Superman is considered one of the strongest superheroes of all time, but a starfish from space is so dangerous that a group of DC heroes had to be formed 66 years ago. Even Superman has little chance alone.
Which villain is it? Anyone who has seen the film The Suicide Squad (2024) by James Gunn has encountered Starro. The large starfish from space is not just a new monster; it is a rather important villain in DC’s history.
It made its first appearance in the comic The Brave and the Bold No. 28 in 1960. It was the first comic in which the Justice League of America teamed up to defeat a supervillain. This was also badly needed, because although it merely looks like a giant monster, Starro is one of the most powerful villains in the DC Universe.
A Powerful Alien Community
What is Starro? Starro was originally an alien monster that sought planets to conquer. For this, it used small parasitic starfish that attach themselves to the faces of humans, allowing it to control them with a collective consciousness. This enables it to control an entire planet in no time, even powerful beings like Superman or Wonder Woman.
In 2009, DC changed its backstory. In the comic R.E.B.E.L.S. Annual No. 1: Starro the Conqueror, it is shown that the starfish
are distributed by a mother star across planets to enslave the inhabitants.
This also happened on the planet Hatorei, whose peaceful inhabitants possessed telepathic communication. They were also conquered by a queen to live as slaves. However, due to the telepathy, they were not completely controlled. They could not control their bodies, but they could think within their community.
One day, an inhabitant managed to regain control to kill the queen. However, she used the inhabitant’s brother, Cobi, to defend herself. After Cobi killed his brother, he tore the parasitic star off his face (Alien says hello). The queen attached herself to Cobi, but he managed to control her.
Thus, Starro the Conqueror was born, who could control the other Starros
in the galaxy and became stronger with each conquered civilization. However, the young boy Cobi still lives within him, as the Starro queen explains on his body:
Deep inside him still lives the long-lost boy from Hatorei, who once knew love, hope, and family. A boy who longs for someone, anyone, to prove to him that heroes exist and that kindness matters in this cold, indifferent cosmos.
Even Superman Has Trouble Against Starro
What abilities does Starro have? Its most dangerous abilities are reproduction and parasitic mind control. The mini-Starros can be sent out to control humans and other intelligent beings. Like a collective consciousness, Starro can then control multiple beings simultaneously.
Since the parasites can be as small as starfish on Earth, it is also hard to foresee that the monster is beginning to conquer Earth. This works even on powerful heroes. One mistake, and you’re under Starro’s control.
Otherwise, it also has other useful abilities:
- Starros can regenerate
- Many conventional weapons like bombs are ineffective
- Starros age very slowly
Could Starro really defeat Superman? There have been several instances where Superman and other heroes were conquered
by Starro. In the animated series Batman Beyond, an older Superman and other heroes were taken over by Starro, even Superman by the Starro queen.
Batman (not Bruce Wayne, but Terry McGinnis) only managed to free Superman with a trick and a targeted attack on the monster.
In the animated film Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, all major heroes, including Batman and Superman, are infected and controlled by Starro. Only the sons of both manage to free the heroes and defeat Starro.
Of course, a large alien starfish is not the only one who has managed to defeat Superman. Although he is the Man of Steel
, he has been beaten in battle multiple times. We’ve summarized 10 moments of this in this list: 10 Characters Who Defeated Superman in Battle
