Nubia (DC)

Nubia in Nubia and the Amazons v1 #1.

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

Biography

Pre-Crisis

Nubia in Wonder Woman v1 #204.

Nubia was a female member of the race of Amazons where she was a resident of the Floating Island of Themyscira. (Wonder Woman v1 #204) Her mother was actually the Amazon Queen Hippolyta who in a desire to have children received instructions from the goddess Aphrodite to craft two children from clay. Two daughters were formed from raw clay one with light skin and the other was of dark skin with Aphrodite gifting them life as well as beauty. Thus, Nubia and her sister Diana were born as infants in that moment with the goddess stating that the rest of the pantheon were to come to give gifts to the daughters of Hippolyta. Whilst waiting, the dread god of war Mars appeared where he stole the infant Nubia from the cradle and disappeared from the world. Not even the patron goddess of the Amazons was able to find the lost child and Hippolyta was noted to had experienced grief over the loss of her daughter. (Wonder Woman v1 #206)

After a session in the Amazon memory banks, Diana was confronted by an armored female warrior who challenged her to single combat. The two initially wrestled, then faced each other with swords. Diana and the intruder seemed evenly matched until the intruder knocked the sword from Diana's hands, and then hesitated to kill her, giving Diana the chance to wrestle her to a draw. The stranger declared herself as Nubia. Queen Hippolyta wondered if this was indeed the same Nubia who was to be raised as Diana's sister. (Wonder Woman v1 #204) Nubia left the Amazons and returned to her mist-concealed Floating Island (named Slaughter Island by Mars). She told Diana that they will meet again and one of them will be proven the true Wonder Woman. She eventually did return, and reiterated her claim to the title of Wonder Woman. Later on, Nubia put down a challenge to her rule by one of the male warriors of Slaughter Island; she defeated the man but let him live, stating that "A woman doesn't destroy life, she cherishes it!" (Wonder Woman v1 #205)

She accompanied her mother Hippolyta on a boat where they were traveling with some Amazons when they came under attack from mutated shark men. Nubia came to fight them off where she was aided by the timely arrival of Supergirl Kara Zor-El. The Kryptonian hero managed to defeat the shark men and forced them to retreat though Nubia was injured. This led to Supergirl taking the boat to Themyscira where Amazon physicians tended to Hippolyta's daughter. Despite their knowledge though, they were unable to treat Nubia with the only cure being derived from the cologi root located on the remote legendary Cologi Island. Ultimately, Supergirl succeeded in gathering the plant which was used to create a serum which cured Nubia who made a full recovery. (Supergirl v1 #9)

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Nu'bia was an Amazon who lived on Themyscira long ago where she was a comrade of Hippolyta and and Antiope. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #8)

As a Princess of the Amazons, she long ago participated in the Tournament of Grace and Wonder which she won and as a champion of her people she was tasked with guarding Dooms Doorway from the other side. Thus, she was charged with stopping all manners of monsters from Tartarus from escaping into the world. Alone, she had to wage this battle where she found crisis after crisis as she began to experience the isolation of being separated from her people. She only knew few moments of peace which was when she entered into the eddies of the River Styx allowing her to cross the veils of time allowing her to break bread with the Argonauts where such moments were noted to had renewed her body and spirit. She came to form a pact with the Gorgons that was long forgotten with this giving her the Cold Sight that could turn to stone. Nu'bia continued to operate but was forgotten by all where she was an invisible assassin of the gods. This was until one day Ahura-Mazda took notice for her and cared for her where she came to experience love from a deity far removed from her own pantheon. (Wonder Woman v2 #154)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Zahavah Nubia was a soul of a woman who had been reborn as an Amazon on Themyscira where she emerged from the Well of Souls. It was known that she was the last of Amazon to emerge from it and ever since that time the Well had remained closed for reasons unknown. (Nubia and the Amazons v1 #1)

For many long years, Nubia was the solitary guardian of Doom's Doorway in the underground caves of Themyscira. (Wonder Woman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular v1 #1) At least once, a monster escaped her watch and the island, fleeing into the world of men; she pursued it into Man's World, eventually catching up with it in Chicago, USA. During a school visit to a city museum, Nubia saved Ms. Knight and many schoolchildren from the Manticore's attack, and later saved Ms. Knight from the harassment of an unknown man on the street. They quickly found themselves attracted to each other, and started a relationship that, unfortunately, was doomed to end too soon. (Nubia and the Amazons v1 #4)

