CHARON

BIOGRAPHY

PERSONAL DATA

Aliases: Kharon
Occupation: Ferryman
Status: Active
Base of Operation: The river Styx, Hades and Hell
Group Affiliation(s): Servant of Hades and/or the Princes of Hell
Gender: Male
Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Variable
Hair: Variable, often white
First Appearance: (DC Comics): Arak, Son of Thunder #12 (August 1982)

OVERVIEW

Charon is the ferryman who brings the souls over the river Styx to the Greek afterlife known as Hades. Originally part of Greek mythology, he has appeared in other aspects of Hell as well.

HISTORY

Charon is the ferryman from Greek mythology who transports the souls of the dead across the river Styx, the river which separates the land of the living from the underworld Hades. Charon charges every passenger a golden coin, or leaves them stranded in limbo as ghosts. This is why the ancient Greeks always buried their dead with coins, to pay Charon for the fare.

Charon usually requires his passengers to be dead, but he has been known to make exceptions: out of pity, or when he was defeated by a stronger foe, or when the living paid him. When Orpheus the Bard came to plead for the resurrection of his dead wife Eurydice, Charon agreed to let him pass for the price of fresh mistletoe. [Sandman Special #1 (November 1991)]

By the 8th century A.D., Charon was mostly inactive because the number of dead worshippers of the Olympian gods had dwindled. At this time, he allowed Chiron the Centaur to cross the Styx to Hades since Chiron was too big to fit in his boat. Charon also transported those who came in search of Chiron, Arak the Red-Hand and his satyr companion Satyricus, to Hades and back after they failed to rescue Chiron. (Chiron seems to have changed his mind and headed back to the world of the living before it was to late though, since he is alive and well today.) [[[Arak, Son of Thunder 12#|Arak, Son of Thunder #12]] (August 1982]

In modern days, Charon has encountered and been bested by many members of the metahuman community, among them Wonder Woman, Kid Eternity, Batman, Etrigan, the army of Gorilla City, Tim Hunter, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, Lyta Hall, the Human Defense Corps and Lobo. During the so-called 'War of the Gods', the Roman gods tried to replace their Greek counterparts, and Charon was one of the casualties. It is not clear whether Charon was resurrected or if the Roman Charon took his place. Recently, the Roman gods, originally avatars of the Greek gods who developed minds of their own, merged with their Greek counterparts once again. In short, it is possible that Charon was actually killed and replaced by himself. And then merged with himself again. [War of the Gods #1–4 (September-December 1991)]

POWERS AND WEAPONS

It is not known whether Charon possesses any special powers apart from immortality and resilience. He has been killed or withstood lethal force several times, only to regenerate moments later. Charon is always ready to serve, requiring neither rest nor sustenance, it would appear.

His appearance seems to vary based on to the belief and personality of the beholder. In his various aspects, he has appeared as an old man, a hooded mysterious figure, a rotting corpse, a skeleton, a man with a gas mask and the pilot of a Fokker plane.

Normally unarmed, Charon has on some rare occasions used a scythe to prevent people from crossing the Styx without permission. The scythe is sharp enough to cut through stone like a hot knife through butter.

Toiling in the darkness of the underworld, Charon is blind or at least visually impaired. He has been observed as having at least one assistant and is often given a daily work order by the oracles.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Charon in chronological order click here