List of DC Comics characters: A

Core characters

Superheroes / featured characters

• Adam Strange
• Amazing-Man
• Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld
• Animal Man
• Aqualad (Garth and Kaldur'ahm)
• Aquaman
• Arsenal
• Atom (Al Pratt, Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi)
• Atom-Smasher
• Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley and Michael Lane)

Supporting characters

• Abel (Originally a suspense thriller host before becoming central supporting character in The Sandman media and spin-offs)
• Abin Sur (of Green Lantern)
• Abby Holland (of Swamp Thing)
• Ace the Bat-Hound (of Batman)
• Alfred Pennyworth (of Batman)
• Alura (of Superman and Supergirl)
• Ambush Bug (a silly antic character that hops around as featured characters or villain)
• Antiope (of Wonder Woman)
• Arisia Rrab (Of Green Lantern)
• Artemis of Bana-Mighdall (of Wonder Woman)

Supervillains / antagonists

• Abra Kadabra (of Flash)
• Amanda Waller (of Suicide Squad)
• Amazo (of Justice League)
• Anarky (of Batman)
• Anti-Monitor ("Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline antagonist; returned as an antagonist of Green Lantern)
• Anton Arcane (of Swamp Thing)
• Ares (of Wonder Woman)
• Atomic Skull (of Superman)
• Atrocitus (of Green Lantern)

Other characters

Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades is the name of five fictional characters from DC Comics.

Unknown

This Ace of Spades' first appearance was in an issue of the self-titled 'Joker' series. He became the leader of the Royal Flush Gang after Amos Fortune, the Ace of Clubs, left the group. After being defeated by the Joker, the team disbanded again for a while; however, they returned for a later battle with Wonder Woman. The true identity of this Ace of Spades was never made known.

Android

A superstrong android first appeared as the part of the second version of the Royal Flush Gang led by Hector Hammond. He was created by Derek Reston and occasionally impersonated him. He has been destroyed several times, but is usually re-built.

Amos Fortune

Amos Fortune became the third Ace of Spades and led the second, Hammond-formed RFG for a battle with the Justice League Detroit and his former childhood comrades, who had re-grouped without him. They were all defeated, and since then, Fortune has remained apart from any RFG reunions to menace the League on his own

Ernie Clay

The fourth Ace was a petty criminal by the name of Ernie Clay. An associate of Joe Carny, the former King of the second Royal Flush Gang, Clay replaced the "Derek Reston" android as the Ace when the second Gambler re-formed and re-equipped the Gang. He was outfitted with a powered exo-skeleton to give him super strength.

Keonton

The fifth Ace of Spades is a Hispanic male who was recruited by Lex Luthor to join the most recent incarnation of the RFG, which was, in turn, a part of the Secret Society of Super-Villains, during the Infinite Crisis. The team was sent to menace the new Firestorm (Jason Rusch) but was defeated; however, they escaped capture and are presumably still at large.

Others

Since the Infinite Crisis, two more editions of the Royal Flush Gang have come into existence, each with its own new Ace of Spades. Nothing has as yet been revealed about either of these Aces.

Acrata

Acrata (Andrea Rojas) is a fictional superheroine from DC Comics who was created as part of the Planet DC annuals event. Her first appearance is in Superman Annual (vol.) 2 #12 (August 2000). She was created by Oscar Pinto, Giovanni Barberi, and F.G. Haghenbeck. Her signature uniform is a black suit with green stripes at her sides, with the Mayan symbol of night at her forehead.

Acrata's real name is Andrea Rojas, a Mexican national. Andrea's father is Bernardo Rojas, a former political leader in Central America who now researches "prehispanic cultures" at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana de Mexico. She lives alone with her cat Zapata.

Acrata specializes in striking against organised crime. Every time she catches a perpetrator or helps avert a tragedy, she cites a literary quotation or paints graffiti insulting or challenging the local authorities.

She often works with fellow Mexican superheroes Iman and El Muerto. Together with Superman, the three saved Mexico and the world from total destruction at the hands of a bio-terrorist group led by a Mexican sorcerer named Duran, who was trying to channel the powers inherent in the ley lines of Earth.

Acrata was sent an invitation to join the Birds of Prey by Oracle, but apparently did not take her up on the offer.

At the start of Rise of Eclipso storyline in Justice League of America, Acrata is kidnapped by Eclipso and is brought under his mental control as part of a plan to build an army of shadow-wielding metahumans. The reserve JLA members are all freed after Eclipso is defeated.

Acrata's powers came from an ancient Mayan symbol which represents the shadows in the night, which allows her to teleport whenever in shadow. It is unknown how Andrea came into possession of the symbol. She is also a talented hand-to-hand fighter.

Acrata in other media

• Andrea Rojas appeared in Smallville, portrayed by Denise Quiñones. She first appeared in the episode "Vengeance" and then in the "Vengeance Chronicles" of Smallville: Chloe Chronicles. The television version has a different back story and different abilities than her comic counterpart. This Acrata possesses super strength which allows her to make super jumps across the city and super agility gained from a heart transplant from one of Smallville's "meteor freaks" (Kryptonite-mutated metahumans). Andrea uses her powers to act as the Angel of Vengeance and defend Metropolis and Suicide Slum. Although she never goes by the name Acrata, she does mention that it is the name of the organization that her mother worked for which also targets organized crime. Her appearance in the show is more similar to the character Batman who could not appear in the show due to copyright issues. Andrea shares a lot of his backstory and crime-fighting traits. She also uses intimidation and the shadows to her advantage. In addition, the episode she appears in contains many references to Batman.
• Acrata appears in season 5 of Supergirl, portrayed by Julie Gonzalo as an adult and by Alexa Najera as a teenager. This version is a polished businesswoman and CEO of Obsidian Tech making a hostile advance into the world of media. She and Lena Luthor knew each other in boarding school. At a young age, Andrea's father Bernardo (portrayed by Steven Bauer) was having trouble at Obsidian Tech and she enlists Lena to help search the local ruins for the Acrata medallion. When Andrea finds it, she is approached by a male elderly representative of Leviathan who has her take the medallion so that Leviathan can use her services. When the female elderly representative Margo first appears to her, Andrea is told how to activate its abilities as she is sent to kill Governor Harper. Then Andrea persuades Margo to make use of Russel Rogers. Lena sold Catco to Andrea so that Lena can use the company to spy on Kara. In the episode "In Plain Sight", William Dey suspects that Andrea is involved with a criminal organization. The episode "Dangerous Liaisons" reveals that Andrea was a former girlfriend of Russell Rogers; Dey thought Rogers dead, but he had been turned into Rip Roar by Leviathan. Andrea is later visited in her limousine by Margo and informs her that Rip Roar has been captured. After the first attempt failed in the episode "Confidence Women" while also revealing to the viewers that she was the one who killed Caroline O'Connor, she turned to Lena for help. Lena provided a diversion for Supergirl so that Acrata can make off with Rip Roar. Acrata raids D.E.O. HQ with the help of two Aurafacian-possessed humans. She is successful in this mission while the two Aurafacian-possessed humans were detained. After giving Lena the medallion, she witnesses Rip Roar getting sniped at the airport. The male elderly representative states that Leviathan still needs her services while Rip Roar has served his purpose. When Andrea states that Lena has the medallion, the male elderly representative states that her powers actually came from the darkness within her. Rama Khan briefly tried to use her to start a supervolcano only for this plot to be thwarted by Supergirl and Martian Manhunter. Following the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" where Earth-Prime is formed, Andrea is talking about Obsidian Tech's lenses when Gamemnae appears in her Gemma Cooper alias. Andrea shows her the lenses as she makes some suggestions about them. During a test on Obsidian Platinum, it failed when Andrea found it simulating an allergy to lobster. Gemma later visits her and advises her to have Obsidian Tech collaborate with LuthorCorp to get passed the errors. Andrea still has the Acrata medallion which was seen after Supergirl thwarted Amy Sapphire's revenge on her for firing her virtual reality-addicted husband. When Alex Danvers got trapped in virtual reality, Andrea had to walk Kelly Olsen through getting Alex out. Afterwards, Andrea spoke to her employee Eve Teschmacher into looking into the bug patches. When Kelly and William visited Andrea about Eve, Andrea states that Eve had a clean slate. She also informs Kelly that if she approaches her without evidence of Obsidian's tampering, she will fire her. When Supergirl enters the Unity Festival, Lex Luthor advises Gemma to send one of their assassins to attack Supergirl's physical body. Gemma goes to Andrea and reveals that she is part of Leviathan and was the one who rescued her from the cave. She has an assignment for Andrea in exchange that nothing bad happens to Obsidian Tech and her father. Becoming Acrata, she tracks down Supergirl's body and prepares to use the Kryptonite on her. Acrata is talked down by Lena.
• Acrata appears in the Superman children's novel The Shadow Masters by Paul Kupperberg published by Capstone Publishers.

Aegeus, Nikos

Nikos Aegeus is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. The character is a minor supervillain who has primarily fought Wonder Woman.

