Origin

Part of the division of the Imperial Guard known as the Superguardians, Starbolt was among the first of the Imperial Guard encountered by the team of superhuman mutants known as the X-Men who sought to rescue the Princess-Majestrix Lilandra from her insane brother, then- Majestor D'ken.

Creation

Starbolt was created by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum in 1977 and first appeared in The (Uncanny) X-Men Vol.1 issue 107 (1977).

Much like many of his Imperial Guard peers, Starbolt is loosely based on the DC Comics superhero from the 30th century Sun Boy, as were many of the other Imperial Guards fashioned after members of the Legion of Super-heroes.

Major Story Arcs

Imperial Guards

Following the orders of their emperor, the Guard clashed with the X-Men and were on the verge of winning when the band of interstellar freebooters known as the Starjammers arrived to turn the tide of battle in the X-Men's favor. During the clash, Starbolt became enraged when he saw the feral X-Man Wolverine attacking his teammate and then-lover Oracle. After Starbolt flash-fried him, Wolverine quickly took the two lovers out of the fight by slamming them into each other.

Starbolt was also one of eight Imperial Guardsmen chosen to battle the X-Men over the fate of Phoenix, a primal force of the cosmos that had assumed the form of the X-Man Jean Grey.

Soon after, Starbolt was amongst those few Imperial Guard members who opposed the treacherous Shi'ar High Council member Lord Samédàr who was aiding an attempted coup of the Shi'ar throne by Deathbird. Even after many of the Guard chose to side with Samédàr, Starbolt remained steadfast in his loyalty to then-Empress Lilandra.

Later, after the formerly-exiled Deathbird had usurped the Shi'ar throne, Starbolt was among the Imperial Guard members who clashed with the British team known as Excalibur and the Starjammers over the fate of the then-bearer of the cosmic Phoenix Force, the alternate future daughter of Jean Grey named Rachel Summers.

Much later, the intergalactic teleporter Lila Cheney transported the X-Men to the Shi'ar Empire at the behest of then-Empress Deathbird in time to see Lilandra regain her throne. Not all was as it seemed, however, as in reality a group of Warskrulls, using technology to allow them to duplicate superpowers, had captured and impersonated the X-Men's founder, the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier, using his telepathy to control Lilandra and the Imperial Guard, including Starbolt. After the ruse was discovered by the X-Men and all the Warskrull impostors were exposed, Lilandra settled matters with Deathbird, discovering her sister did not want the throne anymore.

War of Kings

During the war between the Shi'ar and Kree Empires, Starbolt was part of a small team of Guardsmen who were charged with preventing Avengers member Quasar from retrieving the legendary Nega-Bands of the Kree warrior Captain Marvel, which had been stolen. Subsequently, Starbolt was amongst those Imperial Guard members who defended Lilandra against an assassination attempt by the Kree Ronan the Accuser and his unwilling agents, the royal family of the Earth race known as the Inhumans. He survived the Imperial Guard's battle with Vulcan.

Realm of Kings and Death

Starbolt was part of the group of Imperial Guards that fought against the Cancerverse and it's inhabitants. It was during this fight that Starbolt was killed. In honor of his death, a new Starbolt was recruited to carry on the legacy and join the Imperial Guard.

Powers & Abilities

Starbolt is an alien whose entire body is composed of an unknown form of ultra-energy that resembles fire. As a result, Starbolt is able to channel this energy into powerful flame-like bolts of concussive force energy that he most often fires from his hands. He has the ability to generate plasma, which can be mentally controlled by him. The temperature of the plasma ranges from 200 degrees to over 1,000,000 degrees. Starbolt cannot be injured by fire, plasma, heat, or radiation. Using fire and air currents, he can fly at supersonic speeds (600 to 1,000 mph).

Alternate Versions

Earth-295

In the reality known as the Age of Apocalypse, Starbolt was a member of the Imperial Guard, just as in the regular Marvel 616 universe. Along with Gladiator and the rest of the Guard, he confronted Gambit and the X-ternals, mistaking them for enemies when they teleported to the Shi´ar Empire to steal M'Kraan Crystal. He fought Sunspot but was beaten when Sunspot used his bolts against him.

With the help of Rictor, Starbolt and the Guard attempted to capture the mutants, only to be killed by the M'Kraan's expanding crystal wave while Gambit and his team escaped. It is not known what alien race Starbolt belongs to. Existing as a collection of pyroplasma, Starbolt has increased strength, flight, and the ability to fire off blasts created from his own body.

Other Media

X-MEN: The Animated Series

• Starbolt along with the other Imperial Guard members, appeared in the show during the Phoenix Saga.

Video games

• In the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Starbolt appears as a villain voiced by Beau Weaver. He aids Deathbird in staging a Coup d'état against Lilandra and fights the heroes alongside Warstar.