Warning: Spoilers for Superman #16!
Summary
Years after debuting in theDC Animated Universe,Mercy Graveshas permanently gone good. For years, be it onscreen or on-panel, Mercy Graves has stood by Lex Luthor’s side, unapologetically loyal to his cause as his personal assistant. However, more recently, DC Comics has been slowly building Mercy Graves into becoming something more. Now, that transformation is complete.
As ofSuperman#16 by Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell,Mercy Graves is officially a hero. Mercy shows how she can be a savior in the DC Universe, particularly by saving Zatanna. She then makes it her personal duty to travel the world trying to rescue other targets of Amanda Waller’sduring theAbsolute Powerevent.
Tracing back her history from the beginning,this issue is the pinnacle of Mercy Graves' road to earning her hero status.She even marks the occasion with everyone’s dream: a hug with Superman.
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Mercy Graves Has Humble Animated Beginnings
Created by Paul Dini, Bruce Timm, and Hilary Bader
Mercy Graves is a rare case of a major character who debuted onscreen before the comics.Mercy’s first appearance came in the fifth episode ofSuperman: The Animated Series, “A Little Piece of Home.” Her first onscreen appearance was simple: an imposing security guard standing by Lex Luthor’s side as he unveiled the Lex Luthor Museum of Natural History. She mostly stands in the background, save for a standout moment in which she resists a thug’s mindless flirtations, proceeding to kick a punching bag off its hinges, millimeters away from his head, before uttering"Don’t call me baby."
The show’s second season hints at an origin story for Mercy Graves. In “Ghost in the Machine,” she saysshe used to live on the streets before Lex Luthor found her, cleaned her up, and hired her as his bodyguard and chauffeur. As future DCAU shows would expand upon, her hard work eventually earned her a promotion as the CEO of LexCorp, as seen in the DCAU series,Justice League.
Mercy Graves' Official Introduction Makes DC History
Detective Comics#735 by Greg Rucka, Dan Jurgens, Bill Sienkiewicz, Noelle Giddings, Wildstorm FX, and John Costanza
The first comic that Mercy Graves appears in is 1996’sSuperman Adventures#1 by Paul Dini, Rick Burchett, Terry Austin, Marie Severin, and Lois Buhalis, but the comic exists outside official DC Comics canon, as it is a continuation ofSuperman: The Animated Seriesand its accompanying continuity.Mercy’s first official introduction into the DCU proper isDetective Comics#735, where she assumes the role of being Lex Luthor’s bodyguard during his time as President of the United States. Both her and another woman, Hope Taya, served as Luthor’s bodyguards during his presidency.
In DC’s current continuity, Mercy has graduated from being Lex’s assistant to being the Chief Operating Officer of LexCorp.
The post-Crisis continuity establishes both Hope and Mercy as having Amazonian heritage. That heritage seems to have been retconned for her modern post-Rebirth portrayal. In DC’s current continuity, Mercy has graduated from being Lex’s assistant to being the Chief Operating Officer of LexCorp, which has nowbeen re-branded as SuperCorp. Even as Lex embarks on an unlikely alliance with Superman,Mercy Graves still tries to keep the best interests of Lex and his company in mindwith everything she does, even if it means committing acts of villainy.
Mercy Gains Superpowers
A majorturning point for Mercy Graves' character came during theLazarus Planetevent. The eruption of the Lazarus Volcano was large enough to release unpredictable chemicals across the world, transforming several characters all at once. For those who already had powers, they gained new ones or had their pre-existing powers evolve,like with Dreamer’s power upgrade. Meanwhile, normal humans and citizens gained new powers of their own. Among those mild-mannered people who were transformed by the Lazarus storm was Mercy Graves.
Readers can find out Planetin the event’s collected edition, which is available now from DC Comics.
As seen in the “Breakthrough” story by Frank Barberi, Sami Basri, Vicente Cifuentes, Hi-Fi, and Dave Sharpe fromLazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton#1,Mercy Graves' Lazarus exposure transformed her into a metahuman with cybernetic limbs. She’s now capable of shapeshifting her arms into canons, blades, and shields. The change instantly begins her journey into becoming anunexpected anti-hero who works with Superman. Mercy Graves was always a skilled combat specialist, but her new powers allow her an edge in making significant changes happen in a world dominated by superpowered heroes and villains.
How Mercy Is Putting Her Powers to Good Use
The Hero Turn Is Complete
Mercy Graves' Lazarus awakening — and everything that’s happened to her since — has led to her big moments inSuperman#16. In the time since theLazarus Planetevent, Mercy has mostly remained on the sidelines, often monitoring or assisting from behind a keyboard whileSuperman takes to the battlefield. That all changes duringAbsolute Power, as Amanda Waller’s tirade heavily injures Clark Kent to the point of taking him out of action. While Clark is incapacitated, Mercy uses her powers to step up as a major hero.
As heroes around the world continue to be attacked, rounded up, and captured by Waller’s forces, Mercy saves those she can and brings them to the Fortress of Solitude. After returning to the Fortress after saving Zatanna, readers get an insight into just how hard Mercy has been working on this mission and how successful she’s been as a result. The Fortress holds the likes of the Titans, the Birds of Prey, Booster Gold, Red Tornado, and several other superheroes.It’s safe to assume that Mercy — maybe singlehandedly — saved them all.
The hug from Superman is more than just an act of kindness; it’s a symbolic gesture from the Man of Steel, who is co-signing her efforts to be such a hero.
Well, almost all of them — and that leads toa rare vulnerable moment for Mercy. Upon acknowledging that the two heroes she couldn’t save areSuperman’s son, Jon Kent, and Conner “Superboy” Kent, Mercy is horribly distraught and apologetic that she wasn’t able to save them, bringing herself to tears. This breakdown compels Superman to embrace Mercy for a hug. It becomes clear at that moment that Mercy has truly made the official turn into a hero, and it has nothing to do with her newfound powers.
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Are Mercy Graves' Hero Ambitions Genuine?
Superman Supports Those Efforts
While Mercy gaining powers made it more feasible for her to become a hero in this kind of superpowered world, there’s more to being a hero than just having powers or even saving people (though, obviously, that’s important, too). Whenshe starts crying because she couldn’t save more people,it’s obvious just how much of a hero Mercy has become. The Fortress of Solitude is filled with people who Mercy saved, but she mourns the fact that she couldn’t save every single person she set out to.
Everything that Mercy Graves has been doing has been genuine. For once, she’s not doing anything out of obligation to Lex Luthor, as is often the case. She genuinely wants to use her powers to save lives, and when she fails to save everyone, it crushes her. The hug from Superman is more than just an act of kindness; it’s a symbolic gesture from the Man of Steel, who is co-signing her efforts to be such a hero.Mercy Gravesofficially goes fromDCAUvillain to a DC breakout hero worthy of Superman’s approval.
SUPERMAN #16 (2024)
DC Animated Universe
Superman (2023)
IT’S THE DAWN OF DC! Superman has returned to Metropolis and his greatest enemy Lex Luthor is finally behind bars. The future of the Superman family has never been brighter! As Clark Kent settles back into his life, iconic and new enemies erupt from the shadows to strike down the Man of Steel! But waiting in the wings to back up Big Blue is…Supercorp?! What secret project has Lex given to Superman?! “A hero is only as good as their villains” will be put to the test
