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From SCIFIPEDIA
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Starman (Ted Knight) is a fictional comic book superhero owned by DC Comics.
Starman is a popular character name, and has been used for many characters in various media. DC Comics alone had had eight different superhero characters, each named Starman. This article is about Ted Knight, the first DC Comics superhero with that name, who was first published during the Golden Age of Comics and was a member of the Justice Society of America.
Ted Knight began life as a wealthy playboy type, but privately used his money to fund his own hobbies; inventing and astronomy. One day, his cousin Sandra Knight invited him over to his home and showed him a workshop filled with scientific devices and blueprints. They were left in her care by Professor Abraham Davis, a scientist whom had escaped Nazi controlled Germany. The Knight family had given him sanctuary, and, in return, gave Sandra access to his inventions. Ted spotted some things that interested him, and Sandra let him take them home. He was able to develop it into something he called a cosmic control rod, usually called a cosmic rod for short. The cosmic rod would channel certain cosmic radiation and channel it into energy blasts, shields, and solid light forms. It would also allow the user to fly.
This was the time that mystery men like Green Lantern began making news. A “mystery man” was the 1940s word for superhero. Ted was first going to use the cosmic rod as a commercial energy source, but his cousin, Sandra Knight, convinced him to use it to become a crime fighting mystery man. Sandra would also use Professor Davis’ devices to develop something called a black light ray, and become the mystery woman, the original Phantom Lady. As the Phantom Lady, she was to become a member of another 1940s superhero team, the Freedom Fighters.
Ted, on the other hand, was to join the Justice Society of America. During an early JSA adventure, the members were hit with a special ray which seemed to retard the aging process. Despite this, he chose to retire in 1951 with the rest of the JSA when their patriotism was questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee. During this time, he met and married a woman named Adele and had two children, David and Jack.
Years later, the super-villain Extant would reverse the effects of the de-aging ray, killing some of the original Justice Society members. Ted, however, survived, but needed to retire due to his now advanced physical age.
Ted would live to see both of his boys would become Starman and protect Opal City. David would die extremely early in his career, and Jack would reluctantly take on the role for several years.
Ted finally died along with his arch enemy the Mist, saving Opal City from the criminal’s nuclear bomb.
Starman's legacy is carried on today by two current members of the Justice Society of America. The first is Stargirl, who wields the cosmic rod in the form of a staff, and the latest "Starman", the former Star Boy from the 31st century, former member of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
