Bodb Derg (Earth-616)

Red Lord
Name	Bodb Derg
Current Alias	Red Lord
Aliases	Lord of the Bane, the Horned One
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Bane Formerly Tuatha de Danaan
Relatives	Grandparents: Iarbonel (paternal grandfather) Gaea/Danu (paternal grandmother) Parents: The Dagda (father) Morrigan (mother) Siblings: Lugh (younger brother/half-brother) Other Relatives: Leir, Nuada, Ogma (uncles) Badb, Macha (aunts) Bran, Caber, Creiddylad, Gwynn, Gwythr, Mannanan (cousins) Numerous others
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	7′5″ (2.26 m), Variable
Weight	750 lbs (340.19 kg), Variable
Eyes	Irises: Black
Hair	Black
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Tuatha de Danaan
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Tír na nÓg, Otherworld
Personal Information
Identity	Secret
Citizenship	Otherworlder
Occupation	God of war and destruction
Base of Operations	Annwn
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Dan Abnett, John Tomlinson,
First	Knights of Pendragon #17 (October, 1991)
First	Knights of Pendragon #17 (October, 1991)

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

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. After the Dagda overthrew Bres, Bodb Derg grew increasingly ambitious, convinced that he was more suited to lead the Tuatha than his father. 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.

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. Bodb Derg, viewing this as a surrender, attempted to seize control through a coup. His rebellion was swiftly crushed by his kin, resulting in his banishment to Annwn, the Celtic underworld.

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. 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.

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. Francesca Grace, a high-ranking Omni director, became a key lieutenant of the Bane. She orchestrated the sacrifice of Albion, a Knight of Pendragon, to free the Red Lord from Annwn 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.

Failed Resurrection

Alliance with Magpie

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

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.

Conflict with the Manchester Gods

Imprisoned by the Manchester Gods

The Red Lord’s reign was further challenged by the emergence of the Manchester Gods, embodiments of industrialization and urbanization in the Otherworld. Master Wilson, a spokesperson for the Manchester Gods, imprisoned the Red Lord within the metallic depths of their Citadel. While the Tuatha de Danaan and King Arthur’s court celebrated his imprisonment, the Red Lord’s fury inadvertently fueled the Manchester Gods’ power. Loki, the trickster god, initially plotted to free the Red Lord to undermine the Manchester Gods but ultimately abandoned the plan. The Manchester Gods later sacrificed themselves, leaving the Red Lord’s fate uncertain.

Attributes

Power Grid

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.
  • Shapeshifting: The Red Lord can alter his shape.
  • Size Alteration: The Red Lord can grow to at least 40'.
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: The Red Lord can regenerate lost limbs or damaged body parts.

Abilities

• Leadership: He leads the Bane, elemental lords of winter and warfare.

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

• Bodb Derg on Wikipedia.org