STARRO
Real Name: None
Class: Extraterrestrial
Occupation: Conqueror
Group Affiliation: formerly Sinestro Corps
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Star Conqueror
Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the universe
First Appearance: Brave and the Bold #28 (February-March, 1960)
Powers: Starro has extensive mental powers with which he can control the minds of others. Starro can enslave hundreds of minds at one time, so long as the victims are within close proximity to one another. When Starro targets larger populations, such as cities, he can spray forth thousands of miniature starfish that cling to people's faces and enslave them completely. Starro possesses superhuman strength, can fly and project deadly force bolts from his tentacles. Starro can regenerate himself from even a small fragment of his body. His only known vulnerability is to lime and intense cold. Starro neds constant nourishment (such as polluted water or electricity) to maintain his powers.History: (JLA #23 (fb, BTS)) - Starro came into existence millennia ago, a mutation from the slurry of the old universe.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. Annual #1 (fb)) - <millenia ago> Starro traveled the spaceways, taking over planets with Starro spores and forcing his slaves to prepare new Starro broods. The Hatorei were considered one of the most moral races in the universe, because their telepathic hivemind gave them an amazing empathy matched with great intelligence. They lived simply off the land, feeling no need for technological advancement and content with the shared mental life of their species. Starro inavded their planet, turning them into slaves, and working them to death to prepare for the next generation of Starros. The Hatorei went mad as a species, each one's pain amplified by the pain of all. They were all killed except for brothers Andrez and his young brother Cobi, who prepared for the birth of the new motherstar. Andrez resisted Starro's mental domination, and tried to kill the motherstar, so Starro used Cobi to murder his brother. This final atrocious act enabled Cobi to resist, and after scarring his face by removing the Starro spawn attached to it, he placed the motherstar on his chest, and connected with her mind, dominating her. Calling himself Starro the Conqueror he was able to utilize the power of Starro's trillions of star-slaves to give himself immense power. With Starro and her spawn in his thrall he conquered nine galaxies. His tragic life left him feeling bereft of the faith in morals his species believed in, and he determined to test the bets heroes and worst villains he found, to see if one could be corrupted, and the other redeemed.
Starro discovered Earth after traveling across billions of miles of interstellar space in search of an inhabited planet. He created three duplicates of himself and assigned each one to conquer a section of the United States. The newly-formed Justice League of America thwarted the duplicates but could only fight Starro to a stalemate. The JLA mascot Snapper Carr was covered in the lime he had been spreading on his family's lawn, and was immune to Starro's mind control. Once the JLA realized Starro's weakness to lime, they used it to destroy him.
Starro has returned time and again by regenerating himself from the remains of his body, and has even planted Starro-seedlings in oceans across the globe as insurance against total eradication. His primary enemies have been the JLA, but he has also fought against Justice League Europe, each time coming closer to his goal of world domination.
(JLA #22, 23) - The Star Conqueror put most of the world to sleep, dreaming of a world in which its rule was absolute. The few JLA members still awake were met by Dream, who’d received the plea of Michael Haney, a young boy who still believed in heroes, even in the Conqueror’s world. Dream warned the JLA that the dreamers would wake to serve and nourish the Conqueror, and sent Hippolyta, Green Lantern and Superman into the Dreaming to confront the Star Conqueror. Continent-sized Star Conquerors orbited Earth, preparing to put the world to sleep when their spores sent a signal saying it was safe. Haney’s faith in the JLA allowed them to destroy the Conqueror’s dream and repulse the spores. The Star Conqueror was vulnerable, and Dream shrunk the Conquerors orbiting Earth, made them into a necklace, and locked them in a chest in which he placed dangerous beings and objects.
(Green Arrow III #33) - Aboard the JLA Watchtower Plas was feeding a Starro spore when he decided it was cute and would make a good pet. It latched onto him, and he pried it off but it possessed Superman. It took enough time to boast of its abilities for Green Arrow to kill it with an arrow.
