Alec Holland (Dark Knights of Steel)

Alec Holland
Dark Knights of Steel
Gallery
Real Name	Alec Holland
Relatives	Unnamed parents (deceased)
Affiliation	Adeline
Base Of Operations	Isle of Skyhjem, Jarnlünd
Status
Alignment	Good
Identity	Secret Identity
Marital Status	Single
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Green
Hair	Blond
Origin
Universe	Dark Knights of Steel
Creators	Len Wein · Bernie Wrightson
First Appearance	Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1 (September, 2024)

Alec Holland is the avatar of an ancient source of power known as The Green and the only person in the forsaken grey land of Jarnlünd with colour.

History

Origin

Alec was born in the village of Jernhal on the Isle of Hvitspir, over a decade after the coming of the Allwinter. One day his village was raided by the Vandal Clan, who slaughtered everyone including Alec's parents. He fled into the "Old Swamp" near the village, a place believed to be cursed where the Vandals would not follow. In the centre of the swamp he found an area filled with colour, and a being he called "The Green", who remembered the world before the Allwinter and told Alec he would bring that green world back.

The Green made Alec its avatar, making him immune to the spell of the Allwinter and restoring colour to him. Among the many powers the Green grants him, he is able to temporarily restore colour to anything he is touching, although it loses it again when he lets go. The Green spoke to Alec in his dreams and told him that he must travel to the Old Kingdom's abandoned capital Gyllhenhjem, where he would end the Allwinter and save the world.

Allwinter

Adeline discovered Alec and gathered a small ground of followers for the long and perilous journey to Gyllhenhjem. As they were preparing to head out, they were attacked by a band of warriors sent by Vandal Savage to capture Alec, including Adeline's former husband Slade and the ice witch Killer Frost. They killed all of the others, and Adeline was wounded by Frost, but when Slade realised Adeline was there, he turned on the others and drove them off. Slade pulled off Alec's cloak, wanting to know why Savage wanted him, and saw that he had colour.

Alec ran to help Adeline, her blood becoming red when it touched him. Slade pushed Alec away and went to tend Adeline's wounds. He pulled out the ice spear and Adeline passed out from the pain. Slade told Alec to take a cloak off one of the dead people to staunch her wound, and when Alec handed him the cloak Slade saw the blood staining it fade from red to black. He stopped Adeline's bleeding and told Alec to take him to where they had been staying.

Alec lead Slade to an inn where Slade sewed up Adeline's wounds and they fell asleep. He woke up when he heard Adeline and Slade arguing, and asked how they would get to Gyllhenhjem alone. Slade offered to go with them as it was a long journey through dangerous terrain. Adeline refused, saying she would never trust him with a child after what he did to their sons. Adeline took Alec to make the journey, although she was still hurt. On the journey, Adeline explained to Alec who Slade and Vandal Savage were.

After several days, the journey took them to Icethorn Vale, a hundred mile-wide dense forest of frozen bramble-oak. Alec was afraid of the darkness inside, but Adeline reassured him the way she used to comfort her younger son when he was afraid of the dark, telling him "When it grows darkest without, hunt for the fire within". They went into the vale but they found Rose, Slade's daughter who had also been hired by Savage to capture Alec, waiting for them just inside the forest. Rose attacked Adeline and, although she put up a good fight, Rose eventually defeated her. Just as Rose was about to deliver the killing blow; Slade, who had been secretly following them, revealed himself and Rose charged at him. They fought but he overpowered her with his supernatural strength, sending her flying through the air to be impaled on a thicket of thorns. Slade went to Adeline, and after a moment she begrudgingly allowed him to help her up. However, Rose ran up from behind and ran them both through with a branch, killing Adeline instantly.

Slade fell helpless to the ground, but just as Rose was about to kill him, Alec's rage and despair caused his magic to surge. With Adeline's words about the "fire within" echoing in his mind, he rose up into the air and released a huge wave of energy that knocked Rose away and shattered the land, momentarily restoring colour around them. Slade said "Impressive, boy", before he passed out, the world once again fading to grey. Alec fell to his knees, weeping.

Slade eventually regained consciousness, having rapidly healed from his injuries. He buried Adeline under a cairn and began to walk away, but then returned and offered to help Alec reach Gyllhenhjem so that Adeline's death would not be in vain. They rode in silence for four days and eventually Slade asked who Alec was and why he was trying to reach the old capital. They crossed onto a rope bridge over a canyon and Alec told him that he needed to get to Gyllenhjem to save the world, but when Slade asked how Alec admitted that he didn't know, and only knew what The Green told him. Slade was angry to learn they were making such a long and dangerous journey without a clear goal, and because of what he believed were just the voice's in Alec's head. Alec insisted his dreams were real, revealing that he knew what had happened to Slade's sons and the greatest shame of his past involving a man called Viktor. He said that this was Slade's chance to atone for his past. Furious, Slade got off the horse and walked back along the bridge, abandoning Alec and their quest. Alec called after him but Slade yelled back that he was a hired killer and didn't care about saving the world.

