Faora
Faora | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | (Hu-Ul): Action Comics #471 (May 1977) (Unknown): Action Comics #779 (July 2001) |
Created by | (Hu-Ul): Cary Bates (writer) Curt Swan (artist) (Unknown): Joe Kelly (writer) Duncan Rouleau (artist) |
In-story information | |
Full name | Faora Hu-Ul Zaora Hu-Ul[1] Artificial Intelligence (AI) Unrevealed[2] |
Species | (Both Hu-Ul): Kryptonian (Unknown): Metahuman |
Partnerships | General Zod Jax-Ur |
Abilities | (Both Hu-Ul):
See list
(Pre-Crisis Hu-Ul):
(Unknown):
|
Faora is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman.[3] The character was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, and first appeared in Action Comics #471 (May 1977). Most commonly, Faora is an ally and sometimes the wife and/or lover of Superman's Kryptonian nemesis General Zod.[4]
Faora appears in the television series Smallville, portrayed by Erica Durance and Sharon Taylor. Faora appeared in the DC Extended Universe films Man of Steel (2013) and The Flash (2023), portrayed by Antje Traue.
Publication history
Faora first appeared in Action Comics #471 (May 1977) and was created by Cary Bates and Curt Swan.[5]
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis
The first Faora, Faora Hu-Ul, was introduced in Action Comics #471.[6][7] She is a beautiful Kryptonian woman whose unexplained hatred for men led her to torture and kill 23 of them in the secret concentration camp. For this crime, she was sentenced to 300 years of imprisonment in the Phantom Zone.[8][9] Surviving her homeworld's destruction, along with the other Phantom Zone prisoners, she existed in an invisible ghost-like form. While in the Zone, she is often depicted plotting against Superman with General Zod and Jax-Ur. Her hatred of men was not limited to the Kryptonian race, as she demonstrates with the murder of a young Frenchman who was attracted by her beauty.[10]
Faora is an expert at the Kryptonian martial of Horo-Kanu, which allows her to take advantage of the body's
Post-Crisis
Pocket Universe
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.[4] 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 depowering them with gold Kryptonite. He then executed 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. Zaora pleaded with Superman for her life, offering him "all sorts of favors", before she succumbed to the Kryptonite.[12]
Phantom Zone entity
In the
The Eradicator rejects it, "downloading" all these aspects of ancient programming that contradicted his morality into Faora's artificial intelligence. Unknown to him, this gave it a new, monstrous form and dimensional-based powers. After leaving the Zone, it targeted Conner's family. The Eradicator destroyed Faora, but not before it kills his wife.
Pokolistanian
Another Faora was introduced as one of
"Return to Krypton"
In a 2001–2002 storyline, Superman and
New 52/DC Rebirth
Faora Hu-Ul returned during
Powers and abilities
As a Kryptonian, Faora has superpowers derived from under the light of Earth's yellow Sun in the Solar System. These basic abilities are sufficient for her to bend steel, overpower a locomotive, leap over a tall building in one bound, and outrun a speeding bullet; as well as virtual invulnerability, accelerated recovery, laser eyebeams, vortex breath, and flight. She possesses extraordinary senses of hearing and sight, including x-ray, telescopic, and microscopic vision. The Pre-Crisis version of Faora had gotten new powers. She can telepathically communicate or sometimes does it unconsciously and project bolts of psychic energy to weaken other Kryptonians from the Phantom Zone. While in the Zone, she is effectively immortal (and untouchable). Faora knows Horu-Kanu - the deadliest form of martial arts on Krypton. This technique utilizes precisely aimed pressure points to disable, cripple, or kill opponents. Both versions have expertise in unarmed combat. Even her power levels are more akin to Supergirl. Like all Kryptonians, she is also vulnerable to Kryptonite, red sunlight, and magic.[18]
The metahuman version of Faora has the ability to disrupt molecular bonds.[19]
Other versions
In the
In other media
Television
- Faora appears in the Superman (1988) episode "The Hunter", voiced by Ginny McSwain. This version is an inmate of the Phantom Zone who collaborated with General Zod and Ursa to create the titular Hunter, a creature that can transmute itself into any substance that it touches.
