White Martian
Encyclopedia
The White Martians are one of three fictional extraterrestrial races native to Mars
in the DC Comics
' shared
universe
. White Martians, also known as Pale Martians, appear in the comics
of the DC Universe
, chiefly JLA
, Martian Manhunter
, and Son of Vulcan
.
, their preferred form is that of angular, hairless humanoids with chalky white skin which often forms bony ridges or plates, giving them the appearance of armor. They have sometimes been seen to have a gaping mouth on their thorax and a horn on the same level on each side.
It was eventually retcon
ned that the White Martians did not evolve alongside the Green Martians as was previously believed. In reality the green and white Martians were part of the same race, known as "The Burning". This race used fire to reproduce asexually and were belligerent to all. The Guardians of the Universe
, fearing the ruthlessly and violently powerful Martians, genetically split the Martian race into two distinct species, white and green, preventing the asexual reproduction. They also gave these two new races an instinctive fear of fire to prevent either group from ever accessing their full potential. The timeframe for this genetic tampering was given as 20,000 years ago, contemporary with the early life of Vandal Savage
on Earth, in JLA series 2 #86.
While the Green Martians were peaceful philosophers, the White Martians were savage warriors. A lengthy civil war between the two races ended when the few surviving White Martians were rounded up and exiled to the extra-dimensional "Still Zone" (apparently distinct from Superman's Phantom Zone
, in which they were later imprisoned again).
es with the intent of displacing the JLA in the affections of the people of Earth. The Hyperclan members are known as Protex, Fluxus, A-Mortal, Züm, Primaid, Tronix, Armek, and Zenturion, using the array of natural Martian powers to give each "hero" a seemingly different set of abilities; for example, Züm was a speedster, Armek was a massive armored figure with superhuman strength and could change color, and Fluxus was a shapeshifter. Their initial attack results in the destruction of the League's satellite
and the death of Metamorpho
and is preceded by a sickness that strikes all fire-based heroes and villains, such as Firehawk and Doctor Phosphorus
, causing them to lose their powers. With the use of mind control and public relations, they nearly succeeded, brainwashing all of Earth into seeing the new Justice League as the villains. Despite the heroes scoring some victories in later confrontations, such as the Flash
knocking out Züm with a punch at near-lightspeed or Green Lantern
taking out Armek by exploiting the fact that they thought his ring
was still vulnerable to yellow, the Hyperclan eventually managed to capture all of the Justice League, keeping Superman
tortured with a mental illusion of green kryptonite. Batman
managed to evade capture after the Hyperclan shot down the Batplane
by taking advantage of their belief that he wasn't a threat because he was only human, deducing their true natures by their unwillingness to investigate his crashed and burning Batplane.
Sneaking into Hyperclan's base, Batman knocked out one and then later three Hyperclan members by trapping them in a ring of fire. Superman eventually managed to throw off the Kryptonite illusion and, with J'onzz, free the rest of the League. After Superman issued a public broadcast to the world that warned them of the threat, the invaders were captured, and each of them was telepathically brainwashed by J'onzz and Aquaman
to believe themselves to be human. Given strong mental blocks to inhibit their powers, the Martians assumed normal Earth lives all over the globe, although they were kept under observation by the League.
Grant Morrison
, the writer of JLA, deliberately designed the members of the Hyperclan to be as 'kiddy' as possible; Metamorpho even commented that they sounded like the names of children's toys.
(#25 - 27) by John Ostrander
, and Son of Vulcan
(#5), the genetic potential for a future metagene was discovered in ancient human DNA by the White Martian race. The White Martians performed experiments on these primitive humans, changing the metagene. Due to their experimentations, they actually altered the destiny of the human race. Whereas before evolution would have eventually made mankind into a race of superhumans similar to the Daxam
ites and Kryptonian
s, or the Martians themselves, now only a select few humans would be able to develop metahuman
powers. As punishment for this, the group of renegades known as the Hyperclan was exiled to the Still Zone, a version of the Phantom Zone
.
