Lords of Chaos and Order

The Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order are complementary groups of supernatural entities with godlike powers that appear in DC Comics, most notably as part of the back-story of Doctor Fate. They have also been retconned into the back-stories of Kid Eternity and Hawk and Dove.

The two sides have been fighting for eons, but there is a whole cycle to it. First Order is dominant, then Chaos increases to become dominant then the end of everything and it starts all over. Originally, the fight was depicted as one between Good (Order) and Evil (Chaos); but these days neither side is shown to be all that positive: too much order is stagnation and too much chaos is anarchy.

Although they can take physical form by possessing a living being (as Nabu and Mordru have), they are really bundles of mystical energy who usually depend on servants such as Hawk and Dove or Kid Eternity to accomplish their goals. This is the case with T'Charr and Terataya, the Lords of Chaos and Order respectively, who were revealed years later to be the mysterious voices that gave Hawk and Dove their powers.

The most prominent Lord of Order is Nabu, who for years was the power source for Dr. Fate. When Kent Nelson, the original Dr. Fate, put on the helmet, Nabu would take over and more or less be Dr. Fate. Originally, Dr. Fate was depicted as an agent for Order and thus for the forces of Good; since the standings of the sides were revised, it was revealed that Fate's role is intended to be as an agent of balance between order and chaos. (Nabu is named after a god from Babylonian mythology and in the DC Universe is perhaps meant to be one and the same.)

agents of order are: Dove and Dr. Fate (except Hector Hall).

Similarly the most prominent Lord of Chaos is Mordru who has plagued Dr.Fate and the JSA for years. He has attained near or complete omnipotence more then once, but has always been defeated by either Nabu or Dr.fate.

Agents of chaos are: Kid Eternity and Hawk.

A Lord of Order and Lord of Chaos were also sent to the Dreaming as representatives of their realms in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, in Season of Mists. The former manifested as a lidless box with a servant djinn holding it, and the latter as a young blonde girl with a balloon.

In Day Of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special, the Spectre claimed to have killed all the Lords of Order and Chaos, finishing with Nabu, but that does not mean the Spectre was right. In point of fact, the Spectre was wrong about numerous things during that storyline. In the case of Amethyst, due to the fact that she aided in the reconstruction of the Rock of Eternity, as well as her connection to the 30th Century through the Legion of Super Heroes. This fact was further cemented as Amethyst was seen departing from the Rock in the last page of the Special, thereby making her the last surviving Lord of Order

Their deaths signaled the end of the Ninth Age, thereby triggering the start of the Tenth Age of magic. What Lords there will be in this new age and what role Amethyst will play has yet to be determined.