Gloriana

Origin

Born at Summer’s End in the far-distant future, Gloriana became the second wife of the king of the Sheeda, Melmoth. During one of the Sheeda invasions and looting of a historical civilization, referred to as a harrowing, Gloriana deposed her husband and seized his throne for herself. Taking control of the Sheeda, she piloted the time-dreadnought back to the future and began destroying teams of seven throughout Earth’s history in order to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy which said she was destined to die at the hands of Seven Soldiers. She ordered the assassination of her step-daughter Rhiannon, and began to prepare the Sheeda to return for a new harrowing.

Creation

Gloriana was created by Grant Morrison and Simone Bianchi. She made her first appearance in Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #1. She is drawn from a number of mythic and literary sources. Notably, her story is closely based on Snow White, while her name is drawn from John Spencer’s The Faerie Queene.

Major Story Arcs

Seven Soldiers of Victory

In ancient Camelot, Gloriana leads her people against the remaining knights of King Arthur’s court, and begins to return with them to Summer’s End. She is attacked by one of the last surviving knights, Sir Ystin, who stabs her with Caliburn Ex Calibur and steals both the sword and the Undry Cauldron. Furious, she returns Sheeda-side and tracks Ystin to present-day Los Angeles. Taking the identity of antiquities expert Gloria Friday, she manoeuvres herself into a police interview with Ystin and speaks to him for some time before revealing her true identity. They fight, and Gloriana successfully steals Ex Calibur and locates the Undry Cauldron. Returning Sheeda-side with the captive knight, she sets the corrupted Galahad on Ystin, but leaves before he can be defeated, after learning of Melmoth’s continued existence. She briefly fights Frankenstein, who destroys much of her fleet before fleeing into the bowels of her ship. She attempts to bathe in the Undry Cauldron, but is again attacked by Ystin as Castle Revolving is piloted by Frankenstein to present-day New York. She is severely wounded, but manages to throw Ystin from the ship into the streets. She is betrayed and shot through the mouth by her huntsman, I, Spyder, who had been planted by the Seven Unknown Men of Slaughter Swamp. Falling to the street below, she is struck and killed by a car driven by Bulleteer

Powers and Abilities

Gloriana is Sheeda, and possesses all the traits and abilities inherent to her race; she declared herself the pinnacle of natural selection. She possesses an inherent magic, the extent of which has not been demonstrated. She has venomous fangs, and the ability to generate prehensile tentacles from her body. She is able to shape-shift, or to project an illusion around herself that emulates shape-shifting. A vicious and ruthless leader, she is nonetheless charismatic. She has displayed skill with a sword, and some skill in unarmed combat.

Weapons and Equipment

Gloriana is in command of the Castle Revolving, a time-dreadnought which allows her people to travel through time. She also briefly possessed Caliburn Ex Calibur, the mythic sword, and the Undry Cauldron, which can be used to heal any injury and to allow its user to remain young forever.