Secret (Greta Hayes)

Secret (Greta Hayes) is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Comics universe.

Secret
Secret, by Todd Nauck
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Young Justice: The Secret #1 (June, 1998)
Created by	Todd Dezago (Writer) Todd Nauck (Artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Greta Hayes
Team affiliations	Young Justice
Abilities	Formerly the ability to fly, teleport, shape-shift, become ethereal, possession, and take souls to the afterlife.

Fictional character biography

Secret first appeared in a one-shot comic, part of the Girlfrenzy fifth week event, by Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck called Young Justice: The Secret, in which Robin, Impulse, and Superboy helped her to escape from the DEO (Department of Extranormal Operations) agents who were holding her against her will. Secret was incorporeal, able to take on a variety of appearances, and is referred to as "the mist girl" or "the bottle girl" by the various agents who pursue her throughout the run of Young Justice.

Eventually, her origin was revealed: Secret was once an ordinary girl named Greta, whose adoptive brother Billy killed her as part of his plan to become the supervillain Harm. Because of the manner of her death, Greta remained stuck on this plane of existence, a gateway between the living and the dead. Billy himself, after attacking the team, died when his own father shot him. Billy returned during the Day of Judgment storyline, as the entirety of Hell had been evacuated. He again battled the team, using the substance of Secret.

Secret joined Young Justice along with Wonder Girl and Arrowette.[1] She was often referred to as "Suzie" because her real name was unknown at the time. Secret became good friends with the two girls, and was often portrayed as shy. She nursed a crush on Robin throughout the series, and often defended his actions and followed his leadership without doubt. She also expressed jealousy of Spoiler, Robin's girlfriend, to the point where the pair of them had a full-out battle across Gotham City, that was stopped by the combined efforts of Red Tornado and Robin.

In an alternate reality, Secret's powers had been taken on by Billy. Ironically, Billy fought for what he perceived as justice in this form.

During the Sins of Youth storyline, a temporarily adult Secret, with the aid of Deadman, chased down Teekl, the feline familiar of the villain Klarion the Witch Boy. Surprising her age-altered friends, she caused Klarion to back down by threatening to kill Teekl. When undoing everything he had done, Klarion insisted that it was everyone or nothing. Secret didn't want to change back, but was persuaded by Robin, who promised to always be there for her. As predicted by the nearby hero Merry Pemberton, this would later cause many problems. Secret would even go so far as to physically threaten Spoiler.

During the time when Hal Jordan tried to mentor Secret, she visited her father in jail. Under the mental influence of Billy, her father rejected her, leaving her more despondent than before.

Secret eventually gave in to the darkness in her nature at the behest of Darkseid, whom she mistakenly called 'Doug Side'. During her time on Darkseid's planet of Apokolips, Billy, possessing her father, launched the body into one of the firepits, killing them both. Although Secret's mentor, Hal Jordan had offered to step in and save Greta, as well as the world, the current team advisor Snapper Carr rejected the offer, preferring that the kids use Secret's turning evil as a 'learning experience'. Tim was able to talk her down. In the last issue of Young Justice, a disgusted Darkseid stripped her of her powers, leaving her an ordinary, living girl, and thus resurrected from her death, which was ironically just as she always wanted to be.

Finally having a life of her own, she attends the Elias School for Girls, along with Cassandra Sandsmark and Cissie King-Jones.

Powers and abilities

As a ghost, Secret can fly, teleport, shapeshift, become ethereal, possess any sentient beings, and take souls to the "other side".

In other media

Television

• Secret appears in the Young Justice episode "Secrets" voiced by Masasa Moyo. She is first seen watching Artemis and Zatanna while the two girls are visiting Manhattan on Halloween night, and attempts to help them when Harm pursues them with the Sword of Beowulf. After the two heroines are captured by Harm, Secret rescues Zatanna by pulling off the duct tape gag that Harm put on her mouth, allowing her to access her spellcasting abilities again. Zatanna and Artemis eventually learn that Secret is Harm's younger sister Greta, whom he murdered in order to cut himself off from any emotional attachments as part of his quest for power. When Harm finds Artemis and Zatanna again, Artemis berates him for killing his sister and apparently having the nerve to write "beloved" on her grave marker. Harm tells her he truly loved Greta, but she had to be cut out for him to become pure. Greta reappears and Harm sees she is his sister. Harm tries to deny any regret for murdering her, but to no avail. Greta reaches into Harm's heart and removes the purity that allowed him to wield the sword, rendering him powerless. After the two heroines defeat Harm, Greta vanishes into the afterlife, with Zatanna promising to give her a proper burial. In this appearance, Secret can only communicate by repeating the word "Secret". Artemis learns after Secret leaves that she draws this from the House of Secrets, an establishment across the street from the Hayes family's backyard, musing the building's neon sign, specifically "secret", the only part of it not burned out, was likely the last thing she saw before being murdered by her brother.

Miscellaneous

In Teen Titans Go! #48, Killowat stays in the Titans universe for some time. He came into their world when Raven heard his cry for help from his dimension and pulled him into her dimension. Now Raven thinks she found a way to send him back, but she makes a mistake and sends him to a different universe. When trying to refix her mistake, Raven brings the Herald and they open many portals together. Secret was featured in one of the portals to another Earth. She does not have any lines in the comic.

References

1. Young Justice 04 (1999)

External links

• Secret at DC Comics Wiki