Princess Aura is a fictional character in the

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established ''Buck Rogers'' adve ...

comic strips and serials. She has been portrayed by various actresses in the many ''Flash Gordon'' adaptations in film and television.

Character overview

Aura is the daughter of the series' villain,

Ming the Merciless Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, television series and film adaptation. Ming is depicted as ...

, but saves

from her father. She soon realizes that her love for Flash is unrequited, but later falls in love with

Prince Barin Prince Barin is a character in the Flash Gordon stories. He is king of a region of Mongo called Arboria. Barin becomes one of Flash's best friends, and is deeply in love with Princess Aura. In his appearance, Barin resembles the character of R ...

, the rightful heir to the throne of Mongo. She and Barin are eventually banished to the forest world of Arboria.

Appearances

Comic strips

Princess Aura first appeared in the fourth installment of the 1934 comic strip ''Flash Gordon''. She defies her father and saves Flash, but finds that she cannot seduce him away from

Dale Arden Dale Arden is a fictional character, the fellow adventurer and love interest of Flash Gordon and a prototypic heroine for later female characters, including Princess Leia and Padme Amidala in '' Star Wars''. Flash, Dale and Dr. Hans Zarkov fi ...

. Aura later falls in love with Prince Barin and marries him.

Film

In 1936, Princess Aura was portrayed by

Priscilla Lawson Priscilla Jones Lawson (née Shortridge, March 8, 1914 – August 27, 1958), was an American actress best known for her role as Princess Aura in the original ''Flash Gordon'' serial (1936). Early years Born in St. Paul, Indiana, Lawson was t ...

in the ''

'' film serial. In 1940, the role was portrayed by Shirley Deane in the third ''Flash Gordon'' serial, ''

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe ''Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe'' is a 1940 American black-and-white science fiction 12-chapter movie serial from Universal Pictures, produced by Henry MacRae and co-directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. The serial stars Buster Crabbe, Ca ...

''. In 1980, Princess Aura was portrayed by

Ornella Muti Ornella Muti (born Francesca Romana Rivelli; 9 March 1955) is an Italian actress. She made her film debut as Francesca Cimarosa in the 1970 film ''La moglie più bella.'' Early life Muti was born in Rome to a Neapolitan journalist father and I ...

in the film ''

'' produced by

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

and is shown to have numerous lovers. She saves Flash from death with the help of one of her lovers, a royal doctor who revives Flash after Ming tries executing him in a gas chamber.

Television

Melendy Britt Melendy Britt (born October 31, 1943) is an American actress who has been active in television and voice acting since the 1970s. Career Britt's most notable animated work is for Filmation, voicing characters such as She-Ra, and the second a ...

provided the voice of Princess Aura in the 1979

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and pr ...

animated series. She was portrayed as Ming the Merciless' daughter, who at first assists her father in battling Flash and company, but turns against him and joins the rebel forces of Mongo. She also has an elite guard of female warriors under her command known as the Witch-Women. After Ming is removed from power, the Witch-Women remain in Princess Aura's service. Princess Aura also initially resents Dale Arden and rejects Prince Barin's affections, but would become the former's friend and the latter's love interest as the series progressed. Consequently, her attraction to Flash is downplayed and does not resurface after her desertion of her father. In the 1996 ''

'' animated series, Princess Aura is a sympathetic character, who often defies her father because of her attraction to Flash, or for the sake of her mother. In this version, Aura has green skin, but is otherwise perfectly human, even though her father Ming is reptilian. She is voiced by

Tracey Hoyt Tracey Hoyt (born January 14, 1964 in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian voice actress and alumna of York University and the Second City National Touring Company (Toronto), possessing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance. She p ...

. Anna Van Hooft portrayed Princess Aura in the 2007 ''

'' television series. She is once again portrayed as a sympathetic character. Unlike the comic, she has a brother and her mother is alive. She vainly seeks her father's approval but Ming, like most other characters on the show, regards her with a mixture of pity and contempt. She also is in love with Flash and has a rivalry with Dale who looks down on her as a "royal little brat".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aura, Princess Comics characters introduced in 1934 Fictional princesses Flash Gordon characters Female characters in comics