Big Barda

BIG BARDA

Real Name: Barda Free

Class: God (New Gods) technology-user

Occupation: Warrior, formerly day care worker, professional wrestler

Group Affiliation: Birds of Prey, formerly Female Furies, JLA

Known Relatives: Bertha (mother), Izaya (Highfather, father-in-law), Scott Free (Mister Miracle I, husband)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Connecticut, formerly Apokolips, Bailey, New Hampshire, Greenwich Village, New York

First Appearance: Mister Miracle I #4 (September-October, 1971)

Powers: Barda possessed superhuman strength, speed and endurance. She wielded a mega-Rod. The Rod was powered by her willpower and could shoot bolts of energy and allowed her to fly. She had access to a Mother Box and Boom Tube.

History: Apokolips; Barda was trained by Granny Goodness to lead the Female Furies, a fearsome group that quelled rebellions for Darkseid. On one mission she met Scott Free and went against everything she was taught to help him escape Apokolips.

(New Gods III #9 (fb)) - Barda helped Scott Free fight past a battalion of Para-Demons and escape Apokolips through a Boom Tube, though she was left behind.

Barda was reunited with Scott on Earth and they were married. Together they defended Earth against Darkseid's attempt to rule the planet.

(DC Comics Presents #12) - Big Barda and Oberon congratulated Mr. Miracle after he performed live for the UBC Network, being suspended from a helicopter inside a steel coffin, and still managing to evade two fighter drones. They were both momentarily worried about him, especially Oberon. Lola Barnett was covering his stunt, and was thrilled, but admitted that the ratings share would be small because Galaxy Broadcasting was airing a Superman documentary. Mr. Miracle was irritated that Superman exceeded him popularity, and flew off to think. His jealousy ended when he helped the Man of Steel apprehend Intergang mobsters.

Barda and Scott retired as superheroes and moved to New Hampshire. Despite their best attempts a normal life eluded them.

(Superman: The Man of Steel #43) - Big Barda came to Earth looking for Miracle, and found him and Superman trapped by Deathtrap's Apokoliptan technology in the Haleakala volcano. She helped them escape, but Haleakea went active due to Deathtrap's devices. The heroes prevented any loss of life, but there was no sign of Deathtrap, and they didn't suspect Carl Draper, the most likely suspect, of any villainy.

(Final Night #1, 2, 4, Spectre III #47) - Superman organized a summit of superheroes, including Barda, to listen to an alien named Dusk. She'd seen the Sun-Eater snuff out the sun of countless planets, and she was there to warn the heroes that the Sun-Eater was headed towards Earth. Barda and a team of heroes opened up a Boom Tube to transport the Sun-Eater to the Source, but it overloaded and failed because the Sun-Eater only partially existed in their dimension. The Sun-Eater attacked the sun, chilling Earth, and Barda returned to the ground to deal with the chaos caused by panic. Earth was saved when Parallax sacrificed his life to dispel the Sun-Eater and reignite the sun.

