Mother Box

Latest revision as of 15:05, 6 January 2022

Brenda holds a Mother Box in Blue Beetle v8 #10.

A Mother Box is a highly advanced computer that features in DC Comics.

History

Origin

Sonny Sumo with a Mother Box in Forever People v1 #5.

A Mother Box was a highly advanced technology tied to the New Gods. (Forever People v1 #1) They were created by the New God scientist Himon who pioneered the calculating machines and linked them to the Source. (Mister Miracle v1 #9)

When Shilo Norman wanted to be a new Mister Miracle, he built his own version of the suit that contained numerous advanced gadgets and equipment. However, he could not get them to operate until Scott Free linked his Mother Box to it thus making the suit active. (Mister Miracle v2 #22)

After Orion was afflicted with the Growth Plasma, the New Gods of New Genesis sought a cure for him with them enlisting the aid of the Flash Barry Allen. They sought answers from the Mother Box and determined that a cure lay in the Source itself with the Flash being tasked with journeying into it and back with the means of saving Orion. (Super-Team Family v1 #15)

During the Genesis event, the Godwave threatened to destroy all of creation and bring about the emergence of the Fifth World. As a result, numerous superpowered beings were suffering from fluctuations from their power as the Godwave was doubling back on itself. It was during this crisis that Highfather arrived to the heroes of Earth and explained to them the crisis affecting the universe. He had the artisans of New Genesis craft special Mother Boxes that would maintain a connection to the Source thus allowing their wearer to retain their powers. However, as the interference from the Godwave grew, it would eventually overpower the Mother Box's affect thus making them useless in time. (Genesis v1 #2)

Whilst investigating the Promethean Galaxy, Metron discovered a giant Mother Box signal from one of the petrified Promethean Giants. To recover it, he had to use the power of his Mobius Chair to shrink it into a version that could fit into his hand. However, the act drained the Chair of its power leaving him stranded on the surface of the Promethean Giant which angered him. In response, the device summoned the Swamp Thing elemental through the plants that grew on the giant's body. Through a communion with the plant being, the Mother Box had Swamp Thing take the form of a Mobius Chair where it served as navigation and propulsion. Together, they took Metron in an attempt to enter into the Source but they entered into an Aleph that were points from which all of time and space could be observed where they were attacked by Transmuters that cleared the fringes of reality. They managed to escape only to fall onto the surface of Apokolips where they were confronted by Darkseid. Swamp Thing's memories of going through reality had to be removed for him to remain functional whereas Metron was in a precarious position as he was trapped as his Mobius Chair had no power and he had nothing to barter for the precious X-Element in Darkseid's position. However, Darkseid instead asked to witness the findings as experienced from the Mother Box which had to be coaxed by Metron to show its records to the master of Apokolips. After seeing it, Darkseid allowed the two trespassers to depart with him giving the X-Element to Metron. The Mother Box in his care he ended up crushing as he had discovered that the one piece of the Anti-Life Equation that he was missing was love. (Swamp Thing v2 #62)

After his resurrection, Superman was attacked by a doppelganger of himself and came to question his own existence. He believed one of his enemies was responsible and decided to check on Brainiac who was being held by the New Gods of New Genesis. To achieve that end, he consulted with Dr. Emil Hamilton about repairing the Mother Box that had healed him in the fight with Doomsday but the sentient computer had spent its power leaving it inert. Hamilton managed to infuse it with some power restoring it temporarily to life whereupon Superman used it to open a Boom Tube to New Genesis. When he arrived, Highfather was waiting for him as Izaya's own Mother Box had notified him of Superman's impending arrival. A Mother Box security system was used to monitor the unconscious Brainiac when the alarm in Metron's laboratory sounded due to the Atom hiding on Superman's cape in his shrunken state. Afterwards, Superman checked on Brainiac but only saw his foe detained and in a coma-like state which meant he was not responsible for the doppelganger and he returned to Earth to find the person responsible.(Superman v2 #95) Whilst in the past, the Legion of Super-Heroes came into possession of a Mother Box and sought to use it to find a means back to their time. This saw him combining the Mother Box with one of Will Magnus's Responsometers where they combined with the digital Magnus to form C.O.M.P.U.T.O. (Legion of Super-Heroes v4 #98) In search for clues to Doomsday's origins, Superman came to believe the answer lay on Apokolips with Oberon giving him a Mother Box to allow him to travel to that dark world. (Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey v1 #1)

