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Starfire (Teen Titans)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Starfire (disambiguation) § Comics.
Not to be confused with Firestar, Red Star, or coriander.
Starfire
Starfire as she appears on the cover of Teen Titans #16 (March, 2018). Art by Sami Basri and Jessica Kholinne.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceDC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980)
Created byMarv Wolfman
George Pérez
In-story information
Full nameKoriand'r
SpeciesTamaranean
Place of originTamaran
Team affiliationsTeen Titans
Outsiders
Justice League
R.E.B.E.L.S.
The Outlaws
Justice League Odyssey
PartnershipsNightwing
Donna Troy
Animal Man
Adam Strange
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
Notable aliasesKory Anders
Abilities
  • Tamaranean physiology converts ultraviolet radiation into energy; grants superhuman strength, speed, durability, endurance, flight, and can assimilate language through lip contact.
  • Experimentation grants the ability to project energy and heat ("Starbolts").
  • Highly trained warrior; proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, leadership, and space flight.
Starfire
Publication information
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
GenreSuperhero
Publication dateAugust 2015 – July 2016
No. of issues12
Creative team
Written by
Penciller(s)
  • Emanuela Lupacchino
Inker(s)
  • Ray McCarthy (#1‐7)
  • Sean Parsons (#7)
  • Elsa Charretier (#8‐12)

Starfire is a superheroine created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez appearing in American comic books created by DC Comics. She debuted in a preview story inserted within DC Comics Presents #26 (October, 1980). Since the character's introduction, Starfire has been a major recurring character in Teen Titans and various other iteration of the team, sometimes depicted as the team's leader, and a significant love interest for Dick Grayson.

Within the main continuity of the DC Universe, her origin is revealed to be Princess Koriand'r, an alien princess from the planet Tamaran and heir to the throne until she was ousted in a coup by her elder sister, Komand'r (also known as Blackfire), who sold her into slavery. Subjected to torture and sexual exploitation, Koriand'r would later receive additional powers following experimentations by alien scientists. Escaping her captors, the character would find herself on Earth and befriended the Teen Titans, becoming a long-lasting member of the team.[1] The character has appeared on several other teams, including the Outsiders, Outlaws, and Justice League Odyssey. While on Earth, the character has been depicted as a model under the alias Kory Anders, occasionally the leader of the Teen Titans, and was the principal of Teen Titans Academy during a period in which the Titans help trained future superheroes of the DC Universe.

Starfire has been featured in various media outside comic books. Within television, she is notably voiced by Hynden Walch in the animated series Teen Titans and portrayed by Anna Diop in Titans. Additionally, Kari Wahlgren voices the character in the DC Animated Movie Universe, Injustice 2, and Lego DC Super-Villains.

Publication history

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Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Starfire first appeared in a in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980), in a preview story heralding a new incarnation of the Teen Titans that also introduced Cyborg and Raven. The new series, The New Teen Titans, debuted in November 1980, and the Teen Titans subsequently became DC Comics' most popular superhero team of its day.[2]

Pérez said of his design for Starfire:

...I figured based on the description, was Red Sonja in outer space, so she ended up having a visual cue from that. When Joe Orlando passed by and saw the character sketches he suggested that maybe her hair should be longer. That I took to the ninth degree and gave her the Mighty Mouse contrail.[3]

Fictional character biography

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An early depiction of Starfire, from the cover of Tales of the New Teen Titans #4 (September, 1982 DC Comics). Art by George Pérez (penciller).

Starfire is born Princess Koriand'r of the planet Tamaran in the Vega system. She replaces her older sister Komand'r (also known as Blackfire) in the line of succession due to a childhood illness that robbed her of the ability to fly.[4] Blackfire later betrays Tamaran to their enemies, the Citadel, and allows them to enslave Koriand'r. The two are attacked and captured by the Psions, who enhance their ability to generate energy. Following this, Koriand'r escapes to Earth and joins the Teen Titans.

Infinite Crisis and aftermath

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In Infinite Crisis, Starfire is among the heroes who battle Alexander Luthor Jr. and stop him from destroying the multiverse. She is presumed dead, but survives and is teleported to another planet alongside Animal Man and Adam Strange.

After returning to Earth, the three heroes reunite on several occasions, including the limited series Countdown to Adventure and Rann–Thanagar War.[5]

Justice League and R.E.B.E.L.S.

