Black Alice (DC)
Black Alice is a female comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Lori Zechlin
Her mother was noted to had gotten addicted to drugs supplied by doctors. This got to the point that one day she decided to put on her best dress and take all the drugs she could get from dealers. She then proceeded to lie face down in their swimming pool where she drowned to death. Her body was later found by Lori who was horrified by the experience and she came to blame all criminals for such tragedies. Black Alice first appeared when her powers manifested in a traumatic moment involving her mother’s suicide. Overcome with grief and rage, she unconsciously tapped into the magical essence of powerful sorcerers. During this time, she exhibited her unique ability to siphon the magical powers of another spellcaster and wield them as her own, though only temporarily. In her first use of this ability, she seized the powers of Enchantress, lashing out with chaotic energy before the magic faded and left her drained. (Birds of Prey v1 #76) Soon after, Black Alice came into contact with the Birds of Prey, who investigated her powers after her volatile magical thefts drew attention. In their interaction, she demonstrated the unpredictable nature of her gift by switching between the abilities of various magic-users—at one point tapping into the mystical might of Doctor Fate to cast protective wards, then abruptly shifting to powers closer to those of Zatanna to manipulate matter with incantations. Each transition left her unstable and emotionally frayed, reflecting the dangerous toll of channeling magic far beyond her control. (Birds of Prey v1 #77) Her role expanded as both heroes and villains recognized the potential of her ability. Groups like the Secret Six and Shadowpact sought to recruit or control her. In these confrontations, she displayed the sheer versatility of her power theft—for instance, stripping the magic of Ragman to animate and command his enchanted rags, or momentarily seizing the infernal energies of Etrigan the Demon to unleash hellfire. These feats underscored her status as a dangerous wildcard in the mystical community, someone who could turn the tide of battle simply by appropriating another’s talents. (Birds of Prey v1 #79)
She was talking home when she got a call from Kyle who wanted them to be a couple again but Lori refused to get back together with him. Arriving at home, she was surprised to find her father in the lounge with Detective Chimp and Nightshade who had come to recruit Black Alice as she was a magical superhero. (Day of Vengeance v1 #4) She was brought to the Oblivion Bar where all the magical heroes had gathered to a discussion on how to combat the out of control Spectre. They planned to draw the Spectre to Indonesia where Black Alice was to temporarily take his power so that the Shadowpact could kill him to end his rampage. Their ambush was a success but stripping the Spectre of his power simply turned the Spirit of Vengeance into a non-corporeal state that could not be harmed. (Day of Vengeance v1 #5) Though gaining his power, Black Alice could not use it against the Spectre and this stolen magic came to slowly return to him. She attempted to use the power against Eclipso but ultimately it left her and she was unable to retake it as barriers had been set up to prevent this again. Ultimately, the team failed in stopping the Spectre who struck at the Rock of Eternity and killed the wizard Shazam. (Day of Vengeance v1 #6) Ultimately, it took the sacrifice of the Lord of Order Nabu who managed to defeat the Spectre and the Spirit of Vengeance's rampage. (Infinite Crisis Special: Day of Vengeance v1 #1)
One night, she came to find the Helmet of Doctor Fate in her room which she kept with her and attempted to unlock its power. (Helmet of Fate: Black Alice v1 #1)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.
It was known that she became an orphan after being involved in a car accident that killed her family. The injuries would have killed her, too, but in her dying moment, she called out to pagan gods and demons asking to be spared. One of them answered. Though she ultimately survived, she wasn't aware that the price to pay was becoming a vessel to this ill-intentioned demon. That bond is also what gave her the ability of borrowing power from magic users. Hoping that this much power in her hands would lead to catastrophic consequences, the demon found amusement in the irony of a death-worshiping goth girl becoming the very thing she claims to crave most. (Secret Six v4 #8)
The Riddler threw a lavish party on a yacht to show off a particularly expensive diamond in his possession, the India Star, and Lori crashed the party with the intent of stealing the jewel. She wasn't the only one with similar intentions, however, and during a brief blackout, someone stole the diamond from its display case. All hell broke loose, the ship exploded and the Riddler never found his prized possession. (Secret Six v4 #5) Furious, he managed to later capture Black Alice along with other suspects who also attended the party: Big Shot, Strix, Porcelain, the Ventriloquist and Catman. They were trapped in a coffin-shaped prison under the sea and forced to participate in a deadly game that the Riddler dubbed an 'experiment'. (Secret Six v4 #1) However, despite being total strangers to one another, the prisoners cooperated rather than playing the Riddler's game, and even though it cost Alice being electrocuted by a trap built into the prison, they managed to escape. The Riddler was ultimately nowhere to be found after having managed to escape himself. (Secret Six v4 #2)
