The Female Furies

Goodness: First Fury

The Furies began with their mistress, Granny Goodness. As a girl, Goodness fought for survival like all others on Apokolips, in warlike training sessions. She achieved a level of excellence that awarded her a personal war hound, Mercy, but failed her first test of loyalty when she refused to kill the dog. When Darkseid gave her a second chance she obeyed. Upon graduation, Goodness' fealty won her dominion over an orphanage where she ministered absolute obedience to Darkseid. Those girls who were most willing to bend to their masters' wills were enrolled in "special powers training," which was a step toward becoming one of the Female Furies. (Countdown #21) NOte: This origin was repurposed for the Earth-12 origin of Big Barda (or "Batman Beyond" universe), in the digital-first Justice League Beyond #16 (2012).

The orphanage's most notorious graduates are Big Barda and Scott Free. Barda went on to command and train other Furies. She met young Scott — her future husband — when she and the Furies were tracking one of their own. Her charge was a girl named Auralie, who had gone to the secret rebel hideout of Himon. The Furies busted in to reclaim Auralie but agreed not to report Himon and Scott if he would not reveal that Auralie had escaped. Despite their pact, Himon's acolytes were discovered and tortured to death. The shock of Auralie's death moved Barda to help Scott escape from Apokolips but she was not willing to attempt her own. (Mister Miracle vol. 1 #9)

Sometime after Scott arrived on Earth, and after she'd risen in rank, Barda followed him there. She was so enamored of life on Earth that she settled in, becoming a part of Scott's super-escape act, Mister Miracle. (#4)

The other Female Furies soon sought them out, but their quarry was Mister Miracle. Mad Harriet and Stompa pounced on Barda while Lashina attempted to take down Scott. In the confusion, Funky Flashman made away with Scott's Mother Box. After the Furies were driven off, they returned by tracking the Mother Box to Funky's house. Joined by their last member, Bernadeth (the sister of Desaad), they destroyed Funky's house and disappeared. (#6)

Scott and Barda grew weary of the constant attacks from Apokolips and Scott decided to return and try to win his freedom with honor. When Barda returned to the barracks of her Female Furie Battalion (Special Powers Force), she found that the women had descended into chaos, all vying to lead the Furies in her absence. Barda managed to recruit the four elite plus a trainee, Gilotina to help her invade Section Zero and save Mister Miracle. Just when it looked as if Scott Free had lost his battle, the Furies stormed into Section Zero. Barda's anger boiled over and she threatened to kill her mistress, but Scott was still alive and she shed a tear of happiness. (#8) Until this point, Granny Goodness had no reason to hunt Barda herself. Despite Scott winning his freedom, the pair would never be free from Apokolips' prying eyes.

After Scott's liberation, the Female Furies returned to Earth with Barda and Scott. The whole lot of them were captured by the disembodied Head and his World Protective League, in his sinister underground complex. The Furies escaped their cells and helped send the Head into space with his own "germ bomb." Back in suburbia, Mister Miracle's assistants Oberon and Ted Brown were surprised by the Frees' return — and their four new house guests. (#10) Ted put the Furies to work, incorporating their skills into Mister Miracle's act. Each took turn adding to the spectacle and they didn't seem to mind life on Earth. (#11) When Scott posed for publicity photos, Barda and the Furies stole the show in their swim wear. Later they helped defeat Col. Darby's ancient Asian idol, Mystivac. (#12)

When Kirby introduced a new sidekick for Mister Miracle (Shilo Norman), the Furies were swept aside but they appeared sporadically from then on. In their last appearance by Jack Kirby the Female Furies were seen on Apokolips, where Darkseid's technology had made his warriors obsolete. The Furies complained about being relegated to being nursemaids instead of battle. Even Granny couldn't quell their disquiet and they turned on her as well. Darkseid's monitors watched this fit of rebellion and prescribed some "discipline" — a massive electrical shock. (New Gods vol. 2 #6)