Nikos Aegeus is the wanted leader of a Greek terrorist cell. After executing an ambassador, he and his gang escaped to an uncharted island in the Aegean Sea (eventually revealed to be Paradise Island, home of the Amazons) where Aegeus encountered Bellerophon, the blind adventurer of ancient times. Bellerophon endowed Aegeus with the lightning of Zeus and provided him the winged horse, Pegasus, as his steed. During an Air Force training exercise, Aegeus kidnapped Steve Trevor in order to learn the location of Paradise Island so Bellerophon could use the Amazons' Purple Healing Ray to restore his sight and conquer them. Aegeus located Paradise Island within the Bermuda Triangle but was beaten in battle by Wonder Woman and betrayed by his ally, Sofia Constantinas. He then escaped to parts unknown.

Aegeus returned a few months later using Vulcan's dagger, an indestructible weapon, to take revenge on Colonel Trevor and Wonder Woman for humiliating him at Paradise Island. It was revealed that Aegeus had been hired by rogue US Government operative, Howard Kohler, to further Kohler's agenda of sabotaging upcoming arms talks with the Soviet Union. Aegeus was set free since his participation in a public trial would endanger the arms talks. He vowed that he'd meet Wonder Woman in battle again, but such a meeting would never occur.

Aegeus was not seen during the Crisis on Infinite Earths and did not appear again for over a quarter of a century. Aegeus returned in 2010's Wonder Woman #600 as a terrorist who attempts to hold Washington D.C. hostage, but was defeated by Diana and Superman.

In The New 52 reboot of DC Comics, Aegeus is a descendant of Poseidon. He was recruited by the goddess of peace, Eirene, to kill Wonder Woman after she had gained the mantle of the God of War. After several failed attempts to take Wonder Woman's life, Aegeus was vaporized by Eirene.

After the events of DC Rebirth, Aegeus was reverted to his original pre-New 52 design. He appeared as a new adversary for Batman's Justice League of America, and was depicted as an arms dealer selling weaponry forged out of ancient myth to criminals and plunderers out from an occupied Penn City, Pennsylvania. He was first seen closing a deal with a Gotham City crime syndicate at his stronghold in The Mayor's office. When the Justice League of America confronted Aegeus and his army, the villain easily defeated Lobo before sending an armed militia of Penn City's citizens on a flight of Chimera to begin his initial attack on the city.

Aegeus was bestowed enhanced strength by Bellerophon. The ancient Greek also provided the power of mystic lightning that could destroy or teleport, as well as the steed Pegasus to carry him aloft. Aegeus somehow obtained Vulcan's dagger, a bladed weapon that could allegedly cut through any substance, including Wonder Woman's magic lasso and Amazon bracelets.

Agamemno

Agamemno is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Silver Age #1 (July 2000) during the Silver Age event (a series of Silver Age styled one-shots of which he was the chief antagonist). He was created by Mark Waid.

Agamemno is the son of the first sentient being to be created after the Big Bang. His father ruled the universe for eons before being deposed and killed by a group of similar, though younger, cosmic entities. Agememno, his heir, fled and has presumably been on the run from his father's killers ever since, all the while plotting to regain universal domination.

He was an interplanetary conqueror who controlled many worlds; in his search for universal control, he learned of 3 items that would allow him to become all powerful: the Absorbascon (a mind reading device) from Thanagar, a piece of crystal kryptonite, and the central power battery of Oa.

A few years after the formation of the Justice League of America, he learned of their existence from Kanjar Ro. He arrived on Earth and allied with Lex Luthor and several criminals, thus creating the Injustice League. These villains were promised control of Earth in exchange for helping Agamemno conquer the universe.

Agamemno used his powers to swap the minds of the JLA with the villains as follows:

• Lex Luthor swapped bodies with Superman
• Chronos swapped bodies with Atom
• Black Manta swapped bodies with Aquaman
• Catwoman swapped bodies with Black Canary
• Dr. Light swapped bodies with Martian Manhunter
• Mr. Element swapped bodies with Flash
• Penguin swapped bodies with Batman
• Felix Faust swapped bodies with Green Arrow

The villains succeeded in securing the items Agememno required (despite being driven back into their own bodies) and became omniscient in the process. The villains threatened to destroy the JLA with the knowledge they'd learned about them but were ultimately defeated when the JLA used Robby Reed's H-Dial to become new superheroes of which no one had any knowledge.

Agamemno used his powers to merge and possess the three items; however, the combined might of the JLA, the Wingmen of Thanagar, and the Green Lantern Corps were able to separate the three items and trap Agamemno inside the central power battery. He was taken into custody by the Guardians of the Universe. What has happened to him since, especially considering the later destruction of the Power Battery, is unknown. It's possible he was destroyed by Parallax.

It was revealed in the JLA storyline Tower of Babel (also written by Waid) that the body swap by Agamemno led Batman to develop a number of contingency plans to take down the JLA and other heroes should they go rogue.

Agamemno is made up of invisible, intangible, formless psychic energy. This energy can possess any inorganic or dead material (e.g. he can possess the dead wood of a boat but not possess the bodies of the JLA). Once he has possessed this material he can reshape it, usually into a standard body shape/color so he can be recognized. This new body retains the properties of the material from which it is made. If Agamemno's body is destroyed, he can simply create a new one.

He has some psychic powers although their limits are not clear; he can clearly swap the minds/bodies of a second and third party.

• Agent Liberty

• Air Wave

Airstryke

First appearance	Hawkman (vol. 3) #3 (1993)
Created by	John Ostrander and Jan Duursema

Airstryke is a supervillain in the DC Universe.

Within the context of the stories, William Kavanagh was given the ability to transform into a human/pterosaur hybrid by a weapons company named Meta/Tech and he took the name Airstryke. Count Viper took advantage of these new abilities and used Airstryke to distract Hawkman, while Viper tried to take command of the Justice League and thus the world. Airstryke and Viper were soon defeated and Airstryke was sent to Belle Reve Penitentiary. He remained there until he was freed by Neron and was given the chance to sell his soul along with numerous other villains. Airstryke chose not to sell his soul and continued his life of crime. Eventually, Airstryke was returned to prison, where he became a victim of Joker's Joker gas. Again, he was defeated and returned to prison. This time, he was sent to the Slab. During his stay, Brother Blood attempted to break all the villains out of the prison so they could assist him with his mission. Airstryke was the first to question Blood on his plan. Brother Blood then shot and killed Airstryke for his hubris.

Akins, Michael

Michael Akins is a character in DC Comics.

Michael Akins is a member of the Gateway City Police Department. In his earlier days, Akins had a traumatic experience with Watchdog where the vigilante and the kidnap victim ended up dead. When he moved to Gotham City, he became a trusted police officer working under James Gordon during the "No Man's Land" crisis. When Gordon was shot, Akins became the new police commissioner.

At the time when The Body attacked Gotham City, Commissioner Akins was instructed by Mayor Greeves to light the Bat-Signal. When The Body was defeated, Batman asked Akins to leave the Bat-Signal on and check for any imposters in his ranks. Since then, the relationship between Batman and Akins was tense.

During the "Batman: War Games" storyline, a huge gang war occured in Gotham City as Batman asked Commissioner Akins for control over the police department. Akins turned him down. Upon Batman taking action with some police officers getting killed, Akins felt that Batman wasn't on the side of the GCPD anymore.

Upon the press demanding the GCPD to take action, Commissioner Akins sent the entire police department to go after Las Arañas led by Tartantula. When Batman tried to get Commissioner Akins to call back the entire police officers, Akins states that he will no longer listen to him. He even had the Bat-Signal removed from the roof.

In 2016, DC Comics implemented another relaunch of it's books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was pritor to "The New 52". Michael Akins is shown to be the Mayor of Gotham City where he is asked about the increased members of the Bat-Family on the news. He states that Batman has been invaluable over the years and that Gotham City doesn't need a second police force. When later visited by Batman, Mayor Akins mentioned about Batman militarizing his group which he worries about, the alliance with Clayface, and the use of teen vigilantes. Batman couldn't answer the question and even commented about how Mayor Akins had selected Hamilton Hill Jr. as his deputy mayor. Not bothered by the allegation of having the deputy mayor being the son of Hamilton Hill, Mayor Akins asked the question "Where does this end"?

Michael Akins in other media

Michael Akins appears in Batwoman, portrayed by Chris Shields. He is shown to be the Mayor of Gotham City.

al-Sheikh, Naif

First appearance	Justice League Elite #1 (September 2004)
Created by	Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke
Further reading Naif al-Sheikh at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original) Naif al-Sheikh at the Grand Comics Database

Naif al-Sheikh is a spy and superhero in the DC Universe.

Within the context of the stories, Naif al-Sheikh is a Saudi espionage expert recruited by Vera Black to oversee and coordinate the Justice League Elite. He also acts as the group's liaison with world governments and ultimately the one that can and does disband it.

In the alternate timeline of the 2011 Flashpoint storyline, the character was reworked as a member of the H.I.V.E. council, a group of world leaders trying to deal with the war between Aquaman and Wonder Woman that is devastating Europe.

