Back when I started collecting comic books, one of my favorite series was Who’s Who: The Definite Directory of the DC Universe. Published between 1984 and 1987, it was a sort of companion to Crisis on Infinite Earths, the twelve issue maxiseries designed to streamline the DC Universe and eliminate any problems in continuity. The character biographies contained inside were my introduction to the DC Universe at large, and they proved useful as I began my scholarship of the DCAU.
While character bios of the characters from Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, and other related shows exist, I found many of them to be lacking in depth, content, and quality. Therefore, I’ve taken it upon myself to create character bios for the characters of the DCAU based upon existing information from Series Bibles, the episodes themselves, material from the comic books, and information from the creative teams. Many of these began as bios written for my character profiles on The Justice League Watchtower. Also, the bios I’m writing are limited to characters that I consider key, so no bios for Thomas Blake, Dana Tan, or Snapper Carr.
This time, it’s the Gs. Again, everyone noteworthy from that section of the dictionary will be included, along with voice actor information, the date and location of their first appearance, and accompanying images.
Galatea
Voiced by Nicholle Tom
First Appearance: All Star Comics #58 (Power Girl, February 1976), “Fearful Symmetry” (Galatea, September 4, 2004)
Years ago, Superman was abducted and brainwashed by the New God Darkseid, who transformed the Man of Steel into a weaponized surrogate son and sent him and a Parademon army to invade Earth. Eventually, the U.S. military, aided by weapons manufacturer Lex Luthor, took him down, and the armed forces took Superman and Supergirl into custody. Following their escape, during which Supergirl was seriously injured, they made their way to S.T.A.R. Labs, where Professor Emil Hamilton initially refused to treat her, as it would been seen as an act of treason to aid the enemy, but Superman—enraged that a man he called a friend would let his cousin die—convinced him to operate. However, Hamilton—seeing the potential threat that Superman could pose to the Earth for the first time—pocketed a sample of Supergirl’s DNA, and eventually encountered Amanda Waller, and the power broker brought Professor Hamilton into Project: Cadmus.
Seeking a Kryptonian asset to level the playing field, Hamilton used his DNA sample and, presumably after reviewing data provided by Luthor in regard to his own Kryptonian cloning experiments, refined the process. Working with genetics company Nuvo-Gen, he created Galatea, a clone of Supergirl featuring accelerated growth, training, and strength.
An incredible advance over previous Kryptonian cloning attempts, such as the imperfect duplicate Bizarro, Galatea (or Téa, the name she prefers to be called “off the clock”) proved to be a valuable field agent, such as her mission of eliminating Gilbert Halstrom, a Nevo-Gen scientist who they feared would blow the whistle on their unethical experiments. There was, however, one flaw—apparently there existed a psychic link between Galatea and Supergirl, allowing the hero to see her clone’s activities in her dreams, and Galatea to feel her precursor’s conscience over her actions. Eager to eliminate these forced ethics, she arranged a trap designed to kill Supergirl, but the attack resulted in her injury and Nuvo-Gen’s destruction. Retuned to Cadmus, she spent several weeks in recovery.
Once recovered, she was tasked by Amanda Waller with eliminating the Justice League, following their perceived attack on Cadmus headquarters. Given an army of Ultimen that she could control via a remote control link on her temple, Galatea led an invasion of the Watchtower, taking on the expanded roster of League members, as well as their support staff. Once again confronting Supergirl, she revealed that she wanted to destroy her so that she could be the only one remaining. However, Supergirl succeeded in defeating her clone, electrocuting her with the satellite’s nuclear reactor, leaving her barely conscious.
Genetically engineered and artificially aged to full maturity, Galatea is at peak strength, easily making her the equal of both Supergirl or Superman himself. Her current status unknown, it is presumed that she has been taken into custody by the U.S. military, as Cadmus itself has been decommissioned. No doubt recovering from her injuries, Galatea must have learned that Supergirl has left the Justice League to join the Legion of Super Heroes a thousand years in the future, essentially breaking the psychic connection between them. Now in a world without a Supergirl, only a Superman nostalgic for his missing cousin, it would be interesting to see what Galatea does next.
Galius Zed
Voiced by René Auberjonois (Uncredited)
First Appearance: Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #2 (June 1981)
A trusted veteran of the Green Lantern Corps, Galius Zed served in many campaigns against evil, such as the battle against the Anti-Green Lantern Corps of Qward. A hero until the end, he fell in battle against the forces of Despero.
