Ted Knight (DC)
Ted Knight is a male comic superhero who features in DC Comics.
Contents |
Biography
Pre-Crisis
Theodore Knight was a male human who came to operate in the 1940's. (Adventure Comics v1 #61)
This discovery allowed for the harnessing of radiated starlight through scientific means which Ted used to combat criminals as Starman. (Adventure Comics v1 #61)
For a time, he came into a relationship with Doris Lee for years where he kept his identity of a superhero a secret from her. He provided her an excuse that he was suffering from a medical condition that led to him leaving her during their dates where she came to be frustrated with him. (Adventure Comics v1 #61)
A threat came upon the country's communication grid that was being damaged by the Brotherhood of the Electron led by Dr. Doog. FBI agent Woodley Allen came to see the communication grid's electrical systems being shut down and he called on the aid of Starman to defeat the villain. He discovered the villain's secret cavern headquarters where he discovered the captive Professor Davis whose invention the Ultra-Dynamo was used by the criminal gang in their operations. Doctor Doog attempted to use hypnotism to control Starman's mind but failed with the hero using his gadget to fight off the villain's electrical assaults. The supervillain attempted to flee where he seemingly fell to his death whereupon Ted Knight freed the captive scientist after which they departed the maze-like cavern system. (Adventure Comics v1 #61) He was contacted by Detective Allen who told the mystery man of night of a supervillain by the name of the Light who was abducting people to shrink them and intended to do so to make himself in charge of the nation. Starman confronted the villain on his airship where he was shrunk but managed to turn himself and the other victims back to normal whilst the Light accidently used the shrinking weapon on himself which reduced him to the point that he disappeared from existence. (Adventure Comics v1 #62)
Post-Crisis
Following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Ted Knight
As a scientist, he developed an interest in the study of alternative forms of energy made by cosmic rays from distant starlight. Ted Knight looked to harness and direct this power that was to be collected in a cosmic ray battery. During this time, he said that he had consulted with renowned physicist Albert Einstein who thought Knight's work was sound and viable. For his research, he looked to get funding from the U.S. government and approached the Department of the Army that had a committee that would hear proposals from various inventors. (Sandman Mystery Theatre v1 #38)
From his cousin Sandra Knight, he came to learn of interest in his work by Professor Abraham Davis who had developed a Black-Light Ray. With it, she became a superhero who went by the name of Phantom Lady. Ted was later asked to meet Professor Davis where he was credited in developing a rod that could harness energy though Knight was actually partly responsible for this development. However, Ted decided to let rumours circulate that Davis had created the device in order to hide his own involvement. He was inspired to become a superhero after seeing the rise of others taking on heroic identities to fight crime. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
During this time, a new criminal by the name of the Prairie Witch was operating where she brought forth a gang of criminals as they struck at the city. Red Bailey later called on Starman's aid where he revealed that two of his officers were taken by the witch and her gang with one of the men being Billy O'Dare. Knight then waited until the next crime and allowed himself to be captured by the Prairie Witch and her minions in order to be taken to Day. Once there, he reconstructed his gravity rod and escaped with O'Dare in pursuit of the Witch during her next heist. Using the gravity rod, he managed to defeat the Prairie Witch who was taken into custody. Knight was then surprised to find that the broom she was using to fly around was made of ordinary wood and not science as he believed. (Starman Annual v2 #1)
In 1951, Ted suffered a terrible tragedy when his girlfriend Doris Lee was murdered. The resulting depression was compounded by the guilt that Ted felt over his involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb. He suffered a breakdown and was institutionalized. In his absence, Dr. Mid-Nite Charles McNider with the help of Robotman and the Red Torpedo used Ted's technology to create a new champion for Opal City namely the second Starman. McNider gave up the role and trained David Knight, Ted's son from the future, when he mysteriously appeared in Opal. (Starman v2 #77)
Ted and his wife were happily married, but in the heat of battle, Knight also had an affair with his colleague the Black Canary. They ended their liaison after after a criminal nearly exposed the affair. After this, Adele became pregnant with their first child and Ted became a faithful father and husband. (Starman Annual v2 #2)
Though his aging had been affected, he was no longer able to still operate as Starman despite his desire to still be the hero. Instead, his son David Knight decided to claim the mantle and succeed his father. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
He then received a call from Sue Dibny and arrived at the scene where the Mist was holding Opal City ransom with a nuclear bomb tied to his vital signs. The bomb was stationed in the building with only two minutes left until it detonated. Ted Knight then decided to sacrifice himself by removing everyone from the structure and taking it into orbit to explode without harming anyone. He said his final farewells to his son as Ted stated that he only had months to live due to his cancer and he wanted to do this act of good to save the city. After hugging his grandson, he asked the Shade to protect them and the building was evacuated before Ted took the structure into orbit where he along with the Mist died in the resultant explosion. (Starman v2 #72)
