Black Zero
Encyclopedia
Black Zero is a name shared by two supervillain
s, two terrorist
organizations, one special forces group, and a computer virus that have all appeared in various comic book
series published by DC Comics
.
(vol. 1) #205 (1968), in a story entitled "The Man Who Destroyed Krypton" written by Otto Binder
with artwork by Al Plastino
. This Black Zero revealed to Superman
that he was a space saboteur who destroyed planets. He had been hired to destroy Krypton
, and discovered that the internal stresses which would have destroyed it in any case were dying down, necessitating his involvement to ensure it exploded.
In the present day, Black Zero came to Earth, threatening to destroy it as he did Krypton. In desperation, Superman released Jax-Ur
, a prisoner of the Phantom Zone
, who wished to avenge Krypton's destruction. As he launched a devastatingly powerful missile toward Earth, Black Zero attacked Jax-Ur with a red Kryptonite
bullet, causing his body to mutate wildly into several serpent-like forms. This proved to be Black Zero's undoing; While Superman saved the Earth from the missile, Jax-Ur transformed into a Medusa
-like form, turning Black Zero to stone with his gaze. Black Zero's body was then shattered by Jax-Ur, in recompense for what he had done to Krypton.
This story suggests that were it not for something none of them knew, Jor-El
would have been wrong and the Science Council right. E. Nelson Bridwell
hypothesized that what Black Zero had noticed was the Green Lantern
Tomar Re's attempts to prevent the destruction (as seen in Superman (vol. 1) #257 (1972)), meaning the two sets of interference canceled each other out, and Jor-El was right.
. Although later described as a "clone liberation movement" in Superboy (vol. 3) #61, Black Zero was described as a "terrorist" organization that was ultimately responsible for the destruction of Krypton
: in the Third Age of Krypton, Kryptonians extended their lives by maintaining clone
s in suspended animation (the Clone Banks), which they then harvested for body parts. Trouble in Kryptonian society concerning this issue emerged after it became publicly known that a prominent citizen raised a copy of herself in order to marry this clone to her own son. The enraged son publicly confronted his mother (after presumably killing the clone wife) and shot her, but was forcibly stopped from killing himself. After widespread public knowledge ensued concerning the fact that a clone was allowed to achieve full sentience as a living being, a new Kryptonian war began. Prominently featured in this war was the Black Zero organization, which acted against this "genetic slavery"; this began the War of Clone Rights, which lasted for a millennium. In their final act, Black Zero detonated a device that would later become known as the Destroyer. In essence, this device functioned as a giant nuclear gun, that fired a concentrated, sustained burst of nuclear energy directly into Krypton's core. Though subsequently destroyed by an ancestor of Jor-El himself, the Destroyer's effect would later be fully realized; It would cause a chain reaction deep within Krypton that would later obliterate the planet.
A second Black Zero group appeared in the 2005 graphic novel, Superman: Infinite City.
Most recently, the name "Black Zero" was used by an elite Kryptonian military force, under the command of Ursa. This unit included Thara Ak-Var
's parents. The unit, except for Ursa, was killed attempting to defend Kandor
from Brainiac
.
. An intelligent computer virus
created by the terrorist group, Black Zero II was dormant in the Kryptonian technology used to create the Fortress of Solitude
. After being inadvertently activated by Apparition, Black Zero II ran Superman and the Legion through a warped version of Kryptonian history, intending to finish with the destruction of Earth. It was halted when Brainiac 5
inadvertently caused a power outage, and subsequently removed the virus from the Fortress' computers.
Vol. 3 #61 as part of the '"Hypertension" storyline and was created by Karl Kesel
and Tom Grummett
.
from a reality in which Superman
never returned from the dead after his battle with Doomsday
. This reality mirrored the main continuity with Paul Westfield, the Executive Director of Project Cadmus
, secretly using his own cellstock for his team of scientists to immediately create a human clone that would be genetically engineered to look like Superman with powers deriving from a telekinetic field. Instead of the Newsboy Legion clones releasing him prematurely, the clone went through the full artificial maturation process to match the age of the original and became the new Superman. However, he believed that he was perceived as a usurper and resented by the people for not being the original Superman. During a battle with his reality's versions of Brainiac
, Maxima
, and some of the original Superman's deadliest enemies that led to the deaths of Supergirl
and Brainiac along with three hundred and eighteen civilians, a public backlash began against the new Superman and other clones that the people dubbed "genetix"; this led to Congress demanding the shutdown of Project Cadmus with the Guardian
and the original directors of Project Cadmus
sans Westfield abandoning the project.
