Starman (Will Payton)

Fictional comics superhero

Comics character

Starman

Will Payton as Starman, on the cover of Starman #1 (October 1988). Art by Tom Lyle

Publication information
Publisher| DC Comics
First appearance| Starman #1 (October 1988)
Created by| Roger Stern
Tom Lyle
In-story information
Alter ego| William "Will" Payton
Species| Metahuman
Team affiliations| Justice League
Abilities|

* Flight
* Superhuman strength and durability
* Energy projection
* Limited shapeshifting
* Portal generation
* Clairvoyance

Starman (Will Payton) is a DC Comics superhero who was created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle, and one of several characters to have the Starmen name.[1][2][3][4][5]

## Publication history

[edit]

Starman was created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle, and first appeared in Starman #1 (October 1988).[6]

Starman was killed in Eclipso: The Darkness Within (1992). In 2020, he was resurrected in Scott Snyder's Justice League run, with Snyder believing him to be an under-explored character.[2][4][7][8]

## Fictional character biography

[edit]

Payton is a magazine copy editor who gains superpowers after being infused with the essence of Gavyn, the previous Starman. Despite his short career, he gained a good reputation among other heroes, even assisting Superman on some occasions.[9] Starman is later killed in battle with Eclipso.[10]

Starman is resurrected in the DC Rebirth series Dark Nights: Metal. This version's powers are derived from the Totality, a cosmic source of energy and the prison of Perpetua.[5][11][12]

## Powers and abilities

[edit]

Starman possesses immense strength and durability, energy projection, and limited shapeshifting abilities that enable him to alter his costume. In modern continuity, Starman possesses the additional ability to create star-shaped portals and view other universes.[13][14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 235: "New Starman Will Payton debuted in his own ongoing series in October [1988] by writer Roger Stern and artist Tom Lyle".
2. ^ a b Rogers, Vaneta (August 31, 2018). "SCOTT SNYDER Reveals Why He's Bringing Back STARMAN (and Which One)". Newsarama. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2020. Cite error: The named reference "News" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
3. ^ Johnston, Rich (August 28, 2018). "Looks Like Scott Snyder is Bringing Back Will Payton, Starman, to Justice League". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
4. ^ a b Cecchini, Mike (September 19, 2018). "Justice League and the Return of Starman to the DC Universe". Den of Geek. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
5. ^ a b Matadeen, Renaldo (September 21, 2018). "Justice League Gives An '80s DC Superhero's Origin Story a Rebirth Retcon". CBR. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
6. ^ Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 235: "New Starman Will Payton debuted in his own ongoing series in October [1988] by writer Roger Stern and artist Tom Lyle".
7. ^ Arvedon, Jon (February 2, 2019). "The Secrets of DC Rebirth May be Unveiled by This Forgotten '80s Superhero". CBR. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
8. ^ Morrison, Matt (September 19, 2018). "Lex Luthor Kept A Superhero OUT of DC's Rebirth". Screen Rant.
9. ^ Starman #1 (October 1988)
10. ^ Eclipso: The Darkness Within #2 (October 1992)
11. ^ Dark Nights: Metal #1 (October 2017)
12. ^ Justice League (vol. 4) #8 (November 2018)
13. ^ Justice League (vol. 4) #15 (March 2019)
14. ^ Justice League (vol. 4) #16 (March 2019)

## External links

[edit]

* Starman (1988) at Don Markstein's Toonopedia.

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* t
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Starman

Creators|

* Gardner Fox
* Jack Burnley (Ted Knight) /
* James Robinson
* Tony Harris (Jack Knight)

Starmen|

* Ted Knight
* Charles McNider
* Mikaal Tomas
* Prince Gavyn
* Will Payton
* David Knight
* Jack Knight
* Thom Kallor/Danny Blaine

Supporting characters|

* The Black Pirate
* Sue Dibny
* Elongated Man
* Merry Pemberton
* Sylvester Pemberton
* Phantom Lady
* Scalphunter
* Shade
* Solomon Grundy
* Stargirl
* S.T.R.I.P.E.

Enemies|

* Blockbuster
* Bolt
* Copperhead
* Deadline
* Doctor Phosphorus
* Doctor Polaris
* Eclipso
* Lex Luthor
* Lobo
* Masters of Disaster
* Mist
* Mister Mxyzptlk
* Parasite
* Rag Doll
* Royal Flush Gang
* Solomon Grundy
* Spider (Lucas Ludlow-Dalt)

Related articles|

* Justice Society of America
* Starman story arcs

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