Hath-Set
Hath-Set is a male comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Origin
Hath-Set was a male priest in ancient Egypt where he lived during the reign of Prince Khufu. (Flash Comics v1 #1) It was said that he was a descendant of Asiatic invaders that had conquered Egypt long ago and founded the 15th dynasty. (Secret Origins v2 #11) He came to find an ally in the royal family in the Pharaoh's wife Khea Taramka who he married after the death of the former and was the mother of Chay-ara. (Brightest Day v1 #13) Hath-Set came to desire Chay-ara and met with her in secret to confess her love for her but she rejected him as she was in love with Prince Khufu. (Hawkgirl v1 #65) In this, he served as High Priest to the Pharaoh during the Dynasty of Oppression where a rebel group formed that opposed the leadership formed by the Hyksos people's descendants. One figure that emerged was a rebel who fought in the guise of the god Horus that inspired the Egyptian people to rise up against their oppressors. Hath-Set used spies to track down this vigilante and came to find out that this was actually Prince Khufu. He also learnt that the rumours that this 'Horus' could fly were true and it was by means of a mystical night metal and sought to use it as a tool for conquest. (Hawkman Annual v3 #2)
When the Pharaoh refused to use Nth Metal as a weapon of conquest, Khea secretly murdered him and made it appear that he took his life in grief over the death of his first wife. She then became Queen Khea Taramka of Egypt where she agreed with Hath-Set to kill her daughter and her love Prince Khufu. (Brightest Day v1 #13) After capturing Khufu, he had the prince tortured by his servant Ko-Lar so that he could learn the location of those loyal to him so that they could be ambushed. Despite torture, Khufu refused to give Hath-Set this information and broke free from his restraints. (Secret Origins v2 #11) The prince managed to escape from Kolar in order to meet his love Shiera. The pair were outnumbered by the evil priests soldiers where Khufu was murdered by Hath-Set using an enchanted dagger. However, this caused Khufu and Shiera to go through a cycle of reincarnation where they were reborn in new lives every time they had died. (Flash Comics v1 #1) From the murder, he and Khea became immortal allowing her to rule Egypt though in time she sought the secrets of Nth Metal leading her to journeying through a portal to Hawkworld. Though she lived in that realm, Hath-Set remained loyal to her and the two shared a common goal with Khea taking the name of Queen Shrike in the floating Nth City on Hawkworld. (Brightest Day v1 #13) In Egypt, he became Pharaoh and commanded the kingdom when his followers discovered an inhabitant from Apokolips who had fled Darkseid. They creature sought shelter and offered the Beta-3 Gizmoid that he had stolen from Darkseid's armoury in exchange for sanctuary. Hath-Set had the being killed and had his followers place the Gizmoid in storage in an urn for future use. (Hawkgirl v1 #60)
From his time in ancient Egypt, he created a bloodline consisting of his descendants that continued over into the centuries in the modern day. This led to him having tens of thousands all of whom were capable of being taken as hosts for his soul. (Hawkamn v4 #12)
During the 20th century, one of his new guises was that of an extraordinary electrician named Doctor Hastor who sought to conquer the world with a machine that emitted electrical storms. He was confronted by the Hawkman who was Khufu's latest incarnation as Carter Hall who destroyed Hastor's equipment but not before the villain escaped. Doctor Hastor then proceeded to use magic to hypnotise Shiera and bring her to him so that he could sacrifice her. As he attempted to do so, Hawkamn arrived where he saved Shiera and shot Hastor with an arrow that killed him. (Flash Comics v1 #1)
Among his host bodies was a descendant named Doctor Helene Astar though his hold over her form sometimes grew weak. (Hawkamn v4 #12)
It was shown that he was operating in the jungles of Peru. (Brightest Day v1 #1) In this time, he was resumed his alliance with Queen Shrike the ruler of Hawkworld. Hath-Set and Khea were lovers in ancient Egypt where they had created their own immortality using the blood of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, together with the Nth dagger. He later sought to build a mystical gateway which he built from the bones of Hawkman and Hawkgirl from their previous incarnations over the generations. To accomplish this task, he had hired mercenaries to aid him in this goal and to ensure he was not stopped by Hawkman or Hawkgirl whereupon he managed to escape through the portal. (Brightest Day v1 #3) Hawkman and Hawkgirl follow Hath-Set through this gateway to Hawkworld. Hawkgirl is captured by Hath-Set and Khea. The Entity later told Hawkgirl she must prevent Hath-Set from killing Hawkman. (Brightest Day v1 #7) Hath-Set ties Hawkgirl to the mystical gateway. Following Khea's orders, Hath-Set strikes Hawkgirl in order to lure Hawkman. Hawkman arrives and distracts Hath-Set. Hawkgirl then uses her legs to kill Hath-Set by snapping the evil priest's neck. (Brightest Day v1 #13)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. At the dawn of the human race, the figure that became Hath-Set was a young hero that led the Bat-Tribe who consulted with dark forces causing him to declare war against the Bird-Tribe. In