| Queen Bee | |
|---|---|
Queen Bee (Zazzala) |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Zazzala: Justice League of America #23 (November 1963) Unknown: Justice League International #16 (August 1988) Beatriz: JLA: Incarnations #6 (December 2001) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Zazzala Unknown Tazzala Beatriz |
| Place of origin | Korll |
| Team affiliations | Anti-Justice League Injustice Gang Secret Society of Super Villains H.I.V.E. |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength and speed Venomous darts Ability to release mind-confusing "pollen" powder |
Queen Bee is the name of four different DC Comics supervillains.
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The leader of the hiveworld Korll, Zazzala lives only for the interstellar expansion of her species. Zazzala first appeared in Justice League of America #23 (November 1963). She clashed with the original Justice League several times during the sixties and seventies, but largely disappeared for several decades.
Zazzala reappeared in JLA volume 3, #34 (October 1999), when Lex Luthor contacts her to join his Injustice Gang. She agrees, freeing The General from his asteroid prison in exchange for a percentage of Earth's population to become her drones. She also participates in other battles against the League. Her main effort is concentrated upon the city of New York. She forces many of the citizens to craft an 'egg matrix' out of local supplies as a way to secure even more mind-control. She attempts to brainwash Green Lantern and Steel to serve her using 'hypno-pollen', but both heroes are able to fight it off; Huntress encouraged Green Lantern to resist the pollen, and Steel's suit's data-protection immune systems protected him from the pollen's effects (Although Steel still pretended that the pollen had affected him in order to wait for the right moment to figure out what he should attack in order to do the most damage). Using the Queen Bee's inability to see the colour red, which many of the superheroes had in their costumes, Wonder Woman and Big Barda keep the Queen's forces occupied while Steel and Plastic Man get the drop on the Queen, Plastic Man covering Steel to render him virtually invisible to the bees. Utilizing a Boom Tube, technology controlled by Barda, they teleport the Queen and her army back to Korll.
Later, Zazzala and her drones join Lex Luthor's new Secret Society of Super Villains. The Queen becomes the leader of the H.I.V.E., a multi-national criminal enterprise. She appears in the six-part "Villains United" limited series. A small team of villains, known as the Secret Six, attack her base as part of a war against the Society. Her forces are defeated, the base's prisoner, Firestorm, is freed and Zazzala herself is badly wounded.
One Year Later, Zazzala appears in JLA volume 4, #20, fully healed from her injuries, and attempting to steal a matter transportation device that will appear to allow her to transport her troops to earth. She is defeated by Wonder Woman and captured by The Flash.
An unrelated Queen Bee was introduced in Justice League International #16 (August 1988). She was an ordinary human femme fatale, who gained control of the terrorist nation of Bialya by forging an alliance with its former ruler Colonel Rumaan Harjavti then assassinating him. She solidified her power by brainwashing the Global Guardians into serving her. She has clashed several times with Justice League International and Justice League Europe.
Justice League Europe found out that the Queen Bee was behind their recent troubles, and that she had a Dominator named Doctor working for her. They invaded her palace and came to an agreement; she would cease hostilities against them if they kept quiet about the unethical things she was doing as Queen. They also demanded she sever relations with the Doctor. After they left, she killed the Doctor. The Queen had far-reaching influences, managing to put one of her own operatives in charge of the League via the United Nations.[1]
The Queen Bee was eventually defeated by the JLE and the Guardians, who learned of her brainwashing plot. She was assassinated by Rumaan Harjavti's brother Sumaan, during the events of the JLA/JLE crossover Breakdowns (1991).
Queen Bee appeared in the 2000 Creature Commandos series. On the otherdimensional world of Terra Arcana Tazzala, sister of Zazzala, the original Queen Bee, joined Simon Magus's Terra Arcana Army with the ultimate goal of conquering Earth. The U.S. Army faction known as the Creature Commandos stopped the invasion plans. Tazzala herself was killed by Simon Magus.
The sister of the second Queen Bee, Beatriz was introduced in JLA: Incarnations #6 (December 2001, but set around 1996) as the new ruler of Bialya. She is using humans forged with machinery and passed off as the robot Extremists to police her country. Her fate since Captain Atom's Extreme Justice team brought an end to these activities is unknown, but she was presumably toppled from power as she no longer rules Bialya.
Wild-child socialite Marcia Monroe dons the guise of Queen Bee in The Brave and the Bold #64 (Feb/Mar 1966). In this story she discovers her father is a reluctant member in the international criminal organization CYCLOPS and, fearing for her life, agrees to take the role of Queen Bee to team up with Eclipso in an attempt to control the Gotham City criminal organizations. They are thwarted by Batman with whom Marcia, in her normal identity, has fallen in love. She rescues Batman from an attempt on his life by Eclipso and then is not seen again, telling Batman that she can't turn herself in as she has to continue to try to clear her father's name and save his life from assassination.
The first Queen Bee, Zazzala, has insect-like superhuman strength and speed, can fire venomous stinger darts from a set of glands on her right wrist, or release mind-confusing "pollen" powder. She and her drones are unable to perceive the color red. She is a capable enough combatant to fight Big Barda to a stand-still.
Zazzala's sister, Tazzala, presumably had similar abilities.
The Queen Bee of Bialya had no superhuman powers or abilities, aside from her beauty and cunning. Her sister Beatriz was also an ordinary human, but was nowhere as resourceful as her sister.
In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint event, Queen Bee was part of a team led by the Canterbury Cricket to fight the Amazons which ended in failure with the demise of every bug hero except the Canterbury Cricket.[2]