Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.

Today we look at the tyrant sun: Solaris

Appearances in Heroclix: Superman/Wonder Woman

First Appearance: Green Lantern #1 Million

Team Affiliations: N/A

Created By: Val Semeiks and Grant Morrison

Solaris is brought into existence during the first age of heroes and battles Superman many times. Superman becomes known through history as Superman Prime as his family and friends die around him. Eventually, Superman Prime leaves Earth to explore the universe and passes the mantle of Superman onto Superman Secundus who, along with his descendants, battles Solaris time after time.

In the 25th century, Solaris goes completely mad and attempts to scorch the surface of the Earth. Again, a Superman and his Justice League defeat Solaris and drives him into the sea. At the beginning of the 29th century, Solaris returns from deep space with an army of sentient comets. He is pushed back and defeated by the combined might of the Justice League of the time alongside the Legion of Super-Heroes, led by a Superman. In the 364th century, a ploy by Solaris backfires and confers a generation of heroes with quantum powers.

In the 505th century, Solaris makes a desperate gambit and unleashes waves of radiation on Earth. It then watches as humanity dies from horrific cancer. Superman alongside the 4th singularity and Gravity Witch battle Solaris and defeat Solaris, ending his cancer attack at the cost of that Superman’s life. This sacrifice achieved a greater gain however: Superman reprograms Solaris into a force of good and protection. Solaris no longer acted independently and instead serves the guardians of the solar system. It even eventually joins a Justice League and serves bravely as a hero.

Fear and instability breeds galactic feelings of xenophobia that Solaris tries his best to serve in a heroic fashion. He forms more brutal heroic teams that carry out pre-emptive strikes against planets that seem sure to prove problematic in the future. This imperialistic regime continues benevolently until the return of Superman Prime from the edge of time and space.

Prime seeks out the Superman of the time and agrees to give them greater power that he has discovered out at the farthest reaches of existence. Prime, as always, acts out of kindness and creates a new fortress of solitude in the earth’s yellow sun. However, this has an unexpected effect: Prime brings with him a new feeling of hope and positivity that makes Solaris’ methods seem barbaric. Solaris’ teams are disbanded and though it continues to attempt to find relevance and help, it becomes more and more inconsequential. Solaris eventually accepts its face as a secondary sun, outshone by Superman Prime.

In the 853rd century, Solaris seemingly returns to his old ways and enters into an alliance with the immortal Vandal Savage. Using the Justice Legion, they attack the past with a horrible virus that attacks machines and men while the Justice League’s more powerful members are trapped in the future. Solaris attempts to fire a blast of kryptonite into the sun to finally kill Superman Prime but the Green Lantern uses his power ring (which Solaris has never encountered) alongside future Superman to cause Solaris to go supernova. Solaris is finished off when the kryptonite is revealed to actually be a Green Lantern ring buried in the past by the Huntress. Superman Prime emerges from the sun and uses the power ring to end Solaris once and for all.

In the past, the remaining Justice League members realize the virus is simply searching for appropriate hardware and are forced to build Solaris’ body, which results in Solaris creating himself. The future Starman (who had betrayed the team by infecting Hourman) sacrifices himself in an explosion of power and banishes the past Solaris from the solar system, setting into motion the rest of Solaris’ history.

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