Dorma (Earth-616)
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History
The Lady Dorma was a member of the aristocracy of undersea Atlanteans, and was born in the Atlantean settlement her relative, Emperor Thakorr, established off the coast of Antarctica. Before reaching adulthood, Dorma was the playmate and companion of her distant cousin, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner, the heir to the Atlantean throne. Dorma fell deeply in love with Namor who, however, found himself strongly attracted to the surface-dwelling woman Betty Dean Prentiss.
Dorma was among the survivors of the destruction of the Antarctic Atlantean settlement by the madman Paul Destine, alias the first Destiny. She and the other survivors wandered together nomadically through the undersea world for years. Destiny had used his psionic powers to force Namor to go to Manhattan and both render him amnesiac and dull his thinking processes. As a result, Namor spent years living in New York as a derelict, unaware of his true identity, until he regained his memory and full intelligence in an encounter with the second Human Torch. Mistakenly blaming the destruction of the Atlantean settlements on the surface world's people in general, Namor launched a one-man war against the surface world. In the course of his first attack on New York City, Namor met and fell in love with Susan Storm, the Invisible Girl, a member of the Fantastic Four.
After a lengthy search Namor finally discovered the location of the Atlantean peoples' new settlement and was declared their ruler, Dorma, who had believed Namor to be dead, was overwhelmed with emotion at his return. In his absence she had pledged to marry the Atlantean warlord Krang, but now spurned him to seek Namor's love. Namor led the Atlantean armed forces in an invasion of the surface world, which failed due to the efforts of Reed Richards, who, as Mister Fantastic, led the Fantastic Four. In retaliation for his defeat, Namor took Susan Storm captive. Fearing that Namor was in love with the invisible Woman rather than with herself, Dorma became desperate, and attempted to drown Storm. By taking Storm to a New York hospital, Namor confirmed Dorma's fears as well as outraging Krang and most of the rest of the Atlanteans, who were appalled that their prince would so aid an enemy. As a result, Dorma, Krang, and the rest of the Atlantean people deserted Namor.
Eventually, however, Namor was again allowed to rule the Atlanteans. While Namor was in New York City, Krang staged a coup d'etat to seize the Atlantean throne. Still in love with Namor and risking retaliation by Krang, Dorma went to New York City to tell Namor what had happened. By the time Namor returned to Atlantis (now located on the site of the original undersea Atlantis), Krang had made himself ruler. Dorma offered Namor her help in regaining his throne, but when Namor arrogantly declined her assistance, the enraged Dorma signaled guards, who captured the Sub-Mariner and brought him before Krang. It was Dorma's hope that if Namor saw he had lost his throne, he would turn to her instead. But after Krang had Namor imprisoned, Dorma had a change of heart, and freed the Sub-Mariner from his cell. Krang, however, had been suspicious of Dorma and had her watched. He allowed her to free Namor so that he would fall into a trap the usurper had set for him. The Sub-Mariner, however, escaped Krang's trap.
Krang made Dorma his prisoner and demanded that she marry him. When she refused, he banished her to the sub-sea, subterranean world of a race of strange beings called the Faceless Ones. The Sub-Mariner went to rescue her, and when Dorma was injured as the strange creatures tried to get at her, he finally realized that he did indeed love her.
Krang was finally defeated by the Sub-Mariner, who regained his throne. Namor and Dorma were now deeply in love with one another, and never again did Dorma's passion for the Sub-Manner drive her to murderous or treacherous lengths. Rather, Dorma acted as his steadfast ally on many of his exploits.
For a brief time Dorma was under the influence of the ancient Serpent Crown.
Finally, the time came for the wedding of Prince Namor and the Lady Dorma. However, Dorma was kidnapped by Namor's foe, Llyra, and her men and held prisoner at the Oceanarium owned by Llyra's mother, the surface woman Rhonda Morns. Llyra used her shape-changing powers to impersonate Dorma at the wedding ceremony. As soon as the ceremony was over, Llyra reverted to her true appearance, claiming triumphantly that she was now Namor's wife and the princess of Atlantis, not Dorma. However. according to Atlantean law, because Dorma had previously taken a vow of fealty and her name had been inscribed in the Scroll of Sovereigns, it was Dorma who was Namor's wife, despite her absence at the wedding ceremony. Llyra fled Atlantis, but Namor tracked her to her mother's Oceanarium. Witnessing his approach, Llyra smashed the water-filled prison in which Dorma was held so Dorma, unable to breathe out of water, would suffocate. Llyra also used her psionic powers to command marine animals to cause Namor to be attacked by thousands of deadly leeches. Heroically, the dying Dorma struck Llyra from behind, breaking her control over the leeches. Namor was then able to escape the leeches and burst into the Oceanarium. Llyra escaped, as Namor rushed to Dorma's assistance. But he was too late: Dorma died in Namor's arms, telling him she loved him.
Dorma possessed the conventional attributes of the Homo mermanus species: gills to enable her to extract oxygen from water; a superhuman strong physique to enable her to withstand the extreme water pressure changes that occur beneath the sea, blood circulation enabling her to withstand freezing temperatures, and specially developed vision which was more sensitive to the green portion of the spectrum enabling her to see in the murky depths. She could swim at a speed of approximately thirty miles per hour. Dorma could not breathe air out of water. She was capable of lasting approximately nine minutes out of water before suffocating. However, she could operate out of water by wearing a special breathing helmet or by periodically ingesting a chemical that enabled her to draw oxygen from the air. (One such chemical also gave her skin a Caucasian flesh color temporarily.) Dorma possessed the normal strength of an Atlantean women, and could lift approximately two tons in air under optimal conditions.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Breathe underwater, swim at 30 mph, resistant to cold and high water pressure.Strength level
Lift 2 tons in air.Weaknesses
Only able to breathe out of water for 9 minutes without artificial aid.
Notes
- The Unofficial Handbook to the Marvel Universe
Appearances in Other Media
- Dorma appears in the Fantastic Four animated series.
Links
- Appearances of Dorma (Earth-616)
- Character Gallery: Dorma (Earth-616)
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- Fan-Art Gallery: Dorma (Earth-616)
- Quotations by Dorma (Earth-616)
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