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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. |
Nuada Airgetlám ("Nuada Silver Arm" in Irish) was the first king of the Tuatha dé Danann, the main group of deities of the Celtic pantheon.
History
The god-king Nuada, at the head of the Dé Danann army, fought alongside Elatha, the beloved king of the Fomorians, at the Battle of Moytura, crushing the invasion of Elatha's brother, Balor of the Evil Eye, self-proclaimed king of the Sea Fomorians.[2]
During the battle Balor took Nuada's arm, and, as kings must be whole in body according to Celtic culture, Nuada ceased to be king and, without an heir, his crown passed to Breas the Beautiful, a great champion of the Dé Danann and son of Elatha and his wife Ethné. Although the marriage of King Elatha of the Fomorians to Ethné, a daughter of the Tuatha dé Danann then ruled by Nuada, brought unity and peace between the two tribes of Tir Na Nóg, Breas proved to be an unjust and cruel king; enraged, Elatha sent him to confer with Balor in an attempt to mend ties with his brother, but Breas allied with Balor against the Dé Danann and the Fomorians.[2]
In the meantime, Nuada, who had become like a son to Elatha and Ethné, gained an exquisite new arm of the purest silver crafted by the finest Fomorian metalsmiths. But Breas and Balor, together, mounted another brutal invasion of Tir Na Nóg after hearing of Nuada's new arm — after all, he was whole again and could claim the crown back for himself. Nuada was killed that day, his head cut off by Balor, who then seared and burned the lands with his dread eye until he was finally defeated by Elatha, who drove him back to his exile at sea.[2]
It is not yet known how or when, but Nuada Airgetlám returned to life and is now part of the pantheon of Shazam gods as one of the six benefactors of Freddy Freeman, the Commander of the Shazam Family.[1]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Godly Physiology: Nuada belongs to a race of ancient and inconceivably powerful beings known as Old Gods. Because of this heritage Nuada possesses almost unlimited power.[3]
- Cosmic Awareness: Nuada, like all Old Gods, is aware of the multiverse and the realms that lie beyond. This knowledge gives him an understanding of the universe and all life that transcends the capabilities of normal mortals.[3]
- Immortality
- Power Distribution: Nuada Airgetlám bestowed the power of agility on The Commander (Freddy Freeman).[1]
- Superhuman Agility[1]
Abilities
Weaknesses
- Lack of Worshippers: Due to the Gods receiving their powers from worshippers they will lose their power if no one worships them.[4]
- Missing Limb
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Silver Arm
Weapons
- Sword
Notes
- This character or object is an adaptation of Nuada Airgetlám, 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.
- Nuada was first adapted by Neal Pozner and Craig Hamilton, first appearing in Aquaman (Volume 2) #1. However, in the Prime Earth continuity Nuada first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #4 by Liam Sharp.
Related
- 4 Appearances of Nuada Airgetlám (Prime Earth)
- 4 Images featuring Nuada Airgetlám (Prime Earth)
- Quotations by or about Nuada Airgetlám (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Nuada Airgetlám (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
  This character is or was a member of the Marvel Family in any of its various incarnations, and an ally of Captain Marvel and the Wizard Shazam. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Marvel Family members." |