Lashina and the Duchess

Infighting was rampant among the Furies. To lead the Battalion was every woman's utmost goal. Following the Legends affair (a post-Crisis reboot by John Byrne), Darkseid ordered the Female Furies to liberate Glorious Godfrey from prison on Earth. He was kept at Belle Reve, which was also the headquarters of Task Force X — a.k.a. the Suicide Squad. Before leaving, Bernadeth questioned Darkseid decision to have Lashina lead the mission. Bernadeth's brother Desaad defended her and suggested that she be their leader. The two Furies began fighting immediately and Bernadeth began plotting against Lashina. Once on Earth, the Furies engaged members of the Squad while Lashina freed Godfrey. Upon entering the Boom Tube back to Apokolips, Bernadeth seized the moment and struck Lashina, leaving her stranded on Earth. (Suicide Squad vol. 1 #3)

A short time later, a hulk of a woman appeared near Belle Reve having rescued one of their agents in the surrounding swamps. The woman sported green hair and seemed to already know a lot about the Squad. She was dubbed the Duchess because she was so "high-handed," and Task Force leader Amanda Waller rather unquestioningly accepted her into their ranks. Waller suspected the truth and was wary of Duchess from the start. Duchess wasted no time finding the armory, where she fashioned her own super-gun from the weapons available. (#10)

Lashina feigned amnesia during this time and secretly busied herself with plotting her return to Apokolips. When Waller unearthed security footage of the Furies' attack, she saw that one of them had been thrown free of the Boom Tube. She probed Duchess about it and even called her out as "Lashina," but Duchess responded coolly and pretended to know nothing. (#19)

Meantime the Duchess was more than happy to serve as the Suicide Squad's heavy hitter. She met Justice League while trying to free their teammate, Nemesis, from a Russian prison. (#13, Justice League International #13) She repeatedly held her own against the most powerful opponents, including Manticore of the Jihad. She bested the beast with brute force then beat him to death with his own tail. (Suicide Squad #18) When a conspiracy called the Janus Directive declared war on Task Force X, Duchess went toe-to-toe with two powerhouses: Major Victory (#27) and Major Force. The Major took her for an Amazon, but her teammate Bronze Tiger also called her "Lashina," which again she denied. (#28)

During some downtime the team's counselor, Father Richard Craemer, happened upon the Duchess' notebook. She'd been making a list of people and commenting "yes" or "no" on each. At the end, a mission: "GET BARDA." (#31)

When she was ready, the Duchess left Belle Reve needing to "take care of some business" in Bailey, New Hampshire. There she donned her original gear and kidnapped Big Barda from her home. More than Barda's strength, Lashina needed her Mega-Rod, which could open a Boom Tube to Apokolips. (#32) Lashina chose Poison Ivy to keep Barda and other recruits unconscious, and secured the help of Squad member Shade. Shade agreed to help wrangle people for the mission in exchange for help getting back to his home dimension. Lashina commandeered a helicopter and shuttle then opened a Tube to Apokolips. (#33)

Barda explained to the others that on Apokolips, Lashina had lost status among the Furies and the only way to redeem herself was to kill Bernadeth. The Suicide Squad were meant to be Lashina's cannon fodder while she pushed toward her ultimate goal. Before long Granny Goodness responded to their commotion, flanked by Darkseid's elite and the Female Furies. Back on Earth, the Forever People answered a call from the Bronze Tiger to rescue the Squad on Apokolips. (#34) Their battle allowed Barda the opportunity to spar with both Stompa. Waller herself went toe-to-toe with Granny. In Lashina's absence, the Furies had promoted a new woman to their elite — Artemiz the huntress was a keen archer and commanded three cybernetic dogs called the Cyberpak (Unus, Secondus and Tertius). When Lashina ultimately faced Bernadeth she gained the upper hand with a blast from Barda's Mega-Rod. Lashina killed Bernadeth by breaking her neck and claimed her rightful place among Darkseid's Elite. (#35) NOTE: In her subsequent appearances, Artemiz was always spelled "Artemis."

