The Fatal Five is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

team of the 30th century in the

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 ...

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...

. They were created by

Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor, and publisher in the comics industry. Beginning his career writing for DC Comics at the age of 14, he had a successful but controversial run as editor-in-chief at Marvel Comic ...

and first appeared in ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #352 (1967) as enemies of the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

Fictional team history

The Fatal Five first appear in '' The Death of Ferro Lad'' as a band of criminals whom the Legion recruit to help destroy the Sun-Eater threatening Earth. They are offered pardons for their assistance, but reject them and band together, confident that they are powerful enough to try to conquer the worlds they had saved. A later incarnation consisted of the Emerald Empress; the Persuader; Flare, a Rimborian with the power of fire; Caress, who has a deadly acidic touch; and Mentalla, a Legion reject who is secretly working against the Five, trying to secure a spot in the Legion. The first storyline in ''Legionnaires'' (1993) has the SW6 Legion face a Fatal Five comprising Tharok, Mano, the Persuader, a new Emerald Empress, and a monstrous being called Mordecai.

''Zero Hour''

Following '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'', which reboots the Legion's continuity, the original Fatal Five are reintroduced in ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' (vol. 4) #78 (1996), again assembled to help fight the Sun-Eater, which was later revealed to not exist. In this incarnation, the analogue of the Emerald Empress is simply called the "Empress" and is more a skilled melee combatant than a magic user. In the ''

Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

/Legion of Super-Heroes'' crossover, the Persuader uses his atomic axe to recruit alternate universe variants of the Fatal Five, forming the Fatal Five-Hundred, before the two teams use the Cosmic Treadmill to return them to their original universes.

''One Year Later''

In ''

The Brave and the Bold ''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...

'',

Epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided b ...

takes a version of the Fatal Five to the present day to assist him in gaining a powerful weapon. After

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 Blue Beetle defeat him, he abandons them in the 21st century. After Batman and Tharok are accidentally fused, the group are returned to the future, where they appear to be already in the Legion's prison.

''Final Crisis''

All five Fatal Five members were among the supervillains in Superman-Prime's

Legion of Super-Villains The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of supervillains who appear in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. They first appeared in ''Superman'' #147 (Aug 1961). The team originated at a time when ...

''DC Rebirth''

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 ...

'', the Emerald Empress comes to the 21st century to destroy

Saturn Girl Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen) is a superheroine appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Saturn Girl is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Imra's "Saturn Girl" title refers to her homeworld ...

and forms a contemporary incarnation of the Fatal Five consisting of Magog, Brainiac 8, Selena, and Solomon Grundy.

Members

Emerald Empress

Mano

Mano is a mutant with the ability to generate deadly

antimatter In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding subatomic particle, particles in "ordinary" matter, and can be thought of as matter with reversed charge and parity, or go ...

from his right hand. A native of the planet Angtu, which he destroys for his people mistreating him, Mano must wear a special suit to survive on other planets. His helmet obscures his face, making it appear as a silhouette.

Persuader (Nyeun Chun Ti)

The Persuader originates from a high-gravity planet, and thus possesses enhanced physical abilities. Before becoming a supervillain, he was a gang enforcer and gained his name from his ability to intimidate others. The Persuader wields an atomic axe that is mentally linked to him and can allegedly cut through anything. It can even destroy metaphorical or intangible things, such as air, gravity, and the barriers between dimensions.

Tharok

Tharok is the leader of the Fatal Five. He is a small-time crook whose body is vertically bisected in the explosion of a stolen nuclear device. The people of his world, holding life sacred, rebuild him using robotic parts, which greatly boosts his intelligence, but leaves his evil tendencies unchecked. Tharok is later killed in battle, but resurrected in subsequent continuity reboots.