Allen, Henry

First appearance	The Flash #126 (February 1962)

Henry Allen is the father of Barry Allen/Flash and Malcolm Thawne and the husband of Nora Allen. Initially depicted as an obscure character, he was featured in a storyline in which his body was possessed by the Top's spirit. However, his character's story changed in The Flash: Rebirth due to Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash's time-traveling actions. When Barry was a child, Henry was convicted of Nora's murder after being framed by Zoom. This incident drove his son to become obsessive in finding the real killer in hope of freeing Henry. Henry died in prison a year or two before Barry became the Flash; however, Henry's name is posthumously cleared by his son in The Flash: Rebirth storyline.

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Henry's problem of Zoom's framing remains intact; however, he is still alive and is later freed after the Flash proves his father's innocence after catching Zoom.

Henry Allen in other media

• Henry Allen appeared in the 1990s television series, portrayed by M. Emmet Walsh.
• Henry Allen appears in the 2014 television series, portrayed by John Wesley Shipp. A respectable doctor, Henry is Barry Allen's father and Nora Allen's husband. He was wrongfully convicted of Nora's murder then incarcerated in Iron Heights after the Reverse-Flash framed him, and only his son and later Joe West believed in his innocence. Learning that Barry is the Flash, Henry serves as his son's moral conscience in using these powers wisely and not being tempted from personal gains. After being released from prison due to Eobard Thawne's confession to Nora's murder, Henry seeks a reclusive life yet occasionally returns later to counsel Barry to offer encouragement during his son's disastrous confrontations with Hunter Zolomon before Henry himself is killed by Zoom to enrage Barry. Henry is also the Earth-1 doppelganger of Jay Garrick/Flash of Earth-3 and Barry Allen/Flash of Earth-90.
• Henry Allen appears in the 2017 film Justice League, portrayed by Billy Crudup.

Allen, Nora

First appearance	The Flash #126 (February 1962)

Nora Allen is the mother of Barry Allen and Malcolm Thawne and the wife of Henry Allen. She was initially depicted as an obscure character; however, her character's story changed in The Flash: Rebirth. When Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash decided to get revenge on the Flash, Nora is murdered to mess with Barry's childhood and Henry was convicted due to lack of evidence. However, Barry could never believe that Henry killed Nora and this led her son to become the Flash.

Nora Allen in other media

• Nora Allen appears in the 2013 animated movie Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, voiced by Grey Griffin.
• Nora Allen appears in the live-action 2014 television series, portrayed by Michelle Harrison. Similar to her modern depiction, Nora was Barry Allen's mother and Henry Allen's wife. She was in the middle of the Reverse-Flash's attempt to try to kill the young Barry during a fight with the Flash (the young Barry's future self). Unfortunately, Nora ends up becoming the Reverse-Flash's target instead after the Flash takes the young Barry to safety, figuring that such a tragedy would prevent Barry from becoming the Flash, with Henry being framed for her murder. The Speed Force would occasionally use Nora's likeness to help Barry to come to terms with her death.
• Nora Allen will appear in the DC Extended Universe film The Flash, portrayed by Maribel Verdú.

Allnut, Harold

Harold Allnut is a fictional comic book character appearing in stories published by DC Comics, in particular those featuring Batman. He is a mute and kyphotic man who serves as a trusted mechanic and aide to Batman, helping to design, build, and repair that superhero's equipment. Created by writers Dennis O'Neil and Alan Grant, the character first appeared in The Question #33 (December 1989).

Harold has two major disabilities: he is mute and suffers from kyphosis (the same condition afflicted on Quasimodo). However, he proved to be very gifted in terms of technology and electronics.

Harold is a mute hunchbacked man who is expelled from his house in Gotham City and subsequently travels to Hub City. Initially his full name is not revealed and he goes only by 'Harold'. His first appearance in a Batman comic occurs the first part of the story arc "Penguin Affair". Harold is initially cast as a henchman for the Penguin, who had conned Harold to work for him and build deadly machines with which he could threaten Gotham City. Months after putting an end to Penguin's scheme, Batman finds Harold in an abandoned building and saves him from a mob of angry parents who have mistaken him for a child molester due to his appearance.

After rescuing Harold, Batman gives him a home and a position in the Batcave, working as a technological aide in his war on crime. A diary entry in 'The Batman Files' explains Alfred's first encounter with Harold. The newcomer is delighted to have advanced technology to work with while Alfred has doubts. Batman explains Harold's poor living conditions and Alfred is pleased at Harold's rescue. Harold's assistance continues even after Bruce Wayne is disabled while fighting the villain Bane in the Knightfall storyline. Harold builds a unique wheelchair for Wayne, which includes multiple surprises such as emergency shelter. During the story arc Knightsaga, the new Batman, Jean-Paul Valley, ejects Harold, along with Ace the Bat-Hound and Robin, from the main Batcave. Harold and Ace manage to sneak into a hidden subsection of the cave where Harold continues to work, eventually aiding Nightwing, Robin, and Bruce Wayne to retake the cave from Valley. Harold resumes his position as Batman's technological aide and also designs a new costume for Nightwing. He worked with Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) by request of Batman for a time before the death of the former. During this time he lived in Azrael's new home, a converted castle.

In the storyline Hush, Harold had been tricked by the title character into undergoing surgery to repair his voice and his stature. In exchange, Harold was made to place a hidden circuitry relay onto the Batcave's main computer which gave off subliminal signals which affected Batman's mind. Harold attempts to reveal Hush's identity to Batman, but Hush prevents this by shooting him fatally. In his final words, Harold states: "I knew that even if I had been tricked...you [Batman] are my hero. You would always win". Batman responds that he can forgive Harold's betrayal. He understands how powerful the desire to be happy can be. Harold is then buried in a grave on a hill overlooking Wayne Manor. Harold's last name Allnut is revealed by Batman who 'did some digging' and his full name is engraved onto his tombstone.

In the "DC Rebirth", a version of Harold Allnut appears. Following Batman and Harvey Dent's close encounter with KGBeast, Duke Thomas takes them to a farm where Harold performs surgery on Two-Face. Batman explains to Duke that Harold creates equipment for him and ships it to Gotham. Harold's caption describes him as "genius inventor, mute, family".

Harold Allnut is a gifted technologist where he has developed technology for Batman to use. Although he is mute, Harold is an expert at sign language.

In a film-noir style Elseworlds adventure, Berlin Batman - Batman Chronicles #11 (Winter 1998) - Harold Allnut is a gregarious, out-spoken newspaper man on friendly terms with the private detective and ex-police officer Bruce Wayne.

Alpha Centurion

Alpha Centurion is the name of three fictional superheroes published by DC Comics. Created by Karl Kesel, the character first appeared in Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #3 (September 1994).

Marcus Aelius

Alpha Centurion A

During the Zero Hour storyline, Superman was transported to an alternate timeline where he stumbled upon a Metropolis whose hero was the Alpha Centurion, a man named Marcus Aelius from Ancient Rome who had been trained by an alien race called the Virimiru only to return centuries later. Initially joining the gathered heroes, the Alpha Centurion went on to join Extant and Parallax in fighting against the heroes of the DC Universe, siding with Parallax as he promised to restore Alpha Centurion's apparently lost timeline. After the heroes had to restart existence with a new Big Bang, all alternate realities ceased to exist and this Alpha Centurion was no more.

Alpha Centurion B

Some time later, the Alpha Centurion of our timeline showed up. He too was Marcus Aelius and, like his counterpart before him, began operating out of Metropolis. He initially had some tension with Superman. With Lex Luthor in hiding and the Contessa Erica del Portenza in charge of Lexcorp, AC was put in charge of Team Luthor, which was remodeled after himself. When Superman was put on trial in front of an alien tribunal, he recruited Superboy, Supergirl, the Eradicator, and Steel to rescue him. He had a brief falling out with the others, since they mistakenly believed for a time that he was the Cyborg Superman in disguise. After arriving back on Earth, he was publicly embarrassed by Lex Luthor, quit Team Luthor and left Metropolis. He aided Earth's heroes in attempting to stop the Sun-Eater from consuming the Sun during the "Final Night" cross-over event. He was last seen in Washington D.C.

Aelius' origin was expanded upon. The Virmiru would visit worlds and exchange a champion of the world with one of their own, with the ultimate goal of conquering that world. The exchange was to appear as an act of friendship while the alien that remained would gain trust and ascertain weaknesses. After the champion is returned, the planet would be deemed ripe for conquest. Aelius celebrated a victory he led for the Roman legion under Emperor Hadrian when the Virmiru appeared on Earth. They proposed their offer and a global contest was held until Aelius emerged as Earth's greatest warrior. He would go to the Virmiru homeworld where he trained beside many other alien races in many fields including using the power suit employed by their hosts. All the while, the Virmiru Foris Ab Talimen remained on Earth for 2,000 years awaiting the return of Aelius (though, only ten years would pass for the champion). When his training was completed, the Virmiru gave Aelius the space ship Pax Romana he would use to return to his planet. After some time acting as a superhero in Washington, the Virmiru Interstellar Affairs Councilor Bellator contacted Aelius and told him Foris had gone rogue. When confronted, Foris told Alpha Centurion the truth about his race and the pair went to battle Bellator. Though perishing in the battle, Bellator admitted the Virmiru's objectives and revealed the invasion forthcoming.