Darkseid was impressed with Lashina's efforts and again set Lashina above Bernadeth in rank and honor. However, he used his Omega Effect to restore Bernadeth to life and decreed that Lashina had broken one of his laws — bringing mortals to Apokolips. Lashina argued that she was only emulating her master by doing whatever necessary. Darkseid found her to be too presumptuous, and he let loose his Omega beams on her, apparently killing her. He then allowed the Forever People to escort the humans back to Earth. (#36)

Expansion

Darkseid's motives were ever inscrutable. When Mister Miracle was wandering the galaxy with Manga Khan, Darkseid created a Boom Tube to bring their cluster-ship to Apokolips. Thus was Darkseid able to accuse Scott Free of violating his rule against bringing off-worlders. It was beneath the dark god to kill Scott himself, so he set Granny and the Female Furies upon him — all of the Furies. He brought forth some sort of mass and from it proceeded to restore Lashina to life. Bernadeth remained their leader, though Lashina was quick to argue the point once again. (Mister Miracle vol. 2 #17) Granny and the Furies failed to kill Scott in what was ultimately a test by Darkseid on Granny's own obedience. (#18) Note: After this Lashina was usually depicted as leader but it alternated with Bernadeth depending upon the writer.

The Furies and the villains of Apokolips were obvious favorites of the writer Karl Kesel (who had also been the inker on their first Suicide Squad appearance). He penned various Superman-related titles and always found a way to include visitors from Apokolips — especially the Female Furies. Kesel even created some Furies of his own, a second wave who made their debut during his time on Hawk and Dove.

Granny's next crop of hopeful graduates came to Earth as part of a competition. Bloody Mary and Malice Vundabar raced against Speed Queen and Gilotina to collect "points," or souvenirs, from their spree. Highest points were earned for a hero's mask. Malice controlled a dark wraith called Chessure who brought down Hawk while Speed Queen ran Dove to ground. (Hawk & Dove vol. 3 #21)

Superman journeyed to Apokolips to settle with Darkseid and he interrupted one of Granny's training sessions. An arrow from Artemis struck him from the sky but Gilotina's hands were no match for a hide of steel. Darkseid was indebted to Superman for saving him from Doomsday and instead of fighting, blasted Superman back to Earth. (Adventures of Superman #518)

When Darkseid was believed to be dead, Neron the lord of Hell approached Darkseid's elite and offered them each great power. This ignted a competition between them for dominion over Apokolips. As commander of the Furies and other forces, Granny Goodness made a strong show of force in the streets of Armagetto. But Desaad won the battle by using Neron's gift to pose as Darkseid and unleash Omega-like beams on the others. (Underworld Unleashed: Apokolips — Dark Uprising)

Furies Gone Solo

Several Furies besides Barda were brave enough to seek their own lives on Earth. Karl Kesel brought one Furie to stay on Earth for a time and created another, who like Barda escaped from Apokolips.

Gilotina

Kesel penned a mini-series called Guardians of Metropolis which brought together many players from the Kirbyverse, especially those created in Jimmy Olsen. Granny had been operating another facility on Earth, the B.O. Goodley Orphanage where she kept children in cells; she left Gilotina in charge of it. The orphanage held the niece of Metropolis' hero, the Guardian, and he and his pals, the Newsboy Legion, broke in to save her. (Guardians of Metropolis #1) The Newsboys were captured but Gilotina bonded with one of them, Tommy. Soon the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit took control and captured Gilotina. (#2) The Female Furies raided the jail to free her, kidnapped the Newsboys, and retreated to Project Cadmus (called "the Project" in Jack Kirby's time). (#3) On the treacherous journey in the Whiz Wagon via the Zoomway, Tommy was injured and Gilotina declared that he was under her protection. For Gilotina to demonstrate independent thoughts and actions was treason and the Furies decided to depart. She had sealed her fate but cheered up when she was offered a position on Cadmus' security team. (#4) Note: Lashina makes mention of Malice Vundabar "earning her colors" — a milestone in becoming a Female Fury.

