Phobia (comics)
Encyclopedia
Phobia is a fictional DC Comics
supervillain of the New Teen Titans.
When the Brain
came to London to recruit her for the reformation of the Brotherhood of Evil
, Angela readily agreed. She joined the New Brotherhood of Evil in the hopes of conquering her own fears by unleashing those of others. Sometimes, man-hating tendencies rise up in her. Angela suffers from a fear of being alone.Phobia and the Brotherhood have opposed the Teen Titans on numerous occasions.
Phobia travels to New Zealand
and in the course of murderous crimes, coincidentally encounters the bestial super-hero Tasmanian Devil
. Sensing her killings, Tas and his New Zealand contact and confidante Raylene Mackenzie tail her. A fight ensues. Tas was initially immune to Phobia's powers, because his bestial nature was so near the surface. She dug deeper, however, uncovering his fear of his dominating and abusive mother. Tas relives a particular incident where his father was degraded and hit. Raylene attempts to help and was hit with her own fear—drowning. Despite this, they manage to work together, subduing Phobia with blows to the head. Tas becomes famous in New Zealand because of his efforts to protect Raylene.
A later encounter with Raven
forces Phobia confront the fears and insecurities that lay within herself, which stemmed from childhood issues with her father, Lord Hawkins. It appeared Phobia might reform and abandon her criminal ways following this encounter.
During the Crisis On Infinite Earths
, Phobia was given the task of using her powers to mentally torture the bound and gagged members of the Marvel Family
. She was later defeated offscreen when the Atom removes the gag from Billy Batson's mouth, allowing him to transform.
Phobia is one of the many super-villains who go on a rampage when the Joker infects them with a serum causing them to become more like him. She then spends time in the villain friendly fictional country of Zandia.
Phobia later resurfaced back with the Brotherhood, now calling themselves the Society of Sin. She also accepted an invitation to join the Secret Society of Super Villains
in Villains United
, though those who do not accept such invitations tend to wind up dead. Phobia was seen as a member of the Injustice League
.
Phobia appeared in two story arcs in MANHUNTER (Mark Andreyko), first as one of the supervillains recruited by Calculator to take out the Shadow Thief. In this storyline, she accidentally bumped into Kate Spencer and awakened Kate's fear of causing the death of her son, Ramsey (who, at this point in time, was still recovering from injuries that were inflicted on him by Kate's staff). The Manhunter had psi-shielding in her costume, however, and was able to overpower Phobia in a battle in the LA District Courthouse. In her second appearance, Phobia was assisting Kate Spencer's father in some illegal medical procedure. Manhunter tracked down her father and encountered Phobia on the first floor of the house the two were occupying. After a pitched battle, Kate defeats her again.
Phobia is part of a group effort that successfully destroys the fictional city of Bludhaven
, killing millions.
She is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run
.
She is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell free card from the Secret Six
. Following the Final Crisis
, Phobia was seen as a member of Cheetah
's Secret Society of Super Villains
. She is later attacked by Wonder Woman's foe, Genocide
.
Phobia is seen attacking the remaining members of the Titans following the aftermath of Justice League: Cry for Justice
. She infiltrates the Titans compound in New York City, first using her abilities to force Cyborg
to relive the massacre of his Titans East
squad, and then defeating Starfire
by exploiting her fear of being alone. She is ultimately defeated after Cyborg is able to overcome his illusion, which causes Phobia to break her concentration and allow Starfire to knock her unconscious. Just prior to turning her over to the authorities, Starfire speculates that Phobia had attacked the heroes for sport upon hearing of the team's fractured state.
Phobia appears in the Blue Beetle #1 from the New 52 she is one of the villains looking for the scarab with Plamus and Warp.
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 of the New Teen Titans.
Fictional character biography
Born a member of the British aristocracy with the power to make people experience their worst fears, Angela Hawkins III was a "bad seed" who rejected any help from her family.When the Brain
Brain (comics)
The Brain is a fictional character, a supervillain in the and frequent enemy of the Doom Patrol. He is a French mastermind and criminal genius...
came to London to recruit her for the reformation of the Brotherhood of Evil
Brotherhood of Evil
The Brotherhood of Evil is a group of DC Comics supervillains, archenemies of the original Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans.-Origins:The Brotherhood of Evil was founded by the engimatic villain the Brain. In the beginning, the group's motivation was world domination...
, Angela readily agreed. She joined the New Brotherhood of Evil in the hopes of conquering her own fears by unleashing those of others. Sometimes, man-hating tendencies rise up in her. Angela suffers from a fear of being alone.Phobia and the Brotherhood have opposed the Teen Titans on numerous occasions.
Phobia travels to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and in the course of murderous crimes, coincidentally encounters the bestial super-hero Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil (comics)
Tasmanian Devil is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Comics universe. He is unrelated to the Looney Tunes character, although both characters are owned by Time Warner. He first appeared in Super Friends #7...
. Sensing her killings, Tas and his New Zealand contact and confidante Raylene Mackenzie tail her. A fight ensues. Tas was initially immune to Phobia's powers, because his bestial nature was so near the surface. She dug deeper, however, uncovering his fear of his dominating and abusive mother. Tas relives a particular incident where his father was degraded and hit. Raylene attempts to help and was hit with her own fear—drowning. Despite this, they manage to work together, subduing Phobia with blows to the head. Tas becomes famous in New Zealand because of his efforts to protect Raylene.
A later encounter with Raven
Raven (comics)
Raven is a fictional superheroine who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26 , and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez...
forces Phobia confront the fears and insecurities that lay within herself, which stemmed from childhood issues with her father, Lord Hawkins. It appeared Phobia might reform and abandon her criminal ways following this encounter.
