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Monarch (comics)
Encyclopedia
Monarch is the name of three fictional
DC Comics
supervillain
s. The first Monarch is Hank Hall
, formerly Hawk
, who later renames himself Extant for the Zero Hour
crossover. The second Monarch is Nathaniel Adam, a U.S. Army Captain. The third Monarch is Captain Atom
, a former superhero retroactively revealed to be a "quantum field" duplicate of Nathaniel Adam. Monarch was created by Archie Goodwin
, Denny O'Neil, and Dan Jurgens
, and first appeared in Armageddon 2001
#1, cover dated October (1991).
n Earth in the year 2030 AD. The people are unhappy with his rule, particularly a scientist named Matthew Ryder, an expert on temporal
studies, who is convinced he can use his technology to travel back in time and prevent the maniacal ruler from ever coming to power. He learns that, in 1991, one of Earth's heroes eventually turned evil, eliminated the superheroes of Earth, and became Monarch, who would conquer the world ten years later.
of 1991. Ryder decides to find out who Monarch really was and, if possible, kill him before he can rise to power. As he travels through the rift, his body mutates into a form of living temporal energy, and upon arriving at his destination, he takes the name Waverider
.
Although Waverider uses his abilities to look into the future of various characters, he cannot pinpoint who will become Monarch. But eventually, Waverider accidentally comes into physical contact with Captain Atom
, unleashing a storm of temporal energy that opens a gate to the future through which Monarch emerges. Monarch, it seems, has been monitoring Waverider's every move in the past ever since he left the future, and merely waiting for the perfect time to travel back and stop Waverider from erasing Monarch from existence.
In a subsequent battle with the Justice League, Monarch retreats, taking Dawn Granger, the current Dove
, with him. Hank Hall
follows and catches up to him just in time to see Dawn killed in front of his eyes. Being created as two beings whose natures were supposed to be in balance, Hank becomes enraged when his partner's pacifist nature can no longer contain his warlike spirit. He beats the Monarch to death, only to learn the horrible truth: he is the one who will be the Monarch of the future.
Upon seeing Monarch's dead body and the device he is building to enslave humanity, Hank Hall muses that the Earth will need someone to keep the balance, so he puts on Monarch's armor and continues building his machine. Eventually, the Justice League
finds him and Captain Atom, feeling guilty that he let Monarch slip through the timestream in the first place, decides to fight him one-on-one. The battle causes Atom's energy and Monarch's suit to clash, creating a portal that sends them both back in time to the age of the dinosaur
s.
The reveal of Hank Hall as Monarch led to some controversy amongst the fan community; Monarch was originally intended to be revealed as Captain Atom, with clues in the story pointing towards this which had to be discarded when it was changed at the last minute. This change was due to the premature leaking of Monarch's identity. While Monarch was always supposed to be Captain Atom, this was supposed to be a secret. When Monarch's identity was prematurely leaked, DC decided to preserve the surprise of the story by switching Monarch's identity to that of Hank Hall.
As many fans pointed out Hawk and Dove Annual #2 had Hank Hall fighting Monarch face to face in 2001 with Hawk being killed, and Dove allowed Waverider to see a multitude of futures that allowed Waverider to say "No matter the future they fought him but never became him, and in the final future their daughter fights Monarch after he has killed Hawk and Dove making Hank Hall and Dawn Granger the two heroes Monarch could not be.
Era, Monarch and Captain Atom
encounter hostile aliens who attempt to enlist each one separately and without the other's knowledge, to assist them in destroying the Milky Way Galaxy for their own ends. The two defeat the aliens' plans, and Captain Atom eventually returns to the present, while Monarch's fate is unknown.
In the quantum field, the real Adam meets the original Monarch, Hank Hall, who is revealed to have become trapped there after the events of Armageddon The Alien Agenda. Adam trains Hall to manipulate the quantum field, enough to allow Hall to gain powers of time travel and escape back into the timestream. In return for helping him escape, Hall sends the Monarch armor back to Nathaniel Adam in the quantum field.
