Hank King Jr. is the son of Hank King Sr. andMerry Pemberton. As the second Brainwave, he is a founding member ofInfinity, Inc., creating the group to bring honor to his family name. During the run ofInfinity, Inc. Brainwave develops a relationship withJade. He also absorbs his father's mental powers following his death, increasing his own powers and driving him insane.[3]
Both King Sr. and Jr. have a variety of mental powers. King Sr. was originally much stronger, but upon his death, he somehow passed his powers on to his son, vastly increasing King Jr.'s power level.
Chief among their powers is telepathy. Both are able to dominate many minds at once and cause people to seeillusions, or even have complete control over them. Proximity seems key to the effectiveness of this power, even though it had no defined range. King Jr. mentioned how even strong wills could not resist him when he was right next to them. While many telepaths filter out the thoughts of others, King Jr. allows the millions of minds he constantly comes across to flow freely through his mind.
Lesser-used powers of the Kings include telekinesis, the creation of realistic three-dimensional holograms, and the ability to fire blasts of psionic energy.
Henry King Jr. appears inStargirl, portrayed byJake Austin Walker. This version is a Blue Valley High student, football player, ex-boyfriend ofYolanda Montez, and boyfriend ofCindy Burman. After his fatherHenry King Sr. is hospitalized, Henry Jr. begins to visit him while he recuperates, during which the latter's powers begin to develop before fully manifesting after Cindy challengesStargirl. After researching his powers and his father's work, Henry Jr. begins to share his father's views on humanity. Shortly after Stargirl tries to convince him otherwise in her civilian identity, Henry Jr. kills his father's lawyer for trying to have him taken off life support before Henry Sr. wakes up from his coma. Upon discovering Henry Sr. killed his mother to ensure his loyalty to theInjustice Society, Henry Jr. chooses to fight him and makes peace with Yolanda before sacrificing himself to save Stargirl'sJustice Society.[13][14]