(Green Lantern III #81) - Coast City; Big Barda was among the heroes who attended a memorial service for Green Lantern Hal Jordan.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #2, 3) -With Apokolips and New Genesis merged by Highfather, he sent Mr. Miracle and Big Barda to inspect the barrier between worlds. Miracle apologized for their recent marital issues, and Barda assured him she’d heard it was normal for couples to go through rough times. She wondered if they’d been assigned to investuigfate the border to keep them from asking questions about why Highfather chose to bring the worlds together. They encountered Tigra and Thor emerging from Apokolips, and after some harsh words Barda engaged Thor in battle. They fought to a standstill until Miracle used his newfound god power to sap Thor’s power and then return it in a burst, leaving him unconscious. Tigra claimed that she’d brought Thor to New Genesis to hide him from Darkseid, who was trying to consolidate his power by stealing the powers of the Norse Gods. Once he regained consciousness Thor revealed that the Norse Gods were vulnerable because Odin had disappeared, and while Highfather put the motion to debate Miracle came up with a plan. He created a tether that would reach the Promethean Galaxy with the help of the Forever People, and together they found Odin trapped in the source wall. Serifan of the Forever People freed him with a cosmic pellet, and brought him to Highfather. They realized they might be too late when Darkseid assembled an armada of ships taken from the various worlds and pantheons he conquered, and aimed them at Earth.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #4) - The New Gods waged war against Darkseid’s armada to keep them from Earth, while Odin brought Metron, Miracle, Takion, and Beautiful Dreamer to Asgard to discuss the situation. Vykin returned from the front to confirm that aboard one of the ships was a doomsday device that could obliterate the universe, and he’d discovered that only the astro-force could contain it. The alien races no longer had hope after Darkseid slew their gods, and they wanted revenge against him and the entire universe. Highfather dared the unimaginable in deciding to resurrect Orion, the only man capable of harnessing the astro-force. He approached the Source, and the Black Rider appeared, warning him that although he would not interfere, Orion’s soul was not at rest, and it was a fool’s errand to play with a tortured soul. Highfather gravely said that he did what he must, and he had Takion communicate with the Source, reach into it, and pull out Orion. A massive explosion seemed to rock Earth.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #5) - The explosion was an illusion, the most powerful Dreamer had ever cast, and it left the aliens off-balance. Highfather had Takion communicate with the Source to bestow some of its power on Orion, restoring him to full strength. Lightray, Barda, and some of the Forever People breached the ship where the oblivion bomb was kept, but Darkseid appeared aand told the aliens they were foolish to attempt to destroy his universe. He used the omega beam to erase them from existence, but as he faded the captain of the ship activated the oblivion bomb. Orion deactivated it with the astro-force, and Darkseid disappeared. Highfather and the New Gods made a peace with the aliens, allowing them to chose among their ranks for new deities to worship so their lives could have fulfillment. Darkseid met Orion on a nearby asteroid as the alien armada left in peace, and told him he recognized something different, yet familiar in him since he’d returned from the Source. He asked his son how he’d deal with the aliens, and Orion responded by destroying every last ship with the astro-force. Darkseid said he finally felt like he had a son.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #6) - Highfather and company learned that the alien armadas returning to their worlds had been destroyed, and Takion suspected Orion because the wrecked ships contained traces of astro-force. Orion denied his wrongdoing, but Metron told the others he’d witnessed it. Before they could decide what to do next Lonar arrived, telling the New Gods that the Female Furies had tunneled beneath Genesis and killed Harmon, god of music. Barda felt personally responsible for her old charges, and led the strike force into the tunnel the Furies created. The heroes fought bravely, and Orion joined in, slaughtering countless Parademons over Mr. Miracle’s objections. Orion said he never appreciated the gifts Darkseid gave him, but staid his hand when he fought Bernadeth, sister of Desaad. She recognized something familiar in him. Darkseid appeared, and readied to use the omega effect to kill Orioin and release the presence he came back from the Source with, although that defied prophecy. Takion ordered him to stand down, and knowing Takion was the will of the Source Darkseid complied. Takion used his power to release the corrupting influence from Orion, which turned out to be Desaad.

(Genesis #3) -

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #8) - Barda and the New Gods, alongside Earth’s heroes, continued to fight Darkseid’s Parademon army, but sensed something was amiss. Only Takion knew Highfather was gone, dead at the hands of Ares, who wanted to seize the Source’s power instead of saving it, but at the advice of the last of the Okld Gods, chose to keep that a secret, so the heroes wouldn’t lose hope