(at this time known as Parallax
), in a bid to reshape the timeline of the entire universe. He confronts Waverider and absorbs him and most of his time-warping abilities, giving him the power to travel through time as he pleases, and re-dubs himself as Extant. In the course of the battle against Earth's heroes, Extant kills three veteran members of the Justice Society of America
: Atom (Al Pratt), Hourman
(Rex Tyler), and Doctor Mid-Nite
(Charles McNider) by ageing them to death.
Some time after Zero Hour, Extant is killed while facing the Justice Society when Atom Smasher, with the aid of Metron
, swaps Extant with Atom Smasher's mother, who had been killed in a plane crash. Subsequently, Rex Tyler's death is reversed when the Hourman android
takes his place in the timestream and is destroyed instead.
's former UN liaison, Catherine Cobert
, with whom Captain Atom once had a relationship.
It is eventually revealed that Monarch's true plan is to control the world via genetic implants he inserts into people under the guise of healing them. This plan is prevented when Booster Gold
's future biology proves resistant to the implants. What became of this version of Monarch is unknown.
for the Captain Atom: Armageddon storyline. He returns to the DC Universe
during Infinite Crisis
, in the Superman/Batman series, and at the end of the miniseries.
During the time period of the 2006 "One Year Later
" storylines, Atom is revealed to be contained by the modern day Atomic Knight
s inside a secret S.H.A.D.E. facility in Blüdhaven
, and used to administer radiation treatments to metahumans. Later in 2008's Countdown, it was revealed that the changes that were to befall Captain Atom in this period were due to the actions of Solomon. Solomon, one of the newly-born Monitors
who attacks Captain Atom almost as soon as he arrives back to New Earth from the Wildstorm Universe and damaged his alien metal shell causing him to leak dangerous amounts of radiation.
The Knights fit Atom with an updated version of the Monarch armor in order to contain the radiation leaking from his breached skin. Captain Atom awakens, and breaks free of the facility. He then apparently kills the rampaging Major Force
by absorbing his energy, and, after the city has been evacuated, triggers a vast explosion, completely obliterating what was left of Blüdhaven. His mental condition is unknown at this time.
Found by Kyle Rayner
in the Bleed, a slightly paranoid Captain Atom, still in Monarch armor, is currently traveling the Bleed to avoid the Monitors' gaze and expand his knowledge of the apparently rediscovered multiverse.
Captain Atom is first referred to as Monarch by Dan DiDio
in an interview for Wizard Magazine.
. In his weekly interview on Newsarama.com, Mike Marts revealed that Countdown #44 bears a cover by Ed Benes with the Monarch armor. , as in the same issue Monarch manages to sway Forerunner to his side, turning her against the Monitors
.
Since then, Monarch has played a substantial role in Countdown. In the Bleed, he has gathered a colossal army of potentially millions of soldiers from across the Multiverse in order to battle the Monitors. It was revealed in Countdown to Final Crisis #26 that he wishes to unleash a crisis wave which will destroy the multiverse and leave there only one unified reality, ruled by him. Currently, besides foot-soldiers his army consists at the very least of the Crime Society
of Earth-3, and the JLAx
is of Earth-10. Initially, he used Forerunner to both train his army and recruit new warriors, but he later abandoned her. He approached Lord Havok
of Earth-8 to be his second in command, and while the warlord initially said no, he later appeared to change his mind as he was seen leading Monarch's armada. One of many Countdown spin-offs, the mini-series Lord Havok and the Extremists chronicled this.
