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"Tracy, I'm a fraud. You know why I came back to the past? It wasn't to fight for justice, it was to get rich, be famous. I was a failure in the future just like I am here. I'm not a superhero."[1]

Booster Gold was a shamelessly self-promoting superhero from the year 2462 A.D., and a member of the Justice League after the Thanagarian invasion.

History[]

Booster Gold was a thrill-seeker of the 25th century, who traveled backwards in time to the 21st century to fight today's criminals as a superhero. Although he promoted himself as a fighter for justice, in reality, he left the future in pursuit of mega-fame and fortune.

Because of his hunger for fame and affluence, Booster was only entrusted with low-profile cases, and despite his best efforts and despite his obvious costume color, he was always mistaken for Green Lantern. When the sorcerer Mordru ran afoul on Metropolis, requiring the mobilization of the entire League, Booster saw this as the high-profile mission that would launch his celebrity. However, upon landing he was assigned to crowd control. When a stray magic blast started a fire at S.T.A.R. Labs, Booster ran to help and met Dr. Tracy Simmons, a scientist who, together with her boss, was experimenting with an unstable alternate energy source. Dr. Brown was caught in an accident that attached that source ― a black hole ― to his chest, and started sucking in everything in sight. Booster Gold was determined to help out the scientist ― mainly to impress Dr. Simmons― and so he set off to place a gravity inhibitor collar on Dr. Brown. Booster was never recognized for his efforts, scolded by Batman for abandoning his post never the less secured a thank you and a date from Dr. Simmons.

Booster was cocky and somewhat goofy, but despite his obsession with fame and wealth, he was good-natured and well-intentioned. In the end, he was willing to risk his own life to put an end to the menace. He eventually succeeded, and even though this deed didn't grant him his wanted mega-fame, it did earn him admiration (and possibly something more) from Dr. Simmons, who saw the heroism in him when he was no longer capable of seeing it himself.

In subsequent missions, Booster seems to have abandoned his grandstanding and adopted a professional commitment to helping others. He joined the League team providing disaster relief in New Mexico after the Watchtower II's fusion cannon was inadvertently fired at the surface, and likewise was aboard the Watchtower to help repel the attack of the cloned Ultimen.

Booster Gold answered the world-wide call to the entire Justice League during Darkseid's last invasion of Earth. Like all of his Justice League counterparts, the further adventures of Booster Gold have not yet been depicted.

Powers & Equipment[]

Booster Gold had no special powers of his own, but he donned a power-suit of 25th century technology that enabled him to fly, gave him super-strength, enhanced durability (enough to withstand impacts from several stories). He was quick-witted and inventive, but was very often hampered by his own egotistical and adventurous nature. Booster's wrist gauntlets generated energy blasts that ranged from stun-level power to destructive energy that could vaporize tempered steel.

In situations where he was out of his depth (and was able to realize it), his droid companion, Skeets, had a large repository of valuable information.

Sidekick[]

Booster Gold was accompanied everywhere by Skeets, a talking curator droid he stole from the Metropolis Space Museum of the 25th century along with his suit. Roughly the size and shape of a flying orange metal football with fins, Skeets possessed a vast historical database and an extensive vocabulary. Besides being Booster's closest companion, Skeets helped Booster to more comfortably assimilate into 21st-century society using his wealth of information. The robot had an extensive personality program, which occasionally made Skeets seem amused by Booster's words and actions, but in most respects, Skeets was essentially Booster's cheering section and photographer. He was also equipped with holo-projectors and scanners.

Background information[]

Michael Jon "Booster" Carter was (or will be, depending on point-of-view) a collegiate football superstar in the 25th century of the DC Comics universe. Before he could turn pro, it was discovered that Michael had bet heavily on sports—including his own games. Despite never betting against himself, Michael was publicly humiliated and banned from sports competition. Reduced to working as a security guard at the Metropolis Space Museum, Michael became enamored with the 21st Century and its famous superheroes, most notably Superman, the champion of Metropolis. Discovering that the museum actually had a functioning time machine on display (the former property of adventurer Rip Hunter) Michael hatched a plan: he would "borrow" certain display items and use the time machine to travel back to the "glory days" of superheroes. In Michael's mind it wouldn't be stealing, he would be traveling to a time that predated the existence of the museum pieces. He took a power suit and a Legion flight ring (curiously predating the Legion of Super-Heroes by at least 500 years) and a few lesser relics with him. His only hindrance was Skeets, a floating information droid that could conceivably stop Michael with its built-in security systems. However, before Skeets could act, Michael deactivated the robot and brought it along for the trip.

Appearances[]

Justice League Unlimited

References[]

  1. Kreisberg, Andrew (writer) & Riba, Dan (director) (September 11, 2004). "The Greatest Story Never Told". Justice League Unlimited. Season 1. Episode 7 (airdate). Episode 8 (production). Cartoon Network.

External links[]


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