Big Barda

Big Barda is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle #4 (October 1971), and was created by Jack Kirby. She was raised as a member of the New Gods, but left to become a hero.

Jack Kirby based Barda's physical appearance on Lainie Kazan, who had recently appeared topless in Playboy. Mark Evanier, Kirby's assistant on the Fourth World comics, has explained the genesis of the character: "Jack based some of his characters (not all) on people in his life or in the news... the characterization between Scott 'Mister Miracle' Free and Barda was based largely—though with tongue in cheek—on the interplay between Kirby and his wife Roz".

Fictional character biography
Barda is a member of the race known as the New Gods, and was born on Apokolips about 250 years ago. Her mother was Big Breeda, whom Barda was taken away from at an early age to be trained as a warrior at Granny Goodness' orphanage. Granny grooms Barda to one day lead the Female Fury Battalion, a ferocious pack of warrior women. However, during a raid, Barda meets Scott Free, Darkseid's adopted son, and, sensing a peace about him, falls in love.

Barda risks her own safety to work with the rebel cell led by the New God Himon after enforcer Wonderful Willik kills most of Himon's cell. This includes one of Barda's people, Auralie, who is tortured to death for dancing, a crime on Apokolips. Moments later, Himon kills Willik with a bomb. Barda, her Furies, Himon and Metron help Scott escape Apokolips. Darkseid himself calls for Scott to return but does not stop him, as Scott's escape can reignite his war with New Genesis. Barda, not emotionally prepared to escape herself, stays behind. Eventually, Barda turns her back on Granny Goodness and comes to Earth. Once there, she finds that Scott has taken up the mantel of the escape artist Thaddeus Brown, AKA Mister Miracle, and has teamed with his diminutive manager Oberon. Oberon and Barda become close friends. For a while, Barda's Furies assist Scott in his showmanship efforts but they return to Apokolips by themselves. Scott and Barda are married by Scott's birth father, the Highfather of New Genesis.

For a number of years, Barda follows Scott and Oberon on tour. Eventually they retire from superheroing and move to Bailey, New Hampshire. Despite their best attempts, a normal life eludes them. Disasters plague them and eventually Barda, Scott, and Oberon leave Bailey to move into a loft in Greenwich Village. Barda forms a defense-training program for women called the New Female Furies.

Justice League
Though naïve regarding Earth customs, Barda relishes her roles of wife and housekeeper, but when duty calls she never hesitates to assume the posture of a warrior; and when Scott joins the Justice League, Barda participates in several missions. In one instance, while training Fire, her weapon, the Mega-Rod, is stolen from her car. With the assistance of her husband and the Huntress, she gets it back, but not before many innocent people are killed by its wielder, who was unable to resist the corrupting influence of the Apokoliptian technology. Barda also led a JLA mission to rescue her husband after he was lost in space. The mission was a result of Manga Khan selling Scott to Granny Goodness. Her teammates included Martian Manhunter, Rocket Red, and G'nort. In an attempt to dissuade their successful pursuit, Manga Khan hired Lobo, paying him in dolphin feed, to kill them. He almost does, before Barda teleports him to a random location directly behind Guy Gardner.

For a time, Barda mourns Scott, believing him slain in a battle with Despero, but it was a robot double that was destroyed, as part of a plan by Manga Khan.

After their time with the JLI, the two leave Earth for New Genesis, but, they soon return and take up temporary residence aboard the Justice League Refuge. During this period, the couple separate briefly due to Scott's lack of consideration for her feelings. Barda perishes, but is reborn via Scott's temporary access to great cosmic power.

Barda has served as a member of the JLA in her own right as well. At Takion's order, she and fellow New God Orion were sent as agents of New Genesis to serve on the team. Takion predicted that the Earth faced a grave threat. Their mission is to help mobilize Earth's heroes against the omnipotent Mageddon. Over time, they become involved with several other JLA missions. Adam Strange, needing help with an alien invasion, enslaves the JLA as part of a bluff. The League works for days, turning the planet into a giant teleportation beam. The aliens are sent off to the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, which Barda had mentioned several times during the ordeal. In another instance, Barda is badly wounded fighting the Queen Bee, a member of the newly reformed Injustice League. Once Mageddon is defeated, Barda and Orion resign from the JLA.

After the League
Barda and Scott then reside in the suburbs of Connecticut and are active adventurers. Barda never hesitates to lend a hand to her friends when her power and expertise are needed.

Barda accompanies Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to Apokolips to rescue Supergirl from Darkseid's clutches, and accepts an invitation from Oracle to become the heavy-hitter on the Birds of Prey.

