| QUETZALCOATL | BIOGRAPHY |
PERSONAL DATA
Aliases: Kukulkan, Morningstar, the Feathered Serpent
Occupation: Olmec/Toltec/Mayan/Aztec god of fertility, wind, rain, learning, writing; Patron of priests and craftsmen
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: Mixcoatl (father); Coatlicue (alleged mother); Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca (brothers)
Group Affiliation(s): Olmec/Toltec/Mayan/Aztec gods
Gender: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Eyes: Blue
Hair: None
Distinguishing Features: Quetzalcoatl is an enormous feathered serpent with wings
First Appearance: Secrets of Haunted House #4 (October-November 1975)
| "What is that sound? Prayers... From the temple of the god of the European Cortez... The church that forced me into dormancy! Inside that temple they pray... but not to me!" – Quetzalcoatl |
OVERVIEW
The most popular of the Mesoamerican deities, Quetzalcoatl has interacted with present-day humanity on several occasions.
HISTORY
Quetzalcoatl ('the feathered serpent') was the most popular deity in old Mesoamerica. Worship of this benevolent fertility god spread from people to people; from Olmecs to Toltecs, Mayans and Aztecs to mention but a few. Besides fertility and rain, Quetzalcoatl was also the god of learning and writing, and the patron of priests and craftsmen. In time, he was also associated with Venus the Morningstar, and his reputation as a god of light reportedly comes from once having knocked his brother, the sun god Tezcatlipoca, out of the sky. Tezcatlipoca then became the god of night and Quetzalcoatl's bitter enemy. Quetzalcoatl's relationship with his other brother, the war god Huitzilopochtli, is not exactly amicable either...
In contrast to his brothers, Quetzalcoatl is not humanoid in appearance. It is not known if he has any other form than that of a gigantic serpent with a feather plume and wings. He may or may not be the son of the serpentine earth goddess Coatlicue, which could explain his physical form. Quetzalcoatl has been known to take possession of human hosts though, as happened during the showdown with Tezcatlipoca's human vessel in the town of Tula in the 10th century AD. Tezcatlipoca had then possessed one of his own priests, mutated him into a jaguar man and started a wave of human sacrifices. Quetzalcoatl possessed a human champion of his own and killed Tezcatlipoca's vessel, who vowed to one day return and end the world. Quetzalcoatl remained with the Toltecs as a godking and shared his wisdom with them until he found himself corrupted by power and carnal pleasures. Disgusted with himself, Quetzalcoatl incinerated his human form but promised to return when he was needed. As a direct result, the followers of Quetzalcoatl founded the organisation Q-Society in order to prepare for the return of the shadow god. Grooming champions for centuries, the Society's ultimate goal was to create a vessel for Quetzalcoatl's power in the inevitable last battle against Tezcatlipoca.
The advent of Christianity and the dwindling numbers of worshippers eventually forced Quetzalcoatl into dormancy. Ironically, it was the worship of the Feathered Serpent which ultimately proved to be the downfall of the Indian cultures of Mesoamerica. Many believed that the Spanish conquistador Cortez was in fact the blond and bearded Quetzalcoatl who had left Tula reincarnate.
Since then, Quetzalcoatl has awakened but briefly a few times during the last century. First, worshippers called upon him and other gods to create a new face for the wanted criminal Carl Talbot, but the gods double-crossed him by giving him the face of yet another wanted criminal. [Secrets of Haunted House #4] During the so-called War of the Gods, Quetzalcoatl was awakened from his sleep under the ice of Antarctica by the Greek god Phobos. Disoriented, Quetzalcoatl started destroying the small country of Tattamalia until he was brought to his senses by Superman. Before returning to his rest, Quetzalcoatl called down the rain upon Tattamalia to put out the fires. [War of the Gods #1 (1991); Superman: Man of Steel #3 (September 1991)] Still more recently, Supergirl and Mary Marvel visited the ancient city Teotihuacan ('city of the gods') when they somehow triggered a timewarp which bounced Supergirl, Mary Marvel and their new adversary Quetzalcoatl back and forth between now and the year 650 AD. According to history, the population of Teotihuacan was severely decimated around 650 AD, but it is not known whether this was a direct result of this battle or not. When Quetzalcoatl was knocked into a pyramid in our time, he disappeared and the timewarp closed. [Supergirl #71–72 (August-September 2002)]
Among the worshippers and disciples of Quetzalcoatl have been: the Q-Society and their agent Aztek, a World War II Nazi agent who also called himself Kukulkan the Feathered Serpent, and more recently Serpenteen of the Point Men.
POWERS AND WEAPONS
As the god of wind and rain, Quetzalcoatl holds special dominion over the weather. He can fly, but it is not known whether or not he requires his wings to accomplish this feat. Like many snakes, Quetzalcoatl's fangs are venomous.
He has also been known to possess human hosts, as with his chosen champion back in Tula. When his human vessel was destroyed, the Q-Society took care of his yellow helmet and modified it. It is not known today what the helmet's original powers may have been and what the Q-Society added. The helmet was last worn by the superhero known as Aztek, and it was seemingly destroyed along with its host in the battle against Mageddon. Quetzalcoatl’s human vessel may have utilized other weapons and armor too which fell into other hands.
In the 16th century, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II hid the sacred vestments of Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan from Cortéz in an abandoned Mayan pyramid in the jungle. This armor bestowed superhuman strength, flight and the ability to speak all Indian languages upon its wearer – powers which might have come in handy for conquering other tribes. The armor would rest undisturbed for centuries, until World War II, when it was donned by the Nazi agent Feathered Serpent (Kukulkan).
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Quetzalcoatl in chronological order click here