Medusa (also sometimes Medousa) is a fictional character appearing in

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

. Based upon the eponymous Greek mythological figure whose story was chronicled in Ovid's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...

'', she is a snake-haired

Gorgon The Gorgons ( ; ), in Greek mythology, are three monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They lived near their sisters the Graeae, and were able to turn anyone who looked at them to sto ...

with the ability to turn living creatures to stone with her gaze. Since her debut in 1964, Medusa's physical appearance has been presented variously as DC Comics' continuities have shifted and evolved. Though she has routinely been depicted with snakes for hair, she has sometimes been shown as bipedal and sometimes with a serpentine lower body. However across continuities, she has consistently been written with the ghostly ability to possess or influence other beings after her physical body has been killed, as well as an uncanny capacity for resurrection after death. Her characterization has been that of a dangerous immortal creature who is at turns both vengeful and sympathetic. Though she first appeared as a Wonder Woman character, Medusa would spend the next 30 years as a spectral antagonist for other DC Comics heroes, such as

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

and

Black Canary Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...

, as well as

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

and

Hawkgirl Hawkgirl is the name of several superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original Hawkgirl, Shiera Sanders Hall, was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, and first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' ...

. In 1994, nine years after DC Comics rebooted its continuity in a publication event known as the

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

, Medusa would return to her roots as a menacing figure in Wonder Woman's world, rising to become a consistent recurring foe in the hero's late-

Modern Age The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC cancelled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new ser ...

and

Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a 2011 documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * '' ...

-era adventures. Medusa has been adapted into several Wonder Woman-related animated TV and film projects, and has been portrayed by

Shannon Farnon Shannon Farnon (born Sharon Maureen Farnon;

Laraine Newman Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Newman was part of the original cast of NBC's sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. Newman took an ...

and

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

. In 2011, she was featured as the villain in an international animated advertising campaign by

MAC Cosmetics M A C Cosmetics is a Canadian cosmetics manufacturer founded in Toronto in 1984 by Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo. The company has been headquartered in New York City since becoming a subsidiary of Estée Lauder Companies in 1998. MAC is an acron ...

to promote a Wonder Woman-themed makeup collection. Though similar in appearance, Medusa is a separate character from Myrna/Myrra Rhodes (aka Dr. Medusa), a member of the Creature Commandos, a team of

anti-heroes loosely inspired by classic 20th-century movie monsters.

Publication history

Silver and Bronze Age of Comic Books

Medusa first appeared during the

Silver Age The Ages of Man are the historical stages of human existence according to Greek mythology and its subsequent interpretatio romana, Roman interpretation. Both Hesiod and Ovid offered accounts of the successive ages of humanity, which tend to pr ...

, in 1964's ''

'' #153, written by

Robert Kanigher Robert Kanigher (; June 18, 1915 – May 7, 2002)Social Security Death Index, social security #116-07-5117. was an American comic book writer and editor whose career spanned five decades. He was involved with the Wonder Woman franchise for over ...

and illustrated by

Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan (comics), T ...

. Kanigher reformulated the traditional Greek myth, replacing Medusa's original victimizers

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

and

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

with Wonder Woman's longtime enemy, the

Duke of Deception The Duke of Deception is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. Based on Dolus, Dolos, the Roman mythological deity of deceit and lies, he debut ...

. In the story, Medusa is shown to have been hailed as the most beautiful of all mortals. However, she is reviled by the Duke of Deception, who uses Martian technology to mar her beauty and transform her into a snake-haired monster. Her lover, a young prince, breaks off their engagement at the sight of her. Furious, Medusa turns the prince to stone with her gaze, subsequently roaming through Greece to take out her rage. After her transformation, Medusa comes to lead an all-female community of

harpies In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; ) is a half-human and half-bird mythical creature, often believed to be a personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions Harpies were generally depicted ...

and giant

Amazons The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...

