Naomi McDuffie

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Naomi
Cover of Naomi vol. 1, #6 (September 2019), art by Jamal Campbell.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceNaomi #1 (March 2019)
Created byBrian Michael Bendis
David F. Walker
Jamal Campbell
In-story information
Alter egoNaomi McDuffie
SpeciesMetahuman
Team affiliationsYoung Justice
Justice League
PartnershipsConner Kent
Bart Allen
Cassie Sandsmark
Amethyst
Arrowette
Connor Hawke
Tim Drake
Wonder Twins
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength
  • Superhuman durability
  • Flight
  • Energy manipulation and projection

Naomi McDuffie, also known as Powerhouse, is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by the writer Brian Michael Bendis for his Wonder Comics imprint, along with writer David F. Walker and artist Jamal Campbell. The character's name is, in part, a tribute to comic book writer and creator Dwayne McDuffie.

The character made her live-action debut in The CW's eponymous series and was portrayed by Kaci Walfall.

Publication history[edit]

Naomi McDuffie was created by writers Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker, with artwork by Jamal Campbell. The character's surname of McDuffie was given as a tribute to the late comic book creator Dwayne McDuffie, whose own writing career focused on underrepresented minorities in American comics.[1][2]

Fictional character biography[edit]

Origin[edit]

In an alternate universe in the DC Multiverse, the degradation of Earth's ozone layer exposes the surface of the Earth to a previously-unknown type of radioactive energy, causing 29 people from around the planet to develop godlike powers. Some of these people attempt world domination with their new powers, while others oppose this, leading to a cataclysmic war between these metahumans. One month later, fourteen of the metahumans have died, and seven others have left the planet, leaving only eight remaining. Naomi is the first child born to two of these metahumans. The most evil of the original 29 metahumans, a criminal named Zumbado, who was about to be executed when he got his powers, tries to kill the infant Naomi. Consequently, her parents send her to Earth-0 for her safety and are killed in battle doing so. The infant ends up in a small Oregon town, where a Rannian ex-soldier and resident of the town, going by the name Greg McDuffie, witnesses her arrival, and adopts her.

Naomi lives an ordinary life in her hometown raised by Greg and his human wife, who knows about her husband's secrets, until Superman crashes through the center of town in a battle with Mongul. This prompts a couple of citizens to talk about the previous time the town had an encounter with otherworldly beings. Having learned that the date of the incident was also the day she was adopted, Naomi questions whether she has a connection to superheroes and begins looking into her origins.

Greg then reveals his own origins to Naomi, before telling her about her arrival on Earth-0. He gives Naomi a device he found with her, which contains a message from her birth mother, and awakens her superpowers. Shortly afterward, Zumbado arrives and takes Naomi back to their original world, which has been devastated under his rule. Naomi fights Zumbado to avenge her birth parents, and only narrowly manages to escape back to Earth-0.

Following these events, Naomi flies to Metropolis, and meets Superman and Batman. She later joins the recently reformed Young Justice.

Infinite Frontier[edit]

Following the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal, Naomi joins the Justice League.

Powers, abilities, and equipment[edit]

In the comics, Naomi has a tremendous amount of an unknown type of energy inside of her body. She can fire powerful energy blasts from her hands. This energy makes her, strong, durable and allows her to fly. She can also manifest a black and gold costume around her body.

In other media[edit]

A live-action television series based on the character was developed by The CW Network, simply titled Naomi.[3] Kaci Walfall was cast as Naomi McDuffie.[4] This version of Naomi is initially a Superman fangirl living in the real world who is slowly drawn into the DC Universe as she develops superpowers.[5][6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Cohen, Jason (11 July 2019). "Naomi: DC's Teen Superhero's Last Name Honors A Late Creator". CBR.com. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Who is DC Comics' Naomi McDuffie?". Sideshow.com. Sideshow, Inc. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  3. ^ White, Peter (December 4, 2020). "DC Comics' 'Naomi' TV Series From Ava DuVernay & Jill Blankenship In Works At The CW". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. ^ Petski, Denise (March 18, 2021). "Ava DuVernay's 'Naomi' CW DC Drama Pilot Taps Kaci Walfall For Title Role, Adds Three Series Regulars". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Otterson, Joe (May 24, 2021). "'Naomi', 'All American' Spinoff Ordered at CW, 'Powerpuff Girls' Pilot to Get Re-Worked Off-Cycle". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise; Patten, Dominic (May 12, 2022). "'Naomi' Not Returning To CW For Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.

External links[edit]