Roman

A new Alpha Centurion was introduced in the Doomed series. During a terrorist attack at a museum, a college student named Roman used a belt from an exhibit as a tourniquet for his leg after he was shot. This allowed an ancient god, the Alpha Centurion, to take over his body and defeat the terrorists. Afterwards, the Alpha Centurion would continue to take over Roman's body at different times, acting as a superhero in Metropolis, though Roman is scared that one day the Centurion won't give him his body back when he's done with it. Roman is also roommates and friends with another student named Reiser, who transforms into a Doomsday-infected monster that comes into conflict with the Centurion.

Marcus was a normal human who had been taken by aliens into space. He was granted access to incredible knowledge and advanced technology. In addition to his spacecraft the Pax Romana, Marcus' advanced suit of alien armor allows him to fly, grants him superhuman strength and speed, and allows him to generate an energy blade, similar to a lightsaber, and an energy shield.

Amazing Grace

First appearance	Superman (vol. 2) #3 (March 1987)
Created by	John Byrne
Further reading Amazing Grace at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original) Amazing Grace at the Grand Comics Database

Amazing Grace is an extraterrestrial supervillain in the DC Universe.

Within the context of the stories, Amazing Grace is a New God of Apokolips and the sister of Glorious Godfrey. She acts on behalf of Darkseid among the lowlies of Apokolips, continually instigating opposition and revolt which is quickly defeated, keeping their spirits broken. In her initial appearance, she seduced Superman into serving Darkseid and Apokolips, but was ultimately defeated in this effort.

• Americommando
• Amygdala
• Andromeda

Anima

Anima (Courtney Mason) is a fictional superheroine character from DC Comics, who starred in the comic book series of the same name. The character was created and written by science fiction and fantasy authors Elizabeth Hand and Paul Witcover.

Rebellious teenage runaway Courtney Mason acquired her miraculous powers following an attack by parasitic aliens: one of many New Blood superbeings created in this way, as part of the Bloodlines crossover. Seven extraterrestrial predators had come to Earth and slaughtered thousands of humans by feeding on their spinal fluids. On the run in New Orleans, Courtney was kidnapped by a cult that sacrificed her to two of these insatiable parasites, known as Pritor and Lissik, but Courtney did not die. Instead, the parasites' bites unleashed the Animus, a sentient-energy creature that can absorb the spirit essences of the living and the dead, which was now able to enter the world through Courtney. She became the embodiment of mankind's rage and masculine drive, and quickly developed physical powers of her own. As Anima, Courtney sought revenge against the cult. She also met the Teen Titans and battled a variety of supernatural menaces. Anima remains a wanderer, traveling from place to place and helping those in need by calling upon the fearsome primal force inside her.

Anima featured prominently in DC Comics' Bloodbath limited series (1993), in which all the New Blood characters teamed up to help defeat the alien parasites who had empowered them. The following year she showed up in the Zero Hour crossover.

Anima's own title, beginning in December 1993, ran for 16 months before being cancelled due to low sales (issues numbered 1-15, plus a #0 issue between #7 & #8 in line with Zero Hour). It was an unconventional DC comic book, with the main theme being a war between metaphysical beings who embodied the Jungian archetypes of human psychology - Animus was only one of these. The series had a huge supporting cast, both human and supernatural - in some issues, Anima herself appeared for only a few pages. Courtney's younger brother Jeremy Mason becomes the channel for Animus' evil sister, Eris (Eris shares her name with a goddess of Greek Mythology, who herself appeared in DC's Wonder Woman title, second series). Animus and Eris ultimately combine as the Syzygy, to fight their father/enemy known only as The Nameless One. The series featured innumerable pop-culture references, as symbols of the collective unconscious where the archetypal beings dwell. Fellow DC superheroes Superboy and Hawkman also guest-starred - with Superboy temporarily acting as a channel for an archetype called The Warrior.

Since the demise of her title, Anima has appeared very infrequently. She appeared in the Young Justice series, the final issue of Infinite Crisis, and again in the more recent Titans East Special as a potential member of Cyborg's new group. She was badly wounded along with the rest of the team at the conclusion of the special and was left in a coma along with Lagoon Boy and Vulcan.

She came out of her coma sometime later and appeared in Faces of Evil: Prometheus one-shot in January 2009. She is part of a new Blood Pack alongside Gunfire, Hook and Argus. They were pursuing the second villain to take up the Prometheus alias when the original one, awakened from his own coma, came to take his revenge on the usurper. The original Prometheus quickly crippled Gunfire, and as Anima charged him, he teleported. The effect of the teleport cut Anima in half, killing her and leaving her legs on the streets of Gotham, and the rest of her in Prometheus' Ghost Zone.

At first Anima gained her power by artificially aging nearby people. After an encounter with Navaho Indians in issue 5, she was able to draw power directly from the spirit world without harming anyone.

• Angle Man

Ant

For the Image Comics superhero, see Ant (character).

The Ant is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He started out as an opponent of the Teen Titans but ended up as their ally. The Ant first appeared in Teen Titans (vol. 1) #5 (September 1966), and was created by Bob Haney and Nick Cardy.

Eddie Whit's parents were a circus strongman and acrobat, and after they die, he becomes a juvenile delinquent. Eddie is sent to Lacklock Camp, a reform school of sorts. After being released, he gains custody of his younger brother Danny and takes a job at Zenith Caterer. The owner of Zenith, Krasko, claims he has proof that Danny is involved in gang-related crimes, and blackmails Eddie into committing burglaries under the costumed guise of the Ant. The Teen Titans are sent in to investigate, and when they learn the details of Eddie's situation they are sympathetic. During a robbery Ant turns against Krasko and helps the Teen Titans put him behind bars. As a reward for his cooperation, the Titans promise Ant that he will not serve a prison sentence, but will only have to spend some more time in Lacklock Camp.

Antaeus, Mark

Mark Antaeus was the son of a scientist who injected Mark with experimental growth hormones as he grew up. Because of these hormones Mark pushed the boundaries of human agility, strength and endurance although never becoming truly superhuman.

Mark became a fireman and a local hero, idolising Superman to the extent that he had a large 'S-shield' tattoo across his back (this shield was the one worn by Superman in Kingdom Come, foreshadowing the dark turn Mark would take). After failing to rescue a family caught in a burning building Mark had something of a nervous breakdown, disappearing for over two years. When he returned it was revealed he had volunteered to STAR Labs as a guinea pig for cybernetic enhancements. Despite being horribly disfigured under his cybernetic armour the hero 'Antaeus' was blissfully happy to be able to help people and this small town hero's exploits came to the Justice League's attention. He was quickly admitted to the JLA and shown to partake in many adventures.

Antaeus' behaviour was somewhat erratic and he came into conflict with Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner who feels that he is unreasonably driven and dotes on his idol, Superman. He also draws away from his human life, cutting off his family and fiancée.

When the JLA refuse to step in to remove a Middle Eastern despot, Antaeus goes against their wishes, overthrowing a hostile government and murdering their leader (who bears a striking resemblance to Saddam Hussein). Antaeus then comes into direct conflict with the JLA, he puts up a good fight but his cybernetic systems are badly damaged and he retreats. Seeing that his actions have destabilized the country and ultimately made things worse for its citizens, Antaeus is consumed with grief and regret and lets his damaged nuclear reactor (the source of his power) explode. Apart from his starring role in the one shot JLA: Superpower, Antaeus' only other appearance was in the JLA/Avengers crossover in which all previous members of the JLA and the Avengers appear.

In an epilogue Superman is grieved over his inability to help Mark and Mark's helmet is placed in the JLA trophy room.

Anthro

See Anthro (comics).

Anti-Fate

The Anti-Fate (Dr. Benjamin Stoner) is a former psychiatrist who became an enemy of Doctor Fate after being possessed by Typhon of the Lords of Chaos.

Before he was corrupted by Typhon, Benjamin Stoner was a chief psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum in Gotham City.

The Anti-Fate in other media

Dr. Benjamin Stoner appears in Joker, portrayed by Frank Wood. He is depicted as Penny Fleck's therapist at Arkham State Hospital.

Archer

First appearance	Superman #13 (November–December 1941)
Created by	Jerry Siegel and Leo Nowak
Further reading The Archer at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original) The Archer at the Grand Comics Database

Archer is a name of multiple supervillains in the DC Universe.

Within the context of the stories, Fenton Quigley is a wealthy big game hunter who, after an argument with his father, is cut off from the family fortune. To maintain his lifestyle, he turns to crime using his skill with the bow and calling himself the Archer. He robs the wealthy by threatening to kill them at bowpoint. He is defeated by Superman, arrested, tried, convicted and jailed.

In The New 52 during the Forever Evil storyline, some of the Rogues landed in Metropolis, where they encounter someone in a red hoodie called Archer. The Rogues managed to knock him out.

Archer in other media

• A character of the same name appeared in the television series Batman, portrayed by Art Carney. According to the records of the show's production company, the character Carney played was created specifically for the series by writer Stanley Ralph Ross, not adapted from the Superman character.
• This character was later adapted for an appearance in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, as an inmate of Blackgate Prison.
• An alternate universe version of Green Arrow, named Scarlet Archer, appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, voiced by Jim Meskimen. He was first seen providing security at a shipment being made by Johnny Quick with alternate versions of Black Canary and Lobo. He fires arrows at Flash, but is defeated by Martian Manhunter. He again appears attempting to kill an alternate Rose Wilson for speaking out against the Crime Syndicate. Martian Manhunter catches his arrow and proceeds to stop him by scaring him to the point of falling off the building he was perched on. He is later arrested by law enforcement.
• Archer made a cameo appearance in the 2016 animated film Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders (which is a continuation of the Adam West 1966 Batman TV series). He, along with the other supervillains, team up with Robin and Catwoman in order to stop a group of cloned rogue Batmen.

