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Vartox was the champion of Valeron, a planet in the Sombrero Galaxy.

How Vartox acquired his great array of powers is not known. He fell in love with Syreena, who was secretly a criminal. After learning of this, Vartox reluctantly imprisoned her. Some years later, Vartox married Elyra. For a time they were happy together until his wife mysteriously died. The cause of this is due to Elyra, somehow, biologically linked with a bionic twin on Earth, living in Metropolis: the twin was fatally shot by a holdup man, causing Elyra to die as well. Blaming the holdup man for his wife's death, Vartox tracked down the murderer, Frank Sykes, and took him to Valeron, where he served a 60-year sentence in minutes: he was aged sixty years and returned to Earth by Superman as a decrepit old man.[3]

Tragedy struck again when Valeron exploded. Vartox settled to Earth, where Superman helps him setting up with a secret identity as Vernon O'Valeron, a security officer at Galaxy Communications, where he fell in love with Lana Lang and began a romance that was doomed to fail. After this, Vartox went in search of a new world to protect, and found Tynola. However, he soon discovered that the inhabitants were plotting to sacrifice him to their god Moxumbra. With the aid of Superman, Vartox dispatched Moxumbra and decided to stay on Tynola to help the people who now truly needed him.[4][5]

Vartox and Lana Lang were dragged into a revenge plot by his ex-lover Syreena, who survived Valeron's destruction. In which Syreena turned Lana into stone. But Syreena repented after realizing that she still loved Vartox, and she restored Lana.[6]

Powers

  • Unique Physiology: Vartox's "hyper-powers" are of psychic origin and he has displayed new ones every time he has appeared.
    • Hyper-Strength: Comparable with Superman's strength.[3]
    • Hyper-Charge: Vartox can create "hyper-charges" which are globes of energy. He can concentrate this energy to turn himself into living energy for long enough to knock out his opponent before returning to normal.
    • Hyper-Energy: Vartox can shape his hyper-energy into nets or bubbles.
    • Hyper-Density: Vartox can temporarily de-materialize solid matter so he can phase through it.
    • Hyper-Self: Vartox states that his hyper abilities stem from a "hyper-self" which lives within his body. This hyper-self can leave his body occasionally without his say so to enact his wishes.[6]
    • Hyper-Kinesis: Vartox can project waves of heat and cold from his hands to burn his target or freeze them in place.
    • Hyper-Senses: Vartox's senses are all enhanced to the point where nothing can block him out when he desires to see, or hear it.
      • Enhanced Vision: Vartox's x-ray vision can see through any substance, including lead.
    • Hyper-Cognition: Vartox can see into the future for specific events and thus change the course of history.[3]
    • Hyper-Control: Vartox could extend his mind out to control a large number of people simultaneously.[6]
    • Hyper-Flight: Vartox could fly very quickly but required special boots to hover or control his direction more effectively.[3]
    • Hyper-Molecules: Vartox turned a three dimensional object into two dimensions and communicated through the vacuum of space. Each of these actions shows Vartox's ability to manipulate matter to his own will.
    • Superhuman Speed
    • Remote-Control Blows[3]
    • Teleportation[3]
    • Magnetic Manipulation
    • Hydrokinesis
    • Energy Transference: Once, Vartox has transferred his powers temporarily.[3]
    • Illusion Casting
    • Interstellar Travel[3]

Abilities

  • Gadgetry: Vartox is an accomplished inventor.

Weaknesses

  • Power Instability: Some of Vartox's powers can activate by themselves, driven by his own subconscious desires or deep emotion.[6]
  • Unluck: The way his wife died and his own planet was destroyed implies that supernatural forces are at work against Vartox.

Equipment

  • Vartox's Jet Boots: Vartox uses special jet boots which he designed in order to help control his flight and to use offensively to expel a smokescreen.[3]
  • Time Scanscope: Vartox's Scanscope allows him to use his precognition on a wider scale in order to watch over distant planets and see the past.[3]


  • This version of Vartox, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.

Related

Footnotes


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