Darkstar (comics)

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For the DC Comics characters, see Darkstars.

Darkstar
Darkstar
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Champions #7 (August, 1976)
Created by	Tony Isabella (writer), George Tuska (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Laynia Sergeievna Petrovna (Krylova)
Species	Human Mutant
Team affiliations	X-Corporation Soviet Super-Soldiers Winter Guard Siberforce Champions of Los Angeles Exiles KGB
Partnerships	Titanium Man Crimson Dynamo Griffin
Notable aliases	Tyomni Zvesda (Russian translation of codename); formerly "Great Beast" (with Vanguard & Ursa Major)
Abilities	Darkforce manipulation Flight Teleportation Concussive blasts Ability to create solid constructs composed of Darkforce energy

Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna) is a fictional character, a mutant superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She has been a member of various super-teams in her career and ultimately died as a member of the X-Corporation in New X-Men #130. A new Darkstar has since appeared several times as a member of the new Winter Guard.^[1][2]

Contents 1 Fictional character biography 1.1 Champions 1.2 In Russia's employ 1.3 Death and Resurrection 1.4 The Second Darkstar 1.5 The New Darkstar 2 Powers and abilities 3 Other versions 3.1 Civil War: House of M 3.2 Other 4 In other media 4.1 Television 5 Notes and references 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Fictional character biography

Laynia Petrovna and her twin brother Nikolai were born in Minsk, which at the time was part of the Soviet Union, and is now the capital of Belarus. When she grew up, she became a special operative of the Soviet government.

[edit] Champions

Darkstar was first seen as part of a Soviet super-team recruited to bring Natasha Romanoff (the Black Widow) back to the USSR.^[3] She turned sides^[4] and joined the Champions as a guest member,^[5] remaining with the team until its disbanding.

While with the Champions, she and Bobby Drake, the former X-Man known as Iceman, were close to entering into a romantic relationship, but Laynia only liked Iceman as a friend, not as a love-interest. She quit the Champions and returned to Russia, leaving behind a devastated Iceman.

[edit] In Russia's employ

Darkstar became a member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers with her brother, Vanguard, and the fifth Crimson Dynamo. The Soviet Super-Soldiers battled Iron Man and Jack of Hearts on the moon. The Super-Soldiers wound up helping the heroes in battling renegade Rigellians led by Commander Arcturus.^[6]

Later, Darkstar and Vanguard were sent along with new Soviet Super-Soldier Ursa Major by the KGB to defeat Sergei the Presence. They fought Sergei and the second Red Guardian, but then Darkstar and Vanguard learned that Sergei was their father, and that Professor Phobos had exploited the Super-Soldiers. Darkstar aided in freeing Sergei and Starlight, and defeating Phobos.^[7]

Later on, she was a key player in the Contest of Champions, in which she represented Russia as part of the international superhero contest.

The Soviet Super-Soldiers were then sent by the Soviet government to Khystym to battle the Gremlin. They fought the Spaceknights Rom and Starshine, but later allied with them against the Dire Wraiths. The Super-Soldiers wound up befriending the Gremlin instead of fighting him.^[8]

Later, the Soviet Super-Soldiers agreed to help bring Magneto to justice. They fought the Avengers, but turned against the Crimson Dynamo when it turned out that he had been manipulating events.^[9]

The former Soviet Super-Soldiers Darkstar, Vanguard, and Ursa Major eventually defected to the United States seeking political asylum. They arrived at Avengers Island, asking for Captain America's help. They were beaten nearly to death by the Supreme Soviets, who had disguised themselves as members of the Avengers. The comatose subconscious minds of the Super-Soldiers formed a "Great Beast" that followed the Supreme Soviets back to the USSR and tried to kill them. Captain America persuaded the "Great Beast" to stand down, and the three heroes later regained consciousness and began to recover from their injuries.^[10]

The Soviet Super-Soldiers were eventually captured and returned to the Soviet Union. They were rescued by a man known as Blind Faith, and his team called the Exiles (not to be confused with the reality-hopping team the Exiles), whom she joined^[11].

