Donald & Deborah Ritter
Encyclopedia
Donald & Deborah Ritter are fictional character
s from Marvel Comics
. They are the twin
children of Thena
, leader of the Eternals
, and Kro
, sometime leader of the race of Deviants
. The Ritter twins were created by Roy Thomas
, Dann Thomas
and Mark Texeira
. The twins first appeared in the one-shot special Eternals: The Herod Factor.
, the two had a sexual encounter, and Thena discovered she was pregnant. Using her powers, she secretly implanted the embryo
s into an infertile human woman, and the two grew up unaware of their ancestry.
When Dr. Daniel Damian, a human who was aware of the existence of Deviants and Eternals, sent a monster (formerly Ajak
) to slay the two children, killing numerous other sets of twins in the process, Thena took the two to Olympia
, the city of Eternals, but did not inform them of their heritage. However, even Olympia proved unsafe, and the monster captured the two to Peru
, where they confronted Damian. The Twins learned of their true origin, and were rescued by Kro and Thena.
The Ritter twins have been shown twice since then; In Avengers
#370-371, the two joined Kro's Delta Network
, and demonstrated the ability to merge into a two-mouthed, four-eyed and four-armed creature calling itself Tzabaoth. In Heroes for Hire
#6, they again merged, this time forming into a sleek, winged metallic creature called Dark Angel. In both stories, the twins were supposedly merging for the "first" time, and both stories also portrayed the "resurrection" of the Deviant Ghaur
, suggesting that perhaps the writers of these stories were unaware that these characters had already been used in this way.
Both Tzabaoth and Dark Angel had Eternal-like abilities, including great strength and durability, flight, and the power to fire energy beams from its eyes.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
s from Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. They are the twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
children of Thena
Thena
Thena is a fictional character appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. She is a member of the Eternals.- Fictional character biography :Thena was born in the city of Olympia in ancient Greece, and is thus one of the Eternals of Olympia...
, leader of the Eternals
Eternals (comics)
The Eternals are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics universe. They are described as an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth. The original instigators of this process, the alien Celestials, intended the Eternals to be the defenders of Earth which...
, and Kro
Kro (comics)
Kro is a Marvel Comics supervillain.-Publication history:Created by Jack Kirby, Kro first appeared in Eternals vol. 1 #1 ....
, sometime leader of the race of Deviants
Deviant (comics)
The Deviants are a fictional race of superhumans in the Marvel Comics' universe. They are an offshoot of the evolutionary process that created sentient life on Earth instigated by the alien Celestials, and wage war against their counterparts, the Eternals...
. The Ritter twins were 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...
, Dann Thomas
Dann Thomas
Danette "Dann" Thomas is a comic book writer, the wife of comic book writer and editor Roy Thomas. She has at times collaborated with Thomas on All-Star Squadron, Arak, Son of Thunder, the Crimson Avenger miniseries and Avengers West Coast.She married Roy Thomas in May 1981 and legally changed her...
and Mark Texeira
Mark Texeira
Mark Texeira is an American comic book artist. Classically trained as a painter, Texeira broke into the comics field in the early 1980s.-Career:Mark Texeira was born and raised in New York City...
. The twins first appeared in the one-shot special Eternals: The Herod Factor.
Fictional character biographies
Thena and Kro, despite being members of two offshoots of humanity who have been traditional enemies, have had a relationship for over 25,000 years. During the Vietnam warVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the two had a sexual encounter, and Thena discovered she was pregnant. Using her powers, she secretly implanted the embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
s into an infertile human woman, and the two grew up unaware of their ancestry.
When Dr. Daniel Damian, a human who was aware of the existence of Deviants and Eternals, sent a monster (formerly Ajak
Ajak
Ajak is a fictional character, a member of the Eternals, a race in the Marvel Comics universe.-Publication history:Ajak first appeared in Eternals vol. 1 #2 , and was created by Jack Kirby...
) to slay the two children, killing numerous other sets of twins in the process, Thena took the two to Olympia
Olympia (comics)
Olympia is a fictional city in the Marvel Universe. It first appeared in Eternals #5 and was created by Jack Kirby.-Fictional history:...
, the city of Eternals, but did not inform them of their heritage. However, even Olympia proved unsafe, and the monster captured the two to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where they confronted Damian. The Twins learned of their true origin, and were rescued by Kro and Thena.
The Ritter twins have been shown twice since then; In Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
#370-371, the two joined Kro's Delta Network
Delta Network
The Delta Network, also referred to as the Delta Force was the name of a group of Deviants, a fictional race of beings from Marvel Comics. The Delta Network was a group of Deviant warriors who were organized by Warlord Kro...
, and demonstrated the ability to merge into a two-mouthed, four-eyed and four-armed creature calling itself Tzabaoth. In Heroes for Hire
Heroes For Hire
Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 , and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.-Publication history and original concept:...
#6, they again merged, this time forming into a sleek, winged metallic creature called Dark Angel. In both stories, the twins were supposedly merging for the "first" time, and both stories also portrayed the "resurrection" of the Deviant Ghaur
Ghaur
Ghaur is a Marvel Comics supervillain. Created by Peter B. Gillis and Sal Buscema, he first appeared in Eternals vol. 2, #2 .In the Marvel Universe, he is the head of the Deviant race's priesthood.-Fictional character biography:...
, suggesting that perhaps the writers of these stories were unaware that these characters had already been used in this way.
Both Tzabaoth and Dark Angel had Eternal-like abilities, including great strength and durability, flight, and the power to fire energy beams from its eyes.
As Dark Angel
A synthesis of Thena and Kro’s children.- Heroes for Hire vol. 1 #6-9, 11
As Tzaboaoth
- Avengers vol. 1 #370-371
- Eternals: Herod Factor
- Fantastic Four Unlimited #10