The character debuted inThe Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960) in the story "Starro the Conqueror", which was also the first appearance of theJustice League of America.[2] According to editor Julius Schwartz, the title "Starro the Conqueror" was inspired by a Ray Cummings story, "Tarrano the Conqueror".[3][4] The second appearance of Starro was 17 years later in an 11-pageAquaman story inAdventure Comics #451 (May–June 1977). It appeared again only four years later in a two-part story inJustice League of America #189–190 (April–May 1981), then again a year after that in analternate universe story inCaptain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! #1 (March 1982), and it appeared briefly inCrisis on Infinite Earths #9 (December 1985).
In post-Crisis continuity, Starro appeared in a five-part story inJustice League Europe #25–28 (March–July 1991) and was revamped and reintroduced inJLA Secret Files #1 (September 1997) andJLA #22–23 (September–October 1998). Another version of the character featured in theintercompany crossoverJLA/Avengers #1–4 (September 2003 – May 2004);Teen Titans (vol. 3) #51–54 (November 2007 – February 2008);Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps: Secret Files #1 (February 2008) andBooster Gold (vol. 2) #13–14 (December 2008 – January 2009).
Its post-Infinite Crisis appearances includeR.E.B.E.L.S. (vol. 2) #1–13 (April 2009 – April 2010) andR.E.B.E.L.S (vol. 2) Annual #1 (December 2009). Another version appears inForever Evil #1 (November 2013), and a new version calledGenetically Modified Starro appeared inNew Super-Man #4 (2016).
Starro is a highly advancedstarfish-like alien with a single central eye and prehensile extremities. The entity visits Earth and empowers three starfish; the creatures begin wreaking havoc, such as exploding anatomic bomb and absorbing its energy, kidnapping scientists and absorbing their brain power and placing the residents of Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, under mental control. Eventually, they are stopped by the superheroesAquaman, theFlash,Green Lantern,Martian Manhunter andWonder Woman. The heroes defeat Starro by coating it withquicklime, which nullifies its abilities.[5][6] A segment of Starro survives and regenerates, but Aquaman stops it before it can renew its plan of conquest.[7]
Starro eventually reappears and forces humans to nurture it until it is able to assume its former proportions. Being able toreproduce asexually, Starro creates millions of miniature duplicates of itself, dubbed spores. These spores attach to the faces of the entire population of New York, allowing Starro tocontrol their minds. The creature uses these spores to control several members of the Justice League until it is defeated by extreme cold.[8] Later, afterSuperman is accidentally transported to an alternate universe, Starro is again defeated by Superman alongsideCaptain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew. Superman then takes the defeated Starro back to his universe.[9]
Starro later convincesJustice League Europe that it is dying and wishes to return to space. Aided by former Green LanternKilowog, Starro returns to his original spaceship and tricks the heroes by programming it to explode. It then releases thousands of spores over Western Europe. Controlling the minds and bodies of thousands of humans, Starro seizes power, with several members of Justice League Europe opposing the alien. Starro is finally defeated when the Justice League memberIce freezes the original Starro.[10]
DuringJLA and referring to itself only asIt, another member of Starro's species controls theFlash and the population ofBlue Valley using spores. Although the JLA intend to intervene, they are advised against doing so by theSpectre, who reveals the alien's intention is to capture and control the heroes and use their special abilities to conquer the galaxy. The JLA requests the Spectre to temporarily remove their powers, thus eliminating the potential threat they may have posed otherwise. This tactic allows them to distract the entity whileBatman disables it with extreme cold.[11] This version of Starro returns and is revealed to be a scout for a larger member of the species called the "Star Conqueror". Covering Europe with its body, the entity gains control of the minds of most humans while they sleep.Dream aids the JLA in battling the entity in a shared dream while a small team of heroes attacks its physical form. Assisted by a homeless man resisting the entity's control, the heroes free mankind from the alien's influence. Dream captures Starro and stores it with his other keepsakes.[12]
InInfinite Crisis, Starro joins theSecret Society of Super Villains.[14] Starro returns to Captain Carrot's universe to spark a conflict between aquatic and terrestrial creatures. Despite the efforts of the Zoo Crew, Starro floods the planet and defeats the heroes, who are transported to safety. Zoo Crew member Pig Iron battles Starro underwater, sacrificing himself as the rest of the heroes escape.[15]
InR.E.B.E.L.S., a new incarnation of Starro is introduced. This version isCobi, a Hatorei alien from the planet of the same name.[16] After the Star Conquerors invade his planet, Cobi falls under their control and works with them to expand their empire.[17][18]
An alternate universe variant of Starro, amalgamated withKrypto, appears inJLA: The Nail.[20]
An alternate timeline variant of Starro appears inBooster Gold vol. 2.[21]
During theJustice League: No Justice event, one version of Starro sacrifices itself to protect the universe from the Omega Titans.[22][23] However, Batman preserves part of it which grows into a new individual dubbed "Jarro".[24][25][26]
Starro is an alien conqueror with a humanoid central mind commanding spores. Anasexual creature, Starro's spores are capable of generating clones that act in accordance with the original's will. The clones are parasites by nature and can attach themselves to a humanoid's face, and subsequently take control of the host'scentral nervous system, thereby controlling the host. Control of the host is lost once removed from the victim. Originally, the first Starro could transform Earth starfish into duplicates of itself equal to it in size and power.[5]
Both variants of the parasite are capable of energy absorption/projection, flight, changing color and self-regeneration, while the larger ones have a high degree ofinvulnerability as well astelepathy; the giant Starro possessing much more potent mental capabilities is able to indirectly influence the minds of a potential host race, capable of lulling countless people into an induced slumber and accessing their thoughts via dreams.[28] Another of the original Star Conquerors possessed psychic abilities powerful enough to overwhelm and circumvent the willpower of Hal Jordan to prevent access to his Lantern Ring's abilities.[29] Their size can also vary from being as big as city blocks to larger than a small planetary ocean body, in which case said Starro probe can radically alter the very climate, topography, and geography within its vicinity akin toterraforming. A future Starr Conqueror spore eventually came to weaponize fiveQwardian power rings on its tentacles; the rings could create objects based on the wielder's thoughts, but only those fueled by fear instead of willpower. Given the difficulty in their usage, Starro's capacity to use five at once indicated a mastery of the fear element and its usage in battle, as shown when it went up against multiple iterations of Titans all at once.[30] The latest version of the Star Conqueror shows how it uses itsparthenogenesic capabilities to breed microscopic clones of itself, which can be inhaled by potential victims, serving as a catalyst to affect the giant iteration's telepathic abilities.[31]
The humanoid Starro possesses superhuman durability and telepathy and can transform Earth starfish into Starro spores.[32]
Starro appears in theBatman Beyond two-part episode "The Call", voiced byChristopher McDonald via Superman. While in captivity, Starro spent years plotting to take over Earth before taking control of Superman and infiltrating theJustice League. However, the alien's plot is foiled byBatman beforeAquagirl andBig Barda return Starro and its offspring to their home planet.
