It was the spark that started the fire -- a legend that grew in the telling. After the light. Before the war. And before the fall. They were the last days of the great idea -- an Avengers world. We were final options. We were last resorts. We were world builders and world breakers. And in the last days of life, before a season of death... we were Avengers. 
- —Starbrand[src]
History
Kevin Connor[2] was a young ignored but excellent student from college. When a strange anomaly affected the Superflow of Earth-616, he was given the power of the Star Brand during the White Event; his transformation caused him to annihilate the whole college. The Avengers later arrived to investigate the event, as guided by Nightmask and Captain Universe.[3]
After he faced the Avengers, Kevin Connor was taken by Nightmask to Mars, in order to seek for help to Ex Nihilo, in the meantime, he explained Starbrand what caused his powers and his purpose.[2] On Mars, Ex Nihilo revealed the conflict of the White Event was caused by his attempts to make Earth sentient.
Nightmask teleported Connor and himself to Croatia, one of the places modified by Ex Nihilo, where strange creatures started forming a brain-like structure. The "brain" tied to absorb Nightmask, but was rescued by Starbrand, who accidentally killed the organism in the process, "killing the Earth." The Avengers arrived to the scene and tried to stop them, who fought back until Starbrand surrendered. As they were out of options, the heroes decided it would be better for the world to put Kevin away from it, in Stark's Dyson Sphere under construction, in the company of Nightmask.[4]
When Captain Universe sensed a new threat coming to Earth, she advised the Avengers to recruit him and Nightmask into the team, which they did.[5] Starbrand aided the Avengers in the Builder war, even devastating an entire Builder fleet.[6]
Time Runs Out
After the Avengers fell into S.H.I.E.L.D. authority, Starbrand and Nightmask left the team to investigate the decay of the universe. They returned to Earth when they received a message from Sunspot, inviting them to join his own Avengers team as there had been new progress on the research related to the Incursions.[7]
Using A.I.M.'s resources, Sunspot managed to put into operation a machine capable of transporting individuals across the Multiverse, in hopes of finding the source of the decay of the Multiverse, and a group of them, the "Multiversal Avengers," embarked in said mission. Starbrand was among this heroes.[8]
_from_Avengers_World_Vol_1_19.jpg){kind=link}
Starbrand's new suit
In their journey, the Multiversal Avengers arrived to the base of the Black Priests, whom they believed to be enemies, as they would destroy alternate Earths. After discovering their true motivation, that of saving the Multiverse, the Multiversal Avengers allied with the Black Priests, and were informed of the true enemies they had to face, the Ivory Kings and Rabum Alal. While the Black Priests tried to find Rabum Alal, the Multiversal Avengers would set out to find the Ivory Kings (also known as the Beyonders).[9]
The Avengers traveled across numerous universes, navigating the map left by the Mapmakers. After one last jump across universes that cost Nightmask's life, the Avengers found themselves face to face with a fissure in time and space. From it, two Beyonders emerged and demanded the heroes to fall back. Upon denying their request, the Avengers faced the Beyonders. During the fight, Starbrand was stabbed by one of the Beyonders, Kevin used his last breath to unleash the energy within him and destroy it.[10]
All New All Different
When the universe came back to life, so did Kevin and the rest of its inhabitants, with no memory of their temporary demise. After defeating Blizzard in China, he was offered membership by Sunspot in his New Avengers and was about to accept it, but Nightmask declined and instead, the two of them started attending college.[11]
On the first day of college, they were attacked by mind-controlled Nitro, Graviton and Blizzard twice,[12] and the second time almost cost Kevin's life, because he was fighting the three of them on his own. Meanwhile, Adam was tracking the source of their control and found out the responsible were the Eternity's children Explosion, Gravitation and Entropy. After taking away their control over the Earth criminals, he returned to Earth and both he and Kevin attended their first college party.[13]
The next day, Kevin and Adam met with Kolobus, after Libra brought them together. Then, Kolobus helped them prevent the Kree Starbrand from killing Kevin and destroying Earth, although, in the end, it was revealed that there's a fail-safe in the Starbrand power that causes them to become attracted to one another and kiss. Because of this, they call off the fight and Va-Sohn agrees not to attack any more worlds, as Kevin would be there to "make things cosmically awkward". Therefore, Va-sohn and Joras-Kyl are returned to their homeworld to reconsider their options.[14]
After a superhuman civil war, which started due to Thanos' arrival on Earth, and a looming Chitauri invasion, the idea to build a Planetary Defense Shield came up.[15] After it was built, Kevin was asked by Monica Rambeau to test it alongside other superheroes.[16]
Secret Empire
When the Chitauri invasion arrived, heavy-hitter superheroes prepared to hold the line while Iron Man and Ironheart fixed the Planetary Defense Shield. Meanwhile, it was revealed the Shield's malfunctions were actually purposefully caused by Captain America, with superficial damage of Hydra's attack covering that up. Rogers activated the Shield.[17] leaving Starbrand, Nightmask and the rest of the heroes in Earth's orbit exiled on the other side.[18]
The Defense Shield was eventually brought down by the new Quasar Avril Kincaid, though it resulted in her death.[19][20] Starbrand later joined the other heroes in ending Hydra's occupation of the United States.[21]
Death
One day, Starbrand sensed that the Ghost Rider Robbie Reyes was in South Africa near an awakened Celestial called the Fallen. Fearing that Robbie would endanger the world if he found the Fallen, Starbrand traveled to South Africa and attacked Robbie, planning to destroy him, despite Robbie having no idea what was going on. Robbie fought off Starbrand and eventually awakened his Penance Stare, an ability he didn't know he had before. Subjected to the Penance Stare, Starbrand seemingly perished in an explosion.[22]Attributes
 |
Powers
Starbrand has energy based powers on a virtually infinite scale due to possessing the Star Brand. Abilities he has manifested include
- Superhuman Strength: Starbrand possesses a incredible degree of superhuman strength allowing him to easily lift at least 50 tons.
