Lord Havok

Backgound

Lord Havok was created Keith Giffen and Bart Sears as an homage to Marvel character Dr. Doom, in the same line as characters like Silver Sorceress and Wandjina or the Squadron Supreme in Marvel. As other characters of DC, his origins has been recreated after some reboots, but keeping intact the homage/parody characteristics. His first appearance was in Justice League Europe #15.

Character evolution

Lord Havok I: What if origin

The original Lord Havok was the leader of a criminal team who stole a nuclear warhead from a test field. But by circumstances beyond their control, (caused by a time paradox caused by the time travellers Mitchell Wacky and Kilowog) the warhead detonated earlier and the radiation mutated and deformed his body, forced him to use the armor to help him to contain the greatest power he had now. Leading his new changed friends, he clashed against the heroes of his world until he convinced the villains to join them an stole the nuclear arsenal fo every country to blackmail them in surrunder to them. But the plan backfire and the Extremists ended dropping the bombs and killing everyone on the planet except some heroes and, apparentely, themselves.

Lord Havok II: Justice League Europe: The Extremist vector

Believed to be one of the last survivors from the planet Angor, Lord Havok, as the leader of the villain team know as the Extremists, found a new chance to become conquerors when the Silver Sorceress returned to Angor and was captured by the Extrem superheroesist, the event lead to their escape from their own shattered dimension into the still thriving home of New Earth. A fight would ensue first against the Red Rocket Brigade and then the Justice League Europe. The leaguers ended travelling to Angor where they discovered an incredible secret: The original Lord Havok and his team (minus one) had died along with the rest of their world and the Lord Havok fighting against the JLE was a robotic copy of the original, created by the technology of Mitch Wacky's theme park Wacky World. The personalities of these robots were so driven by their no longer living counter-parts, that they decided to re-enact their terrorist goals of conquest on the JLE's Earth. They were stopped by the then still active Justice League of Europe with the help of Angor natives superheroes Silver Sorceress and Bluejay, but also with the surprising return of the robots creator, Uncle Mitch Wacky himself.

A second lease on life would began him and his partners when Twilight re-activated all the Extremists, now conscious of their origins, to fought against Supergirl and Power Girl. WIth the knowledge than they were fighting against mock villains, the heroines didn't hold their strengh and destroyed the pseudo Extremists, leaving only the false Gorgon "alive". This way, the second version of Lord Havok "died".

JLA/Avengers: The Brave and the Bold

The robotic version of Lord Havok would return again as part of the forces of Chrona, supervillains taken from different moments of time from both universes, to fight against the united forces of the Avengers and the JLA. Along with his Extremists teammates, Havok fought face to face against the Silver Centurion version of Iron Man. After the defeat of Chrona, Havok was returned to his proper time.

Convergence: New York, (Angor) circa 1992

However this version of Havok returned: As one of the cities of abducted by Brainiac during the Convergence arc, the Extremists made a return. It was not clear if these Extremists were the original ones of Angor or the walking robot simulacra than meet the JLE. Still, along with his fellow Extremists, Havok fought against the Titans lead by Arsenal, and fought against Cyborg and Starfire, overcoming the strongers members of the team. However the strategies developted by Roy Harper won over the Extremists and they leave defeated, Lord Havok and his Extremists would reappear during Convergence allied to the wizard Deimos in his attemp to conquer the world Tellos. It is assumed than at the end of the arc, Havok and their team were restored to his time/dimension of origin, to meet his eventual doom.

Lord Havok III: (Maxwell Lord) Justice League of America

For a short time, Maxwell Lord IV, under the influence of the Kilg%re, asumed the identity of Lord Havok, using a Havok robot. Lord abandoned this identity and acquirted a cyborg body just before the JLA would fought the Hyperclan. (See Maxwell Lord IV for more information).

Lord Havok IV: Countdown: Lord Havok and the Extremists from Earth-8

After Infinite Crisis and 52, with the revelation of the return of the Multiverse, Lord Havok and the Marvel homages were relocated to Earth-8 and their origins and contexts rewritten.

Lord Havok was now Alexi Nicolai, the deformed yet ingenious son of the Russian czar Nikolai III. Hated by his father but loved by his mother, Alexi's would be sent away by his hateful monarch to the United States of Angor. Where Alexi continued his studies, and tolerating thexenophobics remarks of his classmates. Still, Alexei surprised them with his creations, among them, a liquid metal that reacted to mere thoughts. Also, around this time Alexei showed he also had comtempt for other humans.