(Justice League
e of America II #3, 4, 7) - Solomon Grundy and Professor Ivo repurposed a number of Starros with technology so they could use them to control others. They shanghaied a number of supervillains and attached Starros to their necks so they'd act as unthinking henchmen to assemble a new Amazo that would serve as Solomon Grundy's new body. The Justice League of America became aware of Grundy's plot when he stole Red Tornado's android body to serve as a shell for Amazo, and confronted Ivo and Grundy in their Rocky Mountain hq. They removed Starros from Grundy's henchmen Dr. Impossible and the Bomb Squad, and defeated Grundy. Starro later pursued Ivo, promising to hurt him for injuring Starro hatchlings, and hinting that he had also angered the host Starro was a herald for.(R.E.B.E.L.S. #3-6) - Starro The Conqueror and Starro conquered Maltus the base of L.E.G.I.O.N. and usurped command of the police organization from Vril Dox, Vril fled Maltus, and assembled the R.E.B.E.L.S. to oppose Starro. Silica, a sentient computer program under Starro's control, commanded the L.E.G.I.O.N. droids, and had them proclaim ownership of L.E.G.I.O.N.'s client worlds. The Omega Men arrived on Maltus and destroyed Silica, only to discover the entire planet of Starro slaves opposed them. The Omega Men were teleported to safety by the Psions, who showed them Starro had opened up a subspace rift in the Dominator controlled Xylon expanse, releasing a fleet of warships and the powerful slaves known as the High Vanguard. The Vanguard, soon joined by the humanoid Starro the Conqueror, started a massacre on the Dominator homeworld, and Starro begged them for more of a challenge. Starro the Conqueror and his High Vanguard returned to Maltus after conquering the Dominator homeworld, and Vril used Silica's failsafe programming to regain control of his L.E.G.I.O.N. peacekeepers. They left their client planets, flying to Maltus, forming a forcefield around the planet, effectively trapping Starro and his legions. Starro was in a fury, warning Vril he had no idea what a powerful enemy he'd made.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #7) - Vril reached out to his client worlds, and planets nearby Maltus like Dhor and Kalanor that had been trapped in his force-field, but no one was willing to help, and some planets threatened to kill him on sight. He landed on Gil'Dishpan with his teammates, because if Starro conquered them he'd have access to their warp-weave technology and be able to escape the forcefield. The Gil'Dishpan had already been warned by a Dominator fleet admiral, and were prepared to hand Vril over to Starro to push for a nonagression pact. Vril and the Dominator both made it clear that Starro could not be reasoned with, and their debate became moot when Starro launched an invasion on the planet. The Gil'Dishpan launched their conch-cannons, and Vril's team backed them up, but they fell, and their leader Gelmyr became a Starro slave, urging Vril to be subsumed by starro's mind. Vril and his team fled, with the Dominator in tow. The Dominator dropped a nuclear reactor from his ship onto the planet, destroying the Gil'Dishpan warp-weavers. Strata wanted to kill him for committing genocide, but Vril said he'd killed millions to save billions, and he admired such pragmatism. Vril also commented that being subsumed in Starro's consciousness, a mind idiotic compared to his own, would be a fate worse than death.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #8) - The Khunds Godhead ship approached the Starro controlled Dominator homeworld, and prepared to wipe it out with neuron torpedoes. The High Vanguard responded, led by Smite, and dismantled the Khunds weapons before slaughtering most of them, and placing Starro spores on the rest. Starro The conqueror told Smite his work was impressive as always. The Psions planned on assassinating Starro the Conqueror, equipping the Omega Men with Dark stars, genetically modified Starro spores that let them enter a wormhole to Starro's home galaxy unopposed and enhanced their natural abilities.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. Annual #1) - Starro's High Vanguard invaded Kalanor, and Despero fought them in a pitched battle, demanding single combat with Starro. Starro agreed to his demand, and while Despero blustered about his power he entered Starro's mind and found a will he could not break down. Starro beheaded Despero, saying he would have wished Despero to serve in his High Vanguard, but his peek at Despero's mind made it clear Despero would serve no man. Starro amde it clear to Astrild and the Vanguard that he wanted Vril as his slave pet for his defiance, for his thoughts to belong to Starro. The Vanguard realized it was personal because Starro only recruited the very good or very bad into the Vanguard, yet he'd offered a place to the morally ambiguous Dox. They could find no one he cared about enough to gain leverage against him, so Starro decided they'd kidnap his son Lyrl, saying family did strange things to a man.