| Major Disaster | |
|---|---|
 Major Disaster as depicted inJLA #80 (June 2003). Art byDuncan Rouleau (penciller),Aaron Sowd (inker), andDavid Baron (colorist). | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Green Lantern #43 (March 1966) |
| Created by | Gardner Fox Gil Kane |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Paul Booker |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Team affiliations | Army of Crime Justice League Antarctica Injustice League Suicide Squad SKULL Justice League Elite Justice League |
| Notable aliases | Bennett Brodsky |
| Abilities |
|
Major Disaster (Paul Booker) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published byDC Comics.[1] He started out as an enemy ofGreen Lantern and theJustice League before reforming and becoming a superhero.
Major Disaster first appeared inGreen Lantern (volume 2) #43, and was created byGardner Fox andGil Kane.[2]
Paul Booker is a low-level crook who accidentally discovers the secret identities ofGreen Lantern (Hal Jordan) and theFlash after findingThomas Kalmaku's casebook.[3] He then becomes a criminal using devices that can create natural disasters and protect him from them. After Major Disaster is defeated, Green Lantern uses his ring to erase the memory of the Flash's secret identity and placed a mental block stopping him from telling anyone else about the Green Lantern's own identity. Major Disaster continues to battle Green Lantern and allies withEpoch.
Major Disaster later learns that he has gained his device's power innately, but his powers are growing in magnitude and slowly destroying him. For a time, he serves as an operative of the international crime cartel SKULL.
While in prison, Major Disaster meetsMighty Bruce, a computer wizard who steals money from corporations to give to charity. Bruce and Disaster form theInjustice League alongsideMulti-Man,Cluemaster,Big Sir, andClock King and obtain aThanagarian warship left over from a recent invasion.Guy Gardner intercepts the group's radio transmission, destroys the warship, and takes the League into custody.[4]
Once free, the League decides to move to Paris, but is confronted byJustice League Europe and quicklydeported. Their next mission involves breaking into the League's casino on the island Kooey Kooey Kooey. While the operation is a success, they are unable to spend their winnings; Kooey Kooey Kooey is revealed to be sentient and drifts into the ocean. Recruited by the JLA, Disaster helpsAquaman anchor Kooey Kooey Kooey to an underground volcano. He chooses to stay and face justice rather than flee, despite having the opportunity to do so.
Attempting to go legit, the Injustice League are sent to theSouth Pole to form the Justice League Antarctica, along withG'nort and theScarlet Skier. After inadvertently devastatingTimes Square during a battle withDespero, Major Disaster leaves the League.[5]
The Injustice League team receives an offer from the government to work on theSuicide Squad. They are sent to a small island off the coast ofIceland to deal with a terrorist situation and an out-of-control genetic experiment, during which Big Sir is killed and Multi-Man, Clock King, and Cluemaster are injured.[6]
After the Justice League are lost in time and presumed dead, Batman recruits Major Disaster into a substitute Justice League group consisting ofNightwing,Green Arrow,Atom,Hawkgirl,Firestorm,Jason Blood, and Faith.[7] Major Disaster later joins theJustice League Elite, a covert-ops arm of the Justice League led byVera Black. Major Disaster is revealed to be alcoholic; during a battle with theJustice Society of America, he uses his powers while drunk, resulting inHawkgirl being severely injured andManitou Raven killed. At the end of theJustice League Elite series, Major Disaster resigns from the League.
InInfinite Crisis, Major Disaster is killed bySuperboy-Prime.[8] He is later resurrected as aBlack Lantern during theBlackest Night event and attempts to seek revenge before Prime kills him using a black ring.[9]
In 2011,The New 52 rebooted the DC universe. Major Disaster returned inSuperman/Wonder Woman confronting the heroes alongside theAtomic Skull.[10]
In 2016, DC Comics implemented a relaunch of its books called "DC Rebirth" which restored its continuity to a form much as it was prior to "The New 52". Major Disaster is revealed to have a daughter named Penny who debuted asMinor Disaster in theHarley Quinn comic, utilizing aH-Dial-resembling device called the Disaster Dial and teaming up with her neglectful father.[11]
Major Disaster's powers originally came from a set of weapons he used to cause natural disasters. Over time, exposure to these weapons made the powers internalize and now Disaster can cause chaos at will. Disaster later makes a deal withNeron that greatly enhances his powers, enabling him to see the strands of chaos around him. The disasters he can now control theoretically range from being able to command asteroid showers without breaking a sweat to causing heart attacks, nose bleeds, and even making people trip up. He appears to have no real limitations, though he lacks fine control. He has devised a force field for himself, using his powers to redirect attacks, though he seems not to use it much. While Major Disaster is adept at creating chaos, it takes him great effort to stop disasters, whether his own or natural.
