Northwind (comics)
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Northwind is a fictional character who exists in the DC Universe. The godson of original Hawkman Carter Hall, Norda Cantrell, is the son of a human male and a female member of a humanoid bird species which lived in the hidden city of Feithera in Greenland. Northwind was a founding member of Infinity, Inc..
Created by Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway and Mike Machlan, Northwind first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25. He also appeared in the Infinity Inc. comic, although he left the team partway through the run.
Today, he sometimes appears in the pages of JSA. Recently, Northwind, along with the other Feitherans, forced to leave their Greenland home, have mutated into a wilder, non-verbal form. Northwind has allied himself with Black Adam, opposing the JSA.
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[edit] Detailed history
[edit] A godfather and mother
Hawkman went to Feithera, saving its native people from human invaders, who had become immune to the Feitherean weapons, the "Globlass Gun", which destroyed a person's balance. Hawkman would stop the Feitherean traitor Trata, and was able to convince the invaders to keep the secret of Feithera.
For years, Hawkman visited the Feithereans, and finally with their permission, brought along an anthropologist colleague, Fred Cantrell, who wished to study the Feithereans. Although bethrothed to another Feitherean called Ramphastos, the female Osroro immediately fell in love with Fred Cantrell. When Ramphastos left Feithera and Osroro, the couple was able to marry, although a union that was viewed with reluctance by most Feithereans.
[edit] A prophecy of two brothers
When Hawkman and Hawkgirl appeared in Feithera with their own son, Hector, Norda himself was born. It was then that Worla, Norda's grandfather and spiritual leader of the Feithereans knew of the irrevocable destiny that was prophesied for Hector, but dared not tell the Hawks.
It was the curse of Seketh, the Ancient Egyptian God of Death, which prophesied the combination of the Silver Scarab and the Eye of Ra, which would practically mean the end of the world. It was Thoth, of a group of birdpeople, that would go on to found Feithera and hope to stop this evil from ever happening. The curse of Seketh would be set into motion 1500 years later, as Hath-Set slew Prince Khufu and Chay-Ara (who would later, after many reincarnations become Hawkman and Hawkgirl). The Silver Scarab would come about the child of Khufu and Chay-Ara, who would be born without a soul. Hector was that child.
Seeing the danger of the Silver Scarab, Worla immediately proceeded to the chamber of eggs, that carries the unhatched eggs of the Feitherean people. As evil had planted its seed in Hector, so had Worla planted (via the age old incantation of power) that of good Thoth (the founder of Feithera) in Norda's egg.
Hatching that same day, Norda and Hector's future was further shown when young Hector was scared of the old Hawkman mask his father wore, while Norda leapt right into Hawkman's arms.
On coming visits Norda would spend a lot of time with the Hawks and they adored him, and Hector was left to his own devices, and he grew to hate Feithera. Norda yearned for the world outside of Feithera, often been called names by his hatchmates for being a halfbreed. Reading his father's journals and learning the English language, Norda set out to leave Feithera.
[edit] Leaving Feithera the first time
Norda left Feithera at age 15, challenging the elements and braving the storms. Thanks to his stamina and inborn Feitherean migration senses, Norda was able to reach Washington D.C., the city in which his father was born.
He planned to visit his grandparents there, but they had moved. Flying over Washington, he did find them, but his grandfather had already died, and his grandmother was close to death. Appearing before her, she thought him to be her son, reincarnated as an angel (thinking her son had died on a polar expedition long ago) and asked to be taken to heaven, and she died. He decided not to tell her, allowing her peaceful rest.
Living on the streets, Norda scavenged the trash bins and was almost killed in an encounter with a man thinking him a robber. The experience left Norda to be somewhat disillusioned with the human race. He was able to reach the Hall mansion, where the Hawks tended to him and brought him home. A move that once more angered Hector, as a lot of attention was paid towards Norda.
[edit] Returning to Feithera and leaving again
Norda spent the following years in Feithera again till the coming-of-age ceremony, in which each Feitherean receives the life-scroll, which forever dictates that person's role in Feitherean society, as well as who would marry who. Norda was set to marry Isos, and Worla planned to make him his succesor as spiritual leader, the highest position in their society, but Norda refused.
Denying his heritage, and his future role in Feitherean society, Norda was met with much resistance, except from his father. Understanding Norda's human need for freedom, his father spoke up in his defense, and Norda was free to leave once more.
In a last-ditch attempt to make him stay, Worla approached his grandson and told him of the dark tidings to come and that Norda would need training. Norda ripped up his life-scroll and flew away, determined on proving the dark prophecy wrong.
[edit] Joining Infinity, Inc.
Norda returned just as Hector Hall, Lyta Trevor and Al Rothstein decided to adopt identities of their own and apply for membership in the Justice Society of America. With the four of them they applied as the Silver Scarab, Fury, Nuklon and Norda as Northwind. They were turned down, and together with Star-Spangled Kid, Obsidian, Jade, Power Girl and the Huntress formed Infinity, Inc.
