Grayven
Encyclopedia
Grayven is a fictional deity
and supervillain
published by DC Comics
. He first appeared in Green Lantern
v3 #74, (June 1996), and was created by Ron Marz
and Darryl Banks
.
, born of an unknown mother, younger brother to Kalibak
and Orion
. Grayven leads a campaign of destruction against the cosmos, destroying planets. He leads a campaign against the Darkstars
, a galactic police force, killing many of their number. His campaign comes to an end on the planet Rann
. He desires a zeta beam device, a product of Rannian science that provides instantaneous transportation on a grand scale. He intends to zeta beam his forces onto Apokolips, announce his presence to his father, and conquer the planet.
While the remaining Darkstars engaged Gravyen's army, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner
faces off against the man himself. Assisted by former Green Lantern
and current Darkstar John Stewart
, who suffers serious injuries in the fight, Kyle tricks Grayven into a Zeta Beam device, where he is teleported off Rann. Lacking their leader, Grayven's forces retreated.
Unknown to Stewart, Rayner had inadvertently teleported Grayven deep within Earth's core. He eventually digs himself out, and seeks Rayner in New York City
, who is seemingly able to overpower Grayven. Fearing defeat at the Green Lantern's hands, Grayven used an experimental teleporter, freeing himself, and in the process, sending Rayner into the 30th century.
crisis, as part of an alien alliance that also included Maxima
, Starfire
, Adam Strange
, and Darkseid
. They sought to eliminate Imperiex, a cosmic giant who destroys whole solar systems. In Adventures of Superman
#595, (Oct 2001) Grayven is under the influence of Brainiac
-13, a major force in the Imperiex War. He confronts Superman and Darkseid on the surface of Apokolips
. He is defeated by Superman, then punished by Darkseid, who feels it is his duty to do so because Grayven has 'shamed himself'. Soon, Grayven is banished to Earth.
toxin that causes insanity. He attempts to perform at, and then destroy, a comedy club. Kyle Rayner again stops him. Grayven later reappeared in "Ion: Guardian of the Universe
". There he is revealed to have sent Nero and Effigy after Kyle Rayner. Grayven also is implied to be part of some larger conspiracy, most likely that of the Sinestro Corps
due to his hunting of escaped Qwardians and knowledge of Kyle's sick mother. Rayner blasts Grayven into unconsciousness.
and the Martian Manhunter
restore his mind and assist him in building a zeta beam generator meant to send the unknown scourge of the New Gods (as seen in Countdown) to Darkseid's throne room. This would force Darkseid and the killer to fight, with the result benefitting Grayven either way. Thunder and J'onn trick Grayven, however; J'onn shapeshifts into the Black Racer
, the New Gods' incarnation of Death, which prompts Grayven to use the zeta beam on himself to escape. Moments later at his destination he is found and murdered by the real killer (later revealed to be Infinity-Man
).
. His power levels are high enough to easily fight the Green Lantern
Kyle Rayner
and the Darkstars
, yet not enough to take on Superman
.
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
and supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
published by 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...
. He first appeared in Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
v3 #74, (June 1996), and was created by Ron Marz
Ron Marz
Ron Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Silver Surfer, Green Lantern, Marvel vs DC, Batman/Aliens and Witchblade.-Career:...
and Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks is a comic book artist. He worked on one of the first painted comic books, Cyberpunk, and teamed with the writer Mark Ellis to revamp the long-running The Justice Machine series for two publishers, Innovation and Millennium....
.
Fictional character biography
Grayven is the third son 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....
, born of an unknown mother, younger brother to Kalibak
Kalibak
Kalibak is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in New Gods #1 .- Fictional character biography :...
and Orion
Orion (comics)
Orion is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in New Gods #1 , and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.-Jack Kirby Era:...
. Grayven leads a campaign of destruction against the cosmos, destroying planets. He leads a campaign against the Darkstars
Darkstars
The first Darkstars were a group of fictional intergalactic policemen that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. They were introduced in Darkstars #1 , and were created by Michael Jan Friedman and Mike Collins. The series lasted a total of 39 issues, ending with issue #38 , with an issue...
, a galactic police force, killing many of their number. His campaign comes to an end on the planet Rann
Rann
Rann is a fictional planet in the Polaris star system of the whose capitol city is Ranagar. Rann is most famous for being the adopted planet of the Earth explorer and hero Adam Strange and for their teleportation device called the Zeta Beam...