. An unnamed wizard banishes her disembodied consciousness, along with her followers, to a nether-dimension beyond time and space, and her physical form is subsequently slain by the adventurer Perseus. Her lifeless body, now separated from her consciousness, is then mummified and entombed in an underground Grecian catacomb. Also contained in the catacomb is a magical stone statue of Medusa's likeness, which can apparently serve as a temporary earthly conduit for her disembodied consciousness (albeit an immobile one). The catacomb is breached at least twice, once by aliens from the planet Kromal (who harvest a portion of the remains of Medusa's head to create a weapon in the form of a skull-cap), and once by an archeological expedition led by Professor Martin, a friend of Carter and Shiera Hall, the superheroes

and

. In 1964's ''

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane ''Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane'' is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics. The series focusing on the adventures of Lois Lane began publication with a March/April 1958 cover date and ended its run in September/October ...

'' #52, a Kromalian assassin named Illena tries to use the skull-cap in a plot to murder

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

for the

Superman Revenge Squad The Superman Revenge Squad is the name of two fictional organizations in the DC Comics universe. As their name suggests, it is a group of Superman villains who banded together to defeat the Man of Steel. Pre-''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' In pre ...

. She is defeated by Superman,

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning ...

and

Lana Lang Lana Lang is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is a ''Superman'' supporting character and love interest of the teenage Clark Kent. She was created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela ...

. Then in 1968's ''Hawkman'' (volume 1) #25, Professor Martin, unaware that the stone statue he recovered can serve as a channel for Medusa's disembodied consciousness, removes it from the catacomb and exhibits it in the Midway City Museum, which Hawkgirl co-curates as Shiera Hall. Medusa transfers her consciousness from the immobile statue into the nearby Hawkgirl, possessing her body. She wreaks havoc across Midway City before being exorcised when Hawkman destroys the statue. Medusa is next seen in a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

adventure in 1971's ''Green Lantern'' #82, which finds the Green Lantern Hal Jordan transported to the Gorgon's prison dimension by the sister of his arch-enemy

Sinestro Thaal Sinestro () (or simply Sinestro) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, particularly those featuring Green Lantern. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is a former Green Lantern Corps member w ...

. After fighting squadrons of Medusa's harpies and Amazons (who have been temporarily loosed onto the mortal plane), Jordan's comrades

and

are able to deduce his extra-dimensional location. As Medusa is about to turn Jordan to stone, she is stopped by Black Canary, who has traveled to the nether-dimension to retrieve her friend. Black Canary convinces Medusa to spare Jordan before escaping with him back to the mortal plane. Medusa next appears in 1973's ''Supergirl'' #8, written by

Cary Bates Cary Bates (born 1948) is an American comic book, animation, television and film writer. He is best known for his work on ''The Flash'', ''Superman'', ''Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes'' and '' Captain Atom''. Bates is the longest-serving S ...

and illustrated by

Art Saaf Arthur Saaf (December 4, 1921 – April 21, 2007) was an American comics artist from the Golden Age of Comics who also worked in television. He commonly went by Art or Artie. Career Art Saaf was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1921 and developed ...

. Still trapped in the nether-dimension and no longer able to use the stone statue as a vessel, Medusa's consciousness finds a way to re-inhabit her corpse, still mummified in the Grecian catacomb. In a very weakened state and barely able to move in her crypt, the Gorgon casts a spell intended to precipitate the death of

, into whose body she intends to transfer her consciousness. Though Medusa comes close to escaping the nether-dimension and once again possessing a powerful corporeal form, she is stopped by the combined efforts of Supergirl and Perseus, who together destroy the catacomb, and presumably Medusa's body with it.

Modern Age of Comic Books

The blonde-haired Medusa was one of the three Gorgons, beautiful daughters of the sea with golden wings and golden claws. Many considered Medusa to be the most beautiful, as she was mortal, unlike her sisters Euryale and Stheno. She eventually met the gaze of

took notice of this, and cursed Medusa, transforming her hair into snakes and giving her a deadly gaze that turns any who look into her eyes to stone. The hero Perseus was given the task of slaying Medusa and taking her head. After using her severed head for his own use, Perseus threw it into the sea as he believed it too dangerous to keep. At some point before Medusa's death, she mated with the

cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...

Polyphemus and gave birth to the serpentine giant Cyclon. The god of fear, Phobos, later used the heart of Medusa to create the demonic

Decay Decay may refer to: Science and technology * Bit decay, in computing * Decay time (fall time), in electronics * Distance decay, in geography * Software decay, in computing Biology * Decomposition of organic matter * Mitochondrial decay, in g ...

