Gaea

1st appearance: Doctor Strange #6

Origin: Thor Annual #10

Real Name: Unrevealed; Gaea is the name given her by the people of ancient Greece

Aliases: Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Jord, Nertha, Aditi, Coatique, Rangi, the Great Mother, Akka, Ala, Ammaveru, Citlacicue, Coatilique, Danu, Eithinoha, Erce, Hou-Tou, Nana, Ninhursag, Nokomis, Pachamama, Prakriti, Vaat, Yo, many others

Occupation: Patron goddess of Earth

Place of Birth: Earth

Known relatives: Chthon (brother), Atum, Thor (sons)

History: Gaea is one of the major Elder Gods who first materialized on Earth shortly before other life first appeared there. She and her brother god Chthon were among those Elder Gods who inhabited the land masses of the Earth (as opposed to the sea or skies), and may have had something to do with forming certain geological patterns. Although Gaea was humanoid in form, most of the Elder Gods were not. Except for Gaea, the Elder Gods eventually degenerated into demons; in other words, these Elder Gods became parasitic entities, needing to feed on the life essences of other beings in order to survive. Since humankind had not yet been born, these Elder Gods began preying on each other. Fearing that the demons' battles would destroy the newly evolving life on Earth, Gaea called upon the Demiurge, the sentient life force of Earth's biosphere, and gave birth to the first of the next generation of gods, Atum, who was dedicated to the consumption and elimination of the evil which the Elder Gods had wrought in their degeneration into demons. Atum killed virtually all the Elder Gods, although some, like Chthon and Set, escaped into other dimensional worlds. Gaea was the only Elder God permitted by the second generation of gods to exist. She infused her godly life essence into all living beings on Earth. Each living being born on Earth is infused with a portion of her life essence. it is for this reason that Gaea has been known throughout human history as the patron goddess of all living beings on Earth. She is the embodiment of the spirit of life, growth, harvest, and renewal on this planet. Under various names Gaea has become a member of every pantheon of gods worshipped by polytheistic religions throughout human history. Her role in these pantheons is always that of the maternal goddess of the Earth. In at least some cases, Gaea is actually the parent to races of gods who were worshipped on Earth, or to particular gods within specific pantheons. For example, according to ancient Greek myth, Gaea gave birth to the sky god Ouranos, with whom she then mated to produce the race o Titans, two of whom, Cronus an Rhea, were the parents of Zeus and the rest of the first generation of Olympian gods. The Asgardian god Odin mated with Gaea, under her name of Jord, in order to produce a son who would combine the power of Asgard and the power of Earth within himself. That son was Thor, who, however, was raised by Odin's wife Frigga and did not learns his mother's identity until recently. On the arrival of the Third Host of the Celestials upon Earth, the leaders of Earth's pantheon of gods learned that these extraordinarily powerful extraterrestrial beings intended to return to Earth centuries later to judge its inhabitants. If the Celestials judged against humanity at that time, they would destroy Earth. Over the following centuries, while the leading male gods of the pantheons planned means of defense against ht Celestials, the leading goddesses sought out members of the human race who had the highest genetic potential. Twelve such humans were selected and evolved by the gods into godlike beings themselves, who became known as the Young Gods. Gaea presented these twelve Young Gods to the Fourth Host of the Celestials as examples of the human race at its finest. As a result, the Celestials judge din humanity's favor and left Earth, taking the Young Gods with them. This was perhaps Gaea's greatest achievement in her role as protectress of all life on Earth. Gaea is no longer worshipped or thought to be real in the monotheistic cultures of the present day. However, whether people believe her to be real or not, when they refer to Mother Nature or Mother Earth, they are speaking about Gaea.

Gaea continues to grant power to many who call on her, from the ancient Sisters of Danu to the modern Ardina, Brother Nature, Clea, Dark Mairi, Dr Strange, the Neurii, the god Prometheus, and Topaz. She has even directed opposition to threats such as Dormammu (who once held her prisoner until she channeled the life force of every being on Earth to banish him) and Maelstrom. Her pain resulting from the harm humanity had done to Earth, nearly drove the mutant Humus Sapien to take the lives of all mankind. She was captured by the extradimensional scientist Yandroth and forced to place a curse on the earliest Defenders, compelling them to gather to oppose threats to Earth. She continued to perpetuate this curse herself for a time, pleased to have even unwilling protectors, but she dissolved it after the Defenders became corrupt due to Yandroth's influence. She informed Nighthawk that he would have the power to summon the Defenders in the future should the need arise.

Physical characteristics: Gaea has a humanoid form, but can manifest herself in whatever female humanoid form she chooses. Usually she now appears a s young woman with long black hair and blue eyes. As Jord she appeared as a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

Strength level: Unknown, but she rarely relies on physical strength

Superhuman powers: Gaea has great mystical powers, most of the uses of which remain unrevealed. She can draw on the spiritual energies of all of Earth's living beings, since all of these beings share part of her own life essence. She can also command the force of nature on Earth, such as storms and volcanic activity. Although Gaea's powers may seem similar to many of those of the living planet, Ego, Gaea and Ego are actually two very different kinds of beings. Ego is a planet who developed sentience, whereas Gaea is a goddess who infuse her life essence into the living beings of her planet. Gaea is known o have great powers to heal injured living beings and to cause living beings to grow. She has considerable telekinetic power, and can even levitate Thor's hammer, which few beings can lift through non-mechanical means. Gaea can bestow mystical power upon sorcerers who call upon her for it.