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Quote1 I have peered into the minds of those that hold onto hate and I have seen the potential to change that. We can bring out the best in them, just like Superman brought out the best in us. Quote2
Saturn Girl src


Imra Ardeen aka Saturn Girl is one of the most talented telepaths among a race of powerful mentalists. Imra leaves her homeworld of Titan to join the Science Police as a teenager. However, upon her arrival on Earth, an assassination attempt is made on the life of fellow passenger and billionaire R.J. Brande. Using her powers of telepathy, Imra discovers the plot, and, with the help of two other teenagers on board, Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy , catches the assassin and saves Brande's life. At Brande's urging, she adopts the persona of Saturn Girl, and joins Lightning Lad and Cosmic Boy in founding the Legion of Super-Heroes - an organization of teenaged heroes formed to honor the legacy of Superboy. They travel back to the 20th century and offer him a place on the team after he passes their tests. When Lex Luthor and the Legion of Super-Villains were about to kill Superman, Saturn Girl offered to die in his place, although a trick by Superman made Saturn Queen save her.

As a Legionnaire, Imra gained a reputation for self-sacrifice; just prior to the leadership elections of 2975, she learned that a Legionnaire would die during an attack on Earth and decided to take on that responsibility herself. Using her telepathy, Imra forced the other Legionnaires to vote her leader and then ordered them not to use their powers during the attack. However, Lightning Lad defied her orders and took her place in death. Distraught over his selfless act of devotion, Imra vowed to do all in her power to bring him back. A method was soon developed which could revive Lightning Lad, but only at the cost of another member's life. Imra again interfered in the process to ensure hers was the life taken, but her plan was foiled by Proty, the telepathic pet of Chameleon Boy. Proty admired Imra and tricked her so that it could take her place. Upon Proty's death, Lightning Lad was restored. Despite this series of events, Imra's leadership was highly valued in the Legion, and her position as leader, despite its means of acquisition, was allowed to stand. She earned a second term the following year. As leader of the Legion, Saturn Girl was the first female comic book character to head a group of superheroes.

Romantically, Lightning Lad (Garth Ranzz) had pursued Imra for some time, but she had repeatedly rebuffed his advances. However, after he sacrificed his life for her own, she understood the depth of his feelings and came to realize that she returned them . After dating for almost ten years, Garth proposed marriage but Imra initially rejected his offer due to a Legion rule which forced married members to retire .

After consulting with her mentors on Titan, however, Imra relented. However, the couple's retirement was short-lived; a few months after their marriage, war broke out in which all active Legionnaires were captured and the reserves were forced into action. Imra's telepathic skills were instrumental in the Legion's eventual victory, and as a result the rule barring married members was repealed. The Ranzzes returned to active duty until Imra gave birth to their son, Graym Ranzz, after which they both retired in order to devote their energy to him .

Unbeknownst to the couple, however, Graym had a twin who was stolen at birth by Darkseid and transported into the past, where he was transformed into the monster Validus. Validus fought the Legion on numerous occasions (and even killed one of the comrades, the first Invisible Kid), but was eventually returned as a normal infant to his parents by Darkseid at Imra's insistence.

Imra briefly rejoined the Legion again in 2987 when Universo took control of the Earth and hypnotized and imprisoned many heroes, including her. Imra's powerful mind broke free and eventually broke Universo's hold over Earth and forced him unconscious. It was then that she realized how much the Legion was in her blood, and she rejoined, this time without Garth, who was enjoying life as a father and househusband.

Five Year Gap

However, during the "Five Year Gap", Earth's government became hostile to the Legion, and Garth became incapacitated from the Validus plague which ravaged his native Winath. Disillusioned by the government and feeling needed more at home, Imra resigned from the Legion for the last time in 2990. Returning to Winath, she and Garth took over running a Winathian Lightning Ring plantation, which became quite prosperous. Using their new-found wealth, Imra and Garth replaced their super-heroism with simple but necessary helping of others, feeding a galaxy suffering more from hunger than from super-villains. When the Legion re-formed in 2994, the Ranzzes helped them out, but did not rejoin. Instead, they enlarged their family with the birth of daughters Dacey and Dorritt, who inherited Imra's telepathic abilities.

Post-Infinite Crisis

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 "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc in Action Comics. Saturn Girl is included in their number. She is still married to Lightning Lad, as she is identified as Imra Ardeen-Ranzz.

Powers

  • Telepathy: Saturn Girl can read peoples' minds in detail, either by consciously willing it or by mentally picking up their stray thoughts. Via her telepathy, she can also send messages into the minds of others, sounding like her own voice inside their heads, or place knowledge of certain things into people's minds. Using a combination of these methods, she can interpret unknown alien languages. She can send or receive telepathic messages to or from the Phantom Zone. Saturn Girl is a prodigy, even among a race of telepathic people. She has an incredible working knowledge of the average humanoid brain and the specific functions of each part. Saturn Girls telepathy is comparable in power level to that of the 20th century's Martian Manhunter, whom in turn is renowned as one of the most powerful telepaths on Earth.
    • Telepathic Cloak: She can mask her presence and the use of her abilities from being detected by other telepaths and psychic entities. Se can extend these defenses to others around him as well. Cloaking via telepathy is not perfect and powerful psis may notice and "see" through this ability.
    • Telepathic Illusions
    • Mind Control
    • Psionic Blast
    • Mental Senses

Abilities

  • Leadership: On more than one occasion Imra has lead the Legion of Super-Heroes as both their leader and a field operative.
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic): Imra has been a part of the Legion of Super-Heroes for quite some time, as such she has had basic combat training as part of the package.

Equipment


  • This version of Imra Ardeen (Pre-Zero Hour) is no longer considered part of canon continuity. All history and corresponding appearances of Imra Ardeen (Pre-Zero Hour) were erased from continuity following the events of the limited series Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (1994). They were brought back into the main continuity in The Lightning Saga (2007), up until DC Rebirth (2016). Even though versions of the character may have since appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.
  • Saturn Girl is the first female comic character to ever lead a super-hero team.
  • Imra lost her virginity with Cosmic Boy[1]
  • Imra's aunt is also named Imra.[2]

Related

External Links

Footnotes


Legion of Super-Heroes II 07
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Legion of Super-Heroes member
This character is or was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 30th/31st Century, in any one of their various continuities. Including but not limited to, Original Legion, the Reboot Legion, Prime Legion and the Post-Rebirth Legion.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Legion of Super-Heroes members" category.

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