Gilotina stayed at Cadmus and served as a sort of hired muscle under the Guardian's command. This was during the clone Superboy's first year, and she helped them hunt down other escaped Superman clones. (Superboy Annual #2)

Knockout

Kesel's next Furie was a rebellious trainee called Knockout who spent most of her time being punished. This was while Barda was still the Captain among the Furies, and Knockout vowed to finish her special powers training. By the time she had earned her "colors" as a Furie, Barda had defected to Earth. One day in solitary confinement she was encouraged by Himon, the rebel leader of Apokolips, to escape as well. In time she was strong enough to escape Granny's chains but chose death rather than to be bound again. She let herself fall into a fire pit but to her surprise, she awoke on the rim of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, on Earth. (Superboy vol. 3 #25)

Knockout made her life as a dancer and befriended Superboy, becoming his unlikely crime fighting partner. (#2) Eventually Apokolips got wind of Knockout's location from a news broadcast and the Furies were immediately dispatched to collect her. (#24) They terrorized Superboy's friends to find her, and Superboy narrowly saved his friend Tana from Malice's demon, Chessure. In the battle, it looked as if the Furies had killed Superboy and Knockout, so they departed. In reality, Superboy's friend Dubbilex had used his mental abilities to cast an illusion. (#25)

Superboy clashed with the Furies again when his team, the Ravers, and other Earth heroes were thrust into a brief battle with the forces of Apokolips. (Superboy & the Ravers #14)

In the period when Apokolips and New Genesis were merged into a single planet, Lashina showed some initiative by attempting to drill beneath the surface to invade the other side. Naturally, the other Furies didn't see the value in her efforts and they bickered among themselves. But Lashina succeeded and kidnapped Harmon of New Genesis. (Jack Kirby's Fourth World #5) The New God Lonar investigated the tunnels and found Harmon dead. He captured Mad Harriet and brought her to Highfather. Big Barda leapt to investigate just as Lashina's tunnel reached the Celestial City of New Genesis. Barda, Mister Miracle, and Orion met the Furies. Orion was prepared to kill them all but something strange passed between he and Bernadeth. The confrontation ended with Takion striking Orion to reveal he had been merged with Desaad! (#6)

Twilight

Over 200 years before the super-heroic era on Earth, when Barda was still with the Furies, a Furie named Molly escaped with her infant sister (Jane) via Boom Tube to Earth. (Supergirl vol. 4 #27) Much later Molly adopted the guise of a super-villain called Twilight and resurrected the Extremists, clashing with Supergirl (Linda Danvers). (#15-16) This caper drew the Femal Furies to Midvale. The women's bickering was not restricted to Bernadeth and Lashina; Stompa and Artemis argued constantly over the latter's dogs. (#27) Supergirl was caught in the middle, wanting to stop the Furies but also apprehend Twilight to answer for the deaths she caused in her first appearance. Supergirl broke Stompa's ankle but when Granny arrived, Twilight was captured and taken to Apokolips. Supergirl used her "shunt" power to follow them and emerged on Apokolips at super-small size. (#28) (Granny later explained that Boom Tubes adjust the size of those in transport because the New Gods are naturally of giant stature.) Himon freed Supergirl and helped adjust her size and they rescued Twilight from Granny's torture. Supergirl and Twilight departed through a fire and the resulting explosion made everyone assume that they had died. (#29) Eventually Supergirl learned that Twilight was doing the bidding of the Demon Mother, who had kidnapped Jane. With the help of Queen Mab, Twilight and Jane were reunited at last. (#73-74)

When the galactic conqueror Imperiex took over Earth, Lashina led the Furies to Metropolis (for some unexplained reason) where they attacked Harley Quinn and Jimmy Olsen. Harley and Mad Harriet momentarily lost themselves in the reverie of their own battle but the Furies soon departed. (Harley Quinn: Our Worlds at War) NOTE: This appearance was pretty nonsensical; it might have been a hallucination or dream, and the Furies were clad in very different uniforms. They also made a cameo appearance in Harley Quinn #3 (Feb. 2001). Both stories were written by Karl Kesel — natch!

