Arion (character)

Arion is a fictional sword and sorcery superhero published by American company DC Comics. He debuted in Warlord (vol. 1) #55 (March 1982), and was created by Paul Kupperberg and Jan Duursema.[1]

Arion
Arion, Lady Chian and Wyynde
art by Jan Duursema
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceWarlord vol. 1 #55,
(March 1982)
Created byPaul Kupperberg (writer)
Jan Duursema (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoAhri'ahn
Species
Place of originAtlantis
Team affiliationsLords of Chaos and Order
PartnershipsWyynde
Lady Chian
Mara
Supporting character ofAquaman
Powergirl
Notable aliasesArion, Lord of Atlantis
Arion the Immortal
The Dead King
Aristotle Ronalds
Vicomte Jean-Simon Giscard D'Arion
Abilities
  • Immortality
  • Vast knowledge of spells, magic, and the supernatural that enables him to perform magical feats.
  • Mystically enhanced physiology that enables him to perform magic without bodily harm.
  • Skilled hand-to-hand combatant and swordsman
  • Extrasensory perception and divination

Publication history

Arion began as a back-up feature in the DC Comics book Warlord with issue #55.[2] The Arion feature continued its run until issue #62. Arion then gained his own series, Arion Lord of Atlantis, beginning with #1, (November 1982). The series lasted for 35 issues plus a special which wrapped up the original storyline, running from November 1982 to September 1985 with the special shipping in November 1985. In 1992, Arion appeared in a 6 issue miniseries entitled Arion The Immortal. Arion also appeared in DC Comics Presents in a crossover with Superman.[3][4]

Fictional character biography

The title character Arion is a powerful Homo Magi demigod from the nobility of ancient Atlantis.[5] Arion is an immortal sorcerer who was born over 500,000 years ago. Ahri'ahn and Garn Daanuth[6] are the twin sons of Calculha and Dark Majistra, two very powerful Atlantean god-beings. While Calculha raised Ari'ahn to be a follower of light and the Lords of Order, Majistra raised Garn to be an acolyte of the Lords of Chaos. Ari'ahn sacrificed his life to prevent his mother from attaining power that would cause the destruction of the Earth. For one hundred centuries he was raised in Darkworld (though only 20 years passed for him [7]) by Jheryl and Ghy. His departure from Darkworld left him an amnesiac, and when found he was brought back to the city.

Arion's companions include an Atlantean guardsman, Wyynde,[8] Lady Chian,[9] his lover and the captain of King D'Tilluh's royal guard, and Mara, a shapeshifter. Among his enemies are his brother Garn Daanuth, a formidable practitioner of the dark arts, Dark Majistra, his mother, and Chaon, the puissant god of evil and chaos.[10]

In his first appearances Arion was a sorcerer who protected the ancient, then land-bound kingdom of Atlantis during an upcoming ice age. After thousands of years of adventures, Arion lost his ability to channel magic directly from his body and had to rely on mystical artifacts for his magical powers.

Post Crisis
See also: Infinite Crisis

He later appeared during and after the Crisis on Infinite Earths event where he was made part of Power Girl's post-Crisis backstory.[11] Later, an aged Arion is revealed be immortal and to have lost his magic and is living in Greenwich Village along with several former Atlantean gods and goddesses, including Chaon, Deedra, Gemimn and the Weaver. His companion, Mara, was trapped in canine form when the magic was lost.[12] Arion renews his old rivalry with his brother, Garn Daanuth, and works to stop the return of Atlantean magic by preventing Darkworld, revealed to be a sentient being, from slumbering.[13]

After Zero Hour, Arion aided The Justice League America against Scarabus.[14] He eventually turned up in the present day where his body was taken over by Mordru and his spirit imprisoned in Gemworld. His spirit was finally released and allowed to go to the afterlife by Power Girl and Hawkgirl (along with a recently awakened Dove), in order to weaken Mordru. Before his soul departed, Arion revealed to Power Girl that she was not his granddaughter and thus not an Atlantean.

Arion seemingly reappeared in Infinite Crisis as one of the mystics gathered in Atlantis to keep the Spectre at bay, and later in the Day of Vengeance tie-in special as one of several magical beings summoned to help rebuild the shattered Rock of Eternity. No explanation was given for Arion's involvement at the time. It was later revealed that this Arion was, in fact, a pretender, a native of Akron named Bill Knightley who had decided to trade on Arion's name and reputation to build himself up in the mystical community.[15]

Camelot Falls

A past version of Arion later appears. In the year 1659, Arion is awakened from a night of debauchery by visions of a cataclysmic future centered around the presence of Superman. Cut off from his natural magics, Arion employed certain artifacts to propel himself forward to Superman's present. Arriving in Metropolis, Arion subjected Superman and his friends at the Daily Planet to a vision of a possible future where Superman and other alien heroes' involvement in humanity caused people to become dependent on them, ultimately producing an apocalypse as their alien intervention held back the 'natural cycle' of civilisations falling upon reaching their peak, culminating in a mass apocalypse as the darkness they had held back for so long came at them with full force. Arion hoped to force Superman to retire and prevent the predictions from coming true.

