History
After the trauma of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, the original solitary Monitor withdrew from reality to lick its wounds, only to discover that one of its wounds had left a scab in the shape of a giant superman made of divine metals. Believing that it was no longer possible for it to watch over its own, immeasurably large body, the Monitor began to subdivide itself. And the first of these subdivided Monitors was Dax Novu.
Others followed, and soon, an entire civilization had begun to take shape. Dax took a lover, Zillo Valla, and even sired a son, Nix Uotan. Meanwhile, Dax Novu himself led expeditions through the Multiverse to try and comprehend it in better detail.
But what Novu found was a horrifying truth - the Monitors were parasites feeding on the Multiverse, and they were destroying it in the process. When he tried to explain this to the other Monitors, few were willing to listen, like Zillo and Rox Ogama, but most of them were horrified, and shunned him. Eventually, Dax acquired the name Mandrakk the Dark Monitor and was locked away (though the legends spread that Mandrakk was another creature entirely, and that Dax Novu had given his life to chain the monster into the abyss.)
Following the heavenly war between the New Gods and the resurrection of Darkseid, Dax Novu prepared to feed on the multiverse again. Conspiring with Rox Ogama, he had Nix Uotan banished to New Earth, as he knew Nix would be a major threat to his plans to drain the Multiverse. Hoping to stop him, Zillo recruited five "Supermen" from across the Multiverse. The minds of Superman of New Earth and Ultraman of the Antimatter Universe were placed into a thought robot designed to defeat Mandrakk upon his return. A furious battle between Superman and Mandrakk occurred, during which Mandrakk killed Zillo without recognizing her, and blamed Superman for his mistake. Eventually, Superman was able to knock Mandrakk into the Overvoid, where eventually even the thought of Dax Novu faded, ending his threat. Unfortunately, Rox Ogama, who was similarly exiled for his treason, simply assumed the powers and mantle of Mandrakk himself.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Dark Monitor Physiology: Having been corrupted and transformed into a Dark Monitor, Mandrakk was able to feed directly on the Bleed, drawing energy from it which he used to fly and shoot energy from his hands and eyes. Mandrakk is also described as the ultimate threat to the Multiverse, capable of shattering entire universes with relative ease.
Trivia
- Dax Novu's name has vocal similarity to that of Nabu, Mesopotamian God of Writing. The name Mandrakk is spelt similarly to Mandrake, the legendary root vegetable said to scream upon being torn from the ground, which echoes Mandrakk's own self-loathing and desperation for solitude. Mandrake was also the name of one of the earliest-published comic heroes of America, Mandrake the Magician, and also recalls Dracula (Man/Dracula), referencing Novu's transformation from the first humanoid Monitor to the first Vampiric.[1]
Related
- 12 Appearances of Monitor Dax Novu
- 4 Images featuring Monitor Dax Novu
- 2 Quotations by or about Monitor Dax Novu
- Character Gallery: Monitor Dax Novu
Footnotes