- Faora makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Legion of Super Heroes episode "Phantoms" as an inmate of the Phantom Zone.
- Faora appears in Tess Mercer uses a Kryptonian device called the "Orb" to create clones of several Kandorians, such as a young Faora and Zod. After she and Vala are taken by Amanda Waller, Faora offers to join Checkmate, but is killed by Zod, who learns too late that she was pregnant with their baby.
- Additionally, an alternate timeline version of Faora's clone who acquired Kryptonian superpowers appears in the episode "Pandora".
- Faora appears in The Looney Tunes Show episode "SuperRabbit", voiced by Sonya Walger.[20]
- Faora appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Fryda Wolff.[20]
- Faora Hu-Ul appears in Young Justice: Phantoms, voiced by Denise Boutte.[20]
Film
- Faora purportedly served as inspiration for Superman (1978) and Superman II's incarnation of Ursa despite being introduced in the comics while the films were in the midst of production.[21]
- Faora-Ul appears in the Kal-Eland the Codex, a device containing the genetic code of all future Kryptonians, only to be defeated by Kal-El and sent back to the Phantom Zone.
- An alternate timeline version of Faora appears in the DCEU film Kara Zor-El for the Codex instead. After they successfully kill her, Allen and his Flashpoint counterpartrepeatedly travel back in time in failed attempts to save Kara, leading to the Flashpoint Allen killing Faora in anger.
- An alternate timeline version of Faora appears in the DCEU film
Video games
- Faora appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[24]
- The Man of Steel incarnation of Faora appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham via DLC.
References
- Text was copied from Faora Hu-Ul (Prime Earth) at DC Database, which is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.
- ^ Pocket Universe duplicate of the pre-Crisis character
- ^ The Pokolistanian character's true name has yet to be revealed.
- ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ OCLC 213309017.
- ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Action Comics #471 (May 1977)
- ISBN 9781893905610.
- ^ a b Action Comics #472 (June 1977)
- ^ Phantom Zone #1 (January 1982)
- ^ Phantom Zone #4 (April 1982)
- ^ Action Comics #473 (July 1977)
- ^ Superman vol. 2 #22 (October 1988)
- ^ Kelly, Joe (w), Ferry, Pascual (p), Smith, Cam (i). "Return to Krypton II, Part Four: Dream's End" Action Comics, no. 793, p. 20 (September 2002). New York: DC Comics.
- ^ Schultz, Mark (w), Mahnke, Doug (p), Nguyen, Tom (i). "Return to Krypton Part Three: The Most Dangerous Kryptonian Game" Superman: The Man of Steel, no. 111 (April 2001). New York: DC Comics.
- ^ Schultz, Mark (w), Kerschl, Karl (a). "Return to Krypton II Part Three: Blood and Heresy" Superman: The Man of Steel, no. 128 (September 2002). New York: DC Comics.
- ^ Superman/Wonder Woman #5
- ^ Superman/Wonder Woman #7
- ^ Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol 1 #18 (August 1986)
- ^ Action Comics Vol 1 #779 (July 2001)
- ^ a b c "Faora Voices (Superman)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved April 1, 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 opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ Brownfield, Troy; Matt Brady (2008-10-18). "New Krypton Countdown: When Kryptonians Walk the Earth". Newsarama.com. Imaginova Corporation. Archived from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Bugley, Chris (September 17, 2015). "Gal Gadot is Wonder Woman because she turned down a major 'Man of Steel' role". Batman News.
- ^ "Michael Shannon Appears on 'The Flash' Movie Cast List". Collider. 22 December 2021.
- ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved April 1, 2024.