Wotan (comics)

Wotan is a mystical supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman, first appearing in More Fun Comics #55 (1940). The character is a major antagonist to Doctor Fate, serving as an archenemy to various incarnations.

Wotan
Wotan as they appear in Earth 2.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceMore Fun Comics #55 (1940)
Created byGardner Fox (writer)
Howard Sherman (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoKarel Wotan (Earth 2)
Team affiliationsInjustice League
Notable aliasesWotan
Abilities
  • Mastery in black magic
  • Reincarnation
  • Skilled scientist and inventor

Originally a woman of prehistoric times, the woman who would become Wotan was sexually assaulted by male members of her tribe. Turning to magic, she took revenge and became a god-like entity to her tribe while learning to extend her life through reincarnation and became curious about the source of cruelty in humanity. Evetually, in a male body, he adopted the "Wotan" name based upon Germanic and Norse mythology and gain a lust for power and knowledge, putting them at odds with Doctor Fate and other magical characters. After the New 52 reboot, the character was then moved to the Earth 2 universe with a similar background; named Karel Wotan, she is cursed by Nabu when she arrogantly challenged the mystic sorcerer by turning her skin green so he can recognize her no matter whom she may reincarnate into. In a male body, he plots to usurp Nabu's power and is challenged by Earth 2's Doctor Fate, Khalid Ben-Hassin. The character's original incarnation would later briefly reappear in DC Rebirth.

Wotan has appeared in several media, having been adapted in both Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice animated series.

Publication history

Wotan first appeared in More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940) and was created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman.[1]

Fictional character biography

Pre/Post Crisis
Wotan as they appeared in the Post-Crisis universe. (Source: Who's Who in the DC Universe #1)

The being now known as Wotan started out life as a Stone Age woman who was raped by someone claiming to be a servant of God. She studied the black arts and became such a powerful sorceress that she was worshiped as a goddess. She later learned how to switch from body to body and then to direct her own reincarnation, eventually becoming the male being now known as Wotan.[2] In the Golden Age, Wotan encountered first Green Lantern and then the sorcerer known as Doctor Fate where he became Fate's nemesis.[3]

At one point, he was pulled back in time with other JSA enemies by the time-traveller Per Degaton to assist in capturing the JSA and stop them from interfering in his attempt to change the events of Pearl Harbor. Wotan uses his magic aura to hold the JSA captive in caves beneath an island. The plan is foiled by the actions of the All-Star Squadron. When the Spectre is released from the aura and frees the other members, Per Degaton goes back in time, thus erasing everybody's memories of this event and returning them to their proper places.[4]

During the second volume of The Spectre in the eighties, he tries to take over the body of the sorceress Zatanna, but fails.[5] In the early nineties, Wotan discovers the temple where the last body of the being known as Yahweh - God Himself - lay entombed, still seething with mystical power.[2] While fighting the current Doctor Fate and the Justice League, Wotan enters the tower with the intention of absorbing the power, confronting God himself, and supplanting Him. Instead, he emerges blinded, his evil having been burned out by God's power. Declaring that Wotan will never menace anybody again, one of Yahweh's servants spirits Wotan away.[6]

Earth 2

In The New 52 (a reboot of DC's continuity), Wotan is reintroduced in issue #9 of Earth 2 as Karel Wotan. Her original incarnation once again as a woman, Wotan claimed to be "the mage of an organization that seeks to augment its control of magic in the world" although this was later revealed to be a lie.[7] She is portrayed as an ancient sorcerer who started life as a female Viking and later mastered the arts of sorcery, having lived several lifetimes, both male and female. An encounter with Nabu the Wise left her skin forever green and unable to enter the Tower of Fate which held the helmet Wotan desperately sought after.[8]

Powers and abilities

Due to centuries of sorcerous studies, Wotan is a master sorcerer and whose forte is black magic. Among their capabilities in magic includes dimensional travel, spell-casting, and has the power to transfer their soul into another body, directing their own form of reincarnation. At the height of Wotan's power, he is powerful enough to directly challenge Doctor Fate. In addition, Wotan is a skilled and capable scientist, having created technology considered far more advanced than anything created in the 20th century.[9]

However, Wotan possesses poor skills in hand-to-hand combat and instead relies on magical powers.[10]

Other versions

In DC Universe, the continuation of DC Rebirth, there is a character called Wotan II who is part of a group of alien children called the Injustice Army. As the group idolized Earth's villains, Wotan II idolized the original Wotan.[11]

In other media

Television

References
  1. Golden, Christopher; Bissette, Stephen R.; Sniegoski, Thomas E. (2000). The Monster Book. Simon & Schuster. p. 196. ISBN 9780671042592.
  2. Doctor Fate (vol. 2) #14. DC Comics.
  3. Secret Origins (vol. 2) #24. DC Comics.
  4. All-Star Squadron #1-3. DC Comics.
  5. The Spectre (vol. 2) #7-8. DC Comics.
  6. Doctor Fate (vol. 2) #15. DC Comics.
  7. James Robinson (w), Nicola Scott (p), Trevor Scott (i). "The Tower of Fate: Prologue; The Man Who Was Scared" Earth 2 #9 (April 2013)
  8. Earth 2 #11. DC Comics.
  9. Who's Who in the DC Universe #1. DC Comics. 1990.
  10. Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. XXVI. DC Comics. 1987.
  11. Adventures of the Super Sons #7. DC Comics.
  • Who's Who:The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, volume 26
  • Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Update '88, volume 4
  • Who's Who in the DC Universe 1990, #1 (this last is the first Who's Who issue to reveal Wotan's full origin for the first time).
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