Big Barda

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Origin on Apokolips

Barda in full battle armor  

Around 250 years ago, on the hellish planet known as Apokolips, Big Breeda gave birth to a daughter named Barda. The child was taken from her mother at a young age to be trained as a warrior for  Darkseid's army. She was raised in Granny Goodness's Home for Orphaned Youth, as a fierce warrior. Granny Goodness selected Big Barda to become the leader of the Female Furies. It was during her association with the group that Barda encountered Scott Free. Himon, a rebel leader on Apokolips, had been gathering children for special training. One of these children was Auralie, who fell under Barda's jurisdiction. The Furies went looking for Auralie and found her with Scott. The meeting between the future couple was brief and antagonistic. Himon's group was soon discovered and their members punished. Barda and Scott were both called in to witness the punishment. Horrified at the situation, Scott decided to leave Apokolips. Barda, who regretted what had happened to Auralie, decided to help him. He managed to make it safely to Earth, but she elected to remain behind on Apokolips. 

Mr. Miracle

Barda's more casual uniform, as rendered by Bruce Timm 

Eventually, Barda decided to leave Apokolips as well. She traveled to Earth to find Scott, who had recently become Mr. Miracle. Since Scott was under attack by Doctor Bedlam when she arrived, she quickly became acquainted with Oberon, Mr. Miracle's manager. The attraction between Barda and Scott built as they spent more time together, culminating in their marriage at the end of Jack Kirby's run. They decided to leave Earth for New Genesis, but later return, with the intention of giving up show business and living a normal life. 

Despite their best efforts at having a normal life, this goal eluded them again and again. They were frequently bombarded with strange visitors, from Highfather to Doctor Bedlam to Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Barda was arrested over trouble concerning animal rights groups, which turned out to part of a secret plot implemented by Darkseid. During her time in jail Scott was supposedly killed, though in fact it turned out that merely a robot version of him was destroyed. The two eventually decided to move to New York City, a decision which pleased Oberon. He was less pleased by Scott's decision to stop being Mr. Miracle and train Shilo Norman to take his place. While living in the city, Barda became a professional female wrestler, with her stunning looks and fighting prowess soon sparking a fad known as "Bardamania." When she discovered that wrestling was all staged, she formed a team of her fellow wrestlers and decided to train them to become the New Female Furies. Soon after, Big Breeda revealed to Barda that she was her mother. 

Justice League

Though Barda enjoyed life on Earth, she was inherently a warrior. She spent most of her time as a housewife, but would readily take up her weapons if called to fight. She frequently assisted the Justice League International after Scott joined the team, before later joining the team herself. 

Her first mission with the team involved an attempted rescue of her husband, who was kidnapped and taken back to Apokolips. She was originally partnered with J'onn, G'nort, and Rocket Red, whom she was usually impatient with. When the galactic assassin Lobo was hired to kill them, she took care of him with her Mega-Rod, accidentally transporting him to Earth. They managed to successfully rescue Mr. Miracle, though they have to call in the rest of the Justice League International for help. 

She also spent time with Fire, who was having difficulties with her powers. During their training session, Barda's car and the powerful Mega-Rod within the car were stolen. She, Scott, Fire, and the Huntress were all part of the team who tried to retrieve Barda's weapon. It was revealed that the Mega-Rod corrupted bearers with a weak mind and take control over them. 

She left Earth with Scott after their time with the Justice League and resided briefly on New Genesis. But they soon returned to Earth and took up residence in the Justice League Refuge. At this time, Barda left Scott because she felt that he has no consideration for her feelings. She went off to spar with Wonder Woman on Themyscira, before deciding to give Scott another chance and returning to him. They both moved back to New Genesis after became it combined with Apokolips. 

Later, Barda left New Genesis with Orion in order to join the Justice League of America. They were the agents representing New Genesis for the JLA's battle with Mageddon and left the group after the villain was defeated. 

Scott and Barda then moved to the suburbs of Connecticut, where they were living when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman sought Barda's help to rescue Supergirl from Apokolips. 

Barda's Last Days

The death of Barda 

Barda later accepted Oracle's invitation to join the Birds of Prey as their "heavy hitter." During this time she gained quite an affinity for the Pokemon trading card game. She engaged in several missions with the team, including one where she battled fellow ex-Fury Knockout. Their fight ended in a draw. Barda's time as a BoP member ended with her death by the mysterious God-Killer. Many other New Gods also were killed during the events leading up to Final Crisis, including Knockout and Mister Miracle. 

Powers

As a member of the New Gods, Big Barda has many formidable powers and abilities, such as superhuman strength and endurance, and is a master hand-to-hand fighter. She is also virtually indestructible, and partially bullet proof.  

She is able to summon Aero-disks, which allow her to fly, and in battle she wears distinctive Apokaliptian armor that increases her strength and invulnerability to even greater levels. She wields a Mega-Rod, which fires extremely powerful concussive blasts. The Mega-Rod also can also teleport her to any desired location. 

Other Media

Barda (in battle armor) in the JLU animated series

Barda (in red bikini) in the Batman Beyond animated series  

 
Batman: Brave and the Bold    

In the episode "The Last Bat On Earth!",  Barda had a cameo appearance.