Aztek is the name of two superheroes appearing in DC Comics. Both versions are based out of the fictional Vanity City, and are champions of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. The first Aztek first appeared in Aztek, The Ultimate Man #1 in August 1996, and was created by Grant Morrison, Mark Millar, and N. Steven Harris.[1] Following the short run series, Aztek appeared in several issues of JLA also written by Morrison.[2] The second Aztek, this one being a female version, appeared in Justice League of America vol. 5 #20 in December 2017, created by Steve Orlando and Ivan Reis, as the rival and later partner of the Ray.
| Aztek | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Aztek: The Ultimate Man #1 (August 1996) by Howard Porter. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance |
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| Created by | Uno:
Constant: |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego |
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| Team affiliations | Uno:
Constant:
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| Abilities | Manipulates four-dimensional energy for:
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Fictional character biography
editUno
editUno is raised from childhood by a secret organization named the Q Society to be the champion of Quetzalcoatl and battle their enemy, the deity Tezcatlipoca.[3] He is given a magical suit of armor that bestows many abilities and augmenting his strength.[2] After his training is completed, he enters the United States and assumes the identity of recently deceased physician Curt Falconer.[4]
Aztek later joins the Justice League,[5] but resigns after learning that Lex Luthor is a benefactor of the Q Society.[6] He is blinded while battling the planet-destroying machine Mageddon, who is revealed to be Tezcatlipoca. In World War III, Aztek sacrifices himself to help Superman destroy Mageddon/Tezcatlipoca.[7]
Nayeli Constant
editA new version of the character, Nayeli Constant, debuted in Justice League of America vol. 5 #20. She is a software engineer in Austin, Texas who obtains Aztek's helmet and armor and modifies them to suit her needs. Constant comes into conflict with the Ray, as they both seek to protect Vanity, before they decide to work together.[8]
Powers and abilities
editAztek has peak human physical and mental conditioning. He wears an ancient helmet and armor powered by a "four-dimensional mirror", from which he derives flight, infrared and X-ray vision, invisibility, intangibility, bodyheat camouflage, entrapment nets, plasma beams and density manipulation, as well as augmenting his peak physical abilities to superhuman levels. The helmet could feed information directly into his brain even after he was blinded in his first confrontation with Mageddon. The four-dimensional power source could self-destruct in a highly explosive manner.[2]
Other versions
editAn alternate timeline variant of Aztek known as Azteka appears in the "Rock of Ages" storyline.
In other media
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- Aztek appears in Justice League Unlimited, voiced by Chris Cox in "Question Authority" and Corey Burton in "I Am Legion". This version is a member of the Justice League.
- Aztek appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.[9]
Bibliography
editThe original run of the eponymous title has been collected as a trade paperback: JLA Presents: Aztek, the Ultimate Man (by co-authors Grant Morrison and Mark Millar, and pencils by N. Steven Harris, and inks by Keith Champagne, 1996; collects Aztek, the Ultimate Man #1–10, 240 pages, April 2008, ISBN 1-4012-1688-9).[10]
Aztek also appeared in several issues of Morrison's JLA (5, 10–12, 15, 36, 38–41), as well as the final two issues of Mark Millar's JLA: Paradise Lost and his fill-in issue for JLA (27).
He has profile entries in JLA Secret Files and Origins #1, JLA–Z #1, and The DC Comics Encyclopedia.
References
edit- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019). DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-4654-8578-6.
- ^ a b c Jimenez, Phil (2008). "Aztek". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1.
- ^ Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
- ^ Aztek: The Ultimate Man #1 (August 1996)
- ^ Aztek: The Ultimate Man #10 (May 1997)
- ^ JLA #15 (February 1998)
- ^ JLA #41 (May 2000)
- ^ "Justice League of America: Aztek to Make Rebirth Debut". Cbr.com. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 4, 2013), DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Wiki Guide - IGN, retrieved December 13, 2021
- ^ "JLA Presents: Aztek, the Ultimate Man profile at DC". Dccomics.com. 2010-04-21. Archived from the original on 2008-06-09. Retrieved 2011-01-15.
External links
edit- Aztek at the DCU Guide Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Aztek History at Fanzing, by Alan Kistler Archived 2012-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
- Movie Poop Shoot's look at Aztek: The Ultimate Man