Sun Boy

Superherobox|

caption=Sun Boy powers up. Art by Kevin Sharpe.
character_name=Sun Boy
real_name=Dirk Morgna
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Action Comics" # 276
(May 1961)
creators=Jerry Siegel
Jim Mooney
homeworld=
species=
alliances=Legion of Super-Heroes Elements of Disaster
aliases=Inferno, Ph'yr
powers=Radiance, Heat, Flight|

Sun Boy is a fictional character, a superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe. Sun Boy (real name Dirk Morgna of the planet Earth) is a Legion of Super-Heroes member with the ability to unleash internal solar energy to whatever degree he wishes, from enough to light a single candle to enough to melt nearly any obstacle.

Fictional character history

ilver Age

Dirk Morgna's father owns a nuclear power plant, where Dirk works as a helper. While he is delivering supplies to one of the plant's scientists, Dr. Zaxton Regulus, the machine the scientist is working on explodes, killing one of the workers. Dr. Regulus blames the accident, and his subsequent dismissal, on the interruption. He tries to gain revenge on Dirk by throwing him in an atomic reactor; however, due to Dirk's "one-in-a-million genetic structure" instead of killing him, the radiation gives him the power to generate heat and light.

Dirk applies for the Legion, as Sun Boy, but is rejected as he has only demonstrated his ability to generate light. He is later accepted when he shows his heat-generation ability.

"Five Years Later"

During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Sun Boy becomes leader of the Legion amidst a series of defections which results in his resignation. Soon afterwards, Sun Boy is hired by Earthgov as a public relations liaison, using his good looks and popularity to spin public opinion. Earthgov is revealed to be under Dominator control and Dirk complies with their demands despite personal misgivings. When the truth is revealed, he is branded a traitor to the Legion and Earth. Dirk is later exposed to a fatal dose of radiation when a powersphere explodes next to him during the destruction of the Moon. He is killed by his sometime lover Circe, in an act of euthanasia. His corpse is later animated for a short time by former teammate Wildfire.

Shortly before Dirk's death, the members of the Dominators' highly classified "Batch SW6" escaped captivity. Originally, Batch SW6 appeared to be a group of teeange Legionnaire clones, created from samples apparently taken just prior to Ferro Lad's death at the hands of the Sun-Eater. Later, they were revealed to be time-paradox duplicates, every bit as legitimate as their older counterparts. After Earth was destroyed in a disaster reminiscent of the destruction of Krypton over a millennium earlier, ["Legion of Super-Heroes" (Vol. 4) #38, Late December 1992.] a few dozen surviving cities and their inhabitants reconstituted their world as New Earth. The SW6 Legionnaires remained, and their version of Sun Boy assumed the code name Inferno.

Post Zero Hour

In post-Zero Hour continuity, Dirk Morgna is a supporting character, who occasionally gains "Sun Boy" powers, but is not a member of the Legion.

Again blaming Dirk for his dismissal, Dr. Regulus attempts to kill Morgna by injecting him with radioactive gold. This instead causes him to glow white hot, blinding Regulus. He is unable to control this power and has to wear a special suit to protect others from it. While helping the Legion battle Regulus, he uses up all the energy and returns to normal.

Dirk returns in "Legionnaires" #71 (May 1999), in which he is possessed by an elemental spirit called Ph'yr, one of the four Elements of Disaster, and turns into a living humanoid fireball. The elementals wish to gain Mordru's power. Dirk manages to regain control, and helps the Legion and the stone elemental Brika/Roxx defeat the two who had given themselves over to the elemental spirits.

Threeboot

In the 2004 revised Legion continuity, unlike the rest of his Legion comrades, Dirk Morgna's parents openly support the galactic movement the Legion represents. Joining the Legion as Sun Boy, Cosmic Boy names him the group's field leader. Confused as to whether or not his Legion membership is his desire or that of his parents, Dirk ultimately opts to resign from the group. He then decides to help the myriad of exiled descendants living in "otherspace" in the wake of the defeat of their leader, Praetor Lemnos. Ruefully, the Legion accedes to his request, but hope that Dirk will eventually return to their ranks.

Dirk and his associates are kidnapped by the Dominators, who wishs to steal their powers, but they are rescued by the Legion and the Wanderers.

Powers and abilities

Sun Boy can internally generate a seemingly limitless amount of electromagnetic radiation, both heat and visible light. He is also immune to virtually all forms of heat and radiation.

Weaknesses

Sun Boy's power to radiate light and heat can be reflected back on him by mirrors, jewels and creatures that are reflective. If he increases his radiating power to full strength he can crack mirrors in these situations. One limit to his power is that he cannot risk melting metal in proximity to any persons, since the intense heat required would be lethal. [ [http://members.shaw.ca/legion_roll_call/legionnaires/sun_boy/ Sun Boy of the Legion of Super-Heroes ] ]
Though it rarely came up given his ability, Dirk was revealed to suffer from Nyctophobia.

Appearances in other media

Sun Boy appears in the "Legion of Super Heroes" animated series, in the two part episode "Sundown" and "Cry Wolf" in Season Two as well as other multiple episodes in Season Two (in addition to the Season Two titles). In Cry Wolf when Timber Wolf provokes the patrons in the bar he had fallen into when Superman X used his heat vision to make a hole in the floor were Timberwolf was standing, to attack the Legion in retaliation to the impending attack Sun Boy melted all of their attackers weapons with a wake of his arm; before this he melted the door to the bar and entered followed my Colossal Boy. He also appears in the Season Two finale and plays a somewhat major role. He along with Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad form a single file and use their powers to create a huge gash in Brainiac 5's giant robot form. Despite this he is defeated when Lightning Lad's arm cannon is taken over by Brainiac 5. He was defeated with a single lightning blast to the chest as was Cosmic Boy. He is digitized along with Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad, he along with Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad are most likely the last Legionnaires to be digitized. At the end of the episode however he is returned to normal like all the other digitized Legionnaires. Despite his regular appearances in the program, he has yet to utter a single word onscreen; the most he has uttered are grunts and cries of pain. He has been called by name in one episode; this was during the two part Season One finale when Bouncing Boy yells out: "Sun Boy now!" telling him to use his heat generation power to draw the Sun-Eater to him. During the same episode Bouncing Boy again states his name saying that the Sun-Eater is falling for their trap by being draw to Sun Boy's heat powers. He also appears in the episode "In the Beginning", he appears at the end reciting the Legion oath. In this appearance his costume is slightly different to what he wears later on in the series, he is also younger with shorter hair.

His overall appearance somewhat differs from his comic book counterpart. His hair is longer, his forearms and the back of his hair light up on fire when he flies or uses his powers, leaving a fiery trail when he flies, and his eyes are black with gold pupils; somewhat similar to Superman X. His costume however is somewhat similar to his original costume.

References

External links

* [http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/3095.htm A Hero History Of Sun Boy]

ee also

*Sun Girl