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Volcana (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Volcana is a supervillain
in Superman: The Animated Series
. Voiced by Peri Gilpin
, she made her first appearance in the episode "Where There's Smoke".
-- the ability to start fires with one's mind. Her parents sent her to Metropolis's
Center for Paranormal Studies so that she could learn to control and develop her power, but she was soon spirited away by government agents who had big plans for her. According to the director of the Center, the agents "stripped away her past, code-named her Volcana, and tried their hardest to turn her into a living weapon."
But Volcana wouldn't go along with the plan. She escaped from the agents, became a hunted fugitive and survived the only way she could: by stealing. Following the fire activity on a ship, Volcana contacts her fence Donnie to find a way to get her out of town and to meet at the "usual place." After the call with Volcana, Donnie was approached by three men in suits who ask him about where the "usual place" is. Superman later had a run in with Volcana where they had a brief fight before Volcana escaped. When Volcana arrived at the "usual place" to meet with Donnie only to run into Kurt (one of the three men in suits) who mentioned that he was the one who originally kidnapped her. Before Volcana can retaliate, she is hit by a powerful flame retardant by the other agents and captured. Superman later arrived at the same spot and managed to interrogate one of the men that worked for Kurt. Volcana ended up held in a gas tank in an underground facility where Kurt states that he will sell Volcana to another government where they will dissect her and discover the source of her abilities. When Superman arrives, he points out that Kurt is doing this for his own reasons as his "Project Firestorm" was shut down. During Superman's fight with Kurt's men, the gas tank that Volcana was in was damaged enough for her to break out. Volcana managed to wreak havoc on the facility to take revenge on Kurt with her attacks igniting several hydrogen tanks. The explosion managed to stun her while Superman evacuated the endangered combatants. Superman placed her on a deserted island where Superman delivered her food in exchange that she stayed on the island and didn't harm anyone.
She later made a cameo appearance in the episode "Unity". Here she had a brief fight with Supergirl
, obviously having left her island.
Volcana made appearances in the episodes "Only a Dream" and "Hereafter" of Justice League, voiced again by Peri Gilpin. In the episode Only a Dream Volcana is incarcerated at a Metropolis jail and takes advantage of a prison riot to escape with fellow villain Firefly. Exactly why she left the island is unknown, but knowing her personality, it was likely due to boredom and wanting to live a life of excitement again. She shows a willingness to kill using her powers in this episode, which brings the character to a more sinister level than before.
It was established in the "Fearful Symmetry" episode of Justice League Unlimited
that the government project that created her was a government program that was a precursor or early version of Project Cadmus
. It would not be strictly the Cadmus we see in Unlimited, as Amanda Waller
claims that it was formed in the wake of the Justice Lords
event; however, early versions of Cadmus must exist, as some form of Cadmus created the creature Doomsday
that fought said Justice Lords
(and it has also been established that Project Cadmus began following Darkseid's brainwashing of Superman at the end of Superman: The Animated Series).
She appears briefly also in a cameo in the episode "To another shore", seen onscreen by Mr. Terrific, while she battles the Red Tornado
.
She has also appeared as a member of Gorilla Grodd
's Secret Society
and was seen battling the invading forces of Darkseid
in the series finale. In this episode she is shown to fly under her own power, which is probably how she left her island to rejoin society. Volcana witnesses Darkseid's return and was saved by Sinestro and Star Sapphire. She is one of the few survivors alive at the end of the battle and was last seen taking advantage of the "five minute head start
" the Justice League gives her after fighting with Darkseid
ceased.
and Superman: Countdown to Apokolips
. Peri Gilpin
reprises her role in both games.
and Green Arrow
and is about 10 cm tall. However, due to shoddy distribution of many of the 2007 assortments of JLU action figures, Volcana quickly became one of the rarest and most sought after pieces in the Justice League line.
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...
in Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
. Voiced by Peri Gilpin
Peri Gilpin
Peri Gilpin is an American actress known for her role as Roz Doyle in the U.S. television series Frasier from 1993 until 2004. Along with the principal cast, Gilpin won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2000...
, she made her first appearance in the episode "Where There's Smoke".
Fictional character biography
Volcana was once called Claire Selton. As a teenager, Claire showed an aptitude for pyrokinesisPyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
-- the ability to start fires with one's mind. Her parents sent her to Metropolis's
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
Center for Paranormal Studies so that she could learn to control and develop her power, but she was soon spirited away by government agents who had big plans for her. According to the director of the Center, the agents "stripped away her past, code-named her Volcana, and tried their hardest to turn her into a living weapon."
