Polar Boy (Brek Bannin) is a fictional character from the 30th century of the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

, initially suggested by reader Buddy Lavigne of

Northbrook, Illinois Northbrook is a suburb of Chicago, located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, United States, on the border of Lake County, Illinois, Lake County. It is part of a collection of upscale residential communities north of Chicago and belon ...

in the letters page of ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' #304, from January 1963. He was the first of several characters who were created based on reader suggestions.

Fictional character biography

Brek Bannin originates from the planet Tharr, one of the hottest inhabited planets in its galaxy. His family lives in the planet's hottest valley, where the inhabitants develop cryokinetic abilities to combat the persistent heat. After being rejected from the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

, Polar Boy becomes a founding member of the

Legion of Substitute Heroes The Legion of Substitute Heroes are a group of fictional characters in the future of the DC Comics universe. The "Subs", as they are often called, are rejected Legion of Super-Heroes applicants who band together to prove that their powers are not ...

, serving as its first leader. The group primarily serves as local law enforcement while the Legion is busy, and eventually disbands after thwarting

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's invasion of Bismoll. Following this, Polar Boy joins the full Legion. In the "

Threeboot The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

" continuity, Polar Boy appears as a member of the Wanderers. In ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #860, Polar Boy is captured and tortured by an anti-alien society. In the process, he loses an arm and replaces it with an ice prosthetic. In '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'', Polar Boy is among the Legionnaires assembled to battle

Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent; colloquial: "Prime") is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A boy from the Reality, real world Isekai, transported to the DC Universe, as an Alternative vers ...

and the

Legion of Super-Villains The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of supervillains who appear in comic books published by DC Comics, primarily as enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. They first appeared in ''Superman'' #147 (Aug 1961). The team originated at a time when ...

. Polar Boy appears in the 2021 one-shot ''Tis the Season to Be Freezin, where he dates

Comet Queen Comet Queen is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics, primarily as a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries prior to '' Zero Hour''. Fictional character biography Grava of the Earth colony Extal is a ...

Powers and abilities

Polar Boy possesses the innate ability to reduce heat and produce cold, which enables him to withstand high temperatures. Furthermore, he is a skilled leader, having led the Legion of Substitute Heroes on multiple occasions.

In other media

* Polar Boy makes non-speaking appearances in ''

Legion of Super Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st centuries of t ...

''. * Polar Boy appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Polar Boy appears in the one-shot comic ''

Batman '66 ''Batman '66'' is an American superhero comic book series published by DC Comics featuring Batman as a continuation of the 1966–1968 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The series was written primarily by ...

Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes''.

References

{{Legion of Super-Heroes Characters created by Edmond Hamilton Characters created by John Forte Comics characters introduced in 1963 DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes DC Comics metahumans DC Comics superheroes Fictional amputees Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities Legion of Super-Heroes members