When ancient entities called Shadow-Riders started reemerging to hunt down arcane practitioners, Baron Winters decided to form a new Night Force in other to contain the threat. Black Alice was the first person he tried to recruit, believing her taking the powers of a Shadow-Rider could allow them to learn how to defeat them, but she rejected him despite getting involved on her own later, leading him to suspect she had her own agenda. Shadow-Riders had almost killed her years earlier, and they almost killed her a second time when she was exploring the Pyramid of the Crocodile in Uruguay. Luckily for her, Baron Winters sent one of his recruits, Raven, to rescue her in the nick of time. Rather than going with her, Alice simply took part of Raven's power and teleported elsewhere, leaving her behind to only barely escape the arcane-hunting entities. Soon after, she used Raven's power again to abduct Skye, a girl who had a connection to the Shadow-Riders that she couldn't fully grasp due to her having lost her memories. (Raven: Daughter of Darkness v1 #9) In reality, Alice had made a deal with the Shadow-Riders, promising to turn Skye over to them so they would spare her life - but even though she fulfilled her end of the bargain by bringing Skye to the pyramid, the Shadow-Riders betrayed her anyway. Anticipating this possibility, Alice escaped and reached out to the Night Force to finally lend her aid in their effort, revealing that Skye was actually not just a Shadow-Rider, but their firstborn. (Raven: Daughter of Darkness v1 #10) The team rescued Skye before the Shadow-Riders could restore her memory, taking her to Azarath. There, during one last battle against the the arcane hunters, Skye urged Alice to siphon her aerokinesis and use it against them before she sacrificed herself to foil the Shadow-Riders' plans. (Raven: Daughter of Darkness v1 #11)
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Black Alice was depicted as a pale-skinned teenage girl with dark hair and a gothic sense of style. She typically dressed in black clothing with heavy makeup, fishnet sleeves, and chokers, embodying the aesthetic of an outsider in mourning. Her costume varied slightly depending on the era, but it consistently emphasized her rebellious and grim personality, contrasting her youth with the dark weight of her powers. She came to take the identity of Black Alice when she started to operate as a vigilante. (Birds of Prey v1 #76)
In personality, Lori was troubled, defiant, and emotionally unstable. The trauma of her mother’s death and her strained relationship with her father left her withdrawn and prone to anger. While she craved connection and guidance, she often pushed others away with sarcasm or outbursts. Despite her volatility, she revealed a vulnerable side, showing guilt when her powers harmed others unintentionally. This tension between her desire for belonging and her self-destructive streak defined her early interactions with both heroes and villains. (Birds of Prey v1 #76)
Lori considered her original self to be a none person who barely existed as a sleepwalker in a world that did not care. In contrast, she believed that Black Alice was her true self and was when she was really born. (Helmet of Fate: Black Alice v1 #1)
She did not like waiting as it made her nervous which in turn made her cranky. (Day of Vengeance v1 #5)
As a vigilante, Lori said that she did not kill the innocent but warned such people to not get in her way as this was a guide rather than a rule. (Birds of Prey v1 #76)
Her mother was regarded as not being a strong person and suffered from a drug problem. It was said that this was not noticeable as it was not something like crack but rather drugs supplied by doctors. This was until she felt so ashamed one day that she put on her best dress along with all the black market drugs she could afford and then went face down into the swimming pool where she killed herself by drowning in the water. (Birds of Prey v1 #76)
For a time, she was involved with a boy named Kyle from her school. (Birds of Prey v1 #76) The two were a couple until one day she found Kyle kissing another girl named Dawn. (Day of Vengeance v1 #4)
She kept a diary where she recorded her thoughts and feelings. (Helmet of Fate: Black Alice v1 #1)
Powers and abilities
In powers and abilities, Black Alice was a human metahuman uniquely capable of seizing the magical abilities of other mystics. When she did so, the original wielder temporarily lost access to those powers until they returned to them naturally. The abilities she mimicked were limited only by the source she targeted, allowing her to wield sorcery, divine magic, chaos magic, or infernal energies with equal ease. However, this came at the cost of instability—her mastery was inconsistent, and she could exhaust herself or lose control if she attempted too much. (Birds of Prey v1 #76)
She had the ability to borrow other peoples magic thus gaining their abilities for a short time. Lori was shown gaining the powers of Doctor Fate, Zatanna and even Captain Marvel for these brief periods. (Birds of Prey v1 #76) It was shown once that she was able to take the power of the Spectre even for a short time. (Day of Vengeance v1 #6)
In the process of siphoning magic, she also absorbed the knowledge from her victims. She may be capable of absorbing memories permanently. (Raven: Daughter of Darkness v1 #9)
Due to her abilities, it was shown that magic users could sense no magical powers in her. (Day of Vengeance v1 #5)
Notes
- Black Alice was created by Gail Simone, Joe Prado and Ed Benes where she made her first appearance in Birds of Prey v1 #76 (January, 2005).
Alternate Versions
Appearances
- Birds of Prey v1: (2005)
- Day of Vengeance v1:
- Helmet of Fate: Black Alice v1:
- Secret Six v2:
- Secret Six v3:
- Secret Six v4:
- Raven: Daughter of Darkness v1:
External Links
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