The limited series Countdown: Arena
features Monarch arranging battles between alternate versions of characters throughout the Multiverse to compile the strike team for his new Multiverse army, specifically one Superman
, one Batman
, a Wonder Woman
, a Green Lantern
, a Flash
, a Blue Beetle
, a Nightshade
, a Starman
, a Ray
and a tenth battle.http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124768 During the Arena battle, Monarch is attacked by the Captain Atom Brigade, composed of every version of Captain Atom in the Multiverse. After Monarch destroys the Captain Atom Brigade, he absorbs their power and takes his newly formed army to war with the Monitors. In Countdown to Final Crisis #16, he attacks the Monitors gathered on Earth-51. In #14, he is confronted by Superman-Prime. In issue #13 Superman-Prime fights with Monarch, becoming slightly injured after Monarch exposes part of his suit. In a fit of rage, Superman-Prime redoubles his attack on Monarch and while his temporarily Oan Guardian
-boosted powers begin to fade he rips open the chestplate of Monarch's containment armor, resulting in a huge explosion of quantum energy that devastates the entire universe of Earth-51. While Superman-Prime was later found lost in time by the Time Trapper
, and sent to the 31st Century, the status of Monarch remained unknown. An amneseic Captain Atom has resurfaced some time later in Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen Special #2 (2009); Action Comics #880 establishes he has no memories of his actions during Countdown, and has to confront a resurrected Major Force in #883. He subsequently embarks on a path of redemption.
So far the only people that have ever been able to injure Monarch are the Earth-16 Chris Kent
(who died after performing such a massive attack) and Superboy-Prime. After absorbing Major Force and every version of Captain Atom in the multiverse, Monarch's powers are perhaps one of the strongest to ever be seen in the DC Universe. He was able to beat three versions of Superman and Wonder Woman at one time in Countdown: Arena with one blow, go toe to toe with a Guardian charged Superboy-Prime, incinerate Lobo (who is as strong as Superman) and defeat all of his counterparts, with ease, within a few minutes.
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...
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...
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...
s. The first Monarch is Hank Hall
Hank Hall
Hank Hall is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe who first appeared in Showcase #75 as Hawk of Hawk and Dove. He later became the supervillain Monarch in the crossover event limited series Armageddon 2001...
, formerly Hawk
Hawk and Dove
Hawk and Dove is the moniker given to two superheroes when they team up to fight crime. Hawk and Dove describes each character's attitude or approach to fighting crime. The hawk represents aggression, and the dove representing pacifism.-Hank and Don Hall:...
, who later renames himself Extant for the Zero Hour
Zero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
crossover. The second Monarch is Nathaniel Adam, a U.S. Army Captain. The third Monarch is Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
, a former superhero retroactively revealed to be a "quantum field" duplicate of Nathaniel Adam. Monarch was created by Archie Goodwin
Archie Goodwin (comics)
Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work...
, Denny O'Neil, and Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for creating the superhero Booster Gold, and for his lengthy runs on the Superman titles Adventures of Superman and Superman , particularly during The Death of Superman storyline...
, and first appeared in Armageddon 2001
Armageddon 2001
"Armageddon 2001" was a 1991 crossover event storyline published by DC Comics. It ran through a self titled, two issue limited series and most of the annuals DC published that year from May through October...
#1, cover dated October (1991).
Hank Hall
Monarch is an oppressive tyrant from a bleak, dystopiaDystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n Earth in the year 2030 AD. The people are unhappy with his rule, particularly a scientist named Matthew Ryder, an expert on temporal
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
studies, who is convinced he can use his technology to travel back in time and prevent the maniacal ruler from ever coming to power. He learns that, in 1991, one of Earth's heroes eventually turned evil, eliminated the superheroes of Earth, and became Monarch, who would conquer the world ten years later.
Armageddon 2001
Chosen by Monarch to take part in a time-travel experiment, Matthew Ryder travels back to the DC UniverseDC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
of 1991. Ryder decides to find out who Monarch really was and, if possible, kill him before he can rise to power. As he travels through the rift, his body mutates into a form of living temporal energy, and upon arriving at his destination, he takes the name Waverider
Waverider (comics)
Waverider is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe, a time traveler who was merged with the time stream. Waverider first appeared in Armageddon 2001 #1 and was created by Archie Goodwin and Dan Jurgens....
