Ultra Boy
Encyclopedia
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 (a "space whale"), exposing him to radiation while inside. His real name is derived from the biblical
figure Jonah
who also survived being swallowed by a "large fish" (often considered to be a whale
).
Ultra Boy's costume features an emblem some believe represents the beast on his chest. It has no cape, yet originally was the busiest of all the Legionnaires' costumes, with a red top that had black striped cuffs and the aforementioned emblem in light green, a light green weight belt with three slots, black shorts, green leggings, and red-topped, black boots with a crenelated fringe.
Ultra Boy first appeared in Superboy #98 (1962), in which he was sent back in time to Superboy's home town of Smallville to prove himself worthy of joining the Legion by learning Superboy's secret identity, although it is often shown everybody in the future knows Superboy's secret identity, it is possible Saturn Girl erased his memories of this. In his first adventure he only demonstrated his vision powers, known as "Penetra-Vision". It was implied he had malicious intentions in learning Superboy's secret identity. Later, in Adventure Comics
#316, he explained that he could channel his ultra-energy to provide him other powers, though only one at a time. Later he was romantically linked for many years with fellow Legionnaire Phantom Girl
. He was considered one of the Legion's 'big 3' (along with Superboy
and Mon-El
) and served two terms as leader.
The names of his parents are Crav and Mytra Nah. His girlfriend on Rimbor before he joined the Legion was An Ryd; she was later murdered by Pulsar Stargrave
, who framed Ultra Boy for the crime. An early extension of his backstory made him the equivalent of a "hot-rodder," that is, of lower social class than many of the other Legionnaires.
Ultra Boy was a skilled actor; this, combined with his rough background on Rimbor and social standing, helped him infiltrate criminal groups where he appeared to "go bad". This skill also made him a valuable member of the Legion Espionage Squad; he was the only member without overt "spy" powers.
, but she was apparently killed in an accident. Now known simply as Jo Nah, he had become a smuggler and an outlaw on his homeworld of Rimbor. He rejoined the Legion after assassins destroyed an entire apartment building trying to kill him.
A later storyline in the V4 Legion Annual #1 showed his acting skills. It was shown that for years Ultra Boy had played "dumber" than he was, to not give away any advantage to his foes. When the time sorceress Glorith
began manipulating Legion history, she figured only the smarter legionnaires might notice her manipulations, and thus acted to neutralize ones like Brainiac 5. She never suspected Ultra Boy would figure out her plan, which involved provoking a battle between the Legion and Mordru
at the zenith of his power, which would destroy or weaken both, allowing her to pick up the pieces. Realizing what this would mean, Ultra Boy first (in a fake diplomatic blunder) prevented the Legion from attacking Mordru, then, in disguise, visited Mordru and instead provoked him into attacking Glorith. This proved successful, leaving both Mordru and Glorith severely weakened. Years later Glorith finally figured out who was responsible and in revenge sent Phantom Girl into the past, leaving Ultra Boy believing her dead. Later still the Legion found themselves on the wrong side of the law and Ultra Boy adopted a new identity as Emerald Dragon.
During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth fell under the covert control of the Dominators
, and withdrew from the United Planets
. A few years later, the members of the Dominators' highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teenage Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to Ferro Lad
's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater
. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates, every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts. After Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction of Krypton
over a millennium earlier, a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstituted their world as New Earth. The SW6 Legionnaires -- including their version of Ultra Boy -- remained.
continuity, his background is very similar to the original. He was a gang leader on Rimbor (running a gang called the Emerald Dragons, a reference to his Five Years Later identity), before being eaten by an Ultra Energy Beast and gaining his powers from eating the creature's flesh. He initially does not join the Legion but instead joins a rival group called the Workforce
, and is briefly romantically linked to Spider Girl
(Sussa Paka) before meeting and falling in love with Apparition, the post-Zero Hour incarnation of Phantom Girl, when the Workforce and Legion are stranded on Planet Hell, a prison complex located inside the sun. Eventually Ultra Boy leaves the Workforce and becomes a member of the Legion.
