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    First Born

    Character » First Born appears in 81 issues.

    Zeus's first born son. The First Born was condemned to spend eternity in Earth's core after defying his father. However, after being trapped for a millenium, he broke free and waged war against all of Zeus's spawn, including Wonder Woman.

    Short summary describing this character.

    First Born last edited by Symlen on 02/07/22 09:39AM View full history

    Creation

    Created by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang during their Wonder Woman series. He first appeared during issue #12, but wasn't fully revealed until #13.

    Major Story Arcs

    A grotesque and enormous man with cannibalistic tendencies matched only by a muscular body entirely covered in scars. He emerged from the ice in Antarctica soon after the God Apollo took over the throne of Olympus, soon being approached by a group of scientists who were waiting for him to appear. He devoured the brains belonging to one of them and started talking with normal human word, after he first only spoke into a strange mysterious language. He claimed to be "the one with no name, the crippler of souls, the First Born", and refused the group attempt to "help him".

    It was later revealed he is Zeus and Hera's first scion. On the day of his birth, a witch predicted that in the future, Olympus would have been under his absolute control. Enraged, Zeus ordered the witch to kill the infant, but seeing the desperation of Hera, the woman decided to spare the life of their kid, openly abandoning him in the wilds of what would be Africa.

    The First Born was originally beset upon by a pack of hyenas in the wilderness he'd been left in, instead of being devoured by them however. He made the beasts subservient to him through underlying nascent power, commanding the clan into bringing him sustenance instead.

    He grew up with a gullet full of hatred for the family whom abandoned him, for life in general. He prostrated his bane by dismantling everything and everyone whom he took as an enemy in an effort to remake the world in his warped image. All in the hopes of earning the attentions of the gods whom spurned him eons ago. He never succeeded but found contention in the new family whom took him in. Until, that is, his antithetical resentment of everything around him overcame whatever sense of fulfillment achieved. Eventually actuating bigger and bigger events to garner the eye of Olympus until the whole world essentially was his to do with as he pleased.

    Turning farmers & schoolmarms into merciless butchers, raising an army the likes of which history had never seen that swept across the globe like a tidal wave of barbed wire and razor blades; leaving only desolation in its wake, going so far as to spawn half-beast warriors with the scavenger pack whom raised him and adding they're faction to his ranks.

    Even brutalizing a dragon in order to fashion armaments of indestructible nature out of its hide as a testament to his maligned intent.

    When none of this got the gaze of his hated father figure whom rots in heaven however. First Born would opt to make his most audacious scheme to spite him yet. He would turn the forced gathered under his banner towards Mount Olympus itself.

    His attempt at a hostile takeover was stymied by the union of the great three. That being Sea, lord of the worldly oceans and Hell, master of the burning abyss. With the worldly waves dashing his mighty army to ribbons under its crushing depths and the land itself cracking open beneath their feet in order to swallow it whole. First Born's army was all but annihilated, leaving naught but himself left at the feet of his much despised sire, eventually the almighty lord deigned to imprison his wayward son within the core of the Earth itself.

    Passing his belongings around the world to be guarded closely under the watch of his eldest brethren. Awarding the lord of the Underworld with his army while deigning to erase mention of his existence from history. As such, all knowledge of his existence has been wiped clean, the only report of his story was tattooed across the mummified body of the witch who initially spared him.

    The tale had taken most of the lead scientist Cassandra's life, as the body was discovered 80 years ago, and recounts how the witch left the infant First Born in the wilds of Africa and how otherwise savage beasts took him in and nurtured him. has been clawing his way out of Earth for seven thousand years. Since his recovery, the First Born first collected his arms and armor, made of a dragon's hide and bones. Then he bargained for his army with Hades and Poseidon, who would be left alone in return along with the death of the Last Born: Zeke.

    Wonder Woman and her allies, fleeing the goddess Artemis, were unprepared for an encounter with the First Born and had to flee to New Genesis, with Lennox sacrificing himself in order to let the others escape.

    With no way of following them, the First Born laid claim to London and waited 3 days before the group would return, only to be defeated at the combined hands of Wonder Woman, Orion and Ares, leaving Ares dead and Diana the new God of War.

    Apollo claimed the First Born and attempted to torture him into obedience, only for him to eventually break free and kill the Sun God, claiming Olympus as his own. With his father's throne, the First Born has since been on a campaign to kill the other Olympians, having killed Hades and fed him to Chronos and nearly killed Demeter and is now poised to invade Themyscira. The only one he appears to respect is Wonder Woman, for having defeated him.