• Arella
• Argent

Argus

For the organization, see A.R.G.U.S.

Argus is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared during the Bloodlines crossover event in Flash Annual v2, #6 (1993), and was created by Mark Waid and Phil Hester. Whilst investigating one of Keystone City's criminal organisations using the alias "Nick Kovac", federal agent Nick Kelly was attacked by a Bloodlines Parasite named Venev. Kelly gained the ability to become totally invisible in shadow and to see far beyond the normal spectrum in microwaves and infrared.

He later works with the Flash when Central City is attacked by weapons satellites. He would go on to work with the Blood Pack, a team of superheroes formed out of the survivors of the alien attacks.

During the Infinite Crisis, a worldwide supervillain breakout occurs, part of a long-term plan. Argus, working alongside other heroes such as Vixen, does his part by subduing the Mad Hatter.

In JSA Classified #19 (January 2007), Argus is revealed to be a patient in a S.T.A.R. Labs facility, left blind and powerless after having his eyes removed. The culprit is initially identified by Doctor Mid-Nite as a resurfaced Ultra-Humanite, but it later turns out to have been done at the behest of the long-thought-dead actress Delores Winters, now calling herself Endless Winter. Part two of "Skin Trade" (JSA Classified #20) has Doctor Mid-Nite retrieving Argus' eyes from an actor named Billy, seemingly leaving him blind. The eyes are returned as the wounded hero awaits re-attachment surgery. Dr. Mid-Nite believes that Argus's healing factor (which previously allowed him to grow new eyes) will help Argus make a full recovery.

Argus appears in Faces of Evil: Prometheus #1 and fights the titular villain. He is shown to be the leader of a new version of the Blood Pack. This team includes Hook, Anima and Gunfire. Hook and Anima are killed by two different claimants to the name Prometheus. The real one chops off Gunfire's hands.

After being bitten by the Bloodlines Parasite, Argus' body underwent a mutagenic process that endowed him with several superpowers. He can become invisible in shadows, and can see beyond the visible light spectrum into the infrared and ultraviolet. Argus' strength level and reflexes have been increased beyond those of a normal human being. Argus also has a rapid healing factor, to the point where he was able to regrow his eyes when they were gouged out.

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Secret Origins (vol. 2) #46 (December 1989)
In-story information
Alter ego	Floyd Belkin
Team affiliations	Legion of Super-Heroes Heroes of Lallor
Notable aliases	Splitter
Abilities	Can remove his limbs and use them as clubs

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy (Floyd Belkin) is a DC Comics superhero from the 30th century. His first appearance was in Secret Origins (vol. 2) #46, (December 1989), he was drawn by Curt Swan from a script by Gerard Jones, who based him on a fan parody character. After Zero Hour, the character of Arm-Fall-Off-Boy was briefly reintroduced as Splitter.

Arm-Fall-Off-Boy has the ability to detach his own limbs, which he can then use as weapons. His background is not explored in his initial appearances; in Legionnaires (vol. 4) #12, Matter-Eater Lad claims he gained his powers through carelessness while holding the anti-gravity metal Element 152, but Matter-Eater Lad may not have been serious. In his introduction, he is an applicant at the first Legion tryout, and the first Legion reject.

Following the Zero Hour reboot, the character appears again in Legionnaires (vol. 4) #43 and is identified as Floyd Belkin of the planet Lallor. Under the name Splitter, Floyd participates in the Legion's tryouts in Legionnaires #43 and is one of five finalists, but he is denied Legion membership after he panics and literally falls apart during the last test. Later in the comic, he appears as a member of the Heroes of Lallor.

In other media

• Arm-Fall-Off-Boy appears in issue 16 of the Legion of Superheroes in the 31st Century comic, which is based on the cartoon series Legion of Super Heroes.

Arkham, Amadeus

Amadeus Arkham is a fictional character in DC Comics. He was the founder of Arkham Asylum and is the uncle of Jeremiah Arkham.

He was created in 1984 for the entry for Arkham Asylum in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1. The story was retold and expanded in 1989 in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. The graphic novel is interspersed with flashbacks to Arkham founder Amadeus Arkham's life and childhood. The character recently appeared in DC's The New 52 as a protagonist of All Star Western alongside Jonah Hex.

The Who's Who entry establishes that the Asylum was named after Elizabeth Arkham, the mother of founder Amadeus Arkham. The original name of the asylum was Arkham Hospital. Its dark history began in the early 1900s when Arkham's mother, having suffered from mental illness most of her life, committed suicide (it was later revealed that her son actually euthanized her and repressed the memory). Amadeus Arkham decided, then, as the sole heir to the Arkham estate, to remodel his family home in order to properly treat the mentally ill, so others might not suffer as his mother had. Prior to the period of the hospital's remodeling, Arkham treated patients at the State Psychiatric Hospital in Metropolis, where he, his wife Constance and daughter Harriet had been living for quite some time.

Upon telling his family of his plans, they moved back to his family home to oversee the remodeling. While there, Arkham received a call from the police notifying him that serial killer Martin "Mad Dog" Hawkins — referred to Arkham by Metropolis Penitentiary while at State Psychiatric Hospital — had escaped from prison, and sought his considered opinion on the murderer's state of mind. Shortly afterward, Arkham returned to his home to find his front door wide open. Inside, he discovered the mutilated bodies of his wife and daughter in an upstairs room with Hawkins' nickname carved on Harriet's body.

The shock of the murders brings back the memory of killing his mother. For many years, Elizabeth suffered delusions that she was being tormented by a supernatural creature and would call to her son to protect her. One day, however, he finally sees what his mother saw - a great bat, a spectre of death. Taking a pearl-handled straight razor from his pocket, he cuts his mother's throat to end her suffering. He then blocks out the memory and attributes her death to suicide.

Traumatized, Amadeus puts on his mother's wedding dress and takes out the pearl-handled razor. It is vaguely implied that Arkham cannibalizes his family's remains in a shamanic ritual. Kneeling in the blood of his family, he vows to bind the evil spirit of "The Bat", which he believes inhabits the house, through ritual and sorcery. He treats Hawkins for months until finally electrocuting him in a shock therapy session. This incident is treated as an accident by the authorities. Soon after, Arkham freefalls into madness. He continues his mission even after he is incarcerated in the Asylum himself after trying to kill his stockbroker in 1929; he scratches the words of a binding spell into the walls and floor of his cell with his fingernails and constantly belts out "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a loud voice until the day he dies.

Decades later Dr. Cavendish, another doctor in the asylum, believes he is a reincarnation of Amadeus and frees the inmates. Towards the end of the story, he takes another doctor, Dr. Adams, hostage, dresses himself in the dress of Amadeus' mother and relates Arkham's history to Batman before attempting to strangle him. Dr. Adams saves Batman by killing Cavendish with the same razor Amadeus used to kill his mother.

Amadeus' role in creating the asylum, Hawkins' history with Amadeus and Amadeus' descent into madness have become canon and are the origin of Arkham Asylum in all incarnations of the asylum since.

In The New 52 reboot, Amadeus Arkham is re-established as having been the partner of the bounty hunter Jonah Hex. Amadeus is a psychologist who specializes in criminal behavior and lives in a mansion with his mother. Amadeus often partners up with Jonah Hex in an effort to solve a series of murders that were committed by the Gotham Ripper and even uncovered a child slavery operation run by Thurston Moody of the Court of Owls.

Amadeus Arkham in other media

• The spirit of Dr. Amadeus Arkham was featured in the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum voiced by Tom Kane. The spirit of Arkham is unlocked by scanning several tablets scattered around Arkham, supposedly by Amadeus himself. They retell the story of Amadeus euthanizing his mother, the death of wife and daughter by Mad Dog, Mad Dog's death at the hands of Arkham's guards and finally Amadeus' descent into madness. It is hinted (and later confirmed) that Warden Quincy Sharp, who believes that he is Amadeus reincarnated, is responsible for the messages as evidenced by his attempts to kill Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Joker and Harley Quinn being recorded onto the tablets. While there is no knowledge as to how he attempted to kill them, Sharp mentions his plans to lobotomize Harley and attempt to kill Joker in his sleep, which is thwarted by the Scarecrow. If Batman scans all the tablets and comes back to the security office where he left Quincy Sharp, he will find in his place a final message telling Batman to continue his work. Amadeus' cell can also be found in the game, the entirety of its walls and floor covered with binding circles as in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth.
• In the video game Batman: Arkham City, it is revealed that Sharp's delusions of being Arkham's reincarnation were the result of drugs and hypnotherapy delivered by Dr. Hugo Strange with the help of Mad Hatter. Scanning items related to certain inmates reveal that Sharp had treated the inmates abusively, notably by locking Mad Hatter in the physically lowest cell in the Asylum with the clear intent of him never getting out (whether he meant to kill him is unclear) and again trying to murder Poison Ivy by locking her in a cell and letting her die of her Titan overdose caused by the Joker, only for a priest covered in pollen to give Ivy the needed ingredients from the pollen to heal herself. Listening to the Blackgate inmates shows that some of them are aware of Sharp's inhumane treatments towards his patients (having occasionally been victims themselves), as well as Sharp often murdering his patients.
• A statue of Amadeus Arkham can be seen outside on the Arkham Asylum stage in the 2017 fighting game Injustice 2.
• Like most other incarnations, Amadeus Arkham is the founder of Arkham Asylum in the DC Extended Universe. He was first mentioned in Time Out Shortlist Gotham and Metropolis, a two-part fictional guide to the cities of Gotham City and Metropolis released by Time Out Group, Turkish Airlines, and Warner Bros. as a tie-in for the 2016 film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

• Andrea Beaumont
• Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man
• Apache Chief
• Aquagirl
• Arak

Arkham, Jeremiah

Jeremiah Arkham is a fictional character (mostly a supervillain) appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character commonly appears in comic book titles associated with the superhero Batman. He is the director of Arkham Asylum and the nephew of the Asylum's founder Amadeus Arkham.