Later, when the Supreme Soviets (who had changed their name to People's Protectorate) was rechristened the Winter Guard, Darkstar was recruited back into the team. After that team also disbanded, Darkstar and Vanguard teamed with a Russian mutant team and later joined forces with their father, the Presence.

[edit] Death and Resurrection

Later, it is revealed that Darkstar joined the Paris branch of X-Corporation,^[12] in which she was possessed by Weapon XII, a creation of the Weapon Plus Project, and was subsequently killed by Fantomex. A funeral was held in her honor at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where she was buried.

During the Dark Reign storyline, Darkstar is among the dead characters seen in Erebus when Hercules travels to the Underworld.^[13]

Darkstar is resurrected by means of the Transmode Virus to serve as part of Selene's army of deceased mutants. Under the control of Selene and Eli Bard, she takes part in the assault on the mutant nation of Utopia.^[14] The story is ongoing.

[edit] The Second Darkstar

A new, red-haired Darkstar first appeared as a member of the Winter Guard in Hulk #1. Her name was revealed to be Sasha Roerich.^[15] After being genetically altered by The Presence, her body betrayed itself - and she was transformed into a multi-tentacled Darkforce beast. She was killed by Red Guardian. ^[16]

[edit] The New Darkstar

A new Darkstar named Reena has taken over the role. ^[17]

[edit] Powers and abilities

Darkstar was a mutant who could psionically access the extra-dimensional energy of the Darkforce dimension, which granted her a number of superhuman abilities. She was connected to the Darkforce dimension by means of her consciousness being split between her physical body and a Darkforce representation of same, both symbiotically linked. Darkstar could thus utilize the Darkforce for various purposes. She could cause Darkforce to behave like either matter or energy. Most often she projected it as simple mentally-controlled solid objects possessing the density of steel such as pincers, rings, columns, and spheres, or as beams of concussive force. If Darkstar was rendered unconscious any Darkforce constructs of her making would immediately dissipate. Darkstar could teleport herself and up to three others by opening a portal into the Darkforce dimension and traveling through it. The maximum distance she could teleport was never revealed. Because crossing the Darkforce dimension disoriented her sense of direction, and the light of Earth blinded her for several seconds upon reemergence, traveling in this manner was risky.

Darkstar could levitate herself and fly at subsonic speeds by generating a virtually invisible portal into the Darkforce dimension along the contours of her body without passing through it, then balancing the attractive force of the dimension against that of the Earth's gravity. The upper limits of her powers were unknown at the time of her death.

Darkstar was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by the KGB, and from the Black Widow. She was fluent in both Russian and English.

Darkstar's costume, which was designed by the Soviet government, was made of synthetic stretch fabric insulated against the cold.

[edit] Other versions

[edit] Civil War: House of M

Darkstar is seen as a member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers.^[18]

[edit] Other

• In Earth #3740, the native timeline of Heather Hudson of the dimension-jumping Exiles, the Soviet Union still exists. Darkstar is part of the Soviet Super-Soldiers.^[19]

• An alternate version of Darkstar was shown in yet another universe. She was a member of the Republican Guard, Russia's superhuman team, alongside Crimson Dynamo, Omega Red, Gremlin, and the Titanium Man.^[20]

[edit] In other media

[edit] Television

Darkstar guest-starred in the X-Men Animated Series episode Red Dawn. She's initially the mutant enforcer for a group of Russian generals seeking to reestablish the Soviet Union with the aid of Omega Red. After witnessing the crimes committed by Omega Red, Darkstar rebels against the generals and sides with the X-Men and Colossus. Curiously, Darkstar did not have her Darkforce powers here and instead manipulated energy as offensive blasts and force screens. She retained her power of flight, however.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] See also

• List of fictional characters who can manipulate darkness or shadow

[edit] External links

• Darkstar at Marvel.com
• UncannyXmen.Net profile
• UncannyXmen.net Spotlight On Darkstar