Gamemnae
Encyclopedia
Gamemnae is a fictional character in the DC Comics
Universe, who was an enemy of the Justice League
.
However, Gamemnae learned that all her efforts would be for nothing when Aquaman
and the Atlanteans of the twenty-first century were banished back to the past by Tempest
's desperate attempt to save the city from an Imperiex
probe during the Our Worlds at War
storyline. Outraged to learn that Atlantis would become a race of water-breathers once again in the future, she seduced Aquaman and tricked him into drinking a potion that turned him into a water spirit, subsequently confining him in a pool of water in the middle of Atlantis while his people were forced to work as slave labor underwater, building foundations to keep Atlantis above the water.
Having read Aquaman's mind, Gamemnae knew of the Justice League
that existed in the future, and also knew that they would inevitably seek to rescue their fallen comrade. Determined to defeat them, Gamemnae created her own 'League of Ancients', consisting of various people in the world who might become a threat to Atlantis in the future. This League's members included:
With this 'League of Ancients' behind her, Gamemnae fed false visions of the future to Rama Khan, causing him to believe that he had foreseen a future where Earth would be threatened by a seven-headed hydra destroyer — the remaining members of the Justice League — and that a team would have to be assembled to defeat the threat posed by this destroyer. When the Justice League eventually arrived in the past to rescue Aquaman and the Atlanteans, the Ancients managed to prevail over the League — their willingness to kill granting them a significant advantage — but Manitou Raven, having witnessed Green Lantern
turn from the fight to save innocent Atlanteans, as well as 'testing' Batman
with his tomahawk that could not pierce the skin of a good man, realized that the League were genuinely good people and confronted Gamemnae with the truth of her betrayal. Learning that Gamemnae had used a quagmire spell to absorb the other members of the League, thus adding to her power, Manitou used the souls of the deceased Leaguers — the spell reinforced by Kyle's willingly-sacrificed heart — to create a spell of containment that would trap Gamemnae in Atlantis until, paradoxically, his past self broke it by traveling back to the past following a trip to the future.
Awakened in the present, Gamemnae began to drain the water from the entire world to force humanity to submit to her, only to find herself opposed by a 'reserve League' created by Batman in the event the original League was killed or defeated, led by Nightwing
and consisting of Green Arrow
, the Atom
, Hawkgirl, Major Disaster
, Firestorm
, Faith
, and Jason Blood, aka Etrigan. Mocking Nightwing's attempts to stand up to her, Gamemnae absorbed Major Disaster, Zatanna
and Tempest
, the League's only victory being a pyrrhic one
when Jason Blood sacrificed himself to free Zatanna.
Fortunately, the now-elderly Manitou — having hidden away to wait for the moment when he could act without changing history — rescued the League from Gamemnae's attack, revealing that she had formed a bond between herself and Atlantis to strengthen her power. Unable to defeat Gamemnae in the present, Nightwing, Hawkgirl, Zatanna and Firestorm travelled back in time to disrupt Gamemnae's connection to Atlantis in the past, freeing Aquaman by linking his pool to the sea; although he was still a water wraith, he now had the whole ocean to use as his body, allowing him to sink Atlantis and undo Gamemnae's 'Obsidian Age' of darkness and shame.
Meanwhile, in the present, the remaining Leaguers confronted Gamemnae with the aid of the resurrected corpses of the League she had already killed; unable to absorb the dead, Gamemnae was forced to resurrect them to kill them properly, only to realize too late that this had been their plan all along. Aided by the Martian Manhunter
's telepathic prompting, Blood was able to free himself from the quagmire spell by transforming into Etrigan, the Atom shrinking down to rescue Major Disaster and Tempest from Gamemnae while Manitou transformed himself into a giant to better battle the now-giant Gamemnae. As Gamemnae vowed to restore the water and drown Earth, the League, aided by the sacrifice of the future Manitou, managed to keep Earth's orbit stable as the water returned - Superman, Wonder Woman
and Martian Manhunter using the Lasso of Truth
to hold Earth in place as the water returned while the Flash
absorbed the kinetic energy their actions caused to prevent it causing earthquakes - long enough for the past Atlantis to collapse. The Atlanteans returned to the present along with Manitou's past self, while the destruction of Atlantis in the past ended Gamemnae's attempt to conquer Earth, leaving Atlantis submerged once again and her dead.
