Rao (comics)
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Rao | |
---|---|
Created by | Walt Simonson Greg Hildebrand (New 52) Bryan Hitch |
In-universe information | |
Type | Star, God |
Publisher | DC Comics |
Rao is a fictional star in the DC Comics Universe. It is the red giant (in some continuities, red dwarf[1][2]) that the planet Krypton orbited. The title also refers to a supervillain of the same name and same Kryptonian etymology
"Rao" is also the name of the star's deity, who was worshiped as a god of light and life. As such the name is sometimes invoked as a Kryptonian exclamation.
History
In early Superman comics, Krypton's star was unnamed and was given no effect on Superman's powers, which were attributed first to greater
References to Rao began to creep into Superman's speech in the 1970s under the editorship and policy of Julius Schwartz, with Superman occasionally exclaiming "Great Rao!" instead of his standard "Great Krypton!".[citation needed]
In Super Friends #47 (August 1981), Superman reveals that "Rao" is also the Kryptonian name for God. This was subsequently confirmed in "mainstream" DC continuity of the time in the 1982 miniseries Phantom Zone.
Sandman: Endless Nights
In the
In that story,
Think about it, Rao. Wouldn't bringing life onto a planet that is inherently unstable add to the beauty of the life? If at any moment, it could explode...Truly it would only be perfectly beautiful, a perfect piece of art, if one single life-form escaped. To remember, to mourn, to despair.
The Last God of Krypton
In Superman: The Last God of Krypton, a
The Goddess of Ice Cythonna however could bear no children and took to attacking the men. She tried to persuade Rao to marry her, intending to use him to birth elementals to attack men. Rao saw through Cythonna's trickery and battled her. This was later referred to as "The Wars of Fire and Ice". Cythonna lost, and was imprisoned by Rao in another dimension. She managed to escape, and started to look for
She initially sought to mate with Kal-El, initially thinking of him as a god, but decided to kill him after finding out that he was just a mortal and wanting to take revenge on Rao, who had abandoned Krypton millennia before it exploded.
Superman and Cythonna held a final battle in the sun, resulting in Superman's victory due to the power boost he received from fighting so close to his own power source, imprisoning Cythonna in the sun's core, due to its gravity.
Krypton Chronicles
It is described in detail in E. Nelson Bridwell's Krypton Chronicles that later on in Kryptonian history, Rao went from being the star to a much more cosmic, monotheistic concept, which is "he who ignited the sun".
Infinite Crisis
In
Superman: New Krypton
It is revealed in the DC comics event
The people of Krypton call their powers under a yellow star the power of Rao. The high priest of Krypton is said to be the Voice of Rao and only speaks to voice Rao's judgement. Rao works through avatars. The Nightwing and the Flamebird are two mythological dragon/phoenix creatures who serve Rao; the Nightwing of shadow and the Flamebird of Fire. Each generation, Nightwing and Flamebird are reborn in two individuals who are blessed with a great love for each other that is doomed to end tragically in death. According to the comics, just before the destruction of Krypton, the Nightwing and Flamebird of that generation tried to avoid each other, believing themselves to be crazy to feel the influence of the myths.[volume & issue needed]
In the New Krypton story line, the
The fake body remains are used by Lex Luthor with a time machine and a ballistic missile to turn Earth's sun red during the War of the Supermen storyline to destroy most of the Kryptonians.[volume & issue needed]
The New 52
In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Action Comics #14 identifies Rao as being LHS 2520, a real-life red dwarf star 27.1 light years away from Earth, located at right ascension 12 hours, 10 minutes, 5.6 seconds, and declination -15 degrees, 4 minutes, 15.66 seconds.[6] This idea was posited by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who makes a guest appearance in the issue.[7]
Rao (the Kryptonian deity) was revealed to be an actual Kryptonian individual who served as the main antagonist in the 2016
In other media
Films
In the 1978
In the 2006 film Superman Returns, Rao, a red giant becomes a type II supernova, destroying Krypton completely.
In the 2013 film Man of Steel, Rao is depicted as a 13-billion-year-old red dwarf.
TV
Smallville
Rao is mentioned several times within of
The "Book of Rao" is first mentioned in the next episode "Kandor". While held captive by Tess Mercer, Jor-El states: "Our sacred book of Rao teaches that wherever there is light, there is darkness". Earlier, Jor-El is seen by Chloe Sullivan, through cameras secretly installed in the Kent farm, hiding a Kryptonian artifact. In subsequent episodes, this artifact is revealed to be the Book of Rao.
In "Upgrade", Zod (of Kandor) tells Clark of "the red sun god Rao", in the Fortress of Solitude. He explains that on Krypton "religion is science" and that Jor-El left their bible, the Book of Rao, on Earth. Zod proclaims that he is after the knowledge in that book, having already gained the Kryptonian powers under the yellow star from Clark's own blood.
In the final episode of that season, "Salvation", it is revealed that the Book of Rao is in fact a key that will transport all Kryptonians on Earth to a "higher plane of existence", implied to be a form of Heaven, but not explained fully. Clark uses the key and transports all of Zod's soldiers away from Earth, but Zod avoids this with the use of a Blue Kryptonite dagger. In a final battle, Clark takes the dagger away after being stabbed in the chest, Zod reverts to his Kryptonian self and is taken with the rest of his soldiers to New Krypton. Zod is then banished by the Kandorians to the Phantom Zone where he reunites with his original self as a Phantom.
Supergirl
In Supergirl, Kryptonian characters such as Kara and Non sometimes say "Praise Rao" or "Thank Rao" when reacting to extreme situations. In episode four of the third season, "The Faithful", Supergirl encounters Thomas Coville, a man who was on the plane she saved in the series pilot and subsequently founded a cult that worships both Rao and Supergirl.
Krypton
In
Video games
Injustice: Gods Among Us
In the story mode of Injustice: Gods Among Us, High Councilor Superman (who has become a dictator in this alternate timeline) sends out a televised message to the world, announcing the capture of Batman (in actuality the normal timeline's Batman and not the alternate reality's insurgent leader), and his execution, ending with "may Rao have mercy on his soul". At the end of the story, the alternate Superman is placed in a chamber that radiates red star illumination, nullifying his powers.
Injustice 2
In Injustice 2, Supergirl occasionally mentions the Kryptonian deity before facing certain characters such as Enchantress or Darkseid by saying "My God Rao will protect me," with Enchantress responding by saying "Like he protected your mother?" and Darkseid responding with "There is no Rao. Only Darkseid." Krypton's sun is seen in the planet's sky during the story mode's opening cutscene, though it does not appear red from its surface. Additionally, the power-nullifying chamber where Superman was imprisoned at the end of Injustice: Gods Among Us makes an appearance as the stage "Red Sun Prison," and is broken into during the main story by Supergirl and the Regime to prevent Brainiac from capturing him.
References
- ^ The Essential Superman Encyclopedia, 2010
- ^ Action Comics (vol. 2) #14 (November 2012)
- ^ Superman (vol. 1) #141 (November 1960), "Superman's Return to Krypton!"
- ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
- ^ The Man of Steel (July–September 1986)
- ^ Action Comics (vol. 2) #14 (November 2012)
- ^ Dareh Gregorian (5 November 2012). "NYER is 'super' smart, 'Finds' Krypton". Retrieved November 5, 2012.
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 4) #7 (March 2016)
- ^ Justice League of America (vol. 4) #10