During the Mageddon crisis, Mother Box technology was used to bolster the communication system of Earth and help the planet's heroes in defeating the weapon that threatened to destroy the world. (JLA v1 #39) Ted Knight petitioned Orion for access to a Mother Box as his son Jack Knight intending to go into space to find the fate of the previous Starman Will Payton. Orion agreed where he programmed the device with all of Metron's knowledge about the universe to aid in the journey. In addition, he encoded the personality engrams of Ted Knight at his request to provide company for Jack during his spaceflight. (Starman v2 #48)

A diminutive Parademon who grew dissatisfied with his masters looked to revolt against them and sought to acquire super beings to aid him in his plot. Using a Mother Box, he stole a train which he believed contained superhumans from Earth. Among them included Black Canary leaving them stranded on Apokolips and their attempts to use a Boom Tube to return home was stalled when the Parademon's Mother Box had been accidentally destroyed. (Birds of Prey v1 #13)

During the Final Night, a Sun-Eater headed to Earth's sun and threatened to destroy the solar system. This saw the planet's heroes looking to stop the threat where they looked to use Mister Miracle's Mother Box to open a Boom Tube to sent the Sun-Eater elsewhere in the universe. (The Final Fight v1 #1)

Big Barda used her Mother Box to open a Boom Tube to Earth to allow the Trinity to save the captured Kara Zor-El. Whilst there, it was given to Batman so that he could use it to crack the codes for the Hellspores to reprogram them and heal his wounds during a fight with Darkseid. (Superman/Batman v1 #12) Big Barda provided Superman with one such device in order for Kal-El, Linda Danvers, Superboy and Kara Zor-El to reach Apokolips so that they could John Henry Irons. With the Eradicators aid, they linked Superboy with the Mother Box to augment his telekinetic powers to create a shield around Apokolips. (Superman vs. Darkseid Apokolips Now v1 #1)

They were reported to had featured heavily in abduction stories with one of these support groups headed by an individual called Dave Lincoln who had met the New Gods of New Genesis. This information would later be available on the internet and became one of the key resource sites on Earth that had detailed knowledge on the New Gods. (Blue Beetle v8 #11)

La Dama was known to had acquired a Mother Box as part of her collection of artifacts with this relic's unknown owner having been killed at some unspecified point. Whilst there, Brenda accidently activated it and was transported to Devilance the Pursuer trap-world and later followed by Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes. Ultimately, they would travel back to Earth with the aid of Lonar and Metron of the New Gods help. During their short time, Reyes was taught the words needed to cause the Mother Box to disintegrate into dust thus leaving the relic in La Dama's collection being lost. (Blue Beetle v8 #14)

Funky Flashman somehow came into possession of a Mother Box that remained as one of the few tangible links to the Fourth World after the death of the New Gods. This led to Red Robin and Superboy apprehending him where Tim Drake intended to fix the Mother Box to open a Boom Tube to New Genesis in order to find out the fate of Batman after it was believed he was killed by Darkseid. (Adventure Comics v2 #3)

Post-Flashpoint

Mother Box during Godhead in Infinity Man and the Forever People v1 #5.

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

Mother Boxes were machines constructed by the Fourth World with them being created with Element X at their heart that was harvested from the World Forge as the cosmic metal teemed with possibilities. (Justice League v3 #33) Upon the formation of the Digital Universe, the intelligences that lived in these simulated realities came to see possible civilizations evolving to the point of evolving or threatening the Digiverse. Mother Boxes were then used as beacons to test these civilizations and observe whether they were worthy of inclusion into the Digital Universe. (Cyborg v2 #18)

A Mother Box was present on Earth which was being studied at S.T.A.R. Labs. In this time, it was being studied by Silas Stone, Anthony Ivo, Sarah Charles, T. O. Morrow, and Will Magnus at a time when Darkseid along with his forces began invading the planet. During the experiment, Victor Stone was caught in the lab explosion of the Mother Box which infused his body and left him badly burnt. Thus, Stone was forced to use cybernetics to keep him alive and he developed a connection to the Mother Boxes. Ultimately, the newly assembled Justice League of America were only able to defeat Darkseid with the aid of Cyborg who tapped into his connection with the Mother Boxes and activated them to force all the evil New Gods into Boom Tubes back to Apokolips. (Justice League) From one of the Parademons, Batman would acquire a Mother Box which he would keep it within the Batcave. (Batman and Robin v2 #33)

