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The Hyperclan were a super-powered team of White Martians led by the charismatic Protex.

History

Protex and his seven colleagues came to Earth several years ago, claiming to be the last survivors of a world that had been destroyed by geological upheaval an environmental irresponsibility. Vowing to never allow such catastrophe to even occur again, the Hyperclan allegedly journeyed through space for "a thousand gyres", seeking out planets in need of saving.

Protex exuded radiance and charisma that immediately endeared him to the people of Earth, but others, such as the members of the recently re-formed JLA were dubious of his supposed good intents.

To prove his word to the people of Earth, Protex led the Hyperclan on an ambitious plan to terra-form the barren Sahara Desert, transforming it into a vibrant, lush, paradise. Superman grew even more concerned over these supposed "miracle cures", citing that such a fast and dramatic change to the environment could have unpredictable, even disastrous implications in the future. His warnings went unheeded however, and the people of Earth denounced the Justice League in favor of Protex's team.

In short order, Protex insinuated his way into the public consciousness and even took dramatic steps towards improving American law enforcement. His Hyperclan began capturing and executing known criminals, ignoring standard practices such as due process. Even these seemingly controversial acts were met with great support.

Protex began erecting massive watchtower citadels all across the globe. One of the fortresses was actually an ancient Martian colony buried beneath the ice of Antarctica called Z'onn Z'orr.

At this point in time, nobody knew of the Hyperclan's Martian origins, not even the Justice League. It was generally accepted that the Martians were an extinct race and that the only known survivor of the red planet was the League's own Martian Manhunter.

This is what enabled Protex to orchestrate an alien invasion of the planet Earth. He had an armada of Martian warships tucked away in a hyperspace pocket called the Still Zone, ready to attack Earth at his order. A detachment of these Martians even made a proactive attempt to take out the previous incarnation of the Justice League, destroying their satellite headquarters and nearly killing Metamorpho.[1]

As tensions between the two teams heated up, it wasn't long before the Hyperclan and the Justice League came to blows. Protex approached the Martian Manhunter and tried to sway him into betraying the League and joining the Hyperclan. He had hoped to play on the Manhunter's feelings of isolation to win him over, but ultimately, the Manhunter stood by his teammates. The rest of the Hyperclan engaged the other League members, ultimately capturing Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.[2]

Protex then fought against Superman outside of Z'onn Z'orr. He realized that he didn't need to maintain any pretenses about being a global savior to the Man of Steel and quickly felled him when he produced a chunk of Green Kryptonite. Protex brought the weakened Superman into the fortress and bound him to a chair, forcing him to watch as he tortured the other captured League members in a device called the Flower of Wrath.[3]

Superman eventually figured out that Protex was a Martian and that the Kryptonite he used to defeat him was really just a psychic projection that produced psychosomatic symptoms. Dispelling the illusion from his consciousness, Superman broke free of his restraints and fought Protex one on one. They exchanged blasts of heat vision vs. Martian vision, but when this proved ineffective, Protex shape-shifted into a cocoon and wrapped himself around Superman, hoping to smother him. Superman freed himself, and holding tight to Protex's body, drilled deeply into the Earth where he was able to overpower him.

The rest of the League freed themselves and defeated the remaining members of the Hyperclan. The Martian Manhunter gave Protex and the others a psychic lobotomy, erasing their memories and forcing them to assume mundane, humanoid forms. He then reprogrammed their brains with false memories and sent the Hyperclan members out into the world to join the human race.[4]

Paraphernalia

Equipment: Flower of Wrath
Transportation: Martian saucer


See Also

Links and References

Footnotes




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