Draaga

Draaga
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Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Adventures of Superman #454 (May 1989)
Created by	Jerry Ordway (script/art)
In-story information
Abilities	Enhanced strength

Draaga is a fictional alien character in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventures of Superman #454 during the 1989 Superman In Exile storyline.

Fictional character history

In the "Exile" storyline, Superman has exiled himself from Earth due to psychological problems he was suffering from at the time. He is forced by the space villain Mongul to participate in his gladiatorial games. Draaga is the champion of the games, but Superman defeats him, then refuses to kill him. This baffles Draaga, whose code of honour demands a rematch against Superman, though he later comes to respect the hero. After Mongul is deposed by Superman, the aliens who control the artificial planet Warworld choose Draaga to be their new puppet ruler.

Draaga eventually abandons the position to look for Superman, even finding the remains of Superman's costume (torn apart during his stay) and wearing them, in a sort of homage to the warrior who defeated him.^[1] After taking a "space taxi" he arrives on Earth and challenges Superman to a fight to the death.^[2] Superman, at the time under the mental influence of the Eradicator (a Kryptonian artifact), fights Draaga in New York and on Earth's moon, and is on the verge of killing him when he is transported away from the fight by Professor Hamilton. Draaga is dragged away, unconscious, by the "space taxi" driver, who is worried about collecting his fare.^[3]

Draaga returns in the "Panic in the Sky" storyline where he is employed by Maxima to destroy Superman. The Superman he encounters here is actually the android Supergirl Matrix wearing Superman's form, who loses to Draaga on an asteroid. The second time Draaga loses on Warworld is in a contest held by Brainiac. Later Draaga joins Superman in the fight against Brainiac to regain his honor. He is killed while jumping into an organic anti-matter doomsday device created by Brainiac and is buried beside The Cleric, on the asteroid on which he first encountered Supergirl. The shapeshifting Matrix honours Draaga for the rest of the battle against Brainiac by adopting his form.

Powers and abilities

Draaga is superhumanly strong and resistant to injury. His strength level is almost in the same class as Superman.

In other media

Draaga appears in the animated Justice League episode, "War World", an adaptation of the "Gladiator" comics storyline. He is voiced by William Smith.

The name Draaga was used in an earlier DC Comic as the name of a familiar creature of a witch, who appeared in The Demon #7 (published in 1973)

References

1. ^ Stern, Roger (w), Ordway, Jerry, Curt Swan, George Pérez et al. (p), Breeding, Brett, Bob McLeod, Kerry Gammill et al. (i). "Reflections" Action Comics 650 (February 1990), New York: DC Comics
2. ^ Ordway, Jerry (w), Ordway, Jerry (p), Janke, Dennis (i). "Krypton Man" Superman v2, 42 (April 1990), New York: DC Comics
3. ^ Jurgens, Dan (w), Jurgens, Dan (p), Thibert, Art (i). "The Last Son of Krypton" Adventures of Superman 465 (April 1990), New York: DC Comics