Star-Spangled Kid
Encyclopedia
Star-Spangled Kid is the name of several fictional superhero
es in the DC Comics
' main shared
universe
.
character. He became the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism
during World War II
. He was unique in that he was a kid superhero who had an adult sidekick, Stripesy a.k.a. Pat Dugan. Both he and Dugan were superb acrobats along with having sufficient training in hand-to-hand combat, but the pair regularly bickered about which of them should get top billing.
Decades later, he changed his name to Skyman and led Infinity Inc.
. He was killed when Harlequin III made Solomon Grundy
touch Pemberton with Mister Bones
's hand. Bones' cyanide touch killed him instantly.
. Dugan, a skilled mechanic, designs and builds S.T.R.I.P.E., an armored robot
which he rides in to accompany and protect her. Eventually, she joins the JSA
and, after being given Starman Jack Knight's
cosmic rod, changes her identity to Stargirl.
. She uses her immunity to the brainwashing to slowly free the other combatants.
, Alex Ross
portrays a later Star-Spangled Kid (simply called Stars) as an African-American street kid wearing a leather jacket with an American flag bandana,and a T-shirt with an inverted American flag, using the cosmic rod in conjunction with the cosmic converter belt. He, too, is accompanied by a muscular older man in a striped shirt, this one called Stripes.
, Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton
) appeared in the season 9 interquel movie: "Absolute Justice", where he contacts Chloe Sullivan
and is later killed by Icicle's
son after a brief fight. In the same episode, when Icicle (Cameron Mahkent) is fighting Stargirl, he asks her "Are you the new Star-Spangled Kid?" and she replies "It's Stargirl."
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 —...
es in the 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...
' main shared
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
.
Sylvester Pemberton
The original Star-Spangled Kid was Sylvester Pemberton, a Golden AgeGolden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
character. He became the Star-Spangled Kid in order to battle Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was unique in that he was a kid superhero who had an adult sidekick, Stripesy a.k.a. Pat Dugan. Both he and Dugan were superb acrobats along with having sufficient training in hand-to-hand combat, but the pair regularly bickered about which of them should get top billing.
Decades later, he changed his name to Skyman and led Infinity Inc.
Infinity Inc.
Infinity, Inc. is a team of superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The team is mostly composed of the children and heirs of the Justice Society of America, making them the Society's analogue to the Teen Titans, which is composed of sidekicks of Justice League members...
. He was killed when Harlequin III made Solomon Grundy
Solomon Grundy (comics)
Solomon Grundy is a fictional character, a zombie supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Named after the 19th century children's nursery rhyme, Grundy was introduced as an enemy of the Golden Age Green Lantern , but has since become a prominent enemy for a number of superheroes, such as Batman and...
touch Pemberton with Mister Bones
Mister Bones
Mister Bones is a fictional character in the , created by Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, and Todd McFarlane, in Infinity, Inc. #16 . A former low-level supervillain, he reformed and joined the Infinity Inc...
's hand. Bones' cyanide touch killed him instantly.
Courtney Whitmore
Courtney is the stepdaughter of Pat Dugan. She finds Pemberton's gear in her stepfather's belongings and dons the Cosmic Converter Belt, with a costume of her own design. She begins her career as the second Star-Spangled Kid in order to annoy Dugan as partial revenge for him marrying her mother and supposedly forcing the family to move from Los Angeles to Blue Valley, NebraskaBlue Valley (comics)
Blue Valley is a fictional city in the DC Comics universe. It was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino as the home town of the original Kid Flash. It was first mentioned in The Flash #110 .-Location:...
. Dugan, a skilled mechanic, designs and builds S.T.R.I.P.E., an armored 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...
which he rides in to accompany and protect her. Eventually, she joins the JSA
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
and, after being given Starman Jack Knight's
Starman (Jack Knight)
Starman is fictional character, a comic book superhero in the , and a member of the Justice Society of America. He is the son of the original Starman, Ted Knight...
cosmic rod, changes her identity to Stargirl.
Miss Martian
A third Star-Spangled Kid appears in Terror Titans #1 and is subsequently captured by the Terror Titans team for the Dark Side Club. The Star-Spangled Kid is forced to fight in a tournament against other meta-humans, going on to win the tournament. During the course of the storyline he appears to have a much stronger resistance to brainwashing than the other fighters, although he does eventually succumb. Later, it is revealed that he is the shape-shifting Miss MartianMiss Martian
Miss Martian is a superhero in the . Miss Martian was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel and first appeared in Teen Titans #37 . Miss Martian is named "Megan Morse" after Marvel Comics associate editor Ben Morse's wife, Megan...
. She uses her immunity to the brainwashing to slowly free the other combatants.
Other versions
In Kingdom ComeKingdom Come (comic book)
Kingdom Come is a four-issue comic book mini-series published in 1996 by DC Comics. It was written by Alex Ross and Mark Waid and painted in gouache by Ross, who also developed the concept from an original idea...
, Alex Ross
Alex Ross
Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross is an American comic book painter, illustrator, and plotter. He is praised for his realistic, human depictions of classic comic book characters. Since the 1990s he has done work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an...
portrays a later Star-Spangled Kid (simply called Stars) as an African-American street kid wearing a leather jacket with an American flag bandana,and a T-shirt with an inverted American flag, using the cosmic rod in conjunction with the cosmic converter belt. He, too, is accompanied by a muscular older man in a striped shirt, this one called Stripes.
In other media
In SmallvilleSmallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton
Sylvester Pemberton
Sylvester Pemberton, alternately known as The Star-Spangled Kid and Skyman, is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics universe. Sylvester first appeared in Action Comics #40 and was created by Jerry Siegel and Hal Sherman....
) appeared in the season 9 interquel movie: "Absolute Justice", where he contacts Chloe Sullivan
Chloe Sullivan
Chloe Sullivan is a fictional character from the television series Smallville. Series regular Allison Mack has portrayed the character since the pilot episode; two other actresses performed the role of Chloe Sullivan as a child. The character was created exclusively for Smallville, by series...
and is later killed by Icicle's
Icicle (comics)
Icicle is the name of two fictional DC Comics supervillains.-Dr. Joar Mahkent:When noted European physicist Dr. Joar Mahkent arrived in America with his latest scientific discovery, spectators at dockside were astonished to witness the luxury liner upon which Mahkent was traveling suddenly frozen...
son after a brief fight. In the same episode, when Icicle (Cameron Mahkent) is fighting Stargirl, he asks her "Are you the new Star-Spangled Kid?" and she replies "It's Stargirl."