The legacy of Ted Knight would continue into the far future where one of his descendants named Farris Knight assumed the mantle of Starman by the 853rd century. In that time, the ghost of Ted Knight once paid a visit to Farris Knight. Farris told Ted of his millennia-long legacy and confessed that he had betrayed the Justice Legion to their enemy Soalris. After talking to Ted, Farris decided to do the right thing and sacrificed his own life in the battle. (Starman v2 #1000000)
Post-Flashpoint
Following the Flashpoint, a new version of reality was created with a different history of events. Ted Knight
A time displaced Barry Allen and John Stewart in their search for the Totality shards came into the past where they encountered Starman along with the Justice Society. (Justice League v4 #30)
Overview
Personality and attributes
His actual full name was Theodore Henry Knight. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
He did not consider himself a man of sentiment but rather a person devoted to science. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
Early in his career, he came to have a girlfriend in Doris Lee with the two being involved in a relationship for years but had not been engaged. She was unaware of him operating as the superhero Starman where he claimed his sudden disappearances were due to an illness. (Adventure Comics v1 #61) The death of his wife deeply affected him and he devoted his time more to his work as Starman rather than his children. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
Among his children, he noted that his son David was most like him whereas Jack was more different. Initially, his son Jack adored superheroes and came to learn of all the heroes of that era including his father. This saw him gathering his fathers exploits and putting them in a scrapbook. Ted came to acknowledge that he was not always the most caring of fathers. He came to note that his son's Jack's rebellious nature began to manifest after the boy's mother had died. It was then that Jack turned away from superheroes and even burnt the scrapbook of his fathers exploits. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
One of his cousins was Sandra Knight with the two being close and her knowing about his life of being a superhero when he operated as a masked mystery man. (Starman Secret Files and Origins v1 #1)
Afterwards, he became involved with Adele Drew who he later came to marry. She took the name Adele Knight where she became the mother of his two sons. (Starman v2 #19)
To the public, he maintained an image of being a wealthy playboy during the years he operated as a mystery man. (Adventure Comics v1 #62)
Powers and abilities
When he was younger, he came to study alternative energy sources where his research held that the power of tomorrow was through the harnessing as well as direction of energy. This involved cosmic rays that originated from distant starlight that encompassed different bands which were fairly ineffectual when operating individually. His research had focused on creating a cosmic ray battery that could collect, store amplify and release this energy. The conduction materials for the battery was made from a specially crafted alloy though initial variants had a lifespan of roughly 40 years before they became too unstable and eventually broke down. (Sandman Mystery Theatre v1 #38)
He was the wielder of the Gravity Rod that was an invention that was a miracle of science which utilised the powerful infra-rays of instant stars to overcome the forces of gravity allowing for flight and able to launch bolts of energy. With it, he could deflect energy blasts at him or emit powerful bolts of energy that could burn through solid objects that were obstacles in his path. (Adventure Comics v1 #61) The stellar energy was able to easily melt through steel. (Adventure Comics v1 #62) It was also capable of receiving signals from an ultra-short wave transmitter from a radio capsule with it vibrating in response. (Adventure Comics v1 #61)
To his allies, he provided a radio-active capsule that could emit signals which his gravity rod could detect allowing him to be summoned to aid them. (Adventure Comics v1 #61)
He could create an even more advanced version of the cosmic rod though this machine lacked portability and had instead was a large device that he wore on a harness. Despite its large form, the machine's power was much stronger with it easily able to lift entire buildings from the ground and into orbit. In addition, it could generate a powerful defensive shield that could repel weapon fire. (Starman v2 #72)
Ted Knight was noted for being a wealthy individual. (Adventure Comics v1 #62) He filed patents based on his research into the cosmic energy that he harnessed with these eventually adding to the Knight fortune so that his children would live comfortably in the future. (Starman v2 #72) His family once managed a business overseen by his father with this being Continental Importing. (Sandman Mystery Theatre v1 #38)
Notes
- The Starman Ted Knight was created by Gardner Fox and Jack Burnley where he made his first appearance in Adventure Comics v1 #61 (April, 1941).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Batman: The Brave and the Bold, the Ted Knight Starman appeared in the setting of the animated television series in the episode "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth!" where he was voiced by actor Jeff Bennett.
- In Stargirl, Ted Knight was referenced in the setting of the live-action television series. Pat Dugan mentioned his name as being the creator of the Cosmic Staff.
Appearances
- Adventure Comics v1: (1941)
- Starman v2:
- Starman Secret Files and Origins v1:
- Sandman Mystery Theatre v1:
- JLA v1:
- Justice League v4: (2019)
External Links
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