    Origins

    The First Born was born as such to Zeus and Hera of Olympus in a time before recorded history. Zeus had a witch who foretold the infants future, revealing that one day the child would rule Olympus alone. As Zeus himself had vanquished his father, and like his father before him, Zeus feared he would share their fate and bade the witch kill the infant, in spite of Hera's protests.

    The witch, however found pity with the infant, and rather than kill him as ordered, she left him on the African plains with the slim chance to survive. Rather than being savaged by the beasts of the plains, the First Born was taken in and raised by a pack of hyaena's.

    Despite never meeting any humans before he reached manhood, the First Born instinctively knew he was the son of Zeus and he spent his days attempting to gain his attention without success by performing feats of strength and savagery.

    Having grown to manhood and realized he would never gain the attention of Zeus from the plains, he set his sights on the emerging human world. Together with his pack he created an army of Hyena-men and invaded the human lands with it, eventually coming to control it all, ruling over a barbaric kingdom. Yet still, despite this feat, and what other monsters he threw himself at, Zeus still refused to answer.

    Finally, the First Born decided that if Zeus would not come to him, he would go to Zeus and lay siege to Mount Olympus itself. He gathered his army before marching it to every corner of his kingdom demanding two things, join him or die, eventually the first option vanished.

    At last when his army stood before Mount Olympus, the First Born challenged his father and threw a spear at the mountain. In response, Zeus sent a tidal wave that crushed the First Born's army and left the son half drowned. Zeus finally appeared in person before the First Born and condemned him, letting the Earth swallow him, dragging him into its core.

    Taking blasts from a bloodlusted Apollo.
    Taking blasts from a bloodlusted Apollo.

    After this, only five people knew of the First Born had ever existed: Zeus, Hera who thought him dead, Poseidon who commanded the wave, Hades who received the First Born's army and the witch, who would chronicle the events on her own skin.

    Appearance

    Like many of those with Olympian blood, the First Born has certain characteristics that marks his inhuman nature. In his case, it is his large body that is twice the height of a normal human and has glowing white eyes without pupils that marks him. Possibly a sign of his upbringing in the wilderness, the First Born's body is covered in scars from his fights with wild beasts and monsters. The scaly and large clawed costume he wears which he refers to as his "skin" and "power" is claimed to be that of a dragon he'd slayed with his bare hands many years ago.

    Powers and Abilities

    Drains life out of Diana.
    Drains life out of Diana.
    • Immortality: Like all of the Olympians, the First Born is immortal and has spent the last 7000 years digging himself out of the Earth, with presumably little to no nourishment.
    • Superhuman Strength: The First Born has an unknown degree of superhuman strength, but has shown the ability to easily contend with heavy hitters like Wonder Woman and Orion at the same time. The First Born's strength appears to be so vast he can hold open a Boom tube portal, something that Orion had never seen before, but is something that only Darkseid has accomplished. He has also boasted that his blows has leveled mountains.
    • Superhuman Stamina: Zeus's first scion of the Olympian pantheon boasts limitless staying power. Having spent seven millennia digging his way out of the Earth's core where his father entrapped him. Even being able to battle it out with the likes of Diana & Orion for extended lengths without tiring as well as battle it out with Apollo without wincing from his solar flares once.
    • Healing Factor: First Born possess a healing factor that enables him to regenerate damaged or destroyed tissue,bones and limbs. As shown when Apollo tortured and eaten his internal organ for several weeks.
    • Superhuman Durability: So far the First Born has endured the pressure and temperature of the Earth's core and the chill of the Antarctic unaided and unbothered by the heat, cold and pressure.
    • Blood Manipulation: After become king of Olympus showed that can manipulate blood and even use it as a portal.
    • Absorption: A peculiar trait that allowed the First Born to learn modern English by eating the brain of a man. Shortly after taking the throne of Olympus his powers have developed to the point of being able to absorb lifeforce and powers from others through various tentacles in his body.
    • Leadership: During his time on Earth First Born commanded an army of Hayena-men and also commanded an army of men through the centuries.
    • Animal Control: As a baby First Born learned to control hyenas.
    • Bone Manipulation: The First Born possesses the ability to manipulate the osteoblasts & osteoclasts of his biophysical viscera in order to weaponize it. Growing horns out of the sides of his skull once upon laying siege to Themyscira. Even creating a bone spur to gore Diana with out of his wrist at one point.
    • Artery Extension: Zeus' spawn can extend his veins out from his body and use them as weapons to bind, drain and strangle enemies.
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