#mordru

[dailydccomics]

flying justice! Justice Society of America #9 art by Mikel Janín and Jordie Bellaire

[protytwo]

An ad from Amazing Heroes for one of the strangest Legion of Super-Heroes tie-ins -- The 1987 Amethyst mini-series. The completely unasked for origin of Mordru on Gemworld with a surprise appearance by the White Witch on the last two panels of the last issue. Does this story make Mordru a more interesting character? No. But does this story add to the richness of the Gemworld setting? Also no.

[kingnd]

Well at least now it's starting to make sense why the Legion were shoehorned into JSA....I think?

[sebeth]

Where'd Mordru Go?

[sprockyeahlegion]

the Five Fingers of Mordru

[evilhorse]

Legion of Super-Heroes #27

[wellofhavoc]

Hello I just want to thank you for being the only person on here with consistent hawk and dove content (especially on your art account). They are my special little guys and your characterization of them is SO GOOD. I’ve read some of your tags about the Mordru/Hector/Unity stuff and I’d love to hear your thoughts about it if you’re comfortable. Hank haters be damned 💙💙💙

Oh thank you so much! I'm really glad to be here for anyone who is looking for content. I don't fill the fanfic niche quite yet, but that can be fixed with my Many Thoughts- so thank you for asking to hear them and in advance: I'm Sorry.

[TW for mention of SA during The Conception, the rest doesn't mention it.]

A Quick Guide

For the sake of simplicity when talking about this with my friends who didn't read all of this comic stuff, I've built a list of shorthand that makes things easier for people listening. Since this is written, I won't have to use ones like "Dawn" and "Donny" but I feel like some others being explained here could help. I also have headcanons I'll explain my reasons for in some areas, but in others it's just how I deal with the MANY retcons that surround the whole "Monarch/Extant/Mordru" nonsense.

The body Hector Hall possesses- the actual, lost child of Hawk and Dove- is "Dector" Hall [because it's funny and simple.]

"Mordru" and "Hank" as one body are known as "Extant" and it's my general belief that Hank started with more control that he gradually lost over time but Hank never stopped fighting the control Mordru had over his powers and his body.

Dawn did die in the moment "Monarch" killed her, but then Mordru simply revived her in the hand-waving fashion most villains get to just do that when he wanted to have their child instead.

The point of the Unity project wasn't just to have a baby, but for Hawk and Dove to decide to have a baby. This means that Dector is not a true Unity and, in my opinion, doesn't have full access to the Hawk and Dove powers, just the propensity for a balance between Order and Chaos.

The Conception

The only part I've ever hesitated to share is my feeling on how Hank and Dawn would process their trauma regarding Hector's conception because I largely think Dawn would handle it by: Not Handling It and Hank would probably immediately try to process his feelings by finding a target for his aggression only to be faced with one simple fact: The JSA and Dawn already killed him.

There's also the less simple fact that Hank probably wouldn't immediately assume Dawn knew as much as he did about the time he was under Mordru's control considering she was dead for a portion of the time, asleep for a lot of it, and just not physically present for much of the stuff Mordru did as "Extant." This means that he feels bad not talking about it because- even though probably one of the first conversations since Blackest Night [when he was resurrected] was about the whole "baby thing" was about the assault so he knows she knows- he convinces himself that he IS keeping how BAD IT was from her and that that makes him just as horrible and that he "must have actually gotten some satisfaction out of it." At the same time, he doesn't feel like he can bring it up to her again and again without making it seem like he WANTS her to be traumatized, because all he actually wants is a conversation he doesn't feel the right to ask for.

All of this to say that I want to include Hank's perspective on the assault without CENTERING him because I do think Dawn's experience with being killed, being assaulted, and her lost motherhood that she never asked for [and in my opinion, never saw for herself] would absolutely wreck her but Dawn has always been the type to bottle up and focus on the "practical." She would try to "get over" her feelings without processing them because... what is the logical point in doing the work when she can just skip to the pay off? Obviously the answer is that that's largely not how emotions work, but she wouldn't care, but not realize that she's not handling it as well as she thinks. Sure she could talk about it with Hank, but she would understand it upsets him and wouldn't see any benefit to bringing it up or letting him talk himself into the ground about it.

The main issue is that they both hold themselves to an impossibly high standard: How they see each other. They would both probably come to the conclusion that the other one is FINE so they should be FINE and that's not only not how feelings/trauma works but it's also not true.

If I had a season of a TV show or five issues to delve into their dynamic post-possession, I think it would take a third party to maybe cross that line for them and ask how they are regarding that specific blip in their history or likely privately ask one of them how it's affected their relationship and open their eyes to the fact that their partner is definitely not taking this as well as they seem to think they are. Maybe then they could actually start unpacking Hank's known horror of his time as Mordru's puppet and Dawn's unknown horror of their lost time and how she was used.

