Nero (comics)
Encyclopedia
Alexander Nero is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the DC Comics
universe. The character was created by Judd Winick
and Darryl Banks
in Green Lantern
(vol. 3) #132 (January 2001).
ians, similar to Sinestro
's. During his stint in the mental asylum, he was treated for several mental disorders such as schizophrenia
, paranoid delusions
, and bi-polar disorder
. Nero claimed his parents were abusive, although given his state of mind, such assessments should not be taken at face value.
Nero was the second attempt by the Qwardians to take down the new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner
, the first being Fatality
. In order to find someone with the same imagination and artistic skill as Rayner the Qwardians found Nero, who had a history of drawing violent and dark pictures in his asylum. Nero was designed as the "archenemy" of Kyle Rayner, seeing how both are artists with limitless imagination. He escaped from the asylum only to be confronted by a combination of both the original Green Lantern Alan Scott
and Kyle Rayner. A battle ensued and Alan Scott was seriously wounded by Nero, forcing Kyle to retreat and call upon the assistance of the JLA. Kyle Rayner asked the JLA not only to stop Nero but to be prepared to kill him, reasoning that Nero's ring was one of the most powerful weapons in the universe and his insanity made him a profound threat. While the JLA declined his request, they were unable to stop him in several skirmishes of hit-and-run. In the end, the Flash
found tapes of his parents and Kyle played the images. Eventually, the images consumed Nero, traumatising him and resulting in his defeat.
Nero returned a short time later when the residual Central Power Battery energy made itself known (it was left in the sun following the sacrificial reignition by Hal Jordan
in the crossover The Final Night
). Both Kyle and Nero's power levels were greatly increased and they waged war in space to see who would lay claim to the power. Kyle was eventually able to defeat Nero and claim the power (which caused him to become Ion for the first time) and it was believed that Nero was taken or rescued by the Qwardians.
Nero was seen when the villainous Ultra-Humanite
(I) imprisoned all super-powered beings of Earth and brainwashed them into becoming his private army.
to seek answers from the Guardians of the Universe
, bringing Nero with him. However, when Nero awoke on Oa in the Guardians' presence, he seemed to spontaneously release a massive amount of energy, as if exploding. Held captive by the Guardians of the Universe, still broken and unstable but now conscious again, Nero revealed that he couldn't name his mysterious contractors. The Guardians confirmed that the same foe or foes that set Alex Nero (and Effigy) against Kyle had altered Alex's mind, expunging all his knowledge about the mysterious group.
Nero was released from his sciencell along with Superboy-Prime and others during the Sinestro Corps
' assault on Oa. Nero hid and eluded capture before finding and confronting Kyle and Sodam Yat
near Oa in the Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Ion Special. During the battle it was revealed that the Sinestro Corps had been the ones responsible for manipulating Nero into impersonating Kyle. Working together, Kyle and Sodam Yat were able to defeat the mad artist and return him to his Sciencell. Despite possessing a yellow ring, Nero is not a member of the Sinestro Corps
.
Following his participation in a Sciencell riot, Nero was executed by the Alpha Lanterns. The pool of blood left over was later approached by a black power ring, which reconstituted Nero's entire body, turning him into a Black Lantern
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe. The character was created by Judd Winick
Judd Winick
Judd Winick is an American comic book, comic strip and television writer/artist and former reality television personality...
and Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks
Darryl Banks is a comic book artist. He worked on one of the first painted comic books, Cyberpunk, and teamed with the writer Mark Ellis to revamp the long-running The Justice Machine series for two publishers, Innovation and Millennium....
in Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
(vol. 3) #132 (January 2001).
Fictional character biography
Nero was a destructive and mentally disturbed artist who was given a yellow Power Ring by the QwardQward
Qward is a fictional world existing within an antimatter universe that is part of the . It was first mentioned in Green Lantern # 2 .-Fictional history:...
ians, similar to Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...
's. During his stint in the mental asylum, he was treated for several mental disorders such as schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, paranoid delusions
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
, and bi-polar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
. Nero claimed his parents were abusive, although given his state of mind, such assessments should not be taken at face value.
