Darkseid and Harley Quinn just teamed up to take down a dark New God who evolved into one of the real world’s most famous urban legends.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the story “Bloody Mary” from Are You Afraid Of The Darkseid #1, now on sale
The forces of Apokolips are some of the most dangerous in the entire DC Universe, with the capability to wage war on a galactic scale at the behest of Darkseid. Even some that aren’t controlled by the cosmic villain have found their way to Earth and become legends in their own right.
And the story “Bloody Mary” from Are You Afraid Of The Darkseid #1 by Kenny Porter, Max Dunbar, Luis Guerrero, and Becca Carey confirms that a terrifying Apokolips villain, Bloody Mary, is the inspiration (and murderer) behind the Earth urban legend.
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In western culture, the story of Bloody Mary has many different origins. But in modern society, she’s considered a mystical monster who will appear to people if her name is uttered three times in quick succession in front of a mirror. Bloody Mary will then kill anyone who is present — making her a famous urban legend across multiple countries. Within the DC Universe, Bloody Mary is a New God, a telepathic alien vampire and one Darkseid’s Female Furies, who was created by Karl Kesel, Barbara Kesel and Steve Erwin in 1991’s Hawk and Dove #21. While she’s been part of the DC Universe for decades, this story is the first time the Bloody Mary of the New Gods has been explicitly confirmed to be the urban legend.
In=After Bloody Mary is referenced in multiple deaths in Gotham City in this issue, Harley Quinn decides to investigate. She finds herself protecting three teenagers and confronting one of DC’s most powerful villains: Darkseid. The nefarious lord of Apokolips reveals to Harley that he’s also searching for Bloody Mary.
Mary quickly rose in the ranks of Granny Goodness’ Female Furies, with her lethality and combat skills making her a worthy champion of Darkseid. However, she suffered an unlikely and terrifying fate. After being ordered to charge New Genesis and attack Orion directly, Mary led an army of Parademons into a Boom Tube. But something within her Mother Box malfunctioned, and she was lost in the space between life and death. Now, she seeks revenge on any who dare draw her briefly back to the material world — as well as Darkseid and all of Apokolips for their part in her fate. Harley and Darkseid are forced to confront her together when Mary manifests before them and threatens them both.
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Luckily, the pair are able to overcome Bloody Mary and force her into her apparent prison within the Mirror World. But notably, Bloody Mary isn’t destroyed; merely contained. She still very much exists in the DC Universe, a living nightmare created by Apokolips. She also proves to be extraordinarily dangerous in their fight, even drawing blood from Darkseid thanks to her razor-sharp claws. She even came close to physically overwhelming Darkseid by appearing out of multiple shards of reflections, proving she could switch up her attacks with ease. Going up against anyone else, Bloody Mary would likely be nigh-impossible to defeat head-on.
Notably, Blood Mary later endangers a different DC villain: Mirror Master. The longtime Flash villain is seen trying to escape a robbery through the Mirror World as he has for years. But when he jumps into that world again, he finds himself confronted with Bloody Mary. While she hasn’t appeared outside of this story for years, she could return to bedevil the Flash and the rest of his Rogues. But in the meantime, Bloody Mary serves as a reminder of how deadly urban legends can be in a fantasy world like the DC Universe.
KEEP READING: Harley Quinn And Catwoman Are On A Collision Course In Batman’s Fear State
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