Manitou Raven, also known as simply Raven or The Manitou, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books publshed by DC Comics. Created by Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke, he first appeared in JLA #66 (July 2002). The character is a recurring Native American superhero within the DC Comics universe. Born thousands of years ago in North America, he is associated with the ancestor tribe of the Apache people. Initially portrayed as an antagonist, he collaborates with the sorceress Gamemnae and the League of Ancients. Later in the narrative, the character, along with his wife named Dawn, embarks on a journey to the future and becomes a member of the Justice League Elite, an elite black-ops group. Taking on the role of a mystic consultant for both the Justice League and the team itself after Jason Blood's departure, the character eventually meets his demise but continues to exist as a spirit. He bestows the title of "Manitou" upon his wife, who then becomes known as Manitou Dawn and inherits his powers. At some point prior to the Lazarus Planet crossover event, the character appears to be revived, although the specific details surrounding this revival remain unclear.
Fictional character biography
Manitou Raven and his wife Dawn hail from the Obsidian Age of Atlantis, circa 1000 BC. They were born in North America, from a tribe which would one day become the Apache Tribe. Few details are known about Raven's early life. It is also unclear whether his command of mystical forces was learned or innate. Raven was recruited by the rulers of Atlantis—Rama Khan and Gamemnae—to join heroes from across the globe (and from rival societies) and form a multicultural "League of Ancients".
When Gamemnae had a prophetic vision of a "seven-headed hydra" from the future that would threaten Atlantis, Raven and a super-powered Aztec warrior called Tezumak journeyed to the 21st century to battle the threat. While there, they concluded that the "hydra" was the Justice League, but they were unable to defeat the League and barely managed to return to Atlantis to alert the Ancients that the JLA were en route. The JLA ultimately traveled back to the Ancients' time and were slain. During the fight, Raven witnessed Green Lantern Kyle Rayner's bravery; Rayner turned his attention from the fight to save innocent Atlanteans simply because they were in danger, even after they had shown him and his friends nothing but fear. Raven also tested Batman with his father's tomahawk, which has an enchantment that prevents it from piercing the skin of a good man. These events caused Raven to question the prophecy condemning the Justice League. Confronting Gamemnae, he learned that her vision was a lie; an Atlantean outcast, she had raised the city to the surface and restored the inhabitants' ability to breathe air with the intention of turning them into a world-conquering empire with herself as ruler, but when Aquaman and his people arrived from the future, she learned that her plans were destined to fail, and resolved to kill the Justice League when they came to rescue Aquaman in order to prevent their future.
Using Rayner's heart (Kyle having willingly sacrificed himself for the plan to work) and the souls of the slain JLA members, Raven cast a powerful containment spell around Atlantis that effectively trapped the evil Gamemnae. Eventually another team of Leaguers - consisting of Nightwing, Zatanna, Firestorm and Hawkgirl - arrived from the future, helping Aquaman to sink Atlantis to disrupt Gamemnae's bond with the city in the past, while the other League members in the future- the future Raven, Green Arrow, the Atom, Jason Blood, Major Disaster, Garth, and Faith - vanquished Gamemnae by tricking her into resurrecting the original League (Raven had reanimated them as corpses to fight the flesh-absorbing Gamemnae, forcing Gamemnae to bring them back to life so she could effectively kill them). Afterwards, with his alternate future self having sacrificed himself to defeat Gamemnae, the past versions of Raven and Dawn chose to accompany the Justice League and the returning Atlanteans into the future. Following this, Jason Blood left the JLA and suggested Manitou Raven as his replacement. Superman formally admitted him soon thereafter.