Mercy Graves (DC Animated Universe)

Mercy Graves is a supporting antagonist in the DC Animated Universe. She is Lex Luthor's former bodyguard and the current CEO of LexCorp.

Mercy was voiced by Lisa Edelstein.

Biography[]

Lex's bodyguard[]

Little is known about Mercy's life before working under Lex Luthor, except that she lived on the streets until he took her in, cleaned her up, and made her his right-hand woman.

Mercy was loyal and respectful to Luthor, but never servile. There were some hints that she was attracted to Luthor, and fiercely resented any woman who came between them. When Luthor became unusually taken with Lana Lang, Mercy secretly followed her and discovered her passing information on Lex's activities to Superman. Mercy was proud of what she'd done, though Luthor took out his disappointment on her.

When Luthor was abducted by Brainiac, she once teamed up with Superman to find him. Superman was baffled by her loyalty to Luthor, initially believing that she had some dirty secret that Lex was threatening her with, and taken aback to hear her say she served Luthor willingly. Superman tried to convince her that Luthor did not return her loyalty, but she refused to listen.

In the ensuing battle with Brainiac, Mercy was pinned under a pile of fallen machinery while the room was caving in. She called for Luthor to help her, but he chose to save his own skin, leaving her to die. Instead, she was saved by Superman. Afterwards, she continued to serve Luthor, probably trying to forget his betrayal.

Becoming CEO of LexCorp[]

When Luthor went to prison, he appointed Mercy as acting head of LexCorp. She traded in her old driver's costume for a classy skirt and suit, while also growing out her hair. Somewhat to her own surprise, she thrived: not only did she save the company from the slump caused by Luthor's arrest, but she also made it more powerful and profitable than it had ever been. When Luthor, a fugitive from the Justice League, appeared in her (formerly his) office pleading for help, she coldly rejected him.

According to her, she had "figured out" that the only reason he left LexCorp in her care was because he thought of her as the only one so slavishly loyal to him that she'd hand it back when asked. Given this unflattering assessment of her character, and her undeniably excellent performance as a CEO, she said she no longer had to lick his boots. Luthor responded with violence, and she reluctantly guided him to Professor Ivo's residence, as he was seeking a cure for his Kryptonite poisoning.

Although the Justice League was searching for Luthor, she concealed his whereabouts and continued to aid him, albeit reluctantly. Even as she did so, he taunted her, saying she couldn't resist the attractions of his power and intelligence (implying that at some point in the past their relationship was more than platonic). However, after Luthor was humiliated by the android Amazo and sent back to prison, he called her on the phone, demanding that she obtain lawyers and medical experts for him. She just hung up on him coldly.

Later, however, after he was released from prison and received a full pardon from the President, Luthor regained control of LexCorp, and Mercy returned to his right side, implying that her newfound self-confidence had gone. Mercy was seen at a charity event for Lexor City in a dress, where Superman is distrustful of Luthor's motives.

After Luthor's arrest and his subsequent disappearance with Darkseid due to the Anti-Life Equation, it is possible that Mercy became the head of LexCorp once again.

Powers and Abilities[]

Though she usually relies on her cool and sardonic wit as her first form of defense, Mercy can be very physical and an absolute powerhouse in a fight, using a rough, street-like form of kickboxing as her preferred form of attack. She's also an expert with most forms of handheld weapons and has no problem with using them when she has to.

Gallery[]

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