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #10) - Orion, Big Barda, Beautiful Dreamer and Big Bear surveyed New Genesis, and Orion feared that Darkseid was laughing at them, having a new cosmic clout being part of the Source Wall. Barda boasted that she was a warrior, and not interested in philosophy. Lightray reported after a tour of new Genesis, and was sad to inform them that fire pits had spawned across the landscape, melting the polar regions and doing untold damage. They didn’t know what would make things right, and at that moment Scott Free appeared, dressed in ceremonial robes. He was sure he couldn’t set things straight, despit what everyone thought, and Orion assured him that as Highfather’s scion he had to assume the mantle of leadership. He spent most of his life not even knowing his father, but Barda was impressed with him, and told him not to focus on his limitations. Scott had a secret meeting with Shazam during his coronation. He wished to know if, in addition to granting god power to immortals, he could remove power from gods. Shazam said it was, in theory, possible, and Scott asked him to find a way to remove from him the power he felt unworthy of. Scott attened the coronation, and was crowned by Takion, who promised the New Gods a new age of miracles, while Scott hung his head and scowled.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #11, 12) - Scott Free shed his coronation robes, and Barda noticed that he was agitated. He admitted that once again he felt trapped by destiny into becoming something he wasn’t. She wanted him to achieve whatever he wanted for himself, so he donned his Mr. Miracle garb, and told Takion he was abdicating the throne. Miracle and Barda were returning to Earth, and Miracle wanted Takion to become the new leader of the New Gods. Miracle told Takion that he accepted the logic behind him being an heir since his father was dead, but the fact that he could so cooly state that made him realize he never saw Highfather as a father, and he saw himself as a pawn, not a son. Takion accepted that his connection to the Source could enable him to be a leader. Miracle and Barda used a Boom Tube to Earth, returning to his old circus, and meeting his old friends Oberon, Shilo and Brown. Barda was still skeptical about his decision, and worried about him handing his god powers to Shazam. Miracle assured her that the thrill was his intellect and muscle being used as an escape artist, not relying on his godly nature. Barda lifted her husband up, and gave him a bear hug, warning him to try and not kill himself.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #15) - When Dave Lincoln heard about the healer Sister Sunshine, he suspected she had a connection to the New Gods, and contacted Mr. Miracle. Miracle, Barda, and Ted Brown attended one of her sold out shows, and surmised that she used a mother box for healing, and since the New Gods knew of each other’s presences, they knew she had to be from Apokolips. Barda thought it was another of Darkseid’s ruses, and suggested they destroy Sunshine. Cooler heads prevailed, and Miracle recognized her as Himon’s former ward Aurelie, who Barda took into custody when she first met Miracle. Barda was shaken, and wished she had known better than to oppress the lowlies when she was a Female Fury. Sunlight had come to Earth after Himon gave her a mother box to do good for the sick. Miracle and Barda followed Sister Sunlight to a hospital in Suicide Slum, where she was to heal a young cancer patient named Howard.. Parademons burst in, seeking to return her to Apokolips, and the heroes battled them. They prevailed, but a Parademon ran Miracle through with his weapon, leaving him at death’s door. Sunlight healed him with the last of her power, and because she couldn’t save Howard, she asked Barda to help them both enter the Source. Barda agreed, seeing it fitting that two humble, but great people should have the Source as a reward.

(JLA #17, New Gods Secret Files #1) - Takion learned that Mageddon, a doomsday weapon of the Old Gods, was set to awaken and attack Earth. He foisted Big Barda and Orion on the JLA as new members so they could aid in the fight against Mageddon when the time came.

(JLA #18, 19) - Julian September unhinged the universe’s laws of probability with his engine of chance, briefly warping history so that Barda and several other JLA members blinked out of existence. The remaining members found a way to undo the damage, allowing Barda and the others to return to reality.

(JLA #20, 21) - Adam Strange teleported Barda and the JLA to Rann. Strange claimed the JLA were now his slaves, and forced them to rebuild Rann under the supervision of En’Taran Slavemasters. Strange’s actions were a pretense for having the JLA construct a giant zeta-beam that teleported the Slavemasters away from Rann. The JLA returned to Earth.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #17) - On Earth Barda also sensed the disturbance in the cosmos of a final confrontation between Orion and Kalibak, though Mr. Miracle told her since he severed his link to godhood such things were beyond him.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #19) - Barda and Scott were sleeping when she woke suddenly, sensing a disturbance in the Source. She geared up, and told Scott she had to leave him behind since he was no longer a god. With Darkseid’s return from the Source Wall, war was inevitable, so Highfather appeared from the Source and returned Supertown to New Genesis, giving his children something to rally around.

(Green Lantern III #103)- Barda and the JLA were introduced to time-traveling Green Lantern Hal Jordan by Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. Hal was welcomed as a new inductee into the JLA.