After the Guardian was killed by an anti-genetix mob, the new Superman retreated to the original Superman's Fortress of Solitude
and sought guidance from Kryptonian history. When he learned of the Black Zero clone liberation movement from Krypton, he discarded the name of Superman and took Black Zero as his new name. He decided to defend genetix everywhere and stop the anti-clone lobby by any means necessary. Turning Project Cadmus into Fortress Cadmus and creating an army of Guardian clones known as Stormguards with no previous memories of the original Guardian, Black Zero began a war in which most of his Earth's heroes were destroyed and cloned as soldiers for Cadmus with extreme changes by his head geneticist Dabney Donovan
.
After conquering his Earth, Black Zero became aware of the existence of other realities when he encountered the Challengers of the Unknown
, who arrived to his homeworld from a dimensional doorway. Metron
of the New Gods
, who appeared shortly after the Challengers, struck an agreement with Black Zero and offered him the chance to enter Hypertime
via the construction of a reactor powered by the element Hyperium. Black Zero "rescued" other worlds in which he felt that genetix were being oppressed and left the conquered world's version of Paul Westfield in charge of the genetix on that world. The Challengers attempted to stop him by launching commando raids against Black Zero and his forces and smuggling themselves to whatever world was next in his crusade. To Black Zero's bafflement, the Superboys of these worlds often stood against him, leading him to store them in stasis chambers similar to the clone banks of Krypton
. A Superboy from another reality that Black Zero tried to conquer escaped with a stolen Hyperjacket from Fortress Cadmus, but was shot with a laser by the Paul Westfield of his reality resulting in fatal burns. He warned the Justice League
of the main continuity of Black Zero's coming before he died. Learning that the deceased Superboy was a genetic match and using the Hyperjacket repaired by the Gadget Guru of the Hairies, the Superboy of the main continuity traveled to other worlds where he learned of Black Zero and eventually landed on an Earth in which Superboy was Kal-El
.
After Superboy was in possession of the hyperjacket, Black Zero followed him to each world that he visited, capturing all of the versions of Superboy that Kon-El encountered. When he reached the world of the Kal-El Superboy, he captured Krypto and ambushed both Kon-El and Kal-El using his Stormguard forces and his own powers. Learning that Superboy wasn't the Superboy that stole the hyperjacket, Black Zero sent him to Fortress Cadmus and revealed his true identity and told his story to Superboy via the latter in a mnemonic chair that showed parts of Black Zero's life in virtual reality. He revealed his plans to take over Superboy's reality, which he used a supposed anti-clone sentiment as justification, and to use one of the Doomsdays
that he collected from alternate realities against Superman. After revealing his plan, a reformed version of Knockout
from the deceased Superboy's world attacked with the Challengers of The Unknown, posing as Stormguards, and went after her reality's Paul Westfield. Westfield leaped into the Hyperium reactor and unknowingly erased every Paul Westfield in existence as well as himself. Angry at the loss of Westfield, who he considered a father figure, Black Zero sent Superboy, Knockout, and the Challengers to the Doomsday chamber to be destroyed while he prepared to take over the next world. Superboy and the Challengers escaped with Knockout making the ultimate sacrifice against the Doomsdays.
Black Zero was eventually defeated by a combined effort from Superboy, the Challengers of the Unknown
, and all the other Superboys imprisoned at Fortress Cadmus. After Metron sends the Superboys and Stormguards back the their own realities along with immobilizing Black Zero with a Mother Box
, he provides a ship for the Challengers and Superboy to fly through the hyperium reactor and into a hyperstorm to return home. Superboy intended to take Black Zero to his homeworld to keep watch over him, but Black Zero attacks the ship with his tactile telekinesis. Superboy dives into the hyperstorm and is almost struck by it until Black Zero rescued Superboy and saves the Challengers except for Matthew "Red" Ryan. Superboy attempted to convince Black Zero that his mission was wrong and to give people a chance, but Black Zero is engulfed by hyperstorm energy and disappears before responding to Superboy.