. He desires a zeta beam device, a product of Rannian science that provides instantaneous transportation on a grand scale. He intends to zeta beam his forces onto Apokolips, announce his presence to his father, and conquer the planet.
While the remaining Darkstars engaged Gravyen's army, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
faces off against the man himself. Assisted by former Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
and current Darkstar John Stewart
John Stewart (comics)
John Stewart is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2, #87 , and was created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams.-Publication history:...
, who suffers serious injuries in the fight, Kyle tricks Grayven into a Zeta Beam device, where he is teleported off Rann. Lacking their leader, Grayven's forces retreated.
Unknown to Stewart, Rayner had inadvertently teleported Grayven deep within Earth's core. He eventually digs himself out, and seeks Rayner in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, who is seemingly able to overpower Grayven. Fearing defeat at the Green Lantern's hands, Grayven used an experimental teleporter, freeing himself, and in the process, sending Rayner into the 30th century.
Imperiex
Grayven next appeared during the ImperiexImperiex
Imperiex is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman #153 , and was created by Jeph Loeb and Ian Churchill...
crisis, as part of an alien alliance that also included 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:...
, Starfire
Starfire (comics)
Starfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the fourth character to use that name...
, Adam Strange
Adam Strange
Adam Strange is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in Showcase #17 .In May 2011, Adam Strange placed 97th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time....
, and 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....
. They sought to eliminate Imperiex, a cosmic giant who destroys whole solar systems. In Adventures of Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
#595, (Oct 2001) Grayven is under the influence of 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....
-13, a major force in the Imperiex War. He confronts Superman and Darkseid on the surface of Apokolips
Apokolips
In the DC Comics fictional shared Universe, Apokolips is the planet ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. It is also integral to many DC Comics stories. The planet is considered the opposite of New Genesis....
. He is defeated by Superman, then punished by Darkseid, who feels it is his duty to do so because Grayven has 'shamed himself'. Soon, Grayven is banished to Earth.
Last Laugh and Ion
During his banishment to Earth, Grayven is infected with a variant of JokerJoker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
toxin that causes insanity. He attempts to perform at, and then destroy, a comedy club. Kyle Rayner again stops him. Grayven later reappeared in "Ion: Guardian of the Universe
Ion (comics)
Ion is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Judd Winick and artist Dale Eaglesham for Green Lantern vol. 3 #142, Ion was devised as the new superhero identity for Green Lantern protagonist Kyle Rayner. It was later revealed to be able to form mutualism with a host,...
". There he is revealed to have sent Nero and Effigy after Kyle Rayner. Grayven also is implied to be part of some larger conspiracy, most likely that of the Sinestro Corps
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...
due to his hunting of escaped Qwardians and knowledge of Kyle's sick mother. Rayner blasts Grayven into unconsciousness.
Death of the New Gods
Grayven has since appeared in Five of a Kind: Thunder/Martian Manhunter, lobotomized and nearly catatonic. ThunderThunder (comics)
Thunder is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. She was first described in Green Arrow vol. 2 #26 and first appeared the next month in Outsiders vol. 3 #1...
and the Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
restore his mind and assist him in building a zeta beam generator meant to send the unknown scourge of the New Gods (as seen in Countdown) to Darkseid's throne room. This would force Darkseid and the killer to fight, with the result benefitting Grayven either way. Thunder and J'onn trick Grayven, however; J'onn shapeshifts into the Black Racer
Black Racer
The Black Racer is a fictional character, a deity and Avatar of Death in DC Comics universe. The character first appears in New Gods #3 and was created by Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, the New Gods' incarnation of Death, which prompts Grayven to use the zeta beam on himself to escape. Moments later at his destination he is found and murdered by the real killer (later revealed to be Infinity-Man
Infinity-Man
Infinity-Man is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial superhero published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Forever People #1, .-Fictional character biography:...
).
Powers and abilities
Grayven possesses formidable super-strength and endurance. Additionally, as a New God, he cannot die from natural causes. His greatest power is a limited form of the Omega Effect used by his father, 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....
. His power levels are high enough to easily fight the Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
and the Darkstars
Darkstars
The first Darkstars were a group of fictional intergalactic policemen that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics. They were introduced in Darkstars #1 , and were created by Michael Jan Friedman and Mike Collins. The series lasted a total of 39 issues, ending with issue #38 , with an issue...
, yet not enough to take on Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
.