After the defeat of Perpetua, reality was recreated as the Multiverse was restored with Diana seemingly killed in the process. In the aftermath, Hippolyta grieved the death of her daughter during a time when the Amazons were seeking a new Wonder Woman. The Queen then decided to have a trial whereby the participants had to brave death itself where several warriors including Nubia took part. This trial seemingly involved facing the severed head of the Medusa Gorgon and rather than be turned to stone the other participants except Nubia decided to forfeit. This led to Nubia being the winner though Hippolyta had never intended to have the winner face near-death nor was the prize being the new Wonder Woman. Rather, Hippolyta had decided to take her daughter Diana's place as Wonder Woman and the trial was rather to decide who would be the new Queen of Themyscira. She also intended to seek out Yara Flor who had a previously unknown ties to the Amazons. (Infinite Frontier v1 #1)

Overview

Personality and attributes

At one point, she went by the name of Nu'bia. (Wonder Woman Annual v2 #8) She was a contender and holder of the title of Wonder Woman. (Wonder Woman v1 #205)

As an Amazon, she felt that women had nothing to fear from women. (Wonder Woman v1 #205)

As per Aphrodite's Law, she often challenged Princess Diana for the right to be Wonder Woman. (Wonder Woman v1 #205)

She felt that lonely for much of her life and could only remember ever being an orphan. (Wonder Woman v1 #205)

Powers and abilities

She had a set of armour that covered her entire body and a helmet that masked her features with her wielding a sword as well as shield in battle. (Wonder Woman v1 #204)

One incarnation of her was given a ring by Mars which had a hypnotic influence on Nubia, making her hate Diana and the Amazons. (Wonder Woman v1 #206)

At one point, she was noted to had made a pact with the Gorgons who blessed her with the Cold Sight allowing Nubia to turn mortals to stone. (Wonder Woman v2 #154)

Her home was the Floating Island that was situated near Themyscira with it being a realm perpetually girdled by a concealing fog. (Wonder Woman v1 #205)

Notes

• Nubia was created by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck where she made her first appearance in Wonder Woman v1 #204 (January, 1973).

Alternate Versions

• In Final Crisis v1 #7 (2009), Nubia appeared in an alternate reality in the Multiverse with this being designated as Earth-23. Nubia was one of the Wonder Women of Amazonia who was an ally of Superman Calvin Ellis where her people had anti-war technology and she was gifted the Wonder Horn by the Universals from the Mythic Time.
• In Wonder Woman: Earth One v1 #1 (2016), an alternate version of Nubia appeared in the Earth-One reality designated as Earth-1 in the Multiverse. She was Queen Hippolyta's right-hand woman and lover and is always by her side as her counselor. Hippolyta sent her, Mala, Troia and Artemis — and the Gorgon Medusa — to the United States of America in search for Princess Diana, the new Wonder Woman, to force her to return to Paradise Island and face the trial for her misdemeanor of protecting US Air Force pilot Steven Trevor, a man who crashed on Paradise Island, and taking him to the Man's World without the permission of the Queen. During Diana's trial, when Hippolyta had to face responsibility for her own past deeds and fooling her own daughter, Nubia persuaded the Queen not to abdicate the throne, saying that this decision was not for her to make, putting the crown back on her head.
• In Injustice 2 v1 #15 (2018), an alternate version of Nubia appeared in the Injustice reality set on a world in the Multiverse. After the treachery, defeat, and imprisonment of Diana, the previous Wonder Woman, the Amazons of Themyscira named Nubia their new champion. Nubia was the first to discover Kara Zor-El when she washed up on the shores of Themyscira. Later, when Kara and and a group of rebels led by Antiope kidnapped Queen Hippolyta, Nubia was the one who led the Amazon army against the traitors, sparking the Amazon War.
• In Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman v1 #1 (2021), Nubia appeared in an alternate potential future that was known as Future State. Things have not been stable on Paradise Island for some time, and Nubia has found a new home in Man's World. Now, she is tasked with protecting it from the dangers of the world of myths and magic. Just a few decades into the future after the period when Yara Flor was the Wonder Woman, Nubia has come to Man's World—specifically, to the city of Atlanta—to escape a Themyscira that’s become more threatening over time. But she’s about to encounter danger from more than just one mythos as she adjusts to her new surroundings.

Appearances

• Wonder Woman v1: (1973)
• Wonder Woman Annual v1:
• Final Crisis v1:
• Wonder Woman v5;
• Infinite Frontier v1:
• Nubia and the Amazons v1: (2021)

External Links

• DC Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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