Warning! Spoilers for Are You Afraid of Darkseid #1 by DC Comics below
DC Comics latest spooky anthology just confirmed the existence of Bloody Mary as one of Darkseid’s greatest warriors. In Are You Afraid of the Darkseid #1, a story focuses on Harley Quinn’s hunt for the folklore legend. However, the hero quickly finds out Bloody Mary is actually from Apokolips and that a series of unfortunate events turned the New God into a vampire-like creature.
Bloody Mary is an urban legend who is summoned after her name is called into a mirror multiple times while holding a candle. In numerous stories, Bloody Mary kills whoever called her name. The legend has inspired multiple stories in pop culture, including Candyman, whose titular villain brutally murders anyone who chants his name into a mirror five times. In DC Comics lore, Bloody Mary is one of Apokolips’ Female Furies, who is an energy vampire who made a few appearances in the comics previously. Now, DC is has reintroduced Bloody Mary – only this time, she’s betrayed Darkseid.
In the Harley Quinn and Darkseid-starring “Bloody Mary” story from this week’s Are You Afraid of the Darkseid Anthology #1 by Kenny Porter, Max Dunbar, Luis Guerrero, and Becca Carey, Harley Quinn confronts a group of teenagers who have broken into the Gotham Riverfront Hotel. The teens are searching for Bloody Mary, who is said to be responsible for the “Bloody Mary” murders in Gotham City. Harley Quinn interrupts the group and reveals she’s also looking for Bloody Mary, as she wants to get a killer off the streets. After running into a security guard whose blood was drained from his body, Harley bumps into Darkseid, who’s after Bloody Mary himself.
Darkseid reveals Bloody Mary was one of his most dangerous Female Furies on Apokolips and was forever changed after an experimental mother box malfunctioned and turned her into a creature who was “neither living nor dead.” According to Darkseid, she takes the lives of those who call her to Earth, but ultimately seeks revenge for her transformation. In the end, a monstrous Bloody Mary arrives and Darkseid and Harley team up (via an Omega Beam-charged mallet) to take her down.
Bloody Mary’s return to DC Comics makes for a fun, spooky tale about how an accident turned one of Darkseid’s greatest warriors into a monster. Hopefully, it’s not the last readers see of Bloody Mary’s quest to take down the ruler of Apokolips, as Darkseid should feel haunted by what’s happened. Are You Afraid of Darkseid #1 by DC Comics is in comic book stores now.