.
Although Waverider uses his abilities to look into the future of various characters, he cannot pinpoint who will become Monarch. But eventually, Waverider accidentally comes into physical contact with Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
, unleashing a storm of temporal energy that opens a gate to the future through which Monarch emerges. Monarch, it seems, has been monitoring Waverider's every move in the past ever since he left the future, and merely waiting for the perfect time to travel back and stop Waverider from erasing Monarch from existence.
In a subsequent battle with the Justice League, Monarch retreats, taking Dawn Granger, the current Dove
Hawk and Dove
Hawk and Dove is the moniker given to two superheroes when they team up to fight crime. Hawk and Dove describes each character's attitude or approach to fighting crime. The hawk represents aggression, and the dove representing pacifism.-Hank and Don Hall:...
, with him. Hank Hall
Hank Hall
Hank Hall is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe who first appeared in Showcase #75 as Hawk of Hawk and Dove. He later became the supervillain Monarch in the crossover event limited series Armageddon 2001...
follows and catches up to him just in time to see Dawn killed in front of his eyes. Being created as two beings whose natures were supposed to be in balance, Hank becomes enraged when his partner's pacifist nature can no longer contain his warlike spirit. He beats the Monarch to death, only to learn the horrible truth: he is the one who will be the Monarch of the future.
Upon seeing Monarch's dead body and the device he is building to enslave humanity, Hank Hall muses that the Earth will need someone to keep the balance, so he puts on Monarch's armor and continues building his machine. Eventually, the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
finds him and Captain Atom, feeling guilty that he let Monarch slip through the timestream in the first place, decides to fight him one-on-one. The battle causes Atom's energy and Monarch's suit to clash, creating a portal that sends them both back in time to the age of the dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s.
The reveal of Hank Hall as Monarch led to some controversy amongst the fan community; Monarch was originally intended to be revealed as Captain Atom, with clues in the story pointing towards this which had to be discarded when it was changed at the last minute. This change was due to the premature leaking of Monarch's identity. While Monarch was always supposed to be Captain Atom, this was supposed to be a secret. When Monarch's identity was prematurely leaked, DC decided to preserve the surprise of the story by switching Monarch's identity to that of Hank Hall.
As many fans pointed out Hawk and Dove Annual #2 had Hank Hall fighting Monarch face to face in 2001 with Hawk being killed, and Dove allowed Waverider to see a multitude of futures that allowed Waverider to say "No matter the future they fought him but never became him, and in the final future their daughter fights Monarch after he has killed Hawk and Dove making Hank Hall and Dawn Granger the two heroes Monarch could not be.
Armageddon: The Alien Agenda
After being thrown back to the middle of the TriassicTriassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
Era, Monarch and Captain Atom
Captain Atom
Captain Atom is a fictional comic book superhero that has existed in three basic incarnations. Created by writer Joe Gill and artist/co-writer Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Space Adventures #33 . Captain Atom was created for Charlton Comics but was later acquired by DC Comics and revised for...
encounter hostile aliens who attempt to enlist each one separately and without the other's knowledge, to assist them in destroying the Milky Way Galaxy for their own ends. The two defeat the aliens' plans, and Captain Atom eventually returns to the present, while Monarch's fate is unknown.
Extreme Justice
In an experiment in the 1960s, Nathaniel Adam is housed in a shell of alien metal, under which an atomic bomb is detonated, propelling him into the "quantum field". There, the metal fuses with him, allowing him to survive in the void and giving him a connection to the quantum field. Meanwhile, however, the excess metal forms into a replica of him, which re-enters the timestream in the mid 1980s as Captain Atom, unaware that it is not the original Adam.In the quantum field, the real Adam meets the original Monarch, Hank Hall, who is revealed to have become trapped there after the events of Armageddon The Alien Agenda. Adam trains Hall to manipulate the quantum field, enough to allow Hall to gain powers of time travel and escape back into the timestream. In return for helping him escape, Hall sends the Monarch armor back to Nathaniel Adam in the quantum field.
