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As a result of the New 52 in 2011, the entire line of DC characters was relaunched, incorporating properties belonging to the company's imprints: Wildstorm, Milestone, and Vertigo. As such, elements of this character's history have been altered in some way from the previous incarnation. For a complete list of all versions of this character, see our disambiguation page. |
- We journeyed to the edge of heaven at the Stranger's lead, seeking understanding and aid. The others heard a divine voice offer inspiration or insight. I heard only an enigmatic challenge.
- — Pandora src
Pandora is a mysterious figure from antiquity. She is responsible for opening Pandora's Box, and was cursed for all of eternity as a consequence.
History
Origins
The woman who came to be known as Pandora lived in ancient Macedonia, circa 8000 BCE. Her son was very sick, and she was tasked with foraging for berries to make herbal medicine to cure him. Her mother warned her not to stray the path, as she had been known to explore. However, she found a strange skull which released the Seven Deadly Sins upon the world. She fell unconscious and did not awaken until nightfall. When she returned, the spirits had ravaged her village, distorting and perverting the people there in order to force them to murder each other. The spirit of Wrath, in particular, possessed her son.
She was teleported to the Circle of Eternity along with Judas Iscariot and a man of questionable origin. They were called the greatest transgressors mankind has ever known, and were to be punished for their crimes. Pandora was punished last, forced to walk the world for eternity to experience the pain she wrought by releasing the spirits of evil upon man, as well as receiving scars on her face that would burn without relief.
When she returned to Earth, everyone in her village was dead and their spirits long gone. She buried them and sat among their graves until trees grew over them, then commenced to walk the world. Over the ages, she saw the effect the spirits had on people. She attempted to save people from the destruction they wrought, but soon realized that for every life she saved, the spirits would still kill many more. She changed to providing counsel for the people of the world, though she was often ignored. All the while, the spirits would appear to her periodically, mocking her by calling her their "mother" and attempting to turn her into supporting them.
Deciding to fight the spirits directly, she began to learn different forms of magic and martial arts. She had several encounters with Vandal Savage, another immortal, who offered his friendship. She refused, disgusted by his love of violence and warfare.
After many centuries, the Wizard of Shazam came to her to apologize. The Council was wrong in punishing her; she was only a curious young woman. She rejected the apology and only wanted to know how to destroy sin. According to the wizard, only someone who was "strongest" or "darkest" of heart could open it.
Flashpoint
When Barry Allen traveled through the timestream in order to try and correct it, he ended up at a point where he saw three distinct timelines—the DC, Wildstorm, and Vertigo universes. It was here where Barry met Pandora. She revealed that long ago the universe had splintered into three in order to weaken it for an impending arrival of an evil invasion. To combat the threat, she needed the different timelines to be merged into one. She accomplished this feat with the help of Barry, and he later woke up at his desk believing everything was fixed. This, however, was only the beginning of things to come.
Trinity War
Pandora investigated the murder of a man. As she left, Phantom Stranger chastised her for the restructuring of the universe. After a brief fight with her as the victor, she remarked that neither the Stranger nor the Spectre could intimidate her, as her powers were far above theirs. She left him and moved on to the next part of her plan—recruiting the Justice League, who could help her complete her goal—regardless of whether they want to or not.[1]
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Death
Pandora was chased down by an unknown powerful entity, who was the true architect responsible for the restructuring of the universe through having manipulated her into opening the box. She spitefully called the entity a heartless monster for corrupting the universe without hope, and swearing that the heroes of the universe embody that hope and would prove that he was wrong before being instantly obliterated.[2]
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Powers and Abilities
Powers
Abilities
- Archery[3]
- Firearms[3][6]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)[3][6]
- Swordsmanship[3]
- Weaponry[3]
- Throwing
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
- Twin Pistols: Pandora focuses her magic through weapons. Her pistols contain shock buffers and new polymers from Wayne Industries to allow her zero recoil.[3][6]
- Throwing Knives: Specially weighted knives for throwing. Each has a Semtex charge in the hilt.[3][6]
- Kusarigama: A sickle and chain weapon. The ball weight and chain are made of depleted Promethium and the blade is inscribed with Sanskrit runes.[3]
Notes
- Pandora was created by Henry Kiefer, first appearing in New Comics #5. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Pandora first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Flashpoint (Volume 2) #5 by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert.
- This character or object is an adaptation of Pandora, a character or object in traditional stories. These include, but may not be limited to religious texts, myth, and/or folk lore. More information on the original can be found at Wikipedia.org.
- Pandora has appeared in every first issue of the New 52's first and second waves, except Earth 2.
Trivia
- Pandora is also known as Original Sin and Mother of Monsters.
Related
- 127 Appearances of Pandora (Prime Earth)
- 98 Images featuring Pandora (Prime Earth)
- 9 Quotations by or about Pandora (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Pandora (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. |