| Wildfire | |
|---|---|
 Wildfire pencilled and inked byDave Cockrum | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #195 (June 1973) |
| Created by |
|
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Drake Burroughs |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Place of origin | Earth (31st century) |
| Team affiliations | |
| Notable aliases | ERG-1, NRG |
| Abilities |
|
Wildfire is asuperhero appearing inDC Comics, primarily as a member of theLegion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries. Created byCary Bates andDave Cockrum, the character debuted inSuperboy #195 (June 1973).[1]
Cockrum originally wanted to name the character Starfire, but was rejected because there were already plans to introduce a character namedStarfire in theTeen Titans.[2]
Wildfire was immediately popular with readers. At that time, the editors ofSuperboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes held periodic elections in which readers could choose the Legion's leader. Soon after his introduction, Wildfire was elected to that post. In-story, Wildfire lost the election toSuperboy, but as no candidate had received a majority of the votes, the membership decided that the Legion needed a member who was available full-time rather than Superboy, who is a part-time member of the Legion.
Wildfire is originally Drake Burroughs, an engineering student atMetropolis University. While helping with a propulsion system developed by the university, Burroughs accidentally disables a safety valve. A blast ofantimatter energy engulfs Burroughs, who is transformed into an energy being, with his original body being disintegrated. Professor Vultan, Burroughs' teacher, creates a containment suit to contain his energy. He regains a humanoid form, but has no physical body and lacks most human sensory functions, such as taste and touch.[3]
Calling himself ERG-1 (Energy Release Generator 1), Drake Burroughs to petition for membership in the Legion. He is turned down because the abilities he demonstrated are identical to those of other members such asMon-El,Colossal Boy, andChemical King. Anxious to prove his abilities, Burroughs follows several Legionnaires on a mission to the planet Manna-5, during which Colossal Boy is knocked unconscious by an enemy machine and none of the other Legionnaires present have the power to save him. ERG-1 destroys the machine, but he expels all his energy from his containment suit and is presumed dead.[4]
Initially, Wildfire and Superboy are rivals and fight over the position of team leader. Wildfire acquits himself well in that battle, establishing that his raw power is comparable to aKryptonian's. As leader, Wildfire receives mixed reviews. Though he is decisive and a gifted tactician, his poorpeople skills alienate many of his fellow members. He leads the Legion through theEarthwar and Omega crises but is defeated in re-election byLightning Lad.
Shortly after becoming leader, Wildfire recruitsDawnstar into the Legion of Super-Heroes. He becomes enamored with her, but for years the two have alove-hate relationship. It is clear to their teammates that they are extremely fond of each other, if not actively in love, but Dawnstar will not admit her feelings. Wildfire, in return, is often passive-aggressive in his treatment of her. It is eventually revealed that Dawnstar does reciprocate his feelings, but she fears that she will never know physical love since Wildfire does not possess a physical body.
Some time later, the Legion admits an extra-dimensional being,Quislet. Like Wildfire, Quislet is an entity of pure energy and requires a containment device to survive on Earth. Unlike Wildfire, though, Quislet's condition is natural to his species. He teaches Wildfire how to control his energy form without needing the containment suit. In this new form, Wildfire is much closer to human, being visible, tangible, and possessing facial features, but his body is still so hot that his mere touch burns Dawnstar. Wildfire loses the ability to maintain his form after Quislet returns to his dimension.
| Wildfire | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Legionnaires #74 (August 1999) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Drake Burroughs |
| Team affiliations | Legion of Super-Heroes Amazers (Atom'X only),Workforce (Blast-Off only) Justice League |
| Notable aliases | ERG-1, Atom'X (Randall Burroughs), Blast-Off I (Jahr-Drake Ningle) |
| Abilities | Composed of thermonuclear energy |
FollowingZero Hour, Wildfire is absent from Legion comics for some years, and when he returns, he is given a drastically different origin.
In a fight withMordru, Atom'X (Randall Burroughs) and Blast-Off (Jahr-Drake Ningle), members of theUncanny Amazers andWorkforce respectively, are seemingly killed.[5] Some time later, several Legionnaires notice energy patterns in the area, andUmbra realizes that the energy is sentient. After containing the energy in a laboratory, the Legionnaires learn that it contains the combined consciousnesses of Burroughs and Ningle. The new being assumes the name Drake Burroughs after his forebears and the codename ERG-1.[6]
Shortly afterward, ERG-1 is one of theLegionnaires lost in a spatial rift, with his containment suit being ripped open.Element Lad returns the other Legionnaires to normal space, but ERG-1's energy disperses into space, where it is mistaken for a star.Brainiac 5, with help from the alien Kwai, manages to create a new containment suit for him.
A new incarnation of Wildfire resembling the original version appears in the 2007 storyline "The Lightning Saga".[7] This version's containment suit is made fromRed Tornado's robotic shell, giving him access to his memories.[8][9]
InLegion Lost, Wildfire, Dawnstar,Chameleon Girl, Tellus,Tyroc,Gates, andTimber Wolf are stranded in the 21st century while pursuing a time-traveling terrorist. During this time, he temporarily joins theJustice League.
After being disintegrated by an anti-matter wave, Wildfire was transformed into a being composed of it with the ability to manipulate energy, fly at high speeds, and alter his size. However, he is forced to wear a containment suit at all times to maintain his form and prevent his energy from hurting others.
As a member of theLegion of Super-Heroes, Wildfire is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which enables him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.