- Self-sustaining Endurance: Starbrand's musculature generates less fatigue toxins, during physical activity, than the musculature of a regular human being. He can physically exert himself at peak capacity for several hours before fatigue begins to impair him.
- Invulnerability: Starbrand possesses an incredible degree of superhuman durability, allowing him to withstand high caliber bullets, falls from great heights, powerful impact forces, exposure to temperature extremes and powerful energy blasts without being injured.
- Flight: Starbrand is able to defy gravity and fly. He has shown to be able to travel interstellar distances at faster-than-light speeds.
- Matter Manipulation: Starbrand is able to manipulate and alter matter and energy at a potentially quantum level. Starbrand has been shown to transmute and rebuild matter into different form at will.
- Energy Manipulation: Starbrand is able to generate and manipulate various forms of energy, allowing him to create destructive energy-blasts, and project near-indestructible force-fields. Through his energy-manipulating abilities, Starbrand is able to manipulate magical energies, allowing him to cast various powerful spells, and deflect mystical-attacks.
- Energy Discharge: Starbrand is able to generate extremely powerful energy-blasts capable of destroying entire planets. When killed, he can unleash this energy with enough force to kill a Beyonder.[10]
- Cosmic Form: When in extreme anger and rage, Starbrand has demonstrated the ability to transform his entire body into pure cosmic energy. While in his cosmic form, Starbrand has been able to alter his size and stature at will.
- Healing Powers: Starbrand is able to rapidly heal himself and others from any physical injury even allowing him to bring the deceased back to life. His healing capabilities allow him to heal broken bones, organs and limbs with relative ease.
- Telepathy: Starbrand has demonstrated powerful telepathic capabilities, He has demonstrated the ability to project his thoughts telepathically across great distances, and as well as potent hypnotic capabilities.
- Superhuman Perceptions: Starbrand can perceive the interaction of individual molecules and identify all lifeforms in his vicinity.
- Cosmic Senses: By absorbing cosmic energies, Starbrand possesses a degree of superhuman senses.
- Cosmic Awareness & Mystic Senses: Starbrand has the ability to detect or produce wormholes and other irregularities in space on a cosmic scale. He also has the ability to sense whenever someone is teleporting.
- Cosmic Vision: Starbrand can see through solid materials and clearly see things as far away as Earth's moon
- Cosmic Hearing: Starbrand can adjust his cosmic hearing to hear people talking next door or to the point of sensing Cosmic background radiation.
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Trivia
- As of Starbrand & Nightmask #3, Kevin was 20 years-old.
See Also
- 57 appearance(s) of Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
- 4 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
- 1 minor appearance(s) of Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
- 6 mention(s) of Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
- 67 image(s) of Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
- 5 quotation(s) by or about Kevin Connor (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ Avengers NOW! #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Avengers (Vol. 5) #8
- ↑ Avengers (Vol. 5) #7
- ↑ Avengers (Vol. 5) #9
- ↑ Avengers (Vol. 5) #17
- ↑ Infinity #3
- ↑ Avengers (Vol. 5) #35
- ↑ Avengers (Vol. 5) #36
- ↑ New Avengers (Vol. 3) #27
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 New Avengers (Vol. 3) #32
- ↑ Starbrand & Nightmask #1
- ↑ Starbrand & Nightmask #2
- ↑ Starbrand & Nightmask #4
- ↑ Starbrand & Nightmask #6
- ↑ Captain America: Steve Rogers #10
- ↑ Captain America: Steve Rogers #14
- ↑ Secret Empire #0
- ↑ Secret Empire #3
- ↑ Secret Empire #8
- ↑ Mighty Captain Marvel #8
- ↑ Secret Empire #9
- ↑ Marvel Legacy #1
- ↑ Avengers NOW! Vol 1 1