The Auctioneer is a cosmic supervillain

Supervillain

A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...

 from DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

 and an enemy of Superman

Superman

Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

. He was created by Kurt Busiek

Kurt Busiek

Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...

 and Fabian Nicieza

Fabian Nicieza

Fabian Nicieza is an American comic book writer and editor who is best known for his work on Marvel titles such as X-Men, X-Force, New Warriors, Cable and Deadpool, and Thunderbolts, for all of which he helped create numerous characters.-Early life:The son of Omar and Irma Riguetti Nicieza, Fabian...

 and first appeared in Action Comics

Action Comics

Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...

#841 (September 2006). The Auctioneer has an modus operandi

Modus operandi

Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...

 similar to several other supervillains, including The Collector

Collector (comics)

The Collector is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Fictional character biography:Taneleer Tivan is one of the Elders of the Universe and is close to his fellow Elder En Dwi Gast . He apparently came to self-awareness billions of years ago, on the planet Cygnus X-1...

 form Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics

Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...

, and Manga Khan

Manga Khan

Manga Khan originally known as Lord Manga, is a fictional DC Comics supervillain and an intergalactic trader. A gaseous being, he relies on a metallic suit to give him form...

 from DC Comics

DC Comics

DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...

.

Fictional character biography

Not much is known of the being called the Auctioneer, save that he is an alien being of immense power who wields a technology so advanced that it allows him to collect almost any object or creature in the known universe with little or no effort. He then makes it his business to sell the items in question to the highest bidder. (Not unlike the intergalactical salesman Manga Khan

Manga Khan

Manga Khan originally known as Lord Manga, is a fictional DC Comics supervillain and an intergalactic trader. A gaseous being, he relies on a metallic suit to give him form...

 of the Cluster, but the Auctioneer is vastly more powerful than his "colleague".)

Upon encountering Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

, The Auctioneer sends out his army of robot

Robot

A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

ic "collectors" to scoop up famous and important landmarks throughout the planet. Hidden away on his craft in deep space, the Auctioneer accepts various bids and offers on the collected items. When Superman

Superman

Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...

 (recently returned to active duty after a year-long absence – see Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis

Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...

, 52

52 (comics)

52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...

and One Year Later

One Year Later

"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...

) intervenes, and tries to stop the business, the Auctioneer realizes that Superman himself, one of the last Krypton

Krypton (comics)

Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...

ians alive, would be more valuable to him as a sales item than all of the other collected objects together.

The Auctioneer brings Superman into his custody and then starts kidnapping

Kidnapping

In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...

 virtually every meta-human or superpower

Superpower

A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...

ed being on Earth, in order to start an auction

Auction

An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...

 on all of them. Superheroes and supervillains alike find that their powers have been neutralized and get imprisoned aboard the Auctioneer's gigantic spaceship.

A small group of heroes and villains, led by Superman and consisting of Nightwing

Nightwing

Nightwing is a name that has been used by several fictional characters in the DC Comics Universe. It was conceived as a Kryptonian analogue to the character of Batman, with Nightwing's frequent partner Flamebird based on Robin...

, Aquaman

Aquaman

Aquaman is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in More Fun Comics #73 . Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles, Aquaman later starred in several volumes of a solo title...

, Firestorm

Firestorm (comics)

Firestorm is the name of several comic book superheroes published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein, the first Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1 , and was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom. Martin Stein, by himself as Firestorm, debuted in Firestorm the Nuclear...

, Skyrocket

Skyrocket (comics)

Skyrocket is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. She first appeared in JLA #61 , and was created by Kurt Busiek and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...

, Blue Jay

Blue Jay (comics)

Blue Jay is a DC Comics superhero and a former member of the Champions of Angor, also known as the Justifiers. He has the ability to shrink to seven inches tall and grow blue wings which allow him to fly...

, Livewire

Livewire (DC Comics)

Livewire is a fictional character and a supervillain in the . She first appeared in 1997 in Superman: The Animated Series and was voiced by Lori Petty. Her first appearance in the comic books was in the publication of Action Comics #835 .-Animated series:Leslie Willis was once Metropolis' most...

, and the Veteran, break free and defies the Auctioneer's grip. Working together, the team soon realizes that the neutralization of their powers is not physical, but due to a psychological dampening field. After realizing that, the escapees see their powers returned to them, and starts freeing the hundreds of meta-human interns on the ship.

The Auctioneer intervenes to stop them, certain that it will be an easy obstacle to overcome due to his vast powers. But Superman then uses his "ace in the sleeve" and threatens to have Livewire disperse the Auctioneer's entire data network all over the galaxy, unless the Auctioneer agrees to release everyone and leave the Earth. The Auctioneer, reluctant but impressed with these "inferior beings", agrees and leaves Earth, exiting with saying that he thinks they will do business again in the future.