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Maya (comics)
Encyclopedia
Maya is a fictional India
n comic book
superheroine in the DC Universe
. She first appeared in Justice League Europe
#47 (1993), and was created by Gerard Jones
and Ron Randall.
. Chandi, confused and terrified, realised that the cult was evil and planning to sacrifice her. Horrified, she escaped, and fled to London
.
brawl with the supervillain Sonar
. She reluctantly uses her powers to assist them in their battle, and manages to single-handedly defeat the threat. The JLE, grateful for her timely assistance, offer her official membership with them. Feeling she had nowhere else to go, she gladly accepts. One of her earliest missions with them was a return to her homeland of India. There, she came under attack from her supposed protector, the Mahayogi. Fortunately, she fends him off long enough to escape and rejoin her team.
Maya was alone in the Justice League castle headquarters when it came under attack by three of the Bloodlines
parasites. She manages to evade them for some time and summons help by firing bursts of energies high into the night sky. She is rescued by her teammates and the armored superhero, Lionheart.
, where she encountered a boy with powers similar to hers. However, the child was killed, and Maya learned that the cult that had held her as a young girl was a front for a villain called the Overmaster
, who planned to destroy the Earth. Overmaster took control of her mind and used her against her teammates, but the Mahayogi, whom she had fought earlier with the League, sacrificed himself in order to free her mind. After a climactic confrontation with the Overmaster, the JLE disbanded. Maya's parents (her mother's name is Bharata, her father is unnamed) demonstrate fire-based powers of their own that involved an amulet and calling upon Shiva. Realizing they were no longer part of the cult, Maya decides to give her parents one more chance. Their reunion is marred by a confrontation with the armored, League-hating 'Vox Humana'. Though the League backs them up, the villains are driven away by human League supporters.
Maya lives with her parents and currently resides with them in India
. She attended the "funeral" of Maxwell Lord
. She was also seen in an adventure in which she aids Wonder Woman
in issue #174 of her series.
and Battle for the Cowl events. She is one of the candidates considered by Robin
to replace the empty slots on the team roster left by Supergirl
, Miss Martian
, and Rose Wilson
. Maya ultimately ends up being passed over in favor of Static, Aquagirl, and Kid Eternity
.
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
superheroine in the DC 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...
. She first appeared in Justice League Europe
Justice League Europe
Justice League Europe was a DC Comics book run that was a spin-off of the comic book Justice League America ....
#47 (1993), and was created by Gerard Jones
Gerard Jones
For the entrepreneur see Gérard Jones.Gerard Jones is an award-winning American author and comic book writer.-Biography:Jones was born in Cut Bank, Montana, and raised in Los Gatos and Gilroy, California...
and Ron Randall.
Fictional character biography
Chandi Gupta manifested her elemental powers at an early age, barely into her teenage years. Her parents, unsure of what to do, left her in the care of a strange Indian cult that they themselves had become followers of. The leaders of this cult were convinced that she was the reincarnation of one of the Hindu gods, ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
. Chandi, confused and terrified, realised that the cult was evil and planning to sacrifice her. Horrified, she escaped, and fled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
With the League
There, now under the alias Maya, she witnesses the Justice League EuropeJustice League Europe
Justice League Europe was a DC Comics book run that was a spin-off of the comic book Justice League America ....
brawl with the supervillain Sonar
Sonar (comics)
Sonar is a DC Comics supervillain. He first appeared in Green Lantern #14, July , and was created by John Broome and Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...
. She reluctantly uses her powers to assist them in their battle, and manages to single-handedly defeat the threat. The JLE, grateful for her timely assistance, offer her official membership with them. Feeling she had nowhere else to go, she gladly accepts. One of her earliest missions with them was a return to her homeland of India. There, she came under attack from her supposed protector, the Mahayogi. Fortunately, she fends him off long enough to escape and rejoin her team.
Maya was alone in the Justice League castle headquarters when it came under attack by three of the Bloodlines
Bloodlines (comics)
"Bloodlines" was a 1993 comic book story arc published by DC Comics. It was an intracompany crossover that ran through DC's superhero annuals and concluded with a two-issue 'Bloodbath' miniseries written by Dan Raspler. The antagonists were a race of monstrous xenomorph-like aliens, incorrectly...
parasites. She manages to evade them for some time and summons help by firing bursts of energies high into the night sky. She is rescued by her teammates and the armored superhero, Lionheart.
Overmaster
The JLE later journeyed to NepalNepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, where she encountered a boy with powers similar to hers. However, the child was killed, and Maya learned that the cult that had held her as a young girl was a front for a villain called the Overmaster
Overmaster
The Overmaster is a DC Comics supervillain. He first appeared behind the scenes in Justice League of America #233 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton.-Fictional character biography:...
, who planned to destroy the Earth. Overmaster took control of her mind and used her against her teammates, but the Mahayogi, whom she had fought earlier with the League, sacrificed himself in order to free her mind. After a climactic confrontation with the Overmaster, the JLE disbanded. Maya's parents (her mother's name is Bharata, her father is unnamed) demonstrate fire-based powers of their own that involved an amulet and calling upon Shiva. Realizing they were no longer part of the cult, Maya decides to give her parents one more chance. Their reunion is marred by a confrontation with the armored, League-hating 'Vox Humana'. Though the League backs them up, the villains are driven away by human League supporters.
Maya lives with her parents and currently resides with them in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. She attended the "funeral" of Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord
Maxwell Lord IV is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. He is a shrewd and powerful businessman who was very influential in the formation of the Justice League International in DC Comics.-Before the League:...
. She was also seen in an adventure in which she aids 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....
in issue #174 of her series.
Infinite Crisis and Beyond
She was briefly seen during Infinite Crisis. Maya made her most recent appearance in the Teen Titans series during the Final CrisisFinal Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
and Battle for the Cowl events. She is one of the candidates considered by Robin
Tim Drake
Timothy "Tim" Drake is a superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as Robin in the Batman comics, becoming the third character to take up the identity...
to replace the empty slots on the team roster left by Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
, Miss Martian
Miss Martian
Miss Martian is a superhero in the . Miss Martian was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel and first appeared in Teen Titans #37 . Miss Martian is named "Megan Morse" after Marvel Comics associate editor Ben Morse's wife, Megan...
, and Rose Wilson
Rose Wilson
Rose Wilson is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She is a member of the Teen Titans and the illegitimate daughter of Deathstroke the Terminator.-Fictional character biography:...
. Maya ultimately ends up being passed over in favor of Static, Aquagirl, and Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity
Kid Eternity is a comic book superhero who first premiered in Hit Comics #25, published by Quality Comics in December, 1942. The character - as well as all of Quality's intellectual properties were sold to DC Comics in 1956...
.
Powers and abilities
Maya was originally only able to manifest a mystical bow. She has used it as a conventional bow, able to fire sometimes devastatingly powerful projectiles usually made of mystical fire or water, or, on one occasion, to enhance her speed and strength. She later developed the ability to manifest large amounts of fire or water without using the bow as a focus. Her powers are similar to those of the Indian heroine CelsiusCelsius (comics)
Celsius is the superhero alias of Arani Desai, a fictional character in the DC Comics series, Doom Patrol. She first appeared in Showcase #94 , and was created by Paul Kupperberg and Joe Staton...
.