After the defeat of Darkseid, a Mother Box was acquired by Batman who extracted the a piece of the sentient alien circuitry and implanted it into his satellite Brother Eye. (DC Universe Presents v1 #0) One of the Female Furies named Leilani Lugo was sent to track down Kevin Kho as she sensed a Mother Box in his possession. However, Brother Eye refused to do so and had O.M.A.C. attack her. (O.M.A.C. v3) One such Box was kept within a stored chamber within the Batcave alongside other tools to use against the Justice League if they ever went evil. These tools became useful when the Crime Syndicate of Amerika came to Earth and took control over the world. With Catwoman by his side, Batman looked for weapons to use against these supervillains and took the Mother Box as a possible tool against Grid. However, he was unable to get it to work and reasoned that he could at least use it's transportation capabilities. (Forever Evil v1 #4)

When forces of Darkseid took Damian Wayne's body, Batman decided to travel to Apokolips through the Mother Box in his possession after equipping himself with the Hell-Bat armor. (Batman and Robin v2 #33) The Oan Quaros managed to discover a Mother Box but he was captured by the Psions where the High integrated it into his own body. Ultimately, Quaros killed himself and destroyed the Psion vessel to stop their experiments from hurting others though the Mother Box managed to survive where it drifted in space. (Green Lantern: New Guardians v1 #34) Doctor Fate would seek out the Mother Box that was in the hands of Earth-2's version of Jimmy Olsen and sought out its mate. It was speculated by Dr. Charles Grayson that the Helm of Nabu was a type of Mother Box that combined with the other in an act of procreation which would elevate Olsen into a god. (Earth 2: World's End v1 #7)

After Darkseid's death, the horde of Parademons that served him went wild and departed Apokolips as they sought a new master with them taking the Mother Box that guided them. They sought the greatest source of energy in the universe with this being the Central Power Battery on Oa. After defeating the Green Lantern Corps, they learnt that the energy of willpower from it was directionless and required a will to guide it. Thus, they attached the Mother Box to the Central Power Battery and began forcing the Green Lanterns into it to get one to accept the burdens of godhood in order to guide them. Each Corpsmen refused and were instead converted into a Parademon leaving Hal Jordan the only Green Lantern left. He accepted the role becoming the new god of light and used mother ring to reverse time to stop the destruction caused by the Parademons as well as take away his new divinity making him normal again. (Justice League - Darkseid War: Green Lantern v1 #1)

A damaged Mother Box was recovered by the C.I.A. that was missing some vital code with it being kept in a stasis field to keep it stable. It was later taken to S.T.A.R. Labs to be used to repair the body of the dying agent Scarlett Taylor with Cyborg aiding in the task. This led to her transformation into a female cyborg that also repaired her injuries. (Cyborg v2 #5)

During the battle with the Dark Knights, the captive Cyborg communed with his Mother Box that offered him the chance to achieve his perfect form if he merged with it. The risk was, however, that he would have lost his identity but he managed to achieve a partial transformation allowing him to tap into the power of the Multiverse to free his comrades. He then had to fight for control over his body as the Mother Box threatened to take over his form. (Justice League v3 #33)

In the Ghost Sector, inhabitants of one of the Machine Worlds were attempting to build a Mother Box as they sought to emulate their god Cyborg and transcend into becoming cybernetic creatures. (Justice League Odyssey v1 #4) They attempted to ascend to what they believed was a higher state of being and when the Mother Box was fully activated they intended to convert the entirety of the Ghost Sector in the process. Cyborg along with his team attempted to stop them with Victor interfacing with the Mother Box in an effort to shut it down. During the process, he came to learn the various secrets of the Ghost Sector including why it had been hidden away by the Coluans. Through the Mother Box, Stone learnt that Darkseid intended to forge a New Apokolips that was to be a beachhead for invasion of all universes and that to build the world he needed components from the worlds in the Ghost Sector beginning with the Other Box. (Justice League Odyssey v1 #5)

