Tigra

TIGRA

Real Name: Tigra

Class: God (New Gods)

Occupation: None

Group Affiliation: None

Known Relatives: Darkseid (husband), Heggra (mother-in-law), Orion (son)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Apokolips

First Appearance: New Gods I # 7 (February-March, 1972)

Powers: Tigra possessed a furious temper, and animalistic strength.

History: (New Gods I #7 (fb, BTS), Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #5 (fb), 9 (fb)) - Queen Mother Heggra arranged for Uxas to marry Tigra, and he hated the forced marriage. (Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #5 (fb)) - Uxas underwent the god ritual, becoming Darkseid, and greeted his wife in their bedchamber, preparing to slay her. She told him that even though there was no love in their marriage she was carrying his son. Darkseid laughed and spared her, commenting that maybe one day the whelp would serve his nefarious purposes. When Tigra was coming of term, Darkseid informed her that his mother seemed to be set on living forever, and he couldn’t have an heir before his power base as solidified. He had her bio-frozen for a millennia, and when she awoke Heggra was still queen, but Darkseid had moved up in the ranks. She bore Darkseid a son named Orion. Darkseid was disgusted with both of them because of their wildness and fiery tempers, and put them in exile.

(New Gods I #7) - Tigra was summoned back from exile so Orion could be taken from her. Darkseid made a pact of peace with New Genesis that required him to send his son to be raised on New Genesis. Tigra was furious, but Darkseid had his guards drag her away.

(New Gods II #6) - Darkseid lured Orion to Apokolips for a final confrontation by leaking news that Tigra still lived. Orion met him, and he showed Orion his mother trussed up, and threatened her life. In his unreasoning fury Orion was unprepared, and Darkseid’s marksmen shot him down into a fire pit. Darkseid hoped Orion was dead, although he knew he couldn’t have brought himself to kill his son.

(DC Graphic Novel #4) - Himon and his daughter Bekka nursed Orion back to health, and after inciting a Hunger Dog revolution to topple Darkseid’s dominance he made his way to Tigra. Bekka and Orion rescued Tigra and took her offworld on a spaceship.

