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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. |
Achilles was a famous Greek hero of ancient times.
History
Achilles, the great hero of the Iliad, was (arguably by some) the greatest warrior of all time. His exploits in Troy have cemented his legacy for nearly three thousand years. He died with an arrow shot in his heel, which led to the creation of the term "Achilles' Heel".[1]
He and his lover Patroclus went down in history as great heroes. However, the neo-Nazi vampire Count Berlin tried to cast a spell with the bones of Patroclus to alter history and make the world remember them only as cousins. Count Berlin's plans were thwarted by the combined action of the magician Extraño and the vigilante Midnighter, preserving the history of the two warriors.[2]
Known for his bravery, the essence of Achilles, as part of the Shazam Pantheon, bestows great courage upon the super-heroes known as Shazam and the Shazam Family.[3]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Immortality: Even though he lived as a mortal, after his death Achilles achieved immortality as part of the Shazam Pantheon.
- Indomitable Will
- Invulnerability
- Power Distribution: Achilles imparts the gift of Courage to the various members of the Shazam Family.
- The Courage of Achilles is physical and partly psychological, and gives Shazam superhuman amounts of inner strength to draw off from, while also making him indestructible to harm, simulating the traditional invulnerability of Achilles. Bullets have no effect on Shazam, and conventional weaponry does nothing to his physical body as well.
Notes
- This character is an adaptation of Achilles, a character 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.
- Achilles was first adapted into DC comics by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, in Whiz Comics #2. However, in the Prime Earth continuity Achilles has not yet made his first appearance as part of the New 52 DC Universe, having been first mentioned in Deathstroke (Volume 2) #6.
Trivia
- Achilles is Deathstroke's favorite hero.[1]
Related
- Appearances of Achilles (Prime Earth)
- 1 Images featuring Achilles (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Achilles (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Achilles (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