, Big Barda
, Orion
, and Plastic Man
(selected because they didn't know Batman's identity and thus wouldn't 'tip' the telepathic Martian off to the fact that he was a fake).
s to work on means of expanding their own mental abilities while simultaneously constructing chemical processing towers which would fireproof Earth's atmosphere by binding all the free oxygen, making themselves completely invulnerable, and conveniently asphyxiating mankind into extinction. Although the towers were destroyed when J'onn escaped his imprisonment, the League were forced to trick the Martians into sending them to the Phantom Zone
to come up with a plan of attack; the Zone was the one place Martian telepathy couldn't reach, allowing them to conceive a plan of attack and then return to Earth, J'onn placing a mental block on their minds that would stop them from remembering the plan- and thus giving the White Martians a chance to learn about it- until the moment came for them to take action. Released by the Atom (who had hidden inside Protex's head to use his own telepathy against him), the League faced the Martians in a climactic battle on the Moon. The plan required Superman, Wonder Woman
, and Green Lantern to move the Moon itself to expose the Martians to flame by dragging it into Earth's atmosphere, J'onn keeping the Martians occupied while Atom manipulated Protex's telepathy to make the other White Martians believe that their fellows were the League members, Earth's magicians working to negate the damage that would have otherwise been caused to Earth by the lunar gravity. Placed in this position, the Martians were forced to accept being banished into the Phantom Zone — a common punishment for DC's most dangerous super-villains — or die on the Moon. J'onn was prepared to sacrifice his own life to defeat them, but was teleported out of danger at the last second by his teammates, Batman subsequently informing him that he was never alone, and that J'onn having considered himself such was the one thing that his teammates couldn't easily forgive.
that could be passed from host to host via touch. This metavirus was responsible for the empowerment of the very first Son of Vulcan
. The Sons of Vulcan passed the metavirus down in an unbroken line from that time onwards, sworn to hunt and kill "the pale ones," the White Martians.
, an oviparous
White Martian named A'monn A'mokk creates five human-Martian hybrid children named Sapling, Buster, Silhouette, Quaker, and Blur, using superhuman DNA from unrevealed sources. The five hybrids all have a latent fear of fire. Sapling resembled Poison Ivy in powers and costume, and Buster seemed like a cross between Bizarro
and Solomon Grundy
. Silhouette seemed to be wearing a variant of Nightshade's
old costume and had similar powers. Blur is an albino teenager wearing an altered form of the Reverse Flash's costume.
story arc "Trial by Fire", an ancient Burning Martian entity called "Fernus" took possession of J'onn J'onzz
and exterminated as many members of the White Martian race as he could find before being defeated by Plastic Man
in a last desperate confrontation.
and the "One Year Later
" stories. At first she pretends to be a Green Martian, until she is exposed by Bombshell
. In her Earth form, M'orzz has green skin, shoulder-length red hair, dresses in a mini-skirt version of Martian Manhunter
's outfit, and uses the Earth name "Megan Morse". In Teen Titans #39, M'orzz says she lives in the Tanami Desert
in Australia because it reminds her of home. When the Teen Titans ask M'orzz to use her telepathy
to discover who has betrayed the team, she refuses, saying that she is forbidden to use her powers to probe the minds of "good" people.
, several beings that appeared to be Green Martians were found alive on Earth. They were eventually revealed to be White Martians, under mind control and disguised as greens; a Green Martian named "Cay'An" had brainwashed them to believe they were Green Martians. All of the White Martians had been killed in one way or another before the series' end, except for a juvenile named Till'All. Till'All became friends with J'onn J'onzz, and was introduced to the Justice League at the end of the story.
. In Teen Titans vol.3 #41, Miss Martian
was shown quickly recovering from the effects of Bombshell's
neural scrambling powers as well as reforming after (apparently) having her head shot off. She was also shown in this appearance breaking a pair of handcuffs by waving her hand near them.
