Medusa is the chief of the three Gorgons, daughters of the sea. She is a woman with living snakes in place of hair, and her appearance is so hideous that anyone who looked upon her is turned to stone.
History
The Gorgon sisters were originally very beautiful young women, Medusa more so than the other two. Poseidon fell in love with Medusa and they made love in a temple of the goddess Athena, which enraged her, transforming Medusa into a monster so that no one would look at her, turning anyone who did so into stone. Being the only mortal among the Gorgons, Medusa was eventually beheaded by the hero Perseus;[1] pregnant by the sea god, Medusa gave birth to Pegasus, the white winged horse that was born from her neck.[3]
Before Medusa was killed by Perseus, she mated with Polyphemus and they produced the half-cyclops, half-gorgon Cyclon.[4]
Through the actions of a jealous Hera, Medusa's two gorgon sisters Euryale and Stheno were set free from their prison on Themyscira, and immediately schemed to ressurrect their sister. Having only her head, they needed Circe's help. She refused, but after Poseidon promised her she would be reunited with her daughter Lyta, she agreed.[5]
She first attacked the White House and battled Wonder Woman, who was there on a diplomatic mission.[6] She returned and attacked Themysciran Embassy, turning Martin Garibaldi to stone. An angered Wonder Woman nearly killed the gorgon, but when Medusa called out to Ares, challenging her in his name, she had to accept.
The battle took place at Yankee Stadium, and Ares transmitted a video feed of the fight to the world. Wonder Woman had to fight blind, first using a cloth and later blinding herself with snake venom. Wonder Woman was victorious and Medusa was decapitated, and from her blood Pegasus was reborn, now all black, who helped Wonder Woman defeat Medusa's sisters.[7]
Medusa's head was given to Athena's takeover of Mount Olympus, being used to turn Zeus' champion Briareos to stone.[8]
The head later came into the possession of the Morrigan.[citation needed]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Gorgon Physiology
- Gorgon Gaze: Medusa can turn living beings into stone statues with direct eye contact.
- Claws
- Wings
- Haemopotent Genesis: Upon her death an all-black Pegasus emerged from the gorgon's blood a second time;[9] the originally all-white Pegasus had been born from her neck in mythical times.[3]
- Acidic Venom: The gorgon's serpentine locks produce their own corrosive toxin which debilitates and sears those affected by it.
- Divine Empowerment
Abilities
Notes
- This character or object is an adaptation of Medusa, 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.
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
- While Medusa first appeared in a DC comic in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #52, she had been mentioned earlier in Batman #116.
Related
- 30 Appearances of Medusa (New Earth)
- 8 Images featuring Medusa (New Earth)
- Quotations by or about Medusa (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Medusa (New Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #200
- ↑ Supergirl #8
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #142
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #204
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #208
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #209-211
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #213
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #211
- ↑ Wonder Woman (Volume 2) #208
  This character has been 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." |