#mordru

“There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go,” (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit).

365 DC Comics Heroes & Villains Paper Cut-Outs

Mordru

The magical Lord of Chaos known as Mordru began as a young sorcerer on Gemworld named Wrynn. The son of the Dark Lord Opal, Wrynn aided in his father’s efforts to conquer Gemworld.  After his father’s defeat, Wrynn became the new Lord Opal and cultivated his own plans to take over the realm.  

Drawing on ancient magics Wrynn resurrected the powerful gemstone golem known as ‘The Flaw.’ Once reborn, this creature chose Wrynn to act as the instrument of the fabled Lords of Chaos.  Wrynn was thus transformed into a mighty being renamed ‘Mordru.’ 

Mordru attempted to conquer Gemworld yet was ultimately defeated and banished by Princess Amethyst. Expelled into the human world, Mordru embarked on a new campaign of conquest and battled both The Justice Society and Justice League.  It took the combined might of both these teams to defeat him. 

Mordru returned once more, having himself become a Lord of Chaos. He defeated Doctor Fate and claimed the Helmet of Nabu as his own.  The Justice Society were able to prevail and Mordru was once more defeated, imprisoned in the Rock of Eternity.

The villain would eventually escape and returned time and again to battle various heroes, including the Justice League Dark, Arigon and The Demon Knights.  Following yet another battle with the justice Society, the omnipotent genie Ylzkz sealed Mordru within the Amulet of Fate, where he remained for countless years.

 Trapped in the dark realms within the amulet, Mordru explored its depths and amassed even greater magical powers.  The amulet was discovered in an archeological dig around the turn of thirtieth century.  Its shell pierced, Mordru escaped to wreck havoc on the future.

He initially took refuge on Zerox, the Sorcerer’s planet, where a young mage named Mysa Nal became his pupil and apprentice.  Acting in secret, Mordru built his strength and ultimately took over all of Zerox and many other planets.  This led to multiple confrontations with the Legion of Superheroes.  Mysa would go on to join the Legion as the White Witch and as he was able to help turn the tide, allowing the Legion to defeat Mordru.  

Following the Mage Wars, Mordru appeared to be finally destroyed.  Alterations to the time-stream caused by inter-dimensional crises enabled a teenage Wrynn to foresee the destiny that awaited him.  Taking action in an effort to prevent himself from becoming a dark lord of chaos, Wrynn became the young superior known as The Legionnaire.  He sought out the time-displaced Helena Wayne and convinced her to allow him to become a part of the new Justice Society.   

Working in concert, Wrynn and Helena were able to defeat Eclipso, creating a future where Wrynn was not destined to become a villain.  The two then traveled to the 31st Century, where they helped establish a new iteration of the Justice Society of the future.  

Mordru info page

Created by Gardner Fox and Bert Christman, Wesley Dodds is one of DC’s most enduring Golden Age heroes and the first Justice Society of America member depicted in the mural. The wealthy heir to an investment empire, Dodds was plagued by prophetic dreams — a result of Dream (Morpheus) of the Endless being imprisoned and unable to fulfill his duties. Acting on these visions, Dodds designed a gas gun and donned a green business suit, fedora, and gas mask, becoming the Sandman.

Dodds’s crusade was not one of fame but of necessity, often aided by socialite Dian Belmont, who quickly deduced his secret and became both his partner in life and in crimefighting. His life and career were famously reimagined in the noir-tinged Sandman Mystery Theatre, where his stories blended pulp adventure with grounded crime drama. He joined the JSA at its inception and later mentored his ward and Daine's nephew, Sandy Hawkins, who became Sandy the Golden Boy. When an experiment accidentally transformed Sandy into a silicon-based monster, Dodds retired from active heroics to seek a cure. Eventually, Sandy was restored to human form, retaining sand-based powers, and the two briefly reunited as partners.

In his later years, Dodds returned to action briefly before sacrificing himself to stop the sorcerer Mordru, passing his prophetic gift to Sandy. Sandy returned to crime-fighting with the Justice Society as the hero Sand and later took the name Sandman.

Group Affiliations: Justice Society of America, All-Star Squadron

Speculation: A Sandman Mystery Theatre series would work perfectly within the grounded period drama tone Gunn has suggested for some projects. His presence in the mural may be a hint that the JSA or All-Star Squadron will appear in either a Golden Age flashback or a present-day storyline with Sandy as Sandman.

First Appearance: Adventure Comics (1938) #40

Recommended Reading:

Adventure Comics (1938) #40–102, 491–492, 495–496, 498–499 – Golden Age run

All-Star Comics (1940) #1–20 – Founding JSA stories

Justice League of America (1960) #113 – Key crossover

All-Star Squadron (1981) – WWII appearances

America vs. the Justice Society (1985) – JSA retirement

Secret Origins (1986) #7 – Origin story

Sandman Mystery Theatre (1993) – Definitive modern take

Sandman: Midnight Theatre (1995) – Crossover with Morpheus

Zero Hour (1994) – Youth removed by Extant

Starman (1994) #20–23 – Crossover with Starman

JSA Returns (1999) – Event arc

JSA (1999) – Modern team revival

Madame Xanadu (2008) #11–15 – Crossover with Madame Xanadu

Knight Terrors (2023) – Recent DCU event

Wesley Dodds: The Sandman (2023) – Modern mini-series