The phase-shifting ability is not depicted in their first post-Crisis
appearance. Also, their power of flight initially seemed limited to within an atmosphere: a White Martian is defeated by Wonder Woman
after succumbing to asphyxiation in outer space; however, the White Martians are later shown flying from Earth to the moon apparently without technological assistance and fighting the JLA in a vacuum.
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
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...
' 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...
. White Martians, also known as Pale Martians, appear in the 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...
of the DC 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...
, chiefly JLA
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
, Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
, and Son of Vulcan
Vulcan (DC Comics)
Vulcan, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character to star in a book titled Son of Vulcan, the first being Johnny Mann, who was created by Charlton Comics in 1965 and later purchased by DC Comics in 1983.In the modern version, Miguel...
.
History
As a race of shapeshifters, physical appearance has little meaning for Martians. The underlying psychological differences are what separated the peaceful Green Martians from the war-like Whites. White Martians have configured their physiology to reflect their philosophy, becoming a separate race from the Green Martians, and the Yellow Martians. In the current DC continuityContinuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
, their preferred form is that of angular, hairless humanoids with chalky white skin which often forms bony ridges or plates, giving them the appearance of armor. They have sometimes been seen to have a gaping mouth on their thorax and a horn on the same level on each side.
It was eventually retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned that the White Martians did not evolve alongside the Green Martians as was previously believed. In reality the green and white Martians were part of the same race, known as "The Burning". This race used fire to reproduce asexually and were belligerent to all. The Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
, fearing the ruthlessly and violently powerful Martians, genetically split the Martian race into two distinct species, white and green, preventing the asexual reproduction. They also gave these two new races an instinctive fear of fire to prevent either group from ever accessing their full potential. The timeframe for this genetic tampering was given as 20,000 years ago, contemporary with the early life of Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage
Vandal Savage is a fictional character, a supervillain published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 1 #10 , and was created by Alfred Bester and Martin Nodell....
on Earth, in JLA series 2 #86.
While the Green Martians were peaceful philosophers, the White Martians were savage warriors. A lengthy civil war between the two races ended when the few surviving White Martians were rounded up and exiled to the extra-dimensional "Still Zone" (apparently distinct from Superman's Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
, in which they were later imprisoned again).
White Saturnians
White Saturnians called Koolars are descended from an underclass of worker clones created by ancient White Martian explorers. Green Martians cloned Jemm, Son of Saturn's people, the original Red Saturnians, from themselves, and the White Martians cloned the original White Saturnians from their own cells. The Reds were treated as equals by their creators, but the whites were treated as slaves by their masters. The enslavement of the white clones led to the civil war on Mars.Hyperclan
The Hyperclan is a White Martian vanguard for an all-out takeover of Earth who masquerade as alien superheroSuperhero
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 with the intent of displacing the JLA in the affections of the people of Earth. The Hyperclan members are known as Protex, Fluxus, A-Mortal, Züm, Primaid, Tronix, Armek, and Zenturion, using the array of natural Martian powers to give each "hero" a seemingly different set of abilities; for example, Züm was a speedster, Armek was a massive armored figure with superhuman strength and could change color, and Fluxus was a shapeshifter. Their initial attack results in the destruction of the League's satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
and the death of Metamorpho
Metamorpho
Metamorpho is a fictional character, a superhero in the . He is a founding member of the Outsiders, and has also joined multiple incarnations of the Justice League.-Publication history:...
and is preceded by a sickness that strikes all fire-based heroes and villains, such as Firehawk and Doctor Phosphorus
Doctor Phosphorus
Doctor Phosphorus is a fictional character who has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. Primarily an enemy of Batman, the supervillain exists in DC's main shared universe, known as the DC Universe...
