Grayven is a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern (vol. 3) #74 (June 1996), and was created by Ron Marz and Darryl Banks, making him one of the few New Gods characters not created by Jack Kirby.[1]
| Grayven | |
|---|---|
 Grayven as depicted in Green Lantern (vol. 3) #74 (June 1996). Art by Darryl Banks. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Green Lantern (vol. 3) #74 (June 1996) |
| Created by | Ron Marz (writer) Darryl Banks (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Grayven |
| Species | New God |
| Place of origin | Apokolips |
| Abilities |
|
Fictional character biography
editGrayven is the third son of Darkseid and younger brother to Kalibak and Orion.[2] Grayven leads a campaign of destruction against the cosmos, destroying planets. He leads a campaign against the Darkstars, a galactic police force, killing many of their number.[3] His campaign comes to an end on the planet Rann. He desires a zeta beam device, a product of Rannian science that provides instantaneous transportation on a grand scale. He intends to transport his forces onto Apokolips, announce his presence to his father, and conquer the planet.[4]
While the remaining Darkstars engaged Grayven's army, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner faces off against the man himself. Assisted by former Green Lantern and current Darkstar John Stewart, who suffers serious injuries in the fight, Kyle tricks Grayven into teleporting himself away with a Zeta Beam, after which his forces retreat.[1]
Unknown to Stewart, Rayner had inadvertently teleported Grayven deep within Earth's core. He eventually digs himself out, and seeks Rayner in New York City, who is seemingly able to overpower Grayven. Fearing defeat at the Green Lantern's hands, Grayven used an experimental teleporter, freeing himself, and in the process, sending Rayner into the 30th century.
Imperiex
editGrayven next appeared during the Imperiex crisis, as part of an alien alliance that also included Maxima, Starfire, Adam Strange, and Darkseid. In The Adventures of Superman #595 (October 2001), Grayven was influenced by Brainiac-13 and confronted Superman and Darkseid on Apokolips before being defeated and banished to Earth.[1]
Last Laugh and Ion
editDuring his exile, Grayven is infected with a variant of Joker toxin that causes insanity. He attempts to perform at, and then destroy, a comedy club. Kyle Rayner again stops him. Grayven later reappeared in Ion: Guardian of the Universe.[5] There, he is revealed to have sent Nero and Effigy after Kyle Rayner before being defeated by him.[6]
Death of the New Gods
editGrayven later appears in Five of a Kind: Thunder/Martian Manhunter, lobotomized and nearly catatonic. Thunder and Martian Manhunter restore his mind and assist him in building a Zeta Beam generator meant to send the unknown scourge of the New Gods (as seen in Countdown to Final Crisis) to Darkseid's throne room. This would force Darkseid and the killer to fight, with the result benefitting Grayven either way. J'onn then transforms into the Black Racer to scare Grayven into leaving, after which he is killed by Infinity-Man.[1]
Powers and abilities
editGrayven possesses formidable super-strength and endurance. Additionally, as a New God, he cannot die from natural causes. His greatest power is a limited form of the Omega Effect used by his father Darkseid. His power levels are high enough to easily fight the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and the Darkstars, yet not enough to take on Superman, who easily defeated him with a single blow.
In other media
edit- Grayven appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[7]
- Grayven appears in Young Justice, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Wallace, Dan (2008), "Grayven", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, p. 148, ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1, OCLC 213309017
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Green Lantern (vol. 3) #74 (June 1996)
- ^ Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ Ion - Guardian of the Universe #11 (April 2007)
- ^ Ion - Guardian of the Universe #12 (May 2007)
- ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ "Grayven Voice - Young Justice (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved May 14, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Matadeen, Renaldo (April 15, 2022). "Young Justice: Phantoms' New Threat Is Greater Than Darkseid & Vandal Savage". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 29, 2024.