Pulsar Stargrave
Encyclopedia
Pulsar Stargrave is a fictional supervillain
featured in DC Comics
as a foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes
.
, Stargrave originally claimed to be the father of Brainiac 5
. In appearance, Stargrave looks like an ordinary Coluan (green-skinned and humanlike) with no hair.
According to Pulsar's own account, he was a scientist whose ship's life support failed during an expedition; he put himself into suspended animation hoping for rescue. He was found by alien explorers, but believed dead, so his body was sent into a nearby star just as it went supernova
, merging with his body and giving him the ability to harness and control stellar energy. Later, Pulsar Stargrave was revealed to be the original Brainiac
, who had fled from Superman
into the future.
Stargrave is an extremely powerful figure, on par with other Legion opponents such as Mordru
and the Time Trapper
. In his quest for galactic conquest he teamed up with Glorith
, and often manipulated the Legion, especially Brainiac 5, and in one instance, framing Ultra Boy
for murder.
His last pre-Crisis appearance was in the DC Special one shot edition of Legion of Substitute Heroes
in 1985. Suffering from considerably limited power, he was defeated by Matter Eater Lad and Stone Boy
.
, Pulsar Stargrave was reinvented as Mr Starr. The new version of the character was a villain of the 20th century L.E.G.I.O.N.
, rather than the 30th century team.
After Vril Dox II liberated Colu from the Computer Tyrants, the Tyrants uploaded their consciousness to an orbital satellite, and created an android called Mr Starr, who looked identical to the pre-Crisis Stargrave. Mr Starr attempted to conquer Talok VIII by posing as a hero. As Talok VIII's planetary champion, Lyrissa Mallor, was absent, working with L.E.G.I.O.N., the inhabitants welcomed this new hero.
Starr then sought revenge on Dox's team by accelerating the age of Mallor's daughter and sending her out to assassinate the L.E.G.I.O.N. She killed her mother before she was caught and deprogrammed. The L.E.G.I.O.N. then tracked her back to Talok VIII, where Starr was believed to have been destroyed.
In a possible future featured in the L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 annual, Vril Dox and Lady Quark
had traveled back in time to Talok VIII, where Mr. Starr had actually survived his encounter with L.E.G.I.O.N. He took control of both Vril Dox and Lady Quark, and soon very nearly took over the entire galaxy.
limited series, much of the Legion's original history (which was rebooted following Zero Hour: Crisis in Time) has been restored. Pulsar Stargrave has been returned to continuity. His status as the future incarnation of the original Brainiac remains an open question, one even Brainiac 5 has yet to resolve.
Pulsar Stargrave has returned to DC as a creation (a sentient Solaris
Class Macroprocessor created when imploding a neutron star) of Lryl Dox aka Brainiac 3 in R.E.B.E.L.S.
issue 18 July 2010.
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...
featured in 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...
as a foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
.
Pre-Crisis origin and character biography
A native of the planet ColuColu
Colu is a fictional planet in DC Comics whose primary inhabitants are called the Coluans. Another name given for the planet was "Yod" , which has appeared only once in comics, was later pointed out in a letter by a fan...
, Stargrave originally claimed to be the father of 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...
. In appearance, Stargrave looks like an ordinary Coluan (green-skinned and humanlike) with no hair.
According to Pulsar's own account, he was a scientist whose ship's life support failed during an expedition; he put himself into suspended animation hoping for rescue. He was found by alien explorers, but believed dead, so his body was sent into a nearby star just as it went supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
, merging with his body and giving him the ability to harness and control stellar energy. Later, Pulsar Stargrave was revealed to be the original 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....
, who had fled from 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...
into the future.
Stargrave is an extremely powerful figure, on par with other Legion opponents such as Mordru
Mordru
Mordru is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics' main shared universe.Mordru is the most prominent Lord of Chaos who is fated to survive even after the end of the universe, although he is usually shown as a powerful wizard...
and the Time Trapper
Time Trapper
The Time Trapper is a fictional character, a supervillain in stories published by DC Comics. The Time Trapper's main enemies are the Legion of Super-Heroes...