, causing them to lose their powers. With the use of mind control and public relations, they nearly succeeded, brainwashing all of Earth into seeing the new Justice League as the villains. Despite the heroes scoring some victories in later confrontations, such as the Flash
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
knocking out Züm with a punch at near-lightspeed or Green Lantern
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
taking out Armek by exploiting the fact that they thought his ring
Power ring (weapon)
A power ring is a fictional object featured in comic book titles published by DC Comics. It first appeared in All-American Comics #16 .-Origin:...
was still vulnerable to yellow, the Hyperclan eventually managed to capture all of the Justice League, keeping 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...
tortured with a mental illusion of green kryptonite. Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
managed to evade capture after the Hyperclan shot down the Batplane
Batplane
The Batplane, later known as the Batwing, is the fictional aircraft for the comic book superhero Batman. The vehicle was introduced in "Batman Versus The Vampire, I", published in Detective Comics #31 in 1939, a story which saw Batman travel to continental Europe...
by taking advantage of their belief that he wasn't a threat because he was only human, deducing their true natures by their unwillingness to investigate his crashed and burning Batplane.
Sneaking into Hyperclan's base, Batman knocked out one and then later three Hyperclan members by trapping them in a ring of fire. Superman eventually managed to throw off the Kryptonite illusion and, with J'onzz, free the rest of the League. After Superman issued a public broadcast to the world that warned them of the threat, the invaders were captured, and each of them was telepathically brainwashed by J'onzz and 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...
to believe themselves to be human. Given strong mental blocks to inhibit their powers, the Martians assumed normal Earth lives all over the globe, although they were kept under observation by the League.
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
, the writer of JLA, deliberately designed the members of the Hyperclan to be as 'kiddy' as possible; Metamorpho even commented that they sounded like the names of children's toys.
Sabotage of Evolution
In JLA series 2 #4, Hyperclan leader Protex tells Superman how his people first came to Earth "long before there was human life" - and performed genetic experiments on terrestrial animals which, "unfortunately," crippled the evolutionary potential of the human race. The result: "the creatures which could have been gods ended up just...humans." The implication is that we should have been, literally, a race of supermen, instead of such frail, limited creatures when compared to Martians. This was another reason for the war between the White and Green Martians, who were outraged by such biological vandalism. According to the storylines in Martian ManhunterMartian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
(#25 - 27) by John Ostrander
John Ostrander
John Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.-Career:...
, and Son of Vulcan
Vulcan (DC Comics)
Vulcan, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character to star in a book titled Son of Vulcan, the first being Johnny Mann, who was created by Charlton Comics in 1965 and later purchased by DC Comics in 1983.In the modern version, Miguel...
(#5), the genetic potential for a future metagene was discovered in ancient human DNA by the White Martian race. The White Martians performed experiments on these primitive humans, changing the metagene. Due to their experimentations, they actually altered the destiny of the human race. Whereas before evolution would have eventually made mankind into a race of superhumans similar to the Daxam
Daxam
Daxam is a planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.-History:Daxamites were originally Kryptonians who left their homeworld in order to explore the Universe. They are an intensely xenophobic race, and are fearful of alien...
ites and Kryptonian
Kryptonian
Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race of the DC Comics universe who hail from the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman...
s, or the Martians themselves, now only a select few humans would be able to develop metahuman
Metahuman
Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. Use of the term in reference to superheroes was coined in 1986 by author George R. R...
powers. As punishment for this, the group of renegades known as the Hyperclan was exiled to the Still Zone, a version of the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
.
The Bruce Wayne Martian
On subsequent occasions, the White Martians succeeded in breaking free of their psychological imprisonment. The first time, a single White Martian briefly believed itself to be Bruce Wayne due to the trauma of being caught in a flaming plane crash which erased the memory of its original human identity of a Wayne Enterprises employee. While the rest of the League kept an eye on the other Martians in case the renegade tried to 'wake them up', the Wayne Martian was defeated by a team consisting of Green Lantern, SteelSteel (John Henry Irons)
Steel , also known as the Man of Steel, is a fictional character, a superhero in the DC Universe. First appearing in The Adventures of Superman #500 , he is the third character known as Steel and was created by Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove...
