Madame Zodiac first appears in Batman Family #17 (April 1978) and later returned in issue #18. She returned four years later in World's Finest Comics #285 (November 1982) in a four issue story ending in issue #288. The character is resurrected twenty-seven years later by Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, and Mike Norton in issue #12 of the fifty-two issue Trinity maxi-series (August 20, 2008), and has cameos in issues #15 (September 10, 2008), and #49 (May 9, 2009) with an offpanel mention on the third page of issue #52 (May 27, 2009). Madame Zodiac returns in Batgirls #13 (February 2023).
Madame Zodiac is first introduced as a "crime broker" for Poison Ivy and Catwoman. Zodiac promises both the criminals that they will come into conflict with the Earth-TwoHuntress (Helena Wayne), Batwoman (Kathy Kane), and Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), while in the commission of their crimes, but they would succeed. At the end of the story Poison Ivy and Catwoman are defeated but Zodiac evades capture after stealing a powerful mystical artifact.[1]
She later returned in Batman Family #18. She masterminds an assault on the Pentagon to take advantage of the mystical energy generated by a foreseen planetary conjunction. She is able to tap into the energies by focusing them within the Pentagon, a large-scale pentagram. She uses her new powers to subdue the United States Pentagon Police tasked with defending the facility. She is outwitted by Batgirl, who tricks her into destroying the walls of the Pentagon courtyard and cutting off the source of her power, enabling Batgirl to capture her.[2]
Batman begins to experience strange blackouts, and Superman experiences a prophetic dream in which he witnesses Batman lying on an altar beneath the Zodiac Idol of Doctor Zodiac. Superman briefs Batman on his vision, but when he uses his X-ray vision to check on Doctor Zodiac, he realizes that the criminal is still in prison. Madame Zodiac reveals to Doctor Zodiac that she has begun testing Batman, and that she believes that Bruce Wayne is Batman. Superman and Batman consult with Zatanna and give her several of Doctor Zodiac's mystical Zodiac Coins, hoping that she can use them to track down the Zodiac Idol. Zatanna loses control the moment she touches the coins, and mentions a "dark cloud" before eventually lapsing into a coma.[3]
Wonder Woman takes Zatanna to Paradise Island for medical treatment, and Madame Zodiac reveals that she freed Doctor Zodiac from prison and left an illusion in his place. She freed him because she had his Zodiac Idol, but wanted access to the Zodiac Coins that provide its power. She uses Doctor Zodiac's mystical connection to the twelve Atlantean coins to steal them from the coin collectors who currently own them. Now possessing all twelve coins she is able to activate the Zodiac Idol. It is also revealed that Theo (Doctor Zodiac) and Marissa (Madame Zodiac) are now romantically involved. Theo discovers that she has used the Zodiac Idol to contact an ancient other-dimensional evil she refers to as her "master". Meanwhile, a dark cloud begins appearing in various cities, including Metropolis and Gotham City. Everywhere the cloud appears, it inspires hate crimes, including the defilement of a Jewish synagogue and the near-lynching of Lucius Fox. Meanwhile, Theo (Doctor Zodiac) is becoming concerned as Madame Zodiac's shadowy master grows in power. Elsewhere, Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) confronts a werewolf, and Hawkman (Katar Hol) defeats what appears to be a vampire. A group of zombies attack a GCPD barricade in Gotham, but are stopped by Superman. Madame Zodiac states that her master is now powerful enough to possess a human host.[4]
The shadowy force of Madame Zodiac's master attempts to possess Batman's body. Doctor Zodiac begins looking for a way out of his predicament; he decides against releasing a mysterious prisoner being held at their location, a prisoner whom Madame Zodiac fears. He relents out of fears for his own safety. Superman checks in with Wonder Woman and she reports that Zatanna is responding well to Purple Healing Ray treatments and is recovering from her coma. In Gotham City, shadow minions sent by Madame Zodiac capture Batman and bring him to her.[5]
The being whom Madame Zodiac refers to as the "Adored One" possesses Batman's body, with magical duplicates of Batman being created for when the Adored One burns out his body. The possessed Batman briefly spars with Superman before being freed from the Adored One's control, causing him to expel the entity from his body. Madame Zodiac is subdued by Superman, and Doctor Zodiac tells him about the mysterious prisoner. Superman shatters the walls of the cell, revealing the real Madame Zodiac chained to a wall. The Madame Zodiac that Doctor Zodiac had fallen in love with was a magical clone created by the Adored One. Madame Zodiac, Doctor Zodiac, and Superman confront the duplicate and the Adored One. Madame Zodiac is apparently killed by her evil duplicate, and both her duplicate and Doctor Zodiac are killed by the Adored One. Batman uses the Zodiac Idol to destroy the Adored One's containment sphere, dispersing it.[6]
A woman claiming to be the original Madame Zodiac reappears in Trinity #12 (August 2008). The story has the Riddler (Edward Nigma) consulting with Madame Zodiac in order to uncover the secret behind a pattern of mysterious thefts; while there, an antique gargoyle from Castle Branek (home of Morgaine le Fey) comes to life and attempts to kill him. Madame Zodiac destroys the statue and adds its cost to her fee.[7]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
