White Martians (DC)
The White Martians are an alien race that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
Origin
Originally, the White Martian civilization came from an older progenitor race that dwelled on Mars who were known as the "the Burning". This violent aggressive species propagated themselves asexually as well as brutally engaged one another in never ending conflict. However, they were an advancing race whose nature troubled the Guardians of the Universe who believed the species to be a threat if they developed interstellar travel. Thus, they intervened and genetically manipulated these early Martians - an act which separated them into at least two separate species which became known as the Green Martians and the White Martians. In addition to this tampering with their biology, the Guardians also instilled a genetic fear and weakness towards fire in an effort to prevent the recreation of the Burning Martians. [JLA: Trial by Fire issues #84-89]
At some point in the distant past, the White Martians cooperated within the Green Martians for the first time in their recorded history in order to combat the threat posed by the Bloodworms of Mars. These native animals were highly dangerous predators and necessitated a combined alliance to fight off their attacks. By working together, they managed to send the creatures to their moon of Phobos which was bombarded in an attempt to destroy them leading to the apparent destruction of the Bloodworms. However, unknown to their allies, the White Martians diverted some of their explosives and smuggled the creatures onto the neighbouring world of Earth where they incubated the young with the hope of controlling them one day for use in a future conflict against the Green Martians. Despite their plans, the experiment was abandoned and they remained hidden for centuries long after their masters were defeated. [Martian Manhunter II #32]
During one of ther first forays onto Earth, the White Martians performed experiments on the native terrestrial animals long before human life came to form. This, however, had the side effect of crippling the evolutionary potential of the human race and prevented them from becoming a race of supermen; leaving them as a race of weak humans. [JLA series 2 #4] Amongst the first specimens of primitive human kind, the White Martians discovered the presence of the metagene within ancient human DNA. Their experimentations changed this aspect of their genetic potential and forever altered the developing races future. Thus, instead of an entire species of super human beings, there were only a select few that developed metahuman powers. As punishment for these actions, a group of these renegades that were known as the Hyperclan were exiled into the Still Zone. [Martian Manhunter #25-27, Son of Vulcan #5]
Later, as the two Martian species progressed technologically, they extended their empire to the planet Saturn located within their solar system. They terraformed that world and built cities whereupon they used their own biology to provide genetic samples to create an engineered workforce that became known as the Saturnians. The White Martians also established a base of operations on Earth in Antartica known as Z'Onn Z'Orr and began genetic experiments on the native living beings. As time went on, the White Martians engaged in a civil war with their fellow Green Martians - a conflict that ravaged the surface of Mars and destroyed most of the colonies on Saturn. Despite their warlike nature, the White Martians were defeated and exiled into the Still Zone. [Martian Manhunter II #4 (fb), 25 (fb)]
Though seemingly imprisoned, a group of White Martians managed to escape the Still Zone and travel to Earth. Once there, they took on the identities of superheroes and named themselves the Hyperclan whereupon they announced their presence on the world. They also formed a cover story where they stated that had come to the planet with the itnention of solving its problems. To demonstrate, they used their abilities to temporarily turn the Sahara into fertile farmland and even cowed supervillains into hiding after the public execution of several of their number. This led to Humanity loving the Hyperclan but were unaware of the fact that these heroes intended to enslave the inhabitants of Earth by setting up mind control rays on watchtowers that were being built in Antartica, the Gobi desert and the Pacific Ocean.