A similar-looking character named Little Barda appeared as a member of the Teen Titans in 52 #21; the character leaves the group in the same issue. Her relationship to Big Barda is unknown, though she escaped from Apokolips with Power Boy.

In a confrontation with the Secret Six, she engaged Knockout, another ex-Fury, in hand-to-hand combat. Although the fight is long and continues amid other larger concerns for her team, it ends in a draw.

Big Barda is killed in the first issue of Death of the New Gods; her funeral occurs in the second issue of the series. Infinity-Man is later revealed as the killer. He had been slaughtering all the 'New Gods' in the name of restarting a new age of deities.

Final Crisis #7 depicts Barda standing alongside Lightray and Highfather in front of a reincarnated New Genesis.

The New 52
In The New 52 (a 2011 reboot of the DC Universe), Big Barda and Scott are seen on Earth 2. They are later seen with many of the comrades in Supertown. Big Barda and Mister Miracle are recruited by Batman to assist Los Angeles when flooding sea waters threaten all coasts.

Powers and abilities
Barda is a New God, a race of genetically enhanced beings who evolved godly abilities from their proximity to the Source. This gives Barda a level of strength roughly parallel to Wonder Woman as well as a high resistance to injury approaching invulnerability. She is similarly resistant to disease and most toxins. As a former Female Fury trained by Granny Goodness, Barda is a master combatant in swordsmanship and raw brawling, which - in conjunction with her raw strength and grit - make her an immediate match for Wonder Woman.

In combat, Barda wears Apokoliptian battle armor, which enhances her already impressive durability. In addition, Barda uses a high-tech weapon called the "Mega-Rod". This weapon can create boom tubes for teleportation over long distances, propel her high into the air and release energy blasts capable of bringing down such powerful beings as Superman. For a limited time the Mega-Rod can also increase the gravity force of an individual.

Other versions

 * An alternate timeline version of Big Barda appears in Kingdom Come.
 * "Big Bard", a gender-flipped version of Big Barda, appears in Superman/Batman #24.
 * An alternate universe version of Big Barda who became a Green Lantern appears in JLA: Another Nail.
 * An alternate universe version of Big Barda appears in DC Comics Bombshells. This version is a member of Amanda Waller's Bombshells project and in a relationship with Kimiyo Hoshi.
 * An alternate universe version of Big Barda who became the ruler of Apokolips makes a cameo appearance in Dark Multiverse: Flashpoint.
 * In The Dark Knight Strikes Again, former pornographic actress Hot Gates takes up the mantle of "Big Barda" and declares herself dictator of Columbus, Ohio.

Reception
In 2011, Comics Buyer's Guide included Big Barda as #75 in a "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Television

 * Big Barda appears in series set in the DC Animated Universe (DCAU), voiced by Farrah Forke.
 * Barda makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the Superman: The Animated Series two-part episode "Apokolips...Now!" as a member of New Genesis' Army.
 * Barda appears in the Batman Beyond two-part episode "The Call" as a member of the Justice League Unlimited.
 * Barda appears in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Ties That Bind".
 * Big Barda appears in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced by Diane Delano.
 * Big Barda appears in DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High, voiced by Misty Lee. This version is a member of the Female Furies who later shows interest in attending Super Hero High.
 * Big Barda appears in Justice League Action, voiced by Laura Post.
 * Big Barda appears in Young Justice: Outsiders, voiced by Grey Griffin. This version is a member of the Female Furies.

Film

 * Big Barda appears in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, voiced by Julianne Grossman. This version is the former captain of Granny Goodness' Furies and an associate of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
 * An alternate universe incarnation of Big Barda makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a flashback in Justice League: Gods and Monsters.
 * Big Barda appears in DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year, DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games and DC Super Hero Girls: Legends of Atlantis, voiced by Misty Lee.
 * Big Barda was meant to appear in a New Gods film, with Ava DuVernay directing and Kario Salem and Tom King as writers, before Warner Bros. canceled the project.

Video games

 * A statue of Big Barda appears in Injustice: Gods Among Us as part of the Hall of Justice stage.
 * Big Barda appears in DC Universe Online via the "Halls of Power" trilogy DLC.
 * Big Barda appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
 * Big Barda appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Diane Delano.

Merchandise
Big Barda received a figure in the DC Comics Super Hero Collection.

Miscellaneous

 * Big Barda appears in DC Super Hero Girls, voiced by Misty Lee.
 * The DCAU incarnation of Big Barda appears in the tie-in comics Batman Beyond (vol. 2), Justice League Beyond and Superman Beyond: Man of Tomorrow.