Origin
Pre-Crisis
Originally, Giganta was an ape artificially evolved into a human woman by Professor Zool. She soon came into conflict with Wonder Woman and, upon being subdued, was imprisoned at Transformation Island. Rather than find rehabilitation, Giganta was rescued and recruited by Eviless, becoming a founding member of Villainy Inc.
Notably, the pre-crisis version of Giganta does not grow to gigantic proportions. She is very strong, perhaps to a slightly superhuman degree, and somewhat larger than normal, but has no other powers.
Post-Crisis
Giganta starts out as Doctor Doris Zuel, who worked at a medical facility where the comatose Wonder Woman was being kept. Dying of a terminal illness, Dr. Zuel plotted to transfer her mind into Wonder Woman ‘s body. This procedure was stopped halfway by Wonder Girl and both Dr. Zuel and Wonder Woman were declared dead. Neither of them were, however.
Dr. Zuel’s assistant found out that her essence had been stored in the transference machine’s buffer module. Wishing to save her, he put her in the body of one of the test animals, a gorilla named Giganta.
Dr. Zuel was not pleased with this, desiring a human body. She discovered another suitable host: a beautiful red-haired strong woman from a traveling circus named Olga, who was comatose. Absconding with Olga’s prone form, Zuel did another transfer, successfully putting her mind in Olga’s body and, presumably, Olga’s mind into the gorilla. (That being said, the fate of Olga and the gorilla have never been revealed.)
Dr. Zuel discovered something amazing. She could now grow to a gigantic size, a power that Olga had possessed before Dr. Zuel stole her body. Using this ability, Dr. Zuel, now embracing the identity ‘Giganta’, joined Villainy Inc., but met with defeat at the hands of Wonder Woman. She would later on join Secret Society of Super Villains, a united team of super villains.
New 52
Giganta’s Origin was changed in the New 52, this time Doria Zuel had a blood disease from when she was a child, because she could not participate in activities she was often mocked and bullied however this drove her to become a doctor to help people. She apparently had a successful career but her time was running out and she made a cure for her own disease, fearing she was close to death she used the untested vaccine on herself and while it did indeed cure her illness and gave her the ability to grow to gigantic sizes, it also dropped her intellect and filled her with rage.
Rebirth
After the events of DC Rebirth, Giganta appeared alongside several other villains as they battled the Justice League. She closely resembled her New 52 appearance, suggesting that her origins have been unchanged.
Creation
She made her first appearance in Wonder Woman #9, volume 1, published in 1944, and written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston. She was presented as a brutish strongwoman.
Character Evolution
After Donna Troy assumed the identity of Wonder Woman, Giganta teamed up with the Cheetah and Dr. Psycho to search for the ‘real’ Wonder Woman, Diana. After holding Donna hostage, they eventually clash with Wonder Girl, Robin, Hercules and Diana, who was under the guise of Diana Prince, government agent. Giganta is ultimately defeated by Hercules in this conflict.
Giganta’s next appearance featured her as an instructor at Ivy Town’s University, but under the control of M’Nagalah, the Cancer God. Under his influence, she was assigned to seduce and capture the new Atom, Ryan Choi. She ended up swallowing him whole but he managed to escape by making her sick, thus causing her to cough him up.
Free of the M’Nagalah’s control, Dr. Zuel remained in her position at the university. She has also since approached Ryan for a second chance, despite the unusual nature of their initial encounter.
The two do make a second date, but before it happens Ryan is asked by Wonder Woman, on behalf of the Department of Metahuman Affairs, to wear a wire on his date with Doris. During their date, Doris discusses her desire to reform. When Ryan is away, however, she learns that he was wearing a wire and angrily tears off the roof of the restaurant to see Ryan and Wonder Woman talking, unaware that he had removed his wire. Wonder Woman and Giganta fight, with Wonder Woman emerging victorious. Ryan intervenes, preventing Wonder Woman from beating her further. Wonder Woman admits she lost her temper, but both realize that Giganta had escaped. It is unknown whether or not Doris heard Ryan’s pleading on her behalf.