After his "death", Black Zero became a reminder to Superboy as to what could happen if he ever went out of control. During a battle with Etrigan over an enchanted armored gauntlet known as "Hyssa's Fist", Superboy puts on the gauntlet and while his strength increased, his costume was transformed into an exact copy of Black Zero's costume with the S-shield on the gold harness. He quickly used his tactile telekinesis to disassemble the gauntlet from his right hand.
". Like Superboy, it is a telekinetic force field that surrounds his body and allows him to simulate speed, strength, flight and invulnerability. Tactile telekinesis also allows him to disassemble machines and other complex constructions by touch. But unlike Superboy, Black Zero's field provides him with resistance to energy attacks and he could use tactile telekinesis to telekinetically hold an opponent immobile.
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s, two terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
organizations, one special forces group, and a computer virus that have all appeared in various comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
.
Fictional Character biography
The original Black Zero appeared pre-Crisis in SupermanSuperman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
(vol. 1) #205 (1968), in a story entitled "The Man Who Destroyed Krypton" written by Otto Binder
Otto Binder
Otto Oscar Binder was an American author of science fiction and non-fiction books and stories, and comic books...
with artwork by Al Plastino
Al Plastino
Al Plastino is an American comic book artist best known as one of the most prolific Superman artists of the 1950s, along with his DC Comics colleague Wayne Boring...
. This Black Zero revealed to Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
that he was a space saboteur who destroyed planets. He had been hired to destroy Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
, and discovered that the internal stresses which would have destroyed it in any case were dying down, necessitating his involvement to ensure it exploded.
In the present day, Black Zero came to Earth, threatening to destroy it as he did Krypton. In desperation, Superman released Jax-Ur
Jax-Ur
Jax-Ur is a fictional character, a Kryptonian supervillain in the . He first appears in Adventure Comics #289 and was created by Otto Binder and George Papp.-Pre-Crisis:Jax-Ur was an amoral and criminally deviant scientist on the planet Krypton...
, a prisoner of the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
, who wished to avenge Krypton's destruction. As he launched a devastatingly powerful missile toward Earth, Black Zero attacked Jax-Ur with a red Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
bullet, causing his body to mutate wildly into several serpent-like forms. This proved to be Black Zero's undoing; While Superman saved the Earth from the missile, Jax-Ur transformed into a Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
-like form, turning Black Zero to stone with his gaze. Black Zero's body was then shattered by Jax-Ur, in recompense for what he had done to Krypton.
This story suggests that were it not for something none of them knew, Jor-El
Jor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
would have been wrong and the Science Council right. E. Nelson Bridwell
E. Nelson Bridwell
Edward Nelson Bridwell was a writer for Mad magazine and various comic books published by DC Comics. One of the writers for the Batman comic strip and Super Friends, he also wrote The Inferior Five, among other comics...
hypothesized that what Black Zero had noticed was the Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
Tomar Re's attempts to prevent the destruction (as seen in Superman (vol. 1) #257 (1972)), meaning the two sets of interference canceled each other out, and Jor-El was right.
Power and Abilities
Black Zero had the ability to create "psycho-molecules" with his mind, which he could then shape into any form of matter he chose. His brain had been fitted with a plastic coating, preventing him from being hypnotised. He could make his body intangible, enabling him to pass through solid objects. He was a skilled engineer, able to create weapons and devices that could destroy entire planets. He was also skilled in the art of disguise.Black Zero organizations
The first post-Crisis version of Black Zero appeared in the 1988 World of Krypton miniseries written by John Byrne and illustrated by Mike MignolaMike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
. Although later described as a "clone liberation movement" in Superboy (vol. 3) #61, Black Zero was described as a "terrorist" organization that was ultimately responsible for the destruction of Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
: in the Third Age of Krypton, Kryptonians extended their lives by maintaining clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
s in suspended animation (the Clone Banks), which they then harvested for body parts. Trouble in Kryptonian society concerning this issue emerged after it became publicly known that a prominent citizen raised a copy of herself in order to marry this clone to her own son. The enraged son publicly confronted his mother (after presumably killing the clone wife) and shot her, but was forcibly stopped from killing himself. After widespread public knowledge ensued concerning the fact that a clone was allowed to achieve full sentience as a living being, a new Kryptonian war began. Prominently featured in this war was the Black Zero organization, which acted against this "genetic slavery"; this began the War of Clone Rights, which lasted for a millennium. In their final act, Black Zero detonated a device that would later become known as the Destroyer. In essence, this device functioned as a giant nuclear gun, that fired a concentrated, sustained burst of nuclear energy directly into Krypton's core. Though subsequently destroyed by an ancestor of Jor-El himself, the Destroyer's effect would later be fully realized; It would cause a chain reaction deep within Krypton that would later obliterate the planet.
