Byth
Byth is a male extraterrestrial comic supervillain who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Byth was an inhabitant of the planet Thanagar where he operated as a criminal and a master thief. One day, he broke into the laboratory of the scientist Krotan who had developed a body-change pill that allowed the user to direct a complete molecular control over their body thus allowing them to change their shape. He overcame the scientist and mortally wounded him whereupon he escaped with him taking a ship to escape Thanagar. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #34)
The Thanagarian authorities assigned police officers Katar Hol and his wife Shayera to track Byth down and bring him to justice. They pursued him to the planet Earth, but had difficulty capturing him as Byth used his new powers to continuously evade capture. Transforming himself into a Thanagarian Brontadon, Byth attempted to steal the entire Bi-State Tunnel in Midway City as well as some twenty million dollars in cash. Katar and Shayera, fought with Byth and were able to weaken him by striking at the twin brains of his Brontadon form. As the battle concluded, Byth was rendered unconscious and was arrested. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #34)
Once on Thanagar, he was placed in the electro-cells where he was only allowed a limited number of visitors. One of them happened to be a criminal named Jarl through whom Byth used sign language to convey complex instructions. He told Jarl the ingredients for the Krotan pill and gave instructions on to secretly send samples of it to his prison cell. These came in the form of letters which Byth used to restore his powers and he escaped his prison cell where he embarked on a crime spree on Thanagar. Byth reunited with his fellow thrill-thieves and began another series of daring robberies. Masquerading as Dragonflies, they staged an elaborate robbery at the Medal Mint on Thanagar. Hawkman and Hawkgirl learned of Byth's escape and tried to bait him into a trap using the highly coveted Gem Trees. Byth learned of the trap however and used a Trance-Gun to distract the Thanagarian authorities enabling him the chance to rob the tree of its gemstones. Hawkman and Hawkgirl tracked Byth and his cronies to the Sea of Scythia where they fought with him inside of a cave. Byth took the form of a Thanagarian Mirage Bird, but Hawkman was able to defeat him and Byth was taken back into custody. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #42)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Byth Rok
As administrator he replaced Paran Kathar as leader. He exposed a revolutionary conspiracy seemingly led by Katar Hol's father. Byth demonstrated the strength of the body of Thanagar when the mind goes wrong. Having achieved the ultimate thrill on Thanagar, Byth stole one of the planet's newly developed star cruisers, and fled to Earth in search of bigger and better thrills. He was pursued by Thanagarian Police Officers Katar and Shayera Hol (Hawkman and Hawkgirl) who ultimately crash land on Earth. As for Byth, he had eluded his pursuers and believed the Hols to be dead until centuries later.
He escapes to the planet Earth and sets up home in Chicago. In his new home he creates his own criminal empire. He is the benefactor Carl Sands, alias the Shadow Thief and he provides him with the Shadow generator. However the Hawks find him and defeat him, he was then taken back to Thanagar. Carter Hall and Kendra Saunders return to battle Byth Rok. Hawkwoman and Animal Man, are fighting the Thanagarian shapeshifter, Byth Rok in the midst of the St. Roch Festival. Animal Man goes to help the pedestrians while Shayera fights Byth Rok and he gets knocked out. During this time, Byth Rok captures Shayera and takes her away with him. When Animal Man comes to, he finds himself on a gurney with Hawkman and Hawkgirl standing before him. He fills them in on what happened. Just outside of St. Roch, Byth Rok forces Shayera to pilot the Hawks' ship. His plan is to have her pilot them back to Thanagar and kill her. Shayera has other ideas. She puts the ship through maneuvers, causing Byth Rok to release his hold on her. Carter Hall breaks into the ship and knocks Byth Rok out into the atmosphere. Shayera leaps after Byth Rok without her wings. As she is falling, Carter Hall pilots the ship into a collision course with Byth Rok, incapacitating him. Shayera then takes him to Thanagar. (Hawkman v4 #17)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of history was created with a different series of events. Byth
Lord Byth is shown to be responsible for the creation of Ultra the Multi-Alien where he had combined the DNA of the alien prisoners in order to make Ultra the Multi-Alien the Slayer of Worlds. (Justice League United v1 #1)
Soon after it is revealed Byth is in the Polaris system working with Lobo. He hire Lobo to capture various alien races through the cosmos for scientist of Project Ultra could combine their DNA to create a perfect being and most powerful creature in the Universe: Ultra, the Multi-Alien. Not long after it is revealed that he was the leader of a religious cult that aims to bring Infinitus a powerful entity from 31 century using Ultra as vessel,so that it consumed the whole universe within himself
Overview
Personality and attributes
He was one among many criminals on Thanagar that robbed for the sheer thrill of the act rather than for monetary gain. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #34)
Powers and abilities
After ingesting Krotan’s pill, his mind was empowered to control the molecular conformation of his own body allowing him to alter his shape to duplicate another person or animal. Thus, the user could become any living thing that they desired. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #34) Byth was knowledgeable enough in scientific matters that he could chemically analyse the Krotan pill but also create more of it through a study of its ingredients. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #42)
He was knowledgeable in the thieves sign language on Thanagar where a person used their digits on their limbs to finger-tell others complex instructions without speaking the words. (The Brave and the Bold v1 #42)
Notes
- Byth Rok was created by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert and made his first appearance in The Brave and the Bold v1 #34 (February/March, 1961).
In other media
Television
- In Green Lantern: The Animated Series, the character made an appearance in the episode "Flight Club" where he was voiced by actor Tom Kenny. He was shown as a normal Thanagarian and did not have any shape shifting abilities though he did head a band of outlaw Thanagarians. At some point, they were captured and imprisoned within a detention asteroid where he was overthrown by a stronger member of his band. Hal Jordan and Kilowog sought him out as he knew the command signal that opened the way to the Lighthouse allowing for an easy route between the Forgotten Zone and Guardian space. The Green Lanterns initially managed to free Byth Rok but used a device for him to reply events in his mind when he attempted to betray them. This allowed Jordan to find the command code but despite the attempted betrayal he allowed Byth to escape when the Red Lanterns arrived at the asteroid. Byth would escape with his band of Thanagarians where they were pursued by the Red Lanterns. Zilius Zox and Atrocitus captured him where they interrogated him for the command signal for the Lighthouse.
Appearances
- The Brave and the Bold v1: (1961)
- Hawkman v4:
- Justice League United v1:
External Links
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