Overview

In appearance, Mother Boxes were creations of the New Gods that were similar to a computer but were in fact alive and communed with their user as well as sought to protect them. (Forever People v1 #1) This form of electronic life was used for a variety of goals ranging from communicator to healer. (Justice League of America v1 #183) Internally, it was a complete electronic system without wires, circuits or crystals. (Super-Team Family v1 #15) A Mother Box computer sought to do actions that were beneficial to their user. (New Gods v1 #2) They were the only objects in the world that could access the energy of the Source. (Justice League - Darkseid War: Green Lantern v1 #1) It was claimed that they were ten thousand generations more advanced than the most sophisticated computers on modern age Earth. They were self-aware living machines crafted by New Genesis and considered toys by the New Gods. (JLA v1 #11) A Mother Box was described as being the ultimate living computer who were able to communicate important news to their users. (Superman vs. Doomsday: Hunter Prey v1 #2) A critical component of these machines was a sentient alien circuitry that was capable of being extracted. (DC Universe Presents v1 #0) Their love was said to hold no boundaries or any limit. (Bug! The Adventures of Forager v1 #4) It was capable of experiencing fear though this could be circumvented by bypassing its emotional circuits. (Swamp Thing v2 #62)

From their link to the Source, they were able to obtain Omni-knowledge allowing them to understand everything and anything. A wide range of powers were demonstrated that included telepathy, teleportation, energy manipulation and energy transference. (Justice League - Darkseid War: Green Lantern v1 #1) They could extend signal probes that could be used to track targets. (Forever People v1 #1) These miniature quasi-sentient computers were able to create teleportational vortices namely Boom Tubes that allowed access to the outer universe making them the only means to access Apokolips and New Genesis. (Cosmic Odyssey v1) Analysis indicated that these artifacts developed a slow charge and were unable to make multiple Boom Tubes with the process only capable of being achieved once every few hours. (Blue Beetle v8 #12) A Mother Box was able to enhance primitive teleport technology and upgrade them to achieve transtemporal travel. (JLA v1 #11)

A Mother Box was linked to the universe's positive energy namely the Source. (Mister Miracle v3 #7) The Element X at their core also allowed them to tap into the powers of the Multiverse itself. (Justice League v3 #33) They were known to hold thought patterns which was an indication of it being a living entity. It was capable of communicating through information but a voice when interfaced with other technological devices such as a Reach Scarab. (Blue Beetle v8 #11)

These devices had a number of abilities that included:

• Through its atom-weaving skill, it could change the facial features of a person or undo the process by re-shifting the atoms. (New Gods v1 #3)
• Sharing the visual senses of one person with another. (New Gods v1 #2)
• It was able to jam the mechanisms of weapons causing them blow up. (New Gods v1 #3)

One was said to be capable of building a Mother Box but this act alone did not give it life. (Mister Miracle v2 #22) Specially crafted Mother Boxes were able to allow their user to retain their superpowers when affected by the universe affecting Godwave but would eventually themselves become powerless as their signal to the Source was drowned by great levels of interference. (Genesis v1 #2) It was equably capable of amplifying and augmenting the powers of a superpowered being. (Superman vs. Darkseid Apokolips Now v1 #1) Apokolips were able to construct a Jammer device that was able to shield individuals from the scans of Mother Box and making them invisible to her. (New Gods v1 #4)

They were in fact classed as being sentient and said to be bonded to one owner who was a member of the New Gods. Their sentience meant that they were capable of feeling grief and mourned trauma or death of their owners. These devices were capable of self-destructing when given the order to do so. If given, they emitted a loud "Ping!" before erupting in a large scale of light whereupon they disintegrated into dust. (Blue Beetle v8 #12) They were equably capable of feeling uncomfortable when facing certain forms of danger. (Superman vs. Doomsday: Hunter Prey v1 #1) A last service they performed for their user if they were killed was returning them to the Source. (New Gods v1 #4) A damaged Mother Box required pure love given to it in order to bring it back to life with their user pouring their feelings and emotions into the artifact to accomplish this act. (Mister Miracle v3 #2)

Other versions that have appeared in various timelines include:

