The following contains spoilers for Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3, now on sale from DC Comics.
Unstoppable Doom Patrol #3 (by Dennis Culver, Chris Burnham, Brian Reber, and Pat Brosseau) sees the team continue its mission of taking newly discovered metahumans under their protection. Their newest rescue is Starbro. And while the specifics of the ability itself have not been identified, the manifestation of their metagene allowed them to survive contact with the Justice League of America’s premiere supervillain.
Debuting alongside the newly formed league, Starro the Conqueror first appeared in the 1960's The Brave and the Bold #28 (by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky). Over the decades, several attempts have been made to put Starro down, generally to be undone by the next slightest tweak in continuity. Starro’s final days may have come once again though as Starbro’s origin could be exactly what the heroes need to stop the conqueror one more time.
Taking Down Starro Has Never Been an Easy Task
The Doom Patrol's newest addition Starbro is the result of two merged identities, that of the Starro spore and the host it latched onto, forming into a new one independent of either. As such, Starbro’s powers prior to the merge endowed them with a way to disrupt Starro’s mind control upon contact. If made public knowledge, such an ability is likely to attract the attention of the Justice League or even Amanda Waller. If anything, it’s likely enough to see Peacemaker on their trail again. In that event, the spy he has already planted in the Doom Patrol Base is sure to come in handy.
As it stands, the Green Lanterns are already looking for any edge they can get over Starro, as evidenced by their pursuit of Starbro throughout this issue. As Starbro understands, the Lanterns have been dealing with this threat for years. In the past, attempts to rid the world of Starro have involved genetically altered spores that the wearer uses to walk among other spores undetected, as seen in R.E.B.E.L.S. #8 (by Tony Bedard and Andy Clarke). Another required intervention from Dream of the Endless in JLA #23 (by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter).
Starbro's Powers May Be the Key to Defeating Starro for Good
Starbro's ability however offers an even more direct solution. As with a bit of reverse engineering, their metagene could fully serve as a deployable defense against a future invasion. This would rely on Starbro’s power being the supersession of identity of course. In this case, their transformation into a new personality would be a result of their dissatisfaction with their life as it was. Alternatively, it could involve the integration of identity into foreign biological matter, whether by injecting a part of one’s own or in some way melding with its pre-existing sense of self. This allows for another method of approach.
Starro operates as a singular consciousness spreading throughout its spores. This makes it fairly similar to one of Star Trek most famous villains, The Borg. As a hive mind collective plugged into one source, The Borg originally sought to assimilate all humanoid life into itself. The first, most impactful response to this was to send back a singular Borg who had become separated so that his regained individuality would spread like a virus. As something which halts the initiative of a psychic conquering force, Starbro’s power against the “Mother Star” source could have a similar effect, albeit just as complicated in its repercussions.