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, who was an enemy of the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
.
Fictional character biography
Born over three thousand years ago, Gamemnae was an Atlantean, exiled at birth for having blonde hair - considered a curse in Atlantean culture. Surviving her exile, Gamemnae went on to learn powerful magics, which she later used to not only raise Atlantis from the seas, but turn the entire population into air-breathers as opposed to the water-breathing race they had been for centuries. Convinced that it was her destiny to lead the people of Atlantis in conquest of the world, Gamemnae soon established herself as ruler of her people, gradually learning further spells to increase her power.However, Gamemnae learned that all her efforts would be for nothing when Aquaman
Aquaman
Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...
and the Atlanteans of the twenty-first century were banished back to the past by Tempest
Garth (comics)
Garth is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics, originally known as Aqualad, and later known by the codename Tempest. As Aqualad, he is the teen sidekick and protege to his guardian, the super-hero known as Aquaman, bearing the same super-abilities as his mentor that...
's desperate attempt to save the city from an Imperiex
Imperiex
Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...
probe during the Our Worlds at War
Our Worlds at War
"Our Worlds at War" was a comic book crossover, published by DC Comics during the summer of 2001. OWAW was written by Jeph Loeb, Joe Casey, Mark Schultz, Joe Kelly, Phil Jimenez, and Peter David...
storyline. Outraged to learn that Atlantis would become a race of water-breathers once again in the future, she seduced Aquaman and tricked him into drinking a potion that turned him into a water spirit, subsequently confining him in a pool of water in the middle of Atlantis while his people were forced to work as slave labor underwater, building foundations to keep Atlantis above the water.
Having read Aquaman's mind, Gamemnae knew of the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
that existed in the future, and also knew that they would inevitably seek to rescue their fallen comrade. Determined to defeat them, Gamemnae created her own 'League of Ancients', consisting of various people in the world who might become a threat to Atlantis in the future. This League's members included:
- Rama KhanRama KhanRama Khan is a fictional character in the DC Comics Universe.-Biography:Rama Khan appeared as earlier than 1,004 BC, with no information of his exact birth date. In the land of Atlantis, he became the joint ruler of Atlantis, sharing the post with Gamemnae...
, ruler of the nation of Jarhanpur, capable of commanding the elements of Earth and Fire. - Manitou RavenManitou RavenManitou Raven is a fictional character and superhero from DC Comics. Manitou Raven was known to shout "Inukchuk!" when he cast spells. This is a reference by writer Joe Kelly to Apache Chief from the Super Friends animated series. Like Apache Chief, Manitou would shout this phrase in order to...
, a powerful wielder of magic. - The Anointed One, a fallen alien who was raised by a Jewish sect as a fallen angel, possessing physical strength equal to that of SupermanSupermanSuperman 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...
. - The Whaler, a Northern Eurasian who can harness the power of the Aurora Borealis.
- Tezumak, from a pre-AztecAztecThe Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
Mesoamerican civilization that reached a technological peak before any other culture; wore powerful bronze armor oiled in the blood of his victims and had a natural knack for understanding technology. - Sela, a living weapon-woman who passed a long series of mystical trials.