The character debuted in 1992 in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 during the four-part story arc "Batman: The Last Arkham" that kicked off the new series where he was created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle.

In Batman: The Last Arkham, Jeremiah is portrayed as the somewhat sadistic administrator of Arkham Asylum who has delusions that the criminals he houses could one day be housed in society. The Asylum had come into Jeremiah's possession after his uncle Amadeus Arkham died after going mad. Jeremiah proceeded to demolish the asylum before rebuilding it with state-of-the-art systems to keep Arkham's criminals, such as Joker, Scarecrow and Cornelius Stirk, contained.

Jeremiah's background was touched upon briefly. Although not much is known about his prior history, the issue states that when he was a teenager he walked into a corner store being held up at gunpoint by an escaped inmate of the nearby Arkham Asylum, which was coincidentally run by his uncle. The gunman had already killed the storeowners, but when he went to shoot him, Jeremiah seemed to know all about the gunman's past and talked the gunman out of shooting him. The gunman then proceeded to commit suicide and Jeremiah knew he would be destined to succeed his uncle as the head of Arkham Asylum.

Soon after the new Arkham is built, Batman stumbles across a series of murders resembling Victor Zsasz's MO. Zsasz (who also debuted in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1) had been an inmate at Arkham Asylum for a long period, but the similarity was too much to ignore, so Batman fakes insanity to get into the asylum to investigate. However, Jeremiah is unaware of this plot and takes Batman's insanity as genuine. Zsasz had actually been the murderer and had been getting out of Arkham by a series of tunnels put in place by the contractor on the asylum's revamp. Zsasz, upon hearing of Batman's arrival, predicts it is a set-up and begins to plant seeds of doubt and hatred towards Batman in Jeremiah Arkham's mind. In addition to this, Jeremiah blames Batman for stopping his inmate's rehabilitation. The situation erupts when Jeremiah locks Batman in a room and sets the inmates of Arkham on him, including Amygdala, Riddler and others.

After the main storyline is wrapped up, and Zsasz uncovered, Batman questions whether Jeremiah is himself mad. Jeremiah denies it, but in the closing scene of the comic, he asks himself whether he will end up like his insane uncle and whether he is indeed mad as Batman suggested.

Jeremiah Arkham returned once again during Knightfall. His role began when he was held at gunpoint by the Joker after Arkham Asylum is attacked by Bane in order to free the asylum's inmates. The Joker attempts to scare Jeremiah into madness and Jeremiah is only saved when Batman frees him from the Joker's trap.

After this story arc, Jeremiah Arkham has appeared occasionally throughout Batman storylines. During Batman: No Man's Land, he opened the Asylum gates, believing it was better for his patients to be at large in a mostly abandoned city than trapped in the Asylum with limited supplies. Most recently during the Batman: Battle for the Cowl, he envisions a plan to rebuild Arkham Asylum, after it was destroyed by himself (as the new Black Mask) following his capture and defeat by the new Batman.

He also starred in the 3-issue follow up, Arkham Reborn, written by David Hine and drawn by Jeremy Haun. The story starts with Jeremiah returning to Arkham Asylum after it has been destroyed by the Black Glove. On his return he finds that some of the patients are still there, including his three 'special' subjects that no one knows about: No-Face, Mirror Man, and Hamburger Lady. Once back in his office, Jeremiah finds his office a mess, spooky graffiti on the mirror and the journal of Amadeus Arkham (his uncle) on his desk, though he thought he had burnt it. He finds his uncle's original plans for the asylum and decides it is an omen and thus starts to rebuild according to the plans.

The asylum re-opens with the disgruntled blessing of the Gotham Shield Committee, consisting of Bruce Wayne (who was Thomas Elliot in disguise), D.A. Kate Spencer and Commissioner Gordon. He is also joined by Aaron Cash (head of Arkham security) and the new assistant director, Alyce Sinner.

As the asylum gets more complete more accidents to happen. The Raggedy Man is set loose, Clayface gets sick, Mr. Freeze's room heats up and Killer Croc's tank filtration breaks. As these events pass, Jeremiah becomes more stressed and unhinged, spending more time with his special patients.

Meanwhile, it is revealed that Alyce is having sexual relations with Black Mask. Once back at the asylum, she uses the computers to project the voice of Amadeus to the inmates and make them riot. Batman then intervenes and gets all the inmates back to their cells. Raggedy Man is found dead and Jeremiah is starting to fall apart. This is all part of the plan of Black Mask. Alyce reports back to him, apparently doing this for the money, and claims she also wants the asylum. Jeremiah works out with Batman's help that Alyce is behind it all and she is committed. When he goes to talk to his special patients for some mental release he is confronted by a scary Jester figure (reminiscent of Joker). It is at this point he loses it. He is found by Batman and locked up with the other inmates in Arkham and Alyce is freed and made the director of the asylum.

In the end it turns out that his special patients were all a delusion and he also suffers from no recollection of when he is Black Mask. He discovers this when Batman takes him to see the special three and after some intense moments Jeremiah attacks and "kills" them. Filled with remorse, Jeremiah is confronted with a videotape of what had just occurred, courtesy of cameras hidden by a suspicious Cash. The video shows only himself, talking and attacking hallucinations. He then completely breaks down and breaks the Jester staff which lets out a gas. Upon awakening, Jeremiah remembers everything - during his sessions with inmates Hugo Strange (a master of chemicals and psychology) and Joker, he had been given the Jester's staff, revealed to be coated in a chemical making the user very vulnerable to hypnotic suggestions. Strange and the Joker both manipulated Jeremiah, assaulting his weakened psyche: Strange encouraging an appetite for power and respect (resulting in the Black Mask personality), Joker encouraging his own style of insanity (manifesting as the Jester). Claiming to be back in control, Jeremiah is then put in intensive care. Zsasz, who had threatened him earlier, comes to kill him and mark the scar inside his eyelid to remember him by. But by the time help arrives, Jeremiah has tied up Zsasz and delicately carved his initials there himself, proving that Black Mask is far from gone.

Jeremiah Arkham is locked up and left in the care of Alyce. He confesses to her that he is Black Mask and Zsasz is proof. She then kisses him and they embrace, Jeremiah pictured as Black Mask. It remains to be seen if Jeremiah's heavy exposure to the chemical in the staff merely made the Black Mask personality dominant, or if it has absorbed the others completely.

In The New 52, a character resembling Jeremiah Arkham's incarnation of Black Mask was seen early on during an Arkham Asylum Breakout in the Night of the Owls storyline. However, Jeremiah Arkham was later seen in charge of Arkham Asylum instead of Alyce Sinner and not incarcerated within the building's cells. Despite this, his history as Black Mask was still intact. He is seen congratulating Batman's decision on bringing the Joker to the asylum where he can receive "treatment" instead of dropping him off at a prison. Later during the Night of the Owls event, Arkham is seen targeted by Talons as well as treating Roman Sionis, the first Black Mask. Sionis confirms Arkham's having been Black Mask during Richard Grayson's time as Batman before Arkham is attacked by Talons. Arkham uses a taser to fight off the Talons before being rescued by Batman.

Jeremiah Arkham in other media

• Dr. Jeremiah Arkham is featured in Batman: Dark Tomorrow, voiced by Ralph Byers.
• Dr. Jeremiah Arkham appears in the Nintendo DS version of LEGO Batman: The Videogame.
• Dr. Jeremiah Arkham appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by David Jennison.

• Arion

Armless Master

First appearance	Batman #509 (July 1994)
Created by	Doug Moench and Mike Manley

Armless Master is an Asian martial artist in the DC Universe, living in Gotham City.

Armless Master is a sensei who, in part, trains Catwoman and Hellhound. His death at the hands of Lady Shiva is used to forcibly retrain Batman after Batman's back is broken by Bane.

He is the brother of Legless Master. They fought together in the Thai fighting circuits in their youth.

Arrakhat

First appearance	Robin #78 (July 2000)
Created by	Chuck Dixon and Pete Woods

Arrakhat is a supervillain and sensei in the DC Universe.

