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Quote1 It was the spark that started the fire--a legend that grew in the telling. After the light. Before the war. And before the fall. They were the last days of the great idea--an Avengers world. We were final options. We were last resorts. We were world builders and world breakers. And in the last days of life, before a season of death...we were Avengers. Quote2
Starbrand[src]

Kevin Connor was one of two people who were ascended by "The Last White Event," the other being Nightmask (Adam). Kevin became Starbrand, but upon receiving the power, his college was annihilated.[5] This abnormal White Event was hastily fired from the Superflow due to a catastrophic multiversal phenomenon known as "incursions." The Builders, ancients who had built the universal systems that blessed Starbrand, noticed their broken systems and attempted to stabilize the Multiverse by destroying the incursion points: Earth.[6] In wake of the new Builder threat,[7] Starbrand and Nightmask, as well as fellow Builder systems Ex Nihilo and Abyss, were recruited into the Avengers.[8]

Following the Builder War, Starbrand, Nightmask, Ex Nihilo, and Abyss joined Sunspot's Multiversal Avengers to traverse the Multiverse and find out what was causing the Multiverse to collapse.[9] Their inquiry led them to the source of the incursions, the Ivory Kings a.k.a. the Beyonders, but Starbrand and the others were all killed in battle.[2][10]

Starbrand returned to life when the Multiverse was restored,[3] and he enrolled in a new college with Nightmask.[11] His life was cut short when he was killed by Robbie Reyes' Penance Stare.[4] His Starbrand somehow inexplicably got transferred to Suzanne Selby, and then her daughter.[12]

History

The Last White Event and the Builder War[]

Avengers Vol 5 8 Textless

Aftermath of the White Event

Kevin Connor[13] was a young ignored but excellent student from Allegheny Technical College. When the effects of the incursions affected the Superflow of Earth-616, he was given the power of the Starbrand during the White Event; his transformation caused him to annihilate the whole college. The Avengers later arrived to investigate the event, as guided by Nightmask and Captain Universe.[14]

After he faced the Avengers, Kevin Connor was taken by Nightmask to Mars, in order to seek for help to Ex Nihilo, in the meantime, he explained Starbrand what caused his powers and his purpose.[13]

Nightmask teleported Connor and himself to Croatia, one of the places modified by Ex Nihilo, where strange creatures started forming a brain-like structure. The "brain" tied to absorb Nightmask, but was rescued by Starbrand, who accidentally killed the organism in the process, "killing the Earth." The Avengers arrived to the scene and tried to stop them, who fought back until Starbrand surrendered. As they were out of options, the heroes decided it would be better for the world to put Kevin away from it, in Stark's Dyson Sphere under construction, in the company of Nightmask.[15]

Avengers (Earth-616) from Avengers Vol 5 17 001

Starbrand, Nightmask, Ex Nihilo, and Abyss as Avengers

When Captain Universe sensed a new threat coming to Earth, her own children, the Builders, she advised the Avengers to recruit him and Nightmask into the team, which they did.[16] Starbrand aided the Avengers in the Builder war, even devastating an entire Builder fleet.[17]

Time Runs Out[]

After the Avengers fell into S.H.I.E.L.D. authority, Starbrand and Nightmask left the team to investigate the decay of the universe. They returned to Earth when they received a message from Sunspot, inviting them to join his own Avengers team as there had been new progress on the research related to the Incursions.[18]

Using A.I.M.'s resources, Sunspot managed to put into operation a machine capable of transporting individuals across the Multiverse, in hopes of finding the source of the decay of the Multiverse, and a group of them, the "Multiversal Avengers," embarked in said mission. Starbrand was among these heroes.[19]

Kevin Connor (Earth-616) from Avengers World Vol 1 19

Starbrand's new suit

In their journey, the Multiversal Avengers arrived to the base of the Black Priests, whom they believed to be enemies, as they would destroy alternate Earths. After discovering their true motivation, that of saving the Multiverse, the Multiversal Avengers allied with the Black Priests, and were informed of the true enemies they had to face, the Ivory Kings and Rabum Alal. While the Black Priests tried to find Rabum Alal, the Multiversal Avengers would set out to find the Ivory Kings (also known as the Beyonders).[20]

