Glorious Godfrey
Encyclopedia
Glorious Godfrey is a DC Comics
villain
created by Jack Kirby
, originally as part of The Fourth World series of comic books in the early 1970s. He first appeared in Forever People
vol. 1 #3 (June 1971).
's Elite. Both siblings have similar powers. Whereas Amazing Grace's speciality is manipulation, Godfrey's is persuasion.
Godfrey remained a relatively unimportant character until 1986 (he had a total of 3 appearances over a decade and a half), when Legends
(the first crossover since the Crisis on Infinite Earths
) was published. In it, Darkseid
attempts to deprive the world of its heroes, not only so that they would be ineffective against Darkseid, but also in the hope that the people of Earth would more willingly surrender to his rule.
The first phase of the plan consists simply of creating immense amounts of collateral damage by sending creatures to Earth to fight the superhero
es. The public begins to resent the heroes in their midst, and therefore Darkseid starts the second phase of his plan by sending the master manipulator Glorious Godfrey to Earth.
Assuming the identity of G. Gordon Godfrey (a play on the name G. Gordon Liddy
), he starts a hate-campaign toward the superheroes that proves to be very effective, riling the public, ultimately leading to a presidential decision to outlaw any super-heroic activity. The final phase of the plan consists of the Apokoliptian warhounds, cybernetic creatures that are bonded to human hosts, for which Godfrey is able to find an ample amount of 'volunteers' among his hypnotized public. He leads his charges to Washington D.C., only to be confronted by a cadre of assembled heroes.
The heroes are able to defeat the Warhounds and separate them from their human hosts, and Godfrey makes one last ploy by putting on the helmet of Doctor Fate
in hopes of obtaining his awesome might. Instead, the helmet mindwipe
s Godfrey, leaving him nothing more than an empty shell that is sent to Belle Reve
sanitarium, where he would later be broken out of by the Female Furies
under the order of Darkseid.
Godfrey has subsequently made brief appearances among assemblages of all the Apokoliptian Gods.
and the lack of government aid and assistance in dealing with the crisis in the ruined city. In-between Final Crisis #1 and #2, Good is captured and transformed into a host for the essence of Glorious Godfrey. Godfrey taunts Dan Turpin and Batman, as Batman is imprisoned and Turpin transformed into the final host body for Darkseid.
In Final Crisis #4, Godfrey is present when Darkseid takes control over Turpin's body, upon Turpin learning of Mr. Miracle (who represented the spirit of freedom) was shot. However, in Final Crisis #5, Darkseid responds to his minion's impending death (presumably due to the fact that Godfrey's host body was not modified to successfully contain Godfrey's dark essence) by watching them die in front of him.
) is the host of a sensationalist talk show which he uses to attack the Justice League's credibility. It is not revealed if he is connected with Darkseid or has his powers of persuasion; it appears that he is a normal human. After the Justice League successfully prevented the destruction of the sun
, his sponsors dropped him and the network moved his show to four o'clock in the morning. At one point on his talk show, Godfrey holds up a book called The Innocent Seduced and refers to its author, Dr. Frederic. This is a reference to Seduction of the Innocent
, an actual book written by Fredric Wertham
which had great influence during the early 1950s and accused comic books of corrupting minors.
of Smallville
played by actor Michael Daingerfield. Godfrey, who is a radio personality against vigilantes and illegal aliens, is heard on the radio in the episode "Shield" and appears in the following episode "Supergirl". He ends up as one of Darkseid's host bodies, and through him, he becomes a famous author for a best-selling anti-heroes book, trying to break the heroes' spirit. Despite apparently being freed from Darkseid after the confrontation with The Blur
and Kara Zor-El, on the episode "Abandoned," it is shown that he becomes one of a trinity of minion-prophets for Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips, with Granny Goodness
and Desaad
. In the series finale When Apokolips descended to Earth, he, Granny Goodness and Desaad had meeting with the corrupted Oliver Queen. They gave him a Gold K ring so he could remove Clark's powers, leaving no one to stop Darkseid, but, unknown to them, Clark managed to remove Oliver's Omega symbol. As the final moments of Apopkolips' rapture approached, Oliver appeared to the prophets, now cleaned of their influence. Godfrey was shocked by this and the three tried to kill him though before they could, Oliver used his arrows to destroy them all.
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
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
created by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, originally as part of The Fourth World series of comic books in the early 1970s. He first appeared in Forever People
Forever People
The Forever People are a fictional group of extraterrestrial superheroes published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Forever People #1 , and were created by Jack Kirby as part of his "Fourth World" epic.-Fictional history:...
vol. 1 #3 (June 1971).
Fictional character biography
Godfrey has a sister named Amazing Grace who is also a member of DarkseidDarkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
's Elite. Both siblings have similar powers. Whereas Amazing Grace's speciality is manipulation, Godfrey's is persuasion.
Godfrey remained a relatively unimportant character until 1986 (he had a total of 3 appearances over a decade and a half), when Legends
Legends (comics)
"Legends" was a comic book crossover story line that ran through a six-issue, self titled limited series and various other titles published by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987...
(the first crossover since the 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...
) was published. In it, Darkseid
Darkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
attempts to deprive the world of its heroes, not only so that they would be ineffective against Darkseid, but also in the hope that the people of Earth would more willingly surrender to his rule.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es. The public begins to resent the heroes in their midst, and therefore Darkseid starts the second phase of his plan by sending the master manipulator Glorious Godfrey to Earth.
Assuming the identity of G. Gordon Godfrey (a play on the name G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
), he starts a hate-campaign toward the superheroes that proves to be very effective, riling the public, ultimately leading to a presidential decision to outlaw any super-heroic activity. The final phase of the plan consists of the Apokoliptian warhounds, cybernetic creatures that are bonded to human hosts, for which Godfrey is able to find an ample amount of 'volunteers' among his hypnotized public. He leads his charges to Washington D.C., only to be confronted by a cadre of assembled heroes.
The heroes are able to defeat the Warhounds and separate them from their human hosts, and Godfrey makes one last ploy by putting on the helmet of Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate
Doctor Fate is the name of a succession of fictional sorcerers who appear in books published by DC Comics. The original version was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, and first appeared in More Fun Comics #55...
in hopes of obtaining his awesome might. Instead, the helmet mindwipe
Mindwipe
For the Transformers character, see Mindwipe .Mindwipe is a technique used in some science fiction scenarios, where the subject's memories and personality are erased and replaced by new memories and personality more useful to those who are carrying out the mindwiping, or to their area's...
s Godfrey, leaving him nothing more than an empty shell that is sent to Belle Reve
Belle Reve
Belle Reve Penitentiary is a fictional prison and sanitorium in the DC Universe, first appearing in Suicide Squad #1 by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell.-Fictional background:...
sanitarium, where he would later be broken out of by the Female Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
under the order of Darkseid.
Godfrey has subsequently made brief appearances among assemblages of all the Apokoliptian Gods.
Final Crisis
In Final Crisis #1, an African-American Reverend Godfrey Good (who physically resembles the Reverend Al Sharpton) appears on a TV news report, decrying the situation in BlüdhavenBlüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
and the lack of government aid and assistance in dealing with the crisis in the ruined city. In-between Final Crisis #1 and #2, Good is captured and transformed into a host for the essence of Glorious Godfrey. Godfrey taunts Dan Turpin and Batman, as Batman is imprisoned and Turpin transformed into the final host body for Darkseid.
In Final Crisis #4, Godfrey is present when Darkseid takes control over Turpin's body, upon Turpin learning of Mr. Miracle (who represented the spirit of freedom) was shot. However, in Final Crisis #5, Darkseid responds to his minion's impending death (presumably due to the fact that Godfrey's host body was not modified to successfully contain Godfrey's dark essence) by watching them die in front of him.
Justice League
A different version of Glorious Godfrey appeared in the Justice League animated series. This version of Godfrey had blonde hair, rather than the comic version's orange. In the two part episode "Eclipsed". "Glorious" G. Gordon Godfrey (voiced by Enrico ColantoniEnrico Colantoni
Enrico Colantoni is a Canadian actor, probably best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom Just Shoot Me!, Keith Mars on the television series Veronica Mars, and Sergeant Greg Parker on the television series Flashpoint. He has also had supporting roles in such films as The Wrong Guy, ...
) is the host of a sensationalist talk show which he uses to attack the Justice League's credibility. It is not revealed if he is connected with Darkseid or has his powers of persuasion; it appears that he is a normal human. After the Justice League successfully prevented the destruction of the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, his sponsors dropped him and the network moved his show to four o'clock in the morning. At one point on his talk show, Godfrey holds up a book called The Innocent Seduced and refers to its author, Dr. Frederic. This is a reference to Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent
Seduction of the Innocent is a book by German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, published in 1954, that warned that comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. The book was a minor bestseller that created alarm in parents and galvanized...
, an actual book written by Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham
Fredric Wertham was a Jewish German-American psychiatrist and crusading author who protested the purportedly harmful effects of violent imagery in mass media and comic books on the development of children. His best-known book was Seduction of the Innocent , which purported that comic books are...
which had great influence during the early 1950s and accused comic books of corrupting minors.
Smallville
Godfrey appears on the tenth and final seasonSmallville (season 10)
Season ten of Smallville, an American television series, premiered on September 24, 2010 and consisted of 22 episodes. It was the tenth and final season to air, and the fifth one to air on The CW television network...
of Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
played by actor Michael Daingerfield. Godfrey, who is a radio personality against vigilantes and illegal aliens, is heard on the radio in the episode "Shield" and appears in the following episode "Supergirl". He ends up as one of Darkseid's host bodies, and through him, he becomes a famous author for a best-selling anti-heroes book, trying to break the heroes' spirit. Despite apparently being freed from Darkseid after the confrontation with The Blur
Clark Kent (Smallville)
Clark Kent is a fictional character on the television series Smallville. The character of Clark Kent, first created for comic books by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1938 as the alternate identity of Superman, was adapted to television in 2001 by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar—this is the fourth...
and Kara Zor-El, on the episode "Abandoned," it is shown that he becomes one of a trinity of minion-prophets for Darkseid, the Lord of Apokolips, with Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
and Desaad
Desaad
Desaad is a fictional comic book supervillain, appearing in books published by DC Comics. He is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet of Apokolips in Jack Kirby's Fourth World meta-series....
. In the series finale When Apokolips descended to Earth, he, Granny Goodness and Desaad had meeting with the corrupted Oliver Queen. They gave him a Gold K ring so he could remove Clark's powers, leaving no one to stop Darkseid, but, unknown to them, Clark managed to remove Oliver's Omega symbol. As the final moments of Apopkolips' rapture approached, Oliver appeared to the prophets, now cleaned of their influence. Godfrey was shocked by this and the three tried to kill him though before they could, Oliver used his arrows to destroy them all.
External links
- Glorious Godfrey at the Guide to the DC Universe