Bernadeth adopted her brother's methods when she subjected the members of Young Justice to mental torture. The Empress eventually freed herself and her teammates and they rallied against the Furies. All were surprised by the appearance of a legion of Lobo clones, which overwhelmed the Furies as Y.J. escaped. (Young Justice #37)

The Furies once sought to recruit strength from outside Apokolips. Darkseid tasked Granny and the Furies with acquiring the Kryptonian Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) who had recently landed on Earth. The Furies had just finished an exercise in which they slaughtered the trainee called Precious. (Superman/Batman #9)

Infinite Crisis / 52

In the times of ancient Egypt, Desaad established an armory on Earth. There a rogue parademon stole a powerful weapon, the Beta-3 Gizmoid, and offered it to the Egyptians in exchange for his survival. The Egyptians could not make the Gizmoid work and it remained dormant, later coming to rest in the Stonechat Museum in Louisiana. (Hawkgirl #60) When the Gizmoid sprang to life on Earth, parademons on Apokolips were notified and they alerted Bernadeth. She knew about the device because one of her lovers had been a tracker sent to find the Gizmoid. She wanted to reclaim it to use against her brother but before the Furies got to Earth, it had imprinted upon Hawkgirl and formed a giant robot. (#61) Hawkgirl took command of the Furies, at which they chafed, but it earned their respect. Hawkgirl used her Gizmoid armor to slice through the Gizmoid giant and with the Furies, brought it down. The Furies departed having no quarrel with Kendra. (#62) NOTE: This story made references to Lashina, but she was drawn as Gilotina.

Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #33) vs. the Female Furies. Orion and Mr. Miracle intervene. Firehawk injured. (#34)

One of Granny's former students, Maelstrom, so loved Darkseid that she stole a Boom Tube generator and traveled to Earth to try to capture Superman. She failed and was remanded to Desaad's tortures, but Darkseid was intrigued by her and gave her a second chance, sending the Female Furies along as her escorts. (Superman/Supergirl: Maelstrom #1-3) The group terrorized Metropolis until Superman and Supergirl returned from off-planet training exercises. As Darkseid predicted, they failed and Supergirl put them all aboard a one-way spaceship to the Kryptonian solar system. (#4-5) NOTE: This mini-series takes place before Death of the New Gods, but was published afterwards, in 2009.

Countdown + Death of the New Gods

The end of the New Gods, and the Fourth World, began with an awakening in the sentience of the Source. Metron learned that the Source had long ago been separated from it's other half, the Anti-Life, and in order to recreate the New Gods to its satisfaction. It set about reclaiming all the life energies from the New Gods using the Infinity Man as its assassin. The Infinity Man disguised himself and swept through Apokolips and New Genesis, extracting the souls of the gods. Big Barda was an early casualty. (Death of the New Gods #1)

The Furie called Speed Queen sought to outrun the God Killer and happened upon Grayven (the purported son of Darkseid) in space. Just as she woke Grayven from his imprisonment, she was struck and killed. (Outsiders: Five of a Kind — Martian Manhunter/Thunder)

Even the gods of Earth were frightened enough to bolster their defenses. The powers of Apokolips reached out to their Earth counterparts, the Gods of Olympus, and Zeus appointed Hercules as his emissary. Hercules tried to recruit his sister Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark) to the cause. Hercules was an enemy to the Amazons and Cassie was wary of him — this made no better by the specious appearance of the Female Furies. (Wonder Girl #2) Wonder Girl refused the Furies' proposal, so they kidnapped Hercules and Cassie's mother Helena. (#3) Cassie nearly held her own against the Furies, but when she was in over her head, help arrived from the Greek hero called the Olympian, and the Teen Titans. (#4) During this battle the God Killer struck and killed Bloody Mary. (#5) Wonder Woman ultimately helped Wonder Girl defeat the remaining Furies. (#6)

Meanwhile Darkseid was involved with a grand game designed to outwit the God Killer. He had Granny Goodness pose as the Greek god Athena and transform the Amazons into another battalion of Furies. (Countdown #21) (Note: This issue also told the origin of Granny for the first time.) Elsewhere, Bernadeth also met her end at the hands of the God Killer. (#19) When Granny unveiled her first Amazon Furies, Mary Marvel and Harley Quinn rose up against her along with the Amazon queen, Hippolyta. Granny's ruse as Athena was revealed and she retreated. (#12) Mary and Harley followed and managed to deflect the Furies on Apokolips. (#11) There Mary called upon the gods of Olympus who restored her powers. While pursuing Granny, the crone was incinerated by the God Killer. (#10)