Dector Hall

Of course there's still one person we haven't addressed in regards to their feelings. Some people forget that this was a character- or at the very least was intended to have character at some point.

When Hector visits with the other Fates inside of the helmet at the barbecue, there is an implication that someone is missing from the party outside of Mordru. Hector's subconscious is lined with pictures of Hawk and Dove before he was forced to reconcile with the fact that this body was their child.

Dector was a child sacrificed to the mantle of Doctor Fate- to be a vessel for Hector Hall- for the fate of the universe and then forcibly aged. If it wasn't Hector, it would have been Mordru, after all. It's just an incredibly sad thought, and considering this child seems to have been either conscious enough of the circumstances of his birth to know who his biological parents are. He was a PERSON, isn't that fucked up?

Wish the comics had more to say about these implications- but I sure do!

I fear a lot of them won't make sense outside of the story I've elaborately crafted in my head- but a lot of things I like to think about stem from me thinking about how it would feel from behind the eyes of someone not quite a friend and not quite a stranger to watch your mom leave in search of someone to belong to and someone that she can take care of while you're so small and without the voice to ask for her to turn around and really look at you.

Dawn and Motherhood

I think Dawn's feelings about motherhood would be complicated. I think Dawn is a caretaker, but helplessness scares her. She likes responsibility. It makes her feel good, and she likes to be trusted and needed.

But helplessness frustrates her. We can see this with Ren freaking out about Copperhead and Dawn telling her to calm down because "people are watching" while Hank just keeps consoling her. She's not a robot, but she isn't good with high emotions- she thinks the insurgence on Druspa Tau must be totally born from Hank or M'shulla because she knows the logic behind the decisions regarding population and resource control, doesn't think to check in with Ren until she starts avoiding her because SHE knows she's not hitting on Hank and thus doesn't see why Ren should be upset, her immediate reaction after Terataya and T'charr confess their plans for the future of Hawk and Dove and kiss in their bodies is to ask if she and Hank should fall in love as if it's that simple.

She was also still getting her associates in college in her early 20s when she was killed/abducted, so something tells me "I'm ready to have a baby" never crossed her mind.

But she had one, and it's the last purpose Tarataya and T'charr laid out for her and Hank before they vanished. Crossing that off of her list and no longer needing to justify a possible romantic relationship she wasn't ever really interested in: What's next?

I do feel she would have a sense of loss, though. How could she not think about those possible futures she saw from Waverider and how she felt watching and living in them?

I think Dawn could be happy as a mother if she had time to prepare for it, but that's definitely not the case here. I don't think Dawn is a very warm person, but she still cares about other people. That means I can't believe she doesn't have SOME emotions about the person Hector has warped into his new body. Even if Dector isn't conscious at all- which he definitely was at at least some point between the writers- it would be hard to separate the logic of this body being a shell from the emotion that that shell was a human being that grew inside of her- that she met with different faces in a sea of different futures and in one of those worlds held in her arms.

Unity

I have plans- so many plans- I will one day sit down and properly start "Hawk and Dove: Revenge" a long-form fancomic where I hope to explore a full AU. This will also include the Don Revival AU and my ideas on other unexplored or half-explored Hawk and Dove concepts [The War Council, Revisiting Druspa Tau, Holly and Dawn's relationship, Holly Granger Character Arcs, power evolution-] but for now-

Unity!

She doesn't have a canon name- only known as "Dr. Arsala," considering this was 1. Never meant to be a canon ending for Hawk and Dove, just another possibility but this one being born of both of their futures if they survive to the future together and 2. In a book FULL of alternate children- sons and daughters, brown, black, and blonde haired- we can assume "Dr. Arsala" is just another "what if?" an example of the kind of person a child of Hawk and Dove could be.

Still she's a GREAT character- a mouthy neurosurgeon who is as direct as she is crafty. That's why I choose the more literal interpretation- that she was their future in a universe ruled by Monarch. Of course, that universe can't really exist now and Hawk and Dove are loosely implied to only be a "One in a span of different universes" kind of deal, meaning one Hawk and one Dove per each cluster of timelines since there is only one Chaos and Order dimension across those timelines [See the Phantom Zone for a better idea of how that works- it's too much to explain here- the idea is that Druspa Tau, the Chaos Dimension, and the Phantom Zone are their own dimensions separate of multi-universe theory, meaning that for however many infinite Earths exist, there will only be one Hawk and Dove per that cluster.]