Zero Hour
In the Zero Hour miniseries, Monarch joins forces with renegade Green Lantern Hal JordanHal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
(at this time known as Parallax
Parallax (comics)
Parallax is a fictional comic book supervillain in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks for Green Lantern vol...
), in a bid to reshape the timeline of the entire universe. He confronts Waverider and absorbs him and most of his time-warping abilities, giving him the power to travel through time as he pleases, and re-dubs himself as Extant. In the course of the battle against Earth's heroes, Extant kills three veteran members of the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
: Atom (Al Pratt), Hourman
Hourman
Hourman is the name of three different fictional DC Comics superheroes, the first of whom was created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily in Adventure Comics #48 , during the Golden Age of Comic Books.-Rex Tyler:Scientist Rex Tyler, raised in upstate...
(Rex Tyler), and Doctor Mid-Nite
Doctor Mid-Nite
Doctor Mid-Nite is a fictional superhero physician in DC Comics. The figure has been represented in the comics by three different individuals, Charles McNider, Beth Chapel and Pieter Anton Cross. Dr. Mid-Nite was originally created by writer Charles Reizenstein and artist Stanley Josephs Aschmeier...
(Charles McNider) by ageing them to death.
Some time after Zero Hour, Extant is killed while facing the Justice Society when Atom Smasher, with the aid of Metron
Metron (comics)
Metron is a character created by Jack Kirby for his Fourth World series in DC Comics. He was "based on Leonard Nimoy as Spock", and designed as a character who "would frequently change sides [between New Genesis and Apokolips]"...
, swaps Extant with Atom Smasher's mother, who had been killed in a plane crash. Subsequently, Rex Tyler's death is reversed when the Hourman android
Hourman (android)
Hourman is a fictional character and superhero who was created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. Based upon the Golden Age character Rex Tyler, he first appeared in JLA #12 .-Creation in the 853rd century:...
takes his place in the timestream and is destroyed instead.
Nathaniel Adam
Extreme Justice (continued)
In the 1990s, Adam uses the Monarch armor to escape the quantum field as the new Monarch. This Monarch claims to be a hero, much to the annoyance of Captain Atom, and is very popular. He is assisted by Justice League InternationalJustice League International
Justice League International is a DC Comics superhero team written by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis, with art by Kevin Maguire, created in 1987.-Publication history:...
's former UN liaison, Catherine Cobert
Catherine Cobert
Catherine Maureen Cobert is a fictional character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Justice League International vol. 1 #8 , and was created by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire.-Fictional character biography:...
, with whom Captain Atom once had a relationship.
It is eventually revealed that Monarch's true plan is to control the world via genetic implants he inserts into people under the guise of healing them. This plan is prevented when Booster Gold
Booster Gold
Booster Gold is a fictional DC Comics superhero. Created by Dan Jurgens, he first appeared in Booster Gold #1 and has been a member of the Justice League, DC Comics' all-star team of heroes. The character is initially depicted as a glory-seeking showboat from the future, using knowledge of...
's future biology proves resistant to the implants. What became of this version of Monarch is unknown.
Captain Atom
In Superman/Batman #6, Captain Atom is blasted to the Wildstorm UniverseWildstorm Universe
The Wildstorm Universe is a fictional shared universe where the comic books published by Wildstorm take place. It represents an alternate history of the real world where ideas such as interstellar travel and superhuman abilities are commonplace...
for the Captain Atom: Armageddon storyline. He returns to the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
during Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, in the Superman/Batman series, and at the end of the miniseries.