Suddenly, a man fell out of the sky and crashed through the bridge, snapping the frozen ropes and sending them all falling into the chasm below. Slade was near the cliff face and was able to grab on and save himself, but Alec fell straight down. Slade jumped down after Alec and caught him. They crashed to earth together and survived, although Alec was knocked out. Slade quickly recovered and attacked the mysterious man, assuming he was sent by Vandal Savage.

The Green called on Alec to wake up and he snapped awake, releasing another blast of magic. The Green had revealed to him that the man was Prince Bruce from the Kingdom of El, and meant them no harm. Bruce told them that he had no idea who Vandal Savage was and had not meant to destroy the bridge, but the grey and cold sunlight of the Allwinter had robbed him of his ability to fly when he was passing over them. Alec said that Bruce could help them, and Slade reluctantly agreed to allow Bruce to join their quest. The three of them started walking towards Gyllenhjem. Unbeknownst to them, an acorn which had been caught in Alec's blast sprouted green shoots which began to grow; and Slade's horse and a squirrel that had been killed in the fall from the bridge returned to life.

After five days of walking they entered the Draugr-infested wasteland of Slen Rastløs, where they had to fight their way through multiple undead hordes. Bruce's powers continued to weaken as they got closer to Gyllenhjem, as the impenetrable Everstorm around the city blocked out the sun. Alec noticed how Bruce was exhausted after their latest fight and told him that he was under no vow to help them and could turn back, but Bruce insisted on going on. Slade sardonically observed that Bruce thought he was a hero and when Alec replied that he was Slade said heroes meant little in the frozen north.

When they were next attacked, Bruce was weakened to the point that a Draugr was able to slit his throat; he survived but was left mortally wounded. Slade dispatched the rest of the Draugr and told Bruce he could go no further, as he would surely die if he tried to go on without his powers. Bruce refused to abandon them, but Slade bluntly told him that he would simply slow them down and that whatever he was looking for he would not find it in Slen Rastløs. Alec assured Bruce that he had done enough and Slade told him he was glad to have fought beside him. Bruce accepted that he had to return south to heal and left them.

Slade and Alec continued on, and eventually took shelter from the storms in an abandoned tower. Slade told Alec that they wouldn't get through the Everstorm without a miracle and asked Alec where he had come from. Alec told him the story of how he had fled into the swamp and met the Green. Slade was still sceptical, and Alec said he would wonder why Slade was helping him if the Green hadn't told him what had happened to his sons. He tried to assure Slade that it wasn't his fault and Adeline had been wrong to blame him. In a rage, Slade grabbed Alec and yelled that he didn't know anything about him. Suddenly, a javelin of ice show through the window and impaled Slade through the back. Rose and Killer Frost, who had tracked them through the wastes, stormed into the tower. Rose threw Slade from the top of the tower seemingly to his death.

Alec, Rose and Frost stayed trapped in the tower by the storm for three days. Suddenly, Slade and his old partner William Wintergreen burst in and quickly killed Frost. When Rose squared off against Slade he refused to fight her; instead he gave her a book and asked her to read it, telling her it was the truth. The book revealed Slade's secret shame: that he had assassinated the last king of Jarnlünd Maxwell and his lover Lady Nora while they were in the throes of passion. Viktor, the court magus and Nora's husband, had walked in and discovered the affair just as Slade killed them both. In his rage and grief, Viktor had laid a terrible curse on the land, meaning Slade was responsible for the Allwinter. Slade admitted that he was a villain and William said that they all were. Alec told them this was true but they had a chance to be heroes by helping him end the curse of the Allwinter. Slade asked Rose to join them and she agreed.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Avatar of The Green: Alec is an avatar of The Green - a cosmic energy force that connects all plant life in the universe.
  • Magic: The Green grants Alec many magical powers, most obviously he is able to momentarily break the curse of the Allwinter with a touch.
  • Chlorokinesis: Alec was able to make an acorn sprout and begin to grow in frozen, barren ground.
  • Eldritch Blast: Alec can release powerful bursts of raw magical energy which hit with a concussive blast and temporarily restore colour.
  • Levitation
  • Resurrection: Alec can restore life to dead animals.
  • Retrocognition: The Green speaks to Alec in dreams, revealing secrets that he could not otherwise know.
  • Superhuman Durability: Alec survived a fall off a cliff with minor injuries.

Notes

• Alec Holland was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, first appearing in Swamp Thing #1. However, the Dark Knights of Steel version of Alec Holland first appeared in Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1 by Jay Kristoff and Tirso Cons.

Related

• 5 Appearances of Alec Holland (Dark Knights of Steel)
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• Character Gallery: Alec Holland (Dark Knights of Steel)