Nero was the second attempt by the Qwardians to take down the new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...
, the first being Fatality
Fatality (comics)
Fatality is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:The eldest child of the planet Xanshi's ruling family, the girl who would one day call herself Fatality was sent off-world to be educated by the Warlords of Okaara...
. In order to find someone with the same imagination and artistic skill as Rayner the Qwardians found Nero, who had a history of drawing violent and dark pictures in his asylum. Nero was designed as the "archenemy" of Kyle Rayner, seeing how both are artists with limitless imagination. He escaped from the asylum only to be confronted by a combination of both the original Green Lantern Alan Scott
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...
and Kyle Rayner. A battle ensued and Alan Scott was seriously wounded by Nero, forcing Kyle to retreat and call upon the assistance of the JLA. Kyle Rayner asked the JLA not only to stop Nero but to be prepared to kill him, reasoning that Nero's ring was one of the most powerful weapons in the universe and his insanity made him a profound threat. While the JLA declined his request, they were unable to stop him in several skirmishes of hit-and-run. In the end, the Flash
Wally West
The Flash is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash....
found tapes of his parents and Kyle played the images. Eventually, the images consumed Nero, traumatising him and resulting in his defeat.
Nero returned a short time later when the residual Central Power Battery energy made itself known (it was left in the sun following the sacrificial reignition by Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan
Harold "Hal" Jordan is a DC Comics superhero known as Green Lantern, the first human shown to join the Green Lantern Corps and a founding member of the Justice League of America. Jordan is the second DC Comics character to adopt the Green Lantern moniker...
in the crossover The Final Night
Final Night
"The Final Night" was a 1996 comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled limited series and most of the comics published by DC Comics with a cover date of November 1996. It featured the main heroes of the DC Universe. At the end of each issue is an in-story text piece written by...
). Both Kyle and Nero's power levels were greatly increased and they waged war in space to see who would lay claim to the power. Kyle was eventually able to defeat Nero and claim the power (which caused him to become Ion for the first time) and it was believed that Nero was taken or rescued by the Qwardians.
Nero was seen when the villainous Ultra-Humanite
Ultra-Humanite
The Ultra-Humanite is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #13 , and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster...
(I) imprisoned all super-powered beings of Earth and brainwashed them into becoming his private army.
One Year Later
Alex Nero returned, revealed as having masqueraded as Kyle during previous issues by Hal Jordan, who confronted him for his crimes. Nero was presumed responsible for the massacres once thought to have been committed by Kyle. After a battle with Kyle and Hal Jordan, he was rendered into a vegetative state after being overwhelmed by Ion's power. Before he became totally vegetative, he revealed that he was forced to masquerade as Ion by an unknown group. Kyle proceeded to OaOa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...
to seek answers from the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
, bringing Nero with him. However, when Nero awoke on Oa in the Guardians' presence, he seemed to spontaneously release a massive amount of energy, as if exploding. Held captive by the Guardians of the Universe, still broken and unstable but now conscious again, Nero revealed that he couldn't name his mysterious contractors. The Guardians confirmed that the same foe or foes that set Alex Nero (and Effigy) against Kyle had altered Alex's mind, expunging all his knowledge about the mysterious group.
Nero was released from his sciencell along with Superboy-Prime and others during the Sinestro Corps
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...
' assault on Oa. Nero hid and eluded capture before finding and confronting Kyle and Sodam Yat
Sodam Yat
Sodam Yat is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 , and was created by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill...
near Oa in the Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Ion Special. During the battle it was revealed that the Sinestro Corps had been the ones responsible for manipulating Nero into impersonating Kyle. Working together, Kyle and Sodam Yat were able to defeat the mad artist and return him to his Sciencell. Despite possessing a yellow ring, Nero is not a member of the Sinestro Corps
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...
.
Following his participation in a Sciencell riot, Nero was executed by the Alpha Lanterns. The pool of blood left over was later approached by a black power ring, which reconstituted Nero's entire body, turning him into a Black Lantern
Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of revenants appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The group is composed of deceased fictional characters that seek to eliminate all life from the DC Universe.-Publication history:...
.