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Alright, let's talk about a character who was once described as "Superman meets Green Lantern" as this #SupermanAnalogue: Star Brand, the Mightiest hero of Marvel's New Universe, and has since been reimagined several times. Kenneth Connel originally, Kevin Conner when reimagined Image
So, the Star Brand is a cosmic energy mark that channels vast power through a representative individual. Whomever bears it has access to vast energies, granting any number of abilities. The base abilities are physical, but it extends to flight, energy, and potential... Image
Star Brands are typically linked with "White Events" where vast radiation bombards a region, unlocking metahuman abilities in those caught in the blast. In every iteration of the character, the Star Brand has been linked with the creation of superhuman potential. Image
The original version was the flagship of the "New Universe" line of 80s Marvel comics which was defined as a "realistic" stance on superheroes for the time. It was a mark, often mistake for a tatoo, that could be anywhere on the body and granted the bearer unlimited power. Image
The first appearance happened alongside the "white event" which presented the first superbeings in a world that had always seen such things as children's fiction. In truth, the white event was the collateral damage to a previous wielder of the Star Brand attempting to give it up. Image
Kenneth Connell had no desire to be a public figure. He was a complicated man with multiple overlapping relationships and a grey morality. The introduction of such vast power tested who he was and his better nature shown through. He became his world's mightiest mortal. Image
However, vast power didn't mean he got literary convenience with it. Star Brand could fall victim to being disoriented, such as losing track of the Earth in space or needing to pull out a map to navigate the countryside. It was an excuse to ask unanswered questions of superpowers Image
The New Universe was an ambitious attempt at comic book world building, but it didn't exactly catch on. Various attempts to rebrand (no pun intended) failed, many attempting to make it a more conventional superhero world, but eventually the line folded. Image
Warren Ellis took a crack at rebuilding the setting with his New Universal series. In it, much of the complexity of the characters were stripped away in exchange for a far more out there concept of superbeings as systems. It was fascinating and enjoyable but folded early. Image
Then Jonathan Hickman did his Avengers run, which capitalized on VERY heavy hitters. He brought back the systems of the New Universal series and tied it into the threats to the multiverse he had been building towards. Image
Kevin Connor, the 616 Star Brand vastly outmatched the Avengers, even the likes of Thor and Hyperion. The current wielder was...not a paragon of humanity and his quest to handle his newfound importance in the universe was a difficult journey, as was befitting the role. Image
Star Brand was a reflection in the real pressures that power would exert on anyone. Issues aren't black and white and heroes often have tarnish. Given the chance to rise to aid humanity, there are those who will give of themselves, even if conflicted, and be the heroes we need. Image
Who knows? Maybe we're due for our own "White Event". Image
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