Aphrodite (DC)

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Aphrodite in Wonder Woman v5 #61.

Aphrodite is a female comic character who features in DC Comics.

Contents

Biography

Pre-Crisis

Aphrodite was a female goddess who was a member of the Gods of Olympus.

Aphrodite gave birth to Eros, and he grew to be a god of love. His mother cultivated love’s romance, but he was drawn to raw passion, and had disagreements with his mother over how they should spread love to humanity. (DC Comics Presents v1 #32)

Thousands of years ago, it was known that the Sirens preyed on man and caused ships to fall into disasters. After refusing to give up their evil ways, Aphrodite came to personally intervene and turned them into trees. She then believed that the mariners would no longer be menaced by the heartless maidens. Unknown to her, centuries ago one of the siren-trees came to be swept out at sea where a woodcarver turned it into a bracelet allowing the Siren Parthenope to possess that wielded it. (Wonder Woman v1 #30)

It was known that she gave Hippolyta a magical girdle that she could use to defend the Amazons from invaders. (All-Star Comics v1 #8)

She was noted for being the patron goddess who gave life to the Amazons of Paradise Island. She brought Queen Hippolyta's sculpture of a little girl to life which creates the only child born to the Amazons named Diana who later became Wonder Woman.

Aphrodite came to instruct Queen Hippolyta to craft two children of clay one with dark skin and the other with light skin. The goddess then gifted them with life and beauty leading to the two becoming the twin children of the Amazon Queen. She then instructed Hippolyta to wait for the gods to gather so they would impart their gifts onto the infants but after leaving the newborn named Nubia was abducted the god of war Mars. Queen Hippolyta attempted to recover her child but she was gone without a trace with even the patron goddess Aphrodite unable to find the child. (Wonder Woman v1 #206)

Eros was spurned by Wonder Woman, and as revenge he used his arrows to make her and Superman fall madly in love. Eros watched them try to deny their passions from Mount Olympus, and was pleased. Aphrodite caught him, and wondered if he was up to mischief as usual. She said the Romans had it right when they depicted him as a winged infant, because he didn’t understand the intricacies of love. Superman and Wonder Woman traveled to Mount Olympus to confront Eros. Eros’ mother Aphrodite was unhappy with her sons actions, and led the heroes to a cave containing the Blue Lotus of Lost Love that would remove unwanted passion. (DC Comics Presents v1 #32)

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Aphrodite

Her creation was tied to the destruction of the Old Gods where their demise sent a godwave from the source that struck Earth. The gods of the Greeks would be born from this godwave and usher in the Third World. (Jack Kirby’s Fourth World v1 #1)

In 1,200 B.C., Aphrodite joined her fellow goddesses among the Olympian Gods in secret at Hades where they sought to create the race of Amazons. With a lock of her hair, she managed to pay the ferryman Charon to take them to the Cavern of Souls that led them to the well of rebirth. From there, they called on the souls of women whose lives were cut short by men where they came to reside in the womb of Gaea. (Wonder Woman v2 #1)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Aphrodite

When Hermes stated to Zola that Aphrodite was married to the ugly god Hephaestus to which the goddess of love stating that her husband had his 'charms'. She told them that she will not be attending the wedding as there was little love in Hell. (Wonder Woman v4 #9)

After Ares killed himself while inside Themyscira's prison, the Sphere of the Gods collapsed due to a paradox and Aphrodite was exiled from Olympus, reappearing in Durovnia with no memory about how she was kicked out of her home dimension. There, a group of mythological creatures, spitted out of Aphrodite's dimension as well, elected her as leader, as she sought a way to come back home. In those days, a civil war exploded in Durovnia and the United States sent their armies there to help the local government. One of the solider was Steve Trevor, captured by the creatures and brought to Aphrodite as prisoner. (Wonder Woman v5 #60)

Overview

Personality and attributes

She was known as the Goddess of Love among the Olympian pantheon. (All-Star Comics v1 #8)

Love was said to be her domain and she took offence if her worshippers sought out another god on matters relating to love. (Wonder Woman v1 #149)

She had a number of children with these including:

  • Harmonia :
  • Eris :
  • Deimos :
  • Phobos :
  • Atlantiades : winged god who was the child of Aphrodite and Hermes with them being the dmeigod of desire and union. (Wonder Woman v5 #76)

Powers and abilities

It was known that her spell of comparable beauty could work its magic even within the cold depths of Hades. (Wonder Woman v2 #1)

Similar to the other gods, Aphrodite's existence was tied to her mortal worshippers and if mankind were to die then the Olympian Gods would similarly perish. (Wonder Woman v2 #1)

She could mentally communicate with her worshippers and transmit her image at interdimensional range and possibly can do the same to any other intelligent being. (Wonder Woman v2 #177)

Messengers of Aphrodite were known as the Daughters of Venus who were sent to bring the worship of love and beauty. (Wonder Woman v1 #13)

Her authority meant that she could command the Cupid Erotes and their actions. (Wonder Woman v5 #69)

Notes

  • Aphrodite was created by William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peter where she made her first appearance in All-Star Comics v1 #8 (December, 1941).
  • The character was based on the Aphrodite from Greek Myth.

Alternate Versions

  • In All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold v1 #4 (2011), Aphrodite appeared in the setting of the alternate reality setting. Her son Eros, the god of Desire, unhappy to believe that Wonder Woman was not spreading love among humans as Aphrodite had given her, decided to make her and Batman fall in love with each other. The wedding ceremony, whose guests were superheroes, Amazons and others, eventually attracted the attention of many supervillains. They then went into combat and Eros's plans to spread love ended up going the wrong way. Thanks to Aphrodite's intervention, Eros understood that Princess Diana spreads love not by force, but by inspiration, and the gods then return to their home on Mount Olympus.

In other media

Television

  • In Challenge of the Super Friends, Aphrodite appeared in the animated television series where she was first voiced by voice actress Shannon Farnon in "Secret Origins of the Super Friends" and by voice actress Louise Williams in "Battle of the Gods". She had responded to Queen Hippolyta's prayers to bring a sculpture of a young girl to life, which becomes Princess Diana. When it comes to some wars happening outside of Paradise Island, Aphrodite tells Hippolyta that one of her warriors will have to be an Amaxon representative in the wars causing Hippolyta to hold a contest. Despite the Legion of Doom trying to rig the fight so that a disguised Cheetah could win, Flash's visit to that time period enables a disguised Princess Diana to triumph. Upon learning that the winner is her daughter, Hippolyta allows Diana to become Wonder Woman. In the episode "Battle of the Gods," Hera gets tired of Aphrodite's praise of the Super Friends causing her to convince Zeus to put them through different challenges.

Video games

  • In DC Universe Online, Aphrodite appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game.

Appearances

  • All-Star Comics v1: (1941)
  • Sensation Comics v1:
  • Wonder Woman v1:
  • Wonder Woman v2:
  • War of the Gods v1:
  • Wonder Woman: Our Worlds at War v1:
  • Wonder Woman v5:

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