In addition, they also destroyed the Justice League of America's Satellite because the JLA had criticized the Hyperclan for their methods in saving the world. After uncovering their true origins and intentions, the Hyperclan group of White Martians defeated the JLA and imprisoned them in the Flower of Wrath; a Martian torture device. The only hero that was free was the Martian Manhunter who the Hyperclan tempted to join his fellow Martian race. J'Onn J'Onnz seemingly agreed but turned against the Hyperclan in order to allow his team mates to escape. The Hyperclan were quickly defeated but not before calling in an invasion force of seventy other White Martians to attack Earth. However, the Justice League managed to defeat the Martian invaders and rounded them up where their punishment was left to the Martian Manhunter. J'Onn decided to hypnotise the captured White Martians and forced them into taking on Human form and removed their memories leaving them to remain as peaceful Human beings who were unaware of their true nature. [JLA #1-4]
During an encounter with Id, Martian Manhunter was split between his native form and his human persona with him later attempting to reunite his scattered psyche. During this time, he had a secret desire for not being alone with the Cathexis wishing-granting Id machine activating by restoring the White Martian memories back to them. Thus, they were freed and for weeks they bid their time as they prepared to take over the world once again. Their efforts led them to discover that mankind was a species of latent telepaths and began to harvest select human brains in secret that they consumed to augment their own abilities. At the same time, they began introducing vibrating subatomic molecules into the air to fire-proof the planet which prevented any form of combustion from occurring. They captured the Martian Manhunter at this point and their operations were discovered by Batman causing them to discard hiding leading to them globally rising up against humans. (JLA v1 #56) The reason they targeted telepaths initially was because the intended to hide their existence but learnt that ingestion of their brain matter increased their own telepathic abilities a million fold. Thus, they targeted latent human telepaths to increase their power to span over light years and had the goal of taking over the entire galaxy with their enhanced power whilst fortifying Earth for themselves. Despite being exposed, they used trickery and deceit as they targeted the members of the Justice League. (JLA v1 #57) They tricked the White Martians into sending them into the Phantom Zone so that they could orchestrate their plan whereupon they freed themselves. The League then had the White Martians pursue them to the Moon which they dislodged from its orbit causing intense heat to emerge as it was heading on a collision course for Earth. The White Martians were exposed to their greatest weakness and forced to surrender leading to their imprisonment in the Phantom Zone whereupon the Moon was returned to its proper place. (JLA v1 #58)
Sometime afterwards, J'onn J'onnz attempted to circumvent his fear of fire but this unlocked a sinister entity within his being known as Fernus the Burning. The Burning Martian attacked the Justice League who escaped him after which Fernus opened the doorway into the Still Zone and massacred the White Martians to prevent them from being used as a weapon against him. Unaware of this, the Justice League attempted to recruit the White Martians to their cause only to see their dead bodies and Fernus waiting for them. (JLA v1 #86)
After being reborn by the White Lantern, J'Onn J'Onnz went to the White Martian Mothership in the Still Zone to check the status of the captive White Martians who remained in stasis. (Brightest Day v1 #6)
The New 52
Overview
Similar to their Martian kin, the White Martians or Pale Martians demonstrated a similar power-set of abilities including super-strength, flight, invulnerability, shapeshifting, Martian vision and mind control. They had complete control over their molecular structures. As shape changers, they were familiar with a wide range of mind control techniques. This allowed their warriors to transform their bodies into a thousand battle configurations such as The Flesh Vortex or The Storm of Hammers. However, similar to their Martian kindred, they were also vulnerable to flames that weakened them. (JLA v1 #4) Similar to their green cousins, they were capable of telepathy and could manifest certain psychic traits. Certain White Martians could create Psi-Spikes that were like electric pins thrust into the central nervous system designed to keep a person in pain and in a docile state. (JLA v1 #55) Though capable of intangibility, Martian molecules still possessed an atomic resonance that allowed them to be targeted by certain weapons even in their phase state. (JLA v1 #57)
It was claimed that war, hatred and destruction were the only offerings the White Martians had to give for Martian culture. (JLA v1 #4)
White Martians made use of 18 mile wide supercarriers that were telepathically guided with the vessels neural orchards being a means to downloading the piloting skills into an organic beings frontal cortex. (JLA v1 #39)
They were able to produce a viral subatomic particles in the form of an alien ion that suppressed the electron flow of chemical reactions thus preventing combustion. Such acts could lead to the slow extinction of an entire species on a planetary scale. (JLA v1 #56) These were produced through the use of alchemical towers with them preventing the White Martians from being exposed to their weakness to fire at the expense of life for the native population. (JLA v1 #57)
They were aware of the existence of a dimension they called the Still Zone that was a kind of homeostatic continuum existing outwith conventional space-time. Whilst imprisoned in the Still Zone, they had learnt to navigate through that dimension and use it to pass their warships across space. (JLA v1 #4)
Members
- A'Monn A'Mokk :
- A'Morr :
- Commander Blanx :
- Dal'en :
- Martian Man-Eater :
- Micha'kel :
- M'gann M'orzz :
- Sy'rann :
- Telok'tellar :
- Till'all :
- Z'ush : (JLA v1 #56)
- Xolotl : a White Martian that came to Earth where for centuries he masqueraded as the Aztec god Xolotl. (Suicide Squad Most Wanted: El Diablo and Killer Croc v1 #5)
- Z'Kran Z'Krann : a male whose family were killed by White Martian raiders where ten years later he killed their killer and his ability to overcome fear attracted one of the first green Power Rings. (Green Lanterns v1 #24)
Notes
- The White Martians were created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter where they made their first appearance in JLA v1 #1 (January 1997).