During the time period of the 2006 "One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
" storylines, Atom is revealed to be contained by the modern day Atomic Knight
Atomic Knight
Atomic Knight is a DC Comics superhero and was briefly a member of the Outsiders team. He is sometimes depicted as one of a group of Atomic Knights, which first appeared in Strange Adventures #117 .-Original Atomic Knights:...
s inside a secret S.H.A.D.E. facility in Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven
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 used to administer radiation treatments to metahumans. Later in 2008's Countdown, it was revealed that the changes that were to befall Captain Atom in this period were due to the actions of Solomon. Solomon, one of the newly-born Monitors
Monitors (comics)
The Monitors are a group of fictional comic book characters, who appear in books published by DC Comics.They are based on The Monitor, a character created by comic book writer Marv Wolfman and comic artist George Pérez as one of the main characters of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths limited...
who attacks Captain Atom almost as soon as he arrives back to New Earth from the Wildstorm Universe and damaged his alien metal shell causing him to leak dangerous amounts of radiation.
The Knights fit Atom with an updated version of the Monarch armor in order to contain the radiation leaking from his breached skin. Captain Atom awakens, and breaks free of the facility. He then apparently kills the rampaging Major Force
Major Force
Major Force is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He is a supervillain that first appeared in Captain Atom vol. 3, #12 .-Early life:...
by absorbing his energy, and, after the city has been evacuated, triggers a vast explosion, completely obliterating what was left of Blüdhaven. His mental condition is unknown at this time.
Found by 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...
in the Bleed, a slightly paranoid Captain Atom, still in Monarch armor, is currently traveling the Bleed to avoid the Monitors' gaze and expand his knowledge of the apparently rediscovered multiverse.
Captain Atom is first referred to as Monarch by Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...
in an interview for Wizard Magazine.
Countdown
Monarch appears in the last panel of Countdown #45. He appears to be observing ForerunnerForerunner (comics)
Forerunner is a fictional character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Countdown #46 , and was created by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Jesus Saiz.-Fictional character biography:...
. In his weekly interview on Newsarama.com, Mike Marts revealed that Countdown #44 bears a cover by Ed Benes with the Monarch armor. , as in the same issue Monarch manages to sway Forerunner to his side, turning her against the Monitors
Monitors (comics)
The Monitors are a group of fictional comic book characters, who appear in books published by DC Comics.They are based on The Monitor, a character created by comic book writer Marv Wolfman and comic artist George Pérez as one of the main characters of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths limited...
.
Since then, Monarch has played a substantial role in Countdown. In the Bleed, he has gathered a colossal army of potentially millions of soldiers from across the Multiverse in order to battle the Monitors. It was revealed in Countdown to Final Crisis #26 that he wishes to unleash a crisis wave which will destroy the multiverse and leave there only one unified reality, ruled by him. Currently, besides foot-soldiers his army consists at the very least of the Crime Society
Crime Syndicate of America
For the concept of crime syndicates in general, see Organized crime.The Crime Syndicate are teams of fictional supervillains, from one of DC Comics' parallel universes, who are the evil counterparts of the Justice League of America. The original team was specifically known as Crime Syndicate of...
of Earth-3, and the JLAx
is of Earth-10. Initially, he used Forerunner to both train his army and recruit new warriors, but he later abandoned her. He approached Lord Havok
Lord Havok
Lord Havok is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain, part of the supervillain team called the Extremists. He is based on the Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, and, like him, is a genius equipped with powered armor...
of Earth-8 to be his second in command, and while the warlord initially said no, he later appeared to change his mind as he was seen leading Monarch's armada. One of many Countdown spin-offs, the mini-series Lord Havok and the Extremists chronicled this.
The limited series Countdown: Arena
Countdown: Arena
Countdown: Arena is a four-issue American comic book mini-series published by DC Comics. Written by Keith Champagne with art by Scott McDaniel, that ran for four weeks in December 2007....
features Monarch arranging battles between alternate versions of characters throughout the Multiverse to compile the strike team for his new Multiverse army, specifically one 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...
