The Star Brand
"There is a weapon in the universe more powerful than all others. No more coveted, feared, loved, or hated thing exists. Only a fool, or a madman - or the right man - would dare possess... the Star Brand!" These are the first (and incidentally, the last) words uttered in the comic book known as the Star Brand. And the author of these words wasn't kidding, as this device could destroy worlds.
Essentially, the Star Brand is a zero-point energy collector, drawing power from the fabric of space-time itself. It is unlimited in potential, though the upper limits of the star-like tatoo of power are determined by the imagination of its wielder. The device was created under rather mysterious circumstances, and similarly was given to its first host, one Ken Connell, in a very bizarre manner: by himself.
However, Connell ultimately couldn't use the Star Brand's infinite potential properly, and as such, he managed to forever change the face of his world, mostly by inadvertently causing both the White Event and the creation of the Pitt (in the so-called Black Event). Since then, the Star Brand has passed on to various others, all of which (including several other important people) are described here:
the Star of our Show:
the Star Brand: itself a paradox, the Star Brand came into being when the universe was compressed into a single point of space for a mere microsecond. Its infinite power requires a sentient being to reside in, however, so it promptly created Ken Connell to bear it... Availability:
the Many Faces of Ken Connell:
Ken Connell - the Star Brand: while riding his dirt bike outside of Pittsburgh, Ken Connell met an old man who gave him a weapon of infinite potential: the Star Brand! Ken tried using this item as a super hero, but his own bumbling almost destroyed the world... Availability:
Ken Connell - the Old Man: sent into the past as an effort to atone for his many sins, Ken Connell was immediately gripped by mental programming inflicted upon him by the Star Child, and was lost in a delusional state of being that persisted until the end of his existence. Availability:
Ken Connell - the Star Child: the son of Ken Connell and his girlfriend Deb 'the duck' Felix, the Star Child was born with full command of the Star Brand. Lacking any real knowledge, however, he set out to learn about both the Brand and his place in the universe. Availability:
Other New U Wielders of the Star Brand:
Jacob Burnsley: Jacob is a retired Army quartermaster who, after an encounter with the Star Child, walked away with a portion of the Star Brand! Having been implored to use his powers wisely by the Star Child, Jacob has performed various good deeds with the Star Brand. Availability:
Lt. Jim Hanrahan: while investigating a bizarre energy discharge over the Pitt, Air Force pilot Jim Hanrahan was blasted out of the air during a duel between the Old Man and Jacob Burnsley. When Jacob healed Jim, a portion of the Star Brand inexplicably clung to him... Availability:
Roger Price: husband of Debbie Felix's friend Jane, Roger got involved with the Star Brand during the birth of the Star Child. After being killed by the Star Child, Roger was brought back to life better than before - wielding a portion of the Star Brand itself! Availability:
Other Marvel U Wielders of the Star Brand:
Kayla Ballantine: when her boyfriend Quasar returned from a cross-time adventure, he inadvertently passed the Star Brand to Kayla. Though she didn't realize it at first, various villains were able to perceive her new power, and thus schemed to take the Brand from her. Availability:
Ereshkigal: this third generation Deviant sorceress believed that the 'cosmic powers' were stifling the development of the multiverse, and thus became an agent of Chaos to unseat them. She found the perfect tool to this end in the form of Kayla's Star Brand... Availability:
Quasar: appointed the Protector of the Universe in his timeline, Wendell Elvis Vaughn uses the mighty Quantum bands to perform his duties. His bands failed him in the New Universe, however, and he sought out the Star Brand as a means of getting himself home. Availability:
Additional Folks of Note:
Arden: a variant time line researcher, Arden works as a Lateral Shifter. It's her job to cross from one time line to another in order to research how certain phenomena manifest in different universes, in order to predict how they will affect her own - for good or ill! Availability:
Gladiator: Randy Kellog was blessed with amazing power by the White Event, his body changed to forever increase its density over time. He attempted to use his power to help the world, but his scheme almost caused World War III - and would've if not for the Star Brand. Availability:
Hysteria: this crazy old woman was given the ability to cause irrational fear by the White Event. Using it to escape the asylum, she began to roam free with two other paranormals, and proved (with her new friends' aid) powerful enough to stand up to the Star Brand himself. Availability:
Pinhead: a minor hood before the White Event, the man known only as Pinhead became a much greater menace once that astronomical phenomenon granted him a comically twisted appearance, and rather deadly physical weaponry on his cone head. Availability:
Scrunch: after encountering two insane paranormals, Mr. Lovejoy was himself swept up in their mania. Of course the fact that his own powers made him incredibly dangerous when subject to his new friends' emotion-controlling abilities was exploited by them at times... Availability:
Spotty: a would-be villain, the thug known as Spotty was a two bit hood before the White Event, and got even worse once he gained a horrific appearance and rather crafty illusion generating powers. He tends to perpetrate various crimes with his pal, Pinhead. Availability:
Tantrum: Dean is a sort of unbalanced fellow who, using the powers he'd recently gained thanks to the White Event, gleefully manipulates the emotions of others to serve his own, mercurial purposes. Only Hysteria seems to hold his manic urges in check. Availability:
the Star Brand issue guides:
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | A1 |
| 10 | UT | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | PS |
Extra Goodies:
the Star Brand created by Jim Shooter and Archie Goodwin!