| Big Barda | |
|---|---|
Big Barda Art by Stephane Roux. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Mister Miracle #4 (October 1971) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby (writer & artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Barda Free |
| Species | New God |
| Place of origin | Apokolips |
| Team affiliations | New Gods Justice League Female Furies Birds of Prey |
| Abilities | Super Strength, Super Endurance, Super Movement Energy Manipulation Immortality Carries a Mega-Rod & Aero-Disks |
Big Barda is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle #4 (October 1971), and was created by Jack Kirby.[1]
In a reversal of the stereotype associated with female characters at the time of her creation, Barda is physically more powerful than her husband and very protective of him.
Jack Kirby based Barda's physical appearance on Lainie Kazan, who had recently appeared topless in Playboy.[2] Mark Evanier, Kirby's assistant during the Fourth World comics, has stated, "Jack based some of his characters (not all) on people in his life or in the news... the characterization between Scott 'Mister Miracle' Free and Barda was based largely—though with tongue in cheek—on the interplay betwixt Jack and his wife Roz."[3]
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Barda was born of the race of New Gods about 250 years ago, on Apokolips. Her mother was named Big Breeda, but Barda was taken away from her at an early age to be trained as a warrior. She was a product of Granny Goodness' Home for Orphaned Youth. Granny's motto is "Die for Darkseid" (the planet's evil ruler). Granny groomed Barda to one day lead the Female Fury Battalion, a ferocious pack of warrior women.[4] However, during a raid, Barda meets Scott Free, Darkseid's adopted son, and, sensing a peace about him, fell in love.[1]
Barda risked her own safety to work with the rebel cell led by the New God Himon. Barda, Himon and Metron assist Scott in escaping Apokolips. She doesn't leave at that point for gravity manipulation had disabled her and she didn't wish to slow Scott down in his flight. [5] Eventually, Barda completely turns her back on Granny and came to Earth herself.[6] Scott had become an escape artist called Mister Miracle, and is teamed with Oberon, his diminutive manager. For a while, Barda's Furies assist Scott in his showmanship efforts [7] but they return to Apololips by themselves. Scott and Barda are married by Scott's father, the Highfather of New Genesis.[8]
For a number of years, Barda followed Scott and Oberon on tour. Eventually they retired as superheroes and moved to Bailey, New Hampshire.[9] However, despite their best attempts, a normal life eluded them. Disasters plagued them; Barda, Scott, and Oberon left Bailey and moved to a loft in Greenwich Village, New York City. Barda formed a defense-training program for women called the New Female Furies.
Though naïve regarding Earth customs, Barda relished her roles of wife and housekeeper. However, when duty called she never hesitated to assume the posture of a warrior; and when Scott joined the Justice League, Barda participated in several missions.[10] In one instance, while training Fire, her weapon, the Mega-Rod is stolen from her car. With the assistance of her husband and the Huntress, she gets it back, but not before many innocent people were killed by its wielder who was unable to resist the corrupting influence of the Apokoliptian technology. Barda also led a JLA mission to rescue her husband after he was lost in space. The mission was a result of Manga Khan selling Scott to Granny Goodness. Her teammates included Martian Manhunter, Rocket Red, and G'nort. In an attempt to dissuade their successful pursuit, Manga Khan hired Lobo, paying him in dolphin feed, to kill them. He almost does, before Barda teleported him to a random location, that being ten feet behind Guy Gardner's skull. The repercussions of that literal meeting of the minds would last for years.
For a time, Barda mourned Scott, believing him slain in a battle with Despero. It had been a robot double destroyed, this was part of a plan by Manga Khan. [11]
After their time with the JLI, the two left Earth for New Genesis.[12] However, they soon returned to Earth[13] and took up temporary residence aboard the Justice League Refuge. During this period, the couple separated briefly due to Scott's lack of consideration for her feelings.[14]
Barda has served as a member of the JLA in her own right as well. At Takion's order, she and fellow New God Orion were sent as agents of New Genesis to serve on the team. Takion predicted that the Earth faced a grave threat.[15] Their mission is to help mobilize Earth's heroes against the omnipotent Mageddon. Over time, they become involved with several other JLA missions. Adam Strange, needing help with an alien invasion, enslaved the JLA as part of a bluff. The League worked for days, turning the planet into a giant teleportation beam. The aliens were sent off to the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, which Barda had mentioned several times during the ordeal. In another instance, Barda was badly wounded fighting the Queen Bee, a member of the newly reformed Injustice League. Once Mageddon was defeated, Barda and Orion resigned from the JLA.[1][16]
Barda and Scott then resided in the suburbs of Connecticut and were active adventurers.[17] Barda never hesitated to lend a hand to her friends when her power and expertise were needed.
Barda accompanied Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to Apokolips to rescue Supergirl from Darkseid's clutches,[18] and accepted an invitation from Oracle to become the heavy-hitter on the Birds of Prey.[19]
A similar-looking character named Little Barda appeared as a member of the Teen Titans in 52 #21; the character leaves the group in the same issue. Her relationship to Big Barda is unknown, though she escaped from Apokolips with Power Boy.
In a confrontation with the Secret Six, she engaged Knockout, another ex-Fury, in hand-to-hand combat. Although the fight was long and continued in the midst of other larger concerns for her team, it ended in a draw.
Big Barda was killed in the first issue of Death of the New Gods; her funeral occurred in the second issue of the series. Infinity-Man was later revealed as the killer. He had been slaughtering all the 'New Gods' in the name of restarting a new age of deities. [1]
Final Crisis #7 depicts Barda standing alongside Lightray and Highfather in front of a reincarnated New Genesis.[20]
Barda has superhuman strength and endurance; being an Apokoliptian, she is also immortal. She is skilled in all forms of warfare and weaponry.[21] She is one of the deadliest hand-to-hand combatants alive.[1] Barda's level of power puts her on a par with the most powerful heroines of the DC Universe, such as Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, Power Girl, Mary Marvel, and Supergirl. Her skill and strength is such that she has fought Wonder Woman to a draw.[1]
She wields a high tech weapon called a "Mega-rod", which produces extremely powerful concussive energy bolts and can also increase gravitational forces.[21] She can also summon and use "Aero-disks", which allow her to fly, and Apokoliptian armor, which augments her already superhuman strength.
Barda appears in the limited series Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, which is set in an alternate future timeline of DC continuity. Orion has overthrown Darkseid and is the reluctant ruler of Apokolips. Barda (now sporting an eye-patch) and Scott Free work to teach the "lowlies" to think for themselves, with Orion's approval. The two have a daughter, Avia, who deploys a mega-rod and wears an outfit that combines elements of those of her parents.
In Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Strikes Again, as America descends into anarchy and chaos, a former porn star called Hot Gates (a reference to Miller's 300 comic) takes up the mantle of "Big Barda" in order to declare herself dictator of Columbus, Ohio.
Superman/Batman #24 depicts "Big Bard", the male version of Big Barda from a reverse gender universe, who is married to Miss Miracle.
In JLA: Another Nail, Barda becomes a Green Lantern Corps member, although her power ring having fused to her Mother Box has made her a rather unusual Green Lantern. Mister Miracle's consciousness also inhabits the ring and he can project himself as a spectral green figure.
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