Big Barda

Big Barda
Big Barda as depicted in Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #2 (April 1985). Art by Jack Kirby and Greg Theakston.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceMister Miracle #4 (October 1971)
Created byJack Kirby (writer-artist)
In-story information
Alter egoBarda Free
SpeciesNew God
Place of originApokolips
Team affiliationsNew Gods
Justice League
Female Furies
Birds of Prey
Partnerships
Abilities
  • Immortality
  • Superhuman strength, durability, reflexes, agility, stamina and speed
  • Master hand-to-hand combatant
  • Expert with various types of weaponry
  • Battle armor and wields a mega-rod

Big Barda is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle #4 (October 1971), and was created by Jack Kirby.[1] She was raised as a member of the New Gods, but left to become a hero.

Jack Kirby based Barda's physical appearance on Lainie Kazan, who had recently appeared topless in Playboy.[2] Mark Evanier, Kirby's assistant on the Fourth World comics, has explained the genesis of the character: "Jack based some of his characters (not all) on people in his life or in the news... the characterization between Scott 'Mister Miracle' Free and Barda was based largely—though with tongue in cheek—on the interplay between Kirby and his wife Roz".[3]

Fictional character biography

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Barda is a member of the race known as the New Gods, and was born on Apokolips about 250 years ago.[4] Her mother was Big Breeda, whom Barda was taken away from at an early age to be trained as a warrior at Granny Goodness' orphanage.[5] Granny grooms Barda to one day lead the Female Fury Battalion, a ferocious pack of warrior women.[6] However, during a raid, Barda meets Scott Free, Darkseid's adopted son, and, sensing a peace about him, falls in love.[1]

Barda risks her own safety to work with the rebel cell led by the New God Himon after enforcer Wonderful Willik kills most of Himon's cell. This includes one of Barda's people, Auralie, who is tortured to death for dancing, a crime on Apokolips. Moments later, Himon kills Willik with a bomb. Barda, her Furies, Himon and Metron help Scott escape Apokolips. Darkseid himself calls for Scott to return but does not stop him, as Scott's escape can reignite his war with New Genesis. Barda, not emotionally prepared to escape herself, stays behind.[7] Eventually, Barda turns her back on Granny Goodness and comes to Earth.[8] Once there, she finds that Scott has taken up the mantel of the escape artist Thaddeus Brown, AKA Mister Miracle, and has teamed with his diminutive manager Oberon. Oberon and Barda become close friends. For a while, Barda's Furies assist Scott in his showmanship efforts[9] but they return to Apokolips by themselves. Scott and Barda are married by Scott's birth father, the Highfather of New Genesis.[10][11]

For a number of years, Barda follows Scott and Oberon on tour. Eventually they retire from superheroing and move to Bailey, New Hampshire.[12] Despite their best attempts, a normal life eludes them. Disasters plague them and eventually Barda, Scott, and Oberon leave Bailey to move into a loft in Greenwich Village. Barda forms a defense-training program for women called the New Female Furies.

Justice League

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Though naïve regarding Earth customs, Barda relishes her roles of wife and housekeeper, but when duty calls she never hesitates to assume the posture of a warrior; and when Scott joins the Justice League, Barda participates in several missions.[13] In one instance, while training Fire, her weapon, the Mega-Rod, is stolen from her car. With the assistance of her husband and the Huntress, she gets it back, but not before many innocent people are killed by its wielder, who was unable to resist the corrupting influence of the Apokoliptian technology. Barda also led a JLA mission to rescue her husband after he was lost in space. The mission was a result of Manga Khan selling Scott to Granny Goodness. Her teammates included Martian Manhunter, Rocket Red, and G'nort. In an attempt to dissuade their successful pursuit, Manga Khan hired Lobo, paying him in dolphin feed, to kill them. He almost does, before Barda teleports him to a random location directly behind Guy Gardner.

For a time, Barda mourns Scott, believing him slain in a battle with Despero, but it was a robot double that was destroyed, as part of a plan by Manga Khan.[14]

After their time with the JLI, the two leave Earth for New Genesis,[15] but, they soon return[16] and take up temporary residence aboard the Justice League Refuge. During this period, the couple separate briefly due to Scott's lack of consideration for her feelings. Barda perishes, but is reborn via Scott's temporary access to great cosmic power.[17]

Barda has served as a member of the JLA in her own right as well. At Takion's order, she and fellow New God Orion were sent as agents of New Genesis to serve on the team. Takion predicted that the Earth faced a grave threat.[18] Their mission is to help mobilize Earth's heroes against the omnipotent Mageddon. Over time, they become involved with several other JLA missions. Adam Strange, needing help with an alien invasion, enslaves the JLA as part of a bluff. The League works for days, turning the planet into a giant teleportation beam. The aliens are sent off to the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, which Barda had mentioned several times during the ordeal. In another instance, Barda is badly wounded fighting the Queen Bee, a member of the newly reformed Injustice League. Once Mageddon is defeated, Barda and Orion resign from the JLA.[1][19]

After the League

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Barda and Scott then reside in the suburbs of Connecticut and are active adventurers.[20] Barda never hesitates to lend a hand to her friends when her power and expertise are needed.