Of course, due to the nature of INFINITE Earths being infinite- it stands to reason that- in theory- there could exist multiple Hawks and Doves... they'd just be from Universe Group B instead of another dimension in Universe Group A- just like there being a possibility of other Phantom Zones and maybe even a group of universes without ANY Hawks or Doves either because there is no Chaos or Order Dimension or because T'charr and Terataya never met or simply ran off together.

All of this to say, there's plenty of room for A Unity to exist out there somewhere, and I would love to see her get to replant a world on Monarch's scorched ground.

More than that, I'd like to break down her feelings on her mysterious conception- did her mom cheat on her dad? Did Sal know about it? Did Hank and Dawn knowingly have this child as a last resort against Monarch? Is she a weapon?

Personally, I think what we see of our Doctor is that she has Dawn's tendency toward the practical in high-stress situations, but that she has Hank's heart. From both of them, she has their sense of duty. I think that means she'd understand if she was conceived with the sole purpose of saving the world, and from there struggle with how that makes her feel or if she gets to have feelings. It's not as though the people responsible for her being alive would be around to talk to her about why they did what they did or to apologize for putting so much onto her.

She is the last hero of Earth in the future, too. If she rewrites Monarch's mind into something useful, he will still only be a weapon- no one that she can relay information to or discuss her place in the world with. Without Monarch's iron fist in place, there would definitely be a new wave of people trying to fill a perceived power vacuum. Just because she was strong enough to beat an inflated dictator doesn't mean that taking over his world and rebuilding it will be easy, nor does it mean that more intense threats will be just as easy to handle. Sharp claws and a sharper mind are good weapons, but they aren't the only thing she'll need against any possible underground revolts that might fear the last Meta Human might be a WORSE dictator than Monarch was.

Of course, we'll never get to see her tact or how it would stack up to these new types of foes, but this is about my thoughts and this is what Unity makes me think about.

There's also the cosmic implications- what would magic users previously removed from the now VERY dangerous, Monarch-Ruled dimension think of its new caretaker and her power source? The War Council? So many possibilities for a future never meant to be in canon.

I think even if she got everything she wanted- full Utopia- she's not the kind of person to not like having a project. Maybe she'd have to take her services elsewhere, and we'd get to see the Doc make a few house calls.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my rambles, however much you did. I am very grateful for the excuse to dump my thoughts out like this.

[chernobog13]

Apparently, at DC Films recasting and costuming superheroes and villains is much further along than James Gunn and Peter Safran would have us believe.

[donnatroyprincessofthemyscira]

So messed up that Hector was perfectly fine with Lyta (his) wife giving birth to his reincarnated body, but Dove being his "mother" was a road to far.

The fact no one mentions that she(Dove) was raped to get impregnated by Hawk(possessed by Mordru) who was also raped if you really think about it. He was forced to have sex against his will.

[comicbookcovers]

Who Is Sensor Girl?

Story Arc, Legion Of Super-Heroes #14-27, September 1985-October 1986, covers by Greg Larocque, Steve Lightle, Larry Mahlstedt

[doctorslippery]

[cgbcomics]

[gotham-at-nightfall]

Don’t come to Central City!

The Flash #800

[splooosh]

“finally”

[sebeth]

Legion of Super-Heroes #3 (Bendis)

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

The issue opens with Dawnstar giving an infodump on herself:

Her name is Dawnstar Gr’ell. This is the first time in the history of Dawnstar that she has had a last name. Gr’ell is a reference to Mike Grell, the artist who co-created Dawnstar.

Her home planet is Starhaven which has a “deep connection to the earth’s 13th century”.  In the original continuity, Starhaven was an “Amerind colony world”. Starhaven had connections to Earth’s indigenous people and their cultures.  A quick google search shows that the Aztec, Mayan, and Inca civilizations were occurring during this time. Is Bendis hinting Starhaven was founded by one of these civilizations. Is this going to be another “my father was a wolf” moment where he drops a random bit of information and doesn’t follow up on it?  I am not an expert on the various histories and cultures of the First People, if anyone has any other ideas on what the “deep connection to the 13th century” could be, I would love to hear them.

Dawny’s name is derived from “the appearance on earth of the planet Venus, the ‘morning star.”.

Dawnstar takes a moment to gush over Jon Kent even though Dawnstar has never been the type to gush over anything.

Dawnstar’s appearance has been updated. The top half of her face is covered in blue paint/tattoo with a white star on her forehead. Her costume has been updated as well. I’m not sure how I feel about the new costume but I do like it more than her original bathing suit costome.

We switch to Rimbor where General Crav Nah has discovered that Jo is a member of the Legion. He’s not happy about it.

Jon has brought Damian to the future. Damian passes out after meeting Dawnstar.

Back to Rimbor. Cosmic Boy and his team (Ultra Boy, Colossal Boy, Shadow Lass, Mon-El, White Witch) have arrived.