the process, he used the Nth Metal to strike down the two leaders of the Bird-Tribe forcing them into a cycle of resurrection over the years as Hawkman and Hawkgirl. (Batman: Lost v1 #1) The Judas Tribe caused this war to bring Barbatos to Earth. Hath-Set made a weapon out of Nth Metal to slay the Chieftain of the Bird Tribe and his wife. After doing that, the Nth Metal weapon caused them to confront their reincarnations following his unseen death. In Ancient Egypt, Hath-Set was the servant of Prince Khufu and Chay-Ara. Using Nth Metal from a crashed Thanagarian ship, Hath-Set killed Prince Khufu and Chay-Ara. Using sorcery, he had made sure that they did not remember their lives before Ancient Egypt when they next reincarnated. (Dark Days: The Casting v1 #1) Carter Hall had a vision of Hat-Seth in Ancient Egypt while experience visions of the future that revolve around Batman. (Dark Days: The Forge v1 #1) In Ancient Egypt, he was Hath-Set the high priest of Anubis who came to fall in love with the Princess Chay-ara but Prince Khufu Maat Ka-tar had also fallen for her. She and Khufu fell in love with this driving the obsessive Hath-Set mad with rage that led to him murdering the pair whereupon they reincarnated into another life years later. (Hawkman v5 #28)
Hawkman later came to break the cycle of reincarnation affecting him and Hawkwoman where they found themselves in the era of the Justice Society. In this time, Hath-Set was in the guise of Anton Hastor where using his mystical knife he could sense their presence and sought to finally slay the pair. (Hawkman v5 #28)
Over the years, Hath-Set fought Hawkman and Hawkwoman in his various reincarnations all the day to the 40th century. (Hawkman v5 #29)
Overview
Personality and attributes
One of his incarnations was that of Dr. Anton Hastor who was regarded as one of the world's greatest experts on electricity. (Secret Origins v2 #11) One of his descendants that he came to possess was Kristopher Roderic. (Hawkgirl v1 #56)
Hath-Set believed himself to be born to rule the world. (Secret Origins v2 #11)
He was an ancient priest to a death god Anubis who was the god of the dead and the secret servant of dark Setekh. (Secret Origins v2 #11) As High Priest of the great god Anubis, he considered murder to be his art. (Hawkman v5 #29) From time to time, he said that he enjoyed watching slaves die in battle which was an entertainment he claimed he had picked up from the Romans. (Hawkgirl v1 #65)
He claimed that he had loved Chay-ara and had a deep desire for her with him willing to kill Khufu to claim her. Hath-Set even fancied making her future incarnations into his queen and intended to turn her into his eternal slave. (Hawkgirl v1 #65)
To a number of his offspring, he had them transformed into undead mummies which he believed was the greatest honour he could bestow on any servant which was the gift of immortality. (Hawkgirl v1 #65)
In his first life, one of his servants was Ko-Lar who aided in his plot against Prince Khufu. (Secret Origins v2 #11)
Powers and abilities
Similar to Khufu and Chay-ara, Hath-Set similarly gained the power to survive across the centuries. Whilst Hawkman and Hawkgirl reincarnated, their murderer had the ability to take over the bodies of his descendants. These descendants numbered in the tens of thousands by the modern age which he could use and if killed he could then take over another body. (Hawkamn v4 #12) As an immortal, he had lived in this manner for around 3,500 years by the modern age. (Hawkgirl v1 #65)
He was knowledgeable in the use of the ancient magics. (Flash Comics v1 #1) Hath-Set wielded magic that was old when the Pharaohs walked the lands. (Infinity, Inc. v1 #42)
Hath-Set was served by a number of mummies that were his sons with these holding enhanced strength and durability due to their undead nature. (Hawkgirl v1 #65)
Notes
- Hath-Set was created by Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville where he made his first appearance in Flash Comics v1 #1 (January, 1940).
In other media
Television
- In Justice League Unlimited, Hath-Set appeared as an antagonist in the DC Animated Universe episode "Ancient History" where he was voiced by actor Hector Elizondo. He was only shown in flashbacks to Ancient Egypt where he served as a human advisor to King Katar Hol who was a Thanagarian lawman that was stranded on Earth long ago with his love Chay-Ara. The priest later spied on the Queen Chay-Ara having an affair with the human General Bashari with Hath-Set secretly informing Katar Hol. Hath-Set was shown to be fiercely loyal to the king to the point that he misinterpreted his command leading to the deaths of Katar Hol, Chay-Aya and Bashari which was an act he came to deeply regret.
- In the Arrowverse, Hath-Set's name and backstory was partially merged with that of Vandal Savage in the shared setting.
- In Arrow, it was revealed that in Ancient Egypt that Vandal Savage was known as Hath-Set who was an advisor to the Pharaoh.
- In Legends of Tomorrow, Kendra Saunders sometimes referred to Vandal Savage as Hath-Set.
Video games
- In DC Legends, Hath Set was referenced in the background of Hawkgirl in the iOS video game.
Appearances
- Flash Comics v1: (1940)
- Secret Origins v2:
- Infinity, Inc. v1
- Hawkman v3:
- Hawkman Annual v3:
- JSA v1:
- Hawkman v4:
- Hawkgirl:
- Brightest Day v1:
- Hawkman v5: (2020)
External Links
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