Warworld
Encyclopedia
Warworld is a fiction
al artificial planet
published in several stories by DC Comics
, most of which feature Superman
. It first appeared in DC Comics Presents
#27 (November 1980), and was created by Len Wein
and Jim Starlin
.
race, who had once been devastated by a war, for safekeeping before dying.
The space villain Mongul
(introduced in this story) kidnaps three of Superman's
friends in order to force him to retrieve the key for him. Despite help from the Martian Manhunter
, Mongul escaped with the key. He activated Warworld and sat at the control chair, which through a direct interface allowed the operator to mentally control the vast array of weapons. Superman recruited Supergirl
to help attack Warworld, but its arsenal (including skyscraper
-sized nuclear missiles) proved too powerful. The duo realized that it was the control chair itself that caused the extinction of the Warzoons, since the neurological stress eventually killed the operator. They deliberately taxed the system until Mongul fell unconscious.
Warworld's remaining automated systems still represented a threat, however, so Supergirl breached the defenses by flying through Warworld at supralight speed. Superman followed and set Warworld to self-destruct. He attempted to retrieve Mongul but the would-be conqueror had already escaped by unknown means.
After the DC Universe's history was changed during Crisis on Infinite Earths
, Warworld was reintroduced in a multipart storyline in the Superman comics. In this version, Mongul had obtained Warworld from a trio of aliens called the Council of Overseers who allowed him to use it to form his own space empire (by threatening other races into submission with it.) Superman, who had exiled himself from Earth at the time (as a result of mental problems caused by his execution of three Phantom Zone
criminals) stumbled onto Mongul's empire, and ended up being forced to fight in Mongul's gladiatorial games. Superman defeated the ruling champion, Draaga
, but refused to kill him. Eventually, Superman defeated Mongul. He also found the Eradicator
during these events. Draaga ended up as the new figurehead ruler of the empire, but he soon abandoned his position to look for a rematch against Superman; he died on Earth.
Warworld was next seen years later in another multipart storyline in the Superman titles, "Panic in the Sky", in which Brainiac
had taken it over and used it to attack Earth. With help from many of Earth's other superheroes, Superman defeated the attack and left Warworld in the care of Orion. This invasion allows the entity known as Clawster
to escape to Earth; he would plague Superman many times.
In the Reign of the Supermen storyline, Mongul and the Cyborg Superman
had aspirations to transform Earth into a new Warworld. They destroyed Coast City
and damaged Metropolis
to set up massive 'engine-cities'. Their plans were foiled by the resurrected Superman, Supergirl, Superboy
, Steel
, the Eradicator, and Hal Jordan
.
Years later, in yet another multipart Superman storyline ("Our Worlds at War
") the space villain Brainiac 13 turns the planet Pluto into a new Warworld, but Superman, his powers incredibly boosted by diving into the sun, destroyed it by literally pushing it down a Boom Tube
extending into the past that had been created by a combination of Brainiac 13's temporal technology and Darkseid focusing his power through Tempest
.
In The Legion #5 (Oct. 2001), which is set in the far future, this Pluto/Warworld was a focus of a backup story; in this continuity it was not destroyed by Superman.
, was defeated by Superman and they were captured by Project Cadmus
. An attack by Doomsday
frees Clawster and many of his followers, whom Doomsday then kills.
In Adventures of Superman
#512, more Underworlders are seen killed by Parasite
after setting him free.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al artificial planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
published in several stories 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...
, most of which feature 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...
. It first appeared in DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents
DC Comics Presents was a comic book published by DC Comics from 1978 to 1986 featuring team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters of the DC Universe...
#27 (November 1980), and was created by Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
and Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin
James P. "Jim" Starlin is an American comic book writer and artist. With a career dating back to the early 1970s, he is best known for "cosmic" tales and space opera; for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock; and for creating or co-creating the Marvel characters...
.
History
Warworld was created by a very warlike alien race called the Warzoons, as their ultimate weapon. However, all the Warzoons died off mysteriously, and the last one was found dead at the planet's control chair by the Largas, an extremely peaceful alien race. The Largas buried him, then kept the key-like device that could activate Warworld hidden. But the Largas also died out over time, and the last one gave the key to the MartianMartian
As an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...
race, who had once been devastated by a war, for safekeeping before dying.
The space villain Mongul
Mongul
Mongul is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin. The second version first appears in Showcase '95 #85 and was created by...
(introduced in this story) kidnaps three of Superman's
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...
friends in order to force him to retrieve the key for him. Despite help from 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...
, Mongul escaped with the key. He activated Warworld and sat at the control chair, which through a direct interface allowed the operator to mentally control the vast array of weapons. Superman recruited 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...
to help attack Warworld, but its arsenal (including skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
-sized nuclear missiles) proved too powerful. The duo realized that it was the control chair itself that caused the extinction of the Warzoons, since the neurological stress eventually killed the operator. They deliberately taxed the system until Mongul fell unconscious.
