Mantis

Mantis is a New God of Apokolips. Possessing the ability to generate, emit and absorb unlimited amounts of energy from any power source, Mantis is considered to be one of the most powerful New Gods in existence. Often serving as an agent in Darkseid's quest for the Anti-Life Equation, it has become abundantly clear that Mantis' motives are his own and that he is willing to battle against any New God, from both Apokolips and New Genesis, in order to achieve them.

Background
Born as a Bug of New Genesis, Mantis was bestowed with the right and ability to rule as a "Prime One" within the Insect Empire, however, tradition holds within the kingdom that the fate of the "Prime One" is to wield unlimited power for a period of time before being killed by the "All-Widow" in a sacrificial ritual. Surviving the sacrificial ritual, Mantis went renegade along with his follower Bugs and migrated from New Genesis to Apokolips where, in return for his fealty, Darkseid gifted him with great power.

With his newly enhanced abilities, Mantis chose to conquer the planet Earth with Darkseid's blessing, who hoped that the chaos Mantis created would help him in locating a human mind holding a fragment of the Anti-life Equation. However, before either one could achieve their ends, the Forever People summoned the Infinity Man to defeat Mantis and ended his first assault on Earth. Mantis then organized the inhabitants of the Bug colonies of New Genesis into an army and attempted another invasion of Earth. The combined forces of Lightray, Orion and the Bug champion Forager battled Mantis and his army until he was forced to retreat again. Some years later, Mantis, on behalf of Darkseid, destroyed some of the bug colonies on New Genesis, to which Orion retaliated by hunting him down and nearly killing him.

As time wore on, Mantis went on to aid Darkseid in his continual attempts to conquer the Earth. During Orion's temporary reign on Apokolips, Mantis returned to New Genesis in order to plant firepits on the planet and convert it into a new Apokolips, however, he was quickly stopped by Mark Moonrider and Big Bear of the Forever People.

Villains

 * Mantis appears randomly near the eastern teleporters in the Hall of Doom's Sabotage Chamber

Trivia

 * Mantis first appeared in Forever People #2, (June 1971)
 * To regain his strength after a losing battle, Mantis rests in a tomb-like cocoon that re-energizes his abilities.