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I am Vandal Savage. Immortal master of millennia. 
- — Vandal Savage src
Vandal Savage is an immortal tyrant who has spent centuries searching for the meteorite that made him immortal. Born in the 47th millennium BCE, he has been an influential figure in world history, aiding emperors and conquerors.
History
Origins
Vandar Adg was born in the 47th millennium BCE, in what would one day be the Perigord Noir region of France, as the son of the chief of the Wolf Tribe. One spring, there was a territory dispute between his clan of Neanderthals and a group of Cro-Magnons. However, a bright shooting star caused a halt to the hostilities, which Vandar used to kill the rival chieftain. His father claimed the kill, and when the clan went to see the fallen shooting star, his father claimed that, too. But Vandar felt hurt, and wanted the acclaim he felt was due. He killed his father with the strange glowing rock, even as it wrought fearsome changes on his body, and when his clan tried to punish him for the murder, he killed them too.[2]
His clan had regarded the meteor as evidence of the benevolence of the Sun, their god, but as Vandar's life extended to a superhuman degree, his religious view would become more complex, and he would enact intricate ritual sacrifices in honor of the deities he thanked for his gift of immortality.[5]
Others, members of the Bear Tribe, would also find this fallen stone and be granted similar abilities. In time, these tribesmen would become the Immortal Man, the Infinite Woman, the Constant, and the Forever Child, along with one sibling whose name remained unknown.
A Life In History
Vandar tried to found empires, but all of his efforts ended in collapse, and this frustrated him.
In 121CE, Vandar heard of the Han Dynasty, one family that had controlled a vast empire for centuries. Wondering what they could teach him, Vandar raised an army and warred against them. His soldiers mangled his name, calling him "General Sha". Vandar was disappointed to discover that the Han rulers were nothing special, but he found a friendship with Zhang Heng, a local astronomer and genius. After he told Zhang his story, Zhang realized that other meteors like Vandar's would pass by the Earth on a predictable timescale, but he refused to give the information. Enraged, Vandar killed Zhang.[2]
Vandar drifted west, somehow becoming affiliated with the Vandals, even gaining the moniker "Vandal Savage". After the most recent fall of Camelot, Vandar found himself in the town of Little Spring, and wound up accidentally founding the Demon Knights.[6]
Leaving the Demon Knights, he fought in the crusades among the Knights Templar as "Sir Savage". In 1097CE he met Pandora at Antioch, with whom he shared an instant animosity.[7] In 1543CE, he journeyed to Rome to meet Niclaus Copernicus, whose work he had been funding in the hopes of finding the meteors that Zhang Heng had predicted. After reviewing Copernicus' notes, he vowed that if the Sun could displace the Earth as the center of the universe, then he would replace God as the center of human morality. When he discovered that Copernicus had neglected the asteroid hunt to write his book, Vandal Savage killed him.[2]
In the 1880s, he used his own immortal body to carry a plague into Gotham City as part of a plan to harrow the human race and kill millions. Despite the plague turning the poorer neighborhoods into a butcher's workshop, Vandal's plan was stopped by Jonah Hex.[8]
Vandal Savage aided the Nazis in some capacity, so that in 1941, when another of the meteors Zhang had predicted neared Earth, he was able to commandeer Albrecht Krieger, a man who had gained metahuman powers from the Nazi astronaut program, to drive him to it in a rocket. Though initially blindly following Vandal, Krieger turned the rocket around when he saw how deranged Vandal was. When they crash landed, Vandal kicked Krieger to death.[2]
Vandal Savage hired a brilliant scientist named Lionel Luthor to help him uncover the secrets of the Multiverse and Perpetua. Eventually, Lionel would become too ambitious and kidnap Martians including a young child and when experimenting on him, alerted the Blackhawk Program and they forced him to brainwash Lionel and abandon his project.[9]
Just over a decade ago, he was living as Jon Savage in an American suburb when it was time to please his gods. The police regarded the crimes as the work of a serial killer they called "the Vandal". The profiler who finally cracked the case led the squad that took him down, but was tragically killed in the process. Savage was sent to jail for the murders.[5]
After ten years in prison, he helped his captors find a serial killer who copied his work. In this, he worked alongside his estranged daughter Kassidy.[5]
In original New 52 continuity, Savage spent years living as a suburban father and moonlighting as a serial killer before being arrested and imprisoned for a decade. While possible that these events still occurred in later, revised versions of the timeline, his presence in other events makes the history as originally depicted in DC Universe Presents hard to reconcile. It is likely that they have been excised from the timeline.