But Volcana wouldn't go along with the plan. She escaped from the agents, became a hunted fugitive and survived the only way she could: by stealing. Following the fire activity on a ship, Volcana contacts her fence Donnie to find a way to get her out of town and to meet at the "usual place." After the call with Volcana, Donnie was approached by three men in suits who ask him about where the "usual place" is. Superman later had a run in with Volcana where they had a brief fight before Volcana escaped. When Volcana arrived at the "usual place" to meet with Donnie only to run into Kurt (one of the three men in suits) who mentioned that he was the one who originally kidnapped her. Before Volcana can retaliate, she is hit by a powerful flame retardant by the other agents and captured. Superman later arrived at the same spot and managed to interrogate one of the men that worked for Kurt. Volcana ended up held in a gas tank in an underground facility where Kurt states that he will sell Volcana to another government where they will dissect her and discover the source of her abilities. When Superman arrives, he points out that Kurt is doing this for his own reasons as his "Project Firestorm" was shut down. During Superman's fight with Kurt's men, the gas tank that Volcana was in was damaged enough for her to break out. Volcana managed to wreak havoc on the facility to take revenge on Kurt with her attacks igniting several hydrogen tanks. The explosion managed to stun her while Superman evacuated the endangered combatants. Superman placed her on a deserted island where Superman delivered her food in exchange that she stayed on the island and didn't harm anyone.
She later made a cameo appearance in the episode "Unity". Here she had a brief fight with Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
, obviously having left her island.
Justice League and Justice League Unlimited
It was established in the "Fearful Symmetry" episode of Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited
Justice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
that the government project that created her was a government program that was a precursor or early version of Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
. It would not be strictly the Cadmus we see in Unlimited, as Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
claims that it was formed in the wake of the Justice Lords
Justice Lords
The Justice Lords are fictional heroes-turned-villains who first appeared in the two-part Justice League episode "A Better World" .-Biography:...
event; however, early versions of Cadmus must exist, as some form of Cadmus created the creature Doomsday
Doomsday (comics)
Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
that fought said Justice Lords
Justice Lords
The Justice Lords are fictional heroes-turned-villains who first appeared in the two-part Justice League episode "A Better World" .-Biography:...
(and it has also been established that Project Cadmus began following Darkseid's brainwashing of Superman at the end of Superman: The Animated Series).
She appears briefly also in a cameo in the episode "To another shore", seen onscreen by Mr. Terrific, while she battles the Red Tornado
Red Tornado
Red Tornado is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Justice League of America #64 , and was created by Gardner Fox and Dick Dillin.-Publication history:...
.
She has also appeared as a member of Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd
Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. He debuted in Flash v.1 #106 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino....
's Secret Society
Secret Society of Super Villains
The Secret Society of Super Villains is a group of comic book supervillains that exist in the DC Universe...
and was seen battling the invading forces of 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....
in the series finale. In this episode she is shown to fly under her own power, which is probably how she left her island to rejoin society. Volcana witnesses Darkseid's return and was saved by Sinestro and Star Sapphire. She is one of the few survivors alive at the end of the battle and was last seen taking advantage of the "five minute head start
Head start (positioning)
In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...
" the Justice League gives her after fighting with 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....
ceased.
In other media
She made two single appearances in the Superman Adventures comics, in issues 20 and 41 respectively.Video Games
She appears as a boss in Superman: Shadow of ApokolipsSuperman: Shadow of Apokolips
Superman: Shadow of Apokolips is a video game that was released in 2002 by Atari for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube consoles. It was developed by Infogrames and published by Atari in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics...
and Superman: Countdown to Apokolips
Superman: Countdown to Apokolips
Superman: Countdown to Apokolips is a video game that was released in 2003 by Atari for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It was based largely on Superman: The Animated Series, including its character portrayals, and artistic style...
. Peri Gilpin
Peri Gilpin
Peri Gilpin is an American actress known for her role as Roz Doyle in the U.S. television series Frasier from 1993 until 2004. Along with the principal cast, Gilpin won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2000...
reprises her role in both games.
Toys
In 2007, Volcana received her very own action figure as part of Mattel's Justice League Unlimited action figure line. The figure was released as part of a three-figure pack with HawkHawk 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:...
and Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
and is about 10 cm tall. However, due to shoddy distribution of many of the 2007 assortments of JLU action figures, Volcana quickly became one of the rarest and most sought after pieces in the Justice League line.
External links
- Volcana bio on the official Batman Superman Adventures homepage.
- Volcana on The Justice League Watchtower
- Volcana on the DC Animated Universe Wiki