Origin | Super-Power | Personal Data | Membership Record
Years ago, Dirk Morgna worked in his father's atomic plant after school. One of the plant's top scientists was Zaxton Regulus. He spent much of his time working on a private project - producing multiplied sun-energy from radioactive gold. One day, Dirk and his friend Zarl Hendricks were sent to deliver some supplies to Regulus. Just as they entered, distracting Dr. Regulus, his equipment exploded. Zarl was killed, but Dirk and Regulus were only slightly injured. When Dirk's father learned what had happened, he fired Regulus, who blamed the accident on the interruption. He swore to get even with Dirk. Late one night, before Dirk left the lab, Regulus wreaked his vengeance, using robots for his dirty work. Beaten unconscious, Dirk was left to die in the atomic reactor, but instead of killing him, the radioactive rays revitalized him, and turned Dirk Morgna into Sun Boy (Adventure Comics No. 348)!
First Appearance: Action Comics No. 276 (written by Jerry Siegel, drawn by Jim Mooney)
He can emit light rays from his body with intensities that range anywhere from a soft glow (Adventure Comics No. 300), to a radiant brilliance that can light up an entire city (302). By flying and shining brilliantly, he has effectively "doubled" as a convincing-looking meteor (Adventure Comics No. 306, 321). Emitting a high-intensity solar burst, he can temporarily blind his opponents (309, 352, 360, 375). His solar bursts can act as a solar shield to deflect certain energy beams such as a laser (375). Sun Boy can also emit heat-rays - mainly from his hands but also from his entire body - that can, at low intensity, gently warm up frostbitten skin (Adventure Comics No. 363), emit a heat-charge that will force crooks to surrender (302), project a burst of radiant heat that can stun opponents (335), and foil villains by making their equipment too hot to handle (335). At higher intensities he can melt ice (Adventure Comics No. 302), weld and repair objects (307, 380), and soften metal enough for it to be forged (310). Once he created a blast furnace to refine iron ore (380). Sun Boy can turn metal into slag at a rapid rate (300); he is able to melt and vaporize a ten-ton steel block in less than a second (348). Once he radiated enough heat from his body to melt a gigantic mountain of ice (300). He has melted away smaller asteroids completely (310), and at maximum power can project the heat of an exploding super-nova (350) - approximately 200,000 degrees Celsius. Of course, the effect of his blast is far less devastating than a real supernova, given the small area he can effect and the lack of explosive forces and gases. Using his power of radiating heat, Sun Boy can cause hot air-currents that will create a sudden thunderstorm (Adventure Comics No. 308), or use his heat to evaporate thunderheads (363). Sun Boy's radiant body can create electrical interference to machines and induce power blackouts (348). Sun Boy's fine control over his power enables him to create sunburst letters in space that are visible for millions of miles (Adventure Comics No. 352). He can also radiate a shaft of heat and light and reflect it off a cliff-side (308). If Sun Boy is inflicted with amnesia, atomic radiation will restore his memory (Adventure Comics No. 348). Once, when Tharok's intensifier increased Sun Boy's power, it was all he could do to keep from bursting into flame. Even at this maximum power level, it took intense effort for him to simulate a star hotter than Earth's own sun in order to divert the Sun-Eater (Adventure Comics No. 353). Limitations and Weaknesses: Sun Boy's power of radiance can be reflected back on him by jewel-walls (Adventure Comics No. 308), mirror-monsters (309), and mirrors that dazzle his eyes with his own light (335). By radiating at full strength he can crack the mirrors (321), although he cannot risk melting metal if there are people nearby since the heat-rays needed to do so might injure or destroy innocent life (334). It is interesting to note that Sun Boy can take away Night Girl's power, but Polar Boy can take away his (Adventure Comics No. 306) If Sun Boy is knocked unconscious while using his power, his body will continue to radiate hotly until he comes to (Adventure Comics No. 348).