Modern Adventures
During the attack of the Crime Syndicate, he was rescued from prison by the Secret Society and given a position of seniority.[10]
In the wake of the Convergence, he was listed as a possible recruit for the Justice League United.[11]
Aided by several of his children - who had become metahumans in their own right - Vandal Savage began to gather resources to take advantage of the coming of one of his meteors. Key somehow to his process was to oppose Superman at every turn.[2]
Vandal Savage put together a team of Neanderthals called the Injustice Gang to find a way to move Earth out of the orbit, using the Moon's magnetic field. But during their meeting, Lex Luthor arrived and beat Vandal to death with a fragment of The Totality; one of the only things able to permanently kill him, while the League destroyed the Moon itself. Savage was trying, like he did for his whole existence, to avoid Earth from being hit by the Totality, which contained power that would Doom humanity and the Multiverse with it. Vandal's last action was to send his knowledge to Martian Manhunter, so that he could understand that the Totality approaching Earth was the first step towards the end. Still, his plan did not work as Manhunter and the League already decided to let the Totality reach the planet, hoping it would be useful for the regeneration of the Multiverse. Luthor, who killed him, opposed him so that he could not stop what was set in motion with the rupture of the Source Wall.[4]
When the The Hands restored reality following its collapse during the Metal Wars, Vandal Savage was amongst those resurrected from the dead. He subsequently joined the Totality, a covert group dedicated to monitoring for multiversal threats.
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Unique Physiology: After coming into contact with a meteorite, Savage's physiology was drastically altered. The meteor was partially made up of the chemical compound Dionesium, which has the supernatural ability to revive dead tissue, bringing those who encounter it back to life.[12] This granted Savage an immortal lifespan, rendering him virtually unkillable, as well as greatly enhanced his physical attributes.[2] When in close proximity to the meteor that granted him his immortality, Vandal's powers are greatly amplified.[13]
- Immortality: Due to exposure to the radiation of the meteorite, Vandal Savage's body was mutated, granting him an ageless lifespan. He is roughly 50.000 years old and almost unkillable.[2]
- Regeneration: Savage is capable of regenerating from injuries at an almost instant rate.[14] After being impaled by a metal pole, he quickly recovered after pulling it out.[13] He also quickly regenerated half off his face being blown off.[15]
- Resurrection: Due to his regenerative abilities, Vandal will quickly heal from any lethal injuries he may suffer. After being bludgeoned to death, he quickly recovered within minutes.[16]
- Toxic Immunity: Vandal's regenerative healing provides him with a enhanced immunity to toxins and diseases. When exposed to a dangerous neurotoxin, he was only slowed for a moment before he recovered.[17] Savage can also carry any disease within his body for a period of time before it eventually dies in him. He once used his own body to carry a plague into Gotham City.[8]
- Regeneration: Savage is capable of regenerating from injuries at an almost instant rate.[14] After being impaled by a metal pole, he quickly recovered after pulling it out.[13] He also quickly regenerated half off his face being blown off.[15]
- Enhanced Intellect: Vandal's encounter with the meteorite caused his mind to expand and grow, making him much smarter than any normal human.[18]
- Enhanced Senses: Vandal's senses are far more heightened than those of a normal human.[19]
- Superhuman Strength: Vandal Savage's natural strength has been augmented beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He was capable of easily lifting large metallic debris, effortlessly walking through a wooden door,[6] and beating Captain Nazi to death.[2] He was able to deal significant damage to a massive sea serpent with a single punch,[20] and was also strong enough to defeat Pandora in combat.[21]
- Superhuman Durability: Vandal Savage is capable of resisting tremendous kinetic impact forces that could easily crush or kill a human, without suffering any serious external or internal injuries. He survived crash landing on Earth in an experimental space rocket and being crushed by debris, without any apparent injury. He has also withstood devastating impacts from Green Lantern's constructs, suffering almost no damage.[22] He even survived jumping out of an aircraft and falling to the ground, with no apparent injuries.[5]
- Superhuman Speed: Vandal Savage is able to move at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He was capable of outpacing an explosion on foot.[24]