(New Gods III #12) - Tigra was imprisoned in Section Zero on Apokolips. After many hard-fought battles Orion found her, but she refused to be rescued, telling him she’d be a prisoner no matter where she went because of what she knew and had seen. She also affirmed for Orion that he was just like his father, and he left Section Zero in disgust.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #1-3) - Tigra escaped bondage, and posing as a Hunger Dog learned of Darkseid’s schemes to use the recently deceased Desaad‘s equations to harness the power of the Old Gods. She used Desaad’s work to bring forth Thor from a portal, and demanded he kill Darkseid for the numerous wrongs he‘d committed against her, but the god had his own ideas about what to do with his newfound freedom. She convinced him to travel with her to New Genesis, which was now merged with Apokolips, and they had to fight through a number of Darkseid’s soldiers to do so. Tigra was surprised that Thor had some difficulty in the battle, and mocked him for not living up to his fierce reputation. They arrived on New Genesis, and Mr. Miracle and Big Barda were guarding the border. 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. Miracle brought Tigra and Thor to Highfather, and Tigra used her acid tongue to lash out at the New Gods for doubting her, or her hate for Darkseid. 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 #9) - With Apokolips and New Genesis separated, and Highfather and Darkseid lost, Kalibak challenged Orion to duel with him on New Genesis for his birthright, hoping his concentration was broken. Orion agreed to face him, and told his brother that his brute force made him a clumsy warrior, and that he was surprised he’d survived so long. Kalibak was beaten to a pulp, and may have heard wisdom in Orion’s words, he chose to open a Boom Tube to retreat to Apokolips. Lightway was crippled, and near death, but Orion used a Mother Box to restore him. Lightray asked why Orion spared Kalibak numerous times when he had the opportunity to kill him. Orion said he knew Kalibak was one of the most dangerous forces in the universe, but he didn’t know why he staid his hand. Tigra appeared, telling them that Kalibak was fated to kill Darkseid, so Orion couldn’t kill him. Orion angrily told her that it was a son destined to kill Darkseid, and he could fulfill the prophecy, but she claimed to have a bombshell, information that proved Orion wasn’t Darkseid’s son.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #10) - Orion pressed Tigra about her revelation, and she told him that when Darkseid gained the god-power he was ready to slay his unwanted wife, but she staid his hand by telling him she was pregnant. She needed to follow through on her lie, so she had an affair with a captain of the imperial guard, whose name she never cared to learn. When she was coming of term, Darkseid informed her that his mother seemed to be set on living forever, and he couldn’t have an heir before his power base as solidified. He had her bio-frozen for a millennia, and when she awoke his father was long dead. Orion declared her a liar, but Lightray told him to hear her out. She promised she wasn’t scheming, that with the constant threat on their lives their family history never seemed pressing. Orion used his Mother Box to reveal his true hideous features, and asked if that was not proof enough of who his father was.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #16) - Tigra told Kalibak he was Darkseid’s true heir, and that Orion was illegitimate, and a pretender to the throne. She encouraged Kalibak to claim his birthright and kill Orion. Kalibak assembled an army of Parademons, and after slaying one of them that questioned his military strategy, had them attack a Hunger Dog marketplace. The Dogs and their home in Armaghetto were initially razed, but they fought back hard, killing a number of Parademons. Kalibak called a halt to the battle, and congratulated the surviving Hunger Dogs for proving they were tough enough to join his army. Tigra appeared at his side to reassure him.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #17) - Metron appeared to Tigra, and she threatened to skin him for invading her privacy while getting dressed. Metron, as always, was seeking knowledge, and demanded to know why Tigra fabricated a story about Darkseid not being Orion’s true father. She replied that her actions were in line with every member of the royals of Apokolips, she sought the destruction of Darkseid. Kalibak’s plan was to fire an energy device at the Source Wall, atomizing it and killing all the Promethean Giants, including his father, before tapping into the incalculable energy of the Wall. He gloated about being sole ruler of Apokolips, and Tigra stepped in to remind him that he owed his command to her, who’d convinced the New Gods that Kalibak was Darkseid’s sole heir. Orion arrived to attack Kalibak’s stronghold, and slaughtered the Parademons that opposed him. Kalibak and Orion went into fierce battle, and Metron asked Tigra if she realized they could destroy Apokolips with their power. She cared not for her homeworld as long as she had her vengeance. She didn’t even care which of her sons died, as long as the survivor challenged Darkseid to “last battle,” and destroyed him. She knew Orion had held back against Darkseid in the past, because Darkseid’s death would spell the end of the Fourth World. Kalibak began to win the battle, using his energy device to channel Darkseid’s power, but as he presented Orion to the Black Racer, Orion’s lover Valkyra appeared and sacrificed herself to the Racer. Metron had told her about the near future a few days ago, and at that moment she determined to save Orion’s life in any way necessary. The stage was now set for Armageddon.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #18) - Darkseid’s Elite were furious with Kalibak, both for the waste laid on Apokolips, and his audacity of challenging his father. They screamed at him via tele-screen until Tigra appeared, spreading her lies that Kalibak was the one true son of Darkseid. At Kalibak’s command Parademons used the lair’s energy transponder to drain the remainder of Darkseid’s energy, planning on then freeing him and provoking their final confrontation. Metron added his own energy to the beam, causing it to free Darkseid. Kalibak demanded final battle, but Darkseid said that was Orion’s fate. Metron explained Tigra’s story, refusing to divulge if it was true, and told Darkseid the only thing that mattered was that Kalibak was issuing a challenge he saw as his due. Darkseid accepted, blasted Kalibak into nothingness with his omega beams, and chided his son for having schemes that amounted to nothing. Darkseid though an eternity of scalded nerves was a fitting punishment for his child. Metron awaited a speech from Darkseid, but the evil god only told him that now that Darkseid was back, the universe would return to the status quo.

(Jack Kirby’s Fourth World #19) - On Apokolips Desaad gave Darkseid a battle report of the forces Kalibak raised against him. Darkseid was somewhat confused about Kalibak demanding final battle, and Desaad reminded him of Tigra’s lies that Orion was not his son. Darkseid, completely out of character, apologized, and admitted that he was unfocused after his time in the Source Wall. Desaad was worried about his master’s state of mind, and shared his knowledge with Darkseid’s Elite Vundabar, Kanto and Granny Goodness. They bickered, and Virman tried to play both sides Kanto physically subjugated him, and told him his only use was as a paperweight. Tigra appeared, and told the Elite the time had come to take power from Darkseid, and if his weakness was known his own supporters would be on their side. Virman Vundabar schemed to assassinate Darkseid in his weakened state. He pointed a crossbow at his lord, but Darkseid had predicted that he was his only minion who would plot against him after his return from the Source Wall. Darkseid’s weakness was a ploy meant to draw out enemies. Vundabarr reminded him that Darkseid taught survival of the strongest, and Darkseid said he once again confused strength with cunning. Darkseid used his omega beam to wipe Vundabarr from existence.

Comments: Created by Jack Kirby

Tigra received a profile in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #16 under the New Gods entry.

Tigra’s appearance in New Gods I #7 was reprinted in New Gods II #4.

Tiggra had a cameo in New Gods III #7, 8, 13.