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Northwind (comics)
Encyclopedia
Northwind is a fictional avian
human
hybrid
published by DC Comics
.
Created by Roy Thomas
, Jerry Ordway
and Mike Machlan, Northwind first appeared in All-Star Squadron
#25. He also appeared in the Infinity Inc. comic, although he left the team partway through the run.
(Carter Hall) traveled to the Hidden City of Feithera in Greenland
, and saved its native people from human invaders intent on hunting an intelligent species, the hunters were immune to the only Feitheran weapon, a "Globlass Gun", which destroys a person's balance. Hawkman also foiled the Feitheran traitor Trata, and was able to convince the invaders to keep the secret of Feithera. For years Hawkman visited the Feitherans and finally with their permission brought along an anthropologist colleague, Fred Cantrell, who wished to study the Feitherans. A Feitheran woman named Osroro immediately fell in love with Fred Cantrell, despite her being betrothed to another Feitheran named Ramphastos. Ramphastos left Feithera, and the couple was able to marry, although most Feitherans did not support their union.
When Hawkman and Hawkgirl
later traveled to Feithera with their own son, Hector, Norda himself was born. It was then that Worla, Norda's grandfather and spiritual leader of the Feithereans knew of the irrevocable destiny that was prophesied for Hector, but dared not tell the Hawks. The curse of Seketh, the ancient Egyptian God of Death, which prophesied the combination of the Silver Scarab and the Eye of Ra
, which would bring about the end of the world. Thoth the first Feitheran leader and a group of Egyptian birdpeople traveled to Greenland and founded Feithera in the hope that they could prevent the curse from coming to pass. But the curse of Seketh would be set into motion 1500 years later, when Hath-Set
slew Prince Khufu and Lady Chay-Ara, who would after many reincarnations become the modern day Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The Silver Scarab (Hector Hall), the child of Khufu and Chay-Ara, fulfilled the curse prophesy by being born without a soul.
Seeing the danger of the Silver Scarab become imminent with the birth of Hector Hall, Worla immediately proceeded to the chamber of eggs which held the unhatched young of Feithera. As evil had planted its seed in Hector, so had Worla planted (via the age old incantation of power) the goodness of Thoth, the founder of Feithera in Norda's egg. Norda hatched that day. Norda would come to spend a lot of time with the Hall family and they adored him, but Hector grew to hate Feithera.
. Norda joined them, and they applied as the Silver Scarab, Fury
, Nuklon and Northwind. They were turned down for membership, but together with Star-Spangled Kid
, Obsidian
, Jade
, Brainwave Jr., Power Girl
and the Huntress they formed their own group Infinity, Inc.. During one of his adventures with Infinity, Inc., he assisted in moving the Hidden City of Feithera to a location called New Feithera. Norda also gained a girlfriend in aspiring reporter Marcie Cooper.
Returning to Infinity, Inc., Northwind was a changed man, sporting a new look, demeanor and the ability to fire powerful blasts of mystic energy from his hands. The now possessed Silver Scarab and Hath-Set uncovered the Eye of Ra, a powerful and ancient weapon.
The final confrontation happened at Hall Mansion, which, when burned down, revealed to have a topless pyramid inside. While Northwind confronted Hector Hall the Silver Scarab in a duel, Nuklon saved Fury, who had been kidnapped by Hector. But Doctor Hastor and the Eye of Ra appeared in time, and the Silver Scarab looked upon his destiny and spoke the spell in which the Eye of Ra opened, and the spirit of Seketh looked out through it on the Silver Scarab. The Eye of Ra denied the Silver Scarab control and flew away, but the Scarab clung to it. Invoking the name of Thoth, Northwind was able to close the Eye of Ra, sending it away to sleep under the sands of Egypt
and end its rampage, but Hector Hall was already dead. As Hector's destiny had overtaken him, so too had Norda's had grown aloof and distant after his training in Feithera, and now accepted his new role as spiritual leader of the Feitherans. Norda left Infinity, Inc., and flew home to New Feithera after Hector Hall's funeral.