(DC One Million #1-4, JLA #1,000,000) - Justice Legion A invited Barda and the JLA to travel with them to the year 85,271 to compete in Olympic-style games and celebrate the return of Superman Prime to Earth. Barda refused and stayed behind. Hourman sent the JLA to their time, but he was unable to retrieve them, because he’d been implanted with a virus by Vandal Savage and Solaris. The virus spread across Earth, infecting machines and humans alike, turning them hostile. Zauriel asked Steel to create a time machine to retrieve the JLA. The Hourman Virus, which Starman helped bring to the past because he’d sided with Solaris, was actually a computer program looking for a system, Solaris itself. Using Epoch’s notes Steel, Big Barda and the remaining members of the JLA constructed a time engine to find their timelost teammates. Justice Leagion A arrived at the Watchtower, and the JLA battled the Legion, assuming they were under control of the Hourman virus, but the Legion explained they needed the time engine to power the Solaris computer they’d constructed, and the teams joined up to complete Solaris’ construction. The virus left Earth to create Solaris’ A.I. Starman regretted his betrayal of the Justice Legion when he met Ted Knight, the original Starman. To redeem himself he stopped the newly constructed Solaris from destroying Eartth by opening up a black hole in its computer brain. The Justice Legion were able to return to their own time when Superman 1,000,000 punched through the time barrier. In their time they helped the JLA put an end to Solaris before sending the JLA home.

(JLA #24-26) - Barda and the JLA got a report of a alien invasion in Phoenix, Arizona, but when the team showed up in Arizona the invasion turned out to be a ruse. They were confronted by the Ultramarine Corps, who were under orders from General Wade Eiling to execute the JLA. The fight went badly for the JLA until Superman convinced the Ultramarines that Eiling had gone insane, and his orders no longer carried presidential approval. The JLA and Ultramarines fought Eiling, who had transferred his consciousness into the indestructible body of the Shaggy Man. Although they couldn’t defeat him, they transported the General millions of miles into uninhabited deep space.

(Green Lantern 80-Page Giant #2) - Barda’s JLA teammate Green Lantern IV took her to the Museum of Art, but she had little interest in it. When armed thieves attempted to make off with some paintings Barda found pounding them into submission to be a delightful diversion.

(Martian Manhunter II #7-9) - Barda and the JLA asked Manhunter to surrender to them because they suspected him committing crimes against humanity. In truth Malefic that was responsible, and he’d framed Manhunter by shapeshifting and impersonating him. The JLA questioned Manhunter at the JLA Watchtower, and Malefic turned himself invisible and attacked the JLA. They assumed Manhunter was responsible, leading to a huge fight. Manhunter tried to extricate himself by flying off in a JLA shuttle, but Malefic had anticipated this, and rigged it to go up in flames. Malefic then started hunting down the individual members of the JLA. Manhunter revealed that he’d survived and challenged his brother to a one-on-one confrontation on Z’Onn Z’Orr. Manhunter piloted Z’Orr into the sun and left Malefic behind to burn alive. The JLA apologized to Manhunter for ever having doubted him.

(JLA #32) - Barda and the JLA discovered that Locus was conducting disturbing genetic experiments in No Man's Land Gotham City. The JLA waged war against Locus to force them out of Gotham.

(JLA #33) - One of the White Martians brainwashed to think it was a human acted as a secretary in WayneTech until he went down in a plane crash in the Andes. This fractured his mental blocks, and unsure of his identity he adopted Bruce Wayne’s and went on vacation in France. Batman sent Barda and the JLA to apprehend him, fearing his mental blocks would break down again. The JLAers assigned to “Wayne” provoked him, and he reverted to his White Martian form, but they defeated him before he could telepathically free his fellow Martians.

(Hourman #7) - Amazo turned Barda and the JLA into androids, then locked them in cylinders that pumped contradictory information into their newly computerized brains to slowly destroy them. They were rescued and turned back into human form by Hourman III.

(Day of Judgment #1, 5) - Barda and the JLA battled Asmodel, who'd merged with the Spectre and unleashed Hell on Earth. Green Lantern Hal Jordan became the Spectre's new host, ending the threat.