A second Black Zero group appeared in the 2005 graphic novel, Superman: Infinite City.
Most recently, the name "Black Zero" was used by an elite Kryptonian military force, under the command of Ursa. This unit included Thara Ak-Var
Flamebird
Flamebird is the name used by six different fictional comic book characters who have appeared in books published by DC Comics, specifically from the Superman and Batman mythos....
's parents. The unit, except for Ursa, was killed attempting to defend Kandor
Kandor
Kandor is the name of the former capital city of the fictional planet Krypton in the DC Universe. It is best known for being stolen and miniaturized by the supervillain Brainiac...
from Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
.
The "Black Zero II" computer virus
The Black Zero virus appeared in Superman Plus, a 1997 one-shot teaming Superman with the Legion of Super-HeroesLegion of Super-Heroes (1994 team)
The 1994 version of the Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 31st century of the DC Universe. The team is the second major incarnation of the Legion of Super-Heroes after the 1958 version and followed by the 2004 version. It first appears in Legion of Super-Heroes The 1994...
. An intelligent computer virus
Computer virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability...
created by the terrorist group, Black Zero II was dormant in the Kryptonian technology used to create the Fortress of Solitude
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
. After being inadvertently activated by Apparition, Black Zero II ran Superman and the Legion through a warped version of Kryptonian history, intending to finish with the destruction of Earth. It was halted when Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
inadvertently caused a power outage, and subsequently removed the virus from the Fortress' computers.
Black Zero (Superboy)
The second Black Zero is a fictional character, a supervillain from the DC Comics universe. The character first appeared in SuperboySuperboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
Vol. 3 #61 as part of the '"Hypertension" storyline and was created by Karl Kesel
Karl Kesel
Karl Kesel is an American comics writer and inker whose works have primarily been under contract for DC Comics...
and Tom Grummett
Tom Grummett
Thomas "Tom" Grummett is a Canadian comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work as penciller on titles such as The New Titans, The Adventures of Superman, Superboy, Power Company, Robin, New Thunderbolts and Heroes.During his run on The Adventures of Superman, Grummett and...
.
Fictional character biography
Black Zero was an alternate version of SuperboySuperboy (Kon-El)
Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
from a reality in which Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
never returned from the dead after his battle with Doomsday
The Death of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is a 1992 comic book storyline that occurred in DC Comics' Superman titles. The completed multi-issue story arc was given the title The Death and Return of Superman....
. This reality mirrored the main continuity with Paul Westfield, the Executive Director of Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus
Project Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
, secretly using his own cellstock for his team of scientists to immediately create a human clone that would be genetically engineered to look like Superman with powers deriving from a telekinetic field. Instead of the Newsboy Legion clones releasing him prematurely, the clone went through the full artificial maturation process to match the age of the original and became the new Superman. However, he believed that he was perceived as a usurper and resented by the people for not being the original Superman. During a battle with his reality's versions of Brainiac
Brainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
, Maxima
Maxima (comics)
Maxima is a fictional character from the DC Comics Superman titles. She was created by writer Roger Stern and artist George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:...
, and some of the original Superman's deadliest enemies that led to the deaths of Supergirl
Supergirl
Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...
and Brainiac along with three hundred and eighteen civilians, a public backlash began against the new Superman and other clones that the people dubbed "genetix"; this led to Congress demanding the shutdown of Project Cadmus with the Guardian
Guardian (DC Comics)
Guardian is a comic book fictional character, a DC Comics superhero, created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. He first appeared in Star Spangled Comics #7...
and the original directors of Project Cadmus
Newsboy Legion
The Newsboy Legion are fictional characters, a kid gang in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, they appeared in their own self-titled feature which ran from Star Spangled Comics #7 to Star Spangled Comics #64 .-Pre-Crisis version:A group of orphans, living on the streets...
sans Westfield abandoning the project.
