Universo

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Universo

Universo, on the cover of Adventure Comics #349. Art by Curt Swan.

Publication information

Publisher DC Comics

First appearance Adventure Comics #349 (Oct. 1966)

Created by Jim Shooter (script)

Curt Swan (art)

In-story information
 Alter ego Vidar

Species Human

Place of origin Earth (31st century)

Team affiliations Green Lantern Corps

Legion of Super-Villains

Partnerships Dark Circle

Jacques Foccart
Legion of Substitute Heroes

Notable aliases Argus Oranx III, Earth President Kandro Boltax, Vid-

Gupta

Abilities Mind control through hypnosis

Universo is the name of a fictional Legion of Super-Heroes supervillain in the 30th and 31st
centuries of the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #349 (Oct. 1966).

Contents
[hide]

 1Pre-Zero Hour
o 1.1"Five Years Later"
 2Post-Zero Hour
 3Post-Infinite Crisis
o 3.1The New 52
 4Powers and abilities
 5References
 6External links

Pre-Zero Hour[edit]
Universo first appeared as a powerful hypnotist.[1] With his "Hypno Stone", he is able to control
the head of the Time Institute, and lure the Legionnaires into a series of traps. The Legion
defeats him with the help of a Time Cube invented by scientist Rond Vidar, who is
subsequently revealed to be Universo's son.
With his next scheme, Universo manages to take control of Earth by posing as the new
president, Kandro Boltax, using his powers of hypnosis, augmented by a chemical placed in
the world's water supply. He accomplishes this while most of the Legion is away from Earth on
a mission, and they return to find the Legion outlawed. The Legion find refuge in one of Lex
Luthor's abandoned hideouts and eventually, with the help of Rond Vidar, are able to thwart his
plans.[2]
Years later, Legionnaires Blok and Timber Wolf view a file from the Legion Archives. Therein, it
is revealed that Universo is a former member of the Green Lantern Corps who was assigned to
journey to the Time Institute on Earth, and prevent the Legion from viewing the Dawn of Time
(an act which had catastrophic consequences when perpetrated eons earlier by
the Maltusian scientist Krona). When he attempted to view the Dawn of Time himself, he was
stripped of his ring by the Guardians of the Universe (making him and Sinestro the only two
renegade Green Lanterns in pre-Crisis continuity).[3] Rond Vidar would later acquire his power
ring.[4]
Subsequently, Universo manages to temporarily take control of Earth again, this time posing as
President Mojai Desai's right-hand man, Vid-Gupta. As depicted in "The Universo Project", the
villain succeeds in mentally controlling the entire Legion except the four members most difficult
to hypnotize: Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy and Dream Girl. He strands the quartet
on a distant world, but the four manage to make their way back to Earth and defeat Universo
once again.[5]
"Five Years Later"[edit]
Years later, the Dominators seize control of Earth during its economic collapse, and Universo
ends up as one of the primary leaders of the resistance movement. He is branded a terrorist by
the Dominion-backed Earthgov, who accuse him of working with the Khunds. He was in fact
working with the Dark Circle, though it is clear he is not working for them and has his own
agenda. Jacques Foccart, Troy Stewart, and the former members of the Legion of Substitute
Heroes work alongside him in resisting the Dominion control of Earth. After Earth is liberated,
he uses his new status to work further schemes with Leland McCauley IV.

Post-Zero Hour[edit]
Following the rebooting of Legion history in Zero Hour, Universo was reinvented as Sarmon
Ardeen, Saturn Girl's cousin. He first appears in the Legion/Titans crossover Universe
Ablaze (March 2000), set in an alternate timeline in which the Titans are in suspended
animation until the 31st century. He joins forces with a recreated Cult of Blood to take control of
the Titans. When this timeline is negated, the real timeline has him imprisoned on his home
moon, Titan. After the return of the "Legion Lost" from the Second Galaxy, Universo makes an
attempt to control Saturn Girl, and the Titanet telepathic communication network. This fails, and
Saturn Girl leaves his mind in the same fantasy scenario he had created for her.
This version of Universo has been erased from continuity in the aftermath of the Infinite
Crisis miniseries.

Post-Infinite Crisis[edit]
The events of the Infinite Crisis miniseries have apparently restored a close analogue of the
Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion to continuity, as seen in "The Lightning Saga" story arc
in Justice League of America and Justice Society of America, and in the Action Comics story
arc "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes". Universo is among the super-villains
in Superboy-Prime's Legion of Super-Villains, as seen in the subsequent Final Crisis: Legion of
3 Worlds miniseries. Therein, he gives his assent and approval as Superboy-Prime murders
his son Rond, falsely believing that he would be able to seize Rond's Green Lantern power ring
upon his death.[6]
The New 52[edit]
 In the New 52 Universo disguises himself as the new President-Elect of Earth Hiroshi
Takaneda. After a precognitive terrorist attempts an assassination, he hypnotizes Saturn Girl
into missing his true identity. It is revealed that within 9 years, the United Planets will fall apart
under the villain's tyrannic rule.[7]

Powers and abilities[edit]

Universo's primary power is that of hypnosis, allowing him to control people, in a manner that
lasts long after he leaves them. He is able to shift loyalties, erase memories, and even have
people under his control think independently (to a degree) to accomplish the goals he sets
them to. He sometimes wears a necklace which seems to enhance the power of his hypnosis.
Using his mental abilities he can also appear to be someone else, so that everyone viewing
him sees and remembers him as a completely different person.
At one point he possessed a Green Lantern power ring, but it was stripped from him. As such
he had a particular grudge against Oa, the planet of the Guardians of the Universe, and he had
planned in "The Universo Project" to use the Legion to attack Oa.

