Venus

Real Name: Venus

Identity/Class: Deity

Occupation: Goddess;
nurse (during Korean War)

Affiliations: Thomas, Mickey, Knights of Justice, Madame Furie, Pegasus, Vestal Virgins, Cupid, Round Table of America

Enemies: Nazis, Madame X, Temptress, Pluto, Mars

Known Relatives: Mars (ex-husband), Pluto (uncle), presumably other Olympian gods

Aliases: Goddess of Love and Laughter, Vanessa DeMille, Vanessa Hart

Base of Operations: Olympus

First Appearance: Big Bang #1 (Calibre)

Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, able to calm opponents with a song. Rides the flying horse Pegasus; later able to walk on air. Bracelet can become an indestructible shield.

History:Earth B, August 1939. Nazi sorcerers had stolen several magical items from the gods and goddesses of Olympus, causing most of the immortals to fall into a deep sleep.

Venus, "Goddess of Love and Laughter" was sent to Earth to recover the artifacts and to help rid the world of the Nazi menace. She appeared in the form of a beautiful, red-haired woman, dressed in a costume of red, white and blue, "to symbolise America, which fought for it's freedom". This was topped off by a "Lady Liberty" crown, "to bring the hope of independence to the oppressed in France and the rest of Europe".

Her first mission was to recover her own sea-shell bracelet, which she did with the help of Thomas, "a prissy art dealer" and Mickey, "a rough and tumble sailor". Both men fell in love at first sight with Venus and accompanied her throughout the rest of W.W.II. Her other friends included the female scientist Madame Furie, the "Vestal Virgins" (who are brought from the ancient past to help her) and the winged horse, Pegasus, who acted as her main means of transport. She also became a founding member of the Knights of Justice. Her enemies included two Nazi spies: the black veiled Madame X and the blonde tressed Temptress.

Although she was a pacifist, who always tried to reason with her enemies first, Venus was a formidable warrior. She was strong enough to "bend bars as if they were made of rubber", but could also sooth a savage breast by "singing a song as ancient and as beautiful as the Gods". She also sings in order to summon Pegasus.

Her sea-shell bracelet was more than just decoration, growing at her command into an invincible shield "able to meet any force thrown against it". It was capable of deflecting bullets "as if they were spitballs". (At least one other missing artifact was depicted, when the "Gorgons Eye" amulet on display in a museum changes an innocent woman into Medusa, complete with snakes for hair and a stony gaze).

After the war, Venus fought evil on her own (gaining the ability to walk on air, to make up for the loss of Pegasus). She went to help out during the Korean War, adopting a mortal identity as an army nurse to be with a man in the U.S. military, ironically, her only true love. She was so devastated by his loss in this conflict, that she returned to Olympus sometime in the mid 1950's . . . . . .

Olympus had been relocated by the god Jupiter to the planet that bears his name. Venus had been living there for some time, her closest companion being Cupid, the god of love. Cupid likes to maintain the fiction that Venus was his mother, but she reminds him that after her divorce from Mars, Pan used his magic to make a mortal serving girl look like Venus in order to trick the still besotted Mars. Cupid (a tough talkin', cigar chompin' cherub) was the result of that unholy union. As such he was shunned by all of Olympus except for Venus, his only friend.

Venus mourned for her lost lover, but was sent back to Earth by Jupiter when he revealed that the gods are slowly dying, due to lack of worship by the mortals. Her mission was to "reclaim the devotion, or at least the attention of mankind". She remained strong, as love was still a potent force on Earth (this may explain her being unaffected by the Nazi plot in W.W.II). She was opposed by Mars (god of war) and her uncle, Pluto (god of death) as they also represented strong forces on Earth. Needless to say then, that when she and Cupid arrived in the US, it was sometime in the 1960's, during the Vietnam War. Venus apparently returned to Earth A in the 1960's, joining the Round Table of America (who she met during the "Criss-Cross Crisis).

Comments: Profile by Chris Adams.

Venus is, of course, the BIG BANG version of the Golden Age Wonder Woman, but with a twist: she is also the BB version of Marvel's Silver Age Thor. (She actually becomes mortal during her time in Korea, rather than simply wearing a disguise. Both the Golden Age Diana Prince and Don Blake are medics). The '40's stories are done in the style of the Moulton & Peters (Madame Furie resembles Etta Candy) and the '60's setting is very much in the style of Lee & Kirby (Cupid bears a strong resemblance to "The King").

Venus has appeared throughout the whole run of Big Bang, starting with the first Caliber issue. No actual origin story has been published, the above account being condensed in part from a text feature in Big Bang #27. The details of her time in Korea vary according to the decade. In 1952, she states that she gave up her super hero career, becoming mortal and marrying an un-named US army surgeon (the text article in BB #27 says that she adopted the alias "Vanessa DeMille"). By the 1960's (BB # 34) this has been amended to Vanessa Hart, with her lover (not husband) being a US soldier called Jason Proudhawk, who is missing, presumed dead. It is also stated in BB #27 that she was romantically linked with both Ultimen at different times.

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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