After the Guardian was killed by an anti-genetix mob, the new Superman retreated to the original Superman's Fortress of Solitude
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
and sought guidance from Kryptonian history. When he learned of the Black Zero clone liberation movement from Krypton, he discarded the name of Superman and took Black Zero as his new name. He decided to defend genetix everywhere and stop the anti-clone lobby by any means necessary. Turning Project Cadmus into Fortress Cadmus and creating an army of Guardian clones known as Stormguards with no previous memories of the original Guardian, Black Zero began a war in which most of his Earth's heroes were destroyed and cloned as soldiers for Cadmus with extreme changes by his head geneticist Dabney Donovan
Dabney Donovan
Dabney Donovan is a fictional character from the DC Comics Universe. He is primarily a Superboy and Superman villain.-Fictional character biography:...
.
After conquering his Earth, Black Zero became aware of the existence of other realities when he encountered the Challengers of the Unknown
Challengers of the Unknown
The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...
, who arrived to his homeworld from a dimensional doorway. Metron
Metron (comics)
Metron is a character created by Jack Kirby for his Fourth World series in DC Comics. He was "based on Leonard Nimoy as Spock", and designed as a character who "would frequently change sides [between New Genesis and Apokolips]"...
of the New Gods
New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in publications by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comic books about those characters. They first appeared in New Gods #1 , and were created and designed by Jack Kirby....
, who appeared shortly after the Challengers, struck an agreement with Black Zero and offered him the chance to enter Hypertime
Hypertime
Hypertime is a fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories and a variation or superset of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths.- The Kingdom :The basic premise...
via the construction of a reactor powered by the element Hyperium. Black Zero "rescued" other worlds in which he felt that genetix were being oppressed and left the conquered world's version of Paul Westfield in charge of the genetix on that world. The Challengers attempted to stop him by launching commando raids against Black Zero and his forces and smuggling themselves to whatever world was next in his crusade. To Black Zero's bafflement, the Superboys of these worlds often stood against him, leading him to store them in stasis chambers similar to the clone banks of Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
. A Superboy from another reality that Black Zero tried to conquer escaped with a stolen Hyperjacket from Fortress Cadmus, but was shot with a laser by the Paul Westfield of his reality resulting in fatal burns. He warned the Justice League
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
of the main continuity of Black Zero's coming before he died. Learning that the deceased Superboy was a genetic match and using the Hyperjacket repaired by the Gadget Guru of the Hairies, the Superboy of the main continuity traveled to other worlds where he learned of Black Zero and eventually landed on an Earth in which Superboy was Kal-El
Superboy (Kal-El)
The original Superboy is a fictional superhero who appears in DC Comics. The name of Superman as a boy, Superboy has adventures that occur in the relative past to those of Superman and take place predominantly in his hometown of Smallville...
.
After Superboy was in possession of the hyperjacket, Black Zero followed him to each world that he visited, capturing all of the versions of Superboy that Kon-El encountered. When he reached the world of the Kal-El Superboy, he captured Krypto and ambushed both Kon-El and Kal-El using his Stormguard forces and his own powers. Learning that Superboy wasn't the Superboy that stole the hyperjacket, Black Zero sent him to Fortress Cadmus and revealed his true identity and told his story to Superboy via the latter in a mnemonic chair that showed parts of Black Zero's life in virtual reality. He revealed his plans to take over Superboy's reality, which he used a supposed anti-clone sentiment as justification, and to use one of the Doomsdays
Doomsday (comics)
Doomsday is a fictional character, a supervillain that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Superman: The Man of Steel #18 , and was created by writer-artist Dan Jurgens. IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doomsday as #46...
that he collected from alternate realities against Superman. After revealing his plan, a reformed version of Knockout
Knockout (comics)
Knockout is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Superboy vol. 2 #1 , and was created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...
from the deceased Superboy's world attacked with the Challengers of The Unknown, posing as Stormguards, and went after her reality's Paul Westfield. Westfield leaped into the Hyperium reactor and unknowingly erased every Paul Westfield in existence as well as himself. Angry at the loss of Westfield, who he considered a father figure, Black Zero sent Superboy, Knockout, and the Challengers to the Doomsday chamber to be destroyed while he prepared to take over the next world. Superboy and the Challengers escaped with Knockout making the ultimate sacrifice against the Doomsdays.
