Earl of Greed
| The Earl of Greed | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Wonder Woman #2 (Fall 1942) |
| Created by |
William Moulton Marston (script) Harry G. Peter (art) |
| In-story information | |
| Place of origin | Mars, Earth |
| Abilities |
Astral projection Immortality Inspires dreams of acquisition |
The Earl of Greed is a fictional DC Comics villainous demigod who battled Wonder Woman in the Golden Age.
Fictional character biography
The Earl of Greed is a son and lieutenant of Ares, God of War.
Greed operated from the war god's interplanetary headquarters on the planet Mars. He sent his astral form to inspire dreams of acquisition in military and government leaders in order to prod them into making war.
His contributions to starting World War II included "persuad[ing] Hitler with promises of untold wealth to invade Russia" and "convinc[ing] the war lords of Japan that oil and rubber riches in the South Pacific were worth a war with America" (Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2).
Charged with the capture of Wonder Woman first out of Mars' lieutenants, Greed set in motion an elaborate plan that included inspiring Hitler to raid hidden gold hoards of the American treasury. He also inspired President Deacon of Holliday College to kill the school treasurer and steal school funds, imperilling the school's future and making the treasurer suspect until Wonder Woman entered a charity baseball game. Plans to kill Wonder Woman at the game with an explosive baseball and to use Holliday College as a base of operations for stealing the American treasury and sending the gold to Mars were both foiled. The Earl of Greed's spaceship was destroyed and he fled to Mars on a slave-ship, hoping to avoid the God of War. However he was seen and sent to the dungeons.
Powers and abilities
The Earl of Greed, like Lord Conquest and Duke of Deception, was able to become an astral figure who inspired the kinds of thoughts that led to war.