This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since June 2007.

The tense of this article is not suitable for an encyclopedia. Please consider copy editing to: past tense if historic, present tense if not time-based (e.g. fiction) or future tense if upcoming.

Despero is a fictional character, a supervillain in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky, he first appeared in Justice League of America #1 (October 1960), DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... The Justice League is a DC Comics superhero team. ... Gardner Francis Fox (May 20, 1911, Brooklyn, New York – December 24, 1986) was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. ... The cover of Brave and the Bold #28, 1960, featuring the first appearance of the Justice League and art by Mike Sekowsky. ... The Secret Society of Super Villains (SSOSV) is a group of comic book villains that exist in the DC Universe. ... Telepathy, from the Greek τῆλε, tele, remote; and πάθεια, patheia, to be effected by, describes the hypothetical transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses. ... Psychokinesis (literally mind-movement) or PK is the more commonly used term today for what in the past was known as telekinesis (literally distant-movement). It refers to the psi ability to influence the behavior of matter by mental intention (or possibly some other aspect of mental activity) alone. ... Hypnosis, as defined by the American Psychological Association Division of Psychological Hypnosis, is a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests that a client, patient, or experimental participant experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. ... Teleportation is the movement of objects or elementary particles from one place to another, more or less instantaneously, without traveling through space. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... Doctor Doom, one of the most archetypal supervillains and his arch-enemies The Fantastic Four (in background). ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ... Gardner Francis Fox (May 20, 1911, Brooklyn, New York – December 24, 1986) was an American writer best known for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. ... The cover of Brave and the Bold #28, 1960, featuring the first appearance of the Justice League and art by Mike Sekowsky. ... The Justice League is a DC Comics superhero team. ...

Publication history

Despero made his first appearance in Justice League of America #1 from the 1960s. In these early appearances, he appeared of normal build. His current bulked-up look is a result of having bathed in the Flame of Py'tar, a power-giving flame from his native planet Kalanor, which he enslaved and conquered with his psychic abilities. In his first appearance the Justice League liberated the planet from his rule, and he has sworn vengeance ever since. The Justice League is a DC Comics superhero team. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Psychic is a term relating to or denoting paranormal extra-sensory abilities or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by known natural laws, since they transcend the confines of our current understanding of what a human being is capable of. ...

Fictional character biography

Making his debut in Justice League of America #1 (1961), Despero has gone through virtually as many transformations as the League itself. Initially conceived as a physically weak, mind-controlling tyrant with a penchant for playing chess for the fates of his enemies, he was later redesigned to be a physical powerhouse fueled by his burning, all-consuming hatred of the Justice League.

Rebirth

His most famous battle against the Justice League came in Justice League America #38-42, which established the character as being driven by his utter and all-burning hatred for the Justice League, to the point that his hatred allowed for him to survive death and regenerate his body through sheer willpower. He attacked the Justice League as he had known it (previous incarnation - "Justice League Detroit" ) and then sought them out, eventually battling at the United Nations building (New York) and even donned the United Nations flag as a cape during the battle. The battle ended only through Martian Manhunter controversially employing a never before seen deus ex machina power to trick Despero into thinking he had successfully killed not only the Justice League, but all life on Earth, causing him to let go of his hatred and regressing to the form of a fetus. The fetus Despero was then given to Manga Khan in exchange for his robotic man-servant L-Ron. The Justice League, sometimes called the Justice League of America or JLA for short, is a DC Comics superhero team. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

Breakdowns

During the "Breakdowns" story (which ran through Justice League America/Justice League Europe titles), Despero was aged back into adulthood and escaped back to Earth to continue his vendetta against the JLA. Despero attacked both the American and European Justice League teams and the murderous bounty-hunter Lobo (who had been hired to retrieve Despero for Khan) in Times Square, New York. Despero could only be stopped once again through desperate means; the robot L-Ron used the slave collar Despero wore to switch bodies with Despero, gaining his monsterous form while trapping him into L-Ron's powerful, if small, robotic form. Attacking the Justice League, Despero was defeated by an unlikely source, a duck hunter who shot him by mistake, destroying his robot body in the process. L-Ron then went into outer space with his new body before returning to Earth and joining the Justice League Task Force. This article is about the DC Comics character. ...

Although he was seemingly killed when L-Ron's body was destroyed, his mind somehow ended up returning to his body, where it was shown to be battling L-Ron for control of his original body. L-Ron succeeded in casting him out after Despero briefly regained control over his body, at which point he once again became a "free floating evil essence", able to possess innocent people.

Cast out of Luthor in JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice.
Art by Carlos Pacheco.

During JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice he had joined forces with Johnny Sorrow in a plan to destroy the League and the Justice Society. He possessed President Lex Luthor, but was cast out of the President by Johnny Sorrow's own gaze and apparently returned to corporeal form. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (956x1524, 248 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (956x1524, 248 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The JSA roster as drawn by Pacheco and Jesus Merino Carlos Pacheco is an Spanish comic book artist and penciller. ... Johnny Sorrow is a DC Comics supervillain and a recurring Justice Society of America foe. ... The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. ... Lex Luthor is a fictional character and DC Comics supervillain, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. ...