(JLA #36-41) - With Mageddon approaching Earth, Metron brought Big Barda and Wonder Woman of the JLA to check on Wonderworld, home of the Theocracy, the first line of defense against Mageddon. Wonderworld was decimated and Mageddon had killed the Theocracy. On their way back to Earth the heroes saw other civilizations cut down by Mageddon. Mageddon sent the New Injustice Gang after the JLA, and Barda and Wonder Woman joined up with Plas to combat Gang member Queen Bee, who was setting up a hive in NYC. They defeated her, sending Bee back to Hiveworld in a Boom Tube. and the rest of the JLA defeated the Gang. The threat of Mageddon loomed as war spread across Earth, but Barda needed medical treatment after her battle with Bee and her drones. The JLA built an anti-war ray, a device that gave all of humanity the ability to resist Mageddon’s urgings for them to destroy each other, as well as temporary superpowers so that they could all help fight Mageddon, and the final blow was delivered when Superman absorbed the anti-sun that powered Mageddon. Barda and Orion returned to New Genesis.

(Justice Leagues: JL? #1, Justice Leagues: Justice League of Amazons #1, Justice Leagues: JLA #1) - When the Advance Man made the world forgot that the JLA ever existed the individual members still had a vague memory of the team and formed their own Justice Leagues. Big Barda was recruited to be in Wonder Woman’s Justice League of Amazons. The League of Amazons blocked R.A. Vaje, Inc. from destroying the Selva Basin of the Amazon rainforest. Unbeknownst to the Amazons, they did the Advance Man a favor, he discovered an unbelievably deadly species of spider in Selva that he planned to ravage Earth’s population with, and the Amazons actions saved the spiders from extinction. The Justice League of Amazons disbanded following the reformation of the Justice League of America.

(Harley Quinn #6, 7) -

(Wonder Woman II #175) -

(JSA #36, 37) - The Ultra-Humanite used Johnny Thunder’s Thunderbolt to conquer the world, and imprisoned Barda and virtually every superhuman on Earth in stasis tubes, only reviving them when he needed mind-controlled slaves to serve in his personal guard the Thunderfront. Barda served as a member of the Thunderfront when they attacked the JSA, the only heroes not under the Humanite’s control. The JSA used a device that disrupted the braincaps Humanite used to control the Thunderfront, leaving them unconscious but freed from Humanite’s mental domination. When Barda and the other heroes awoke they aided the JSA in defeating the Humanite.

(Identity Crisis #1) - Barda and Miracle were among the number of heroes who attended Sue Dibny’s funeral.

(Superman / Batman #11, 12) - Barda and Scott settled down in the suburbs of Connecticut. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman asked Barda to help them get to Apokolips via Boom Tube. On Apokolips Barda and Wonder Woman battled the Female Furies while Batman and Superman rescued Supergirl from Darkseid's clutches. After the battle was won Barda returned home to Scott.

(Superman / Batman #13) - Barda was among the heroes invited to Paradise Island to welcome Superman's cousin Supergirl into the superhero community.

(JLA #112, 113) - The New Gods Orion, Lightray and Big Barda were called in by the JLA when Qwardians threatened to destroy Earth with their doomsday weapon Erdammeru while the Crime Syndicate of Amerika tried to take control of Earth. Once the Qwardians learned that Krona, not Earth, was responsible for Qward’s temporary destruction, they returned to the anti-matter universe.

(JLA #120) - Aquaman invited Big Barda and other JLAers to Happy Harbor, where the League began, to finalize the team's dissolution. Aquaman hoped that the disagreements and lack of trust that led to the dissolution wouldn't last forever, and reminded them what the JLA once stood for. Everyone tossed dust into the wind as an act of cleansing and left.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby.

Barda received profiles in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #2, Who's Who in the DC Universe #11, New Gods Secret Files #1 and The DC Comics Encyclopedia. She received a profile in JLA-Z #2 under the JLA (“The International” Era) entry.

There were pin-ups of Big Barda in the Fourth World Gallery.

Impulse #44 showed children trick-or-treating as various superheroes, including Big Barda.

Sandman II #5 showed a photo of Big Barda on Mr. Miracle’s nightstand.

The students of Granny Goodness’ Orphanage fought robot simulacra of several New Gods, including Big Barda, during a training exercise in New Gods Secret Files #1.

In Bizarro Comics #1 Mr. Mxyzptlk beamed information about all of Earth’s superheroes into Bizarro-Superman’s mind, hoping to teach him how to be a proper hero. Afterwards Bizarro had images of various heroes, including Big Barda, wandering through his head.

Big Barda had cameos in Action Comics #650, DC Graphic Novel #4 and Justice League of America II #1.