During 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...
, Phobia was given the task of using her powers to mentally torture the bound and gagged members of the Marvel Family
Marvel Family
The Marvel Family is a group of fictional characters, a team of superheroes in the Fawcett Comics and DC Comics universes. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and Fawcett artists C. C...
. She was later defeated offscreen when the Atom removes the gag from Billy Batson's mouth, allowing him to transform.
Phobia is one of the many super-villains who go on a rampage when the Joker infects them with a serum causing them to become more like him. She then spends time in the villain friendly fictional country of Zandia.
Phobia later resurfaced back with the Brotherhood, now calling themselves the Society of Sin. She also accepted an invitation to join the Secret Society of Super Villains
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
in Villains United
Villains United
Villains United is a six-issue comic book limited series, written by Gail Simone with art by Dale Eaglesham and Wade Von Grawbadger, published by DC Comics in 2005...
, though those who do not accept such invitations tend to wind up dead. Phobia was seen as a member of the Injustice League
Injustice League
The Injustice League is the name of two fictional teams of supervillains in the .-Original League :The original Injustice League was the brainchild of the interplanetary conqueror Agamemno. Bored of his dominion, he set out to conquer Earth and their champions, the Justice League...
.
Phobia appeared in two story arcs in MANHUNTER (Mark Andreyko), first as one of the supervillains recruited by Calculator to take out the Shadow Thief. In this storyline, she accidentally bumped into Kate Spencer and awakened Kate's fear of causing the death of her son, Ramsey (who, at this point in time, was still recovering from injuries that were inflicted on him by Kate's staff). The Manhunter had psi-shielding in her costume, however, and was able to overpower Phobia in a battle in the LA District Courthouse. In her second appearance, Phobia was assisting Kate Spencer's father in some illegal medical procedure. Manhunter tracked down her father and encountered Phobia on the first floor of the house the two were occupying. After a pitched battle, Kate defeats her again.
Phobia is part of a group effort that successfully destroys the fictional city of Bludhaven
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:...
, killing millions.
She is one of the villains featured in Salvation Run
Salvation Run
Salvation Run is a seven-issue 2007-2008 DC Comics limited series which was designed to tie in to the company's major event series Final Crisis in 2008.-Premise:The premise of the series, which is based on a pitch by George R. R...
.
She is one of the villains sent to retrieve the Get Out of Hell free card from the Secret Six
Secret Six (comics)
The Secret Six is the name of three different fictional comic book teams in the , plus an alternate universe's fourth team. Each team has had six members, led by a mysterious figure named Mockingbird, whom the characters assume to be one of the other five members.-Original Secret Six:The Secret Six...
. Following the Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
, Phobia was seen as a member of Cheetah
Cheetah (comics)
The Cheetah is a fictional character, a super-villainess appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Popularly regarded as the archenemy of Wonder Woman, the Cheetah first appeared in 1943 in Wonder Woman #6 , written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston...
's Secret Society of Super Villains
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
. She is later attacked by Wonder Woman's foe, Genocide
Genocide (comics)
Genocide is a fictional character owned by DC Comics, and created by writer Gail Simone for the Wonder Woman comic book.-Fictional character biography:...
.
Phobia is seen attacking the remaining members of the Titans following the aftermath of Justice League: Cry for Justice
Justice League: Cry for Justice
Justice League: Cry for Justice is a seven-issue comic book limited series, written by James Robinson, drawn by Mauro Cascioli, and published by DC Comics in 2009...
. She infiltrates the Titans compound in New York City, first using her abilities to force Cyborg
Cyborg (comics)
Cyborg is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26...
to relive the massacre of his Titans East
Titans East
Titans East is the name of several DC Comics teams. The teams appear in the Teen Titans comic books and animated series. The comic book incarnation of Titans East first appeared in the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, which is set in the future. The first modern incarnation appeared in Teen Titans vol....
squad, and then defeating 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...
by exploiting her fear of being alone. She is ultimately defeated after Cyborg is able to overcome his illusion, which causes Phobia to break her concentration and allow Starfire to knock her unconscious. Just prior to turning her over to the authorities, Starfire speculates that Phobia had attacked the heroes for sport upon hearing of the team's fractured state.
Phobia appears in the Blue Beetle #1 from the New 52 she is one of the villains looking for the scarab with Plamus and Warp.
Powers and abilities
Phobia's natural born psychic powers allow her complete and total mastery over the fear centers of the human mind. She is able to probe into the psyches of her victims, discovering the things they most fear and then manifesting those fears in their minds with illusions, which cause them to be consumed with terror.Television
- In the Teen TitansTeen Titans (TV series)Teen Titans is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. The show was created by Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack, and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003, and the final episode "Things Change"...
animated series, Phobia appears in Season 5 as one of the villains brought into the Brotherhood of Evil by its main members in the episode, "Homecoming (Part 2)". She appears in the last battle against the Titans in "Titans Together" and is later frozen at the Brotherhood of Evil's base.
Miscellaneous
- Phobia was in issue #55 of the Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go!Teen Titans Go! is a comic book series that was published by DC Comics. It is based on the 2003 animated TV series Teen Titans which is itself loosely based on the team that starred in the popular 1980s comic The New Teen Titans. The series was written by J...
comics. She appears in Titans Tower twisting the Titans' dreams into nightmares in order to paralyze them with their own worst fears. Once all five Titans have been subdued, Phobia contacts the Brotherhood of Evil to report her success, but Silkie sets off an alarm to wake them up.