Thara Ak-Var

Thara Ak-Var
Thara Ak-Var as Flamebird, as depicted in Action Comics #886 (April 2010). Art by Pere Pérez.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Superman #681 (October 2008)
Created by	Geoff Johns James Robinson
In-story information
Full name	Thara Ak-Var
Species	Kryptonian
Place of origin	Krypton
Partnerships	Nightwing (Lor-Zod) Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Notable aliases	Flamebird
Abilities	Powers and abilities identical to those of Superman: Superhuman strength, super speed, flight, stamina and freezing breath, super hearing, multiple extrasensory and vision powers Flamebird powers: Pyrokinesis Rapid healing Immunity to gold kryptonite Psychic link to Chris Kent

Thara Ak-Var is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, created by Geoff Johns and James Robinson. The character first appeared during the Superman: New Krypton storyline in Superman #681 (October 2008). She is the latest character to take on the role of Flamebird . ^[1] Along with Nightwing (Chris Kent), Thara is the feature character in Action Comics beginning with issue #875 (May 2009). Thara Ak-Var's name is a reference to Ak-Var, the second pre-Crisis Flamebird, and his wife Thara.

Esmé Bianco portrays Thara in the third season of Supergirl .

Fictional character biography

Silver Age

In the Silver Age, Thara is the wife of Ak-Var, the assistant of her uncle Van-Zee, who later assumes the mantle of Nightwing. Superman and Supergirl are her second cousins. ^[2]

Modern Age

Thara Ak-Var is a resident of Argo City and a childhood friend of Kara Zor-El who survives Krypton’s destruction after Zor-El erects a force field around the city. After Brainiac captures and shrinks Argo City, Thara becomes its chief of security and the avatar of the deity Flamebird. ^{[3] [4]}

After Superman liberates Argo City and Kandor, Thara moves to Earth and becomes the superhero Flamebird. ^{[5] [6] [7]} In Superman: War of the Supermen , Thara sacrifices herself to save the remaining Kryptonians after Reactron destroys New Krypton. ^[8]

Powers and abilities

Thara has all the standard abilities of a Kryptonian exposed to the light of a yellow sun: super strength, super speed, invulnerability, flight, heat vision, super-breath, x-ray vision, and super hearing. She also possesses an undefined connection to the mythic "Flamebird" entity, which gives her pyrokinesis, immunity to gold kryptonite, and a psychic link with Chris Kent.

Like all Kryptonians, Thara is weakened by kryptonite radiation and fatally vulnerable to prolonged exposure.

In other media

• Thara Ak-Var appears in Supergirl , portrayed by Esmé Bianco. This version is the police chief of Argo City. ^[9]
• A young Thara Ak-Var appears in Superman: Unbound , voiced by Melissa Disney. ^[10]

References

1. Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 94–96. ISBN   978-0-345-50108-0.
2. Action Comics #336 (April 1966)
3. Superman #681 (October 2008)
4. Action Comics Annual #12 (August 2009)
5. Action Comics #872 (February 2009)
6. Action Comics #875 - #884 (May 2009 - February 2010)
7. Supergirl (vol. 5) #45 - #46 (November - December 2009)
8. Superman: War of the Supermen #3 (July 2010)
9. Siede, Caroline (June 4, 2018). "Supergirl's 3rd season has officially gone off the rails". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on June 5, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
10. "Thara Voice - Superman: Unbound (Movie)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 10, 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.