While a member of Infinity Inc, Northwind became good friends with Todd Rice (Obsidian) and the two even ended up dating the same woman. During one of his adventures with Infinity, Inc., Jade convinced Solomon Grundy to attempt to save Feithera, where the Infinitors had earlier jailed him after an earlier confrontation. The inhabitants moved to a new location and came to build New Feithera.
[edit] The Silver Scarab saga
Even with all of his friends at Infinity, Inc. when Hector Hall left the group after a fall-out with Lyta, as well as hearing that a certain Prof. James Rock had contacted Hector (a man long dead). Norda feared the warnings of his grandfather had come true. He left but did not speak a word of the grim future in store to his teammates. Travelling to Hall Mansion, Norda meant to confront Hector, only to find him already under Hath-Set's manipulations (Hath-Set had been reincarnated as a female Dr. Hastor and used the alias of Prof. James Rock).
Going to Old Feithera in hopes of uncovering the means to defeat this ancient evil, he once again met his grandfather Worla. Under Worla, Norda was trained in the mystic ways of his people and was trained in harnessing the inherent power of Thoth that he carried within him.
Returning to Infinity, Inc., Northwind was a changed man, sporting a new look, demeanor and the use of powerful blasts from his hands. The now possessed Silver Scarab and Hath-Set uncovered the Eye of Ra, a powerful and ancient weapon.
The final confrontation happened at Hall Mansion, which, when burned down, revealed to have a topless pyramid inside. While Northwind confronted the Silver Scarab in a duel, Nuklon saved Fury, who had been kidnapped by the Scarab.
But Dr. Hastor and the Eye of Ra appeared in time, and the Silver Scarab looked upon his destiny and spoke the spell in which the Eye of Ra opened and with the spirit of Seketh looked upon the Scarab. Their plan, to bring the underworld of death, Tuat to the world.
The Eye of Ra denied the Silver Scarab control and flew away, the Scarab clinging onto it. It turned out that the Silver Scarab, albeit evil, was not pure enough in the eyes of Seketh, for the pureness of Hector's heart still lived on in his unborn child with Lyta. Hector had therefore had not been fully cleansed of his goodness and The Silver Scarab was thrown away by the Eye's power, the armor of Ninth metal an empty shell.
Invoking the name of Thoth, Northwind was able to close the Eye of Ra, sending it away to sleep under the sands of Egypt and end its rampage. As Hector's destiny had overtaken him, so too had Norda's and he had grown cold and distant from his time in Feithera, and was ready to accept his new role as spiritual leader and to mate with his chosen life-partner.
He left Infinity, Inc. with the intention of never returning, and flew home at the end of Hector Hall's funeral, taking only a short time to say goodbye, fearing that if he did not leave now, he would never be able to leave. He had hoped that this 'retirement' would be forever.
[edit] Nothing lasts forever
Through yet undisclosed events, the Feithereans have evolved (or rather devolved) into an even more bird-like state, including Northwind (modelled after Hawkman's look in Kingdom Come), and New Feithera has been destroyed. The Feithereans have also lost their speech but not necessarily their intelligence. It has yet to be revealed how, but Black Adam was able to convince Northwind and the other Feithereans to join him and take over his anscestral homeland Khandaq, where the Feithereans gained a home.
The JSA responded to this hostile takeover by attacking Khandaq and Black Adam's group, which included two other Infinitors Atom Smasher and Brainwave Jr. and a new Nemesis and Eclipso. The conflict resulted in Hawkman ripping one of Northwind's wings out, but thanks also to some form of advanced healing the Feithereans have gained, Northwind has already recovered his wing.
Recently, the Spectre attacked Khandaq, which resulted in the death of some Feithereans. However, Northwind appeared in the background of Infinite Crisis #7, fighting against the villains who are taking rampage on Metropolis. It is unknown what Northwind's actual activities during the Crisis were, or how he felt about Black Adam's decision to join the Secret Society of Super-Villains, but his opposition of the villains in Metropolis suggests that he has remained loyal to Adam, who had been betrayed by the Society and was fighting against them himself. Although Adam is a main character in the mini-series 52, which fills in the gap between the end of Inifinite Crisis and the current "One Year Later" status of all DC comics, Northwind has yet to make an appearance in the series.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Born with his wings, Northwind has the ability to fly, with Olympic level athletic prowess and agility. In early issues of Infinity, Inc. Norda carried a "Globlass Gun", an energy weapon from his native Feithera. After his training in Feithera was complete Norda learned the mystic ways of his people, and learned to practice the mystic arts. Skills that he has apparently lost since becoming more birdlike, although he has increased healing.
[edit] Trivia
- Northwind was often compared most often to Archangel of the X-Men, who himself has only his wings and in earlier appearances carried a stun-gun.
- Similarly both characters underwent a change that would make them more popular, but whereas Archangel would continue on, living off his new status, to once again being reverted to his original powers and ending up in a form of character limbo, Roy Thomas let Northwind retire.