. In his quest for galactic conquest he teamed up with Glorith
Glorith
Glorith of Baaldur is a fictional villainess appearing in stories published by DC Comics. Her primary foe is the 30th century team known as the Legion of Super-Heroes, and she was a major presence in Legion of Super-Heroes...
, and often manipulated the Legion, especially Brainiac 5, and in one instance, framing Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in DC Comics. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. Ultra Boy gained these powers when the space-speedster he was flying was swallowed by an ultra-energy beast , exposing him to...
for murder.
His last pre-Crisis appearance was in the DC Special one shot edition of Legion of Substitute Heroes
Legion of Substitute Heroes
The Legion of Substitute Heroes is a group of fictional characters in the future of the DC Comics universe. The "Subs", as they are often called, are a group of rejected applicants to the Legion of Super-Heroes who banded together, hoping to prove to the Legion that their powers were not as useless...
in 1985. Suffering from considerably limited power, he was defeated by Matter Eater Lad and Stone Boy
Stone Boy
Stone Boy is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe.-Fictional character biography:Stone Boy was born Dag Wentim on the planet Zwen. All people on the planet Zwen can petrify their bodies into stone. They developed this ability to put themselves into suspended animation for their...
.
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite EarthsCrisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
, Pulsar Stargrave was reinvented as Mr Starr. The new version of the character was a villain of the 20th century L.E.G.I.O.N.
L.E.G.I.O.N.
L.E.G.I.O.N., is a team of fictional extraterrestrial superheroes, a science fiction comic book published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Invasion! #1, and were created by Keith Giffen, Bill Mantlo and Todd McFarlane...
, rather than the 30th century team.
After Vril Dox II liberated Colu from the Computer Tyrants, the Tyrants uploaded their consciousness to an orbital satellite, and created an android called Mr Starr, who looked identical to the pre-Crisis Stargrave. Mr Starr attempted to conquer Talok VIII by posing as a hero. As Talok VIII's planetary champion, Lyrissa Mallor, was absent, working with L.E.G.I.O.N., the inhabitants welcomed this new hero.
Starr then sought revenge on Dox's team by accelerating the age of Mallor's daughter and sending her out to assassinate the L.E.G.I.O.N. She killed her mother before she was caught and deprogrammed. The L.E.G.I.O.N. then tracked her back to Talok VIII, where Starr was believed to have been destroyed.
In a possible future featured in the L.E.G.I.O.N. '91 annual, Vril Dox and Lady Quark
Lady Quark
Lady Quark is a fictional character, a superheroine in the DC Universe. In the DC Comics 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths , the character is one of the rulers of Earth-Six, where the American Revolutionary War had been won by England.-Crisis:Lady Quark's husband Karak and daughter...
had traveled back in time to Talok VIII, where Mr. Starr had actually survived his encounter with L.E.G.I.O.N. He took control of both Vril Dox and Lady Quark, and soon very nearly took over the entire galaxy.
Post-Infinite Crisis
Following the Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
limited series, much of the Legion's original history (which was rebooted following Zero Hour: Crisis in Time) has been restored. Pulsar Stargrave has been returned to continuity. His status as the future incarnation of the original Brainiac remains an open question, one even Brainiac 5 has yet to resolve.
Pulsar Stargrave has returned to DC as a creation (a sentient Solaris
Solaris (comics)
Solaris is a DC Comics supervillain, who exists in the distant future of the DC Universe. Solaris was created by Grant Morrison, and first appeared in the DC One Million crossover, although it also subsequently appeared in Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman series, set outside DC continuity.-DC...
Class Macroprocessor created when imploding a neutron star) of Lryl Dox aka Brainiac 3 in R.E.B.E.L.S.
R.E.B.E.L.S.
Revolutionary Elite Brigade to Eradicate L.E.G.I.O.N. Supremacy is the name of two separate fictional revolutionary paramilitary groups in the DC Comics Universe. Both incarnations have been L.E.G.I.O.N. adversaries and are led by Vril Dox.-Publication history:R.E.B.E.L.S. '94, R.E.B.E.L.S...
issue 18 July 2010.