Ultra Boy and Apparition eventually marry and have a son named Cub, just before the Legion's reality was rebooted
for the second time.
displeasure and insecurities for being constantly neglected by her boyfriend, Lightning Lad. This however leads to a brief affair with the Titanian girl.
miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths
Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga
" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America
, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics
. Ultra Boy is included in their number.
's x-ray vision
, except penetra-vision allows him to see through lead
), flash vision (similar to heat vision
), invulnerability, and ultra-speed. All of these abilities seem to be at Kryptonian power levels
, but he can only use one at a time. Also he does not appear to have super hearing.
He is vulnerable to "X-radiation", which affects him much as kryptonite
harms Kryptonians. He cannot use his ultra speed to break the "time barrier" since the stress would destroy his non-invulnerable body, thus he flies with invulnerable comrades. With his Legion flight ring (or earlier flight belt) he can use another power while flying. Like all Legionnaires, he can use a transparent space suit allowing him to survive in space.
Along with the acting skills mentioned above, he has twice been elected as leader of the Legion, and has served several terms as deputy leader.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a comic book superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
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...
. He is a member 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....
in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. Ultra Boy gained these powers when the space-speedster he was flying was swallowed by an ultra-energy beast (a "space whale"), exposing him to radiation while inside. His real name is derived from the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
figure Jonah
Jonah
Jonah is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BC, the eponymous central character in the Book of Jonah, famous for being swallowed by a fish or a whale, depending on translation...
who also survived being swallowed by a "large fish" (often considered to be a whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
).
Ultra Boy's costume features an emblem some believe represents the beast on his chest. It has no cape, yet originally was the busiest of all the Legionnaires' costumes, with a red top that had black striped cuffs and the aforementioned emblem in light green, a light green weight belt with three slots, black shorts, green leggings, and red-topped, black boots with a crenelated fringe.
Pre-Crisis
Adventure Comics
Adventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
#316, he explained that he could channel his ultra-energy to provide him other powers, though only one at a time. Later he was romantically linked for many years with fellow Legionnaire Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl
Phantom Girl is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by DC Comics. In the Post-Zero Hour continuity, she is known as Apparition, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
. He was considered one of the Legion's 'big 3' (along with Superboy
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...
and Mon-El
Lar Gand
Lar Gand, known primarily as Mon-El , is a fictional character in DC Comics' universe who is associated with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman...
) and served two terms as leader.
The names of his parents are Crav and Mytra Nah. His girlfriend on Rimbor before he joined the Legion was An Ryd; she was later murdered by Pulsar Stargrave
Pulsar Stargrave
Pulsar Stargrave is a fictional supervillain featured in DC Comics as a foe of the Legion of Super-Heroes.-Pre-Crisis origin and character biography:A native of the planet Colu, Stargrave originally claimed to be the father of Brainiac 5...
, who framed Ultra Boy for the crime. An early extension of his backstory made him the equivalent of a "hot-rodder," that is, of lower social class than many of the other Legionnaires.
Ultra Boy was a skilled actor; this, combined with his rough background on Rimbor and social standing, helped him infiltrate criminal groups where he appeared to "go bad". This skill also made him a valuable member of the Legion Espionage Squad; he was the only member without overt "spy" powers.
Legion (vol. 4)
Between volumes 3 and 4 of the Legion, a five year gap in the chronology occurred, during which the team disbanded. During this period Ultra Boy proposed to Phantom GirlPhantom Girl
Phantom Girl is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by DC Comics. In the Post-Zero Hour continuity, she is known as Apparition, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
, but she was apparently killed in an accident. Now known simply as Jo Nah, he had become a smuggler and an outlaw on his homeworld of Rimbor. He rejoined the Legion after assassins destroyed an entire apartment building trying to kill him.
