Qurac
Encyclopedia
Qurac is a fictional country
in the DC universe
. It is a tiny Middle Eastern country on the Persian Gulf
, wedged between Iraq
and Kuwait
. Qurac is often used when DC has need of a terrorist
state in the Middle East
.
terrorist/mercenary strikeforce dubbed Onslaught
(formerly known as The Jihad), a frequent opponent of the Suicide Squad
. The Joker
served as Quraci ambassador to the US on two occasions, gaining diplomatic immunity
(a retcon
of a story in which he represented Iran
and tried to assassinate the U.N., only being stopped when Superman
- posing as a security guard- inhaled the Joker's lethal laughing gas and dumped it in space before it could do any damage).
Weapons designed by John Henry Irons
, the future Steel
, were leaked by Amertek
Enterprises to rebels in Qurac, resulting in many civilian deaths. Later, terrorists from Qurac staged a massive assault on the White House
but were stopped by the Cyborg Superman
in one of his first appearances.
, the Terminator #19. She is later captured and put on trial, as chronicled in The Titans. Many of the Quraci survivors mutate into superhuman forms as a result of the bomb's radiation. A confrontation with one of the many Titans teams led some of them to being forcibly removed to another dimension as a form of self defense.
The rest of the country manage to persevere, as indicated in Justice League Of America #85, 2003. Under the influence of an outside telepathic force, working through the Martian Manhunter
, the Quraci ruler draft plans of a merger between his country and Bialya
.
The novel Inheritance by Devin Grayson mentions Dabir, son of the new president of Qurac in the wake of Cheshire's attack, and his cousin Rashid.
volume 1 when the agency attempted to foment civil war
within its borders by backing pro-western rebels and again in (vol. 2) #6, when Rick Flag
is rescued from a secret Quraci prison by the Bronze Tiger
.
, asking Freddy Freeman, who sought to take up the mantle of the new Captain Marvel
, to prove his courage to Achilles in combat against a hate empath, a beast able to feed on emotion. Sabina, a young magician girl linked to the "Council of Merlin", sets free the beast while looking to draft some of Shazam's powers for herself and the Council.
, is suspect in this matter since Roy Harper
is imprisoned by the new regime for unspecified "trumped-up war crimes".
episode "Bereft", Qurac is mentioned by Batman
as being next to the Bialya
, that is being ruled by the Queen Bee
.
Fictional country
A fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life, or one that people believe in without proof....
in the DC universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. It is a tiny Middle Eastern country on the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, wedged between Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
. Qurac is often used when DC has need of a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
state in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
History
Qurac had a metahumanMetahuman
Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. Use of the term in reference to superheroes was coined in 1986 by author George R. R...
terrorist/mercenary strikeforce dubbed Onslaught
Onslaught (DC Comics)
The Onslaught are a fictional team of state sponsored super powered Quraci terrorists published by DC Comics.They first appeared in Suicide Squad series 1 #1, , and were created by John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell.-Publication history:The Onslaught is a team of super-powered international...
(formerly known as The Jihad), a frequent opponent of the Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X , is a name for two fictional organizations in the DC Comics Universe. The first version debuted in The Brave and the Bold #25 , and the second in Legends #3...
. The Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
served as Quraci ambassador to the US on two occasions, gaining diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments that ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws...
(a retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
of a story in which he represented Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and tried to assassinate the U.N., only being stopped when Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
- posing as a security guard- inhaled the Joker's lethal laughing gas and dumped it in space before it could do any damage).
Weapons designed by John Henry Irons
John Henry Irons
Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
, the future Steel
Steel (John Henry Irons)
Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
, were leaked by Amertek
Amertek
AmerTek Industries is a fictional corporation in the . They first appeared in Steel #1 .-Fictional history:AmerTek Industries is a military industrial firm that employed engineer Dr. John Henry Irons. Irons is the engineer that developed the BG-60, a powerful man-portable energy cannon, which is...