Warworld's remaining automated systems still represented a threat, however, so Supergirl breached the defenses by flying through Warworld at supralight speed. Superman followed and set Warworld to self-destruct. He attempted to retrieve Mongul but the would-be conqueror had already escaped by unknown means.
After the DC Universe's history was changed during 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...
, Warworld was reintroduced in a multipart storyline in the Superman comics. In this version, Mongul had obtained Warworld from a trio of aliens called the Council of Overseers who allowed him to use it to form his own space empire (by threatening other races into submission with it.) Superman, who had exiled himself from Earth at the time (as a result of mental problems caused by his execution of three Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
criminals) stumbled onto Mongul's empire, and ended up being forced to fight in Mongul's gladiatorial games. Superman defeated the ruling champion, Draaga
Draaga
Draaga is a fictional alien character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventures of Superman #454 during the 1989 Superman In Exile storyline.-Fictional character history:...
, but refused to kill him. Eventually, Superman defeated Mongul. He also found the Eradicator
Eradicator (comics)
The Eradicator is a fictional comic book superhero character having a recurring role in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Originally created as a weapon by an ancient alien race, he is over 200,000 years old and is considered an artifact of Krypton...
during these events. Draaga ended up as the new figurehead ruler of the empire, but he soon abandoned his position to look for a rematch against Superman; he died on Earth.
Warworld was next seen years later in another multipart storyline in the Superman titles, "Panic in the Sky", in which Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
had taken it over and used it to attack Earth. With help from many of Earth's other superheroes, Superman defeated the attack and left Warworld in the care of Orion. This invasion allows the entity known as Clawster
Clawster
Clawster is a fictional character owned by DC Comics who exists in that company's DC Universe. He is a resident of the artificial planet, Warworld.-Fictional character biography:...
to escape to Earth; he would plague Superman many times.
In the Reign of the Supermen storyline, Mongul and the Cyborg Superman
Hank Henshaw
Hank Henshaw is a fictional supervillain featured in the DC Comics universe. While originally featured primarily as an enemy of Superman, recent years have repositioned him as one of the main enemies of the Green Lantern Corps...
had aspirations to transform Earth into a new Warworld. They destroyed Coast City
Coast City
Coast City is a fictional city created by John Broome and Gil Kane that appears in stories published by DC Comics. It is depicted most often as the home of the Silver Age version of the superhero Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.-Fictional history:...
and damaged Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
to set up massive 'engine-cities'. Their plans were foiled by the resurrected Superman, Supergirl, Superboy
Superboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
, Steel
Steel (John Henry Irons)
Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
, the Eradicator, and Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
.
Years later, in yet another multipart Superman storyline ("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...
") the space villain Brainiac 13 turns the planet Pluto into a new Warworld, but Superman, his powers incredibly boosted by diving into the sun, destroyed it by literally pushing it down a Boom Tube
Boom tube
A boom tube is a slang expression for a fictional extra-dimensional point-to-point travel portal opened by a Mother Box used primarily by residents of New Genesis and Apokolips in DC Comics...
extending into the past that had been created by a combination of Brainiac 13's temporal technology and Darkseid focusing his power through 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...
.
In The Legion #5 (Oct. 2001), which is set in the far future, this Pluto/Warworld was a focus of a backup story; in this continuity it was not destroyed by Superman.
Inhabitants
When Warworld was destroyed upon its invasion of Earth with Brainiac, its inhabitants went to Metropolis. In order to get the remainder of war machines activated they went underground and took control of Metropolis's Underworld, a sewer system in which rejected denizens resided. Their leader, ClawsterClawster
Clawster is a fictional character owned by DC Comics who exists in that company's DC Universe. He is a resident of the artificial planet, Warworld.-Fictional character biography:...
, was defeated by Superman and they were captured by Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
. An attack by Doomsday
Doomsday (comics)
Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
frees Clawster and many of his followers, whom Doomsday then kills.
In Adventures of Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#512, more Underworlders are seen killed by Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
after setting him free.
Television
- Warworld appeared in the animated Justice LeagueJustice 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...
series during its first season, in two episodes aptly named "War World" (that closely adapted the first post-Crisis Warworld story). - Warworld appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Duel of the Double Crossers." Batman (alongside other aliens) was taken there by Jonah Hex to compete in the games. This Warworld, like the Warworld from the DC Animated Universe, is more like a regular planet than a satellite. In "Death Race to Oblivion" Mongul threatens to destroy the Earth with his Death StarDeath StarThe Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
-like "Warmoon."
Radio
- Mongul and Warworld are also featured in the BBC Radio adaptation of the Reign of Superman storyline.