Aurakles (New Earth)

Back in 40,000 B.C., the New Gods visited Earth and experimented upon an early Neanderthal, endowing him with abilities far beyond normal humans and providing him with technology beyond the capabilities of his fellow Neanderthals, all in order so that he could lead his people and defend the Earth for centuries. And so Aurakles became the world's first superhero, battling against the 666 Monsters of Chaos.

Centuries later, Aurakles' people developed a time engine allowing them to go into the far future. There, they encountered the horrible Melmoth, king of a scavenging race called the Sheeda. Melmoth managed to reproduce the time engine's design and sent an army of the Sheeeda into the past, where they destroyed the Neanderthal civilization and imprisoned Aurakles.

Aurakles spent millenia in captivity, in a cave under the future location of New York, his mind broken and warped by the cruelties of the Sheeda. However, his bloodline survived, eventually producing, in our own time, a seemingly ordinary woman named Alix Harrower who would eventually be covered in an indestructible metal coating, thus becoming the superheroine Bulleteer.

When the Justice League and the Justice Society went looking for the Seven Soldiers of Victory, he contacted the two groups, under the name "Oracle".

Eventually, Aurakles was traded to Boss Dark Side by the Sheeda, in exchange for the right to Harrow the North American continent. He planned to kill Aurakles in his Dark Side Club, but Shilo Norman, who had just escaped Boss Dark Side's death-trap himself, offered his freedom in exchange for Aurakles'.

Aurakles' subsequent actions are unknown, or his reaction to the events of the end of the Fourth World.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Superhuman Strength: Aurakles is infinitely stronger and more durable than the average human being.

Immortality: The experiments also made him nearly immortal.

Paraphernalia

Equipment

At one time, Aurakles possessed:

The Fatherbox - granted Aurakles access to all the accumulated wisdom of the New Gods
The Merlin Sprite - a being made out of "living language"
The Cauldron of Unwhen - heals any wounds to anyone who bathes in it, up to and including resurrecting them

Transportation

Pegazeus, the Flying Horse

Weapons

Caliburn
The Hammer of Aurakles - capable of smashing individual atoms

Notes

Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985-86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.

Aurakles (Orr-Eh-Klees) is not to be confused with the Aurakles (Or-Ak-Ells) an ancient race of aliens first seen in Batman and the Outsiders #22.

Links and References

Aurakles at DCU Guide

Footnotes