Publisher DC Comics | ||
First appearance (retcon): More Fun Comics #55 (May 1940)
(actual): DC Special Series #10 (Jan, 1978) | ||
The Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are complementary groups of supernatural entities with godlike powers that appear in DC Comics. They have also been retconned into the histories of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, Doctor Fate, Kid Eternity, the Phantom Stranger, Shazam, Hawk and Dove and The Sandman. The first Lord of Order to appear in comics was Nabu in More Fun Comics #67 (May 1941) created by Gardner Fox and Howard Sherman. Nabu's first appearance was later retconned to be in More Fun Comics #55 (May, 1940), where he was inside the helmet, though not explicitly stated in the story. However, the concept of the Lords of Chaos and Order was introduced years later. The term never appears in Golden Age stories.
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The War Between Order and Chaos
Chaos and Order have been fighting a never-ending battle for aeons, characterized by an endless cycle of reversals for domination back and forth between the two sides. Originally, the struggle was depicted between Good (Order) and Evil (Chaos). However, later interpretations cast it as a struggle between stagnation (Order) and anarchy (Chaos).
The two opposing forces are bundles of mystical energy who usually depend on servants to accomplish their goals. They can take physical form by possessing a living being, as in the case of Nabu or Mordru, or empower humans to act as their agents, as in the case of Terataya and T'Charr (a Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos respectively), who empowered Hawk and Dove to act in their stead.
Both sides have otherwise maintained a tenuous balance of power concerning their involvement in outside conflicts. For instance, when the Spectre appealed to the Lords of Order to allow their followers on Earth to join the defense of Earth from a massive invasion orchestrated by the Dominators, he was turned down. They argued that intervening in this conflict would mean that the Lords of Chaos would retaliate by aiding the invaders, thus escalating the battle to a monumentally disastrous scale that would devastate all concerned.
A Lord of Order and a Lord of Chaos were also sent to the Dreaming as representatives of their realms. Kilderkin of Order manifested as a lidless box with a servant djinn holding it, and Shivering Jemmy of the Shallow Brigade of Chaos as a young blonde girl with a balloon.
Infinite Crisis
During the events of Day of Vengeance, Eclipso seduced the Spectre into slaughtering most of Earth's magic users after she claimed that magic was the source of all of Earth's evil. The Spectre's rampage on magic users resulted in the death of the wizard Shazam, the destruction of the Rock of Eternity, and the release of the forces contained within it, which included the Seven Deadly Sins and numerous other demons.
In the Day of Vengeance Special, Nabu called together a team of magical beings to stop the Spectre and seal the Seven Deadly Sins. Nabu confronted the Spectre, whose anger grew so great that the Presence took notice and sent the Spectre to his new host. In the process, Nabu died, and with him, the Ninth Age of Magic. Before his death, he gave the helmet of Doctor Fate to Detective Chimp to give to the new Doctor Fate. Although Nabu and his spirit would no longer be a part of the helmet, it would still have significant powers. After a failed attempt by Detective Chimp to put the helmet on, he asked Captain Marvel to throw the helmet down to Earth and let it land where it will, allowing fate to pick the next Doctor Fate.
The deaths of the Lords of Order and Chaos caused magic to break down into its basic raw state, triggering the end of the Ninth Age of Magic and the beginning of the Tenth. Amethyst and Mordru are the only known Lords to have survived into the Tenth Age, although the statuses of both T'Charr and Terataya are somewhat in question.
Lords of Order
The most prominent Lord of Order is Nabu, who empowered and occasionally possessed various humans through the Helmet of Nabu and acted as Doctor Fate. Originally, Doctor Fate was depicted as an agent for Order or the forces of good. When the standings of the sides were revised, Fate's role was changed so that he was now a balancing force between Order and Chaos. The god Tynan from Darkworld was also an agent of balance.
Members of the Lords of Order include:
Agents of the Lords of Order
Agents of the Lords of Order include:
Lords of Chaos
The most prominent Lord of Chaos is Mordru who has plagued the Legion of Super-Heroes, Doctor Fate, the Justice Society of America, and various other heroes for years. He has attained virtual omnipotence only to be defeated by Doctor Fate and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
Members of the Lords of Chaos include:
Agents of the Lords of Chaos
Agents of the Lords of Chaos include:
Worshippers of the Lords of Chaos
Worshippers of the Lords of Chaos include:
Balancers
Balancing forces between Order and Chaos include: