Lords of Chaos and Order
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearance
  • 1st Issue Special #9 (December 1975) (alluded to)
  • DC Special Series #10 (1978) (actual appearance)
Characteristics
Place of originRealm of Order
Realm of Chaos
Sphere of the Gods
Darkworld
Cilia
Notable membersLords of Order: Nabu, Arion, Amethyst, Wizard Shazam, Kismet

Lords of Chaos: Mordru, Garn Daanuth, Child, Klarion the Witch Boy

Agents of Order: Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson, Khalid Nassour), Hawk and Dove, Phantom Stranger

Agents of Chaos: Doctor Chaos, Anti-Fate, Eclipso, Dark Opal
Inherent abilitiesImmense magical powers and cosmic influence; representatives/embodiments of the concepts relating to of order and chaos and affiliated aspects.

The Lords of Chaos and Order are a fictional group of supernatural entities featured in American comic books published by DC Comics. Although alluded to in 1st Issue Special #9 (December 1975), their physical appearance was first showcased in DC Special Series #10 (1978).[1] While the group is commonly associated with Doctor Fate titles, they also hold prominent roles in various other comic book series.

Depicted as formidable beings of magic embodying the concepts of order and chaos, these groups engage in an eternal struggle for supremacy. The Lords of Chaos are known for their machinations to invoke kali yuga, a period characterized by the dominance of chaos in existence. Conversely, the Lords of Order strive to prevent this invocation and maintain balance. To achieve their goals, both respective groups empower various agents to carry out their will and influence in accordance to their agenda.[2] To prevent the destruction of one another, both groups are occasionally balanced by entities referred to as the Lords of Balance (or Lords of Eternal Balance). These entities ensure that neither side overwhelms the other. Similarly, they can empower agents to carry out their will and influence events according to their respective agenda.

The Lords of Chaos and Order have been adapted in various media, including the Young Justice animated series and the Injustice 2 video game. They play significant roles in these adaptations, with the Young Justice series featuring several characters affiliated with the group, and Injustice 2 heavily referencing their influence in the game's narrative.

Publication history

The Lords of Chaos and Order would first be alluded to in 1st Issue Special #9 (December 1975).[1] Later, the group would make a physical appearance in DC Special Series #10 (1978).

Fictional group history

Creation

Both elemental forces were born during the creation of the universe; those who affiliated with serving "order" are known as the Lord of Order and Light (or simply the Lords of Order) and those who affiliated with serving "chaos" being known as the Lords of Chaos and Darkness (or simply Lords of Chaos). Some respective early agents and lords originate from a myriad of places, including Darkworld and Cilia, the former being home to those who would later identify with the pantheon of ancient Atlantean deities.[3][4][5] According to Hindu philosophy, the age of the universe and mankind is divided into four different cycles of ages in which the first age marks order ruling with perfection. In the second age, chaos begins to spread its subtle influence so that in the third age, chaos can go to war with order. In the final era, chaos triumphs and ushers in an age known as the "Kali Yuga". After this age, the cycle restarts when the age ends and the universe itself also ends, resulting in a rebirth of a new universe in which Order rules once more.[4][5]

Pre-history

In 500,000 BC, long after the agents and Lords of Chaos and Order from Darkworld established themselves as a pantheon existing within Atlantis, demigods Arion and Garn Daanuth were born to Calculha and Dark Majistra, agents of order and chaos respectively. The pair would later create the Zodiac Crystals, powerful objects patterned after the zodiac signs in which directed and amplified the magic on Earth. With the pair suffering martial problems due to their conflicting divine natures and their children prophesied to eternally battle for the fate of Atlantis and end the Ice Age (caused by their family feud). Arion and Garn would eventually fulfill the prophecy thousands of years later around 45,000BC with Arion recognized as Atlantis's savior when he ended the Ice Age with his sorcerous powers. Despite this, Arion was unable to ultimately save his iteration of Atlantis as its king in his later years, his city eventually suffering a decline due to a combination of events: the waning magic on Earth, Garn's alliance with the immortal Vandal Savage creating the proto-Illuminati, and its actual destruction by the Lord of Chaos and God of Evil, Chaon. Although the homo magi kingdom in which Arion ruled was destroyed, contrary to his belief, other remnants of Atlantis survived.[6][7][8]

Later, dimension known as Gemworld was once among the domains controlled and owned by the Lords of Chaos until a deal was struck with sorceress Citrina when magic began to drop on the planet Earth due to an alignment of the stars that was caused by one of them going nova thousands of years ago. Intending to find and populate a land where homo magi, faerie, and other magical creatures alike can live and thrive in a magical rich environment, the deal was made and the arrangement was kept secret from the history of Gemworld.[9]

Modern age

In the 2005 Day of Vengeance crossover, Eclipso seduces the Spectre into slaughtering most of Earth's magic users after she claimed that magic was the source of all of Earth's evil. Nabu organizes a team of magical beings to stop the Spectre and seal the Seven Deadly Sins. Nabu confronts the Spectre, and the Presence (a Lord of Chaos) uses Spectre as a new host. Although Nabu dies, his helmet is left with its significant powers. The deaths of the Lords of Order and Chaos caused magic to break down into its basic raw state, which marks the end of the Ninth Age of Magic within the DC Universe, and the beginning of the Tenth. Amethyst and Mordru are the only known Lords to have survived into the Tenth Age.[10]

DC Rebirth

In DC Rebirth, the Lords of Chaos and Order are presented with a new origin; being among the first mages on Earth, the group of mages plot and were successful in stealing magical power from the Greek Goddess of Magic, Hecate. Unlike the classical Greek mythology stories, Hecate was a primordial spirit of magic and predates most, if not, all other godly pantheons and once settled to be affiliated with the Greek pantheon. As their power rose, they ascended to a higher plane of existence and became the Lords of Chaos and Order and began controlling the magic in the known universe.[11] However, conflicting origins have risen within DC's canonical universe; while some stories utilize the newly revised origin, other stories utilize an origin similar to the previous one. In this origin, the Lords of Chaos and Order were created from the Source as one of the first cosmic forces in the universe before the likes of both Old Gods (gods of both fantasy and real-world inspired pantheons) and New Gods.[12] The Darkworld also exists in this revised universe, the entity and its body that makes up the dimension having been explained to be a piece of the Great Darkness, the true embodiment and source of evil and darkness in the universe.[13][14]

Several Lords of Order appear in the Blue Beetle storyline "Hard Choices". Insane Arion battled Nabu thousands of years ago, having sought Khaji-Da to save Atlantis after receiving a vision from the future where he learns of the eventual destruction of Atlantis and the scarab falsely promised him the ability to save it. Nabu succeeds in sealing away Arion and sets him in a tomb located in a dimension parallel to what would be El Paso, Texas. Arion later frees himself through his lackey, Mordecai Cull, and he is initially successful in defeating Doctor Fate and overpowering Khaji-Da's will. Jaime Reyes narrowly defeats Arion by using his connection to the scarab against him, draining him of most of his magical power before Doctor Fate arrives and seals him away.[15] Although the initial story claimed that Arion was driven insane by exposure to Khaji-Da centuries ago, a later story clarified Arion was driven mad from being exposed to his Tear of Extinction and the Death Force as a side effect of using it against alien sea gods on Poseidon's behest.[16]

Both the Lords of Order and Chaos would make an appearance in the "Trials of Harley Quinn" storyline, seeking a new agent to act as a galactic angel of retribution, a title bestowed to a being to act as one of the balancing agents between order and chaos and tasked Mirand'r (the spirit of a dead Tamaranean from seventy years ago) to fill the position. She recommends the former supervillain, Harley Quinn, as she possesses traits associated with both order and chaos. While Harley eventually passes through all the trials, she betrays the Lords of Chaos and Order moments after receiving their power after mistakenly concluding her mother's death was among the trials they orchestrated. The Lord of Order and Chaos representatives explain that their trials are woven into events naturally occurring and thus her mother was destined to die. While Harley ultimate rejects the position, she appeals to the Lords of Chaos and Order by recommending Mirand'r, who understood the role. The Lords of Chaos and Order accepted her proposition and revived Mirand'r, making her an agent of balance.[17]

In the Justice League Dark storyline "Lords of Order", when the Source Wall at the edge of the universe cracked, the law and forces surrounding magic began to change. Nabu sensed the risks it would bring: a race of magical beings known the Otherkind would be unleashed from this catastrophic event. Nabu alongside the other Lords of Order plot to destroy the Sphere of the Gods, the source of magic. While this act would kill all magical beings, this radical plan would ensure the Multiverse's continual survival with many Lords of Order content with this plan. In doing so, they forced upon mystical objects to notable wizards and sorceresses including Madame Xanadu, Mark Merlin and Prince Ra-Man, and Extraño. Controlling Kent Nelson himself, Nabu would imprison both Kent's apprentice and nephew, Khalid Nassour, and later the Phantom Stranger. Coming into conflict with the Justice League Dark, the team sought out Mordru, who revealed more of their origin and his role as the one who tortured Hecate personally. Using an artifact known as the Ruby of Life, he would temporarily turn the members of Justice League Dark into Lords of Chaos to enable them to battle the Lords of Order. Eventually, both Nabu and the other Lords of Order are defeated and the team reverts to their original form.[18]

Membership

There's several notably sects within the Lords of Chaos and Order:

Lords of Order

Agents for the Lords of Order

Lords of Balance

Agents for the Lords of Balance

Lords of Chaos

Agents for the Lords of Chaos

In other media

Film

Television

Video games

References

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