, who battled Wonder Woman on numerous occasions. During the second contest to become Wonder Woman, Diana of Themyscira encountered a serpent-bodied gorgon she believed to be Medusa. This gorgon turned several amazons to stone before being thrown off a cliff by Princess Diana. Much later, Euryale and Stheno wished to resurrected their sister, and coerced the witch

Circe In Greek mythology, Circe (; ) is an enchantress, sometimes considered a goddess or a nymph. In most accounts, Circe is described as the daughter of the sun god Helios and the Oceanid Perse (mythology), Perse. Circe was renowned for her vast kn ...

to aid them with Poseidon's help. Circe performed the ritual, and Medusa was successfully brought back to life. She vowed to get her revenge on Athena by killing Wonder Woman. Circe then equipped Medusa with a magical artifact which enabled her a one-time round-trip to battle Wonder Woman. When she arrived to New York, Medusa became overwhelmed with the modern world and fled back to the gorgons' lair. Circe then pointed Medusa and her sisters to the businesswoman

Veronica Cale Veronica Cale is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. A genius pharmaceutical tycoon and ruthless criminal mastermind, she was created by comic ...

to help figure out Wonder Woman's weakness. Medusa then attacked a celebration dinner at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, turning several civilians to stone and battling Wonder Woman. Though both combatants were evenly matched, Medusa fled to attack Wonder Woman's embassy. Wonder Woman chased the Gorgon back to the embassy and continued battling, resulting in the death of one of Diana's aides' sons, Martin, as he looked into Medusa's eyes. Enraged, Diana beat Medusa to near death. Medusa called out to

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

, and he ended the fight, teleporting Medusa to safety in preparation for her challenge against Wonder Woman. While preparing for the challenge, Medusa's sisters and Circe planned to broadcast Medusa's face on camera, which would end up transforming any viewers into stone. At

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx in New York City. It is the home field of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The stadium opened in April 2009, replacing the Yankee S ...

, Wonder Woman confronted Medusa. After a lengthy battle, Wonder Woman blinded herself with the venom of Medusa's snakes, and continued to battle the gorgon blind. One swift motion of her ax ended Medusa's life, killing her. Minutes later, Pegasus was born from Medusa's blood. Ares grabbed Medusa's head and promised to return it to Athena. Wonder Woman later used Medusa's head to kill the hundred-armed Briareos, who had been serving as Zeus's champion. When Wonder Woman,

Wonder Girl Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple list of superheroines, superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. They are associated with the superheroine Wonder Woman and possess Amazons (DC Comics), Amazonian powers. The Wonder Girl a ...

, and the Minotaur Ferdinand were sent by Athena to the Underworld to rescue

Hermes Hermes (; ) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quic ...

, Medusa's spirit ambushed Wonder Woman. The battle was interrupted when Ares appeared and teleported Medusa away so that he could speak to the amazon. During Odyssey, The Morrigan came into ownership of Medusa's head. Two unsuspecting men working for the Morrigan were turned to stone by looking at the head. When Anann and Bellona found the statues, Anann decided to use Medusa's tears to transform the pair into Cernunnos and Minotaur.

The New 52

In the

reboot of DC's continuity, Medusa is first thought to be a criminal organization consisting of urban legend-themed supervillains, many of which have battled

Batwoman Batwoman is a name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies of Batman similarly to Batgirl. The original version of the character, Kathy Kane (eventually given t ...

. It is eventually revealed that Medusa is the Queen of Monsters, and was formerly imprisoned on Paradise Island. Eventually, Batwoman uses a shard of Bloody Mary's destroyed body to force Medusa to look at her own reflection. Medusa is petrified and shattered by Batwoman.

Powers and abilities

Medusa has the ability to transform any living creature into stone if they look into her eyes. In her Post-Crisis depiction, Medusa has been seen with either a serpentine body and a humanoid body with golden wings. This iteration's follicle coils could spit burning toxins which sear and poison on contact and was blessed by the gods with physicality rivaling that of Wonder Woman. An unknown facet, either thanks to blessings from the almighty or Circe's spell craft, gave Medusa's voice a hypnotic chime with which she could compel others to turn towards her gaze.