Black Zero was eventually defeated by a combined effort from Superboy, the Challengers of the Unknown
Challengers of the Unknown
The Challengers of the Unknown is a group of fictional characters in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, or co-created with Dave Wood , this quartet of adventurers explored science fictional and apparent paranormal occurrences and faced fantastic menaces.Scripts for the first...
, and all the other Superboys imprisoned at Fortress Cadmus. After Metron sends the Superboys and Stormguards back the their own realities along with immobilizing Black Zero with a Mother Box
Mother Box
Mother Boxes are fictional devices in Jack Kirby's Fourth World setting in the DC Universe.-History:Created by Apokoliptian scientist Himon using the mysterious Element X, they are generally thought to be sentient, miniaturized, portable supercomputers, although their true nature and origins are...
, he provides a ship for the Challengers and Superboy to fly through the hyperium reactor and into a hyperstorm to return home. Superboy intended to take Black Zero to his homeworld to keep watch over him, but Black Zero attacks the ship with his tactile telekinesis. Superboy dives into the hyperstorm and is almost struck by it until Black Zero rescued Superboy and saves the Challengers except for Matthew "Red" Ryan. Superboy attempted to convince Black Zero that his mission was wrong and to give people a chance, but Black Zero is engulfed by hyperstorm energy and disappears before responding to Superboy.
After his "death", Black Zero became a reminder to Superboy as to what could happen if he ever went out of control. During a battle with Etrigan over an enchanted armored gauntlet known as "Hyssa's Fist", Superboy puts on the gauntlet and while his strength increased, his costume was transformed into an exact copy of Black Zero's costume with the S-shield on the gold harness. He quickly used his tactile telekinesis to disassemble the gauntlet from his right hand.
Tactile telekinesis
Black Zero's main unique power is an advanced form of "tactile telekinesisPsychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
". Like Superboy, it is a telekinetic force field that surrounds his body and allows him to simulate speed, strength, flight and invulnerability. Tactile telekinesis also allows him to disassemble machines and other complex constructions by touch. But unlike Superboy, Black Zero's field provides him with resistance to energy attacks and he could use tactile telekinesis to telekinetically hold an opponent immobile.
Powers not derived from tactile telekinesis
As he explained to Superboy, Black Zero's human DNA was made to be genetically similar to that of Superman's DNA. Like Superboy, he is a living solar battery with his tactile telekinetic powers being fueled by solar energy. Grown to an full adult by the Project Cadmus of his reality, Black Zero gained powers similar to Superman due to his advanced age such as heat vision and super hearing.Costumes and equipment
Black Zero wears a black costume with red accents offset by a red cape, red belt at the waist, gold harness with a black "0" on his chest, gold belt on the right leg, and a pair of black glasses. Additionally, he wears a "hypergun" on his right arm equipped with hyper-bullets which he can fire at his targets and instantly transport them via hypertravel directly to his stasis cells at Fortress Cadmus.In other media
- In the SmallvilleSmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
episode "Kandor", Major ZodGeneral ZodGeneral Zod is a fictional character who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, a supervillain who is one of Superman's more-prominent enemies. The character first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
and his armies went to war with the terrorist group Black Zero who later destroyed Kandor.
See also
- Alternative versions of Superman
- Comic book deathComic book deathIn the comic book fan community, the apparent death and subsequent return of a long-running character is often called a comic book death. While death is a serious subject, a comic book death is generally not taken seriously and is rarely permanent or meaningful...
- Project CadmusProject CadmusProject Cadmus is a fictional genetic engineering project in the DC Comics Universe. It was created by Jack Kirby as the DNA Project in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 , and was run by the former Newsboy Legion...
- Superboy (Kon-El)Superboy (Kon-El)Superboy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. A modern update of the original Superboy, who is a younger version of Superman, the character first appeared in Adventures of Superman #500 , and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.Originally...
- SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...