Enterprises to rebels in Qurac, resulting in many civilian deaths. Later, terrorists from Qurac staged a massive assault on the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
but were stopped by the Cyborg Superman
Hank Henshaw
Hank Henshaw is a fictional supervillain featured in the DC Comics universe. While originally featured primarily as an enemy of Superman, recent years have repositioned him as one of the main enemies of the Green Lantern Corps...
in one of his first appearances.
Cheshire
The assassin Cheshire detonates a nuclear warhead over the capital city, utterly destroying it in DeathstrokeDeathstroke
Deathstroke the Terminator , originally simply the Terminator, and known by the Teen Titans as Slade, is a fictional character, a supervillain and sometimes antihero in the DC Comics Universe. He is a mercenary and assassin who first appeared in The New Teen Titans #2...
, the Terminator #19. She is later captured and put on trial, as chronicled in The Titans. Many of the Quraci survivors mutate into superhuman forms as a result of the bomb's radiation. A confrontation with one of the many Titans teams led some of them to being forcibly removed to another dimension as a form of self defense.
The rest of the country manage to persevere, as indicated in Justice League Of America #85, 2003. Under the influence of an outside telepathic force, working through the Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
, the Quraci ruler draft plans of a merger between his country and Bialya
Bialya
Bialya is a fictional country appearing in many comic book series published by DC Comics. It was notably featured in issues of Justice League International as written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. It originally appeared in Justice League #2 -Fictional history:It has existed as a country since...
.
The novel Inheritance by Devin Grayson mentions Dabir, son of the new president of Qurac in the wake of Cheshire's attack, and his cousin Rashid.
Checkmate
The country shows up several times in CheckmateCheckmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
volume 1 when the agency attempted to foment civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
within its borders by backing pro-western rebels and again in (vol. 2) #6, when Rick Flag
Rick Flag
Rick Flag is the name of three fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are father, son, and grandson.The father, Richard Flag was in the original Suicide Squad, a World War II unit. After the war he was a member of Task Force X. The son, Rick Flag Jr...
is rescued from a secret Quraci prison by the Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger
Bronze Tiger is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. He is a martial artist who first appeared in Dragon's Fists, a novel by Dennis O'Neil and Jim Berry, starring Richard Dragon. His first DC Comics appearance was in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter.-Early years:Ben Turner comes...
.
Trials of Shazam
Achilles (the god of magic, not the mythological hero) surfaced in Qurac as a lieutenant in the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, asking Freddy Freeman, who sought to take up the mantle of the new Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
, to prove his courage to Achilles in combat against a hate empath, a beast able to feed on emotion. Sabina, a young magician girl linked to the "Council of Merlin", sets free the beast while looking to draft some of Shazam's powers for herself and the Council.
Red Hood & the Outlaws
Qurac is mentioned as having overthrown a "brutal dictator" and replaced him with a regime which is "just as bad", although the neutrality of the narrator, Jason ToddJason Todd
Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second Robin, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when the previous Robin went on to star in The New Teen Titans under the moniker of Nightwing.Though...
, is suspect in this matter since Roy Harper
Roy Harper (comics)
Roy Harper is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was known for over fifty years as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy. He first appeared alongside his mentor in More Fun Comics #73...
is imprisoned by the new regime for unspecified "trumped-up war crimes".
Other media
In the Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)
Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
episode "Bereft", Qurac is mentioned by Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
as being next to the Bialya
Bialya
Bialya is a fictional country appearing in many comic book series published by DC Comics. It was notably featured in issues of Justice League International as written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis. It originally appeared in Justice League #2 -Fictional history:It has existed as a country since...
, that is being ruled by the Queen Bee
Queen Bee (comics)
Queen Bee is the name of four different DC Comics supervillains.-Queen Bee :The leader of the hiveworld Korll, Zazzala lives only for the interstellar expansion of her species. Zazzala first appeared in Justice League of America #23...
.