he battlesBatman to a standstill and nearly killsCatwoman.
Zodiac Master is the name of a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
The masked villain known as the Zodiac Master makes his presence known in Gotham by predicting a succession of disasters, all of which he has secretly orchestrated. Having cemented his reputation, he starts offering odds on the relative success or failure for the plans of various criminals, all in exchange for 25% of the take.[18]
| First appearance | The Flash (vol. 2) #197 (June2003) |
|---|---|
| Created by | Geoff Johns andScott Kolins |
Dr. Ashley Zolomon is a character appearing inDC Comics. The character made her first appearance inThe Flash (vol. 2) #197 (June 2003), and was created byGeoff Johns andScott Kolins. She is a profiler inKeystone City's police department who a colleague ofWally West / The Flash and the estranged wife ofHunter Zolomon / Zoom.
Ashley worked with theF.B.I. when she met Hunter and they married with the two specialized in apprehending low-level costumed criminals until Hunter inadvertently caused herfather's death by mistakenly believing that theClown was incapable of using a gun, causing their estrangement.[19] Ashley replaced her ex-husband as a profiler, exposingMister Element and getting in a car accident for which she's hospitalized.[20][21][22][23] Ashley deals with the Flash'svarious enemies which revealed Zoom still attached emotionally to Ashley instead ofCheetah and she helpsLinda Park.[24]
Analternate universe variant of Ashley Zolomon appears inThe Flash episode "Versus Zoom", portrayed by Tatyana Forrest. This version isHunter Zolomon's mother and was murdered by her husband which traumatized their son.
| First appearance | Firestorm the Nuclear Man #69 (March1988) |
|---|---|
| Created by | John Ostrander and Joe Brozowski |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, near invulnerability, energy discharge, long, sharp claws and fangs |
| Aliases | Matvei Rodor |
Further reading
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TheZuggernaut is asupervillain and symbiotic alien life form in theDC Universe.
The character, created byJohn Ostrander and Joe Brozowski, first appeared inFirestorm the Nuclear Man #69 (March 1988).[25]
The Zuggernaut is an alien who crashed on Earth as a meteorite in Russia. It was found by, and bonded to,Matvei Rodor, a black marketeer. Rodor is in conflict with a corruptMoscow prosecutor named Soliony and agrees to Zuggernaut's offer of help in exchange for being its host.
Returning to Moscow, they attack Soliony, who has been interrogatingMikhail Arkadin. Arkadin summonsFirestorm and escapes the jail to find Zuggernaut threatening Soliony. Zuggernaut is driven off when Firestorm burns their chest.[26]
Zuggernaut reappears a short time later and allows itself to be captured to get to Soliony. Again Firestorm intervenes, creating discord for both the alien and its host.[27] Their fight with Firestorm is interrupted by Stalnoivolk, allowing Rodor to override Zuggernaut's desire to fight Firestorm and chase after Soliony. They, in turn, are delayed by the Russian super-team Soyuz, allowing Firestorm to catch up and stop them. This results in Rodor being killed and Zuggernaut withdrawing to find a new host.[28]
Der Zyklon is a fictional DC Comics character created by Roy Thomas and first appeared inAll-Star Squadron #45 (May 1985).
As noted in that issue, the wordzyklon is German forcyclone. Zyklon was given the power to move at superhuman speeds by scientists of theThird Reich, and assistedBaron Blitzkrieg, in stealing theLiberty Bell. Their plans were thwarted byJohnny Quick,Liberty Belle,Hawkgirl, and theFlash, members of theAll-Star Squadron.[29]