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Eclipso

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Eclipso
The Bruce Gordon incarnation of Eclipso as depicted in Countdown to Mystery #4 (February 2008). Art by Stephen Jorge Segovia.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceHouse of Secrets #61 (August 1963)
Created byBob Haney
Lee Elias
In-story information
Alter egoKaala (current)
Galid (former)
SpeciesGhost
Place of originGemworld (As Kaala)
PartnershipsMordru
Obsidian
Hosts:
Bruce Gordon
Alex Montez
Jean Loring
Notable aliasesLladiz
Prince of Darkness
Vengeance Demon
The Lord of the No-Man's Land Between Light and Darkness
Abilities
  • Spirit possession
  • Immortality
  • Energy manipulation
  • Energy blasts
  • Superhuman strength, speed and stamina
  • Invulnerability
  • Flight
  • Weather modification
  • Astronomical object manipulation
  • Reality warping
  • Divine siphoning
  • Nigh-omnipotence
  • Mass/remote possession
  • Magical Mastery
  • Mystical Invulernability
  • Spell casting
  • Darkness embodiment
  • Darkness empowerment
  • Shadow manipulation
  • Shadow construct creation
  • Telepathy
  • Telekinesis
  • Teleportation
  • Time reversal
  • Corruption inducement
  • Possession transformation

Eclipso (/ɪˈklɪpsoʊ/) is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Lee Elias, the character would first appear in House of Secrets #61 (August, 1963). The character bears notable similarities to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Eclipso is a powerful magical entity often portrayed as a primordial manifestation of divine wrath, believed to be linked to the wrath of God. Comparable to the Spectre, Eclipso is considered an Angel of Vengeance. Following his removal from his original position, the character is sometimes associated with the Lords of Chaos as their agent. In the New 52 continuity onward, additional information about the character reveals that Eclipso occasionally reincarnates into different lives. One such incarnation is Kaala, also known as the Lord of the House Onyx, hailing from Gemworld. Throughout Eclipso's history, the character is frequently depicted as an adversary of the Justice League, its affiliated teams, and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. Notably, Eclipso possesses the ability of possession, marked by distinctive blue facial markings resembling an "eclipse."

Eclipso appeared as the main antagonist of the second season of The CW television show Stargirl, portrayed as an adult by Nick E. Tarabay and Jason Davis and as a young boy by Milo Stein.

Publication history

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Eclipso first appeared in House of Secrets #61 (August 1963) and was created by Bob Haney and Lee Elias.[1][2]

Fictional character biography

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Originally, Eclipso was written as a generic villain who would routinely enact an elaborate plot to fulfill his hedonistic motivations. However, the 1992 Darkness Within miniseries modified the character to be an evil and megalomaniacal entity. Eclipso's character laments the power he once had as a spirit of divine vengeance. Eclipso would frequently seek to possess beings of incredible power like Superman, Lar Gand, and Captain Marvel to achieve his ends.

Bruce Gordon

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Eclipso's early comics debut is tied to his first modern host, Bruce Gordon (named after Bruce Wayne and Commissioner Gordon as an inside joke),[3] a scientist specializing in solar energy. While in the jungle to view a solar eclipse, Gordon is attacked by tribal sorcerer Mophir, who wounds him with a black diamond and causes him to transform into Eclipso during eclipses.[4] During this period, Eclipso was portrayed as a conventional villain, possessing super strength, partial invulnerability, and optic blasts. Eclipso's transformations are later altered so that any type of natural eclipse would split Eclipso and Gordon, while an "artificial eclipse"—an object blocking out a light source—would transform Gordon into Eclipso. Any bright flash of light would banish Eclipso back into Bruce Gordon's body or reverse the change.[5]

Eclipso: The Darkness Within

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Main article: Eclipso: The Darkness Within
Wonder Woman possessed by Eclipso, art by Joe Quesada.

In the early 1990s, DC retconned Eclipso in a company-wide crossover built around the miniseries Eclipso: The Darkness Within. Eclipso was revealed not simply to be Bruce Gordon's dark half, but a vengeful demon who was imprisoned inside a black diamond called the "Heart of Darkness". The Heart is later shattered into 1,000 pieces which enable Eclipso to possess others when they touch them.[1]

Over the next 100 years, Eclipso gathers the diamond shards with the intention of destroying them all, freeing his true power. When Lar Gand discovers Eclipso's palace on the moon, Eclipso is inspired to possess all of Earth's heroes and use them to conquer Earth and obtain revenge against God for his imprisonment. Eclipso is eventually defeated while Will Payton destroys his moon base.