Speculative Explanation of Power: The reason why Sun Boy lost his power at the time that he did (Adventure Comics No. 302) is because just prior to this, Supergirl asked him to "transfer" an incredible amount of his heat energy into a giant sphere of rock in order to melt the ice in Antarctica back in the 20th century (Superman No. 156). The next time he used his power was when he melted a statue of himself that was about to fall into a crowd of people. This heroic act used up his last reserve of power and also helps explain the nature of his power. Originally, Sun Boy accredited the origin of his super-power to an accident in his father's lab, where he was conducting solar experiments: "I gained my super-powers years ago when I was locked accidentally inside an atomic reactor chamber. The atomic bombardment trasformed me into a human beacon of blazing light and heat." (Adventure Comics No. 300) If Dirk acquired his power from being locked in an atomic reactor in the first place then, logically, he should have been able to restore his power in the exact same way. Yet in the clubhouse's atomic reactor, he is shown to be in great pain from the failed attempt to restore his power (Adventure Comics No. 302). When Sun Boy later gave more details into his origin, we discovered that previous to his being locked in the reactor, a scientist employed by Dirk's father, Dr. Regulus, was working on a secret experiment in multiplied sun-energy using radioactive gold. Dirk walked in on him as it accidentally exploded, and it is highly likely that this initial exposure to the sun-energy was the true catalyst of Dirk's mutation. It also explains how, later, he survived being locked in the atomic reactor by Regulus. Instead of dying like anyone else should have, the sun-energy biologically bonded with his cells absorbed the radiation, empowering instead of killing him (Adventure Comics No. 348). When Dirk transfered his power into the mountain-sphere, he did not merely release energy generated by his mutated cells. Because he needed to make the globe a self-sustaining source of heat, he actually projected out from his body a large portion of his biological sun-energy in order to bond with the rock. Dirk's power was all but gone, and he used up the last of it when he melted his statue. The rays from the Legion's atomic reactor did not instantly kill him due to the lingering presence of trace sun-energy in his cells but, as there was too much energy for them to handle, the excess proved very painful to Dirk. Indeed, in time, it would have been fatal. Contact with the biologically-produced energy of a living creature, such as the Kryptonian flame-beast (or Superboy and Ultra Boy), bathed Sun Boy in a similar energy to the one he had, thus it was able to recharge his lost power. Physical Description: Dirk has slightly wavy, strawberry-blond hair, brushed back from the forehead. His handsome face has prominent cheekbones. Personality: Dirk has a commanding presence and he often thrusts himself into the limelight of leadership roles (Adventure Comics No. 300, 306, 318). He ran for Legion leader at the start of the second term year (304), and was singled out by Earth officials to command the rescue mission to Xenn (318). He often surrounds himself in an aura of brilliance in order to attract attention to himself (290, 300). A gallant and popular member of the Legion (Action Comics No. 287), Dirk was the first Legionnaire to receive a statue on the Avenue of Heroes (Adventure Comics No. 302). He thinks it is "great to have so many admirers" (301). While Dirk may have many fans, he has also made many enemies during his crime-fighting career, such as Kranyak (Adventure Comics No. 302) and Regulus (348). This doesn't deter him from relishing his super-hero career, however. When he lost his power, Dirk went to great lengths - even risking death - in order to regain it and his membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes (302).
Dirk cares about his friends and their families, and felt sorry for Ayla Ranzz when he knew she was posing as her dead brother, Lightning Lad. Thinking she didn't have any super-power of her own, he used his to try to cover for her (Adventure Comics No. 308). Skills: Mechanically inclined (Adventure Comics No. 322), Dirk's duties include the periodic checking and cleaning of the Legion Cruiser rocket-tubes (310, 313). He is also an accomplished star-pilot (318, 327, 343). Interests: Dirk is interested in law (Adventure Comics No. 362). He also attends Metro-Heights Educational Center, advanced level three, where he takes a science class with Phantom Girl through the radical method of learning while awake instead of the old-fashioned sleep-learning (373). Previous Occupations: Dirk worked after school as a supply boy in his father's atomic plant (Adventure Comics No. 348). Nicknames: "Sunny" (Adventure Comics No. 341) Relationships: Dirk has had a former girlfriend, Nila, but the relationship broke up due to the hardworking hero's dedication to the Legion (Adventure Comics No. 335). Dirk considers Lightning Lad to be his best friend (312). He is also good friends with Element Lad (321, 335), Star Boy (341), and Supergirl (Superman No. 156, Adventure Comics No. 313, 350). Known Relatives: Derek Morgna (father) lives in Metropolis (Adventure Comics No. 356, 348).