The Avengers traveled across numerous universes, navigating the map left by the Mapmakers. After one last jump across universes that cost Nightmask's life, the Avengers found themselves face to face with a fissure in time and space. From it, two Beyonders emerged and demanded the heroes to fall back. Upon denying their request, the Avengers faced the Beyonders. During the fight, Starbrand was stabbed by one of the Beyonders, Kevin used his last breath to unleash the energy within him and destroy it.[2]

All New All Different[]

Starbrand & Nightmask Vol 1 2 Henderson Variant Textless

At Empire State University with Nightmask

When the universe came back to life, so did Kevin and the rest of its inhabitants, usually with no memory of their temporary demise, although Kevin could recall some memories.[10] After defeating Blizzard in China, he was offered membership by Sunspot in his New Avengers and was about to accept it, but Nightmask declined and instead, the two of them started attending college, Empire State University.[21]

On the first day of college, they were attacked by mind-controlled Nitro, Graviton and Blizzard twice,[22] and the second time almost cost Kevin's life, because he was fighting the three of them on his own. Meanwhile, Adam was tracking the source of their control and found out the responsible were the Eternity's children Explosion, Gravitation and Entropy. After taking away their control over the Earth criminals, he returned to Earth and both he and Kevin attended their first college party.[10]

The next day, Kevin and Adam met with Kolobus, after Libra brought them together. Then, Kolobus helped them prevent the Kree Starbrand from killing Kevin and destroying Earth, although, in the end, it was revealed that there's a fail-safe in the Starbrand power that causes them to become attracted to one another and kiss. Because of this, they call off the fight and Va-Sohn agrees not to attack any more worlds, as Kevin would be there to "make things cosmically awkward". Therefore, Va-sohn and Joras-Kyl are returned to their homeworld to reconsider their options.[23]

After a superhuman civil war, which started due to Thanos' arrival on Earth, and a looming Chitauri invasion, the idea to build a Planetary Defense Shield came up.[24] After it was built, Kevin was asked by Monica Rambeau to test it alongside other superheroes.[25]

Secret Empire[]

When the Chitauri invasion arrived, heavy-hitter superheroes prepared to hold the line while Iron Man and Ironheart fixed the Planetary Defense Shield. Meanwhile, it was revealed the Shield's malfunctions were actually purposefully caused by Captain America, with superficial damage of Hydra's attack covering that up. Rogers activated the Shield.[26] leaving Starbrand, Nightmask and the rest of the heroes in Earth's orbit exiled on the other side.[27]

The Defense Shield was eventually brought down by the new Quasar Avril Kincaid, though it resulted in her being temporarily comatose.[28][29] Starbrand later joined the other heroes in ending Hydra's occupation of the United States.[30]

Death[]

One day, Starbrand sensed that the Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes was in South Africa near an awakened Celestial called the Fallen. Fearing that Robbie would endanger the world if he found the Fallen, Starbrand traveled to South Africa and attacked Robbie, planning to destroy him, despite Robbie having no idea what was going on. Robbie fought off Starbrand and eventually awakened his Penance Stare, an ability he didn't know he had before. Subjected to the Penance Stare, Starbrand perished in an explosion.[4]

Attributes

Power Grid[33]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Poor:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/Virtually Unlimited:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Enhanced:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Starbrand has energy-based powers on a virtually infinite scale due to possessing the Star Brand. Abilities he has manifested include:

  • Superhuman Durability: Starbrand was unharmed after being struck by Thor's thrown Mjolnir. He also survived Hulk punching him while falling from orbit.[13]
  • Flight: Starbrand is able to defy gravity and fly.[1]
    • Space Flight: He is even capable of doing so in deep space, being capable of surviving without breathing.[23]
  • Matter Manipulation: Starbrand is able to manipulate and alter matter and energy at a potentially quantum level. Starbrand has been shown to transmute and rebuild matter into different form at will.[31]
    • Healing Powers: Using his matter transmutation powers, Starbrand is able to rapidly heal himself and others from any physical injury. His healing capabilities allow him to heal broken bones, organs and limbs with relative ease.[10]
  • Energy Manipulation: Starbrand is able to generate and manipulate various forms of energy, allowing him to create destructive energy-blasts.[1]
    • Energy Discharge: Starbrand is able to generate extremely powerful energy-blasts capable of destroying entire planets. When killed, he can unleash this energy with enough force to kill a Beyonder.[2]
  • Cosmic Senses: Starbrand can perceive energy patterns on a molecular scale and can see objects at a distance of 250,000 miles.[1]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Trivia

See Also

Links and References

References

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