Origin
When the insane mob-leader and self fashioned Greek god Maxie Zeus needed agents to disrupt the 1984 Olympics, he contacted the mysterious arms and muscle dealer, the Monitor. Following with the orders, the Monitor contracted assassins for hire and outfitted them after chosen Greek and Roman archetypes. One of these assassins become known as Antaeus, who was granted incredible strength and durability, active only so long as he was in contact with the earth, much like his namesake. He then was made a member of Maxie Zeus’ team, the New Olympians.
Creation
Antaeus and the rest of the New Olympians were created by writer Mike W. Barr, along with artists Bill Anderson and Bill Willingham. He first appeared in 1984’s Batman and the Outsiders #14.
Major Story Arcs
The Olympics
Antaeus and his fellow New Olympians arrived at the Olympics to abduct athlete Lacinia Nitocris and convince her to be Maxie Zeus’ bride. Batman and the Outsiders confronted them however, and Maxie Zeus demanded that the teams compete against each other in deadly Olympic style games to determine the fate of Nitocris.
Antaeus faced off against Geo-Force in a wrestling match. It proved to be a fierce match for Geo-Force, but when he noticed that Antaeus was drawing his powers from earth, much like himself, Geo-Force defeated Antaeus by levitating him away from the ground with his anti-gravity powers. Ultimately the Outsiders proved victorious over the New Olympians.
Thy Kingdom Come
The New Olympians went into hiding, and only resurfaced when they were all found dead in their subterranean hideout. Their death wound up being part of a murder spree perpetrated by Gog, who believed he had a preordained purpose in life to destroy false gods.
Powers & Abilities
Antaeus draws his power from the ground. So long as he’s in contact with it, Antaeus’ strength, speed, and durability are incredibly enhanced. The constant influx of energy Antaeus gets from the ground is also able to heal his wounds.