Fictional character biography
Orion is the second son of Darkseid, the dictator of Apokolips, and half-brother of Kalibak and Grayven.[17] He later marries Bekka, the daughter of Apokolips resistance leader Himon. As a child, Orion was traded to New Genesis' benevolent leader Highfather for Scott Free, Highfather's son, as part of a treaty between New Genesis and Apokolips. Raised as Highfather's son, Orion was taught to control and focus his rage, and grew to value his adoptive home and its ideals. Orion's friends among the New Gods, particularly Lightray, helped him channel his Dark Side toward the protection of New Genesis. As a result of that personal struggle, Orion's inherited traits and learned focus allowed Orion to become the most powerful warrior and hero of New Genesis. His fighting skill, stamina, relentlessness, and ruthlessness have earned him the nickname "The Dog of War", who still occasionally needs the aid of his Mother Box to help control his emotions when they threaten to get the better of him. Orion counts among his closest friends Lightray, Metron, Jezebelle, Scott Free, Big Barda, and Forager.
The 25–issue Walt Simonson series was designed to follow the continuity of the original Fourth World series and was published after John Byrne's Jack Kirby's Fourth World series ended. To flesh out the series, characters such as Fourth World stalwarts Lightray, Darkseid, DeSaad, and Kalibak were used in addition to lesser used characters such as Orion's mother Tigra, Mortalla, and the Newsgroup Legion (an update of Jack Kirby's 1940s Newsboy Legion). A collection of Simonson's Orion stories was released in July 2018.
During Simonson's series, Orion obtained the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical equation that can eliminate free will. Darkseid has coveted the Equation for eons to take control of the multiverse. Orion's mother lied to him about Darkseid not being his father. He then went to Apokolips and confronted Darkseid about his parentage. They fought for control of Apokolips with Orion refusing to use the Equation as a matter of pride and his warrior's code. He defeated Darkseid and gained control of Apokolips. With the Equation, Orion went to Earth to begin creating intergalactic peace. He used the Equation to turn Earth into a utopian world by usurping all free will and following his guidance. The lack of free will began disrupting the balance of the multiverse as Earth is the linchpin holding it all together. It was then revealed that Darkseid, with guidance from Metron, allowed Orion to defeat him so that Darkseid could understand the potential of the Equation.
Orion has served two terms with the Justice League. He first demanded to join the League alongside his friend Lightray.[18] They were accepted as Leaguers and stayed on until after the battle with the Evil Eye.[19] Later, Orion and Big Barda were sent as agents of New Genesis to serve in the JLA.[20] During his time in the League, Orion helped to defeat Starro when its actions put almost the entirety of North America to sleep and aided Green Lantern, Steel, Plastic Man, and Barda in capturing a White Martian who had regained its original memory. On one occasion, Orion and other Leaguers were abducted by the seemingly insane Adam Strange as part of a plot to defeat a telepathic race. Steel (John Henry Irons) was forced to steal Orion's Mother Box and use it as a telepathic shield; the Box couldn't do this for Orion as he was so enraged by his captivity that the Box was devoting too much energy focusing on trying to keep him calm to do anything else. Orion and Barda's central mission was to help mobilize Earth's heroes against the coming of the omnipotent, Old God tech-cosmic weapon Mageddon. Orion gave his Mother Box to Oracle for safe-keeping while he confronted Mageddon at full ferocity, channeling his inherited fury from Darkseid.
Years later, Orion returns to Earth for his final battle with Darkseid. During the fight, Orion kills Darkseid by ripping his heart out, fulfilling the prophecy of their final battle.[22] However, Darkseid's spirit survives the death of his body and fell back in time and space; fracturing both as he fell toward his own personal Hell inside a black hole at the center of creation. As Darkseid fell, his essence was briefly reborn on Earth as Boss Dark Side. Darkseid's Elite had been killed as well and their essences possessed human bodies as well. Using the super-villain Libra, Darkseid unleashes the Anti-Life Equation onto humanity and in the process, drags Earth outside time and space, threatening the multiverse. From this point, Darkseid sought his revenge against Orion by firing a time travel-based gun backwards in time to kill Orion once and for all. The bullet mortally wounds Orion, who realizes that Darkseid and the New Gods of Apokolips are alive and using humans as host bodies. With his last strength, Orion warns the man who finds his dying body, Detective Dan Turpin, that "They are not dead - He is in you all".[23]
Darkseid's murder of his son would ultimately backfire on him. Green Lantern John Stewart recovers the bullet that was used to kill Orion and gives it to Batman, who uses it to kill Darkseid.[24]
The New 52
In The New 52, a 2011 reboot of the DC Comics universe, Orion appears as a supporting character in the Wonder Woman title. After consulting with the Source, he first joins Wonder Woman in her search for a child who was abducted by the gods of Olympia.[25]
New Justice
Orion also appears in the Justice League Odyssey series, rescuing the Green Lantern Jessica Cruz after Darkseid kills her. Initially, he is under the guise of Okkult until the ruse is discovered and he continues to appear as Orion.
