Auctioneer (comics)

The Auctioneer is a cosmic supervillain from DC Comics and an enemy of Superman. He was created by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza and first appeared in "Action Comics" #841 (September 2006).Citation | last = Wallace | first = Dan | author-link = | contribution = Auctioneer | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The DC Comics Encyclopedia | pages = 31 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = London | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4119-5]

Fictional character biography

Not much is known of the being called the Auctioneer, save that he is an alien being of immense power who wields a technology so advanced that it allows him to collect almost any object or creature in the known universe with little or no effort. He then makes it his business to sell the items in question to the highest bidder. (Not unlike the intergalactical salesman Manga Khan of the Cluster, but the Auctioneer is vastly more powerful than his "colleague".)

Upon encountering Earth, The Auctioneer sends out his army of robotic "collectors" to scoop up famous and important landmarks throughout the planet. Hidden away on his craft in deep space, the Auctioneer accepts various bids and offers on the collected items. When Superman (recently returned to active duty after a year-long absence – see "Infinite Crisis", "52" and "One Year Later") intervenes, and tries to stop the business, the Auctioneer realizes that Superman himself, one of the last Kryptonians alive, would be more valuable to him as a sales item than all of the other collected objects together.

The Auctioneer brings Superman into his custody and then starts kidnapping virtually every meta-human or superpowered being on Earth, in order to start an auction on all of them. Superheroes and supervillains alike find that their powers have been neutralized and get imprisoned aboard the Auctioneer's gigantic spaceship.

A small group of heroes and villains, led by Superman and consisting of Nightwing, Aquaman, Firestorm, Skyrocket, Blue Jay, Livewire, and the Veteran, break free and defies the Auctioneer's grip. Working together, the team soon realizes that the neutralization of their powers is not physical, but due to a psychological dampening field. After realizing that, the escapees see their powers returned to them, and starts freeing the hundreds of meta-human interns on the ship.

The Auctioneer intervenes to stop them, certain that it will be an easy obstacle to overcome due to his vast powers. But Superman then uses his "ace in the sleeve" and threatens to have Livewire disperse the Auctioneer's entire data network all over the galaxy, unless the Auctioneer agrees to release everyone and leave the Earth. The Auctioneer, reluctant but impressed with these "inferior beings", agrees and leaves Earth, exiting with saying that he thinks they'll do business again in the future.

Notes

The Auctioneer has an modus operandi similar to several other supervillains, including The Collector form Marvel Comics, and Manga Khan from DC Comics.