Validus

Validus is a monstrous member of the Fatal Five who possesses superhuman strength and durability and the ability to generate mental lightning bolts. He is later revealed to be Garridan Ranzz, the son of

Lightning Lad Garth Ranzz, also known as Live Wire and Lightning Lad, is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics, usually those featuring the Legion of Superheroes, a 30th and 31st century group of which he is a founding member. He has the supe ...

and

, who

Darkseid Darkseid () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Kirby, the character first made a cameo appearance in ''Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen'' #134 (December 1970), before being fully in ...

kidnapped and transformed into a monster shortly after his birth. Eventually, Validus is returned to his human form, with a similar monster, Mordecai, replacing him in the Fatal Five. In subsequent reboots of the Legion, Validus is unrelated to Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl. In the " Threeboot" continuity, he is a Winathian nature spirit known as the Lord of Lightning.

Other versions

* An alternate universe iteration of the Fatal Five appears in Tangent Comics, consisting of

Ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

Shadow Thief Shadow Thief is the name of three fictional supervillains published by DC Comics. The first is a recurring foe of Hawkman named Carl Sands. The second Shadow Thief is an African-American named Carl Hammer who wore a shadow suit. The third Shadow T ...

, Kid Psycho,

Deathstroke Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...

, and Count Viper. * An alternate universe iteration of the Fatal Five, amalgamated with various

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

characters, appears in the

Amalgam Comics Amalgam Comics was a collaborative publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., the DC Comics character Batman and the Marvel Comics character Wolver ...

one-shot '' Spider-Boy Team-Up'', consisting of Agamotto Empress, Manorb, Sparticus, Tharlock, and Valinus.

In other media

Television

* The original Fatal Five appear 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 "Far From Home", with Cara Kesh / Emerald Empress voiced by Joanne Whalley, Tharok by Tomas Arana, Persuader by an uncredited

Kin Shriner Kin Herbert Shriner (born December 6, 1953) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Scott Baldwin on the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' and its spin-off, ''Port Charles''. Early life Shriner and his twin brother, actor Wi ...

, and Mano and Validus having no dialogue. 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. 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. 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. * The original Fatal Five appear in '' Legion of Super Heroes'', with Sarya / Emerald Empress voiced by Jennifer Hale in the first season and

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...

in the second, Tharok by David Lodge, Persuader by David Sobolov, and Mano and Validus having no dialogue. This version of the group is co-led by the Emerald Empress and Tharok. In the second season, Imperiex frees the Fatal Five from prison, taking in Validus and Persuader, while Emerald Empress is depowered and abandoned after Matter-Eater Lad destroys the Emerald Eye of Ekron.

Film

The original Fatal Five appear in '' Justice League vs. the Fatal Five'', with Emerald Empress voiced by Sumalee Montano, Tharok by Peter Jessop, Mano by

Philip Anthony-Rodriguez Philip Anthony-Rodriguez is an American actor known for his roles on ''Jake 2.0'' as Kyle Duarte, the voice of disc jockey Maurice Chavez in the 2002 video game ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', and as Jetstream Sam in the 2013 video game ''Metal ...

, Persuader by Matthew Yang King, and Validus having no dialogue. After the Emerald Empress and Validus are taken to the 21st century to be imprisoned in Oa, Tharok, Mano, and Persuader travel back in time to force

Jessica Cruz Jessica Cruz, one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, she is a member of the Green Lantern Corps and Justice League ...

to lead them to their missing teammates. While fighting the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

and

Star Boy Thom Kallor is a character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The character has also been known as Star Boy and Starman. Kallor as Star Boy has appeared in various media outside ...

, the Fatal Five are buried alive by Cruz.

Video games

The original Fatal Five appear as character summons in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.

Miscellaneous

Happy Meal A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food Chain store#Restaurant chain, restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard b ...

figurines of the Fatal Five were released as a tie-in to the ''Legion of Super Heroes'' animated series. * The Fatal Five appear in '' Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century''.

References

External links

Tharok at the Unofficial Guide to the DC Universe
{{Jim Shooter Characters created by Curt Swan Characters created by Jim Shooter Comics characters introduced in 1967 DC Comics aliens DC Comics extraterrestrial supervillains DC Comics supervillain teams Legion of Super-Heroes