Major Story Arcs
Giganta has appeared as one of the inmates on the prison planted in Salvation Run. As part of the group that follows the Joker, she has apparently formed a friendship with Leather. Giganta was seen as a Member of Libra‘s SSSV, and at the end of Final Crisis #3 she is shown as a Thrall of Darkseid alongside several other Super-Powered Women. She is then called Gigantrix, and wore a mask with a skull and cross bones design. Giganta was being controlled at this time by Stompa and this control was maintained by the mask, until Supergirl destroyed it which resulted in Giganta being released from Darkseid’s control.
She was recently hired by Secret Six to aid them while their teammate Catman was away. She would join a Secret Six version who would battle the current version of the Secret Six. She returned stateside with the others and Amanda Waller had them all pardoned by the President. She tells them that the Suicide Squad is not seen in a positive light and that she needs 6 members to be called upon for secret missions. She invites Dwarfstar to her room. When he shuts the door she begins to beat him and torture him with his own molecular belt. She tells him that he killed her boyfriend Ryan. She duct-tapes his mouth shut before continuing. He begs for his life, in contrast to Ryan Choi who did not when facing overwhelming odds against Deathstroke‘s Titans. Dwarfstar is later shown to have survived Giganta but is last seen wearing a full body cast to be interrogated by Ray Palmer.
Forever Evil and Pandora
Giganta is first seen among holographs of numerous villains that had been attacked and interrogated by David Graves. Later appears to have joined the Secret Society and has been dispatched along with Signal Man and Vandal Savage to find Pandora, a fight erupts when they encounter Pandora who throws an exploding sword at Giganta, damaging her right eye. The eye would be replaced by a new one thanks to the Society.
She is then seen as one of the attackers sent by the Crime Syndicate to stop Lex Luthor’s team in the “Forever Evil” storyline, she is quickly defeated by being sent flying out a building.
Later Giganta takes revenge on Pandora and attacks her, the fight is one sided as Giganta uses her massive size and strength to rip Pandora in two pieces however she lets Giganta know that she can’t be killed, which seems to please Giganta. Pandora uses her powers to see the anger within Giganta as well as her past, Doris had a blood disease from a very young age which prevented her from joining in on activites and was bullied for it. She decided to become a doctor to help the world and even found a cure for her illness but tested it early which gave her the ability to grow in size but she also lost her intelligence. Pandora offers to help her as she too was judged over a mistake but Marcus, the lover of Pandora, fires a rocket at Giganta. Pandora jumps in front of it, Saving Doris, and is knock into another building, before Marcus can reload and fire again, Giganta escapes.
Giganta returns to help Pandora with Vandal Savage as she throws him into the ocean with her strength, seemingly now reformed and much less angry, she helps Pandora and S.H.A.D.E defeat a vampire threat.
Rotworld
For more information see : Rotworld
While in Rotworld, Swamp Thing, see a dead Giganta being eaten by Rotlings. Then later while with the rest of the Red’s Resistance, a Rot controlled Giganta attacks the Arkham Ayslum dome, it is unclear what happens to this version of Giganta, but most of what happened in Rotworld was undone when Animal Man and Swamp Thing returned to their own time.
Powers & Abilities
Giganta can grow from human size to hundreds of feet tall in a matter of seconds. Her strength and durability increase to superhuman levels as she increases in size, as well. Initially, Dr. Zuel lost her intellect as she grew in size, becoming more brutish and violent the bigger she grew. She has since transcended that limitation, retaining her full intellect at any size. Giganta’s powers appear to be mystical in nature; Giganta has been shown to be aligned with the forces of magic. The clothing she wears changes size when she does, and also increases her invulnerability during giant-size.
Powers Size Alteration: The ability to increase her size from roughly 6’6 to several hundred feet in seconds. This power appears magical in nature, as it violates the square cube law.
Superhuman Strength: Above average in normal form, superhuman when gigantic.
