Outburst (DC)

Outburst is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.

Biography

Origin

Mitch Anderson was the son of Claire and her husband Roger with him having a younger sister named Becky. (Superman v2 #76)

A month ago, his father became increasingly unhappy as he started to claim that he never should have gotten married leading to him eventually divorcing Mitch's mother and leaving the family. (Superman v2 #76) After the divorce, he stayed with his mother and baby sister Becky at a housing development in Ohio which he hated as he felt it was a dump. Despite the separation, he often visited his father at his apartment and stated that he often catered to his needs whereas he blamed his mother for not providing items for him. One day, he went to school which was set to have a talk by Superman but the Man of Steel]] had to leave on an emergency. Upon returning home, Mitch had an argument with his mother that was interrupted when a wounded Ice was thrown through their house window. Upon investigating outside, he found the creature Doomsday destroying the family car and defeating the Justice League. The fight continued until it destroyed the house with Mitch and his family left to watch the devastation caused by the monster who managed to overpower the heroes fighting him including Superman. This culminated in an explosion from the gas main leading to a fire that trapped Mitch along with his family and the unconscious Justice League where he called out to Superman for help. (Superman v2 #74) The wounded Justice League members managed to help until Superman arrived where he saved Mitch's mother and sister whilst the Anderson family were taken by the paramedics to be checked for injuries. (Adventures of Superman v #497) Afterwards, his family were met by the media and featured heavily in the news as the destruction of their home was covered. Despite being homeless and financially ruined, his mother penned a letter sent to thank Superman for saving her family. Around this time, Superman died at the hands of the monster Doomsday with the creature being defeated as well. Upon learning of this, Mitch came to blame himself as he felt he was responsible for Superman's demise. Against his mothers warning, he left for Metropolis in order to attend a funeral gathered by a woman claiming to be the wife of Superman. When he arrived, he learnt that it was a fake by a woman attempting to profit from the death of the Man of Steel. Whilst there, he met a young man named Jimmy Olsen who told him that he was close to Superman and decided to speak to Mitch by treating him at Bibbo Bibbowski's Grille. There he confessed he felt at fault for Superman's death for both the way he spoke badly about the Man of Steel in the past and for possibly distracting him in his fight with Doomsday. Bibbo and Olsen convinced him otherwise with Bibbowski paying for fare so that Mitch could return home to his mother. Before heading back, he went to the statue made in honour of Superman where Mitch paid his respects. He later returned home to find that the Justice League had helped rebuild their home whilst Wonder Woman informed his father who returned to his wife wanting to go back to being a family. (Superman v2 #76)

The family later moved to Metropolis where they came to settle in Suicide Slum where his father died from lung cancer. On his birthday, he first manifested his Metahuman power to control magnetic energy. (Superman v2 #142) After weeks of experimenting with his powers, he decided to go out and be a superhero where he took the superhero name Outburst. He was investigating a disturbance at S.T.A.R. Labs where he tripped the alarm and found a group of armed criminals attempting to steal data from the computers. Whilst battling them, Outburst was saved by the timely arrival of Superman who did not trust the young masked hero but departed after the criminals escaped. (Superman v2 #141) Outburst was going through Metropolis where he found a helicopter hit by a powerful blast of wind causing it to lose control and head towards a crash landing which would have killed its occupants. Mitch then used his powers to try to hold the helicopter to a building but only managed to slow the descent which allowed Superman to arrive to save the helicopter. The Man of Steel departed before Outburst could speak to him and the young man was hailed a hero by the helicopters passengers that included Cat Grant and Lex Luthor. (Superman v2 #142)

Post-Flashpoint

Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events.

Overview

Personality and attributes

He later took on the masked superhero identity of Outburst. (Superman v2 #141)

Originally, he resented his mother as he blamed her for breaking up the marriage with his father. This caused him to often lash out at her in the house where he once stated that his father was once right for divorcing his mother. Despite speaking rudely at her, he was shown to partly regret his words but never apologised. (Superman v2 #74)

His outlook on life changed following the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday with Mitch blaming himself for the Man of Steel's demise. He reasoned that him calling for Superman whilst he was fighting the monster was the reasoned he was killed as he became distracted to save Mitch along with his family. As a result, he came to see it was his fault that the hero had died and also because he used to treat Superman scornfully before that point. (Superman v2 #76) Afterwards, Superman became his idol and Mitch kept a poster of the Man of Steel in his bedroom. Upon getting superpowers, he wanted to be a hero and be Superman's sidekick similar to how Impulse was to Flash or Robin was to Batman. (Superman v2 #141)

As Outburst, he tended to tell jokes and speak in a light-hearted manner when fighting enemies. (Superman v2 #141)

Powers and abilities

Upon getting superpowers, he had the power to control magnetism to varying degrees. He was able to direct a magnetism spike charge to the ground causing all metallic equipment to drop to the floor including bullets. Alternatively, he could use his magnetism to cause metallic objects to float. (Superman v2 #141) Outburst could conduct his magnetic powers on metallic surfaces sending charges to locations he needed and forming things such as magnetic webbing designed to hold pieces of metal together that was some distance from him. He could also use it to ride metallic services or places that conducted electrical energy such as rail lines thus increasing his speed. (Superman v2 #142)

At times, he built up too much magnetic energy which he needed to discharge otherwise it caused his body to be pulled apart. (Superman v2 #142)

Notes

• Outburst was created by Dan Jurgens where he made his first appearance in Justice League America v1 #69 (December, 1992).

In other media

Television

• In Superman & Lois, Mitch Anderson appeared in the setting of the live-action television series where he was portrayed by actor Ian Bohen. This version was shown as an adult who never gained powers but instead became a lieutenant general of the U.S. Army and later the new director of the Department of Defense after Sam Lane retired. Anderson used an ELT to call Superman to the DOD after finding out that he has rescued a sinking North Korean nuclear submarine and returned it. Unhappy, he told him that America should come first and that he should've brought it by American soil. Later, Anderson revealed to Superman that he had started a new program, the Supermen of America. Anderson sent the Supermen of America to help Superman defeat Phillip Karnowsky, who had powers given by X-Kryptonite. At the DOD, Superman questioned Anderson about Tag Harris only being 18 to be on the team and Anderson did not seem to mind. Anderson learned of the confrontation between Superman and the armored monster that escaped the Shuster Mines and questioned him about it.

An alternate version of Mitch Anderson was shown to be an inhabitant of the Inverse World where he was also portrayed by actor Ian Bohen. On Superman's world, Ally Allston gave his counterpart a drug cocktail that allowed the other Anderson to temporarily inhabit his body and communicate with the Ally Allston of his world. He told her that they had accumulated both of the pendants that the Inverse Society would need to fuse the two worlds together, and they were coming through the portal to their world. Ally took Anderson and some other followers, including Jon-El and Lana-Rho, to the Shuster Mines to wait for the others to cross over. Much to their surprise the other Anderson came through alone and carrying both pendants. Ally demanded to know what had happened on the other side but the other Anderson could not understand her as her speech sounded reversed to him. She ordered Lana to take the pendants from him but he effortlessly knocked her aside, revealing that he had powers which Anderson had not known about.

Appearances

• Justice League America v1: (1992)
• Superman v2:
• Adventures of Superman v1:

External Links

• DC Database Entry

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