Faora

Faora

Faora in Action Comics #472 (June 1977).
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
First appearance (Hu-Ul)
Action Comics #471, May 1977
Created by

Cary Bates

Curt Swan
In-story information
Full name - Faora Hu-Ul
- Zaora Hu-Ul[1]
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Unrevealed[2]
Species (Both Hu-Ul)
Kryptonian
(Unknown)
Human
Abilities (Both Hu-Ul)
Superhuman strength, speed, stamina and invulnerability, freezing breath, super hearing, multiple extrasensory and vision powers, longevity, flight, and regeneration
(Unknown)
Disruption of molecular bonds

Faora is the name of several female super-villains in DC Comics Superman titles. All of them have some connection to Superman's home planet of Krypton. Most commonly, she is an ally and sometimes the wife or lover of Superman's Kryptonian nemesis, General Zod.[3]

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

The first Faora, Faora Hu-Ul, was introduced in Action Comics #471.[4] She was a beautiful Kryptonian woman whose unexplained hatred for men led her to torture and kill 23 men in a secret concentration camp. For this, she was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone to complete a sentence of 300 Kryptonian years, the second longest term after Jax-Ur.[5][6] Ironically this allowed her to survive her homeworld's destruction, along with the other Phantom Zone prisoners, albeit in an invisible ghostlike form. While imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, she was often depicted plotting against Superman with General Zod and Jax-Ur. Her hatred of men was not limited to Kryptonians, as demonstrated by her pointless murder of a young Frenchman who was attracted by her beauty.[7]

Faora was an expert at the Kryptonian martial art of Horo-Kanu, which utilized the pressure points on the Kryptonian body. This made her an extremely dangerous foe for Superman to face in hand-to-hand combat-—he was forced to flee from their first encounter.[5] During one of her first appearances,[8] Faora could manifest some sort of "mental lightning" to physically attack other Kryptonians, but did not exhibit this additional power during later appearances.

Post-Crisis

Pocket Universe

Panel from Superman #22 (October 1988). Superman (left) executing General Zod, Quex-Ul and Zaora (center left to right). Art by John Byrne.

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, another Faora (renamed Zaora) appeared in the Pocket Universe created by the Time Trapper, along with General Zod and Quex-Ul.[3] The three tricked the Pocket Universe's Lex Luthor into releasing them from the Phantom Zone. After the Pocket Earth's population continued to resist their conquest of it, the three villains destroyed the atmosphere, killing almost all life. Superman defeated them by permanently stripping the three of their super powers with gold kryptonite. He then killed them with kryptonite in punishment for their crimes, and to protect the real Earth, after they threatened to somehow regain their powers and destroy it as well.[9]

Phantom Zone entity

In the Eradicator mini-series, the Eradicator was pressured into embracing his programming by another construct of Kem-L's. This artifact, which was trapped in the Phantom Zone, claimed to be called Faora, after Kem-L's grandmother, and to be the ultimate repository of Kryptonian mythology. However it is unclear how much of this is true.

The Eradicator rejected Faora, "downloading" all the aspects of Kem-L's programming that contradicted Dr. David Conner's morality into the Faora program. Unknown to him, this gave it a new, monstrous form and the ability to leave the Zone, and it targeted Conner's family. The Eradicator destroyed it, but not before it killed Conner's wife.

Pokolistanian

Another Faora was introduced as one of the aides of General Zod of the fictional nation of Pokolistan. This character, who debuted in Action Comics #779 (July 2001), was an orphan metahuman. Faora has the ability to disrupt molecular bonds. She was the creator of the mutagenic virus which was the linchpin of Zod's plan. Her whereabouts following the General's defeat are unknown.[3]

"Return to Krypton"

In a 2001–2002 storyline, Superman and Lois Lane visit a version of Krypton which is later revealed to have been created by the villainous Brainiac 13 and based on Jor-El's favorite period in Kryptonian history.[10] In this Krypton, Lois and Clark become fugitives and are pursued by Faora and Kru-El, romantically linked manhunters known as "the Hounds of Zod."[11] This version of Faora, calling herself "the Tigress of Zod", later returns as an ally of Jor-El. She and Kru-El are both killed in a struggle against Kryptonian religious zealots.[10][12]

In other media

Film

Television

Video games

See also

References

  1. Pocket Universe duplicate of the pre-Crisis character
  2. The Pokolistanian character's true name has yet to be revealed.
  3. 1 2 3 Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Faora". In Dougall, Alastair. The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 118. ISBN 0-7566-4119-5. OCLC 213309017.
  4. Action Comics #471 (May 1977)
  5. 1 2 Action Comics #472 (June 1977)
  6. Phantom Zone #1 (January 1982)
  7. Phantom Zone #3 (March 1982)
  8. Action Comics #473 (July 1977)
  9. Superman (2nd series) #22 (October 1988)
  10. 1 2 Kelly, Joe (w), Ferry, Pascual (p), Smith, Cam (i). "Return to Krypton II, Part Four: Dream's End" Action Comics 793: 20 (September 2002), New York: DC Comics
  11. Schultz, Mark (w), Mahnke, Doug (p), Nguyen, Tom (i). "Return to Krypton Part Three: The Most Dangerous Kryptonian Game" Superman: The Man of Steel 111 (April 2001), New York: DC Comics
  12. Schultz, Mark (w), Kerschl, Karl (a). "Return to Krypton II Part Three: Blood and Heresy" Superman: The Man of Steel 128 (September 2002), New York: DC Comics
  13. Brownfield, Troy; Matt Brady (2008-10-18). "New Krypton Countdown: When Kryptonians Walk the Earth". Newsarama.com. Imaginova Corporation. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  14. Bugley, Chris (September 17, 2015). "Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman because she turned down a major 'Man of Steel' role". Batman News.
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