Other versions

Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman

In the story "The Problem With Cats" from the anthology series ''Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman'', Medusa teams up with Cheetah and Circe to battle Wonder Woman after capturing Batman and Superman. It is eventually revealed to be a little girl playing with her dolls, one of which she pretends is Medusa.

Wonder Woman: Earth One

Medusa appeared as an enemy of Wonder Woman in the graphic novel '' Wonder Woman: Earth One''. Out of jealousy, Queen Hippolyta and her fellow amazon Nubia travel to the Underworld to free Medusa and allow her to turn several humans in Man's World to stone, including

Steve Trevor General Steven Rockwell Trevor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Wonder Woman. The character was created by William Moulton Marston and first appeared in ' ...

. Medusa then left, presumably returning to the Underworld. Later, during Diana's trial, Diana uses the purple healing ray to restore Steve Trevor and the other victims of Medusa's gaze.

In other media

Television

* Medusa appears in the ''

Challenge of the Superfriends ''Challenge of the Superfriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9 to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series (16 episodes) was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is ...

'' episode "Battle of the Gods", voiced by

Shannon Farnon Shannon Farnon (born Sharon Maureen Farnon;

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

summons her and other mythical creatures to battle the Super Friends in a contest to determine if they are worthy of

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

's favor. Medusa tries to attack Wonder Woman, but accidentally sees her reflection in Wonder Woman's bracelet and petrifies herself. * Medusa appears in the ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'' episode "This Little Piggy", voiced by

. 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. This version is a prisoner of

Tartarus In Greek mythology, Tartarus (; ) is the deep abyss that is used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked and as the prison for the Titans. Tartarus is the place where, according to Plato's '' Gorgias'' (), souls are judged after ...

and former cellmate of

. After she helps

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

and

Zatanna Zatanna Zatara (), known mononymously as Zatanna, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in ''Hawkman (comic book), Hawkman'' #4 (N ...

locate Circe,

Themis In Greek mythology and religion, Themis (; ) is the goddess and personification of justice, divine order, law, and custom. She is one of the twelve Titan children of Gaia and Uranus, and the second wife of Zeus. She is associated with oracles a ...

reduces Medusa's sentence.

Film

Medusa appears in '' Wonder Woman: Bloodlines'', voiced by

. She is resurrected by

Villainy Inc. Villainy Inc. is a team of fictional characters appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as an alliance of recurring adversaries of the superhero Wonder Woman. The group debuted in 1948's ''Wonder Woman'' #28, though each ...

through a combination of cybernetics and genetics in the hopes that they can weaponize her for their plot to invade Themyscira and steal their technology. However, Medusa betrays them, destroying

Doctor Cyber Doctor Cyber is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. She first appeared late in the Silver Age of Comics in 1968's ''Wonder Woman'' (volume 1 ...

and killing

Doctor Poison Doctor Poison is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media, commonly as a recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. A sadistic bioterrorist with a ghoulish face, she first appeared in 1942’s ''Sensation ...

before going on a rampage until she is killed by Wonder Woman and Silver Swan.

Video games

* Medusa appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Medusa appears in ''

DC Universe Online ''DC Universe Online'' (''DCUO'') is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game set in the fictional universe of DC Comics. Developed by Dimensional Ink Games and co-published by Daybreak Game Company and WB Games, the game was initiall ...

'' as part of the "Amazon Fury" DLC.

Miscellaneous

* Medusa appears in promotional videos created by

and illustrated by comic book artist

Mike Allred Michael Dalton "Mike" Allred (born 1962) is an American Comics artist, comic book artist and writer. He is most well known for his Alternative comics, independent comics creation Madman (Mike Allred character), Madman and for co-creating and dra ...

to promote a short-lived Wonder Woman-themed make-up line from 2011-2012. * Medusa appears in ''Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination'' #5.''Scribblenauts Unmasked: A Crisis of Imagination'' #5 (2014). DC Comics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medusa (DC Comics) Characters created by Ross Andru Characters created by Robert Kanigher Classical mythology in DC Comics Comics characters introduced in 1965 Cultural depictions of Medusa DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics demons DC Comics female supervillains Gorgons Wonder Woman characters