| Lyta Milton | |
|---|---|
Lyta Milton Art by: James Raiz |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #84 (March, 1994) |
| Created by | William Messner-Loebs |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Hippolyta Milton-Buchanan |
| Supporting character of | Wonder Woman |
Lyta Milton is a fictional character owned by DC Comics and created by writer William Messner-Loebs for the Wonder Woman comic book series. In that comic she is the daughter of Wonder Woman villains Circe and Ares. Her first appearance was in March 1994.
Contents |
At one point in the past the Greek witch Circe hid herself under the identity of a mortal named Donna Milton. As Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth could see through any disguise, Circe cast a spell on herself to truly believe she was Donna until an opportune moment presented itself where she could destroy the Amazon. As Donna Milton she believed herself to be a lawyer working for a Boston crime boss named Ares Buchanan. Unbeknownst to Donna, Ares Buchanan was really the Olympian god Ares in disguise as well. The two formed a sexual relationship once she agreed to help Ares defeat Wonder Woman, who was interrupting his illegal business dealings.
After becoming pregnant Donna informed Ares that she was going to have his child. Ares showed Donna that he wasn't interested in fatherhood by shooting Donna in the chest. Because of a weapon used shortly thereafter, a mini-black hole was created that seemingly destroyed Ares and caused the building to fall on top of Donna and Wonder Woman. They fell through to the sewers below and landed in a huge underwater pool. The shock of the shooting and the black hole caused Donna to go into premature labor. Wonder Woman helped calm Donna and deliver her baby.[1] Ashamed that she previously aided Ares in destroying Wonder Woman after sacrificing her own life to save her, Donna named her newborn daughter after Wonder Woman's mother Hippolyta, or "Lyta".
Wonder Woman helped to get Donna back on her feet so that she could properly care for Lyta by hiring her to be the company lawyer for a detective agency she and friend Micah Rains newly established. This arrangement worked nicely for some time until Wonder Woman was able to discover that Donna was really Circe. Once this happened, Lyta's blonde hair and blue eyes changed to resemble more of her mother's features: purple hair and purple/red eyes. Reclaiming her true identity, Circe took Lyta away from Boston and began teaching her more about her Greek god-like heritage across the globe.
Angered that she would allow herself to become a close friend of Wonder Woman, albeit in a different persona, Circe took to attacking Wonder Woman more frequently. During each attack Circe had Lyta present to better show her daughter how to better destroy her enemies. To this end Circe allied herself with many evil and ruthless killers such as: Sebastian Ballesteros, Lex Luthor, Doctor Psycho, and the Silver Swan.[2] Despite being surrounded by such bad people at such a young age, Lyta's personality remained sweet and friendly. She even took to waving hello to Wonder Woman when she would see her. On one occasion Circe had Lyta hide in the shadows and watch as Circe and Wonder Woman beat each other mercilessly. Confused and frightened for her mother's welfare, Lyta began crying and ran to her mother's side for comfort. Circe as angry with Lyta for not following her orders to stay hidden but Wonder Woman verbally chastised Circe to see the situation for what it was: a moment when her child needed her to be a true role-model and to comfort her child. Circe grudgingly agreed and disappeared while holding Lyta, telling her everything is going to be okay.[3]
When Wonder Woman's homeland of Themyscira was revamped to include a rehabilitation island for prisoners, Circe is captured and held there. So that she could not use her magics to escape she is surrounded by the plant Moly, which is the one substance that nullifies Circe's sorceries. Lyta is then taken to be raised on the main island along with many orphaned children. Though Lyta has trouble bonding with the other children on the island,[4] she does become quite close to several Amazons and takes pleasure in being trained in the Amazon way.[5] After the Amazon Io teaches Lyta how to properly respect the god Poseidon and his domain, Lyta's father Ares appears.[6] He incapacitates Io and steals Lyta stating that he means to raise his daughter on his own terms. When Circe learns what has happened she escapes her prison and confronts Ares.[7] Ares tells Circe that the time of the gods is at a crossroads and that drastic measures needed to be taken. Circe agrees to join Ares as his consort, making them new co-rulers of the Underworld. Thus, Lyta continued to be cared for by both of her parents, reunited.
During the events of Amazons Attack!, Circe is banished to remain in the Underworld.[8] Similarly, Ares is killed by Wonder Woman in battle.[9] Whether Lyta is still in the Underworld with her parents remains to be seen.
As the daughter to the God of War and one of the planet's most powerful witches, Lyta possesses a vast amount of magical potential. The limits and extent of those abilities remain unseen due to her relative young age. The few magics Lyta has been shown to accomplish are the ability to disinigrate and levitate objects,[10] as well as be able to view objects from a remote location.[11] In addition, Lyta was trained in the use of a bow and arrow during her time among the Amazons.