Reflecto
Encyclopedia
Reflecto is a fictional superhero
from DC Comics
who first appeared as a statue of a dead Legion of Super-Heroes
member in Adventure Comics #354 (March 1967) in the "Adult Legion" story, which purported to depict the Legion farther in the future than the regular Legion series. Reflecto was mentioned as having been "killed in a duel with the Molecule Master."
planned a Legion spin-off
series called the Outsiders, which would have, among other characters, included Nightcrawler
(who was later introduced in the Marvel Comics team the X-Men
) and Reflecto, in his first appearance as a living character. This series was not produced, however.
Reflecto was first introduced as a character in Legion of Super-Heroes #277–280 (July 1981). His initial appearance suggested that he was Ultra Boy
with amnesia
, but he was soon revealed to be Superboy
, (whose body was being possessed by the consciousness of the apparently dead Ultra Boy), who was suffering from a form of amnesia brought on by his inadvertent disobedience to a post-hypnotic
command implanted in his mind by Saturn Girl
. The post-hypnotic command forbade Superboy to ever return to the 30th century; it was given to prevent Superboy from altering history after learning the time and cause of the deaths of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent.
After unknowingly arriving in the 30th century, Superboy found himself on a world with very high gravity. His superpowers were somewhat diminished, and he could not immediately leave the planet. He encountered a very powerful beast which attacked him repeatedly until Superboy discovered that it was attracted to the colors of his hair and uniform as everything on the planet was reddish-orange. To end the attacks, Superboy used his heat vision to fuse the planet's reddish sand to his hair and uniform, thereby changing their color.
After some time, he was able to leave the planet, but he did not know where he was. He was also unaware that he had traveled through time. Upon discovering that he was in the 30th century, the conflict with the post-hypnotic command caused a form of extreme denial
/amnesia. This, combined with his now unrecognizable appearance led to the formation of the Reflecto identity. In his mind, if he was not "Superboy", then he was not violating the post-hypnotic command.
Reflecto was revealed to be Superboy when he threw himself in front of an energy discharge intended to kill Phantom Girl. The intense energy vaporized the fused sand from the indestructible Kryptonian fabric and revealed the "S"-symbol on his uniform. Saturn Girl then removed the command and restored his mind. Superboy returned to his own time and agreed not to return to the 30th century.
The statue of the "dead" Ultra Boy in the Legion's hall of dead Legionnaires was changed into one of Reflecto, fulfilling the description seen on the statue in the "Adult Legion" story.
In Legion of Super-Heroes (4th series) Annual #1, which happened after continuity changes erased Superboy from history, Reflecto was shown as an actual person in a one-panel flashback. The 2995 Legion of Superheroes Sourcebook, written by the writers of the Legion series but not considered canon by DC Comics, explained that this Reflecto was killed by the Molecule Master as mentioned on the statue featured in the "Adult Legion" story.
A character appeared briefly in the March 2006 issue of Legion of Super-Heroes (5th series, #14) as a crazed fan overcome by the death of Dream Girl. Believing that he and Dream Girl were meant to be together, he lashed out at the Legion by reflecting their powers against them. He was subdued by Triplicate Girl as there was nothing to reflect against an "ordinary" girl. Shortly afterwards he was referred to as "Reflecto" by Shadow Lass.
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
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...
who first appeared as a statue of a dead Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
member in Adventure Comics #354 (March 1967) in the "Adult Legion" story, which purported to depict the Legion farther in the future than the regular Legion series. Reflecto was mentioned as having been "killed in a duel with the Molecule Master."
Fictional character biography
In the early 1970s, Dave CockrumDave Cockrum
David Emmett Cockrum was an American comic book artist known for his co-creation of the new X-Men characters Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus...
planned a Legion spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series called the Outsiders, which would have, among other characters, included Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler (comics)
Nightcrawler is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Universe. He has been associated with both the X-Men and Excalibur, originally appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum, he debuted in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
(who was later introduced in the Marvel Comics team the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
) and Reflecto, in his first appearance as a living character. This series was not produced, however.
Reflecto was first introduced as a character in Legion of Super-Heroes #277–280 (July 1981). His initial appearance suggested that he was Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy
Ultra Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in DC Comics. He is a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. Ultra Boy gained these powers when the space-speedster he was flying was swallowed by an ultra-energy beast , exposing him to...
with amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
, but he was soon revealed to be Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
, (whose body was being possessed by the consciousness of the apparently dead Ultra Boy), who was suffering from a form of amnesia brought on by his inadvertent disobedience to a post-hypnotic
Hypnotic
Hypnotic drugs are a class of psychoactives whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia and in surgical anesthesia...
command implanted in his mind by Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl is a fictional character appearing in DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Imra first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
. The post-hypnotic command forbade Superboy to ever return to the 30th century; it was given to prevent Superboy from altering history after learning the time and cause of the deaths of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent.
After unknowingly arriving in the 30th century, Superboy found himself on a world with very high gravity. His superpowers were somewhat diminished, and he could not immediately leave the planet. He encountered a very powerful beast which attacked him repeatedly until Superboy discovered that it was attracted to the colors of his hair and uniform as everything on the planet was reddish-orange. To end the attacks, Superboy used his heat vision to fuse the planet's reddish sand to his hair and uniform, thereby changing their color.
After some time, he was able to leave the planet, but he did not know where he was. He was also unaware that he had traveled through time. Upon discovering that he was in the 30th century, the conflict with the post-hypnotic command caused a form of extreme denial
Denial
Denial is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.The subject may use:* simple denial: deny the reality of the...
/amnesia. This, combined with his now unrecognizable appearance led to the formation of the Reflecto identity. In his mind, if he was not "Superboy", then he was not violating the post-hypnotic command.
Reflecto was revealed to be Superboy when he threw himself in front of an energy discharge intended to kill Phantom Girl. The intense energy vaporized the fused sand from the indestructible Kryptonian fabric and revealed the "S"-symbol on his uniform. Saturn Girl then removed the command and restored his mind. Superboy returned to his own time and agreed not to return to the 30th century.
The statue of the "dead" Ultra Boy in the Legion's hall of dead Legionnaires was changed into one of Reflecto, fulfilling the description seen on the statue in the "Adult Legion" story.
In Legion of Super-Heroes (4th series) Annual #1, which happened after continuity changes erased Superboy from history, Reflecto was shown as an actual person in a one-panel flashback. The 2995 Legion of Superheroes Sourcebook, written by the writers of the Legion series but not considered canon by DC Comics, explained that this Reflecto was killed by the Molecule Master as mentioned on the statue featured in the "Adult Legion" story.
A character appeared briefly in the March 2006 issue of Legion of Super-Heroes (5th series, #14) as a crazed fan overcome by the death of Dream Girl. Believing that he and Dream Girl were meant to be together, he lashed out at the Legion by reflecting their powers against them. He was subdued by Triplicate Girl as there was nothing to reflect against an "ordinary" girl. Shortly afterwards he was referred to as "Reflecto" by Shadow Lass.