Delphyne Gorgon

Last updated
Delphyne Gorgon
Delphyne.jpg
Delphyne Gorgon.
Art by Clayton Henry.
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance The Incredible Hercules #121 (Sept. 2008)
Created by Greg Pak
Fred Van Lente
Clayton Henry
In-story information
Full nameDelphyne Gorgon
SpeciesHuman/Gorgon hybrid
Team affiliations Amazons
AbilitiesSkilled combatant, poison administered through fangs.

Delphyne Gorgon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A Gorgon member of the Amazon nation, she is a love interest of Amadeus Cho. She first appeared in The Incredible Hercules #121, and was created by Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, and Clayton Henry.

Contents

Fictional character biography

In the classical age, the Amazons were engaged as mercenaries to battle an army of Gorgons. They were victorious, and took many Gorgons as prisoners, who gradually interbred with humans, and their genetic line continued within the Amazon nation. [1] One human/Gorgon hybrid named Delphyne was assigned as a servant to Amazon Queen Hippolyta's daughter Princess Artume at a very young age. She became a highly respected general, fighting in the siege of Olympus against the armies of Amatsu-Mikaboshi. [2]

When Princess Artume conceived of a scheme to depose her mother, locate the Omphalos and use it to remake the world in the Amazons' image, Delphyne joined her. They abducted Amadeus Cho (who they believed to be Hercules's eromenos) in order to convince him to help locate the Omphalos. Delphyne warned Cho that Artume was deceiving him (claiming to have sympathy for "small animals and morons" [1] ), but Cho ignored her advice initially. Eventually, however, he saw reason, and the two kissed. This was witnessed by Artume. As she explained later, she would have tolerated this but a displeasing farewell wave sealed her subordinates's fate. She attempted to murder Delphyne, but failed as a result of a lack of knowledge about Gorgon anatomy. Delphyne joined Cho, Hercules, and Athena in defeating Artume, and, in killing her, became the new Queen of the Amazons. Telling Cho that because of this she could not engage in a relationship with a man without killing him after consummation, she departed. [3]

Delphyne in her brief human form. Delphyne (human).jpg
Delphyne in her brief human form.

Now queen, Delphyne subsequently joined Hera's alliance of New Olympians, with the goal of killing Hercules and Athena. This brought her face to face with Cho again, who was perplexed by her decision. Delphyne explained her desire to kill Athena in revenge for the original Gorgon curse, and warned him against trusting the goddess. [4] Later, when Hera attempted to kill her daughter Hebe in retaliation for Hebe's helping Hercules, Delphyne drew a gun on Hera, demanding that she cease. [5] Seeking the aid of Hephaestus, Delphyne had Athena's Aegis shield reforged into a helmet that granted her the abilities of the Medusa head within the shield. When the Avengers raided the headquarters of the Olympus Group, Delphyne attempted to confront Athena, despite Cho's entreaties to cease. She used the helmet to turn Athena into stone, which freed her from the Gorgon curse, appalling Cho. [6] Subsequently, however, she balked at allowing Hephaestus to kill Cho and Hercules, and Athena was revived by the arrival of Zeus' thunderbolt, conferring on Athena the leadership of the Pantheon, and returning Delphyne to her Gorgon appearance. For Delphyne's attempted deicide, she was sentenced to dwell forever in the bowels of the Olympus Group building. [7]

Subsequently, upon Vali Halfling's capture of the Olympus Group headquarters, she escaped her cell. She found Athena weakened by Halfling's capture of the ambrosia of the gods, but was convinced not to kill Athena, and instead found herself allied with the goddess to repel the invaders. She defeated Pantheon member Atalanta in combat, and then joined Cho in defeating Vali Halfling himself and rescuing Hercules. The two then kissed and officially became a couple. [8]

Powers and abilities

Delphyne is a skilled martial artist and combatant, capable of knocking over Hercules through effective application of technique, rather than through sheer strength. Unlike most Gorgons in fiction, she does not possess the ability to turn people to stone, something she says only flows through the line of Medusa Gorgon. However, she was able to circumvent this fault by having Hephaestus craft a helmet which drew upon her potential lineage inheritance. [6] Delphyne's snake-like hair can inject victims with an incredibly deadly poison through their fangs, are strong enough to hold up all of her body weight without much effort and prehensile enough to manipulate the trigger of a firearm. Being cold-blooded, she does not register on infrared scans, giving her an advantage in the dark. [9]

Other versions

Secret Wars

During the Secret Wars storyline, a version of Delphyne Gorgon from the Battleworld island nation of Arcadia is a student at the Victor von Doom Institute for Gifted Youths in Doomstadt. She is a member of the Night Witches alongside Jubilee of Limbo and Pixie of Mutopia. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namora</span> Superhero in Marvel Universe

Namora, or Aquaria Nautica Neptunia, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Ken Bald and Syd Shores, she first appeared in Marvel Mystery Comics #82. She is from Atlantis and is the daughter of an Atlantean father and a human mother. Namora is the cousin of Namor the Sub-Mariner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympians (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional comic book species

The Olympians are a fictional species appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. These characters are based on the Twelve Olympians/Dii Consentes and other deities of Classical mythology. During the beginning of the 1960s, the exploits of the Asgardians Thor and his evil brother Loki demonstrated that an updating of ancient myths could again win readers. In 1965, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced the Olympians in Journey into Mystery Annual #1.