Eclipso series

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Following the crossover event, Eclipso appeared in a solo series. He conquered the South American country of Parador by possessing one person at a time. The United States sent an investigation team consisting of Cave Carson, Bruce Gordon, and Gordon's fiancé Mona Bennet. Carson's legs were broken and he was left at the border.

Gordon and Bennet were taken on a tour and shown various atrocities, such as piles of children's corpses. They escaped with the assistance of the Creeper and formed a group of heroes dubbed the Shadow Fighters. This group was led by Amanda Waller, formerly of the Suicide Squad. In issue #13 of the series, Eclipso defeated them, killing Wildcat II, the second Doctor Mid-Nite, the Creeper, Commander Steel, the Manhunter IV (a Mark Shaw ringer), and Major Victory. The Creeper has returned to action in his own series.[1]

The Peacemaker was also involved in this action. He died in a helicopter crash while trying to destroy Eclipso's tanks. These tanks were attacking the sole surviving member of the Shadow Fighter attack force, Nemesis.

The other survivors of the Shadow Fighters, those who had not attacked Eclipso directly, regrouped. Eclipso attacked them with a Parador missile, which they evaded using Nightshade's teleportation ability. During the escape, Mona's father was snatched from their vehicle, but he later returned alive. The survivors arrived in the United Nations building, just in time to foil another plot of Eclipso by landing their vehicle on his intended victim.

Bruce Gordon and Mona Bennet led Earth's superheroes in an attack on Parador, in an attempt to destroy Eclipso once and for all. Eclipso revealed that he dares not kill Gordon and Bennet because their unborn child will time travel to the past as an adult and free Eclipso from the diamond.

Eclipso was finally defeated when the Phantom Stranger gathered all 1,000 black diamond shards and fused them into the Heart of Darkness, imprisoning Eclipso again. His physical body, the adult child of Bennet and Gordon, evaporated in front of his parents.

The Spectre (vol. 3)

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The Spectre (vol. 3) reveals Eclipso to be the first avatar of God's wrath, preceding the Spectre. Writer John Ostrander chose to portray this as a distinction between the Spectre's pursuit of "vengeance" and Eclipso's pursuit of "revenge". In a Biblical context, Eclipso was responsible for Noah's Flood, while the Spectre was the Angel of Death who slew the first-born Egyptian children.

The Spectre destroys the Heart of Darkness, along with the remains of Eclipso's palace on the moon, burning them and casting the ashes into outer space.

Alex Montez

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Alex Montez as Eclipso, art by John Watson.

Eclipso returns after several years' absence in the "Princes of Darkness" storyline in JSA as an ally of Mordru and Obsidian. Alexander Montez, Wildcat's cousin, vows revenge on Eclipso for her death. To this end, he gathers 1,000 black diamonds, liquefies them, and injects them into himself, gaining Eclipso's powers. However, Eclipso takes control of Alex, leading him to commit suicide. Following this, Eclipso's followers acquire Alex's body and extract the diamond fragments from him.

"Lightning Strikes Twice"

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Despite the loss of the other black diamonds, the disembodied Eclipso possesses Superman.[6][7] Captain Marvel exploits Superman's weakness to magic to defeat him and recruits the Spectre to exorcise him.[8]

Jean Loring

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Jean Loring as Eclipso, art by Justiniano.

In Day of Vengeance, Jean Loring obtains the Black Diamond and is possessed by Eclipso.[9] After Loring is killed in battle with Mary Marvel, Eclipso abandons her and returns to Bruce Gordon. Furthermore, Countdown to Mystery reveals that the Black Diamonds originate from Apokolips.[1]

Countdown to Mystery

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In Countdown to Mystery, Eclipso corrupts the heroes Plastic Man, the Creeper, and Dove and reassembles the Heart of Darkness. The Spectre encourages Bruce Gordon to take control of Eclipso, but is unable to separate the two.

