| “ | Family isn't born. It's chosen. | ” |
— Sylvester Pemberton[src]
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Sylvester Pemberton is a former socialite and the vigilante known as Star-Spangled Kid, as well as the partner of Stripesy. Pemberton later acquired the Cosmic Staff and adopted the alias Starman, becoming a member of the Justice Society of America.
Biography[edit | hide | hide all]
Early Life[edit | hide]
Sylvester Pemberton was born to the wealthy John and Gloria Pemberton in California.[2] His parents would later have a daughter called Merry Pemberton, who he would be close with in their personal lives.[5]
Stars & Stripes[edit | hide]
| “ | You taught me how to drive, Pat. You taught me how to stand up for myself. You taught me how to think for myself. You're more than a friend. You're my brother. | ” |
— Pemberton to Dugan[src]
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When Pemberton was fifteen years old, his family hired the twenty-year-old Pat Dugan as a driver and mechanic. They would later become good friends and when his parents were threatened by a group of criminals he put on a mask to stop them and Dugan came to his aid. This eventually resulted in him becoming a vigilante under the alias, the Star-Spangled Kid with Dugan joining him as his sidekick under the alias, Stripesy. At some point, the pair defeated the supervillain known as Doctor Weerd in Civic City, which was reported on by the Civic City News.[2]
On Pemberton's 16th birthday, he was supposedly gifted a watch by his parents and later wore it to school. However, he got into a fight with Hop Harrigan and the watch was stolen. Scared and hopeless, Pemberton decided to tell his parents the truth and realized that they had forgotten his birthday in the first place, and the watch was, in fact, gifted by Dugan. On the next day, Pemberton stood up to Harrigan and took the watch back as it meant the world to him. He soon considered Dugan a brother despite not acting like it. At some point, he was also taught to drive a car by Dugan.[6]
Seven Soldiers of Victory[edit | hide]
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Early in their careers, the pair joined the Seven Soldiers of Victory who were responsible for saving numerous lives, cities and even the entire planet at one point, but despite this, they never got the credit that the Justice Society of America did. During their time on the team, they also fought Dragon King and destroyed a living weapon that he had designed to eradicate New York. Despite this, the team eventually disbanded, and the members lost contact with each other.[7]
Pemberton's parents eventually found out about his vigilante activities and died as a result.[8]
Becoming Starman[edit | hide]
Justice Society of America[edit | hide]
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At some point during his adulthood, Pemberton discovered the Cosmic Staff, adopting the alias of Starman and was recruited by the Justice Society of America, bringing Dugan along with him as a sidekick. Dugan later took a photograph of the entire team together.[2]
His sister later married Henry King Sr. who unbeknownst to him was the supervillain known as Brainwave, a member of the Injustice Society of America. The pair had a son named Henry King Jr. but Pemberton's involvement in his nephew's life in currently unknown due to the disagreements between him and Brainwave.[5]
The Devil in the Shadows[edit | hide]
Christmas Eve[edit | hide]
| “ | It's over. But...the Justice Society must live on. Its legacy must survive. Someone...with honor and strength must carry the torch. Someone with grace and heroism. You can't do it. But someone out there will. But it's definitely not you. Pat. Yeah. You were a good friend. | ” |
— Pemberton's "last words"[src]
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On December 24, 2010, the Justice Society was lured into a trap by Icicle and the Injustice Society at an abandoned mansion after Brainwave had started to question their mission due to seeing the world through Merry's eyes. Pemberton told Stripesy over the radio not to come as he was only his sidekick and not a member of the JSA, but he ignored this advice. This resulted in him almost attacked by The Wizard, but Starman saved him at the last minute by firing an energy blast. He then hit the Gambler with the Cosmic Staff and defeated Tigress and Sportsmaster before being ambushed by Brainwave. He managed to defeat him, but was impaled by a shard of ice from Icicle while turning around. Dugan pulled the shard from him body and helped him to the Star-Rocket Racer, but they were pursued by Solomon Grundy, who almost managed to capture them if not for Dugan enabling the car's flight capabilities. He did, however, manage to damage the car, which resulted in it crashing in a nearby forest. Dugan helped Starman out of the car and onto the ground and told him that he would take him to a hospital, but it was too late, and he supposedly died after saying that Dugan must find a successor to carry on his legacy.[2]
A New Starman[edit | hide]
