Bodb Derg, a formidable deity in the Celtic pantheon, was revered as a god of war and destruction among the Tuatha de Danaan. Driven by ambition and conflict, he ultimately fell into darkness. Banished to Annwn, he merged with the enigmatic Red Lord, transforming into a primordial force of decay and entropy. From there, he waged unrelenting wars against the Green Knight and Earth’s ecosystems, spreading devastation through his ruthless Bane.
History
Origins[]

A Tuatha god
Bodb Derg was the son of the Dagda and the war goddess Morrigan.[1] Born in Tír na nÓg, the Otherworld,[1] he was the brother of Rhiannon, the horse goddess,[4] and the half-brother of Lugh, the sun god, through their shared father.[1] Trained in druid magic, Bodb Derg became a revered member of the Tuatha de Danaan as the god of war and destruction.[1]
Tuatha on Earth[]

Waging war
In 1896 BC, the Tuatha de Danann migrated to Earth, where Nuada, their former leader, was succeeded by Bres, a half-Fomorian ruler whose tyrannical reign lasted seven years.[5] After the Dagda overthrew Bres, Bodb Derg grew increasingly ambitious, convinced that he was more suited to lead the Tuatha than his father.[6] This ambition brought him into conflict with his uncle, Leir, the storm god, who believed his own strength made him the rightful heir to the Dagda’s position.[1]
Banishment to Annwn[]

Green Knight's fated adversary
Around 350 AD, the arrival of the Milesians in Ireland forced the Dagda to relinquish the Tuatha’s earthly domains and retreat with his people to the Otherworld.[5] Bodb Derg, viewing this as a surrender, attempted to seize control through a coup.[6] His rebellion was swiftly crushed by his kin, resulting in his banishment to Annwn, the Celtic underworld.[1][7][8]
Transformation into the Red Lord[]
Over centuries, Bodb Derg’s insatiable greed and resentment festered, corrupting his essence. This allowed him to merge with the Red Lord, an aspect of the primordial Earth Mother Gaea that personified decay, entropy, and destruction. Empowered by this union, the Red Lord established a stronghold in Annwn, commanding his loyal Bane henchmen from the Spiral Tower.[1][9][10] As the Red Lord, Bodb Derg became a primordial force of devastation, his power growing in tandem with the destruction of Earth’s ecosystems. Through his Bane, the Red Lord sought to weaken his antithesis, the Green Knight, the patron of the life-preserving Knights of Pendragon.[1][8]
Modern Age[]
War Against the Green Knight[]

Grace confronts the Red Lord
In modern times, the Red Lord orchestrated the Bane’s efforts to ravage Earth’s ecosystems. He gained influential allies in the industrial-military conglomerate Mys-Tech and its subsidiary, the Omni Corporation.[11] Francesca Grace, a high-ranking Omni director, became a key lieutenant of the Bane.[12] She orchestrated the sacrifice of Albion, a Knight of Pendragon, to free the Red Lord from Annwn[13] and launch an assault on the Green Knight at the Green Chapel in Avalon. However, Grace’s exposure to the Power of the Pendragon led her to reject the Red Lord, causing her Bane followers to abandon him as well. This betrayal forced the Red Lord to retreat to Annwn.[7]
Failed Resurrection[]

Alliance with Magpie
Following Grace’s defection, the Red Lord empowered Shadow Wing as the new lord of the Bane.[14] Ormond Wychwood, the Red Lord’s earthly representative,[15] attempted to perform the Ceremony of Unification to summon the Red Lord to Earth and merge with him.[15] Grace, feigning possession by the Bane, sabotaged the ritual with the help of Union Jack, thwarting the Red Lord’s resurrection.[16]

Failed resurrection
Later, the mutant Magpie carved intricate runes and sigils into the ground of the Green Chapel to create a summoning circle. As the Red Lord began to manifest in Avalon, the Knight of Pendragon Adam Crown, recognizing his vulnerability in this incomplete state, attacked him with a mystic sword. The strike forced the Red Lord back through the portal to Annwn, dragging Crown and Magpie with him.[17]
Conflict with the Manchester Gods[]

Imprisoned by the Manchester Gods
Attributes
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Powers
- Tuatha de Danaan Physiology: The Red Lord possesses the standard abilities of a Celtic God, though some of his abilities are more developed. He possesses incalculable power, which grows in proportion to the damage inflicted upon the Earth's ecosystem.[22]
Abilities
See Also
- 7 appearance(s) of Bodb Derg (Earth-616)
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Bodb Derg (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) of Bodb Derg (Earth-616)
- 3 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Bodb Derg (Earth-616)
- 11 image(s) of Bodb Derg (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 ; The Red Lord's entry
- ↑ See notes on Lugh's page[[Category:]]
- ↑ All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #3 ; Council of Godheads's entry
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 ; Tuatha de Danaan's entry mentions Rhiannon as daughter of Dagda and Morrigan
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 ; Tuatha de Danaan's entry
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 ; The Dagda's entry
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Knights of Pendragon #18
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Knights of Pendragon #12
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #10
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #15
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #1–10
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #11–12
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon #17
- ↑ Marvel Comics Presents #122
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #10
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #11
- ↑ Knights of Pendragon (Vol. 2) #15
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Journey Into Mystery #639
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Journey Into Mystery #640
- ↑ Journey Into Mystery #641
- ↑ Mighty Thor (Vol. 2) #21
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #14
- ↑ Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1; The Red Lord's entry
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 14