| Character Name: | Emerald Empress |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Debut: | (Sarya) Adventure Comics #352 (January 1967) (Kesh) Legionnaires #2 (Falyce) Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 6) Annual #1 |
| Creators: | (Sarya) Jim Shooter Curt Swan |
| Species: | Venegarian |
| Homeworld: | Venegar Orando |
| Alliances: | |
| Aliases: | Empress |
| Powers: | [Universal]
[Sarya]
[Cera Kesh]
|
| Alter Ego: | Sarya of Venegar Cera Kesh Falyce |
| Partners: | Mordru |
The Emerald Empress is the name of several, fictional super-villains appearing American comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The first incarnation of the character appeared in Adventure Comics #352 (January 1967).[1]
The first and mainstream version of the character is Sarya, who discovered the Emerald Eye of Ekron on the planet Venegar and became a villain after being corrupted by its influence. Sarya turned to a life of piracy and began to gain a following before later founding the Fatal Five and becoming an enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes. The second incarnation of the character, Cera Kesh, is a teenaged fan of the Legion of Super-Heroes who auditioned to be a part of the team, only to be rejected. Sensing her anger and jealousy, the Emerald Eye of Ekron corrupts her into the second Emerald Empress, granting her both powers and the ability to become an idealized version of herself. The third incarnation of the character, Falyce, is a native of the planet Orando and victim of the planet's duke. Wishing for the power to slay her torturer, the Emerald Eye of Ekron makes the third Emerald Empress but drives her insane.
Sarya of the planet Venegar (referred to simply as 'the Empress') is recruited by Superboy and the Legion to combat the Sun-Eater. After the Sun-Eater was defeated, she joins the Fatal Five with Tharok, Validus, Mano, and the Persuader.
The Empress has no innate superpowers, but wields the Emerald Eye of Ekron, an eye-like sphere that possesses vast mystical abilities. She is later killed when Sensor Girl frees her from the Eye's control.[2] [3]
During Final Crisis, the Emerald Empress appears as a member of Superboy-Prime's Legion of Super-Villains.
In DC Rebirth, the Emerald Empress is a member of the Suicide Squad before being freed by Maxwell Lord.[4]
Cera Kesh first appears in Legionnaires #2. She is a rejected Legion of Super-Heroes applicant who takes revenge after finding the Emerald Eye of Ekron.
In Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 6) Annual #1 (2011), the Eye finds a new Empress on the planet of Orando. This young girl fights Shrinking Violet, Light Lass, Sun Boy, Sensor Girl and Gates of the Legion before being defeated by Violet. The girl is released from the control of the Eye, who flees
The first incarnation of the Emerald Empress, Sarya, possessed limited independent abilities, possessing greater than average human strength, a trait possessed by inhabitants of Venagar. Much of her abilities are centered upon the Emerald Eye of Ekron, in which she controls through her own mind and willpower. Having a symbiotic relationship with the artifact, she draws power from it while the Eye draws focus and both are more powerful the closer they are.[5] [6]
Cera Kesh, the second incarnation of the Emerald Empress, possessed telekinesis.
Each user of the Emerald Eye of Ekron gains access to its nearly unlimited levels of emerald/willpower energies (the same power source used by the Green Lantern Corps), making the artifact both indestructible and considered uncontainable. Due to its usage of the same willpower/emerald energy sources, it is considered related to the Oan's power battery used by the Green Lantern Corps. Furthermore, the Eye has been variously depicted as the disembodied eye of the entity Ekron and an independent being from another dimension.[7] [8] [9]
Its powers allow it to project blasts strong enough to hurt Kryptonians, generate force fields to protect from attacks, see through every spectrum and wavelength, create energy constructs, hypnotize others, cast illusions, teleport people over short distances, and alter reality, like how Falyce rebuilt the planet Orando into a medieval-like society as she envisioned it. It can also grants its users the ability to fly and survive in space, superhuman strength, increase their size, enhance the innate skills of its current user, and turn them into ideal versions of themselves. The Eye itself is virtually indestructible and can instantly repair itself if shattered.
Ingria Olav is a short-lived Emerald Empress who was the girlfriend of Legion enemy Leland McCauley. Having discovered the second Eye of Ekron, she recreates a Fatal Five team with Ingria serving as the team's new Emerald Empress. She is later killed by Cara Kesh, who takes the Eye for herself.
Following , which reboots the Legion's continuity, a character simply called the 'Empress' is introduced. She has no powers and is unrelated to the Emerald Empress.
Emerald Empress was ranked 38th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[10] Russ Burlingame of Comicbook.com described her as "a big player in the DC Universe of late" and that "she's one of the most identifiable Legion villains, with a cool gimmick and a great visual" noting her appearance in Justice League vs. Suicide Squad and in a crossover story between Supergirl and Batgirl.[11]
The Sarya incarnation of Emerald Empress appears as a character summon in .[15]
The Sarya incarnation of Emerald Empress appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century.[16]