Reactron

Reactron is a fictional supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, usually as an adversary of Supergirl.

Reactron
Reactron as depicted in Supergirl vol. 5 #26 (April 2008). Art by Drew Johnson and Lee Ferguson (pencillers), Ray Snyder and Marc Deering (inkers), and Brad Anderson (colorist).
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 (June 1983)
Created by	Paul Kupperberg (writer) Carmine Infantino (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Benjamin Martin Krull
Species	Metahuman
Place of origin	Earth
Team affiliations	(Krull) Suicide Squad Nuclear Legion
Abilities	Superhuman strength, stamina and durability Flight Nuclear blasts Body generates lethal radiation

Publication history

Reactron first appears in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 (June 1983), in a story written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Carmine Infantino.^[1]

Fictional character biography

Pre-Crisis

Reactron as depicted in his early appearances.

Ben Krullen is a sergeant serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War, alongside Joshua Clay. Krullen later massacres the inhabitants of a Vietnamese village, with the shock triggering Clay's metahuman powers.^[2] Clay seemingly destroys Krullen with his energy blasts, transforming him into a metahuman capable of generating radioactive energy. blasts. Calling himself Reactron, he surfaces years later and attacks the Doom Patrol,^[3] as well as Supergirl.^[4]

Post-Crisis

Reactron's origin and background are changed for his appearances after the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity reboot. Now known as Benjamin Krull, he faces the Doom Patrol and Power Girl in his first appearance.^[5] Most of his pre-Crisis continuity seems intact, but it is now said that his previous battles involved Power Girl instead of Supergirl.^[6]

Seemingly destroyed after overloading on Negative Woman's energy,^[7] he resurfaces unharmed and as a member of the Suicide Squad.^[8] Reactron is destroyed when Deadshot punctures his containment suit, causing him to go critical.^[9]

Reactron, Mister Nitro, Geiger, Nuclear, Professor Radium, and Neutron form the Nuclear Legion in the 2006 miniseries The Battle for Blüdhaven, working for the Society. They battle Freedom's Ring, who apparently kills Reactron.^[10]

Reactron, redesigned with a Gold Kryptonite heart, wreaks havoc alongside Metallo during the "New Krypton" storyline.

Reactron reappears in the Superman: New Krypton storyline with a new costume and abilities. Recruited by General Sam Lane as part of his Project 7734, Reactron is equipped with a heart made of gold kryptonite and partnered with Metallo. Reactron and Metallo attack the city of New Krypton, where Reactron kills Zor-El, the father of Supergirl. As part of his participation in Project 7734, Lex Luthor sends a robot double of himself with Brainiac on a mission to attack New Krypton, a new planet in Earth's solar system populated by the survivors of the Kryptonian city of Kandor. While there, the Luthor robot tampers with Reactron's body chemistry.^[11] Shortly thereafter, Reactron kills himself, causing a chain reaction that destroys New Krypton.^[12]

In Blackest Night, Scarecrow drugs Supergirl with his fear toxin, causing her to believe she is fighting Reactron reanimated as a Black Lantern.^[13]

Powers and abilities

Reactron is a metahuman with the ability to generate nuclear radiation and concussive blasts. Reactron is also equipped with a gold Kryptonite heart, which allows him to briefly depower Kryptonians.^[14]

In other media

The Ben Krull incarnation of Reactron appears in the Supergirl episode "Fight or Flight",^[15] portrayed by Chris Browning.^[16] This version is a former nuclear engineer who was exposed to radiation amidst a terrorist attack that Superman thwarted, during which Ben's wife Alyssa died. Blaming Superman for her death, Ben built an advanced biomedical exo-suit that grants super-strength, the ability to fly, and fire energy blasts. In pursuit of his revenge, he attacks Supergirl, only to be defeated by her and arrested.^[17]