Barda accompanies Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to Apokolips to rescue Supergirl from Darkseid's clutches,[21] and accepts an invitation from Oracle to become the heavy-hitter on the Birds of Prey.[22]

A similar-looking character named Little Barda appeared as a member of the Teen Titans in 52 #21; the character leaves the group in the same issue. Her relationship to Big Barda is unknown, though she escaped from Apokolips with Power Boy.

In a confrontation with the Secret Six, she engaged Knockout, another ex-Fury, in hand-to-hand combat. Although the fight is long and continues amid other larger concerns for her team, it ends in a draw.

Big Barda is killed in the first issue of Death of the New Gods; her funeral occurs in the second issue of the series. Infinity-Man is later revealed as the killer. He had been slaughtering all the 'New Gods' in the name of restarting a new age of deities.[1]

Final Crisis #7 depicts Barda standing alongside Lightray and Highfather in front of a reincarnated New Genesis.[23]

The New 52

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In The New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Universe), Big Barda and Scott are seen on Earth 2.[24] They are later seen with many of the comrades in Supertown.[25] Big Barda and Mister Miracle are recruited by Batman to assist Los Angeles when flooding sea waters threaten all coasts.[26]

Powers and abilities

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Barda is a New God, a race of genetically enhanced beings who evolved godly abilities from their proximity to the Source. This gives Barda a level of strength roughly parallel to Wonder Woman as well as a high resistance to injury approaching invulnerability. She is similarly resistant to disease and most toxins. As a former Female Fury trained by Granny Goodness, Barda is a master combatant in swordsmanship and raw brawling, which - in conjunction with her raw strength and grit - make her an immediate match for Wonder Woman.[27][1]

In combat, Barda wears Apokoliptian battle armor, which enhances her already impressive durability. In addition, Barda uses a high-tech weapon called the "Mega-Rod". This weapon can create boom tubes for teleportation over long distances, propel her high into the air and release energy blasts capable of bringing down such powerful beings as Superman. For a limited time the Mega-Rod can also increase the gravity force of an individual.

Other versions

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Reception

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In 2011, Comics Buyer's Guide included Big Barda as #75 in a "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[30]

In other media

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Television

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Big Barda as she appears in Superman: The Animated Series (left) and Batman Beyond (right). Both appearances were used in Justice League Unlimited.

Film

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Video games

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Merchandise

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Big Barda received a figure in the DC Comics Super Hero Collection.

Miscellaneous

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  • Big Barda appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Misty Lee.[31]
  • The DCAU incarnation of Big Barda appears in the tie-in comics Batman Beyond (vol. 2), Justice League Beyond and Superman Beyond: Man of Tomorrow.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Greenberger, Robert (2008). "Big Barda". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
  2. ^ Ro, Ronin (July 2004). Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1-58234-345-4.
  3. ^ "The Jack F.A.Q." Povonline.com. Archived from the original on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
  4. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  5. ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
  6. ^ Wallace, Dan (2008). "Female Furies". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  7. ^ Mister Miracle #9 (September 1972)
  8. ^ Mister Miracle #4 (September/October 1971)
  9. ^ Mister Miracle #14 (July 1973)
  10. ^ Mister Miracle #18 (February/March 1974)
  11. ^ Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 978-1605490564.
  12. ^ Mister Miracle vol. 2, #1 (January 1989)
  13. ^ Justice League International #7 (November 1987); Justice League America #28 (July 1989)
  14. ^ Justice League America vol. 2, #37-40 (April–July 1990)
  15. ^ Mister Miracle vol. 2, #28 (June 1991)
  16. ^ Mister Miracle vol. 3, #1-2 (April–May 1996)
  17. ^ Mister Miracle vol. 3, #4-5 (June–July 1996)
  18. ^ JLA #17 (April 1998)
  19. ^ JLA #41 (May 2000)
  20. ^ Orion #25 (June 2002)
  21. ^ Superman/Batman #11-12 (August–September 2004)
  22. ^ Birds of Prey #100 (January 2007)
  23. ^ Final Crisis #7 (March 2009)
  24. ^ Earth 2 #11
  25. ^ "The Multiversity Guidebook" (Jan. 2015)
  26. ^ Justice League: Aquaman: Flooded #1 (2018)
  27. ^ Beatty, Scott (November 2002). JLA: The Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7513-4798-1.
  28. ^ DC Comics Bombshells #32
  29. ^ Bombshells United #31
  30. ^ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4402-2988-6.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h "Big Barda Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved June 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  32. ^ Harvey, James (July 1, 2010). "Trade Ad for Upcoming Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Animated Feature Title". World's Finest Online. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  33. ^ Harvey, James (September 16, 2010). "Animated 'Superman/Batman: Apocalypse' Feature Cast and Crew Details". World's Finest Online. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  34. ^ Patten, Dominic; Fleming, Mike Jr. (15 March 2018). "Ava DuVernay To Direct Jack Kirby Comic Creation 'The New Gods' For Warner Bros, DC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  35. ^ Robison, Seth (March 4, 2013). "INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US Videos Reveal DC Easter Eggs". newsarama.com.
  36. ^ "Halls of Power Part I Launches August 6, 2014!". DC Universe Online. August 6, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  37. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  38. ^ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
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