• Ancestor Box : a version created by Darkseid during the Final Crisis and contained the "hyper-adapter". It said that Omega is the death that gives and gives forever with it being tailor-made to create an unbeatable life trap for its intended target. This sent an enemy of Darkseid to fall through time and reshape their history to destroy them by turning real events or individuals into myths or distorted versions of their real selves. Darkseid unleashed this weapon on Batman during the Final Crisis which send him into the past and led the world to think that the Dark Knight was killed by the dark god. (Batman v1 #702)
• Anti-Mother Box : this variant was created by Darkseid that resembled a hexagonal Mother Box darker in color with four spikes in the surface corners. This version was filled with blue destructive energy as it had the power to destroy other Mother Boxes with wearers linked to such artifacts dying as their souls died with the machine itself. Darkseid used this Anti-Mother Box against Kal-El and Orion; killing the latter as he was linked to his Mother Box but the former managed to survive the energy blast. (Elseworlds Superman: The Dark Side)
• Baby Box : a modular Mother Box that served as a link to their parent and allowed the users to home in on the primary ones signal. (JLA v1 #12)
• Genesis Box : a version created by Orion after he was depowered in a dark alternate future where Darkseid conquered the Earth and became the master of the universe. In this reality, the last remnants of the Justice League battled Darkseid with most being killed but not before they paralysed Darkseid when Atom entered into his brain. This distraction allowed Orion to activate the Genesis Box that created an energy wave that swept across all of space, reducing creation to energy so it could be reborn again but tihs time without the taint of Darkseid. (JLA v1 #14)
• Grandmother Box : in actuality Granny Goodness in an alternate timeline where she invaded the core softdrive of New Genesis where her body was destroyed and became a large humanoid mobile Mother Box that was pitiless instead of life-giving. (JLA v1 #13)
• Other Box : a version created by Darkseid as a contingency in the wake of the collapse of the Multiverse and detonation of the Source which heralded the end of the Fourth World as well as the New Gods. The Other Box was built to create a safe haven where it. To prevent this prophecised doom, the Other Box was built to manipulate events by means of Hypertime planning to create a region of space that could house the Sepulkore from which a chosen few would be able to survive the destruction. The Box had orchestrated the creation of various tools to unlock the Sepulkore and provide the necessary ingredients needed for one to survive within it. (Justice League Odyssey v1 #8)
• Grandfather Box : a large box capable of performing calculations on a multiversal level. (Justice League Incarnate v1 #2)

Within the Mother Box, there was the Mother Entity who if killed caused all the devices to shut down. (Bug! The Adventures of Forager v1 #4)

Users

• Barbara Gordon : during the Mageddon crisis, Barbara's computers were destroyed by Prometheus but she was provided a Mother Box by Metron who in turn received it from Orion whereby the living machine bonded with Oracle's computer and upgraded it with digital telepathy so she could direct the worlds heroes. (JLA v1 #38-39)
• Barry Allen : given a Mother Box by Metron during the quest into the Source for a cure for Orion who had been affected by the Growth Plasma in a plot to destroy him. (Super-Team Family v1 #15)
• Kindred Marx : was given a Mother Box during the Genesis event and attempted to use it as a navigation tool for his teleportation powers but the Godwave had removed the handstamps needed for his ability thus preventing him from using it to send wounded heroes back to Earth for medical treatment. (Superboy and the Ravers v1 #14) He retained the Mother Box which he used to restart the rave at the Event Horizon club which allowed him to locate anyone in the universe. (Superboy and the Ravers v1 #15)
• Aura : Marx's Mother Box later left his care after he discovered Kindred Sol and passed to Aura where it was believed that the living computer thought she had greater need of it. (Superboy and the Ravers v1 #19)
• La Dama : the El Paso crime lord managed to acquire a Mother Box from an unknown source but did not know its origins, secrets or the power to access it until her niece Brenda accidently activated it causing her to be deposited on a distant world. (Blue Beetle v8 #9-#10) Lonar later instructed Jamie Reyes on causing the Mother Box to disintegrate as it was in pain after being separated from its original owner. (Blue Beetle v8 #11-#12)
• Swamp Thing : one of Himon's earlier and older designs that originally belonged to a Promethean Giant that was trapped this giant version which was discovered by Metron who shrunk it but the power left him stranded though the device summoned Swamp Thing who took the form of a Mobius Chair with Mother Box operating as a guide in an attempt to pierce the Source. It was ultimately destroyed by Darkseid when he checked its experiences of the encounter. (Swamp Thing v2 #62)
• Captain Marvel : a group in Washington managed to retrieve a Mother Box from Intergang but failed to get it operational whereupon it was given temporarily to Captain Marvel who managed to activate the device which opened a Boom Tube to Venus. This allowed Captain Marvel to conduct a rescue mission to retrieve the astronauts on the Freya III and also advised him of danger when he arrived on the planet. (The Power of Shazam! v1 #15)
• Jack Knight: provided a Mother Box by Orion to help in his search for Will Payton with the device containing the personality engrams of his father Ted Knight to keep him company. (Starman v2 #48)
• Iron Man : when Krona caused two universes to collide, Metron met with the Avengers of the alternate dimension where he provided Tony Stark a Mother Box to aid them on their quest. According to Stark, the device was alive and spoke to both his armor as well as his heart where it provided them Boom Tube capabilities to travel between the universes. (JLA/Avengers)
• Superman : after learning of Doomsday on Apokolips, Superman asked Oberon for a star map to the dark planet with Kal-El being provided a Mother Box from Scott Free and Big Barda in order to aid in his journey to Darkseid's home world. (Superman vs. Doomsday: Hunter Prey v1 #1)
• Scarecrow : Jonathan Crane was provided a Mother Box by DeSaad who used it to deliver test subjects that included Superman to the Apokoliptian. During a confrontation with Batman, the Dark Knight managed to snatch it from Scarecrow and used it to reach Tartaros to find the captive Superman. (Superman/Batman v1 #39)
• Lex Luthor : gained a Mother Box after briefly becoming the God of Apokolips with the device stating 'Lex' instead of its traditional 'Ping' sound with it operating in his new War Suit as he became Superman. (Justice League v2 #50)
• Space Cabbie : acquired it on the shadow market where he linked it to his vessel turning it into a Mother Box Engine allowing him to open Boom Tubes for quick transport to anywhere in the universe. (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps v1 #44)
• Harley Quinn : after being taken by Granny Goodness to Apokolips to be one of her Female Furies where she armed herself with a Mother Box from the Maniac Menagerie that took the form of a large hammer. (Harley Quinn v3 #45)