Gear
Voiced by Jason Marsden
First Appearance: Static #1 (Richard Stone, June 1993), “Shock to the System” (Richie Foley, September 23, 2000), “Gear” (Gear, February 1, 2003)
Static’s best friend and partner, Richie Foley graduated to superhero status when he developed mental super powers that allow him to create an array of technological tools.
The Gentleman Ghost
Voiced by Robin Atkin Downes
First Appearance: Flash Comics #88 (October 1947)
A notorious English highwayman operating in the mid-1800s, “Gentleman Jim” Craddock allegedly vowed moments before his execution that he would live forever and come back to loot the treasures of those who had condemned him. Amused by his utterance, his executioners carried out his sentence, and the snap of his neck and the howl of the mob were the last thing he could recall … until he regained consciousness in modern-day London as a bodiless phantom.
Now possessing a variety of spectral talents—such as levitation and the ability to become intangible and non-corporeal—Craddock rechristened himself the Gentleman Ghost and picked up in his criminal career where he left off centuries before. In recent years, he has crossed the paths of Batman, Hawkman, and Green Lantern, but he is more often than not successful in his endeavors, as it is incredibly difficult to stop and imprison a ghost.
Captured and detained by Green Lantern and Hawkman prior to the launch of the Hall of Doom, the Gentleman Ghost survived the destruction of the team’s headquarters, in a manner of speaking.
Giganta
Voiced by Jennifer Hale
First Appearance: Wonder Woman #9 (Summer 1944)
A citizen of Gorilla City, Giganta was a young female gorilla that, for reasons yet to be determined, Grodd transformed into a statuesque, redheaded human woman. In addition, he gifted her the power to increase her size to colossal levels, as well as proportionate strength to match her stature. Devoted to her simian lover, Giganta followed Grodd to the United States, where she served as the first recruit for his supervillain team, the Secret Society, and—following their defeat—she also joined his follow-up organization, the Legion of Doom.
However, during a mission to steal the body of the Viking Prince, telepath J’onn J’onzz attempted to read her mind, triggering a fail-safe that shorted out her brain, which occurred previously when Green Lantern attempted to interrogate Metallo. Injured and arrested, Giganta felt betrayed by Grodd, feelings that were intensified when he hooked up with the sorceress Tala in her absence. Escaping from custody, she returned to the Legion following Lex Luthor’s takeover, and she chose to side with Luthor during Grodd’s mutiny. It was more than likely this decision that permitted her to survive the destruction of Legion headquarters and return to Earth.
Despite her strength and intelligence, Giganta comes off as delicate and feminine even in battle, with her sheer size compensating for her lack of fighting prowess. This puts her at a disadvantage when in combat with someone as skilled as Wonder Woman. Still, with the Legion gone and her former lover dead, Giganta is open to new experiences, as—following a generous five minute head start after helping the Justice League defeat Darkseid—the sexy redhead lingered a few seconds to kiss the Flash before running.
Goldface
Voiced by Lex Lang (Uncredited)
First Appearance: Green Lantern #38 (July 1965)
A scientist operating off a Hawaiian island, Keith Kenyon’s criminal career started when he discovered a sunken chest of gold whose molecular structure had been altered by chemical waste. Upon further study, he found that this gold granted him enhanced strength, golden skin, and the ability to temporarily transform anything he touched into solid gold. Interested in continuing his research into altering the properties of gold, the man with the Midas touch turned to crime to fund his experiments, which led him into direct conflict with the Justice League. Siding with Grodd during the mutiny, Goldface was singled out for punishment by Luthor and, as a result, died at the hands of Killer Frost.
Gorilla Grodd
Voiced by Powers Boothe
A power-mad scientist with ambitions of conquest, Grodd was a resident of Gorilla City, a hidden, futuristic metropolis populated by intelligent gorillas located on the African continent. After attempting to take over the city using mind-control technology, Grodd fled his home to seek refuge and power in the human world. Finding his way to Central City, he initially found the population of hairless apes to be repugnant, but he soon found virtue in them through the philosophy of Objectivism … as well as his developing attraction to human females.
In Central City, he partnered with scientist Dr. Sarah Corwin, whom he communicated with when he was still in Africa, and they developed a plan to conquer Central City and destroy Gorilla City, but both plans were stopped by the Justice League. In addition, Grodd was incapacitated when the Flash adjusted his mind control helmet at super-speed, resulting in a short that temporarily fried his brain. However, upon waking in custody, Grodd discovered that the Flash’s actions had altered his mind, giving him limited mental powers, such as allowing him to project thought waves that can affect people’s emotions and induce extreme mental anguish.
