- Duke of Deception
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Duke of Deception 
Wonder Woman confronts the Duke of Deception.Publication information Publisher DC Comics First appearance Wonder Woman #2 (Fall 1942) Created by William Moulton Marston (script)
Harry G. Peter (art)In-story information Abilities Ability to create realistic illusions The Duke of Deception is a fictional character, a DC Comics villain that battled Wonder Woman in the Golden and Bronze Age of Comics.
He first appeared in the Golden Age in Wonder Woman #2 (Fall 1942) and was re-introduced in Wonder Woman #217 (April-May 1975) in the Bronze Age.
Contents
Fictional character biography
Fictional background
Little is known about the true history of the Duke of Deception. He appears to be a minor god who existed for thousands of years. He is drafted by Mars to battle Wonder Woman. He uses his powers to spread falsehoods to provoke humanity into conflict and war.
Deception sends his astral form to inspire military and government leaders with duplicitous thoughts that could lead to war. His contributions to World War II include "persuad[ing] ... the Rising Sun (Japan) to make peace talk at Washington while they struck with deadly venom at Pearl Harbor" and "show[ing] the addled Hitler how to cultivate Russia's friendship until the hour arrived to attack" (Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2).
On the war god's interplanetary base on the planet Mars, Deception operates the Lie Factory, which uses slaves, spirits from different planets such as Earth and Saturn that inhabit bodies, to craft deceptions for a variety of strategems. Other slaves are used for gladiator conflicts. Wonder Woman first met him when he kidnapped Steve Trevors, and foiled his plan to cause further war with the help of Etta Candy. After repeated faliures, Mars strips him of his mighty appearance, leaving him a weak, toothless man. He was once imprisoned with the female slaves, but convinced them to rebel and briefly ruled Mars.
He eventually begins working independently from Mars, and continues to unsuccessfully battle Wonder Woman. Later he tries to attack the entire Solar System of Earth-1 after capturing Wonder Woman and Steve with a key that transforms into a spaceship which paralyzes them, but she is able to escape using her braclet to turn of the device and destroy all three-thirds of his fleet which were massing at different planets and his own ship crashes into an Earth satellite.
Deception's daughter, Lya, is a "mistress of lies" who attempts to double-cross her own father.[1]
After the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, this version of the Duke of Deception is erased from history.
Post-Crisis
A new version of the Duke reappears in Wonder Woman (vol. 3) Annual #1 with a caption box describing him as "The Duke of Deception, whose power of illusion made him the War God's most trusted disciple."
Powers and abilities
The Duke can create illusions and delusions in the minds of others, thereby driving them insane. In addition, he can envelop himself in an illusory image which changes his physical appearance. He has used this ability to disguise himself as Wonder Woman,[2] Paula Von Gunther,[3] and Professor Dekon.[4] He can also send his astral form invisibly to military and government leaders, inspiring them with thoughts of duplicity which they take to be their own.
The Duke has also made use of advanced technology in his plans to attack Earth and destroy Wonder Woman. He attempted to shrink a Martian invasion fleet into a small box from which they would emerge in enlarged form,[5], and he used the shrinking technology again to shrink down Skyscraper City.[6] He has also employed a solar death ray,[7] a forcefield that sealed in Washington, D.C. and also was a portal for an interplanetary invasion fleet,[8] a "brain-wave deceiver" that could scramble a victim's perception of fantasy and reality,[9] and a "gigantic inter-stellar cannon" that was able to target Wonder Woman's invisible jet.[10] He also claimed to have altered Wonder Girl's face with technology he had employed in the past on Medusa and Dr. Jeckyll's Mr. Hyde persona,[11] but he could have been lying.
List of appearances
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2 (first appearance)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #5 (works with Doctor Psycho and conquers planet Mars)
- Comic Cavalcade #26 (first appearance of Lya)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #34 (again working for Mars)
- Sensation Comics #92
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #47
- Sensation Comics #104
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #63
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #65
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #66
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #81
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #84
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #88
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #93
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #94
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #104
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #140 (Impossible Tales)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #148
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #152 (Impossible Tales)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #153 (Impossible Tales)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #169
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #217 (Twelve Labors arc)
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #239
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #240
- Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #254
- Who’s Who (vol. 1) #7
- Wonder Woman Annual (vol. 3) #1
See also
References
- ^ Comic Cavalcade #26 (Apr/May 1948)
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #2
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #34
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #63.
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #65.
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #93.
- ^ Sensation Comics #92
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #47
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) # 81
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) # 94
- ^ Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #153
External links
Categories:- Comics characters introduced in 1942
- DC Comics deities
- DC Comics supervillains
- Golden Age supervillains
- Greco-Roman mythology in DC Comics
- Characters created by William Moulton Marston
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