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Quote1 You treat me... as a thing you understand. But I am not that. Left to die in a desert, condemned by those that created me. Left... as nothing. It took me seven thousand years... to understand... only nothing lasts forever. Mother! Father! I understand now... I am nothing! Quote2
First Born src

The First Born was the first son of Zeus and Hera, and later an enemy to Wonder Woman.

New 52

Wonder Woman Vol 5 1 Textless
This section of the history takes place during the New 52, between the events of Flashpoint and DC Rebirth. It was later revealed that much of Wonder Woman's history from this time was an elaborate illusion created by the Gods of Olympus to keep her away from Paradise Island. All or part of this section may have been part of that illusion and no longer valid in Rebirth.

Iron

The true origin of the First Born is a secret held by the Gods of Olympus. According to them, the First Born was the very first child of Zeus and Hera. On the day of his birth, a prophecy was recited that some day he would sit upon the throne of his father with the rest of the family as corpses around him. To prevent this from coming to pass, Zeus ordered a witch to kill the baby. Hera pleaded with the witch for mercy and instead she left the the baby in a velt in Africa, to fend for itself.

Using its nascent power, he commandeered a pack of hyenas to bring it food. He grew to adulthood, and became strong. He eventually grew into a giant man and learned of his heritage. He sired a army of Human-Hyena hybrids to take control of countless civilizations and slew a dragon to gain special armor. He eventually tried to take over Olympus only for Poseidon to wipe out his army with a tidal wave and Zeus to bury him beneath the Earth.[4] His armies were then taken by Hades.[5]

Seven thousand years later, after the disappearance of his father, he broke free of the Earth's crust in Antarctica and was greeted by his half sister Cassandra and her group of scientists. He ate one of the scientists brains to learn modern English, then lets her join him in his goal of taking over Olympus despite the efforts of the gods, especially Hades and Poseidon's forces.[6][7][5][8] Ultimately, Poseidon swallowed the duo whole.[9]

War

In the belly of Poseidon, the First Born and Cassandra were forced to make a deal with the sea god in his true home. Poseidon would return First Born's weapon and allow him to overtake Mount Olympus in exchange for leaving the sea and Hell to its current rulers. Naturally, the First Born refused at first, but was forced to agree when it became clear that if he did kill Poseidon, he would be forever trapped within the god's corpse. The pact sealed in blood, Poseidon acknowledged that the throne of Olympus could not be won without the last born, Zeus's final and true heir, guarded by the last Amazon who Poseidon knew to be Wonder Woman.[10]

Going to London with Cassandra in search of Zeke, the First Born was met by Lennox, Zola, and his mother, Hera, and engaged Lennox in combat.[11] Soon after, when Wonder Woman entered the fray, Orion followed by Boom Tube, and brought all present to New Genesis. However, Lennox was forced to stay behind in order to do so, so as to allow a Boom Tube that the First Born was holding open to close.[12] Ultimately, the First Born managed to destroy Lennox, taking up residence on the throne in Westminster Abbey after having sent the city of London into burning chaos before Orion, Zola, Zeke, and Wonder Woman had managed to return, even gaining the aid of War.[13] In the battle, the First Born attempted to kill War, but Wonder Woman impaled Ares to harm the First Born instead, robbing him of the chance to take up the mantle of god of war before he was knocked unconscious by Zola from behind.[14]

Flesh

Captured by the Gods of Olympus and taken to Mount Olympus, the First Born was tortured, by Dionysus and Apollo, by having his internal organs eaten while he was still alive.[15] Apollo had claimed ownership of the First Born when offered him by Wonder Woman after the First Born's defeat.[16] Eventually, the First Born broke free of his bonds, and began to choke Apollo, the latter having been trying to humiliate him by forcing him to swear fealty.[17] His own sheer hatred allowed him to overcome the searing heat of Apollo's powers, and he claimed to be the only one who deserved the power of Olympus, eager to not only remove the "seat warmer" Apollo, but desiring to have the Gods of Olympus, one by one, until he was the only one left. However, this stated goal allowed Apollo enough motivation to cause a massive explosion and kill himself, destroying the tower on which they stood.[18]

Surviving the explosion that took Apollo's life, the First Born took it upon himself to claim the throne of Olympus itself. Draining Artemis near to her death with his newfound powers, the First Born declared himself "nothing," with the meaning that he would last forever. Although Hera was restored to her immortal self by Apollo's sacrifice, she and all others present were forced to escape to find a new army to fight the First Born, bringing all present with her to Themyscira in the hopes of using the Amazons of Themyscira as said army, led by Diana as the new God of War.[2]