, one Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, a 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....
, a 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...
, a Flash
Flash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, a Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
, a Nightshade
Nightshade (comics)
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
, a Starman
Starman (comics)
Starman is a name used by several different fictional DC Comics superheroes, most prominently Ted Knight and his sons David and Jack.Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Jack Burnley, the original Starman, Ted Knight, first appeared in Adventure Comics #61...
, a Ray
Ray (comics)
The Ray is the name of four fictional characters, all superheroes in the DC Comics universe.The first Ray was a Quality Comics character who was one of those purchased by DC Comics. He was later retconned as a member of the Freedom Fighters...
and a tenth battle.http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=124768 During the Arena battle, Monarch is attacked by the Captain Atom Brigade, composed of every version of Captain Atom in the Multiverse. After Monarch destroys the Captain Atom Brigade, he absorbs their power and takes his newly formed army to war with the Monitors. In Countdown to Final Crisis #16, he attacks the Monitors gathered on Earth-51. In #14, he is confronted by Superman-Prime. In issue #13 Superman-Prime fights with Monarch, becoming slightly injured after Monarch exposes part of his suit. In a fit of rage, Superman-Prime redoubles his attack on Monarch and while his temporarily Oan Guardian
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
-boosted powers begin to fade he rips open the chestplate of Monarch's containment armor, resulting in a huge explosion of quantum energy that devastates the entire universe of Earth-51. While Superman-Prime was later found lost in time by the Time Trapper
Time Trapper
The Time Trapper is a fictional character, a supervillain in stories published by DC Comics. The Time Trapper's main enemies are the Legion of Super-Heroes...
, and sent to the 31st Century, the status of Monarch remained unknown. An amneseic Captain Atom has resurfaced some time later in Superman's Pal: Jimmy Olsen Special #2 (2009); Action Comics #880 establishes he has no memories of his actions during Countdown, and has to confront a resurrected Major Force in #883. He subsequently embarks on a path of redemption.
Powers and abilities
Monarch possesses the magnified power of all Captain Atoms across the Multiverse and is capable of engaging and defeating even vastly powerful foes, such as Universal Monitors. Monarch's powers stem from his ability to manipulate the quantum field, and he has demonstrated the powers of flight, teleportation (even between different realities), vastly powerful energy projection, manipulation and absorption abilities, vast superhuman strength (greatly exceeding even the combined might of three Supermen, including the powerful Chris Kent), invulnerability (to the extent whereby he survived the destruction of an entire Universe), matter absorption and manipulation abilities and vast though vaguely defined awareness.So far the only people that have ever been able to injure Monarch are the Earth-16 Chris Kent
Chris Kent (comics)
Christopher Kent is a fictional character, a Kryptonian in the , who first appeared in Action Comics #844 , the first part of the Action Comics story arc "Superman: Last Son". Created by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns, he is the biological son of General Zod and Ursa, and the foster son of Clark...
(who died after performing such a massive attack) and Superboy-Prime. After absorbing Major Force and every version of Captain Atom in the multiverse, Monarch's powers are perhaps one of the strongest to ever be seen in the DC Universe. He was able to beat three versions of Superman and Wonder Woman at one time in Countdown: Arena with one blow, go toe to toe with a Guardian charged Superboy-Prime, incinerate Lobo (who is as strong as Superman) and defeat all of his counterparts, with ease, within a few minutes.
Equipment
- The original Monarch's armor was crafted using advanced technology from an alternate future, it was highly durable, could fire positronic charges from his eyes and gloves, had a teleportation device, and probably other uncatalogued functions.
- The updated Monarch armor currently worn by Captain Atom, contains a "nanoweave" designed to contain radiation leaking from a breach in his chest. It also contained instruments for monitoring his vital signs, through a direct neural interface.