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Following the dissolution of the JLA in Blackest Night, Starfire joins Kimiyo Hoshi's new Justice League.[6] She quits the team shortly afterward and joins L.E.G.I.O.N. The group battles a group of Tamaranean refugees led by Blackfire and agrees to let them live in an uninhabited portion of Rann.[7]

Red Hood and the Outlaws

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In The New 52 continuity reboot, Starfire was sold to the Citadel to protect Tamaran from them. Additionally, Blackfire is a neutral figure who assists her in retaking Tamaran from the parasitic Blight.[8]

Starfire in The New 52: Red Hood and the Outlaws #1

Starfire

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In 2015, Starfire received a self-titled series where she returns to Earth and moves to Key West. Additionally, she adopts Syl'Khee, a worm-like alien based on Silkie.[9]

Character overview

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Starfire's classic design, Art by Tom Grummett (penciler), Al Vey (inker), Anthony Tollin (colorist).

Romances and marriage

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While a member of the Teen Titans, Koriand'r was frequently romantically involved with Robin (Dick Grayson) and has contemplated marriage. In one instance, their wedding was interrupted by Raven (who was evil at the time). Raven murdered the priest before he could pronounce Dick and Koriand'r husband and wife but canonically they were still married regardless (The Flash (vol. 2) #81-83). The relationship was already on unsteady ground after Raven came in, with Koriand'r fearing that Dick was rushing into marriage and also concerned about the anti-alien sentiments that sprang up in response to the news of the impending nuptials. In the Titans of Tomorrow storyline, Batwoman said that Starfire would have a wonderful future with Nightwing. The half-blood Mar'i Grayson was born from their union in the Kingdom Come timeline. However, during Infinite Crisis, an image from the Titans Tomorrow timeline shows a gravestone implied to belong to a deceased Dick Grayson.[10]

Starfire has also been married twice to Tamaranean men: once to the Prince Karras to seal a peace treaty; and once to General Phy'zzon out of love. Karras died in battle, while Phy'zzon died trying to defend New Tamaran against the Sun Eater.

Sexuality and cultural preferences

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Within the depiction of Tamaran's culture in the DC Universe, concepts such as open marriage are more common and accepted. Due to her upbringing, Starfire's sex-positivism and free-thinking habits such as a fondness for practicing nudism, openness to polygamous relationships and acceptance of "open sex" and pansexual "free-love" with persons regardless of terrestrial species, race or gender, usually lead her into conflict with Earth's more reserved culture and customs.[11][12] In recent years, the character was developed to be polyamorous and pansexual.[11][12]

Powers and abilities

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Starfire is a Tamaranean and as such her physiology is designed to constantly absorb ultraviolet radiation. The radiation is then converted to pure energy, allowing her to fly at supersonic speeds. Starfire is capable of using this power to fly in space and even go fast enough to cross several solar systems in minutes to seconds. This energy also gives her incredible superhuman strength and durability. This strength, combined with her fighting skills, allowed her to defeat the powerful Donna Troy about one out of three times during purely hand to hand matches.[13] She later proved strong enough to fight against Wonder Woman for a certain period of time and, during a fit of rage, was so strong that Donna Troy was unable to contain her without the help of Mon-El. It must be stated however that when this event occurred, Donna Troy was only one-tenth of Diana's strength. Donna Troy was not the powerhouse of strength she is now in DC's Rebirth era. Superman even admitted in the "Batman Who Laughs" story arc during a fight with Donna Troy that she is now just as powerful as Wonder Woman. In the 2003 TV series, Starfire was strong enough to easily throw vehicles and destroy entire streets with her blows. After being experimented on by the alien Psions, Starfire gained the ability to release her absorbed energy into powerful blasts called "starbolts."

As shown in the "Insiders" crossover story arc (Teen Titans and Outsiders), Starfire can also release nearly all of her stored energy as a powerful Omni-directional explosive burst, many times stronger and more powerful than her standard blasts. The released energy leaves her in a weakened state.[14] She's also shown that she can consciously absorb ambient Ultraviolet Energy [15] Starfire also demonstrated more control over her powers in the New 52 reboot, having used her internal energy to melt the metal of Jason Todd's gun when it came into contact with her skin. Starfire, and all Tamaraneans, are capable of assimilating languages through physical contact with another person. When Starfire attempts to do so with a male, she typically does so by kissing because it is "more fun" for her. Starfire is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat, having been trained by the Warlords of Okaara. She also doesn't need to eat, drink, sleep and doesn't require an atmosphere to breathe unless she is low on ultraviolet energy.