), and New Feithera has been destroyed. The Feitherans have apparently lost the power of speech but not their intelligence. It has yet to be revealed how, but Black Adam
was able to convince Northwind and the other Feitherans to join him and take over his ancestral homeland Kahndaq. The JSA
responded to the hostile takeover by attacking Kahndaq and Black Adam's group, which included two other Infinitors Atom Smasher and Brainwave Jr. and a new Nemesis
and Eclipso
. The conflict resulted in Hawkman ripping off one of Northwind's wings, but thanks also to some form of advanced healing the Feitherans have gained, Northwind has already recovered it.
Around this time, Northwind and many of his people temporarily follow the powered being 'Magog', who had been spreading blessings throughout Africa.
The Spectre
attacked Khandaq, which resulted in the death of some Feitherans. However, Northwind appeared in the background of Infinite Crisis
#7 (June 2006), fighting against the villains who are taking rampage on Metropolis. It is unknown what Northwind's actual activities during the Crisis were, or how he felt about Black Adam's decision to join the Alexander Luthor
's "Society", but his opposition of the villains in Metropolis suggests that he has remained loyal to Adam, who had been betrayed by the Society and was fighting against them himself. Although Adam is a main character in the mini-series 52, which fills in the gap between the end of Infinite Crisis and the then-current "One Year Later" status of all DC comics, Northwind did not make an appearance in the series.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
hybrid
Hybrid (DC Comics)
The Hybrid are a fictional group of supervillains appearing in DC Comics. Their first appearance as a group was in New Teen Titans vol. 2, #24, which was marketed in October 1986...
published by 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...
.
Created by Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
, Jerry Ordway
Jerry Ordway
Jeremiah "Jerry" Ordway is an American writer, penciller, inker and painter of comic books.He is known for his inking work on a wide variety of DC Comics titles, including the continuity-redefining classic Crisis on Infinite Earths , his long run working on the Superman titles from 1986–1993, and...
and Mike Machlan, Northwind first appeared in All-Star Squadron
All-Star Squadron
The All-Star Squadron is a DC Comics superhero team that debuted in a special insert in Justice League of America #193 . Created by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler and Jerry Ordway.-The concept:...
#25. He also appeared in the Infinity Inc. comic, although he left the team partway through the run.
Origins
Due to an overheard conversation in the Explorer's Club, HawkmanHawkman
Hawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
(Carter Hall) traveled to the Hidden City of Feithera in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and saved its native people from human invaders intent on hunting an intelligent species, the hunters were immune to the only Feitheran weapon, a "Globlass Gun", which destroys a person's balance. Hawkman also foiled the Feitheran traitor Trata, and was able to convince the invaders to keep the secret of Feithera. For years Hawkman visited the Feitherans and finally with their permission brought along an anthropologist colleague, Fred Cantrell, who wished to study the Feitherans. A Feitheran woman named Osroro immediately fell in love with Fred Cantrell, despite her being betrothed to another Feitheran named Ramphastos. Ramphastos left Feithera, and the couple was able to marry, although most Feitherans did not support their union.
Prophecy
Hawkgirl
Hawkgirl is the name of several female fictional superhero characters, all owned by DC Comics and existing in that company's universe. The character is one of the first costumed female superheroes...
later traveled to Feithera with their own son, Hector, Norda himself was born. It was then that Worla, Norda's grandfather and spiritual leader of the Feithereans knew of the irrevocable destiny that was prophesied for Hector, but dared not tell the Hawks. The curse of Seketh, the ancient Egyptian God of Death, which prophesied the combination of the Silver Scarab and the Eye of Ra
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
, which would bring about the end of the world. Thoth the first Feitheran leader and a group of Egyptian birdpeople traveled to Greenland and founded Feithera in the hope that they could prevent the curse from coming to pass. But the curse of Seketh would be set into motion 1500 years later, when Hath-Set
Hath-Set
Hath-Set is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville. The character is a recurring nemesis of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.-Fictional character biography:...
slew Prince Khufu and Lady Chay-Ara, who would after many reincarnations become the modern day Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The Silver Scarab (Hector Hall), the child of Khufu and Chay-Ara, fulfilled the curse prophesy by being born without a soul.
Seeing the danger of the Silver Scarab become imminent with the birth of Hector Hall, Worla immediately proceeded to the chamber of eggs which held the unhatched young of Feithera. As evil had planted its seed in Hector, so had Worla planted (via the age old incantation of power) the goodness of Thoth, the founder of Feithera in Norda's egg. Norda hatched that day. Norda would come to spend a lot of time with the Hall family and they adored him, but Hector grew to hate Feithera.