Starro appears inBatman: The Brave and the Bold, voiced byKevin Michael Richardson (original form) and byDee Bradley Baker (titan form).[33][34] Throughout the episodes "Revenge of the Reach!", "Clash of the Metal Men!", and "The Power of Shazam!", several Starro parasites come to Earth and take control of most of Earth's heroes while the alien's herald, theFaceless Hunter, eliminates anyone who Starro could not possess. In the two-part episode "The Siege of Starro!", the primary Starro launches an invasion with its thralls, butBatman,Booster Gold,Firestorm,B'wana Beast, andCaptain Marvel join forces to defeat it and free their allies. In response, the Faceless Hunter kidnaps B'wana Beast and forces him to combine the Starro parasites into one giant Starro. After Batman defeats the Faceless Hunter, B'wana Beast sacrifices himself to separate the Starros.
Starro's species appear inYoung Justice.[33] Chronologically, they first appear in flashbacks depicted in the third and fourth season episodes, "Evolution" and "Teg Ydaer!" respectively, in whichKlarion the Witch Boy summoned them to Earth to conquer it at the beginning of human history before they were repelled byVandal Savage, though one Starro was frozen in ice. Throughout the first season,Atlantean scientists discovered the frozen Starro in the present.Black Manta and a group of mercenaries attempt to steal it for theLight, but are thwarted byAqualad andGarth. In retaliation, Manta destroys Starro before it can be thawed, but a small piece is later recovered and sent toS.T.A.R. Labs for study. Sometime later, Light membersSportsmaster and theRiddler steal the sample so Klarion,Professor Ivo, and theBrain can infuse with it with technology and magic to create Starro-Tech, which their sleeper agentRed Arrow uses to brainwash the Justice League on Savage's behalf. Before theTeam eventually rescues the League, Savage has six Leaguers attack the planet Rimbor to remove them from Earth during the events of the second season.
Starro appears inThe Suicide Squad.[36][33] This version is capable of growing larger and more powerful depending on the number of thralls it possesses or consumes. Additionally, its control is permanent, with the hosts dying as soon as its spawn attach to their faces. Thirty years prior, Starro was captured by American astronauts and transferred to aCorto Maltesean research facility called Jötunheim, where the local and U.S. governments secretly collaborated to fund and oversee theThinker's experiments on Starro using enemies of the Corto Maltesean regime in what would be called "Project Starfish". In the present,Amanda Waller sends theSuicide Squad to destroy Starro before it can be weaponized by Corto Maltese's new anti-American regime and to conceal the U.S.'s role in the project. After the team accidentally release Starro, it kills the Thinker in retaliation for experimenting on it. Upon escaping, it enslaves Corto Maltesean citizens and soldiers before being killed by the squad and a swarm of Corto Maltese's rats controlled by squad memberRatcatcher 2.
Starro makes a cameo appearance in theBatman: Arkham Knight DLC "A Matter of Family". This version was meant to be part of a sideshow act for Seagate Amusement Park before it was abandoned.
Warning from Space - a 1956 tokusatsu (special effects) film from Japan by Daiei Studios. Starring Kawasaki Keizo, Karita Toyomi, and Yagisawa Bin, the story centers around anextraterrestrial race called the "Pairans" (JPN: パイラ人) who come to warn humanity that a rogue planet is on a collision course with Earth. The Pairans, who are giant one-eyed starfish in their original form, are said to be the inspiration for the original Starro from 1960. Incidentally, "Warning from Space" (JPN: 宇宙人東京に現はる) is reportedly the very first Japanese science fiction film in color.[45][46]
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016).The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 286.ISBN978-1-4654-5357-0.
^Rovin, Jeff (1987).The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 328.ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
^Wells, John (2015).American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-64. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 17.ISBN978-1605490458.
^abThe Brave and the Bold #28 (February–March 1960)
^Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Manning, Matthew K.; McAvennie, Michael; Wallace, Daniel (2019).DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. DK Publishing. p. 93.ISBN978-1-4654-8578-6.
^abcdefg"Starro Voices (DC Universe)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^"Star Conquerer Voice -Batman: The Brave and the Bold (TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. RetrievedJuly 22, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
Text was copied fromStarro (Post-Crisis) at Kaijuwikia Wiki, which is released under aCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA 3.0) license.