When his mother died, at the hands of his father, Alexi returned to home to face his father. Assuming the Havok persona and using his living metal as new skin, Havok proceeded to obliterate all life in Russia.

Ultimate Civil War

Events on Angor (paralleling the Marvelous competition) had lead to a metahuman civil war and to the establishment of a metahuman registration act that demanded the profiling of every superbeing in the country and forced drafting into the MetaMilitia, with oppositions being arrested and sent to concentration camps.

In defiance of these politics, Lord Havok assembled his own team, the Extremists. Willing to kill any opposition, satrting with Carny, Haviook next move included the assassination of President Tin-Man and the conquest/slaughter of the country of Slovekia.

The arrival of extradimensional visitors (the Challengers of Beyond and the Monarch Army) forced the clash with the Metamilitia. The Metamilitia, now lead by Americommando, new president of Angor and ally of Monarch, assaulted Slovekia and confronted Lord Havok. But all was a trap lain by Havok who defeated and humiliated the Metamilitia. Whom, on a whim, he then acted to accept joining Monarch's Army.

In his brief role as second in command to Monarch, Havok observed and learned about the multitude of earths. Even gaining insight as to how traversal between them was possible. When the defeat of Monarch at the hands of Superboy/Superman Prime was inevitable, Havok and his team defected and travel back to earth-8 moon. Havok having used his powered armor to siphon some of Adam's quantum energy for his own ends.

Now aware of the existence of multiple Earths, Lord Havok prepares himself for future conquests. However with the Flashpoint reboot, this plans never came to fruition.

Lord Havok V: Multiversity: Return of Earth-8

After Flashpoint, the nature of Earth-8 changed again. In a reborn Earth 8 Lord Havok was responsably for the coming of the Gentry to his world. After single handed defeating his enemies, the Future Family, Havok, using several mystical items, summoned a possesed Nix Uotan as avatar of the Gentry. His blood was the sacrifice for the opening after Deadeye as an act of mercy, choose to kill him.

About his origins only is know than his real name is Damon Van Dee and than his enemy, Frank Future have some grade of responsability in his origins, as Havok claims to be Frank Future's greatest creation and greatest failure at the same time.

Justice League of America Rebirth: return of Angor

After receiving the arrow of Deadeye, Havok didn't die. He was saved by the Queen of Fables, who give him the power to conquer his earth. The Extremists again traveled through worlds to conquer the countries the government in his universe once owned, which again they claimed to have destroyed, after they defeated the Retaliators. The Justice League of America, lead by Batman had difficulty trying to bring down Havok and his insurgents, but the inner betrayals among the Extremists and an overconfidence on Havok side, made the the heroes triumphant.

After being put in jail, Havok would return to save his own universe, when the Adjudicator would give him the chance to resurrect Angor after its destruction at the cost of his life. With the help of Dreamslayer and under the vigilance of Batman and Black Canary, Havok brought the world back to life once more. It is must be noted than in the revived Angor, Lord Havok is revived again too.

Infinite Frontier

In his last appearance he fought against Machinehead for the control of the remains of the shiftship carrying Flashpoint Batman. He was defeated by the hero, ignorant of the real dangers lurking in the multiverse.

Powers and Abilities

Lord Havok's body perished in nuclear fire, now his anima inhabits cybernetic automata with built-in hi-tech weaponry. The chassis gives him some protection from physical and energy attacks, superhuman strength, endurance and the ability to absorb and generate energy blasts coupled with a force field. He has an inbuilt radar system that allows him to detect unseen threats and target weapon systems.

His Earth-8 counterpart retains his flesh & blood and accommodates a super-genius mind. He has designed a polymorphous armor made out of some smart liquid metal, reactionary to thought processes enabling it too alternate blades, guns or restricting apparati. Apparently, Havok also learned how to use "backwards speech" to effect magic in his world. He'd also stolen a pinch of Captain Atom/Monarch's quantum force. Having used it to port out when Earth-51 destroyed and establish a new base on the moon through matter manipulation.

The revamped Angor iteration of Havok retains much of the same facilities, minus the stolen Q-Energy of Monarch, his prior iteration incorporated into his suit. Havok also took to adorning the Crusader' shield & Wundajin's battle axe to complement his fighting ability. A wish made on the Might Beyond the Mirror also fused his armor to his body. Making Havok that much more resilient to physical trauma.

Other media

Justice League Unlimited

Lord Havok appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Shadow of the Hawk". Along with the other Extremists they attacked a city and battled the Justice League. He was defeated by Batman, who used an electrically charged Batarang on him.