Notes

• Mother Box was created by Jack Kirby and made its first appearance in Forever People v1 #1 (March, 1971).
• Mother Box received an entry in Who's Who in the DC Universe v1 #2 (September, 1990).

Alternate Versions

• In Batman Beyond Unlimited v1 #2 (2012), Motherboxes were shown in the alternate future of Batman Beyond in the tie-in comics to the animated series. During this future, it was revealed only a few remained on Earth after the Genesis War. Lex Luthor had managed to acquire one that he kept at one of his private Cadmus facilities on Dinosaur Island with this being taken by Micron after he was brainwashed by Kobra.
• In Ame-Comi v1 #5 (2013), Alana Strange and the scientists of Rann use a device callled a Mother Box to engineer a New God by the name of Metra who was created with the purpose of battling Sinestra and her undead army. In Ame-Comi v1 issue #16, its described as being an incubational Mother Box by Alana Strange.
• In Justice League v3 #27 (2017), an alternate future was shown where Cyborg had a son named George Stone who was also known as Cube. The child was mixture of human biology merged with Mother Box tech that was beyond modern technology.

In other media

Orion's Mother Box in the DCAU.

Forever People's Mother Box in Young Justice.

Mother Box in Justice League: War.

Television

• In the DC Animated Universe, Mother Box made a number of appearances in the shared continuity setting.
  • In Superman: The Animated Series, Mother Boxes make a number of appearances in the series starting with the episode "Tools of the Trade" though it was unnamed when Kanto uses it to escape Earth via a Boom Tube with Bruno Mannheim following him to Apokolips. It was named in the episode "Apokolips... Now!" when Orion comes to Earth looking for Superman and had his Mother Box recount the origins of the New Gods to him.
  • In Batman Beyond, it would make an appearance in the episode "The Call" where Barda uses it to open a Boom Tube to transport the star-fish shaped aliens to their homeworld.
  • In Justice League Unlimited, it would make an appearance in the episode "Twilight" where Darkseid betrays Brainiac after helping the mechanical supervillain defeat the Justice League. He would use a Mother Box to take control of Brainiac's systems at his asteroid base in order to reshape the universe according to his will. Orion would use a Mother Box to open a Boom Tube to follow Darkseid to battle him on the asteroid but would be defeated as the asteroid base was going to be destroyed. Superman would battle Darkseid intending to kill the villainous New God and destroyed his Mother Box to prevent his escape. However, Batman used a Mother Box to forcibly open a Boom Tube sending the unconscious Orion through it and forcing Superman through it leaving Darkseid to die as the asteroid was destroyed. In "Question Authority", Superman and Captain Atom would both battle Mantis who had arrived on Earth to conquer it. Superman would take Mantis's Mother Box to force him through a Boom Tube back to Apokolips after which he destroyed the New God device.
• In Young Justice, a Mother Box makes an appearance in the episode "Disordered" where its in possession of the Forever People. They use it to summon Boom Tubes, track New Genesis technology and summon Infinity Man. By the end of the episode, they use it to heal the New Geneisphere after she had suffered serious damage in the battle against Intergang and Desaad. A Mother Box was captured by the Bedlam Metahuman trafficking organization who disassembled the device thus murdering the living computer with its remains being discovered by Superboy who mourned its demise.
• In Justice League: Gods and Monster Chronicles, Mother Box was mentioned in the episode "Big". It was used by Bekka of the New Gods who was this worlds version of Wonder Woman. She used it to track down Steve Trevor to rescue him after he was captured by Kobra forces.
• In Justice League Action, Mother Boxes made a number of appearances in the animated television series. In "The Fatal Fare", a Mother Box was used to maintain a massive Boom Tube allowing for Apokolips invasion fleet to pass through. However, Superman attacked the flagship and secretly had the Atom placed on the Mother Box where he locked Darkseid's forces from opening a Boom Tube. They came to believe that Superman had infected the Mother Box was a virus that prevented them from using it. Afterwards, Superman used a portable Mother Box to defeat Darkseid by stranding him on an isolated world. In "Best Day Ever", Desaad had given a Mother Box to the Joker who used its Boom Tube and various abilities to break Lex Luthor out of prison whilst having confronting with various superheroes around the world. This was to get Luthor to suggest going to his secret base where he had developed a powerful bomb that the Joker activated with the intention that the heroes pursuing would be killed when the warhead detonated. Despite their powers, the superheroes were unable to combat Joker who used the Mother Box's capabilities to defeat them. It was only Lex Luthor who tricked the Joker into lowering his guard did he get defeated with the Mother Box being taken away from him.

