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Andromeda (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Laurel Gand, aka codename Andromeda, is a fictional
superhero
ine in the 30th/31st-century DC Comics
universe
, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes
. She was created as a replacement for Supergirl
in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths
Legion continuity. She was also inspired by elements of Superman
's supposed descendant Laurel Kent
(who, in post-Crisis, pre-Zero Hour
continuity
, was revealed to be a Manhunter android).
limited series, Supergirl was removed from mainstream DC continuity, endangering the status of every Legion story featuring the Girl of Steel. Following the events of Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #4-5 (February–March 1990), the sorceress Glorith
supplants the Time Trapper
as reality's master of time manipulation, resulting in several alterations in Legion continuity. In the new timeline, the 30th century native Laurel Gand replaces 20th century native Supergirl in Legion history; all of Kara Zor-El's appearances are said to have been appearances by Laurel.
The pre-Zero Hour Laurel was similar to the pre-Crisis Supergirl in that she was a distant relative of the Glorithverse's Superboy
analogue, Valor
, and was born on an asteroid (which, in this continuity was called "Ricklef II"). Also, upon arriving on Earth she had posed as a shy, bookish young woman with glasses. As a child, Laurel fought off a Khund
ian attack force threatening to invade Daxam
(the planet of her ancestry). Living in exile on Earth and fearing vengeance from the Khunds, Laurel jumped at the chance to join the Legion of Super-Heroes
.
Where the pre-Crisis Supergirl had been romantically linked to Brainiac 5
, so too was Laurel Gand. However, Laurel and Brainy eventually parted ways, and after the "Five Year Gap", it was revealed (much to Brainiac's dismay) that Laurel had married Rond Vidar
and borne a daughter, Lauren. Laurel spent her years away from the Legion, singlehandedly beating Khundian forces back from the United Planets systems, and rejoined the reunited Legionnaires when her husband Rond disappeared while on a mission to rescue Mysa Nal
(the White Witch) from Mordru the Merciless
. Laurel proved a tremendous asset to the new Legion during the war against Earthgov and the Dominators. When the mysterious "Batch SW6" doppelgänger Legion appeared, the younger SW6 Laurel soon distinguished herself from her adult counterpart by taking on the codename "Andromeda" and wearing a colorful gold-and-black costume. It is unknown whether the adult Laurel ever used "Andromeda" (or any other codename) during her own youth in the Legion.
The adult Laurel stayed with her Legion when it was forced to go underground to fight corruption in the Science Police. Tragically, Laurel was killed by a terrorist bomb during one of the renegade Legion's early missions. Shortly thereafter, Laurel, her younger self, and the rest of the Legions were erased from history, following the Zero Hour
reboot
.
community, being indoctrinated in the "horrors" of interspecies co-operation before the Triangle's political clout led her to become the Daxamite representative in the Legion. Away from Daxam
's red sun, she gained powers similar to Superman
's, but the race-wide hypersensitivity of Daxamites to lead meant that even minuscule amounts could prove fatal, even to a powered-up Daxamite, forcing her to wear a transuit at all times. This did not trouble her, since it meant she never had to actually touch any non-Daxamites.
Her Triangle-derived beliefs hampered her effectiveness as a Legionnaire, thanks to her reluctance to physically engage with any enemies, but the real problems started after she let several Triangle members go free after a mugging, shortly after which they beat and almost killed Triad. Angered more for their defiance of her than for the beating, when she was ordered away to prevent the Composite Man gaining her powers, she flew after them. Immediately, they tore her transuit and directly exposed her to lead, and she barely managed to turn them over to the Science Police
before crashing through the walls of Legion HQ.
While Brainiac 5
worked on devising an anti-lead serum, he confronted her about her beliefs. After discovering the serum which Vril Dox II, his direct ancestor, had created for Valor
and tailoring it to her genetic structure to allow it to work properly on her (much to her surprise, as she had been taught that all members of the same race were identical), Brainiac 5 forced her to confront the fact that he wasn't her inferior before giving her the serum. While this was happening, however, Shrinking Violet discovered a White Triangle necklace in her room and connected it to the group which had assaulted Triad and destroyed Trom
, telling the rest of the team.