Rise of Eclipso

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Following Brightest Day, Eclipso kills the Spectre and absorbs his powers.[10][11][12] He destroys the Moon and attempts to destroy Earth before being defeated.[13][14][15]

The New 52

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In The New 52 continuity reboot, Eclipso is a god of vengeance and originates from Gemworld.[16] Later, the Black Diamond is delivered to disgraced scientist Gordon Jacobs. Eclipso possesses Jacobs and claims that he cannot leave him without killing him.[17]

DC Rebirth

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In the DC Rebirth event Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, Maxwell Lord and the Suicide Squad steal the Heart of Darkness, allowing Eclipso to expand his powers worldwide.[18] Eclipso possesses Lord before Killer Frost uses her powers to create a prism, trapping him in the Black Diamond.[19]

In The New Golden Age, Eclipso is revealed to be possessing Wildcat.[20] He battles the Justice Society before Legionnaire defeats him and traps him in the Black Diamond.[21]

Powers and abilities

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Eclipso is a formidable and powerful spiritual entity, representing the primordial embodiment of God's Wrath. Possessing extraordinary abilities, Eclipso's powers are diverse and impressive. Fueled by rage, the character exhibits attributes such as invulnerability and immortality. Eclipso's vast magical powers enable the performance of godlike feats. These include manipulating the weather and seas, causing natural disasters like floods and thunderstorms. The character can also alter their size, growing to giant proportions, has the ability to emit deadly rays of dark light from his left eye and a powerful burst of paralyzing black light from his right eye by looking through a shard of the Heart of Darkness gem. Furthermore, Eclipso has demonstrated the ability to absorb the powers of the Spectre and project potent energy from their hands, capable of stunning or even killing adversaries. Having once served God, Eclipso possesses the ability to communicate in the angelic language, which encompasses elements of harmony, discordance, vibration, and telepathy. This linguistic skill enhances Eclipso's command over their powers and facilitates communication on a divine level.[22][23] The character carries with him a seemingly unbreakable mystical sword and is a considerable swordsman.[22]

Originally, Eclipso's abilities in possession were derived from contact with the Heart of Darkness. In later iterations, Eclipso's possession capabilities have become even more potent. After overtaking Maxwell Lord, his ability to possess and corrupt individuals was significantly amplified. Unlike before, Eclipso no longer requires physical contact with the gem to influence others. He can remotely possess multiple hosts, as long as he can first corrupt them. Moreover, his influence tends to amplify the darker tendencies within those under his control. The individuals he possesses undergo a visible transformation, adopting a more monstrous physical appearance.

Heart of Darkness

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When manifested into his true form, the character often wears the Heart of Darkness on his chest and channels its power. On its own, Eclipso possesses the ability to overshadow individuals who come into contact with the cursed Heart of Darkness gem. Once overshadowed, Eclipso controls the host's powers, manipulates their behavior, and alters their memories to serve his own purposes. Additionally, he can augment his host's existing abilities or grant them new powers, thereby strengthening them.

Weaknesses

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Despite Eclipso's considerable power, he remains bound by the divine laws set by the Presence, and transgressing these bounds can result in severe punishment from the Presence. Additionally, Eclipso has a vulnerability in the form of the Heart of Darkness, which can be used to seal him away. Certain adept practitioners of magic, such as Doctor Fate and Sebastian Faust, have demonstrated the ability to hinder and exorcise Eclipso's possession through the use of specific magical spells and abilities.

Other versions

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In other media

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Television

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  • Eclipso appears in the Justice League two-part episode "Eclipsed". This version is the collective souls of the Ophidians, an evil race of serpentine humanoids who imprisoned themselves in a black diamond called the Heart of Darkness to eventually destroy humanity. In an attempt to fight the Justice League, Eclipso possesses General McCormick (voiced by Bruce McGill)[27] and dons Eclipso's original costume worn by Bruce Gordon after being inspired by one of McCormick's colleagues. Eclipso tries to permanently darken the sun and possesses all of the League before they are freed by the Flash and defeat him, with McCormick being left with no knowledge of what happened.
    • Mophir also appears in the episode, voiced by Tracey Walter.[28] This version is a member of a tribe who guarded the Heart of Darkness and fought the Ophidians whenever they possessed a human host.
  • The Bruce Gordon incarnation of Eclipso appears in Stargirl, voiced by an uncredited voice actor in the first season and portrayed by Jason Davis and Nick E. Tarabay in the second season respectively, with Milo Stein also portraying a young Gordon.[29] This version of Gordon is a former archaeologist who found the Black Diamond on Devil Island and eventually allowed Eclipso to fully control his body. After killing Charles McNider's daughter, Rebecca, Eclipso ran afoul of the original Justice Society of America (JSA) before Starman killed Gordon and imprisoned Eclipso in the Black Diamond, which the heroes contained in their headquarters until the Injustice Society of America (ISA) attacked them and stole it. In the present, Cindy Burman finds the Black Diamond in the Wizard's storage unit and begins working with Eclipso to form their own version of the ISA called Injustice Unlimited. After recruiting Isaac Bowin and Artemis Crock, they battle Stargirl's JSA and Shade until Stargirl accidentally breaks the Black Diamond. Free of his imprisonment, Eclipso betrays Burman, uses a diamond shard to send her to the Shadowlands, consumes Bowin, injures Hourman, and causes Shade and Crock to flee before doing the same. Utilizing Gordon's likeness, Eclipso soon resurfaces to torment the JSA and Stargirl's family via their negative emotions and memories. While Beth Chapel is able to resist, Eclipso sends Stargirl to the Shadowlands. After Shade rescues Stargirl and Burman, the pair join forces with the JSA, Crock, Sportsmaster, Tigress, Starman, Solomon Grundy, Jade, Jakeem Williams, and Thunderbolt to fight Eclipso. While Eclipso kills Grundy and possesses Stargirl, she forces him out with Starman's help before they and their allies further weaken Eclipso until Thunderbolt transforms him into toast.
    • Alex Montez also appears in Stargirl, portrayed by Jonathan Blanco. Debuting in the episode "Wildcat", he was the only member of Yolanda's Catholic family not to see her as a disgrace after she was publicly humiliated due to a risqué photo she had sent to her boyfriend Henry King Jr. being leaked to her school.