Cosmic Boy is briefing the team on expected behaviors while on Rimbor. Shadow Lass and Cosmic Boy are in a relationship. Which is new. And apparently is news to the rest of the Legion. A Shady-Cos pairing could be interesting but Cos & Night Girl are one of my OTPs so I’d rather have that.

Colossal Boy hasn’t decided if he will keep the code name or adapt another.

Crav Nah arrives and he wants his Trident.

We receive more info on Rimbor. One half of Rimbor has been in constant holy war with the other. Crav intends to unite the world by force (under his command, of course). Jo also wants unity for Rimbor but minus the war and domination.

Cosmic Boy introduces himself and offers in assistance in settling the Rimborian disputes. Crav finds the offer insulting and hurls Rokk across the building. Cue a brawl between Crav and the Legion that Mon-El ends in one punch. Cause, you know, Daxamite. Daxamites are basically Kryptonians with a different weakness (lead instead of kryptonite).

Jo informs Mon-El that per Rimborian law Lar is now the ruler of Rimbor since he defeated Crav.

Mon-El does not want the role.

Gim mentions Rokk is the elected leader so that answers my question from last issue.

Lightning Lad’s team arrives at Dini City in Planet Gotham. Dini is a clear reference to Paul Dini, one of the creators behind the Bataman: The Animated Series and the greater DC animated universe.

Garth’s team consists of Saturn Girl, Triplicated Girl, and Chameleon Boy.

The team is greeted by December Sevenbergen, the commissioner of Gotham.

Tortor arrives to free Mordru from police captivity: “If word in the galaxy gets out that I let you, a master daemon, rot in the bowels of a Gotham jail…”

Bendis has downgraded Mordru on a massive scale if the Science Police are able to contain him.

“Tortor” is revealed to be Saturn Girl’s attempt to enter Mordru’s mind. It doesn’t last long. Mordru is still stuck in a simple containment cell in police headquarters.

Dawnstar summons the team back to HQ before any further attempts to interrogate Mordru.

Crav’s official title is the “Warrior King of Rimbor”. Cosmic Boy’s team has brought Crav to Legion HQ.

Element Lad has the appearance of a blond, green-skinned Shaggy from Scooby Doo. He also has a purple and green striped costume. I don’t like it.

Jo’s costume has spontaneously turned green and red on his return from Rimbor.

Crav is brawling with the Legion. He’s apparently knocked out Jon, which would indicate Mon-El is more powerful than Jon. Makes sense as Mon appears to be older than Jon.

Damian is confused over what is happening.

Imra attempts to telepathically knock Crav out but only succeeds in knocking Brainiac 5 and Wildfire out. Crav is now the third villain to no-sell Imra’s powers. This is the second time Imra has taken out her teammates instead of the villain. It’s only been three issues. Not loving incompetent Imra.

Jon recovers and knocks Crav out. Mon-El states he knocked Crav out first, gets into a hissy with Jon and flies away. Finally, a Legionnaire who doesn’t fanboy over an inexperienced and under-accomplished Jon!

Triplicate Girl tells Jon that Mon-El is really sensitive “which is funny because he’s actually your…” What?! I’m not loving the “Bendis drops a tidbit of info and then ignores it” approach to story-telling.

Damian’s been in the future for five minutes and he already has criticisms: “You need a stronger penal system and clearer sense of the rule of law…”

Brainy has fixed Damian up with a bio-patch so he can breathe/exist in the 31st Century. Imra pitches a fit over Damian, erases his memory, and takes him back to the 31st Century. Jon rightfully calls the Legion out on the hypocrisy of bringing Jon to the future but having a fit over Damian.

Damian’s whole trip to the future was pointless, a waste of pages, and would have been better spent focusing on actual Legionnaires.

Chameleon Boy refers to Damian as “Baby Hitler” and Brainy states “That is a deeply unfair assessment of Damian Wayne…Therefore, we as a group, have dedicated our entire existence to rooting for his success.”

I’m assuming this is a reference to Morrison’s adult Damian storyline. More importantly, is Bendis serious? Why does he think Legion fans want the team to be dedicated Superboy/Robin fanboys?

That’s the purpose of the Legion’s existence? To make sure Damian remains a good boy? I’m starting to remember why I dropped this run at the third issue.

The issue ends with the Trident being stolen – again!

Pros:

Ryan Sooks’ art is pretty

Cons:

Dawnstar and Mon-El’s tidbits could have been interesting if we’d received actual details.

Weak-ass Mordru

Incompetent Imra

Damian’s pointless cameo

The Legion continues to be reduced nothing but cheerleaders for Jon and now Damian.

[protytwo]

Alexander Serra draws a variant for Justice League of America #147