Confined to quarters after an unsuccessful attempt by Cosmic Boy
to have her removed from the team, she used her super-senses to see Ambassador Roxxas
gloating, but he managed to bully her into giving him the anti-lead serum. Taking it himself and giving it to four other Daxamites, they proceeded to cause mass destruction on Earth. When Andromeda herself confronted Roxxas over what he was doing and had made her do, she was almost defeated when Violet began thrashing around in his head, before coming out and telling Andromeda to take him down. As she pummelled him repeatedly, he destroyed the covering of an "atomic furnace", and both were thought to have died in the resulting inferno (causing Brainiac 5 severe depression). Only Cosmic Boy was told that she had survived and voluntarily exiled herself to Planet Hell.
Later, she was brought out of this exile by Live Wire, after Cosmic Boy had told him where she was as part of a way to build up a "Legion Rescue Squad", and she was awed by Valor (who later called himself Mon'el), himself being another member. However, she declined to rejoin the Legion after the Squad had served its purpose, preferring to head off into deep space. She eventually joined a religious convent.
After the events of Infinite Crisis
, Earth-247, the home of the Post-Zero Hour Legion, was destroyed. Andromeda appears in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, battling Superboy-Prime
along with Mon'el (Valor) and Superman. Later, in the fifth issue, her pre-Zero Hour younger and older counterparts are called to battle the Time Trapper
, alongside dozens of other Legionnaires from alternate realities. She survives the battle and leaves with the 247 Legion to try to rescue more survivors from destroyed universes.
(super-strength; speed; flight; x-ray, heat, microscopic or telescopic vision powers; invulnerability and super hearing), with three major exceptions:
in Justice League Adventures (the comic book adaptation of the modern Justice League animated series
) #28. She is shown as the girlfriend of Brainiac 5.
In Superman: The Animated Series
, Andromeda made a cameo appearance in the episode "New Kids In Town".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
ine in the 30th/31st-century DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, and a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
. She was created as a replacement for Supergirl
Supergirl (Kara Zor-El)
Kara Zor-El is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and related media, created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino. As Supergirl, Kara Zor-El serves as the biological cousin and female counterpart to DC Comic's iconic superhero Superman, created...
in post-Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
Legion continuity. She was also inspired by elements of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's supposed descendant Laurel Kent
Laurel Kent
Laurel Kent is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Superboy #217 .-Original time line:In the pre-Crisis continuity, Laurel was a candidate for membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes...
(who, in post-Crisis, pre-Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
continuity
Legion of Super-Heroes (1958 team)
The 1958 version of the Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 31st century of the . The team is the first incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes, followed by the 1994 and 2004 rebooted versions...
, was revealed to be a Manhunter android).
Pre-Zero Hour
Following her death in the Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
limited series, Supergirl was removed from mainstream DC continuity, endangering the status of every Legion story featuring the Girl of Steel. Following the events of Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 4) #4-5 (February–March 1990), the sorceress Glorith
Glorith
Glorith of Baaldur is a fictional villainess appearing in stories published by DC Comics. Her primary foe is the 30th century team known as the Legion of Super-Heroes, and she was a major presence in Legion of Super-Heroes...
supplants the Time Trapper
Time Trapper
The Time Trapper is a fictional character, a supervillain in stories published by DC Comics. The Time Trapper's main enemies are the Legion of Super-Heroes...
as reality's master of time manipulation, resulting in several alterations in Legion continuity. In the new timeline, the 30th century native Laurel Gand replaces 20th century native Supergirl in Legion history; all of Kara Zor-El's appearances are said to have been appearances by Laurel.
The pre-Zero Hour Laurel was similar to the pre-Crisis Supergirl in that she was a distant relative of the Glorithverse's Superboy
Superboy (Kal-El)
The original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
analogue, Valor
Lar Gand
Lar Gand, known primarily as Mon-El , is a fictional character in DC Comics' universe who is associated with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman...
