| Nekron | |
|---|---|
.png) Nekron as depicted inBlackest Night #6 (December 2009). Art byRodolfo Migliari. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #2 (June 1981) |
| Created by | Mike W. Barr (writer) Len Wein (writer) Joe Staton (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Nekron |
| Team affiliations | Black Lantern Corps |
| Partnerships | Krona Scar Black Hand |
| Notable aliases | Lord of the Unliving |
| Abilities | Draws power from and commands the souls and spirits of all who have ever died.
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Nekron is asupervillain appearing incomic books published byDC Comics, primarily as an enemy of theGreen Lantern Corps. Created byMike W. Barr,Len Wein andJoe Staton, the character, who exists as an embodiment ofDeath, first appeared inTales of the Green Lantern Corps #2 (June 1981).[1] He is the primary antagonist in the 2009–2010Blackest Night storyline.
Nekron is the personification ofDeath and ruler of a region adjoiningHell known as the Land of the Unliving. It is where the souls of the dead await passage to their final residence in either the Silver City or Hell. Nekron draws his power from the souls and spirits of the dead.[2]
After the Oan scientistKrona is sentenced to banishment as pure energy, his energy reaches Nekron's realm, opening a rift between dimensions. Desiring the living world he is now able to see, but being too large to pass through the rift, Nekron recreates Krona as an undead being of enormous power instead. Given an army of similarly-restored spirits, Nekron sends Krona to kill theGuardians of the Universe to increase the size of the rift. Krona cooperates because part of Nekron's plan involves collapsing the universe so as to recreate it according to his own desires. Krona and his minions kill several Guardians andGreen Lanterns while destroying the Central Power Battery to prevent the Lanterns from recharging their power rings. Although his attack is powerful enough to shatter the morale of theGreen Lantern Corps,Hal Jordan manages to inspire and rally his fellow Lanterns into attacking Krona with the charge still left in their rings. Nekron is defeated when Jordan enters the realm of the dead and incites the spirits of the recently killed Lanterns to rebel against him. This distraction undercuts Krona's power supplied by the being and thus gives the Guardians enough time to banish Krona into the dead realm and close the rift with Jordan still trapped inside. The spirit of Jordan's predecessor,Abin Sur, helps him escape the realm.[3]
Captain Atom has a run-in with Nekron in which Nekron is described as "Death as the Ultimate Opponent".Black Racer, also making an appearance, is coined "Death as an Inevitability", whileDeath represents "Death as the Release, as Mercy, as Compassion". Drawing into the Quantum field, Captain Atom is able to get the better of Nekron and is able to visit his deceased wife.[4]
Nekron later battles the demonNebiros, following the destruction ofDoctor Fate's Tower of Fate. Also appearing in this issue isJared Stevens (Fate).[5]
Kyle Rayner later encounters Nekron when he nearly reenters the living universe, at a time when the level of supernatural activity mysteriously increases. This gives Nekron the opportunity to briefly control every deceased member of the Green Lantern Corps, which act as both his army and his anchor to the living universe. Kyle pushes Nekron back into his dimension by freeing the undead Lanterns from Nekron's control. The rift is eventually sealed following Nekron's defeat.[6]
In theBlackest Night storyline, Nekron is revealed to be responsible for the creation of theblack power rings, which reanimate the dead, and is collaborating withScar andBlack Hand. He is also responsible for the capture of theAnti-Monitor during the aftermath of theSinestro Corps War on the planet Ryut. When the Black Lanterns' power levels reach one hundred percent, Nekron is summoned just outsideCoast City.[7][8] Nekron is also revealed to be the mastermind behind themiraculous resurrections of several superheroes in the past, a deed previously thought to be a consequence ofBrother Blood tampering with the forces of life and death.[9]
According to Black LanternJean Loring, Nekron was formed out of the nothingness in existence prior to the creation of the universe as a defense mechanism to theLife Entity, also known as the White Light.[10][11] Given shape in the form of life's idea of death, Nekron marches with his undead army, claiming the hunger plaguing him has not abated.[11] Nekron is not a living being, instead existing as an avatar of darkness.[12]
After questioning one of theGuardians of the Universe and getting him to admit that he can no longer remember why the Guardians took a vow to protect the universe, Nekron slits his throat and Black Hand uses his organs to summon the Life Entity. When Nekron strikes the Entity, every living thing in the universe is harmed because the Entity is the source of all life. Nekron intends to kill the Entity and thereby kill every living thing in the universe. His plans, however, are thwarted whenSinestro bonds with the Entity and becomes aWhite Lantern.[13]The Life Entity eventually abandons Sinestro, refusing to be controlled by his ego, and bonds itself to Hal Jordan, who states that Nekron merely opened the doors between life and death while it was still the heroes' choices to return to life. Having restored all the resurrected heroes to life and recruited them to theWhite Lantern Corps, Hal turns the power of the Entity on Black Hand, resurrecting him. Black Hand vomits a white power ring that enters the Black Power Battery and resurrects the Anti-Monitor, who attacks Nekron. Black Hand releases twelve other white rings that seek out several deceased heroes and villains who had been recruited into the Black Lantern Corps, the rings restoring all twelve of them to life. In the final confrontation that follows, Nekron is banished yet again.[14]
At the conclusion of the miniseriesBrightest Day,Swamp Thing appears, grown to towering size and emerging from the forest at the former heart of Star City, which has become corrupted.[15] The Life Entity explains that just as the memories ofAlec Holland acted as a template for the Earth Elemental, the personality of Nekron has been imprinted over it. The corrupted Swamp Thing does battle with Holland and defeats him with help fromHawkman,Hawkwoman,Firestorm,Aquaman andMartian Manhunter, driving out Nekron's influence.[16]
InWrath of the First Lantern, Hal Jordan kills himself to harness the power of Black Hand's ring, escape the Dead Zone, and stop the First Lantern Volthoom. After a fierce battle, Jordan summons Nekron to destroy Volthoom for good. A nearby Green Lantern ring chooses Jordan to be its user and resurrects him.[17]
DuringDC Rebirth, Nekron returns and confronts Volthoom, allowing him to sing within the Dead Zone. After recounting his history to Nekron, Volthoom pleads with him to end his life. However, Nekron reveals that he cannot as Volthoom's bond with the Emotional Spectrum is profound and permanent, meaning that as long as there is light in the universe, Volthoom will never die.[18]
The limitations of Nekron's powers are unknown.Geoff Johns has described him as the most powerful dark force in the DC Universe. He has displayed the ability to raise the dead, kill anyone with a touch, generate black lightning, and grow to a colossal size.[3][6] Additionally, he is incredibly durable, being able to withstand a blast from theAnti-Monitor.[14]
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