Within the context of the stories, Arrakhat is an evil djinn from the O'salla Ben Duuram, or the "Oasis of the Damned", one of the descending circles in Hell. Instead of granting three wishes to the invoker, the demon offers three murders and, upon completion, returns to the so-called "Well of Flames". Arghulian was an enemy of Tim Drake's classmate Ali Ben Kahn who was the prince of Dhubar. Arghulian then summoned Arrakhat to kill the prince. Arrakhat was stopped by Robin, Connor Hawke, and Eddie Fyres. Arrakhat resurfaced again as part of Tapeworm's ambush against the Justice Society of America. He was expelled from our dimension by Doctor Fate V (Kent V. Nelson).

• Arrowette

Asmodel

Asmodel is a fictional fallen angel, a supervillain, and a comic book character published by DC Comics, his namesake deriving from the Asmodel of Christian theology, the Angel of April and Patience. He first appeared in JLA #7 and was created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. Asmodel was a King-Angel of the Bull Host of Heaven (the other three Hosts being Human, Eagle and Lion) and a general in the army of the Presence. His bull-like appearance is inspired by the astrological Asmodel, the guardian angel of people born in the sign of Taurus and the angel of May. Hoping to succeed where Lucifer failed, he planned to overthrow the Presence and claim the title of the Ruler over the Heavens. However, the guardian angel Zauriel accidentally found out about Asmodel's plans. Zauriel, who had fallen in love with the woman he was tasked to protect, pleaded to be sent to Earth as a mortal, hoping to evade Asmodel as well as contact his beloved.

Asmodel sent a group of Bull Angels clad in material bodies after him. They were dispelled by Zauriel and the Justice League. Zauriel dispelled one of the angels with a sonic scream. Finally, Asmodel entered the mortal plane himself. He brought with him a mighty angelic chariot lowering itself over the city of San Francisco. The tops of many buildings were demolished, but the chariot itself was stopped by members of the Justice League. Meanwhile, the demon lord Neron allowed the Demons Three to slowly drag the Moon towards Earth itself. Asmodel confronted the League proper, searching for Zauriel. During all this, he claimed that his forces had caused an event on the fringes of creation so as to distract the attention of the Presence.

Superman (with the implied assistance of the Presence) eventually reversed the descent of the Moon and came to aid the League, but even he was barely able to hold off Asmodel. The Flash and Green Lantern, remembering Zauriel's sonic-banishment of one angel, conjured up a sound generator, which vaporized all angelic bodies in the area, including Asmodel's.

In Hell, Asmodel and his angels joined forces with Neron. Asmodel managed to return to Earth in the body of a small male child, attacking the Watchtower and killing the Martian Manhunter. Zauriel confronted Asmodel and destroyed the fleshy body.

Asmodel and Neron soon led an attack on Heaven itself. Despite the assistance of the Martian Manhunter's spirit, Asmodel managed to make his way into the throne room of Heaven. Finding it empty, he learned the Presence was everywhere and everything and thus unconquerable.

Finally realizing that there was no true way he could ever succeed where Lucifer had failed, Asmodel turned to Neron for help, but the demon-lord abandoned the former King-Angel. Sentenced to Hell yet again, Asmodel became Neron's prisoner. The Martian Manhunter returned to Earth when the Flash, along with much of the Justice League, revived him.

Asmodel would later become involved with Neron again. Etrigan the Demon used the ashes of an angel's wing feather to bond Asmodel to the Spectre-Force itself, a heavenly force of power. Asmodel helped bring forth the armies of Hell to Earth itself. He personally killed an entire church full of scared, hiding humans. He and his forces were soon defeated by Earth's heroes.

In his angelic form, Asmodel is invulnerable, has powerful reality-warping powers that could change the face of the world by force of will, can manipulate psionic energy, possesses unlimited telepathy and telekinesis, has total mental control over anyone or thing he wishes, has control over the weather or the elements and can command and transform energy and matter. He is able to recover from injury practically instantaneously and he has demonstrated superhuman physical strength rivaling, if not exceeding, that of the Martian Manhunter and even Superman (in his Blue Energy form).

Asmodel also demonstrates several angelic abilities and attributes in this form:

• He uses a different form of Zauriel's sonic flash, identified as a sub-sonic attack with enormous power; Asmodel himself claims that his was the voice that shattered the walls of Jericho
• A form of laser vision that was able to damage the Martian Manhunter
• The Light of Heaven projected directly from his eyes, driving all but the purest souls insane
• According to the Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America, a beat of Asmodel's heart was as thunderous as 1,000 atomic bombs
• According to the DC Comics Encyclopedia, Asmodel also possessed immortality, wielded a flaming staff, possessed super-speed and flight, incredible military leadership skills (having few rivals) and acidic blood (according to the Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America his blood is the universal solvent)
• Able to create mortal bodies for himself to inhabit or transform into his angelic form at will

He retains his power in his mortal body; he was able to breathe on the surface of the Moon and demonstrated enough strength to kill the Martian Manhunter.

Atlan

First appearance	The Atlantis Chronicles #5 (July 1990)
Created by	Peter David and Esteban Maroto
Further reading Atlan at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

Atlan is a mage from ancient Atlantis in the DC Universe.

Within the context of the stories, Atlan is a member of the Homo magi offshoot of humanity born in ancient Atlantis. While within the lineage of the Atlantian royal house, his spirit interacts with the past generation to father Aquaman, the Ocean Master and Deep Blue. He also acts as a mentor in magic to Aqualad.

In The New 52, Atlan's origins are once again revised. He is now known as Atlan, the Greatest King of Atlantis. Before Atlantis was sunk into the sea, the nation was ruled by Atlan until he was betrayed by his brother Orin (Aquaman's ancestor) and by his people. They killed his wife and children and he and his loyalists were all hunted down. Within that time, he forged the Six Artifacts of Atlantis with his arcane knowledge and became known as the Dead King. He returned years later and, without uttering a single word, killed his brother and his queen, plunging Atlantis into a civil war. After years of silence, he finally spoke, "Let it all...die!" and, using his great strength along with the Trident (one of the six Artifacts that he had forged), eventually sunk the great nation that he had spent his lifetime building beneath the ocean; what happened to Atlan afterwards remains unknown.

Later, Atlan was awakened in Antarctica when Aquaman, now the current king of Atlantis, used his telepathy on a global scale and, claiming that Aquaman was mistaken to think that he was the king of Atlantis, proceeded to destroy a research station and killed its personnel. After that, he found Mera and took her to Xebel. Aquaman travelled to Xebel to free Mera, but was shocked to hear the truth that his ancestors had murdered the Dead King's family and usurped the throne. After a brutal fight (during which the Dead King manages to claim Aquaman's Trident) Aquaman freed Mera and the rest of the Xebelians, but they sided with the Dead King, recognizing him as the true ruler of Atlantis, except for Mera. They managed to escape to Atlantis, but found it being attacked by the Scavenger's fleet. During the battle, the Dead King and the Xebelians arrived and he managed to cause Aquaman to black out, using his Sceptre and Aquaman's Trident. After being in a coma for six months and soon discovering the Dead King's origins with the help of Vulko, Aquaman returned to liberate Atlantis from the Dead King and the Xebelians, using the Dead King's relic Scepter and the Trench. When the Dead King grabbed the relic Scepter and struck at Aquaman, Vulko tried to prevent the Dead King from killing him, saying that Aquaman was the rightful king of Atlantis, causing the Dead King to become so angry that he attempted to destroy all of Atlantis, but Aquaman stopped and destroyed the Dead King, along with the relic Scepter. The battle was over when Aquaman reclaimed the throne once again.

Atlan in other media

Atlan appears in the film Aquaman portrayed by Graham McTavish. This version is the first King of Atlantis who is the ancestor of Atlanna, Aquaman and Ocean Master.

Atlanna

Atlanna is the mother of Aquaman in the Silver Age of Comics and in the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths comics. In Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, Atlanna was retconned as the Queen of Atlantis. After a dream-affair with Atlan, Atlanna become pregnant with a baby. She died in prison from illness. Afterwards, she was resurrected as a mermaid by Charybdis.

In The New 52, Atlanna is the jaundiced queen of Atlantis and mother to both Arthur Curry and Orm Marius. Post-Flashpoint Atlanna is a runaway from home after an arranged political wedding to much hated Orvax Marius of the Atlantean navy was decreed by her nation's parliament. It was during her great escape she met and fell in love with a lighthouse keeper named Thomas Curry while witnessing his bravery during a harsh storm out at sea. The two cohabited and would parent the future king of Atlantis; Aquaman. When young Arthur Curry began to manifest a rapport with the native marine life in the sea around their ocean side home early on, Atlanna was resigned to return home and face her duties as royalty under the crown.

She would marry her betrothed who now sat on the throne of the undersea nation as king, eventually fathering a second child to him called Orm Marius, one whom would later ascend to monarchy in later life. Her time as queen was rather horrid however as her spouse was abusive and power-hungry, often abusing his leadership to sanction raids on human-made vessels to spite those who made residence on land. On top of physically assaulting his lawfully wedded wife, Orvax cheated on his royal spouse, having fathered a second child named Tula with another woman at an unknown date. After finally gathering up the courage to leave her wretched life as Queen of Atlantis behind and be with her first love and other son, her king cruelly jested that he had had them killed by his military force just so she would avoid leaving him; this enraged Atlanna enough to kill him dead with her own royal scepter and make it look as though an assassin had done the deed when Orm came in on them. As Orvax's deranged rule had no shortage of enemies, this was what people believed.