A later storyline in the V4 Legion Annual #1 showed his acting skills. It was shown that for years Ultra Boy had played "dumber" than he was, to not give away any advantage to his foes. When the time sorceress 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...
began manipulating Legion history, she figured only the smarter legionnaires might notice her manipulations, and thus acted to neutralize ones like Brainiac 5. She never suspected Ultra Boy would figure out her plan, which involved provoking a battle between the Legion and 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...
at the zenith of his power, which would destroy or weaken both, allowing her to pick up the pieces. Realizing what this would mean, Ultra Boy first (in a fake diplomatic blunder) prevented the Legion from attacking Mordru, then, in disguise, visited Mordru and instead provoked him into attacking Glorith. This proved successful, leaving both Mordru and Glorith severely weakened. Years later Glorith finally figured out who was responsible and in revenge sent Phantom Girl into the past, leaving Ultra Boy believing her dead. Later still the Legion found themselves on the wrong side of the law and Ultra Boy adopted a new identity as Emerald Dragon.
During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Earth fell under the covert control of the Dominators
Dominators
The Dominators, collectively known as the Dominion, are a fictional alien race from the outer cosmos of the DC Universe. They are highly technologically advanced, and live in a rigid hierarchical society, in which one's caste is determined by the size of a red circle on one's forehead...
, and withdrew from the United Planets
United Planets
In the , the United Planets is a fictional governing body, traditionally depicted as active in the 30th and 31st century.-History of the published versions of the United Planets:...
. A few years later, the members of the Dominators' highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teenage Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to Ferro Lad
Ferro Lad
Ferro Lad is a fictional character, a comic book superhero and member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century of the . He is Andrew Nolan of Earth...
's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater
Sun-Eater
A Sun-Eater is a fictional, artificially created living weapon in the DC Comics universe. It has played an important role in various storylines.-History:...
. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates, every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts. After Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of 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...
over a millennium earlier, a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstituted their world as New Earth. The SW6 Legionnaires -- including their version of Ultra Boy -- remained.
Post-Zero Hour
In post-Zero HourZero Hour (comics)
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time is a five-issue comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994. In it, the former hero Hal Jordan, who had until then been a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, mad with grief after the destruction of...
continuity, his background is very similar to the original. He was a gang leader on Rimbor (running a gang called the Emerald Dragons, a reference to his Five Years Later identity), before being eaten by an Ultra Energy Beast and gaining his powers from eating the creature's flesh. He initially does not join the Legion but instead joins a rival group called the Workforce
Workforce (comics)
The Workforce is a semi-heroic super-team in DC Comics' post-Zero Hour Legion of Super-Heroes continuity. It was introduced in Legion of Super-Heroes #64 .-Fictional history:...
, and is briefly romantically linked to Spider Girl
Spider Girl
Spider Girl is a fictional character in DC Comics.The character was first mentioned as a concept in the letters page of Adventure Comics when a fan suggested a character with the power of super-strong prehensile hair....
(Sussa Paka) before meeting and falling in love with Apparition, the post-Zero Hour incarnation of Phantom Girl, when the Workforce and Legion are stranded on Planet Hell, a prison complex located inside the sun. Eventually Ultra Boy leaves the Workforce and becomes a member of the Legion.
Ultra Boy and Apparition eventually marry and have a son named Cub, just before the Legion's reality was rebooted
Reboot (continuity)
The verb reboot, in media dealing with serial fiction, means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas...
for the second time.
2005 Reboot
The Legion was rebooted again in 2005. Ultra Boy in this version seems much the same as his previous versions but does not have a romantic link with Phantom Girl; he is in a relationship with Shadow Lass. Trained by Karate Kid in a more responsible and tactical use of his superpowers, it's known by at least Triplicate Girl that on Rimbor, "he is charged for a crime he never committed", but refuses to say more on the question. He is later cleared of this crime (revealed to be Vehicular Homicide) when Legion business manager M'rissy discovered evidence that lead to his innocence. Kinder and mellower than his gruff exterior may express, he's the first one to sense Imra'sSaturn Girl
Saturn Girl is a fictional character appearing in DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Imra first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
displeasure and insecurities for being constantly neglected by her boyfriend, Lightning Lad. This however leads to a brief affair with the Titanian girl.
Post-Infinite Crisis
The events of 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...
miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis 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...
Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga
The Lightning Saga
"The Lightning Saga" is a comic book crossover story arc that took place in DC Comics' two flagship team books: Justice League of America and Justice Society of America. It was written by Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns, and illustrated by Ed Benes, Dale Eaglesham, and Shane Davis...
" story arc in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
, and in the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
. Ultra Boy is included in their number.
Powers and abilities
Ultra Boy's source of power comes from the exposure of the radiation inside the Ultra-Energy Beast, and is not dependent on yellow-sun radiation. He has the powers of superhuman strength, flight, penetra-vision (similar to SuperboySuperboy (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...
's x-ray vision
X-Ray Vision
In science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the ability to see through physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' iconic superhero character, Superman....
, except penetra-vision allows him to see through lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
), flash vision (similar to heat vision
Heat vision
Heat vision may refer to:*Thermography, image production using infrared radiation*Infrared vision, a capability of detecting infrared radiation*Heat vision, a fictional superpower...
), invulnerability, and ultra-speed. All of these abilities seem to be at Kryptonian power levels
Powers and abilities of Superman
The powers of DC Comics character Superman have changed a great deal since his introduction in the 1930s. The extent of his powers peaked during the 1970s and 1980s to the point where various writers found it difficult to create suitable challenges for the character...
, but he can only use one at a time. Also he does not appear to have super hearing.
He is vulnerable to "X-radiation", which affects him much as 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...
harms Kryptonians. He cannot use his ultra speed to break the "time barrier" since the stress would destroy his non-invulnerable body, thus he flies with invulnerable comrades. With his Legion flight ring (or earlier flight belt) he can use another power while flying. Like all Legionnaires, he can use a transparent space suit allowing him to survive in space.
Along with the acting skills mentioned above, he has twice been elected as leader of the Legion, and has served several terms as deputy leader.
In other media
- In Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
, Ultra Boy made a cameo appearance in the 1998 episode "New Kids In Town". He later reappeared in a 2006 episode of Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
titled "Far From Home".
- In episode 1.05 of the Legion of Super Heroes animated seriesLegion of Super Heroes (TV series)Legion of Super Heroes is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation that debuted on September 23, 2006, based on characters appearing in the DC Comics comic book series. The series centers on the young Superman's adventures in the 31st century, fighting alongside a...
(2006), Jo Nah appeared as a participant in the Intergalactic Games, an Olympics-like event in which Lightning Lad also competes. When the Fatal FiveFatal FiveThe Fatal Five are fictional characters, a supervillain team of the 30th century in the DC Comics universe. They were created by Jim Shooter and first appeared in Adventure Comics #352 as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes....
attack the games, Jo, along with Kem of Bismoll, helps the Legion defeat them, calling out the names of four of his various ultra-powers as he activates them ("Super strength!" "Invulnerability!" "Super-speed!" "Freezing breath!"). Phantom GirlPhantom GirlPhantom Girl is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by DC Comics. In the Post-Zero Hour continuity, she is known as Apparition, and is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
compliments his skills (and thinks to herself that he's cute). In the first season finale, Jo Nah made a cameo, in costume, having been sent by his homeplanet to help the Legion stop the Sun-EaterSun-EaterA Sun-Eater is a fictional, artificially created living weapon in the DC Comics universe. It has played an important role in various storylines.-History:...
. He also appeared in the episode "In The Beginning" and the season two finale Dark Victory. Jo Nah was voiced by James Arnold TaylorJames Arnold TaylorJames Arnold Taylor is an American voice actor, Impressionist, and Announcer. He is the current voice provider for Fred Flintstone as well as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and also the movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Johnny Test in Johnny Test...
.
- In the Champions (role-playing game)Champions (role-playing game)Champions is a role-playing game published by Hero Games that is designed to simulate and function in a four-color superhero comic book world. It was created by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer....
, the term "Ultra Slot" is used to describe one of the powers within a framework in which only one power can be used at a time. The multipower framework is based directly on Ultra Boy and in fact was originally called the "Ultra" (hence "Ultra Slot").