Queen Marlena (DC Comics)

Queen Marlena as he appears throughout DC storylines and mini-series.

Pre-Crisis
The stories written by Paul Kupperberg for DC Comics were the first to present the King and Queen of Eternia as an older couple, the same way they would be presented in the second wave of minicomics.

With the introduction of Prince Adam in the Paul Kupperberg stories for DC Comics, both the king and queen take on a larger role, with the unnamed king expressing diappointment in his son's antics and the queen always taking Adam's side. The queen's backstory as an Earth astronaut is first indicated in From Eternia -- With Death!, to explain how He-Man is familiar with the exploits of the visiting Superman. Marlena was not named until To Tempt the Gods!, which fleshed out her origins.

When He-Man first met the King and Queen face to face, he was afraid they might recognize him as their son, as only his clothes differentiated the two identies from each other. While the Queen did notice a resemblance between He-Man and Adam, the King did not, and lamented the fact that he did not have as strong and powerfull an heir as He-Man.

Appearances

 * From Eternia -- With Death! (referenced only)
 * Fate is the Killer
 * To Tempt the Gods! (first identified as Marlena)