, Big Barda
Big Barda
Big Barda is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle #4 , and was created by Jack Kirby....
, Orion
Orion (comics)
Orion is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in New Gods #1 , and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.-Jack Kirby Era:...
, and Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
(selected because they didn't know Batman's identity and thus wouldn't 'tip' the telepathic Martian off to the fact that he was a fake).
Terror Incognita
The whole race was later revived after the battle with the wish-granting Id; J'onn's wish to be reunited with his human self — the League having been divided into their superhuman and civilian identities after a careless wish made by Superman — was subconsciously translated as a desire to cure his loneliness, thus prompting Id, in its usual sense of irony, to awaken those on Earth most like J'onn. This time, the White Martians captured various human psychicPsychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
s to work on means of expanding their own mental abilities while simultaneously constructing chemical processing towers which would fireproof Earth's atmosphere by binding all the free oxygen, making themselves completely invulnerable, and conveniently asphyxiating mankind into extinction. Although the towers were destroyed when J'onn escaped his imprisonment, the League were forced to trick the Martians into sending them to the Phantom Zone
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a fictional prison dimension featured in the Superman comic books and related media published by DC Comics. It first appeared in Adventure Comics #283 , and was created by Robert Bernstein and George Papp...
to come up with a plan of attack; the Zone was the one place Martian telepathy couldn't reach, allowing them to conceive a plan of attack and then return to Earth, J'onn placing a mental block on their minds that would stop them from remembering the plan- and thus giving the White Martians a chance to learn about it- until the moment came for them to take action. Released by the Atom (who had hidden inside Protex's head to use his own telepathy against him), the League faced the Martians in a climactic battle on the Moon. The plan required Superman, Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, and Green Lantern to move the Moon itself to expose the Martians to flame by dragging it into Earth's atmosphere, J'onn keeping the Martians occupied while Atom manipulated Protex's telepathy to make the other White Martians believe that their fellows were the League members, Earth's magicians working to negate the damage that would have otherwise been caused to Earth by the lunar gravity. Placed in this position, the Martians were forced to accept being banished into the Phantom Zone — a common punishment for DC's most dangerous super-villains — or die on the Moon. J'onn was prepared to sacrifice his own life to defeat them, but was teleported out of danger at the last second by his teammates, Batman subsequently informing him that he was never alone, and that J'onn having considered himself such was the one thing that his teammates couldn't easily forgive.
Metavirus
The White Martians created a metavirus, a metageneMetahuman
Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe. It is roughly synonymous with both mutant and mutate and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. Use of the term in reference to superheroes was coined in 1986 by author George R. R...
that could be passed from host to host via touch. This metavirus was responsible for the empowerment of the very first Son of Vulcan
Vulcan (DC Comics)
Vulcan, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the second character to star in a book titled Son of Vulcan, the first being Johnny Mann, who was created by Charlton Comics in 1965 and later purchased by DC Comics in 1983.In the modern version, Miguel...
. The Sons of Vulcan passed the metavirus down in an unbroken line from that time onwards, sworn to hunt and kill "the pale ones," the White Martians.
White Martian Hybrids
With the help of Funky FlashmanFunky Flashman
Funky Flashman is a fictional character, an entrepreneur in the DC Universe. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the pages of Mister Miracle during the early 1970s.-Fictional character biography:...
, an oviparous
Oviparity
Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, reptiles, all birds, the monotremes, and most insects, some molluscs and arachnids....
White Martian named A'monn A'mokk creates five human-Martian hybrid children named Sapling, Buster, Silhouette, Quaker, and Blur, using superhuman DNA from unrevealed sources. The five hybrids all have a latent fear of fire. Sapling resembled Poison Ivy in powers and costume, and Buster seemed like a cross between Bizarro
Bizarro
Bizarro is a fictional character that appears in publications published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman and first appeared in Superboy #68...
and 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...