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #9) - The Omega Men found one of Starro's earliest conquests, with the motherstar covering virtually the entire planet. Broot's enhanced powers included telepathy, giving him shocking insight into the Starro slaves hivemind, and alerting their attention.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #10-12) - The High Vanguard kidnapped Lyrl Dox. Starro said he was going to restore his 12th-level intelligence, and would give him the honor of becoming one of the Vanguard. Before Lyrl could give his answer a Starro spore was attached to his chest. He said he would serve willingly because he hated his father, and said Starro could call him Brainiac 3. Lyrl used his super-intelligence to remove the forcefield around Maltus, freeing Starro. He then created a transmatter portal so Starro could travel anywhere in the universe in a second, but when he opened the portal High Vanguard members that had been killed and made into Green Lanterns poured out and attacked Smite and Starro, who relished the combat. They all poured through the portal to Kanador, where Vril and the R.E.B.E.L.S. were. Vril tried to remove Lyrl's Starro spore, but his son told him to get away, and asked Vril to save his master Starro, shocking his father. Lyrl said he would be reffered to only as Brainiac 3, and Vril used his power ring to push the Black Lantern's Vril, and Starro back through the portal to Maltus. The ring demanded Vril go to Korugar to join the rest of the Corps, and when he refused the ring flew off his finger for insubordination. Vril told the R.E.B.E.L.S. he was tired of waiting for Starro to slip up, and it was time to take the fight to him. It was clear he was taking it personally that his son had chosen a monster over his flesh and blood. Starro battled the Black Lanterns for three days until Lyrl Dox lured them into his transmatter device, and sent them to an event horizon. Starro was angered at having his glorious fight interrupted, but he needed Lyrl to coordinate his troop movements with the High Vanguard decimated, and set his sights on Earth to test the mettle of that planet's heroes.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #13, 14) - Starro prepared his invasion of Earth, with Astrild as the head of the scouting party and Smite in charge of the command fleet. Starro said he would challenge Earth's superheroes to personal combat and humble tem. Lyrl asked to join in the battle, but Starro said he was to valuable an asset to risk. Lyrl told Smite he'd figured out that he was ready to usurp his leader, and told him to simply hang back, because Lyrl had a plan to see Starro dead. Lyrl Dox opened his transmatter portal to the R.E.B.E.L.S. ship, and snatched his father away. Lyrl had decided the warlord was beneath his 12th-level intelligence, especially since he seemed toi have a deathwish, and wanted to help Vril kill him. He'd deduced the weapon Vril would construct for the task, a gun that would sever Starro's connection to the star-slaves that powered him, and broke Vril's arm, not wanting him to be the triggerman because he said he wanted him alive. Starro thought Lyrl's next transmatter portal would take him to Earth, but Lyrl said he'd be sending him to Vril's ship so he could be ambushed. The R.E.B.E.L.S. were prepared when Starro arrived, and the villain was not entirely surprised that Lyrl had betrayed him. Vril had a rare miscalculation; his weapon had no effect on Starro. He clashed with the R.E.B.E.L.S. saying he'd miss them when they were dead because they provided so much sport. He discovered the Psions lab of genetically altered and dissected Starros, and flew into a rage. His proximity to them gave him control over them, and within moments all of the R.E.B.E.L.S. were his star-slaves, save for Vril, who threw up a personal forcefield. The Omega Men returned from their mission, armed with darts dipped in a poison that could kill Starros. They struck the Conqueror, but missed his Starro, forcing Vril to get close enough to him to kill the creature with a dart. The Conqueror's Starro died, severing his connection to trillions of mind-slaves, and killing their Starros as well. Despero, who'd been given a new body by Vril, the R.E.B.E.L.S. they were invited to Kalanor to witness Starro's execution. Vril sent out a broadcast proclaiming his victory, giving his intention to put L.E.G.I.O.N. back on track and finding some way for everyone he helped to thank him. Adam Strange thought that Vril might be a worse manipulator than Starro.