- Superhuman Stamina: Vandal Savage can exert himself for long periods of time, without tiring easily. He was capable of walking from India to Kentucky without stopping.[25]
- Immortality: Due to exposure to the radiation of the meteorite, Vandal Savage's body was mutated, granting him an ageless lifespan. He is roughly 50.000 years old and almost unkillable.[2]
Abilities
- Deception[8]
- Equestrianism[7]
- Escapology[5]
- Firearms[24]
- Gadgetry[13]
- Genius Level Intellect
- Hunting: Vandal is a well adept hunter, stating to have caused the extinction of mammoths himself.[26]
- Historiography
- Intimidation[21]
- Leadership: Vandal Savage has led countless armies and legions throughout history.[2]
- Martial Arts: Vandal Savage is amongst the world's finest martial artists, having had millennia to refine his fighting skills. He's stated to have trained with the world's greatest combat masters for centuries.[8]
- Dhritishastra: Savage invented a form of combat called "Dhritishastra", an Indian martial art he developed that is so complex, it has been said to take an entire lifetime to learn.[27]
- Stick Fighting: Vandal has displayed mastery of staff based martial arts techniques, capable of using an improvised bo staff with lethal efficiency.[13]
- Military Protocol: In the past, Savage led an army against a war with the Han Dynasty.[2]
- Multilingualism[2]
- Occultism: Vandal had enough mystical knowledge to successfully summon and invoke the god Ares, through a divination ritual.[28]
- Political Science
- Seamanship: Savage is capable of steering ad operating a ship.[23]
- Survival
- Swordsmanship: Savage is a master swordsman, having honed his skills over his immortal lifespan. He commonly favors a broadsword as his sidearm of choice.[7][19]
- Tactical Analysis[2]
- Theology: As a former Templar Knight, Savage is well versed in theology.
- Weaponry: Vandal has displayed mastery in a variety of weaponry, including swords, battle axes, staffs, and more.[2]
Weaknesses
- Dependency: After the meteorite that granted Vandal his powers was destroyed, it changed form into a giant Lazarus Pit under Gotham City. This caused Vandal's powers to become limited to the vicinity of the city. The further he travels from Gotham, the more his powers fade.[29]
Paraphernalia
Weapons
- Broadsword
- Nth Metal Blade
- Battle Axe (Formerly)
Notes
- Vandal Savage was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell, first appearing in Green Lantern #10. However, in the Prime Earth continuity, Vandal Savage first appeared as part of the New 52 DC Universe in Demon Knights #1 by Paul Cornell and Diogenes Neves.
Trivia
- Vandal Savage discovered that the Lazarus Resin doesn't originate from Earth, but was actually brought to Earth by the meteorite that turned Savage immortal. Savage recognizes the meteorite's magical properties, but speculated that it could be alien or from a possible future.[18] The meteorite was partially made up of the chemical compound Dionesium, which has the supernatural ability to revive dead tissue, bringing those who encounter it back to life. This compound is prominent in Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits.
Related
- 141 Appearances of Vandal Savage (Prime Earth)
- 45 Images featuring Vandal Savage (Prime Earth)
- 11 Quotations by or about Vandal Savage (Prime Earth)
- Character Gallery: Vandal Savage (Prime Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Deathstroke (Volume 4) #25
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Superman Annual (Volume 3) #3
- ↑ Justice League (Volume 4) #7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Justice League (Volume 4) #1
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 DC Universe Presents #10
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Demon Knights #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Trinity of Sin: Pandora #1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 All-Star Western (Volume 3) #17
- ↑ Justice League (Volume 4) #17
- ↑ Trinity of Sin: Pandora #2
- ↑ DC Sneak Peek: Justice League United (Digital)
- ↑ Batman (Volume 2) #38
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Superman/Wonder Woman #27
- ↑ Trinity of Sin: Pandora #10
- ↑ Trinity of Sin: Pandora #2
- ↑ Demon Knights #21
- ↑ Challenge of the Super Sons #7
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Batman (Volume 3) #138
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 All-Star Western (Volume 3) #17
- ↑ Demon Knights #10
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Trinity of Sin: Pandora #12
- ↑ Infinite Frontier #2
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Demon Knights #9
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Action Comics (Volume 2) #50
- ↑ Swamp Thing (Volume 5) #30
- ↑ Demon Knights #13
- ↑ Batman: Urban Legends #17
- ↑ Justice League (Volume 4) #18
- ↑ Batman (Volume 3) #139
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