Films

• In Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, a Mother Box appeared in the animated film where it was in the possession of Big Barda which was why Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman seek her out in order to rescue the kidnapped Kara Zor-El from Darkseid. Once they meet her, Superman requests the usage of the device to travel to Apokolips through a Boom Tube and later arrive in their coordinates. Following her rescue, Darkseid arrives on Earth to get revenge on Superman for his defeat and seemingly badly wounded Supergirl. However, during the fighting, the Mother Box had fallen and the distraction of the fight with Superman allowed Kara to reprogram the device to create a Boom Tube to send Darkseid not back to Apokolips but somewhere in deep space where he was meant to had been stranded.
• In Justice League: War, Mother Box technology was being deployed by infiltrating Parademons who were preparing the invasion of the planet. A number of the boxes were placed at select sites such as in Metropolis, Central City, Coast City and Gotham with Green Lantern's Power Ring unable to determine their functioning though Batman concluded that they operated more like computers than bombs. One was recovered by Batman whilst Flash took another to S.T.A.R. Labs for study by Silas Stone. The others were activated leading to Boom Tubes being created bringing in Apokolip's invasion forces of Parademons. During its activation, one Box was in the hands of Victor Stone leading to him being badly wounded and forcing his father Silas Stone to use cybernetics to transform him into a Cyborg. His newfound cybernetics gave him a intimate link to machinery that allowed him to communicate with a Mother Box to learn of Darkseid and even create Boom Tubes to send the Apokoliptian invasion forces back to their world. Whilst the Parademons were returned, Darkseid himself managed to resist the Boom Tube with the Mother Box lacking the power to force him back. This was until Shazam sent his magical lightning to empower the device thus defeating Darkseid with Cyborg stating that the Mother Box technology had been fried which would prevent a further invasion from Apokolips.
• In The Death of Superman, a Mother Box appeared in the setting of the 2018 animated film. One had been acquired by Intergang with Bruno Mannheim making use of it during his attempted kidnapping of the mayor of Metropolis but his plot failed due to the intervention of Superman. Mannheim attempted to use Mother Box to escape but Superman had used his heat vision to fry its circuits making it useless and leading to his capture.
• In Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Mother Boxes made an appearance in part of the setting. During her wedding to Orion, Bekka was gifted by him with the Wonder Sword that had a Mother Box in its hilt to spirit her to safety in case he could not protect her. Will Magnus secretly had managed to create three Mother Boxes that he implanted in three of his Metal Men that afforded them Boom Tube capabilities that they used to murder the scientists of Project: Fair Play. The three Metal Men with a Mother Box later merged into a single unit who used their Mother Box to tactically fight Superman until he used his heat vision to remove the devices whereupon the Kryptonian defeated the machine.
• In Justice League, Mother Boxes appeared in the 2017 live-action film set in the DC Extended Universe. They were described as being perpetual energy matrices with three such objects were in possession of Steppenwolf when he invaded Earth thousands of years ago. These Mother Boxes were intended to merge into the Unity where they had the power of transforming an entire world. Steppenwolf and his forces intended to use it to transform Earth into a copy of his homeworld. During the attempt, the ancient forces of Earth gathered to oppose him with the old gods, Amazons, Atlanteans and others battling Steppenwolf who was defeated. Steppenwolf's forces caused him to retreat against his will and the Mother Boxes were left behind on Earth where they were taken by the Amazons, Atlanteans and mankind. The Amazons kept theirs in a temple on Themyscira whilst the Atlanteans kept it in an underwater temple and mankind buried it. The Mother Box in man's possession was discovered by the British in the early 20th century who studied it but it never functioned. This was until the arrival of the Kryptonian forces of General Zod where it began to power up with the Box being taken to S.T.A.R. Labs at their facility around the Kryptonian ship. Silas Stone studied it where he referred to the machine as the Change Engine where he recognised it having great potential to changing the world with technology undreamt by humanity. After his son Victor Stone was fatally injured, Silas Stone in desperation used the Change Engine to save his life and transformed him into a cyborg. By this point, the Mother Boxes activated and summoned Steppenwolf back to Earth through a Boom Tube with him arriving on Themyscira. He defeated the Amazons before claiming the Mother Box and then went to gather the Atlantean one. After learning of his motives, the Justice League took the Box that was in Silas Stone's possession with Batman using its power to resurrect Superman. However, Steppenwolf took it and had them form Unity but the Justice League defeated him before it could complete its purpose.