Re-Induction: Sun Boy went to great lengths to regain his power and finally succeeded by using the flame-breath of a Kryptonian flame-beast to recharge his body. He returned to the clubhouse just in time to save his friends from Kranyak by melting a colossal iceberg the villain created to crash down onto the clubhouse. The Legion unanimously voted him back into the team (Adventure Comics No. 302) Positions Held: Legion Cruiser pilot (Adventure Comics No. 318, 327, 343) Aliases Used: Saturn Lad (Action Comics No. 392/2) Career Highlights: Superman No. 156 (Oct. 1962) "The Last Days of Superman"
Adventure Comics No. 302 (Nov. 1962) "Sun Boy's Lost Power"
Adventure Comics No. 303 (Dec. 1962) "The Fantastic Spy"
Adventure Comics No. 318 (Mar. 1964) "The Mutiny of the Legionnaires"
Adventure Comics No. 341 (Feb. 1966) "Colossal Boy's One-Man War"
Adventure Comics No. 348 (Sept. 1966) "Target - 21 Legionnaires"
Adventure Comics No. 352/353 (Jan./Feb. 1967) "The Fatal Five" / "The Doomed Legionnaire"
For information concerning Sun Boy after 2969, click here. |
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Sun
Boy is a human beacon of heat and light (Adventure
Comics No. 365 "Origins and
Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes").
Sun
Boy once lost his power after transferring most of his
heat-energy into a mountain-sphere to melt Antarctica (Superman
No. 156). After his power was regenerated (Adventure
Comics No. 302), he learned not to
transfer his power in this way again (307). Lightning Lad
helped him on a later assignment, when together they
kindled an asteroid into a small sun (324).
Dirk
doesn't believe in superstition, calling it
"hogwash" (Adventure
Comics No. 343). He is interested
in fairness (317), and upholding the law (316, 361). He
is a determined, staunch supporter of the Legion, its
members (313), and its "great history" (310).
True to his word (318), Dirk works hard to support the
image of the Legion, expecting others to perform to the
same high standards (313, 315). He is always willing to
put his personal life on hold for the greater good (312,
335). Since his unfortunate bout of space-fatigue, a
condition brought on by this incessant hard-working
attitude (318), Sun Boy tries to take it easier in order
to avoid another "burn out", but it is not easy
for him, and slight signs of space-fatigue have cropped
up since (335).
As a result of having
transferred most of his power into the Antarctic
mountain-sphere, Sun Boy's power wore off and he
was desperate to regain it. After failing to
recharge his power inside the clubhouse power
plant or by being lowered into a volcano, Sun Boy
was unhappily expelled. The villain Kranyak, whom
Sun Boy had put behind bars, threatened the
unpowered Dirk, telling him that he would destroy
his friends in the Legion. Dirk warned the team
of the danger, but really wished he could regain
his power and save them himself. In the end, Sun
Boy theorized that only a powerful blast of
heat-energy from a living being could restore his
sun-power completely. He goaded a Kryptonian
Flame-Beast into firing his flame-breath at him
and it recharged his body and restored his
sun-power. He returned to the Clubhouse in time
to see Kranyak and his cronies use a freeze-ray
to solidify the falling rain into a chunk of ice
big enough to destroy the building and everyone
in it. Sun Boy melted the iceberg before it could
fall, then destroyed the freeze-ray and radiated
heat at the villains, forcing them to surrender.
The other Legionnaires welcomed him back into the
team with cheers.
Sun Boy's old nemesis, Dr.
Zaxton Regulus, the man responsible for Sun Boy
gaining super-powers, returned to exact his
revenge on Sun Boy and the Legion as part of his
plan to dominate the universe. He inflicted Sun
Boy with amnesia, but radiation restored Sun
Boy's memory and he helped defeat the power-mad
villain.
Sun Boy was one of the five
Legionnaires on duty on Earth when the Sun-Eater
was located heading directly for the solar
system. He "recruited" Validus, whose
strength is incalculable, to join them in their
efforts to stop the Sun-Eater, thus saving him
from execution. Tharok's power-intensifier
boosted Sun Boy's powers and he used this new
greater ability to emulate a sun in order to
divert the Sun-Eater from the Earth's sun so that
the others could try to destroy it.