Durability: Her durability is higher then an average woman but it is not superhuman (Until she begins growing).
Enhanced Intellect: Giganta is also a brilliant scientist who now retains her full intelligence at any size from normal to maximum.
Characteristics
- Height: 6’6″ (198 cm)
- Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)
- Eyes: Green
- Hair: Red
Status
- Identity: Secret Identity
- Occupation: Scientist, Professor
- Citizenship: American
- Place of Birth: United States
- Marital Status: Single
Other Media
Animation
Superfriends
Giganta was a member of the Legion of Doom in the animated series Superfriends, and most often fought against Apache Chief. Unlike her comic book origin of being an evolved ape, Giganta is shown, via flashback, to have been an ordinary woman who stole Apache Chief’s magical powder and used it on herself, granting her the ability to grow to fifty feet. The powder was also supposed to amplify what’s in a person’s heart so if they are brave, they become more courageous, or in Giganta’s situation, she went from being a petty thief to full-blown supervillain. Giganta was voiced by Ruth Forman.
Justice League & Justice League Unlimited
Giganta appears in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited as a member of the Secret Society. When facing the Justice League, she easily took down Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, but was defeated by Diana in their final battle. She next appears in the JLU episode “Ultimatum” with Bizarro. She is once again taken down by Wonder Woman, with help from Longshadow. Later, she is seen as a member of the Legion of Doom, siding with Luthor against her former lover Gorilla Grodd. She is defeated by Parasite, but finally escapes and help the League and the remaining Legion members fight Darkseid and his army of Parademons. She gets a five minute running head start from Batman for helping them save the world. Giganta was voiced by Jennifer Hale. In this show she is again originally an ape from Gorilla City who Gorilla Grodd altered to give her a human appearance. Grodd keeps a photo of her early days on his desk.
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
Giganta makes a cameo in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, voiced by Andrea Romano.
DC Super Hero Girls
Giganta is villain the series, voiced by Grey Griffin.
DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High
Giganta robbed a bank, but she is stopped by the students of Super Hero High and sent to jail. She voiced by Grey Griffin.
DC Super Hero Girls: Hero of the Year
The heroes pay a visit to Giganta, who is doing community service after being captured, to gather information about Eclipso and Dark Opal’s plan. She voiced by Grey Griffin.
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
Although Giganta does not appear in the actual movie, she was featured in the teaser preview bonus that was released by Warner Bros for IGN. In this preview, she is a robot who was created by a few terrorists. They were about to be released when Steve Trevor and wonder woman spoil their plans. They fought Giganta; However, she was defeated by Wonder Woman.
DC Nation Short: Wonder Woman
Giganta appears in the short episodes of DC Nation: Wonder Woman.
Live Action
Legends of Superheroes
Giganta appeared in the live-action special Legends of the Superheroes, portrayed by Aleshia Brevard.
Video Games
DC Universe Online
Giganta appears in the first trailer of DC Universe online. She is seen fighting Green Lantern, but is easily defeated by him. In the game, she appears as a boss. With Circe’s help, Giganta attempts to take over Wonder Girl’s body. Unlike most modern interpretations, it appears this version of Giganta is growing dumber with size as she’s been tampering with Circe’s ritual and possibly broke it in the process. She is voiced by Lana Lesley.
Injustice: Gods Among Us
She makes a cameo appearance in Injustice: Gods Amongst Us as a background character of the Hall of Justice stage, where she can be seen fighting Atom Smasher amongst the skyscrapers. If the level-transition is used from the front lawn section, the character will be sent flying towards Giganta, who catches it and hits Atom Smasher with enough force to shatter the windows of the surrounding buildings before hurling it back towards the Hall of Justice, ending with a crash into the meeting room trophy hall section.
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Giganta is a playable character in the game, voiced by Erica Luttrell.
DC Legends
Giganta is a playable character in the mobile game, DC Legends. Her design in this game is an amalgamation of her old and new look from the comics.