The Source coaxed Mister Miracle into producing the Anti-Life fully and the two were reunified. The New Gods left standing (Mister Miracle, Metron, Darkseid and Orion) were killed as well, and the Fifth World was brought to fruition. (Death of the New Gods #7-8) After their "deaths," the souls of the New Gods remained disembodied and were are sent back in timenew state, it was necessary for them to assume human hosts, or avatars, on Earth. (Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #1) NOTE: The concept of the New Gods as avatars was introduced in Grant Morrison's 2005 Seven Soldiers event, several years before Death of the New Gods (2007-08).

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S.H.A.D.E. and Checkmate ally to shut down the Dark Side Club. They recruit the Question. Mary Marvel kills the Atomic Knight, Marene Herald, and infects Wonder Woman with the Anti-Life. Wonder Woman and other women become avatars for the Female Furies. Mokkari sends an anti-life email to everyone on Earth. (Final Crisis #3 (Sept. 2008)

When Wonder Woman (Wunda), Catwoman (Lashina), Giganta (Stompa), and Batwoman (Mad Harriet) rode dogs. (#4)

Other Appearances

The Female Furies are popular supporting characters who have also found their way into many tales that occur outside the mainstream DC continuity.

yet to review...

Crossovers

• Bullets and Bracelets (Amalgam, Apr. 1996)
• DC/Marvel: Unlimited Access #2, 4 (1998)
• Superman/Savage Dragon: Metropolis (1999)

DC Animated Universe

• Superman Adventures #42, 65-66 (2000, 2002)
• Justice League Unlimited #32 (June 2007)
• When Mister Miracle is kidnapped by the Female Furies (Lashina, Harriet, Stompa, Gilotina, and Artemiz), Barda enlists help from the Batman! (Batman: The Brave and the Bold #20, 2010)
• Justice League Beyond #6-7, 11 (2012-13)

Other

• Big Barda and the Pirate Furies — Miss Miracle, Stompa, Mad Harriet, Bloody Mary, Speed Queen, and Lashina — have escaped from Empress Darkseid's Wombworld. Darkseid and Granny Goodness retreat to Apokolips to fight another day. From her cosmic chair, Metra witnesses everything. (Ame-Comi Girls vol. 1 #22, digital) NOTE: This story was originally released in digital format in Ame-Comi Girls vol. 1 #21??, 22 (2013). It was repackaged for print in Ame-Comi Girls vol. 2 #7-8 (2013).
• Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell (2014)
• Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman #5 (2015)

In Other Media

Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000)

• Season 2, Episodes 27–28: "Little Girl Lost" (2 May 1998). Granny Goodness sends the Female Furies (Lashina, Mad Harriet, and Stompa) after Superman, Supergirl, and Jimmy Olsen.

• Season 3, Episode 14: "Legacy," part 2 (12 February 2000). Superman retaliates against Granny and Darkseid for brainwashing him. He makes quick work of the Female Furies and Kalibak.

Young Justice

• Season 3, Episode 14: "Influence" (2 July 2019). In space, the Justice League encounters a giant satellite ship commanded by Granny Goodness. They fight the Female Furies (Barda, Lashina and Artemis) and Desaad. When the Furies become trapped by Granny’s own weapon, Superman saves Barda.

Volcana

The character Volcana was a warrior from Apokolips who had gone freelance. She first appeared in Action Comics #725 wreaking havoc on Metropolis using her fire-breath. Some sources list Volcana as a member of the Furies, but she made no mention of that, and was never depicted with the group.

The character is slightly better known as villainess from Superman: The Animated Series. This Volcana was quite different and made her first appearance in Season 3: Episode 1 (19 September  1998) This Volcana was a human pyrokinetic named Claire Selton and the character also appeared as a member of the Legion of Doom and Injustice League on the Justice League cartoon (Season 2, Episode 3 [2003] and Season 5, Episode 12 [2006]).

Members

           

Note: All natives of Apokolips and New Genesis were killed during the Death of the New Gods event, which led up to Final Crisis. Some gods then reappeared using human hosts.