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #23) - The Psions were planning on how to retaliate against the R.E.B.E.L.S. for destroying their breeding nexus when Starro, Smite and Astrild Storm-Daughter barged in on them. Astrild sucked the lifeforce from several Psions before demanding they find a way to restore Starro's power. Starro's starfish was comatose, but not dead, and the Psions used retroviral therapy to restore its' functionality. Starro was pleased that he felt some of his strength return to him.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #24, 25) - Starro, Smite and Astrild traveled to Rann, the new home of the R.E.B.E.L.S., and Lobo got the whiff of Czarnian pheromone, but it was a trap laid by Astrild Storm-Daughter, who'd borrowed the pheromone from the Psions. She leeched his lifeforce until Starro's alien was at peak health, able to produce new starspore. Starro said he was already to attack the R.E.B.E.L.S. and Smite began the assault, hitting Vril Dox in his starship. Smite and Astrild kidnapped Dox after Smite buried a battleaxe in Tribulus' skull, grievously wounding him. Starro showed off his new army of mindslave Psions to Dox, as well as the cloned Czarnians the Psions created. Vril knew that if he could strike with them he would have already, correctly deducing that the clones of Lobo would kill themselves before being made into Starro mindslaves. Starro made Vril into a mindslave as his punishment for defying the conqueror. On Rann Adam Strange gave Lyrl Dox the job of trying to patch up Tribulus, and when Lobo went off after Starro half-cocked, the other R.E.B.E.L.S. were able to follow him using Wildstar's tracking ability. On the Psion Homeworld Astrild was eager to face Lobo in combat, but he put a quick end to things by putting his hook and chain through her head.
(R.E.B.E.L.S. #26-28) - Lobo tthought that under different circumstances he could have been close to Astrild, so he'd use her as motivation to brutalize Starro. Starro removed Vril's starfish and demanded he tell him how to stop Lobo, and Vril simply told him no one could beat Lobo and he'd hunt Starro to the ends of the universe. Starro made him his mindslave once again, and Smite suggested sending their cloned Czarnians against Lobo, uploading the information about how he'd destroyed all of Czarnia into their minds. Starro would not hear of it, not wanting to wake the clones before he figured out how to make slaves of them, and told Smite to battle Lobo. Smite struck Starro, calling him a coward for always hiding behind his underlings, and blaming him for Astrild's death. Starro teleported to Rann where the Starros he'd left behind had taken over the military guard and Sardath. Lyrl Dox worked on saving Tribulus' life when he became aware of the Starros on Rann, and sealed the surgery bay until he could patch up Tribulus and sic him on the invaders. Lyrl rebooted Tribulus' brain, boosting his psionic lightning power. He called the R.E.B.E.L.S. and said they were needed back on Rann to deal with the invasion of Starros, so Adam Strange used his personal zeta-beam to return himself, Captain Comet and Starfire. Starro, with Vril at his side, declared himself ruler of Rann, and told Blackfire to kneel before him. She said she knelt before no man, and engaged him in battle, soon aided by the returning R.E.B.E..L.S. Lobo continued his fight against Smite on the Psion homeworld, and they recounted tales of gruesome mutilation and murder as they clashed. Lobo found him interesting, so when their fight carried them into a Psion bar they decided to talk things over, becoming fast friends. Lyrl sent Tribulus against the Starros, and he freed mindslave after mindslave by roasting their starfish. Lyrl sent Tribulus against Starro, badly wounding his alien and freeing Vril. Realizing he was near defeat Starro prepared to order his remaining slaves on Rann to commit suicide. On the Psion homeworld the R.E.B.E.L.S. used Starro's transmatter portal, and called Dox, telling him to push Starro though. Back on the Psion homeworld Starro found himself face to face with Smite and Lobo.
Comments: Created by Gardner Fox & Mike Sekowsky
Starro received profiles in Green Lantern / Sinestro Corps: Secret Files #1, Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #22 and Who’s Who In The DC Universe #13. Star Conqueror received a profile in JLA-Z #3.
A Starro spore was seen in the JLA Watchtower trophy room in Flash II #214, Green Arrow III #4 and JLA #17.
A statue of Starro was seen in the New Flash Museum in Flash II #230.
Martian Manhunter II #2 showed an anime version of Starro as the star villain in the film Bio Armor Jade Warrior.
Lex Luthor had a nightmare about having a presidential debate against Two-Face in Secret Files President Luthor #1.Starro was among the number of villains that were an audience to the debate.
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