CENTAURS

Class: Magical species

Known Representatives: Charliehorse, Chiron, Comet The Super-Horse, Soro, Wild Huntsman

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: ancient Greece

First Appearance: Superman I #28 (May, 1944)

Powers: Centaurs were extremely long-lived and had the upper bodies of humans and the lower bodies of horses.

History

(Flash Comics #96) - Some of the last of the Centaurs, led by their leader Soro, left Greece to build a city in a dormant volcano. They kept tabs on the outside world, and soro hoped that one day humanity would come and go and Centaurs could rule again. Thousands of years passed, and humanity showed no sign of decline, so in the 1940s Soro decided he’d have to conquer the human race. His scientists built a volcano machine that harnessed the underground fire of the dormant volcano, but once they realized what Soro’s intentions were they refused to keep working for him, and Soro had them executed. Soro learned of a human science conference, and sent out a group of Centaurs in a flying machine to kidnap them. Among the scientists were Carter all and Shiera Sanders, who changed into their heroic identities of Hawkman and Hawkgirl and fended off the Centaurs. They followed the centaurs to their volcano city, but were shot down by fireballs from the volcano machine. They were captured by Soro, leader of the Centaurs, who placed them in the Throne of Terror. A cloak made by Medea was placed on them, and it was saturated with chemicals that cause it to burst into flames if the Hawks did so much as move. Soro told the scientists they worked for him now, but they all said they’d rather die than betray humanity. Hawkman and Hawkgirl escaped the cloak, the special chemicals on their wings that prevented wind shear also saved them from the flames. Soro, furious, activated the volcano machine as the Hawks flew the scientists away, and the machine malfunctioned, causing the volcano to erupt and killing Soro and his Centaurs.

(Challengers of the Unknown I #13) - Archaeologist Dr. Henry presented the Challengers of the Unknown with evidence of the historicity of the Golden Fleece and Jason and the Argonauts, uncovered in a book from the archives of Rhodes. The Challs traveled with him to the island of  Colchis, and soon Rocky discovered the fleece and put it on, finding himself filled with strange and uncontrollable powers. When his teammates approached him the fleece summoned a fire breathing dragon to hold them off while he fled. June and Henry found a vase purporting to hold a liquid that could take away the uncontrollable powers of the Golden Fleece. The Challs caught up to Rocky who summoned a Cyclops, which Ace took out by hurling a hornet's nest at his eye, and a centaur that Prof. roped. June dressed as a mermaid, luring Rocky towards her, and when he was close enough she tossed the vase's liquid at him, breaking the Golden Fleece's spell.

Comments: Adapted to comics by Jerry Siegel & Ira Yarbrough.

Centaurs were monsters of Greek and Roman mythology. For more information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur.

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