Alternate Versions
- In Smallville: Season 11 v1 #2 (2014), the White Martians were referenced in the continuity of the comic-tin to the television series. They were the white skinned inhabitants of Mars who had long fought against their Green Martian cousins as a result of misunderstanding of hate. This chain of events led to the Martian Holocaust that was the end to both civilizations before the cleansing fire destroyed the remainder of their people. White Martian parents managed to get their daughter M'gann M'orzz into a rocket that was launched to Earth in order for her to survive.
In other media
Television
- In Young Justice, the White Martians were mentioned by Miss Martian as being an oppressed people on her homeworld. Its later revealed that Megan herself was in fact a White Martian who had disguised herself as a Green Martian in order to avoid the prejudice about her people. This secret was kept from her team mates until Queen Bee learnt of it and blackmailed her. As a result of this information, Miss Martian had to serve the Light in their goals thus creating a double agent among the Team. Eventually, she informed her team mates which ended her time as a double agent for the Light.
- In Supergirl, the White Martians were shown in the episode "Strange Visitor from Another World". They were shown as a race that inhabited Mars alongside the Green Martians and thus shared many of the same abilities such as shapeshifting, telepathy, flight and superstrength. However, these more violent Martians were native to underground who arose to the surface and brought fire along with war against their more peaceful cousins. They managed to conquer the surface where they put the Green Martians into death camps where he slowly massacred the species leaving J'onn J'onnz the only survivor. Their kind made use of arranged marriages between their kind with love not factoring into the pairing of mates. A council was in charge of the White Martians who sought to eliminate any dissidents and their Green Martian enemies. By the modern day, one White Martian came to Earth where she captured Senator Miranda Crane and took her identity where she voiced an anti-alien agenda. This brought her into conflict with Supergirl and the D.E.O. leading to a fight with the Martian Manhunter. However, the White Martian was defeated and imprisoned in a cell at the D.E.O. After going to Mars, Miss Martian discovered that there were other White Martians that shared her views and held remorse over their peoples treatment of the Green Martians. During the Daxamite invasion, Martian Manhunter gave a telepathic cry for help with Miss Martian responding and bringing her fellow White Martians to Earth where they fought against the Daxamite army on the streets of National City.
Films
- In Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the White Martians were shown in a flashback but not named as such in the animated film. Martian Manhunter and the alternate version of Rose Wilson became attracted to one another with J'onn initiating a telepathic link whereby the two shared memories. In J'onn's memories, Rose saw him battling White Martians on Mars long ago before the death of life on that world.
Video games
- In Justice League Heroes, the White Martian's make an appearance where they were said by Martian Manhunter to had nearly destroyed his homeworld of Mars until he defeated them. After they were defeated, they were placed in suspended animation and kept in this form of stasis beneath the Tharsis region on his homeworld. When Brainiac arrived on Earth, the villain sought to acquire ultimate knowledge promised from a telepathic artifact and sought to acquire technology to accomplish this goal. Among them was modifying missiles to hold interplanetary capabilities allowing them to be launched at Mars to release the White Martians. Upon being freed, the White Martian's prepared their invasion forces to attack Earth with their technology being powered by a fusion generator. Martian Manhunter vowed to stop them in order to prevent them from creating the damage they had to Mars from being inflicted on Earth. With Superman's aid, they arrived on Mars to defeat the White Martian's whereupon they shut down the fusion reactor but unknowingly accomplished Brianiac's goal as he required the technology for his next venture.
Appearances
- JLA v1:
- Brightest Day:
- Lobo:
- Justice League v4:
External link
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