Years later, in the wake of Identity Crisis, the JLA was attacked by a reformed Secret Society of Super Villains that once again knew the heroes' alter-egos. The Martian Manhunter discovered Despero was responsible for the restoration of the Society's memory. After a telepathic battle with both Martian Manhunter and Aquaman, Despero takes control of them as well as Batman, but not before Catwoman can summon the Justice League. The Secret Society of Super Villains (SSoSV) is a group of comic book villains that exist in the DC Universe. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Aquaman is a fictional character, a superhero in DC Comics. ... Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics Batman franchise and created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane. ...

In the ensuing battle, Despero mentally takes control of the Green Arrow, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and the Black Canary. After nearly taking control of Superman, Red Tornado arrives and saves Superman. As Despero moves to attack Tornado with the members of the League he has taken control of, Zatanna arrives and stops him. After he was defeated, Despero was taken by Hal Jordan into Oa's custody. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ... For the DJ, see DJ Green Lantern. ... Black Canary is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. ... Superman is a fictional character and comic book superhero , originally created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian artist Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. ... Red Tornado is a fictional superhero in the DC Universe. ... Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. ... Hal Jordan is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. ... For other uses of Oa and oa, see OA. Oa is a fictional planet located at the center of the DC Comics Universe. ...

Return

He would come back from Oa however, in Superman/Batman, in order to bring with him a race of aliens that only took planets from those they deemed unworthy. He ended up turning almost all of Earth's heroes against earth, and Superman, due to his power, was ready to kill Batman. In the end, earth was saved when Superman, broken free of Despero's power, convinced the aliens that not all humans are horrible, and Batman comfirmed it, by not blowing up their ship. It is currently unknown what was done with Despero after the fight. Superman/Batman is a monthly comic book series published by DC Comics that features the publishers two most popular characters: Superman and Batman. ...

A version of Despero resembling the character's original appearance appears in Justice League of America vol. 2 #9. He is shown in Metropolis at some point in the future, conspiring with Per Degaton and the Ultra-Humanite. Per Degaton is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain who can travel through time. ... The Ultra-Humanite is a fictional supervillain appearing in stories published by DC Comics. ...

Powers and abilities

Despero is a powerful villain. The Flame of Py'tar gave Despero great physical strength that has been shown in one storyline to be superior to Superman and Captain Marvel, being able to simultaneously defeat both, along with Wonder Woman and Power Girl.^[1] Despero also has a high level of durability, although he is not invulnerable as Aquaman was strong enough to throw a piece of steel rebar into Despero's shoulder, as well as having a group of sharks bite into Despero, causing the villain to bleed. Wonder Woman is a fictional DC Comics superheroine co-created by William Moulton Marston and wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston. ... Power Girl (real name Kara Zor-L, also known as Karen Starr) is a DC Comics superhero, making her first appearance in All Star Comics #58 (January/February 1976). ...

Also very intelligent, he is skilled as both a warrior and tyrant. His hypnotic third eye is directly connected to his brain, giving him telepathic powers that on one occasion have been depicted as surpassing those of the Martian Manhunter.^[2] It is also capable of projecting realistic illusions and entrancing virtually any sentient being. It can also project beams of telekinetic energy enabling the teleportation of matter anywhere in the universe. In his "spirit" form, Despero can possess any living being, granting the victim the strength and telepathic abilities of his own body. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

In his first appearance, Despero used a teleportation machine which resembled a chess set. It used pieces shaped like the Leaguers to move them to different locations. The machine was subsequently shown to be in the possession of the Weapon Master. Teleportation is the movement of objects or elementary particles from one place to another, more or less instantaneously, without traveling through space. ...

Other media

• Despero has appeared in the 2000s Justice League cartoon, voiced by Keith David. In this incarnation, Despero was a cult leader on the harsh desert planet of Kalanor. Born with a third eye, he had been an outcast until encountering the Flame of Py'tar, which enhanced his mental powers and enabled him to brainwash and empower others. He built up an army of followers, defeated several members of the Green Lantern Corps and threatened to spread his fanatical crusade across the galaxy. Despero was defeated when Py'tar, actually the dormant life-force of Kalanor, briefly took willing possession of the Martian Manhunter and appealed to the people of Kalanor to reject Despero's ways and accept it as the living soul of the planet, which they did. The Py'tar then spread its power across Kalanor, seeding it with lush vegetation in the form of gigantic trees and transforming all of Despero's followers in space into trees as well. It then claimed Despero himself, pulling him deep underground into the planet's core, never to be seen again; his last words in the series were, "Oh Py'tar, now I see... paradise!".
• Despero has also appeared in the Justice League Task Force video game for the SNES and Sega Genesis consoles.

The 2000s are the current decade, spanning from 2000 to 2009. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Keith David (born June 4, 1956) is an American film, television, and voice actor. ... The fictional Green Lantern Corps is an intergalactic police force featured in DC Comics, particularly series featuring the superhero Green Lantern, Earth’s member of the group. ... Justice League Task Force is a Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis tournament fighting game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Acclaim Entertainment. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ...

Other versions

• Despero has appeared in the Justice League Unlimited spin-off comic book. His appearances are in issues #1

External links

• DCU Guide: Despero