Leaving Feithera
Norda left Feithera at age 15. Thanks to his stamina and inborn Feitheran migration senses, Norda was able to reach Washington D.C., the city in which his father was born. He planned to visit his grandparents there, but they had moved. Flying over Washington, he did find them, but his grandfather had already died, and his grandmother was close to death. Appearing before her, she thought him to be her son, reincarnated as an angel (thinking her son had died on a polar expedition long ago) and asked to be taken to heaven, and she died. Norda lived on the streets for some time. He was finally able to make contact with the Halls who took him in.Return to Feithera
Norda returned to Feithera for the coming of age ceremony, in which each adult Feitheran receives their life scroll, which dictates that person's role in Feitheran society, and decided their future mate. Norda was destined to marry a Feitheran girl named Isos, and Worla planned to make him his successor as spiritual leader of the Feitheran people, but Norda refused, denying his pre-ordained role in Feitheran society. Understanding Norda's human need for freedom, his father spoke up in his defense, and Norda was free to leave once more. In a last-ditch attempt to make him stay, Worla revealed the dark prophecy to his grandson, but Norda ripped up his life-scroll and flew away.Infinity, Inc.
Norda returned just as Hector Hall, Lyta Trevor and Al Rothstein decided to adopt heroic identities and apply for membership in the Justice Society of AmericaJustice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
. Norda joined them, and they applied as the Silver Scarab, Fury
Fury (DC Comics)
Fury is the codename shared by three DC Comics superheroes, two of whom are mother and daughter, both of whom directly connected with the Furies of mythology, and the third who is an altogether different character.-Pre-Crisis:...
, Nuklon and Northwind. They were turned down for membership, but together with Star-Spangled Kid
Star-Spangled Kid
Star-Spangled Kid is the name of several fictional superheroes in the DC Comics' main shared universe.-Sylvester Pemberton:The original Star-Spangled Kid was Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden Age character. He became the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism during World War II. He was unique...
, Obsidian
Obsidian (comics)
Obsidian is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 , and was created by Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. According to an Infinity, Inc...
, Jade
Jade (comics)
Jade is a fictional character, a superheroine in the . Known affectionately as "Jennie" or "Jen", she is the daughter of Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern. Her mother is Rose Canton, the Golden Age villain known as Thorn...
, Brainwave Jr., Power Girl
Power Girl
Power Girl is a DC Comics superheroine, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 ....
and the Huntress they formed their own group Infinity, Inc.. During one of his adventures with Infinity, Inc., he assisted in moving the Hidden City of Feithera to a location called New Feithera. Norda also gained a girlfriend in aspiring reporter Marcie Cooper.
Silver Scarab saga
Even with all of his friends at Infinity, Inc. Hector Hall left the group after a falling out with Lyta and a woman named Doctor Hastor (a re-incarnated Hath-Set) contacting him. Norda believed the prophecy his grandfather had warned him of was coming to pass. Traveling to Hall Mansion, Norda meant to confront Hector, only to find him already under Hath-Set's control. Going to Old Feithera in hopes of uncovering the means to defeat this ancient evil, he once again met his grandfather Worla. Norda was trained by Worla in the occult traditions of Feithera, and was taught to harness the power of Thoth inherent in all Feitehrans.Returning to Infinity, Inc., Northwind was a changed man, sporting a new look, demeanor and the ability to fire powerful blasts of mystic energy from his hands. The now possessed Silver Scarab and Hath-Set uncovered the Eye of Ra, a powerful and ancient weapon.
The final confrontation happened at Hall Mansion, which, when burned down, revealed to have a topless pyramid inside. While Northwind confronted Hector Hall the Silver Scarab in a duel, Nuklon saved Fury, who had been kidnapped by Hector. But Doctor Hastor and the Eye of Ra appeared in time, and the Silver Scarab looked upon his destiny and spoke the spell in which the Eye of Ra opened, and the spirit of Seketh looked out through it on the Silver Scarab. The Eye of Ra denied the Silver Scarab control and flew away, but the Scarab clung to it. Invoking the name of Thoth, Northwind was able to close the Eye of Ra, sending it away to sleep under the sands of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and end its rampage, but Hector Hall was already dead. As Hector's destiny had overtaken him, so too had Norda's had grown aloof and distant after his training in Feithera, and now accepted his new role as spiritual leader of the Feitherans. Norda left Infinity, Inc., and flew home to New Feithera after Hector Hall's funeral.
