History
The Star of Capistan is a sentient ruby, and sensitive to human brain waves on a seemingly cosmic scale. It is immobile and needs a host to communicate its thoughts and act as its protector. In 1933, it was found in the Ruins of Dashetal and upon contact, host and gem became one, the Red Rajah. However, in its eagerness to inhabit a human form, it took one with no mystical prowess, so its body was originally powerless. Omar Karindu shot and killed the host.[1]
From then on the Cult of the Unliving Four kept the Star in check, until it went out of control. Karindu sought out his old friend Doctor Strange to help the Cult get the Star back under control, but unfortunately Strange was mesmerized by it and was transformed into the Red Rajah.[2] As the Rajah, he sought to unify humanity by submerging everyone's individual personalities, creating a collective consciousness that he himself would control. He was opposed by his teammates in the Defenders, but managed to take control of Nighthawk; Power Man, and the Hulk. The female members of the Defenders, however, were able to free the other members of the group and destroyed the Star, freeing Doctor Strange.[3]
The gem resurfaced some time later, and it was showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an exhibition sponsored by the Daily Bugle. When the Bugle's editor-in-chief J. Jonah Jameson paid a visit to the exhibition to be photographed with the the Star of Capistan by Peter Parker, he became possessed by the gem, becoming the Red Rajah. Jameson began to submerge bystanders into a singular consciousness, but Parker managed to protect himself by rigging his headphones to set up a discordant subsonic frequency. As Spider-Man, Peter confronted the Red Rajah, who turned the strawberries at the Strawberry Fields memorial into carnivorous monsters. Jameson's hatred for Spider-Man had been passed into the Red Rajah, and the web-slinger took advantage of it by hugging and preaching about harmonizing with him, which caused Jameson to snap out of the Star's influence. After that, Spider-Man swung away with the ruby to hand it over to Doctor Strange.[4]Notes
- Despite accounts surviving from time of ancient Lemuria, the actual existence of this ruby is still in doubt by some mystics.
See Also
- 7 appearance(s) of Star of Capistan
- 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Star of Capistan
- 2 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Star of Capistan
- 1 image(s) of Star of Capistan