Once recovered, Grodd escaped Gorilla City again, this time seeking to destroy the Justice League and the threat it posed to his global ambitions. Along with his lover Giganta, a female Gorilla City citizen whom Grodd transformed into a superpowered human, he returned to the United States and, after learning the lessons from Lex Luthor’s Injustice Gang, created the Secret Society, a team of villains specifically designed to counteract the League, even as Grodd used his newfound telepathic abilities to push them apart. Though initially successful, the League succeeded in coming together to defeat his team, and Grodd was imprisoned once again.
Following his next escape, Grodd watched as the Justice League expanded its ranks to over fifty members, and he recognized the threat that this super-powered army would be to him and to other supervillains like him. So, taking a cue from the League, Grodd created a new team, a mega-sized Legion of Doom designed to provide protection and support to criminals while, at the same time, organizing the majority of the supervillain population under him. There was only one thing troubling Grodd—the recently escaped Lex Luthor. One of the only super criminals that could be a direct competition to him, Grodd coerced Luthor into his Legion by promising him one of the remaining pieces of Brainiac tech on Earth, in exchange for his scientific genius and council.
A master planner, Grodd possessed a patience and networking savvy that were, in many ways, superior to Luthor, which allowed him to attract and handle the diverse community of supervillains that was the Legion. In addition, his mastery of many sciences, as well as his knowledge of such relatively unknown locations such as Skartaris and Nanda Parbat, gave him a succinct advantage in his game of chess with the League. However, his eventual goal of transforming all of humanity into gorillas was not looked upon kindly by the Legion, allowing Luthor to overthrow him and seize control of the organization.
Later, upon discovering that Luthor had changed his headquarters into a starship designed to leave Earth and collect Brainiac remnants in deep space, Grodd—with his most recent lover, the sorceress Tala—attempted a mutiny against Luthor and his faction of loyalists. Following a chaotic battle, Luthor successfully defeated Grodd by hijacking his mental powers and, after forcing him to enter an air lock, jettisoned his body into the vacuum of space.
Gork
First Appearance: Detective Comics #480 (November / December 1978)
A test subject of Dr. Moon, the unnamed man was augmented to be the perfect fighting machine and unable to feel pain … both attributes making him a perfect candidate for Meta-Brawl.
Granny Goodness
Voiced by Ed Asner
First Appearance: Mister Miracle #2 (May 1971)
Originally one of Apokolips’ “lowlies,” the oppressed underclass of their society, Granny Goodness was trained to become one of Darkseid’s elite soldiers. Impressed by her skill and brutality, Darkseid put her in charge of his training facility. Now Granny’s orphanage, her sadistic training program has produced warriors such as the Female Furies. The one blot on her resume, however, was the escape of Mister Miracle and Big Barda.
Following Darkseid’s demise, Granny attempted to seize power from her chief rival, Virman Vundabar, by freeing Kalibak from his clutches. However, while Kalibak was rescued, she was unable to claim his allegiance. She would later lead her forces against Vundabar’s for control of Apokolips, until Darkseid’s return ended her quest for power.
Green Arrow
Voiced by Kin Shriner
First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941)
Oliver Queen has never discussed the events that left him an orphan, but his parent’s deaths left him the sole heir to a billion dollar manufacturing empire. Sleepwalking through life as an idle playboy, Queen wrestled with his emerging social consciousness and a desire to help his fellow man but was uncertain as to how to go about doing that. However, the steps towards that destiny were taken when he found himself stranded on an island in the South Seas after falling off a cruise ship. Alone on a deserted island, Queen survived by developing his archery skills, using a makeshift bow and arrow set and a costume made of green leaves for camouflage purposes while hunting game. Eventually, he was rescued and returned to his hometown of Star City, where he reassumed his stifling former life. No doubt nostalgic for his time on the island, he purchased a Robin Hood costume reminiscent of his improvised camouflage for use at a costume party but found himself using it and his archery skills to foil a bank robbery during the event. Nicknamed Green Arrow by witnesses, he finally realized that his calling was to be a crimefighter.
Selling off his company, Oliver Queen took his assets and devoted himself to being Green Arrow full-time. Developing a set of non-lethal trick arrows—such as the handcuff arrow, the net arrow, and the boxing glove arrow—to use in concert with his regular cache of arrows, Queen hit the streets as the Emerald Archer and found the adventure that his former existence sorely lacked. A far-left liberal, Queen is also keen to the causes of crime, such as poverty and corruption, and he found himself as dedicated to many social causes meant to improve the society that he protects. Not cowed by the system, Green Arrow fights against all forms of injustice, whether his opponents are small-time criminals, such as burglars and drug dealers, or big-time criminals, such as politicians and businessmen.