Other versions

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  • Shatterstarfire, a fusion of Starfire and Marvel Comics character Shatterstar, appears in the Amalgam Comics series.[16]
  • An alternate universe variant of Starfire appears in Kingdom Come. This version died under unspecified circumstances, leading her and Nightwing's daughter Mar'i Grayson to become Nightstar.
  • Star Canary, an amalgamation of Starfire and Black Canary, appears in Superman/Batman #60.[17]
  • An alternate timeline variant of Starfire appears in the Flashpoint event. This version is a member of the Amazons' Furies before being killed by Dick Grayson.[18][19]
  • An alternate universe variant of Starfire appears in Teen Titans: Earth One.
  • An alternate universe variant of Nightwing: The New Order. This version was temporarily depowered alongside 90% of metahumans after Nightwing activated a device to end an ongoing feud among them. Prior to this, Dick and Kory were married and have a son named Jake, who eventually restores the metahumans' powers.[20]

Reception

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Starfire placed 21st on IGN's 2013 list of the "Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics".[21] She was also ranked 20th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.[22] Comic Book Resources ranked Starfire 13th in their "The 20 Strongest Female Superheroes, Ranked" list,[23]

Collected editions

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Title Material collected Publication date ISBN
Red Hood and the Outlaws: The Starfire Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol 1 #8–11 July 2013 978-1401240905
Starfire: Welcome Home DC Sneak Peek: Starfire Vol 2 #1–6 March 2016 978-1401261603
Starfire: A Matter of Time Starfire Vol 2 #7–12 January 2017 978-1401270384

In other media

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Television

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Starfire as depicted in Teen Titans (2003)
Anna Diop as Kory Anders/Starfire as depicted in Titans
  • Starfire appears in the 1984 Keebler PSA "New Teen Titans Say No to Drugs" as a member of the New Teen Titans.[citation needed]
  • Starfire appears in Teen Titans (2003), voiced by Hynden Walch.[24] This version is a founding member of the eponymous Teen Titans who does not use contractions in her speech, possesses a limited grasp of Earth culture, and a tendency to misstate or misunderstand common idioms. Additionally, she displays initially unrequited romantic feelings for team leader Robin.
  • Starfire appears in the "New Teen Titans" segment of DC Nation Shorts, voiced again by Hynden Walch.[citation needed] This version is a member of the Teen Titans.
  • Starfire appears in Teen Titans Go!, voiced again by Hynden Walch.[24] This version is a member of the Teen Titans who is oblivious to Robin's romantic feelings for her, seeing him instead as a brother. Additionally, the Teen Titans (2003) incarnation of Starfire appears in the episode "The Academy" via archival footage.[25]
  • Starfire makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a DC Super Friends short.[specify]
  • Starfire appears in Titans, portrayed by Anna Diop.[26] This version was sent to Earth to kill Rachel Roth to prevent her from releasing Trigon, only to lose her memories following a car crash. While in this state, she joins forces with Dick Grayson and Gar Logan to protect Roth. Despite eventually regaining her memories, Starfire chooses to stay on Earth as act a member of Grayson's Titans and help Roth control her powers.
  • A young Starfire appears in the DC Super Hero Girls (2019) episode "#TweenTitans", voiced by Grey DeLisle.[citation needed]

Film

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Starfire as depicted in the DC Animated Movie Universe.

