Draaga
Encyclopedia
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.
to participate in his gladiatorial games. Draaga is the champion of the games, but Superman defeats him, then refuses to kill him. This baffles Draaga, whose code of honour demands a rematch against Superman, though he later comes to respect the hero. After Mongul is deposed by Superman, the aliens who control the artificial planet Warworld
choose Draaga to be their new puppet ruler.
Draaga eventually abandons the position to look for Superman, even finding the remains of Superman's costume (torn apart during his stay) and wearing them, in a sort of homage to the warrior who defeated him. After taking a "space taxi" he arrives on Earth and challenges Superman to a fight to the death. Superman, at the time under the mental influence of the Eradicator
(a Kryptonian
artifact), fights Draaga in New York and on Earth's moon, and is on the verge of killing him when he is transported away from the fight by Professor Hamilton
. Draaga is dragged away, unconscious, by the "space taxi" driver, who is worried about collecting his fare.
Draaga returns in the "Panic in the Sky" storyline where he is employed by Maxima
to destroy Superman. The Superman he encounters here is actually the android Supergirl Matrix wearing Superman's form, who loses to Draaga on an asteroid. The second time Draaga loses on Warworld is in a contest held by Brainiac
. Later Draaga joins Superman in the fight against Brainiac to regain his honor. He is killed while jumping into an organic anti-matter doomsday device
created by Brainiac and is buried beside The Cleric, on the asteroid on which he first encountered Supergirl. The shapeshifting Matrix honours Draaga for the rest of the battle against Brainiac by adopting his form.
episode, "War World", an adaptation of the "Gladiator" comics storyline. He is voiced by William Smith
.
The name Draaga was used in an earlier DC Comic as the name of a familiar creature of a witch, who appeared in The Demon #7 (published in 1973)
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...
universe. He first appeared in Adventures of Superman #454 during the 1989 Superman In Exile storyline.
Fictional character history
In the "Exile" storyline, Superman has exiled himself from Earth due to psychological problems he was suffering from at the time. He is forced by the space villain MongulMongul
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...
to participate in his gladiatorial games. Draaga is the champion of the games, but Superman defeats him, then refuses to kill him. This baffles Draaga, whose code of honour demands a rematch against Superman, though he later comes to respect the hero. After Mongul is deposed by Superman, the aliens who control the artificial planet Warworld
Warworld
Warworld is a fictional artificial planet published in several stories by DC Comics, most of which feature Superman. It first appeared in DC Comics Presents #27 , and was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin.-History:...
choose Draaga to be their new puppet ruler.
Draaga eventually abandons the position to look for Superman, even finding the remains of Superman's costume (torn apart during his stay) and wearing them, in a sort of homage to the warrior who defeated him. After taking a "space taxi" he arrives on Earth and challenges Superman to a fight to the death. Superman, at the time under the mental influence of 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...
(a Kryptonian
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
artifact), fights Draaga in New York and on Earth's moon, and is on the verge of killing him when he is transported away from the fight by Professor Hamilton
Professor Hamilton
Professor Emil Hamilton is a fictional character in DC Comics' Superman titles. He is generally portrayed as a stereotypical absent-minded professor, with a gray beard and thick glasses and, at times, a "Mr. Wizard" type character...
. Draaga is dragged away, unconscious, by the "space taxi" driver, who is worried about collecting his fare.
Draaga returns in the "Panic in the Sky" storyline where he is employed by Maxima
Maxima (comics)
Maxima is a fictional character from the DC Comics Superman titles. She was created by writer Roger Stern and artist George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...
to destroy Superman. The Superman he encounters here is actually the android Supergirl Matrix wearing Superman's form, who loses to Draaga on an asteroid. The second time Draaga loses on Warworld is in a contest held by 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....
. Later Draaga joins Superman in the fight against Brainiac to regain his honor. He is killed while jumping into an organic anti-matter doomsday device
Doomsday device
A doomsday device is a hypothetical construction — usually a weapon, or collection of weapons — which could destroy all life on a planet, particularly the Earth, or destroy the planet itself, bringing "doomsday", a term used for the end of planet Earth...
created by Brainiac and is buried beside The Cleric, on the asteroid on which he first encountered Supergirl. The shapeshifting Matrix honours Draaga for the rest of the battle against Brainiac by adopting his form.
Powers and abilities
Draaga is superhumanly strong and resistant to injury. His strength level is almost in the same class as Superman.In other media
Draaga appears 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...
episode, "War World", an adaptation of the "Gladiator" comics storyline. He is voiced by William Smith
William Smith (actor)
William Smith is an American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.Smith began his acting career at the age of 8 in 1942...
.
The name Draaga was used in an earlier DC Comic as the name of a familiar creature of a witch, who appeared in The Demon #7 (published in 1973)