Darkstar (Marvel Comics)

Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna) is a character appearing in

Darkstar first appeared in The Champions #7 (Aug. 1976), and was created by Tony Isabella and George Tuska.^[3]

She became a regular character in Champions for the remainder of the series' brief run, though she never joined the titular supergroup. A memo from series writer Bill Mantlo revealed that he intended for her to be a "floating" member who would come and go from the book as the occasion called for.^[4]

Fictional character biography

Champions

Laynia Petrovna and her twin brother

Darkstar is a member of a Soviet super-team recruited to bring

Afterward, the Soviet Super-Soldiers agree to help bring Magneto to justice. They fight the Avengers but turned against the Crimson Dynamo when it is revealed that he had been manipulating events.^[14]

Darkstar, Vanguard, and Ursa Major defect to the United States seeking political asylum. They arrive at

When the Supreme Soviets (who changed their name to People's Protectorate) are rechristened the Winter Guard, Darkstar was recruited back into the team.^[17] When the team disbanded, Darkstar and Vanguard joined the Russian mutant team Siberforce,^[16] and later joined forces with their father, the Presence.^{[volume & issue needed]}

When Vanguard dies on the Starbrand mission led by Quasar, Darkstar and the Presence decide to kill Quasar, who allows them to believe that they have succeeded while he had left Earth.^[18]

Death

Darkstar joins the

With Sasha's death, Reena Stanicoff takes over the role.[22] She is killed during an attack on Winter Guard headquarters by a Dire Wraith, who then assumes her form.^[23] Although the Winter Guard fends off the attack, her death is subsequently covered up by the government.

Laynia Reborn

The Dire Wraith who assumes Reena's form is eventually overwhelmed and taken over by Darkforce energy. Petrovna seizes control of the creature and resurrects herself.^[23] She reunites with her brother Vanguard and returns to active duty alongside her brother and Ursa Major.^{[volume & issue needed]} She fights Hyperion.^[24] She is later blasted into space with other members of the Winter Guard by the Intelligencia, but manages to survive.^[25]

Darkstar is present when the Winter Guard is reassembled.^[26]

In the 2017 Iceman series, Darkstar joins the other Champions at a reunion to remember Black Widow after her death during the Secret Empire series.^[27]

Powers and abilities

Darkstar is a mutant who has the psionic power to access the extradimensional energy of the Darkforce dimension, which grants her several superhuman abilities.^[28] She is connected to the dimension by splitting her consciousness between her physical body and its Darkforce representation, both symbiotically linked. She can utilize the Darkforce for various purposes, such as causing Darkforce to behave like either matter or energy. Furthermore, she can project Darkforce as simple, mentally-controlled solid objects, possessing the density of steel, such as pincers, rings, columns, and spheres, or as a beam of concussive force. If Darkstar is rendered unconscious, any Darkforce constructs of her making immediately dissipate. Darkstar can teleport herself and up to three others by opening a portal into the Darkforce dimension and traveling through it; the maximum distance she can teleport has never been revealed. Because crossing the Darkforce dimension disorients her sense of direction, and the light of Earth blinds her for several seconds upon reemergence, traveling in this manner is risky.

Darkstar can levitate herself and fly at subsonic speeds by generating a virtually invisible portal into the Darkforce dimension along the contours of her body without passing through it, then balancing the attractive force of the dimension against that of the Earth's gravity.

Darkstar is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, having been trained by the KGB and by

While the original Darkstar's costume was designed by the Soviet government and was made of a synthetic stretch fabric insulated against the cold, the other two Darkstar costumes are composed of Darkforce material.[22]

Reception

Critical reception

Deirdre Kaye of

Darkstar is seen as a member of the Soviet Super-Soldiers.[33]

Exiles

Different versions of Darkstar have been encountered by the Exiles:

• On Earth 3470, the native timeline of Heather Hudson of the dimension-jumping Exiles, the Soviet Union still exists. Darkstar is part of the Soviet Super-Soldiers.^[34]
• An alternate version of Darkstar is shown in yet another universe. She is a member of the Republican Guard, Russia's superhuman team, alongside Crimson Dynamo, Omega Red, Gremlin, and the Titanium Man.^[35]

In other media

Television

• Darkstar appears in the X-Men: The Animated Series episode "Red Dawn".^[36] This version initially works as an enforcer for a group of Russian generals who seek to reestablish the Soviet Union until she learns of their work with Omega Red and works with the X-Men to stop them.
• Darkstar appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "Secret Avengers", voiced by Laura Bailey.^[37] This version is a member of the Winter Guard.
• Darkstar appears in Marvel Future Avengers, voiced by Eri Saito in Japanese and Kari Wahlgren in English.^[38] This version is a member of the Winter Guard.

Video games

Darkstar appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.^[39][40]

Notes and references