Venus is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first, originally based on the goddess Venus (Aphrodite) from Roman and Greek mythology, was retconned to actually be a siren that only resembles the goddess. The second is stated to be the true goddess, who now wishes only to be referred to by her Greek name, Aphrodite. The similarities between the two characters are a point of conflict in the comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pluto (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe

Pluto is a fictional deity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Greco-Roman god of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ares (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Ares is a fictional character, a deity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Greek god of the same name. He first appeared in Thor #129 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Ares has commonly appeared as an enemy of Thor and Hercules and starred in his own self-titled series in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hercules (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Hercules is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character is based on Heracles of Greek mythology. Since his first appearance, he has been a perennial member of the superhero team the Avengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Pak</span> American film director & comic book writer

Greg Pak is an American comic book writer and film director. Pak is best known for his work on books published by Marvel Comics, including X-Men, several titles featuring the Hulk, and Hercules. In 2019, Pak began writing Star Wars comics for Marvel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hercules (DC Comics)</span> DC Comics character

Hercules is a fictional Olympian god in the DC Universe based on the Greek demigod and hero of the same name.

The Olympian Gods are characters based upon Classical mythology who appear primarily in Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel and Aquaman comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amadeus Cho</span> Fictional character from Marvel Comics

Amadeus Cho, also known as Brawn, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by American writer Greg Pak and Canadian artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in Amazing Fantasy vol. 2 #15. Cho usually appears in books featuring the Avengers or individual members of that group, such as the Hulk or Hercules.

Athena is a fictional deity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is based on the Greek Goddess of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hera (Marvel Comics)</span> Comics character

Hera is a fictional deity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Greek Goddess of the same name. Hera first appeared in the pages of Thor #129, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neptune (Marvel Comics)</span> Comics character

Neptune, also called Poseidon, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Roman God with the same name and his Greek counterpart. Neptune is the god of the sea in the Olympian pantheon, and the patron god of Atlantis. Neptune first appeared in Tales to Astonish #70 and was adapted by Stan Lee and Gene Colan.

Mythic Warriors is a 1998-2000 anthology animated television series, which featured retellings of popular Greek myths that were altered so as to be appropriate for younger audiences, produced by Nelvana and Marathon Media. Two seasons of episodes were produced in February 8, 1998 and March 14, 1999; then aired as reruns until May 21, 2000, when CBS' abolition of its Nelvana-produced children's programming in favor of Nick Jr. and later, Nickelodeon content resulted in its cancellation. The series was based on the book series Myth Men Guardians of the Legend written in 1996 and 1997 by Laura Geringer and illustrated by Peter Bollinger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Typhon (comics)</span> Comics character

Typhon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most commonly associated with the hero Hercules. He is based on the legendary monster of the same name.

Prometheus is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first one is based on the Greek Titan of the same name while the second one is member of the Pantheon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amatsu-Mikaboshi (character)</span> Comics character

Amatsu-Mikaboshi, the Chaos King, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a supervillain and demonic god of evil who is best known as an enemy of Hercules and Thor. He is based on the Mikaboshi of Japanese mythology.

<i>The Incredible Hercules</i> Marvel comic book series

The Incredible Hercules was an ongoing comic book series written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente and published by Marvel Comics. The series starred the mythological superhero Hercules, his sidekick Amadeus Cho, the seventh-smartest person in the world, and half-sister Athena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeus (DC Comics)</span> DC Comics character

Zeus is a fictional deity in the DC Comics universe, an interpretation of Zeus from Greek mythology. His appearances are most significant in stories of Wonder Woman. With the 2011 relaunch of DC Comics dubbed The New 52, Zeus has received a prominent role in the Wonder Woman mythos, as he is now the biological father of Wonder Woman through Hippolyta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaos War</span>

"Chaos War" is a Marvel Comics storyline that began publication in October 2010 across nine comic book series: the five-issue miniseries Chaos War, written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, supplemented by seven branded miniseries or one-shot publications, and by three issues of Incredible Hulks, a temporary iteration of the long-running series The Incredible Hulk. It follows the "Incredible Hercules" storyline written by Pak and Van Lente.

References

  1. 1 2 The Incredible Hercules #122. Marvel Comics.
  2. The Incredible Hercules #123. Marvel Comics.
  3. The Incredible Hercules #123-125. Marvel Comics.
  4. The Incredible Hercules #128. Marvel Comics.
  5. The Incredible Hercules #129. Marvel Comics.
  6. 1 2 The Incredible Hercules #139. Marvel Comics.
  7. The Incredible Hercules #140-141. Marvel Comics.
  8. Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1-4. Marvel Comics.
  9. Heroic Age: Prince of Power #3. Marvel Comics.
  10. Runaways vol. 4 #1. Marvel Comics.