Cleopatra (Sarah Brandeis)

© Juke Box Productions AstroFacts Status: Active Real Name: Sarah Brandeis Origin: Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #1 Affiliation: Honor Guard; formerly with the Omega Rangers Base of Operations: Astro City Range of Operations: Global, Intergalactic, Interdimensional Personal Data InfoDump Headlines: December 12, 1995: Cleopatra vs Gnomicron Appearances (in Publication Order): Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.1 #1, 6 Kurt Busiek's Astro City Vol.2 #1, 6, 7, 9, 19, 20, 22 Astro City: Local Heroes #1, 3 Astro City: Beautie #1 Astro City: The Dark Age Book Three #1, 4 Astro City #1, 2, 3, 6 Event Timeline 1982     Current Omega Rangers Join the Battle Against Kerresh the Devaster. 1996/01     Current Samaritan Goes On a Prearranged Blind Date With Winged Victory. 1996/01     Dialog Tornado Threatening Topeka. 1996/09     Current Heroes of Astro City battle Thunderhead. 1996/09     Current Thunderhead has a Tantrum in Astro City, Cleopatra saves an old man from falling to his death. 1997/07     Current Honor Guard battle an alien scout ship(assumed to be Enelsian) orbiting Earth. 2003     Current East Coast Crime Families Meet With Demolitia and Slamburger. 2004/10     Current Omnius Rex/Danielle Battles Honor Guard. 2013/06     Current Heroes of Astro City Attempt to Open the Doors En Masse. 2013/??/??     Current Honor Guard Stops Lord Volcanus' Plot to Conquer the Surface World. 2014/11     Current Honor Guard's Meeting Room hosts Red Cake Day. Cleopatra (Sarah Brandeis) A current member of Honor Guard, Cleopatra protects Astro City and the rest of the world from various magic-based menaces. She is the successor (of sorts) to the original Cleopatra. History How It All Began Sarah Brandeis was a regular working woman, assisting the archaeologist Dr. McGillicuddy. During his work, he found the Gem of Thebis, an item of great magic power. The sinister Hellsignor came seeking it, clashing with various superheroes in the process. To prevent the necklaced gem from falling into his hands, the Point Man, member of the Omega Rangers, tossed the artifact around Sarah's neck. In that moment, for better or worse, she found the power and responsibility of Cleopatra irrevocably thrust upon her. The Omega Rangers helped her adjust to what she had become, and her high intelligence and powerful skills, quickly earned her membership with them. Her Early Years With Honor Guard Mr. Smartie Notes: Piece together a history of her activities with Honor Guard prior to the current Astro City series. Current Honor Guard Activities In the present day, she continues to serve with Honor Guard, as both a fighting member, and—it appears—part of the management team, guiding employees of Honor Guard's Emergency Call Center, a complex and highly sophisticated organization for gathering intelligence information, screening incoming emergency calls and monitoring world crisis situations. She was among the superheroes who investigated Telseth's doorway and witnessed his arrival on Earth. ("Through Open Doors (Part One)") When Honor Guard made a charity appearance in Australia, she took the time to personally thank the Contact Center employees who organized it, congratulating them on the good work. ("Welcome to HumanoGlobal") Alongside the rest of the team, she laid siege to the Skullcrushers' hidden base in Ecuador. When the Assemblyman was able to create a portal into the facility, she was part of the squad that went in. Afterwards, she spoke to Marella Cowper, a guilt-plagued Honor Guard employee who felt all the violence was due to a mistake on her part. Cleopatra convinced her that she deserved to keep her job, that it was employees who worked to fix their mistakes who're the keepers. ("Mistakes") She fought the Ore-Master in his debut crime, when he attacked the home of a mining executive. He escaped that time, but he resurfaced to continue his vendetta, this time on a mine itself in Canada, and Cleopatra brought him down. ("Through Open Doors (Part Two)") Powers Cleopatra carries the Sun-Staff of Ra which the first Cleopatra also wielded in a somewhat different form. This mystic weapon can generate a pyramid-shaped force field called a "Power-Pyramid." By controlling their size, she uses them to bind adversaries. She or her staff also possess a weather-shaping ability, and many are the foes who've been harried by storm and struck by lightning. She can survive in space without artificial protective gear, and she can fly. Some of these powers may be natural, while others might be dependent upon magical forces within her staff. Cleopatra has significant super-strength, placing her with the highest echelon of super-powered entities--like Samaritan and The Gentleman. Observations She is the second superhero to bear the name Cleopatra. Sarah's regular, casual speech was noticeably different from Cleopatra's grand, formal elocution. As Cleopatra, she sometimes even referred to herself in the third person. However, in her most recent appearances, Cleopatra is talking much more like a regular 21st century woman, perhaps indicative of some change in the very nature of the transformation. In the story "Her Dark Plastic Roots", following an adventure with Honor Guard, she casually mentions an "afternoon lecture" as part of her schedule for the day. Considering her connection to Dr. McGillicuddy, this might indicate her position as a professor of archaeology at an area university. She switches between her Sarah Brandeis and Cleopatra IDs via transformation. Speculations, Theories Based on her being in her early 20s at the time of her origin (1982), her age should range between the late 40s to early 50s. Her powers also seem to preserve her age, and her beauty. Other Timelines Cleopatra (Sarah Brandeis)