Kahndaq
Through yet undisclosed events, the Feitherans have evolved into an even more bird-like state, including Northwind (modeled after Hawkman's look in Kingdom ComeKingdom Come (comics)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
), and New Feithera has been destroyed. The Feitherans have apparently lost the power of speech but not their intelligence. It has yet to be revealed how, but Black Adam
Black Adam
Black Adam is a fictional comic book character, created in 1945 by Otto Binder & C. C. Beck for Fawcett Comics. Originally created as a one-shot villain for Fawcett Comics' Marvel Family team of superheroes, Black Adam was revived as a recurring supervillain after DC Comics began publishing Captain...
was able to convince Northwind and the other Feitherans to join him and take over his ancestral homeland Kahndaq. The JSA
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
responded to the hostile takeover by attacking Kahndaq and Black Adam's group, which included two other Infinitors Atom Smasher and Brainwave Jr. and a new Nemesis
Nemesis (DC Comics)
Nemesis is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. Thomas Andrew Tresser first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #166, , and was created by Cary Burkett and Dan Spiegle. Soseh Myrkos first appeared in JSA Annual #1, , and was created by David S...
and Eclipso
Eclipso
Eclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
. The conflict resulted in Hawkman ripping off one of Northwind's wings, but thanks also to some form of advanced healing the Feitherans have gained, Northwind has already recovered it.
Around this time, Northwind and many of his people temporarily follow the powered being 'Magog', who had been spreading blessings throughout Africa.
The Spectre
Spectre (comics)
The Spectre is a fictional character and superhero who has appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a next issue ad in More Fun Comics #51 and received his first story the following month, #52...
attacked Khandaq, which resulted in the death of some Feitherans. However, Northwind appeared in the background 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...
#7 (June 2006), fighting against the villains who are taking rampage on Metropolis. It is unknown what Northwind's actual activities during the Crisis were, or how he felt about Black Adam's decision to join the Alexander Luthor
Alexander Luthor, Jr.
Alexander Luthor Jr. is a DC Comics character who turned from a hero to a villain. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Alexander has a prominent role in the DC Universe storylines Crisis on Infinite Earths and Infinite Crisis....
's "Society", but his opposition of the villains in Metropolis suggests that he has remained loyal to Adam, who had been betrayed by the Society and was fighting against them himself. Although Adam is a main character in the mini-series 52, which fills in the gap between the end of Infinite Crisis and the then-current "One Year Later" status of all DC comics, Northwind did not make an appearance in the series.
Powers and abilities
Born with his wings, Northwind has the ability to fly, with Olympic level athletic prowess and agility. He appears to have advanced regenerative abilities, as well as superhuman strength and stamina. He also possesses what he calls "migra-power", an inborn migration sense which enables him to fly long distances and not get lost. He can also communicate with birds and sense approaching weather patterns. In the early issues of Infinity, Inc., he used to carry a "Globlass Gun", an energy weapon from his native Feithera that causes a person caught in its beam to lose balance. Due to his training under his grandfather Worla, Norda is now a master of Feitheran magic which gave him the ability to project mystic flame from his palms. In his new man-hawk form, he carries a spear as his primary weapon.Appearance
- Northwind's current appearance is similar to HawkmanHawkmanHawkman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in Flash Comics #1, published by All-American Publications in 1940....
's in the ElseworldsElseworldsElseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
comic Kingdom ComeKingdom Come (comic book)Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
. - Between the time of the cancellation of Infinity Inc. and his reappearance in a different form in both JSA and Hawkman(vol. 4), Northwind appeared briefly in a gathering of heroes in the splash page of Zero Hour #4.
- A new version of the Earth-2 Northwind, unrelated to the original in post-Infinite CrisisInfinite CrisisInfinite 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...
continuity, is to appear in the Justice Society of AmericaJustice Society of AmericaThe Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
Annual 1.