During her second son's maritunis, Atlanna had faked her death during a freak accident while on stage, something which many people thought Orm secretly engineered in order to usurp the crown early on. She would finally leave her servitude to a nation she had hated for taking what she cherished most by using forgotten knowledge of Atlantean magitek to found her own secret nation of Pacifica, an extra-dimensional refuge for downtrodden mariners like her.

When her long-lost surface born son came looking for Atlanna, she adamantly rebuffed his claim of parentage. Believing her Arthur to be long dead, she sought to sacrifice Arthur and his wife to Karaku, a volcanic entity of colossal proportions. Aquaman managed to escape just as Atlantean reinforcements came through the Maelstrom; at the same time, Karaku the volcano god descended and attacked both sides with fire trolls. After a hard-won fight against the lava titan, Arthur would display his skill of marine telepathy which she herself possessed to prove himself. Atlanna then broke down in tears, realizing her son was well and truly alive, before sending him back to Earth with her Shell of Sounds.

Atlanna in other media

• Atlanna appears in a comic of the DC Animated Universe.
• Atlanna makes a cameo in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. She gave the power to rule Atlantis to Aquaman over his brother Orm.
• Atlanna appears in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, voiced by Sirena Irwin. She attempts to have peace with the "surface-dwellers". When Atlanna reveals that she knows that Orm killed several Atlanteans and blamed it on the surface-dwellers, Orm kills her.
• Atlanna appeared in Aquaman, portrayed by Nicole Kidman, where she is the Queen of Atlantis and mother of both Arthur Curry and Orm. She is found injured on the ocean shore by keeper Thomas Curry after escaping from an arranged marriage; the two fall in love, and together have Arthur. Following an attack by some Atlantean soldiers, Atlanna returns to Atlantis to protect Thomas and Arthur, but promises to return someday. At one point she arranges for Nuidis Vulko to secretly train Arthur in the Atlantean ways. Eventually, Arthur learns that Atlanna was sacrificed to the Trench for having a child outside of her marriage. When Aquaman and Mera arrive in the Hidden Sea, they reunite with Atlanna, who had survived "sacrifice". She states that the only way out is to obtain the Trident of Atlan, which is guarded by the Karathen. After Aquaman defeats Ocean Master, Atlanna appears and reunited with Orm and states that she loves both her sons. At the end of the movie, Atlanna reunites with Thomas at the dock of his lighthouse.

Atmos

Atmos is a fictional superhero character in the future of the DC Comics Universe. Atmos was the champion of the planet Xanthu, where the planetary government provided him with a headquarters and training facility.

Atmos was the genetically engineered champion of the planet Xanthu. When the villain Universo enacted a plan to conquer his homeworld of Earth, he had several of the United Planets' superheroes, including Atmos, mindwiped and imprisoned on a distant planet. Also imprisoned were the Legion of Super-Heroes members Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy and Dream Girl. Saturn Girl overcame Universo's hypnosis and eventually the Legion members freed everybody.

During Atmos' absence from Xanthu, the planetary government ordered Star Boy to resign from the Legion to replace him. Thereafter, Atmos used his powers to enthrall and romance Star Boy's girlfriend Dream Girl. His manipulation was eventually uncovered, and Dream Girl angrily left him.

Many years later, Atmos was murdered by B.I.O.N., a Dominator-controlled robotic enforcer developed from the Computo matrix created by Brainiac 5.

Marak Russen was a child star and famous athlete on his native planet of Xanthu. He was subjected by his planet's government to numerous experiments that turned him into a living nuclear power plant. Now dubbed "Atmos", Russen joined his planet's state-funded team of superheroes, the "Uncanny Amazers of Xanthu", a counterpart to the more well known Legion of Super-Heroes. Together with the Amazers he stood against two invasions of Xanthu: from the alien Blight, and from the minions of the machine intelligence C.O.M.P.U.T.O. from the planet Robotica.

The events of the Infinite Crisis miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics. Since Atmos was introduced after the publication of Crisis on Infinite Earths, it is unclear if the character will be reintroduced.

Atmos has the powers of super-strength, flight, invulnerability and some form of matter manipulation.

• Atlas
• Atomic Knight

Aubrey James

Aubrey James was the mayor of Gotham City and a friend of Thomas Wayne. He was later stabbed to death as mentioned in The Madmen of Gotham

Aubrey James in other media

Aubrey James appeared in a recurring role on the TV series Gotham, portrayed by Richard Kind. A mayor around the time of the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, James is in Carmine Falcone's pocket alongside Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and has often been contacted by the Court of Owls. Superficially congenial, he is indifferent and contemptuous of most of Gotham's citizens and ruthless towards anyone who would endanger his political and criminal associations. In Season Two, he is kidnapped by Theo Galavan and Tabitha Galavan as part of Theo's plot to run for mayor which also involved having Jerome Valeska killing Deputy Mayor Harrison Kane at a hospital charity event. Even though Aubrey was later rescued, he mentioned in court that Oswald Cobblepot was the one who captured him and made him lie about Galavan's involvement presumably out of fear that Galavan would take revenge on him. In Season Three, Aubrey James was with Nathaniel Barnes when he held a press conference about the Indian Hill escapees. When Valerie Vale asked if Wayne Enterprises had any connection to Indian Hill, Aubrey James and Nathaniel Barnes did not know of it. In the episode "Mad City: Look Into My Eyes", Aubrey James mentions at a press conference stating that the elected Gotham City officials have run Gotham City since Theo Galavan's death and want him to be reinstated. Oswald Cobblepot crashes the press conference and challenges him to an election since he was the one who drove away from the monsters that plagued Gotham City. In the episode "Mad City: New Day Rising", Oswald successfully wins the election against Aubrey James and becomes the new Mayor of Gotham City. In the episode "Heroes Rise The Dark and Delicate Obsessions", Aubrey James is reinstated as Mayor of Gotham City at the time when Oswald Cobblepot goes missing. In the episode "Heroes Rise The Primal Riddle", Riddler takes Mayor Aubrey James hostage using a neck bomb on him to draw out the Court of Owls. With some information from Tabitha Galavan, Gordon lures Riddler to the empty police station where the frequency there disabled Riddler's remote for the neck bomb on Mayor James. Upon Riddler being persuaded to accompany Gordon to meet the Court of Owls, he lets Mayor James go. In the episode "Heroes Rise Destiny Calling", it was mentioned that Mayor Aubrey James called in the National Guard to help deal with the chaos caused by the Alice Tetch Virus. In the episode "A Dark Knight: Pax Penguin", Aubrey James has been succeeded by Mayor Burke three months after the chaos caused by the Alice Tetch Virus. 10 years later in the episode "The Beginning...," Aubrey James is the Mayor of Gotham City again. He was shown to be dismayed that James Gordon was retiring as commissioner. Riddler later abducted Mayor James and used him in his Jeremiah Valeska's plot to bomb the newly built Wayne Tower. This was thwarted by Barbara Kean and Selina Kyle. While the police get Mayor James to safety while removing the bombs on him, Leslie helps Gordon and Lucius Fox disarm the bomb under the old Gotham Clock Tower model.

Aurakles

Aurakles is a fictional character, a superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Justice League of America vol. 1 #100 (August 1972), and was created by Len Wein and Dick Dillin.

Aurakles was created by Len Wein and Dick Dillin in Justice League of America #100 using the name Oracle. Grant Morrison brought the character back in Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #4 (May 2006), and expanded his backstory by making him "the original super-hero" and renaming him Aurakles.

The super-being known as Aurakles was created on the planet Earth by the New Gods around 40,000 BC and is generally considered "the original superhero", by those who know his reputation. He has the mission to "bring order and meaning where incoherence reigns". Opposing the evils of his time, he battles the Sheeda and Neh-Buh-Loh, the Nebula Man. The Sheeda finally succeed in imprisoning Aurakles in their "bone prisons", set up in the ancient past.

Aurakles reappears in our times as the Oracle. When the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America work together to bring back the time-lost Seven Soldiers of Victory (themselves victims of the Nebula Man), they invoke the Oracle (in spiritual form) as their guide. It takes the combined magic of Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson), Zatanna and Yz the Thunderbolt to summon him. Oracle refuses to give direct answers to their questions, but helps them solve the matter for themselves. He sends them to the various places in time where the Seven Soldiers have been exiled.

Some time later, Aurakles is freed from imprisonment by Mister Miracle (Shilo Norman) when the latter opposes Darkseid, Neh-Buh-Loh and the Sheeda as a member of the new Seven Soldiers. Aurakles' golden tomb on Mars is also seen in Grant Morrison's version of Frankenstein.

The rookie heroine Bulleteer is Aurakles' descendant and "the spear that was never thrown", one of "seven imperishable treasures" used to combat the Sheeda.

Azazel

Main article: List of The Sandman characters § Azazel

• Aztek