. Silhouette seemed to be wearing a variant of Nightshade's
Nightshade (comics)
Nightshade is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. Created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Captain Atom v2 #82 originally published by Charlton Comics.-Charlton Comics:...
old costume and had similar powers. Blur is an albino teenager wearing an altered form of the Reverse Flash's costume.
The Burning
When the Martian Manhunter overcame his fear of fire, he broke the ancient genetic block and released Fernus, a member of the primeval Martian race. In the JLAJustice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
story arc "Trial by Fire", an ancient Burning Martian entity called "Fernus" took possession of J'onn J'onzz
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
and exterminated as many members of the White Martian race as he could find before being defeated by Plastic Man
Plastic Man
Plastic Man is a fictional comic-book superhero originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by writer-artist Jack Cole, he first appeared in Police Comics #1 ....
in a last desperate confrontation.
Miss Martian
Miss Martian, the White Martian known as M'gann M'orzz, is a member of the Teen Titans during the year between the events depicted in Infinite CrisisInfinite 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...
and the "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...
" stories. At first she pretends to be a Green Martian, until she is exposed by Bombshell
Bombshell (DC Comics)
Bombshell is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Teen Titans vol. 3, #38, and was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel.-Fictional character biography:...
. In her Earth form, M'orzz has green skin, shoulder-length red hair, dresses in a mini-skirt version of Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
's outfit, and uses the Earth name "Megan Morse". In Teen Titans #39, M'orzz says she lives in the Tanami Desert
Tanami Desert
The Tanami Desert is a desert in northern Australia situated in the Northern Territory. It has a rocky terrain with small hills. The Tanami was the Northern Territory's final frontier and was not fully explored until well into the twentieth century...
in Australia because it reminds her of home. When the Teen Titans ask M'orzz to use her telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
to discover who has betrayed the team, she refuses, saying that she is forbidden to use her powers to probe the minds of "good" people.
Martian Manhunter mini
In this miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
, several beings that appeared to be Green Martians were found alive on Earth. They were eventually revealed to be White Martians, under mind control and disguised as greens; a Green Martian named "Cay'An" had brainwashed them to believe they were Green Martians. All of the White Martians had been killed in one way or another before the series' end, except for a juvenile named Till'All. Till'All became friends with J'onn J'onzz, and was introduced to the Justice League at the end of the story.
Powers and Abilities
Like the Green Martians, White Martians have numerous superhuman powers, including great strength, flight, invisibility, telepathy, shape-changing, phase-shifting (sometimes called variable density) which allows them to be either invulnerably tough or completely immaterial, and "Martian vision", but they also share the Green Martians' vulnerability to fire. One of the White Martians disguised himself as the Hyperclan member Zum and had superspeed, though not on the level of the FlashFlash (comics)
The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
. In Teen Titans vol.3 #41, Miss Martian
Miss 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...
was shown quickly recovering from the effects of Bombshell's
Bombshell (DC Comics)
Bombshell is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Teen Titans vol. 3, #38, and was created by Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel.-Fictional character biography:...
neural scrambling powers as well as reforming after (apparently) having her head shot off. She was also shown in this appearance breaking a pair of handcuffs by waving her hand near them.
The phase-shifting ability is not depicted in their first post-Crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
appearance. Also, their power of flight initially seemed limited to within an atmosphere: a White Martian is defeated by Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
after succumbing to asphyxiation in outer space; however, the White Martians are later shown flying from Earth to the moon apparently without technological assistance and fighting the JLA in a vacuum.
Television
- In the pilot episode of Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
titled "Secret Origins", Earth is invaded by beings similar to the White Martians, but with a different background and appearance. The name "White Martian" is never used, as these beings did not really originate from Mars, and their shapeshifting powers were parasitically stolen from the Green Martian race when they conquered them. They are led by a being called the Imperium. Their ships are similar to the tripodsTripod (The War of the Worlds)Tripods or fighting-machines are a type of fictional three-legged walker from the H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, used by Martians to invade Earth.-Novel:...
from War of The Worlds. When the Imperium aliens invaded Mars, virtually the entire populace was wiped out. J'onn J'onzz, the only survivor, managed to place them in suspended animation for a thousand years until astronauts from Earth released them. The Imperium aliens took the form of humans to infiltrate Earth, then attempted to take it over. They were defeated by dispersing the protective clouds they had created to block out the sun, as sunlight is deadly to their species. The rest fled into deep space.