Video games

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Miscellaneous

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  • The Teen Titans (2003) incarnation of Starfire appears in Teen Titans Go! (2004).[35] In issue #46, it is revealed that she has a younger brother named Wildfire, who was sent off of Tamaran amidst a Gordanian invasion years prior. After Blackfire works with Madame Rouge to manipulate Starfire into believing Wildfire had returned, Starfire disowns Blackfire and vows to find Wildfire, viewing him as the only family she has left. Additionally, an evil, alternate universe variant of Starfire, also named Blackfire, appears in issue #48 as a member of the Teen Tyrants.
  • Starfire appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic[citation needed] as a member of the Teen Titans.
  • Starfire appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2015) and its tie-in films, voiced again by Hynden Walch.[24] This version is a student and costume designer at Super Hero High School.
  • Starfire appears in the Injustice 2 prequel comic as a member of the Teen Titans.[citation needed]

Merchandise

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References

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  1. ^ "Starfire | Official DC Character". DC. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  2. ^ Manning, Matthew K. (2010). "1980s". In McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah (eds.). DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. [The New Teen Titans] went on to become DC's most popular comic team of its day. Not only the springboard for the following month's The New Teen Titans #1, the preview's momentous story also featured the first appearance of future DC mainstays Cyborg, Starfire and Raven.
  3. ^ Nolen-Weathington, Eric; George Pérez (2003). Modern Masters, Volume 2: George Pérez. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-893905-25-2.
  4. ^ Greenberger, Robert (2008). The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. pp. 333–334. ISBN 9780345501066.
  5. ^ "Countdown to Adventure Launches in August". Newsarama. May 14, 2007. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007.
  6. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #41 (January 2010)
  7. ^ Justice League of America (vol. 2) #43 (March 2010)
  8. ^
    • Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 (November 2011)
    • Red Hood and the Outlaws #4 - 6 (February - April 2012)
    • Red Hood and the Outlaws #10 - 11 (August - September 2012)
  9. ^ Hemingway, Reggie (February 12, 2016). "Starfire #9 Review and **SPOILERS**". Weird Science DC Comics. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Teen Titans (vol. 3) #33 (April 2006)
  11. ^ a b Century, Sara (October 18, 2018). "Why Starfire's polyamory matters". Syfy Wire. NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Schenkel, Katie (June 24, 2016). "The Case For Pansexual Starfire [Pride Week]". ComicsAlliance. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  13. ^ Winick, Judd (2005). Outsiders #25 Part 4. Los Angeles, CA: DC COMICS. p. 25.
  14. ^ Outsiders (vol. 3) #32 (Mar 2006)
  15. ^ Superman #683 (February 2009)
  16. ^ X-Patrol #1 (April 1996)
  17. ^ Superman/Batman #60 & 60 (July and August 2009)
  18. ^ Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #2 (July 2011)
  19. ^ Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons #3 (August 2011)
  20. ^ Nightwing: The New Order(2017)
  21. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (November 19, 2013). "The Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics". IGN.
  22. ^ Frankenhoff, Brent (2011). Comics Buyer's Guide Presents: 100 Sexiest Women in Comics. Krause Publications. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4402-2988-6.
  23. ^ Lealos, Shawn (2021-07-23). "The 20 Strongest Female Superheroes, Ranked". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Starfire Voices (Teen Titans)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 15, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  25. ^ "Teen Titans Go! | No Awards for the Titans! | Cartoon Network - YouTube". YouTube. January 5, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  26. ^ Melrose, Kevin (December 1, 2018). "Titans: Starfire Finally Receives Her Code Name". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  27. ^ Martin, Michileen (January 15, 2020). "Every Crisis on Infinite Earths cameo ranked". Looper. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  28. ^ Gerding, Stephen. "NIGHTWING'S ROMANTIC LIFE TAKES A HIT IN "BATMAN: BAD BLOOD" CLIP". Comicbookresources.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  29. ^ Sands, Rich (January 18, 2016). "Roll Call: Meet the Cast of Justice League vs. Teen Titans". TVInsider.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  30. ^ Ayala, Nicolas (May 27, 2020). "Justice League Dark: All 32 Brutal Deaths In Apokolips War". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  31. ^ Lovell, Kevin (February 14, 2022). "Trailer, Artwork & Release Info For Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem In The Multiverse; On Blu-ray, DVD & Digital May 24, 2022 From DC - Warner Bros". Screen Connections. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  32. ^ Eisen, Andrew (October 2, 2013). "DC Characters and Objects - Scribblenauts Unmasked Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  33. ^ Wahlgren, Kari. "So excited to be a part of this!". Twitter.
  34. ^ Michael, Jon; Veness, John (November 2, 2018). "Characters - LEGO DC Super-Villains Guide". IGN. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  35. ^ "Teen Titans Go! #46 - Wildfire (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  36. ^ "Starfire". www.comicbookbin.com.
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