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Adventure Comics #349 (October 1966)
2. Jump up^ Adventure Comics #359 (August 1967)
3. Jump up^ Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #295 (January 1983)
4. Jump up^ As revealed in Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 3) #50 (September 1988)
5. Jump up^ Legion of Super-Heroes (vol. 3) #32-35 (March–June 1987)
6. Jump up^ Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds #2 (November 2008)
7. Jump up^ Action Comics Vol 2 #16 (March 2013)

External links[edit]
 Universo/Vidar at the Book of Oa website

[hide]

Legion of Super-Heroes

 Original continuity/Post-Infinite Crisis

 Post-Zero Hour

 Threeboot

 Post-Infinite Crisis

Otto Binder

Al Plastino
Mort Weisinger
Cosmic Boy

Lightning Lad

aturn Girl

Blok

Bouncing Boy

Brainiac 5

Catspaw

Chameleon Boy

Chameleon Girl

Chemical Kid/Chemical King

Colossal Boy

Comet Queen

Computo (Danielle Foccart)

Dawnstar

Dragonmage

Dream Boy

Dream Girl

Earth-Man

Element Lad

erro Lad

Laurel Gand

Gates

Gazelle

Gear

Glorith

nvisible Kid (Lyle Norg)

nvisible Kid (Jacques Foccart)

Karate Kid (Val Armorr)

Karate Kid (Myg)

Khundian Legionnaires

Kid Quantum

Kinetix

Kono
Lightning Lass/Light Lass

Magnetic Kid
Magno

Matter-Eater Lad

Celeste McCauley

Mon-El

Monstress

Night Girl

Devlin O'Ryan

hantom Girl

olar Boy

rincess Projectra/Sensor Girl

Quislet

ensor

hadow Lass

Kent Shakespeare

hikari

hrinking Violet

pider Girl/Wave

tar Boy/Starman

un Boy

Tellus

Thunder

Timber Wolf

Triplicate Girl/Duo Damsel/Duplicate Damsel

Tyroc

Ultra Boy

White Witch

Wildfire

XS

Elastic Lad (Jimmy Olsen)

nsect Queen (Lana Lang)

Kid Psycho

ete Ross

uperboy (Kal-El)
uperboy (Kon-El)

upergirl (Kara Zor-El)

 uperman

Rond Vidar

R. J. Brande

Controllers

hvaughn Erin

nferno

Laurel Kent

Legion Academy

Legion of Substitute Heroes

Lori Morning

Blight

Brainiac

Composite Superman

Computo

Dark Circle

Darkseid

Dominators

Evillo

atal Five

Emerald Empress

Mano

ersuader

Tharok

Validus

Glorith

Grimbor

nfinite Man

ustice League of Earth

Khunds

League of Super-Assassins

Legion of Super-Villains

Cosmic King
Lightning Lord
 aturn Queen

Leland McCauley

Mordru

Nemesis Kid

Ol-Vir

Omega

ulsar Stargrave

Ra's al Ghul

Roxxas

klarian Raiders

tarfinger

un-Eater

uperboy-Prime

Time Trapper

Universo

Vandal Savage

White Triangle

Braal

Colu

Daxam

Dryad

Durla

msk

Naltor

Orando

Rimbor

hanghalla

orcerers' World

tarhaven

Takron-Galtos

Tharn

Titan
Trom

Weber's World
Winath

Xanthu

Xolnar

One of Us Is a Traitor"

The Death of Ferro Lad"

The Adult Legion"

Mordru the Merciless"

Karate Kid

Earthwar"

The Exaggerated Death of Ultra Boy"

The Great Darkness Saga"

Who Is Sensor Girl?"

egionnaires 3

Cosmic Boy

The Universo Project"

The Greatest Hero of Them All"

The Terra Mosaic"

Valor

End of an Era"

egion Lost (vol. 1)

Superboy and the Legion"

The Lightning Saga"

Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes"

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds

Legion of Galactic Guardians 2099

uperboy's Legion

egion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century

egion of Super Heroes

mallville (season 8)

New Kids in Town" (Superman: The Animated Series)

Far from Home" (Justice League Unlimited)

LA Adventures: Trapped in Time

ego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash

upergirl (season 3)
Adventure Comics

ris West Allen

Atmos

Dev-Em

he Final Night

Heroes of Lallor

mperiex

mpulse/Kid Flash

nterlac

nvasion!

ustice Legion L

Kwai

L.E.G.I.O.N.

Legion Flight Ring

Legion of Super-Pets

Miracle Machine

R.E.B.E.L.S.

Reflecto

cience Police

odam Yat

uperboy (comic book)

Time Bubble

Tornado Twins

United Planets

Wanderers

Workforce

ero Hour: Crisis in Time

See also

List of Legion of Super-Heroes items

List of Legion of Super-Heroes members

List of Legion of Super-Heroes publications

Categories:
 Comics characters introduced in 1966
 DC Comics supervillains
 Characters created by Jim Shooter
 Characters created by Curt Swan
 Fictional hypnotists and indoctrinators