- In the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "Rise of the Blue Beetle," a White Martian can be seen among the pirate crew of Kanjar RoKanjar RoKanjar Ro is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Justice League of America #3 in a story entitled "The Slave Ship of Space". He was created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky....
.
- A White Martian appears in a psychic montage of scenes from Miss MartianMiss MartianMiss 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...
's childhood in the Young JusticeYoung Justice (TV series)Young Justice is an American animated television series created by Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti for Cartoon Network. Despite its title, it is not an adaptation of Todd Dezago and Todd Nauck's Young Justice comic series, but rather an adaptation of the entire DC Universe with a focus on young...
episode "Bereft". In episode "Targets", Miss Martian explicitly mentions them, describing them as a minority treated like a second-class by the Green majority. In "Disordered", it seems Miss Martian might be a White Martian.
Film
- The White Martians are featured in the animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two EarthsJustice League: Crisis on Two EarthsJustice League: Crisis on Two Earths is a 2010 original direct-to-video animated film released on February 23, 2010. It is based on the abandoned direct-to-video feature, Justice League: Worlds Collide, which was intended as a bridge between the then-concluding Justice League animated television...
. During his stay with the Justice LeagueJustice LeagueThe Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
on the Crime SyndicateCrime Syndicate of AmericaFor the concept of crime syndicates in general, see Organized crime.The Crime Syndicate are teams of fictional supervillains, from one of DC Comics' parallel universes, who are the evil counterparts of the Justice League of America. The original team was specifically known as Crime Syndicate of...
's parallel Earth, J'onn J'onnzMartian ManhunterThe Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
safeguarded First DaughterFirst Family of the United StatesThe First Family of the United States is the unofficial title for the family of the President of the United States, who is both head of state and head of government of the United States. Members of the First Family consist of the President, the First Lady of the United States, and any of their...
Rose WilsonRose WilsonRose Wilson is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. She is a member of the Teen Titans and the illegitimate daughter of Deathstroke the Terminator.-Fictional character biography:...
. When Rose felt connected to J'onn, she attempted to kiss him, J'onn responded to show her "how Martian's used to kiss", which is a telepathic exchange where he showed his past history on Mars to her which showed him battling White Martians.
Video games
- The White Martians appear in the Justice League HeroesJustice League HeroesJustice League Heroes is a console video game for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable systems. It is based on DC Comics' premiere superhero team, the Justice League of America. It was developed by Snowblind Studios and published and distributed by Warner Bros...
video game with their leader voiced by Steven BlumSteven BlumSteven Jay Blum is an American voice actor known primarily for his work in anime dubs and video games, using his distinctive deep voice. Among his credits include the voice of Spike Spiegel of the anime series Cowboy Bebop and Mugen of the anime series Samurai Champloo...
. BrainiacBrainiac (comics)Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
had Killer FrostKiller FrostKiller Frost is the name of two fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. They are both supervillains that appear mainly as foes of the superhero Firestorm.-Crystal Frost:...
launch a nuclear missile to release the White Martians from their imprisonment. In this continuity, the White Martians are responsible for the genocide that killed off the Martian Manhunter's race.
External links
- Alan Kistler's Profile On: The Martian Manhunter
- Cosmic Teams: The Hyperclan
- Comicology: History of the Martian Manhunter part 3
- Cosmic Teams: DCU History & Chronology 1 Year Ago
- The DC Comics Martian History & Rehistory
- DCU Guide: JLA #1
- DCU Guide: History of the DCU
- DCU Guide: White Martians
- DCU Guide: The Burning