, and was born on an asteroid (which, in this continuity was called "Ricklef II"). Also, upon arriving on Earth she had posed as a shy, bookish young woman with glasses. As a child, Laurel fought off a Khund
Khund
The Khunds are a fictional alien race in the DC Universe, notable for extreme violence. They first appeared in Adventure Comics #346 , as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century.-Fictional history:...
ian attack force threatening to invade Daxam
Daxam
Daxam is a planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.-History:Daxamites were originally Kryptonians who left their homeworld in order to explore the Universe. They are an intensely xenophobic race, and are fearful of alien...
(the planet of her ancestry). Living in exile on Earth and fearing vengeance from the Khunds, Laurel jumped at the chance to join the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
.
Where the pre-Crisis Supergirl had been romantically linked to Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
, so too was Laurel Gand. However, Laurel and Brainy eventually parted ways, and after the "Five Year Gap", it was revealed (much to Brainiac's dismay) that Laurel had married Rond Vidar
Rond Vidar
Rond Vidar is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #349 , and was created by Jim Shooter, Mort Weisinger and Curt Swan.-Fictional character biography:...
and borne a daughter, Lauren. Laurel spent her years away from the Legion, singlehandedly beating Khundian forces back from the United Planets systems, and rejoined the reunited Legionnaires when her husband Rond disappeared while on a mission to rescue Mysa Nal
White Witch (comics)
The White Witch is a fictional comic book character who exists in the DC Universe, a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century. Her real name is Mysa Nal, although her name was given as Xola Aq in Silver Age Legion stories in Adventure Comics; the revelation that her name was...
(the White Witch) from Mordru the Merciless
Mordru
Mordru is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics' main shared universe.Mordru is the most prominent Lord of Chaos who is fated to survive even after the end of the universe, although he is usually shown as a powerful wizard...
. Laurel proved a tremendous asset to the new Legion during the war against Earthgov and the Dominators. When the mysterious "Batch SW6" doppelgänger Legion appeared, the younger SW6 Laurel soon distinguished herself from her adult counterpart by taking on the codename "Andromeda" and wearing a colorful gold-and-black costume. It is unknown whether the adult Laurel ever used "Andromeda" (or any other codename) during her own youth in the Legion.
The adult Laurel stayed with her Legion when it was forced to go underground to fight corruption in the Science Police. Tragically, Laurel was killed by a terrorist bomb during one of the renegade Legion's early missions. Shortly thereafter, Laurel, her younger self, and the rest of the Legions were erased from history, following the Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
reboot
Reboot (continuity)
The verb reboot, in media dealing with serial fiction, means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas...
.
Post-Zero Hour
Laurel Gand spent most of her life in a White TriangleWhite Triangle
White Triangle is a fictional racist organization in the post-Zero Hour continuity of DC Comics' Legion of Super-Heroes. They first appear in Legion of Superheroes vol...
community, being indoctrinated in the "horrors" of interspecies co-operation before the Triangle's political clout led her to become the Daxamite representative in the Legion. Away from Daxam
Daxam
Daxam is a planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.-History:Daxamites were originally Kryptonians who left their homeworld in order to explore the Universe. They are an intensely xenophobic race, and are fearful of alien...
's red sun, she gained powers similar to Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's, but the race-wide hypersensitivity of Daxamites to lead meant that even minuscule amounts could prove fatal, even to a powered-up Daxamite, forcing her to wear a transuit at all times. This did not trouble her, since it meant she never had to actually touch any non-Daxamites.
Her Triangle-derived beliefs hampered her effectiveness as a Legionnaire, thanks to her reluctance to physically engage with any enemies, but the real problems started after she let several Triangle members go free after a mugging, shortly after which they beat and almost killed Triad. Angered more for their defiance of her than for the beating, when she was ordered away to prevent the Composite Man gaining her powers, she flew after them. Immediately, they tore her transuit and directly exposed her to lead, and she barely managed to turn them over to the Science Police
Science Police
Science Police is a fictional law enforcement agency in the . They were referred to as "World-Wide Police" in their first appearance in the 30th century. They were featured in a four issue limited series titled Legion Science Police. In the 30th and 31st centuries, the Science Police serves the...
before crashing through the walls of Legion HQ.
While Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
worked on devising an anti-lead serum, he confronted her about her beliefs. After discovering the serum which Vril Dox II, his direct ancestor, had created for Valor
Lar Gand
Lar Gand, known primarily as Mon-El , is a fictional character in DC Comics' universe who is associated with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman...
and tailoring it to her genetic structure to allow it to work properly on her (much to her surprise, as she had been taught that all members of the same race were identical), Brainiac 5 forced her to confront the fact that he wasn't her inferior before giving her the serum. While this was happening, however, Shrinking Violet discovered a White Triangle necklace in her room and connected it to the group which had assaulted Triad and destroyed Trom
Trom
Trom is a fictional planet in the 30th century . It was home to Legionnaire Element Lad, who is the planet's sole survivor.Due to the high radioactivity of the planet, the natives of Trom were never many, living in a few valleys. They all had the ability to transmute elements...
, telling the rest of the team.
Confined to quarters after an unsuccessful attempt by Cosmic Boy
Cosmic Boy
Cosmic Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 . He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was the original leader in all incarnations of the Legion...
to have her removed from the team, she used her super-senses to see Ambassador Roxxas
Roxxas
Kivun Roxxas is a fictional supervillain in the DC Universe. Primarily a foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes, he first appeared in Adventure Comics #307 .-Fictional character biography:...
gloating, but he managed to bully her into giving him the anti-lead serum. Taking it himself and giving it to four other Daxamites, they proceeded to cause mass destruction on Earth. When Andromeda herself confronted Roxxas over what he was doing and had made her do, she was almost defeated when Violet began thrashing around in his head, before coming out and telling Andromeda to take him down. As she pummelled him repeatedly, he destroyed the covering of an "atomic furnace", and both were thought to have died in the resulting inferno (causing Brainiac 5 severe depression). Only Cosmic Boy was told that she had survived and voluntarily exiled herself to Planet Hell.
Later, she was brought out of this exile by Live Wire, after Cosmic Boy had told him where she was as part of a way to build up a "Legion Rescue Squad", and she was awed by Valor (who later called himself Mon'el), himself being another member. However, she declined to rejoin the Legion after the Squad had served its purpose, preferring to head off into deep space. She eventually joined a religious convent.
After the events of Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, Earth-247, the home of the Post-Zero Hour Legion, was destroyed. Andromeda appears in Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, battling Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime, also known as Superman-Prime, or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain, and one of several alternate Supermen. The character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 , and was created by Elliot S...
along with Mon'el (Valor) and Superman. Later, in the fifth issue, her pre-Zero Hour younger and older counterparts are called to battle the Time Trapper
Time Trapper
The Time Trapper is a fictional character, a supervillain in stories published by DC Comics. The Time Trapper's main enemies are the Legion of Super-Heroes...
, alongside dozens of other Legionnaires from alternate realities. She survives the battle and leaves with the 247 Legion to try to rescue more survivors from destroyed universes.
Powers and abilities
Generally, the abilities of Laurel Gand (and other Daxamites) are identical to those of Superman and other natives of the planet KryptonKrypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
(super-strength; speed; flight; x-ray, heat, microscopic or telescopic vision powers; invulnerability and super hearing), with three major exceptions:
- 1. She is vulnerable to the inert element lead, instead of the radioactive element KryptoniteKryptoniteKryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
. - 2. Lead poisioning is fatal to Daxamites, and Laurel is kept alive only through ingestion of anti-lead serum, such as the one modified by Brainiac 5.
- 3. In her two pre-Zero Hour incarnations, the radiation of a red star will not rob her of her powers, as it would with most Daxamites and Kryptonians.
In other media
Andromeda appears with Legion of Super-HeroesLegion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in Justice League Adventures (the comic book adaptation of the modern Justice League animated series
Justice League (TV series)
Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
) #28. She is shown as the girlfriend of Brainiac 5.
In Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
, Andromeda made a cameo appearance in the episode "New Kids In Town".