Orca is the name of two fictional supervillain characters who appear in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

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 ...

, commonly known as one of the adversaries to the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

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 ...

Publication history

The Grace Balin incarnation of Orca first appeared in ''

'' #579 (July 2000) and was created by

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an People of the United States, American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles ...

and

Scott McDaniel Scott McDaniel (born 1965) is an American comics artist whose comic book work includes Marvel Comics' "Fall from Grace" storyline for the '' Daredevil'' series. Artwork for DC Comics includes a run on ''Batman'' as regular penciller, ''Nightwing' ...

. The Dean Toye incarnation of Orca first appeared in ''

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

'' (vol. 8) #12 (February 2017), and was created by

Dan Abnett Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...

and Philippe Briones.

Fictional character biography

Grace Balin

Grace Balin is a marine biologist who is paralyzed in an accident and experiments with

orca The orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'', it is recognizable by its black-and-white-patterned body. A cosmopol ...

tissue to regain her mobility, gaining the ability to transform into a monstrous orca hybrid. While battling Batman, she is forced into an underwater cave and begins to revert to normal, forcing Batman to give her a serum to permanently transform her into Orca and prevent her from drowning. In the ''

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through the books published by DC Comics. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the "Infinite Crisi ...

'' event, Orca dies under unspecified circumstances. In "

DC Rebirth DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by the American comic book publisher DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero comic book titles. Using the end of The New 52 (2011–2016) initiative in May 2016 as its launching point ...

", Orca appears alive as a member of the Whale's Enders and an enemy of

Nightwing Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...

Dean Toye

"DC Rebirth" introduces a separate Orca, Dean Toye, a sergeant who transforms himself into an orca hybrid to combat the forces of

Atlantis Atlantis () is a fictional island mentioned in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and ''Critias'' as part of an allegory on the hubris of nations. In the story, Atlantis is described as a naval empire that ruled all Western parts of the known world ...

Powers and abilities

Both Orcas possess immense physical attributes, an enhanced sense of smell, and the ability to operate underwater. However, they must periodically rehydrate themselves to avoid drying out.

In other media

* The Grace Balin incarnation of Orca appears in ''

The Lego Batman Movie ''The Lego Batman Movie'' is a 2017 animated superhero comedy film, based on characters created by DC Comics and the Lego Batman toy line. It was directed by Chris McKay (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay that is based on a ...

'', voiced by Laura Kightlinger. * The Grace Balin incarnation of Orca appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * The Grace Balin incarnation of Orca appears in ''

Lego Dimensions ''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U. ...

'' via ''The Lego Batman Movie'' DLC pack. * The Grace Balin incarnation of Orca appears in the ''

Injustice 2 ''Injustice 2'' is a 2017 fighting video game. It is the sequel to 2013's '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' and the second installment in the ''Injustice'' series which is based on the DC Universe. It is developed by NetherRealm Studios and publish ...

'' prequel comic. This version is a member of

Ra's al Ghul Ra's al Ghul is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer Dennis O'Neil, and artist Neal Adams, the character first appeared ...

Suicide Squad The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...

and lover of squad-mate

Killer Croc Killer Croc (Waylon Jones) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gerry Conway, Don Newton and Gene Colan, the character was introduced in ''Detective Comics'' #523 (February 1983). He has become on ...

, who she later has a child with and leaves the Squad to live a normal life.''Injustice 2'' #42. DC Comics.

References

{{Aquaman Aquatic supervillains Animal supervillains Characters created by Larry Hama Comics characters introduced in 2000 DC Comics animals DC Comics shapeshifters DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability DC Comics characters with superhuman senses DC Comics characters with superhuman strength DC Comics female supervillains DC Comics hybrids DC Comics scientists DC Comics metahumans DC Comics monsters Fictional biologists Fictional disabled characters in comics Fictional characters with paraplegia Fictional female scientists Fictional human–animal hybrids Fiction about orcas Fictional therianthropes Fictional whales