Duke of Deception
Encyclopedia
The Duke of Deception is a fictional character
, a DC Comics
villain that battled Wonder Woman
in the Golden and Bronze Age of Comics.
He first appeared in the Golden Age in Wonder Woman #2 (Fall 1942) and was re-introduced in Wonder Woman #217 (April-May 1975) in the Bronze Age.
to battle Wonder Woman. He uses his powers to spread falsehoods to provoke humanity into conflict and war.
Deception sends his astral form to inspire military and government leaders with duplicitous thoughts that could lead to war. His contributions to World War II
include "persuad[ing] ... the Rising Sun (Japan
) to make peace talk at Washington while they struck with deadly venom at Pearl Harbor
" and "show[ing] the addled Hitler how to cultivate Russia
's friendship until the hour arrived to attack" (Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2).
On the war god's interplanetary base on the planet Mars, Deception operates the Lie Factory, which uses slaves
, spirits from different planets such as Earth and Saturn that inhabit bodies, to craft deceptions for a variety of strategems. Other slaves are used for gladiator conflicts. Wonder Woman first met him when he kidnapped Steve Trevors, and foiled his plan to cause further war with the help of Etta Candy. After repeated faliures, Mars strips him of his mighty appearance, leaving him a weak, toothless man. He was once imprisoned with the female slaves, but convinced them to rebel and briefly ruled Mars.
He eventually begins working independently from Mars, and continues to unsuccessfully battle Wonder Woman. Later he tries to attack the entire Solar System of Earth-1 after capturing Wonder Woman and Steve with a key that transforms into a spaceship which paralyzes them, but she is able to escape using her braclet to turn of the device and destroy all three-thirds of his fleet which were massing at different planets and his own ship crashes into an Earth satellite.
Deception's daughter, Lya, is a "mistress of lies" who attempts to double-cross her own father.
After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths
, this version of the Duke of Deception is erased from history.
The Duke has also made use of advanced technology in his plans to attack Earth and destroy Wonder Woman. He attempted to shrink a Martian invasion fleet into a small box from which they would emerge in enlarged form,, and he used the shrinking technology again to shrink down Skyscraper City. He has also employed a solar death ray, a forcefield that sealed in Washington, D.C. and also was a portal for an interplanetary invasion fleet, a "brain-wave deceiver" that could scramble a victim's perception of fantasy and reality, and a "gigantic inter-stellar cannon" that was able to target Wonder Woman's invisible jet. He also claimed to have altered Wonder Girl's face with technology he had employed in the past on Medusa and Dr. Jeckyll's Mr. Hyde persona, but he could have been lying.
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...
, a 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...
villain that battled Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
in the Golden and Bronze Age of Comics.
He first appeared in the Golden Age in Wonder Woman #2 (Fall 1942) and was re-introduced in Wonder Woman #217 (April-May 1975) in the Bronze Age.
Fictional background
Little is known about the true history of the Duke of Deception. He appears to be a minor god who existed for thousands of years. He is drafted by MarsAres (DC Comics)
Ares is a fictional character, a supervillainous God appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological figure of the same name, he is the god of War and one of the major adversaries of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in Wonder Woman #1, volume 1, published in...
to battle Wonder Woman. He uses his powers to spread falsehoods to provoke humanity into conflict and war.
Deception sends his astral form to inspire military and government leaders with duplicitous thoughts that could lead to war. His contributions to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
include "persuad[ing] ... the Rising Sun (Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) to make peace talk at Washington while they struck with deadly venom at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
" and "show[ing] the addled Hitler how to cultivate Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's friendship until the hour arrived to attack" (Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2).
On the war god's interplanetary base on the planet Mars, Deception operates the Lie Factory, which uses slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, spirits from different planets such as Earth and Saturn that inhabit bodies, to craft deceptions for a variety of strategems. Other slaves are used for gladiator conflicts. Wonder Woman first met him when he kidnapped Steve Trevors, and foiled his plan to cause further war with the help of Etta Candy. After repeated faliures, Mars strips him of his mighty appearance, leaving him a weak, toothless man. He was once imprisoned with the female slaves, but convinced them to rebel and briefly ruled Mars.
He eventually begins working independently from Mars, and continues to unsuccessfully battle Wonder Woman. Later he tries to attack the entire Solar System of Earth-1 after capturing Wonder Woman and Steve with a key that transforms into a spaceship which paralyzes them, but she is able to escape using her braclet to turn of the device and destroy all three-thirds of his fleet which were massing at different planets and his own ship crashes into an Earth satellite.
Deception's daughter, Lya, is a "mistress of lies" who attempts to double-cross her own father.
After the events of 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...
, this version of the Duke of Deception is erased from history.
Post-Crisis
A new version of the Duke reappears in Wonder Woman (vol. 3) Annual #1 with a caption box describing him as "The Duke of Deception, whose power of illusion made him the War God's most trusted disciple."Powers and abilities
The Duke can create illusions and delusions in the minds of others, thereby driving them insane. In addition, he can envelop himself in an illusory image which changes his physical appearance. He has used this ability to disguise himself as Wonder Woman, Paula Von Gunther, and Professor Dekon. He can also send his astral form invisibly to military and government leaders, inspiring them with thoughts of duplicity which they take to be their own.The Duke has also made use of advanced technology in his plans to attack Earth and destroy Wonder Woman. He attempted to shrink a Martian invasion fleet into a small box from which they would emerge in enlarged form,, and he used the shrinking technology again to shrink down Skyscraper City. He has also employed a solar death ray, a forcefield that sealed in Washington, D.C. and also was a portal for an interplanetary invasion fleet, a "brain-wave deceiver" that could scramble a victim's perception of fantasy and reality, and a "gigantic inter-stellar cannon" that was able to target Wonder Woman's invisible jet. He also claimed to have altered Wonder Girl's face with technology he had employed in the past on Medusa and Dr. Jeckyll's Mr. Hyde persona, but he could have been lying.
List of appearances
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2 (first appearance)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #5 (works with Doctor Psycho and conquers planet Mars)
- Comic Cavalcade #26 (first appearance of Lya)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #34 (again working for Mars)
- Sensation Comics #92
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #47
- Sensation Comics #104
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #63
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #65
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #66
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #81
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #84
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #88
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #93
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #94
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #104
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #140 (Impossible Tales)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #148
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #152 (Impossible Tales)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #153 (Impossible Tales)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #169
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #217 (Twelve Labors arc)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #239
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #240
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #254
- Who’s Who (vol. 1) #7
- Wonder Woman Annual (vol. 3) #1