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Who is Janan al Ghul? Explaining the origins, motives and character arc of Superman's new nemesis, Batman's daughter
One of Batman's children, Janan al Ghul, disguised as Norah Stone in Earth 0 and also known as Sister Shadow, has started a war with Superman. Read to know more details.
In Action Comics #1059 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Eddy Barrows, and Eber Ferreira, the Super-Family fights a newly empowered faction of Blue Earth terrorists who have stolen Superman's power. After the fight, Superman watches a video manipulated by Blue Earth's leader, Norah Stone, to make it look like Superman was the fight's instigator. However, Norah Stone has a surprising connection to the Dark Knight.
Who is Janan al Ghul?
Janan al Ghul, also known as Sister Shadow, was the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul from a Dark Multiverse where the Empire of Shadows had taken over. She later led the Blue Earth Movement on Earth 0 as Norah Stone.
The Empire of Shadows controlled multiple realities across the Dark Multiverse. Janan discovered the Fuginaut's remains and realized their world was a shadow of the positive matter Multiverse. Fuginaut are multiversal beings who guard the boundaries between universes. Janan planned to invade Earth 0 and spread al Ghul's peace.
She forced the Fuginaut to send a distress call to Earth 0, allowing The Enchantress to use her magic to open a portal for their forces. The Enchantress was kidnapped, and a portal opened for Janan and her brother Saif to cross over. However, their father's counterpart, Midnighter, and their teammates, Superman and The Authority, defeated them. Janan and her brothers reported their first failure to their parents, but their father taught them they were not invincible and predicted they would face their enemies again.
The Authority's actions resulted in the Empire losing its ability to travel across realities, retaking conquered alternate worlds, and facing rebellions in its own reality. The rebellion was eventually crushed, but all al Ghuls except Janan were killed, leaving her as the sole leader.
Janan al Ghul becomes Superman's new nemesis
Janan discovered a way to travel through Hell using a magical artifact called Organum Infernialis, created by Bloodwynd and Etrigan's spirits. However, this dangerous magic led to rapid aging and required her to transfer her mind into a new body.
In Earth 0, she disguised as Norah Stone and founded the Blue Earth Movement. Blue Earth spread division by agitating against refugees from Warworld and working to turn humanity against the Superman Family. Janan insisted that she only speak to Clark Kent, who she knew was Superman. She used this proximity to drain Superman's powers into her bracelet, creating a team of humans with Kryptonian-like powers that she could use to destroy the Kryptonians.
Janan identified Otho-Ra, Superman's Phaelosian daughter, as someone who could be turned to the Empire's side and be a potential new host for her soul. Janan sent members of Blue Earth with stolen Kryptonian powers to draw out the Super-Family, and when they did, she made psychic contact with Otho and told her that she didn't belong with the others; then gave Otho-Ra her necklace. Later, she used the necklace to teleport Otho to the Empire's base in the Dark Multiverse.
Otho-Ra successfully disperses energy from Janan and her soldiers, allowing her to escape. Janan chased after her and entered her mind, showing Otho a version of herself from a reality where she was Valkyrie General of Warworld Engines and Soulbearer of Olgrun. She told Otho that this was her true identity and brought her to the Dark Multiverse.
Janan gathered her forces to prepare for an invasion of Earth 0
Janan prepared for Earth 0 invasion and brainwashed Otho-Ra's mind to become a host for her consciousness. She placed Otho-Ra in a telepathic illusion of fighting in Warworld, transforming her into a warrior. Otho-Ra managed to break out of it when she killed her opponents, but Janan put her back under forcibly. Superman, who had followed her to the Dark Multiverse, and Bloodwynd and Etrigan, who had broken free of the Organum, attacked her invasion fleet.
Etrigan went in first, as Superman was vulnerable to Janan's magic, and ordered her to release Otho-Ra. But since Otho was fully under her control, she stabbed Etrigan in the back. Janan then created the illusion in Otho-Ra's mind that Superman was Mongul and ordered her to kill him. Otho-Ra attacked Superman, but he was able to get through to her and break the brainwashing. Enraged, Janan blasted Etrigan and Bloodwynd, draining their power and creating a demon construct around them. She opened a portal to Earth 0 and charged the invasion fleet through, causing chaos and causing chaos.
On Earth 0, Janan unleashed her forces on the people of Metropolis. The Superman Family battled against her alongside her own Blue Earth followers, who had realized she had deceived them. Otho-Ra and Superman had followed her through the portal and blasted her away. They battled Janan, and Superman was able to pull her out of the construct, freeing Bloodwynd and Etrigan of her control. The two hellspawn closed the portal, and her forces disintegrated, while Etrigan dragged her soul into Hell. She swore that she would get her revenge on Superman as she disappeared.
ALSO READ: 'My uncle is Superman': When Henry Cavill talked about his nephew being called 'liar'
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