Superman was given two weeks in which to decide how he would deal with Arion's request, during which Arion illustrated his point by magically steering a "field trip" of adolescent New Gods, chaperoned by Lightray and Fastbak, to come crashing into Metropolis and go wild with their divine powers, causing untold havoc and general interference with the populace. Superman defused the situation with Lightray's help and deduced Arion's involvement. At roughly the same time, Arion kidnapped Bill Knightley from outside the Oblivion Bar, interrogated him, and nearly killed him. The only thing that saved Knightley was his knowledge of the recently begun "Tenth Age of Magic", a tumultuous change in the world's mystical equilibrium. Knightley claimed to be studying the shift and Arion decided he might have some value alive.[16]

At the end of the two weeks, Arion and Superman met again; Superman chose to remain active as part of Earth's defense and deeply involved with humanity, refusing to give up hope that he could make a difference. Arion's vicious response was to cast a powerful mind manipulation spell, with the intent of using Superman as a weapon to remove the threat of other alien heroes. Superman was able to resist thanks to training from the Martian Manhunter after his period under the control of Maxwell Lord.[1] Given a mystic shield by the Phantom Stranger to protect him from direct assault by Arion's magics (during which the Stranger revealed that, while Arion's prediction could come to pass, the loss of life and experience that would result if Superman simply allowed civilisation to fall meant that mankind had to try to find another way), Superman was able to defeat Arion and disarm him of his rings, amulets and charms from which he derived his magic. Arion was returned to 1659 where he plans his next move on Superman in the future.

The New 52

In The New 52 Arion makes a brief cameo in the 2014 Secret Six relaunch. In a flashback, he is revealed to be the wizard that sealed away elder gods only known as the "Dark Giants", the antagonist that appear in the modern day threaten to be freed due to Black Alice's condition siphoning magic in the world and undoing the seals made to keep them in place.

DC Rebirth

Following the company-wide rebranding in DC Rebirth, Arion makes his debut in the 2016 Blue Beetle series. Sharing similarities to his previous version such as being a former king of Atlantis, he is changed to be an Atlantean-related god and demon whom said to have been turned into an insane villain from exposure to the Blue Beetle scarab and gains a more demonic appearance from usage of more malevolent magic. After being sealed away by Doctor Fate long ago, he uses his apprentice Mordecai Cull to lure Doctor Fate. Jaime Reyes, and the Blue Beetle scarab into undoing his sealing, stealing the scarab for himself to use its power to destroy the world. With the help of Doctor Fate and his allies, Jaime Reyes manages to defeat the sorcerer and his Atlantean demons created by his magic.[17]

Powers and abilities

Both an immortal sorcerer and among the Lords of Order, Arion's magical heritage and centuries of studies makes him one of the most powerful sorcerers in the history of the DC Universe; at the height of his power, Arion wielded magical energy considered nearly limitless and had various powers such as being able to increase his size, cast illusions and create natural disasters. After sacrificing much of his magical power, he confers to utilizing a source of power for his magics and eventually gains a connection to the extradimensional Darkworld, restoring much of his former might; his connection to Darkworld grants him variant of magic unique to other magic users known as "Atlantean magic".[18][19] [20] Arion also has a heighted "sixth sense" and the gift of prophecy, allowing himself to sense disturbances in the present and in the future. He is also an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant and swordsman despite preferring magical solutions and is a skilled three-card monte dealer.[19][20][18]

His depiction in Rebirth-onward has changed some elements of his powers; Arion wields vast natural magical powers naturally of a demonic and evil nature, possessing malevolent magical energies and energy siphoning abilities powerful enough to sap energies from potent sources like Doctor Fate's Helm of Nabu and the Blue Beetle Scarab.[17] While a master sorcerer, Arion is also a renown, ancient scientific genius responsible for the advanced level of technology Atlantis and possess a connection to the "Death Force" through his creation, the Tear of Extinction and the Clarion, able to kill and send gods to the afterlife though it seemingly costed his sanity and corrupted him, being responsible for his dark turn in the present day.[21]

References
  1. Wallace, Dan (2008), "Arion, Lord of Atlantis", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 24, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5
  2. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  3. DC Comics Presents #75, November 1984
  4. Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-345-50108-0.
  5. Markstein, Don. "Arion, Lord of Atlantis". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  6. The Unofficial Garn Daanuth Biography
  7. Arion #33, 1985
  8. The Unofficial Wyynde Biography
  9. The Unofficial Lady Chian Biography
  10. The Unofficial Arion, Lord of Atlantis Biography
  11. Secret Origins#11, February 1987
  12. Arion the Immortal #1-2, 1992
  13. Arion the Immortal #3-6, 1992
  14. Justice League America #93-94
  15. Superman #663
  16. Ahri'ahn (New Earth) - DC Database
  17. Griffin, Keith (January 2, 2018). Blue Beetle Vol. 2: Hard Choices (Rebirth). DC Comics.
  18. "Arion the Immortal". Who's Who In the DC Universe Update 1993 #2. DC Comics. January 1993.
  19. "Arion, Lord of Atlantis". Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #1. DC Comics. March 1985.
  20. "Arion, Lord of Atlantis". DC Comics Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded. DC Comics. 2008.
  21. Abnett, Dan; Snyder, Scott (November 21, 2018). Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth. DC Comics.
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