Film

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Video games

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Miscellaneous

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The Bruce Gordon incarnation of Eclipso appears in Smallville Season 11: Chaos. Amidst an archaeological dig in Africa, Eclipso possesses Gordon, travels to Metropolis, and battles Superman before eventually possessing him and Superboy, leaving Gordon to be taken into custody and the Black Diamond destroyed. S.T.A.R. Labs recover the shards, learning that they are sending signals to each other. Steve Lombard later takes one of the shards, causing him to be possessed by Eclipso until Hank Henshaw and Green Lantern defeat him and take the shards into space.[33][34]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Wallace, Dan (2008). "Eclipso". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  2. ^ McAvennie, Michael (2010). "1960s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. In August's The House of Secrets #61, writer Bob Haney and artist Lee Elias used a black diamond to transform Dr. Bruce Gordon into Eclipso.
  3. ^ "Bob Haney Interviewed by Michael Catron Part Four (of Five) « The Comics Journal". Tcj.com. 2011-01-10. Archived from the original on 2011-01-17. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  4. ^ Wells, John (2015). American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 978-1605490458.
  5. ^ Markstein, Don. "Eclipso". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  6. ^ Action Comics #826 (June 2005). DC Comics.
  7. ^ The Adventures of Superman #639 (June 2005). DC Comics.
  8. ^ Superman (vol. 2) #216 (June 2005). DC Comics.
  9. ^ Blue Beetle (vol. 7) #16 (August 2007). DC Comics.
  10. ^ Brightest Day #7 (August 2010). DC Comics.
  11. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #54 (February 2011). DC Comics.
  12. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #56 (April 2011). DC Comics.
  13. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #57 (May 2011). DC Comics.
  14. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #58 (June 2011). DC Comics.
  15. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #59 (July 2011). DC Comics.
  16. ^
    • Team 7 (vol. 2) #2 - 4 (January - March 2013)
    • Catwoman (vol. 4) #15 (February 2013)
    • Sword of Sorcery (vol. 2) #6 - 8 (May - July 2013)
  17. ^ Justice League Dark #23.1. DC Comics.
  18. ^ Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #3. DC Comics.
  19. ^ Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #6. DC Comics.
  20. ^ Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #7. DC Comics
  21. ^ Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #11. DC Comics.
  22. ^ a b Justice League: Rise of Eclipso. DC Comics.
  23. ^ The DC comics encyclopedia: The definitive guide to the characters of the DC universe. Matthew K. Manning, Stephen Wiacek, Melanie Scott, Nick Jones, Landry Q. Walker, Alan Cowsill (New ed.). New York, New York: DK Publishing. 2021. ISBN 978-0-7440-2056-4. OCLC 1253363543.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  24. ^ Justice League: The Nail #3 (October 1998). DC Comics.
  25. ^ Justice League 3001 #8-9. DC Comics.
  26. ^ Justice League 3001 #10-12. DC Comics.
  27. ^ "General McCormick Voice - Justice League (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  28. ^ "Morphir Voice - Justice League (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  29. ^ Petski, Denise (October 26, 2020). "Stargirl Casts Nick Tarabay & Jonathan Cake As Eclipso & The Shade, Adds Ysa Penarejo As Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  30. ^ a b c "Eclipso Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 13, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  31. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  32. ^ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  33. ^ Smallville Season 11: Chaos #1. DC Comics.
  34. ^ Smallville Season 11: Chaos #4. DC Comics.
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