Starman (Will Payton)

Starman (Will Payton) is a DC Comics superhero who was created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle, and one of several characters to have the Starmen name.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Starman
Will Payton as Starman, on the cover of Starman #1 (October 1988). Art by Tom Lyle
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Starman #1 (October 1988)
Created by	Roger Stern Tom Lyle
In-story information
Alter ego	William "Will" Payton
Species	Metahuman
Team affiliations	Justice League
Abilities	Flight Superhuman strength and durability Energy projection Limited shapeshifting Portal generation Clairvoyance

Publication history

Starman was created by Roger Stern and Tom Lyle, and first appeared in Starman #1 (October 1988).^[6]

Starman was killed in Eclipso: The Darkness Within (1992). In 2020, he was resurrected in Scott Snyder's Justice League run, with Snyder believing him to be an under-explored character.^[2][4][7][8]

Fictional character biography

Payton is a magazine copy editor who gains superpowers after being infused with the essence of Gavyn, the previous Starman. Despite his short career, he gained a good reputation among other heroes, even assisting Superman on some occasions.^[9] Starman is later killed in battle with Eclipso.^[10]

Starman is resurrected in the DC Rebirth series Dark Nights: Metal. This version's powers are derived from the Totality, a cosmic source of energy and the prison of Perpetua.^[5][11][12]

Powers and abilities

Starman possesses immense strength and durability, energy projection, and limited shapeshifting abilities that enable him to alter his costume. In modern continuity, Starman possesses the additional ability to create star-shaped portals and view other universes.^[13][14]