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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. |
Hecate is the Goddess of Magic, Witchcraft, Ghosts and Necromancy in the Greek Pantheon. She is an enemy to Wonder Woman and the Justice League Dark.
Contents
- 1 History
- 1.1 Early Existence
- 2 Powers and Abilities
- 2.1 Powers
- 2.2 Abilities
- 3 Notes
- 4 Trivia
- 5 Related
- 5.1 Footnotes
History
Early Existence
At the dawn of time there was magic. It was promising and pure as it surrounded the forming Multiverse. When life was new the first magical being shaped herself out of the cosmos within the plane that would become the Sphere of the Gods so she could play with the magnificence of magic. Before long the girl sensed that beneath the Sphere there was a darker font of magic similar to her, one which was tied to the Dark Multiverse. This font would later become known as the Upside-Down Man. Frightened by this evil, Hecate created a barrier between her realm and the darker so that her realm of possibility couldn't be ruined by darkness.[3]
After creating the barrier the girl visited Earth 0, the center of the multiverse, where she watched humanity grow. Hecate would gift mankind pieces of her magic so that they could make the world around them a paradise. Humanity gave the girl a name- Hecate, which meant "far off" in their primitive tongue, believing that she came from the moon. As humanity's beliefs grew, they began to effect the Sphere of the Gods. Out of the imagination of humankind pantheons of gods were born and the Sphere of the Gods was split into smaller realms for them to reside in. The different pantheons all tried to earn the favor of Hecate, as they believed her to be the true creator of the universe. Because the rules of reality were becoming stricter, Hecate was transformed from the Maiden (an innocent and optimistic child) to the Mother (a more responsible version of the Maiden).[3]
Eventually Hecate chose to join the Greek pantheon, which lived on Mount Olympus in the Sphere of the Gods. Hecate was to marry Hades, the king of the underworld and god of death. Eventually mankind noticed the immense power Hecate wielded and attempted to steal it. Hecate was summoned by a ritual and bound by the humans, locked for eons in a prison she couldn't escape. After years of solitude, Hecate was contacted by Hades who informed her that he had taken a new bride and that she was no longer welcome at the gates of Olympus. At that moment Hecate let out a scream that shook all of reality, and she felt the dark presence of the Upside-Down Man for the first time in eons. With all of her fury Hecate tore a hole in magic, allowing some of the darkness to break through the veil of existence. She gifted this dark magic to the magicians of Earth in hopes that they would destroy themselves with it, in this moment a new dominant aspect of Hecate was born- The Crone. The Crone was pure evil who wanted nothing but suffering to be felt by every being in existence.[3]
With her rage Hecate broke free of her restraints and travelled to Mount Olympus where she met with the Gods of Olympus. When the gods begged for mercy Hecate gave it to them, however she also told them that if they crossed her again she would eliminate all of them. Paranoid that the humans would strike at her again, Hecate divided her power into five pieces and stored them in five human girls for safe keeping. These girls would never learn of this power, and each time one of them died the power would be implanted in a new girl until Hecate would come to collect. In the modern day the five witch-marked were Wonder Woman, Manitou Dawn, Witchfire, Black Orchid, and Circe.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- God Physiology: Hecate was formed from the very first energies of magic itself. Because of this heritage Hecate has almost unlimited power.[4]
- Ectokinesis: Due to being the patron god of ghosts, Hecate presumably had the ability to manipulate ectoplasm and the spirit world with ease.[2]
- Immortality: As the first magical being Hecate has lived since the dawn of time, and will continue to live until time itself runs out. It is said that she came before all other deities.[4]
- Magic: As the Goddess of Magic, Witchcraft, and Sorcery Hecate is the patron deity of magic, thus has divine authority and absolute control over magic this gives her almost unlimited magical power to call upon. Her power was so vast that she dwarfed the magical abilities of the witch Circe. She was also capable of facing off against the Otherkind, who were just as powerful as she was in the multiverse.[4]
- Disintegration: Hecate has the ability to incinerate creatures by moving a finger. She displayed this power when she incinerated the Witch Women of Themyscira after their devotion to her left her unsatisfied.[5]
- Eldritch Blast: Although she hasn't displayed the ability to project magical energy as lethal bolts yet, her witch-marked Manitou Dawn displayed the ability during her assault on Nanda Parbat. Because the witch marked gain their power from Hecate it is safe to assume Hecate also has the ability.[4]
- Flight: Although she hasn't displayed the power of self-levitation yet, her witch-marked Manitou Dawn displayed the ability during her assault on Nanda Parbat. Because the witch marked gain their power from Hecate it is safe to assume Hecate also has the ability.[4] She later actually displayed this power and apparently seems to favor levitation rather than walking.[6]
- Power Distribution: Over millennia, Hecate stored gargantuan amounts of her power in five human females, each time they died she would transfer the power to different women. This inherently gives the five individuals access to their part of the almost unlimited magical potency of Hecate.[4]
- Reality Alteration[citation needed]
- Size Alteration: Hecate has no fixed height. She is able to manipulate her size at will. She usually stands at around thirty feet tall, however during her assault on Nanda Parbat she stood as tall as a mountain.[7]
- Telekinesis: Hecate has shown herself capable of moving objects with her mind. During her assault on the Justice League Dark she dragged Detective Chimp into her hand by raising her hand out.[5]
- Telepathy: Hecate is able to manipulate the minds of those around her. When the Justice League Dark informed the Justice League about the possible threat of the Otherkind she used her telepathy to wipe the minds of the JL's members.[5]
- Illusion Casting: Using her telepathy, Hecate is capable of planting illusions into an opponent's mind. She displayed this ability when she manipulated the minds of the JL into thinking any possible evidence of her existence was in fact a complaint made by a fellow superhero.[5] She has brocken Billy Batson out of an olympian prison by disguising him as a priestess and not even Hermes and Aphrodite were able to see through her magic.[6]
- Teleportation: Hecate is able to transport herself to any location in the multiverse. She was able to breach magical barriers with this ability such as when she teleported herself into Themyscira to brand Diana and talk to the Witch Women.[5]
- Metamorphosis: Hecate has displayed the ability to turn herself into a mouse to infiltrate Olympus's prison.[6]
- Necromancy: As the patron deity of Necromancy, Hecate has the power to summon and command the dead. She once ravaged the city of Sparta with her undead creatures during the reign of King Kleomenes.[8]
Abilities
- Occultism: Hecate is the Goddess of Magic and its chief pioneer. In ancient times she taught the secrets of magic to humanity.[4]
Notes
- This character or object is an adaptation of Hecate, 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.
- Hecate was first adapted by M.C. Gaines and Don Cameron, first appearing in Sensation Comics #46. However, in the Prime Earth continuity Hecate first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Wonder Woman (Volume 4) #5 by Meredith Finch and David Finch.
Trivia
- Hecate is also known as the Triple Goddess and the Witch-mother,[4] and The Moon, The Watcher at the Crossroads, The One-Who-Is-Three, Witch Queen and The Protector of Women.[1]
- In The New 52, Hecate was depicted as a green-skinned woman with a reptilian tail. Like most of the Gods of Olympus, in DC Rebirth her appearance was changed drastically to a more traditional way, and she was instead shown as a three-headed woman.
Related
- 21 Appearances of Hecate (Prime Earth)
- 4 Images featuring Hecate (Prime Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Hecate (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Hecate (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
This character is or was primarily an enemy of Wonder Woman and the Amazons in any of her various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Wonder Woman Villains category."
This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains."