With this 'League of Ancients' behind her, Gamemnae fed false visions of the future to Rama Khan, causing him to believe that he had foreseen a future where Earth would be threatened by a seven-headed hydra destroyer — the remaining members of the Justice League — and that a team would have to be assembled to defeat the threat posed by this destroyer. When the Justice League eventually arrived in the past to rescue Aquaman and the Atlanteans, the Ancients managed to prevail over the League — their willingness to kill granting them a significant advantage — but Manitou Raven, having witnessed Green Lantern
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
turn from the fight to save innocent Atlanteans, as well as 'testing' Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
with his tomahawk that could not pierce the skin of a good man, realized that the League were genuinely good people and confronted Gamemnae with the truth of her betrayal. Learning that Gamemnae had used a quagmire spell to absorb the other members of the League, thus adding to her power, Manitou used the souls of the deceased Leaguers — the spell reinforced by Kyle's willingly-sacrificed heart — to create a spell of containment that would trap Gamemnae in Atlantis until, paradoxically, his past self broke it by traveling back to the past following a trip to the future.
Awakened in the present, Gamemnae began to drain the water from the entire world to force humanity to submit to her, only to find herself opposed by a 'reserve League' created by Batman in the event the original League was killed or defeated, led by Nightwing
Dick Grayson
Dick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940....
and consisting of Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
, the Atom
Ray Palmer (comics)
The Atom is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero introduced during the Silver Age of comic books in Showcase # 34 . He was named after Raymond A...
, Hawkgirl, Major Disaster
Major Disaster
Major Disaster is a former DC Comics supervillain and reluctant amoral superhero. He debuted in Green Lantern # 43.-Fictional character biography:Paul Booker was nothing more than a cheap crook...
, Firestorm
Firestorm (comics)
Firestorm is the name of several comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, the first Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Martin Stein, by himself as Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm the Nuclear...
, Faith
Faith (comics)
Faith is a superhero in the DC Comics universe who first appeared in JLA #69 .-Fictional character biography:Faith is a female hero with tremendous psychic powers...
, and Jason Blood, aka Etrigan. Mocking Nightwing's attempts to stand up to her, Gamemnae absorbed Major Disaster, Zatanna
Zatanna
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4...
and Tempest
Garth (comics)
Garth is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics, originally known as Aqualad, and later known by the codename Tempest. As Aqualad, he is the teen sidekick and protege to his guardian, the super-hero known as Aquaman, bearing the same super-abilities as his mentor that...
, the League's only victory being a pyrrhic one
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
when Jason Blood sacrificed himself to free Zatanna.
Fortunately, the now-elderly Manitou — having hidden away to wait for the moment when he could act without changing history — rescued the League from Gamemnae's attack, revealing that she had formed a bond between herself and Atlantis to strengthen her power. Unable to defeat Gamemnae in the present, Nightwing, Hawkgirl, Zatanna and Firestorm travelled back in time to disrupt Gamemnae's connection to Atlantis in the past, freeing Aquaman by linking his pool to the sea; although he was still a water wraith, he now had the whole ocean to use as his body, allowing him to sink Atlantis and undo Gamemnae's 'Obsidian Age' of darkness and shame.
Meanwhile, in the present, the remaining Leaguers confronted Gamemnae with the aid of the resurrected corpses of the League she had already killed; unable to absorb the dead, Gamemnae was forced to resurrect them to kill them properly, only to realize too late that this had been their plan all along. Aided by the Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
's telepathic prompting, Blood was able to free himself from the quagmire spell by transforming into Etrigan, the Atom shrinking down to rescue Major Disaster and Tempest from Gamemnae while Manitou transformed himself into a giant to better battle the now-giant Gamemnae. As Gamemnae vowed to restore the water and drown Earth, the League, aided by the sacrifice of the future Manitou, managed to keep Earth's orbit stable as the water returned - Superman, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and Martian Manhunter using the Lasso of Truth
Lasso of Truth
The Lasso of Truth is a fictional weapon wielded by DC Comics superheroine Wonder Woman, Princess Diana of Themyscira. It is usually referred to as the Magic Lasso or Golden Lasso and forces anyone it captures to obey and tell the truth....
to hold Earth in place as the water returned while the Flash
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
absorbed the kinetic energy their actions caused to prevent it causing earthquakes - long enough for the past Atlantis to collapse. The Atlanteans returned to the present along with Manitou's past self, while the destruction of Atlantis in the past ended Gamemnae's attempt to conquer Earth, leaving Atlantis submerged once again and her dead.