Video games

• In Justice League: Heroes, a Mother Box features heavily in the setting of the video game. the Mother Box was described by John Stewart as a mini-computer that was so intelligent that it was alive. The use of a Mother Box with that of a Sensory Matrix Field Generator allowed a user to reshape an entire planet to their will. The Green Lantern expressed some doubt though on whether Brainiac was smart enough to completely reprogram the machine. While it was bound to serve its controller, the Box did have its own agendas and was capable of leaving subtle clues to aid others. This made it capable of tricking its master though in actual affect, the Mother Box possessed its own agenda. The Justice League held a Mother Box in their Watchtower base where it was heavily protected. Brainiac used a number of disasters around the Earth as a distraction in order to enter the Watchtower and steal the Mother Box. Once stolen, it left a trail for the Justice League to follow in order to retrieve the Box once more. This was because it was afraid of what Brainiac wanted to use it for. Brainiac had been guided to steal the Mother Box by a mysterious voice he heared from a meteor fragment. After being defeated by the League, Brainiac seemed to come back to life; reborn. However, a moment later, he disappeared and was replaced by a reconstituted Darkseid who had been manipulating him all along in order to free himself from his extradimensional prison. Using the Mother Box with a Sensory Matrix Field Generator, Darkseid reformed the planet Earth into a New Apokolips. The Justice League were seemingly killed by Darkseids Omega Beams but the Mother Box saved them by transporting them to another dimension with subtle clues on how to get back. Furthermore, the Mother Box had sent them to another dimension in order for the Green Lantern John Stewart to gather ambient energy waves which he distributed to his comrades to protect them from further Omega Beam attacks.
• In Injustice 2, Mother Boxes appeared in the setting of the fighting video game where they were mentioned in the campaign mode and appeared as items that provided rewards for players. It was said that Cyborg's body was constructed from Mother Box technology allowing him to use Boom Tubes.

Appearances

• Forever People v1: (1971)
• New Gods v1:
• Mister Miracle v1:
• Super-Team Family v1:
• Genesis v1 #2:
• Superman vs. Doomsday: Hunter Prey v1 #1:
• Superboy and the Ravers v1 #14:
• Superboy and the Ravers v1 #15:
• Superboy and the Ravers v1 #19:
• JLA v1 #11:
• JLA v1 #13:
• JLA v1 #14: "Rock of Ages, Part 5 Twilight of the Gods"
• Superman vs. Darkseid Apokolips Now v1 #1:
• Starman v2:
• The Final Fight v1:
• Blue Beetle v8 #9:
• Blue Beetle v8 #10:
• Blue Beetle v8 #11:
• Blue Beetle v8 #12:
• Superman/Batman v1 #39: "Torment, Part 3: Helpless" (2007)
• Adventure Comics v2 #3: (2010)
• DC Universe Presents v1 #0: "Origins Matter After Cancellation" (2012)
• Infinity Man and the Forever People v1:
• Green Lantern:
• Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps v1:
• Justice League Odyssey v1:
• Justice League Incarnate v1:

External Link

• Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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