Bones

Having used his newfound power over the heavens to transform Mount Olympus into a fleshy, nightmarish tower, the First Born kept Cassandra as his slave, starving her until he fed her companion Doctor Cheever to her for his own amusement at her nausea, also reminding her that he would eat her as well if she displeased him. Not long after, he came to the realm of Hades, extinguishing the candles on the god's head to effectively kill him.[19] As a result, the souls of the underworld were released to the mortal realm, with no one left to rule the Underworld.[20]

With Death conquered, the First Born set his sights on Life in the form of Demeter. With Strife's prodding, he came to the conclusion that he would want a wife with whom to share his kingdom, rather than rule over nothing at all. To that end, when he attacked Demeter and was faced with Diana and her new Hephaestus-forged armaments, he capture Wonder Woman as she allowed the others to escape, bringing her to Mount Olympus.[21]

Forcing Diana to kneel before him, the First Born asked her to join him, despite their core oppositions -- her devotion to love and inspiration, his to destruction. To change her mind, he decided to destroy that which she held most dear. Sending his army, along with Cassandra and the Minotaur to attack Themyscira, the First Born reasoned that even if his children were killed by the Amazons, he would make more with Wonder Woman, despite her revulsion of the prospect. With her continued denial of his advances, the First Born stabbed Wonder Woman in the gut and left her to bleed out as he transported himself through the same blood pool to Themyscira.[22] Though he fought alongside his army and defeated Orion, seeking to humiliate him by having him wear a dog collar, the First Born was driven back by Milan on Orion's Astro-Harness, with Artemis and Orion brought back to Mount Olympus through a Boom Tube, where Poseidon had claimed the throne of Olympus in the First Born's brief absence.[23]

Upon the First Born's return to Olympus, he impaled Hermes on a spear with his claim to kill them all. Upon Strife noting that he had been losing the battle in Themyscira and had come to Olympus to get a secret weapon, meaning he was not as unstoppable as he claimed, he ensnared Zola in his veins. As he opened a hole into the abyss into which to throw Zeke, the First Born demanded that the Minotaur kill the unconscious Diana, then in a coma due to blood lose from her wounds. At the "less-than-man"'s reluctance to kill the woman who had spared his life, the First Born murdered him personally with the Minotaur's own horn impaled in the chest. In the ensuing battle the First Born was hurled into the abyss by Wonder Woman, with the Lasso of Truth, thereby losing rulership of Olympus to Zeke. Wonder Woman claimed it was a measure of "tough love," and hoped that in another seven thousand years, he would learn the real meaning of submission, of power in the strength of others.[24]

A God With No Name

When Hippolyta was ill, Diana prayed for her health. However, rather than the Goddesses of Olympus, it was the First Born who came, seeking to claim Themyscira as his own and bind the Amazons in servitude, to live in the darkness after allowing Hippolyta to die. He was apparently slain by Diana, who stabbed him in the chest with her sword after blindfolding herself with a piece of her mother's dress.[1]

Powers

  • Olympian Physiology
    • Animal Empathy: He could control hyenas as a baby to bring him food.
    • Immortality
    • Superhuman Strength: He has claimed that his fists are capable of leveling mountains. He has also fought toe to toe with Wonder Woman and pried open a boom tube.
    • Invulnerability: He was able to crawl though the Earth's crust despite the heat and pressure. He was also able to withstand the full power of Apollo (the sun god) although he was horribly burnt as a result.
    • Accelerated Healing
    • Energy Absorption: After being burnt by Apollo he was able to dismember veins from his body to use as tentacles that drain life from others, up to and including the Gods of Olympus.[2]
  • Magic: After being burnt by Apollo's explosion and taking the throne of Olympus for himself, the First Born was capable of using magic to transform the entirety of Mount Olympus into a fleshy construct of itself.[19] Furthermore, he is capable of opening a portal to the pit of the abyss, through which to imprison others.[24]
    • Divination: The First Born is able to view other locations through a large pool of blood, as well as share that vision with others.[22]
    • Teleportation: The First Born is capable of transporting others through blood.[22]
  • Linguistic Assimilation: He can learn a language by eating someone's brain.[6]

Weaknesses

  • Monstrous Appearance: In the aftermath of the death of Apollo, the First Born's form was little more than a walking corpse -- naked, bald, and pockmarked.[18]
  • Power Limitation: The strongest of the First Born's powers are only accessible if he has control of the throne of Olympus.[24]

Related

Footnotes


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Wonder Woman Villain(s)
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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."

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