Dedicated to helping “the little guy,” Queen was reluctant to join the Justice League, seeing them as an organization too concerned with “the big picture” to notice the small details, but quickly rethought his position following his first mission … and the first time he saw the lovely Black Canary. He has since grown to be an important member of the expanded team, providing them with a vital viewpoint and his own steely resolve.
Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz)
Voiced by Diane Guerrero
First Appearance: Justice League #30 (Jessica Cruz, July 2014), Justice League #50 (Becomes Green Lantern, July 2016)
During a camping trip with friends, Jessica Cruz discovered a man burying a body in the woods. Holding them at gunpoint, she watched as the killer murdered her two friends. She ran and—somehow—survived. Later, she was chosen as a new Green Lantern of Earth, as she has the ability to overcome great fear. While initially suspect of her value as a superhero, she is nonetheless a valued member of the Justice League, and she is learning to manage her post-traumatic stress while protecting her home of Portland, OR.
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Voiced by Phil LaMarr
First Appearance: All-American Comics #16 (Golden Age Green Lantern, July 1940), Showcase #22 (Silver Age Green Lantern, October 1959), Green Lantern #87 (John Stewart, December 1971 / January 1972)
A former U.S. Marine, John Stewart was chosen by the Guardians of the Universe to join the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic policing organization dedicated to protecting life throughout the galaxy. Awarded an emerald ring whose energies could be manipulated by his force of will, Stewart left Earth to train under the watchful eye of veteran Green Lantern Katma Tui, where he proved himself time and again to be an exceptional champion in countless missions that have taken him across the cosmos. Later, following the death of Green Lantern Abin Sur, John Stewart was chosen to become the new Green Lantern of Sector 2814, a quadrant of space that included his former home.
Returning to Earth after ten years in deep space, Stewart reeled from the culture shock of trying to reintegrate into a society that, for all intents and purposes, was now as alien to him as any of the countless civilizations he had encountered during his interstellar tenure. This, however, did not affect his ability to serve them as the Green Lantern of Earth, as he protects his home world with the same dedication that earned him the respect of his fellow Corps members. Today, either by himself or as a member of the Justice League, John Stewart is a force to be reckoned with—an emerald beacon shining in darkest night.
Green Lantern (Kai-Ro)
Voiced by Lauren Tom
First Appearance: “The Call, Part 1” (November 11, 2000)
Fifty years into the Justice League's future, eight-year-old Kai-Ro will be chosen by his ring to be the new Green Lantern of Earth. Able to persevere despite the enormous weight placed upon him, he will one day lead the Justice League Unlimited when he is in his early twenties.
Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
Voiced by Michael P. Greco (STAS), Will Friedle (JLU)
First Appearance: Green Lantern #48 (Kyle Rayner, January 1994), Green Lantern #50 (Becomes Green Lantern, March 1994)
Sent to find a successor by the dying Green Lantern Abin Sur, his power ring chose graphic artist Kyle Rayner, whose first act was to take down the menace of Sinestro. Trained by veteran trainer Katma Tui, this Green Lantern is currently off-world serving the Green Lantern Corps, though he did briefly return to Earth during the AMAZO crisis.
The Green Lantern Corps
Represented in Sector 2814—a section of space that contains Earth—by John Stewart, the Green Lantern Corps is an elite team of deputized, super powered peacekeepers founded by the immortal Guardians of the Universe. Each member of the Corps is granted a powerful ring with which to protect his, her, their, or its sector.
EPISODE APPEARANCES:
“In Blackest Night”: Arkkis Chummuck, Galius Zed, Kilowog, Larvox, Tomar-Re
“Hearts and Minds”: Arkkis Chummuck, Galius Zed, Katma Tui, Kilowog
“Hereafter”: Katma Tui, Kilowog, Kyle Rayner, Larvox, Tomar-Re
“The Return”: Arisia, Chaselon, Hirunan, Katma Tui, Kilowog, Kyle Rayner, Larvox, Palaqua, Salaak, Stel, Spol, Tomar-Re
“The Once and Future Thing, Part 2”: Hal Jordan (Corrupted Timeline)
“Epilogue”: Kai-Ro (Future)
Justice League vs. The Fatal Five: Jessica Cruz, Kilowog, Salaak, Chaselon, Barreer Wot
Gypsy
First Appearance: Justice League of America Annual #2 (October 1984)
Possessing intangibility and the ability to blend into any background like a chameleon, Gypsy initially used her abilities to fend for herself on the streets of Detroit. However, now she uses her powers to serve the Justice League.
Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Discovery, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, and DC Comics.
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