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Pemberton's death caused Dugan to seek justice against the Injustice Society by building S.T.R.I.P.E. in an attempt to help Hourman who had also survived the battle, but Tyler refused his help. Ten years after the battle, Courtney Whitmore discovered the Cosmic Staff and carried on his legacy as Stargirl, believing Pemberton to be her father.[9] She later discovered that he was not actually her father, but was still his legacy and so continued to be Stargirl.[4] Pemberton was eventually avenged by the new Justice Society when they defeated the Injustice Society.[10]
Unbeknownst to his partner, Pemberton's body was in fact preserved by the residue Cosmic Energy, preventing his body from rotting.[11][3]
The Ultra-Humanite[edit | hide]
Soon afterwards, Pemberton's preserved body was retrieved by the Ultra-Humanite and was used as his body. As Pemberton, the Ultra-Humanite visited Dugan's landlord[10] and ex-wife.[12] The Ultra-Humanite ultimately made his way to Blue Valley, where he rescued Whitmore from Eclipso's control. His plan was then set in motion, with him slowly developing a bond with the Cosmic Staff and deceiving others into believing him to be the real Pemberton.[11]
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In Blue Valley, the Ultra-Humanite joined forces with Shiro Ito, now in his former gorilla body, and Icicle, who recovered from his injuries with the new Justice Society. The Ultra-Humanite later orchestrated an accident that made him a victim in the plan, solidifying the Whitmore-Dugans' trust. The truth was later revealed when the Ultra-Humanite kidnapped Dugan and buried him alive, moments after showing his true identity.[11]
Liberation[edit | hide]
Powers and Abilities[edit | hide]
Powers[edit | hide]
- Cosmic Energy Physiology: Acquiring the Cosmic Staff from Ted Knight, Pemberton later began to wield the staff as his weapon of choice, making him one of the most powerful heroes to have ever existed.[2] Throughout the years, the cosmic energy altered his physiology and allowed his body to heal from major injuries, even from death, by manipulating the energy within his body, with the exception of his brain.[13]
- Flight: Pemberton is able to fly when using the Cosmic Staff.[2]
- Photokinesis: Pemberton is capable of generating light using the Cosmic Staff to temporarily blind or distract his enemies.[2]
- Stellarkinesis: Pemberton can create and manipulate stellar energy using the staff to use against his opponents.[2]
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Pemberton, with the cosmic energy imbued within his body, was able to heal from major injuries and maintain his body in a stasis form for a decade.[13]
- Telepathic Connection: Not only can Pemberton communicate with the Cosmic Staff, he can also summon the staff from a great distance with simple thought in his mind.[14]
Abilities[edit | hide]
- Driving: Pemberton was taught how to drive by Pat Dugan.[6]
- Peak of Human Physical Condition: As a trained and experienced vigilante, Pemberton has an excellent physique, allowing him to take on Olympic-level criminals such as Sportsmaster and Tigress without showing visible signs of exhaustion.[2]
- Acrobatics: While wielding the Cosmic Staff, Pemberton can perform exceptional acrobatic movements with ease and evade projectiles with ease.[2]
- Hand-to-Hand Combat: Since before he acquired the Cosmic Staff, Pemberton, without any elaborated superhuman abilities, was already a skilled combatant in the field and fought against dangerous criminals.[2]
- Staff-Fighting: As Starman, Pemberton wielded the Cosmic Staff, which he used extensively in battles.
Equipment[edit | hide]
Former Equipment[edit | hide]
- Starman Suit: Pemberton wore a protective suit whilst operating as Starman.[2]
- Star-Spangled Kid Suit: Pemberton wore a protective suit whilst operating as the Star-Spangled Kid.[2]
- Cosmic Staff: Pemberton used the Cosmic Staff, a weapon that was capable of giving him various superpowers such as flight, stellarkinesis and photokinesis.[2]
Appearances[edit | hide]
Notes[edit | hide]
- Pemberton and Courtney Whitmore are the only known individuals to be able to wield the Cosmic Staff.[2]
Gallery[edit | hide]
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Civilian -
Star-Spangled Kid -
Starman -
Pemberton's brain -
"The Star-Spangled Kid Has Grown Up–Enter Starman!" -
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Promotional Images[edit | hide]
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"Keep Your Friends Close But Your Frenemies Closer"
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References[edit | hide]
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter Nine
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 Stargirl
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter Thirteen: The Reckoning
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Shining Knight
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Brainwave Jr.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Summer School: Chapter Ten
- ↑ Brainwave
- ↑ Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One
- ↑ S.T.R.I.P.E.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Chapter Twelve: The Last Will and Testament of Sylvester Pemberton
- ↑ Summer School: Chapter One
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chapter Four: The Evidence
- ↑ Chapter One: The Murder
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