Starfire (Teen Titans)

Starfire
Starfire as she appears on the cover of Teen Titans #16 (March, 2018). Art by Sami Basri and Jessica Kholinne.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980)
Created by	Marv Wolfman George Pérez
In-story information
Full name	Koriand'r
Species	Tamaranean
Place of origin	Tamaran
Team affiliations	Teen Titans Justice League R.E.B.E.L.S. The Outlaws
Partnerships	Nightwing Donna Troy Animal Man Adam Strange Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
Notable aliases	Kory Anders
Abilities	Tamaranean physiology converts ultraviolet radiation into energy; grants superhuman strength, speed, durability, endurance, flight, and can assimilate language through lip contact. Experimentation grants the ability to project energy and heat ("Starbolts"). Highly trained warrior; proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, leadership, and space flight.

Starfire is a superheroine created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez appearing in American comic books created by DC Comics. She debuted in a preview story inserted within DC Comics Presents #26 (October, 1980). Since the character's introduction, Starfire has been a major recurring character in Teen Titans and various other iterations of the team, sometimes depicted as the team's leader, and a significant love interest for Dick Grayson.

Within the main continuity of the DC Universe, her origin is revealed to be Princess Koriand'r, an alien princess from the planet Tamaran and heir to the throne until she was ousted in a coup by her elder sister, Komand'r (also known as Blackfire), who sold her into slavery. Subjected to torture and sexual exploitation, Koriand'r was also subjected to experiments performed by alien scientists, which gave her additional powers. Escaping her captors, she found herself on Earth and befriended the Teen Titans, becoming a long-lasting member of the team.^[1] The character has appeared on several other teams, including the Outsiders, Outlaws, and Justice League Odyssey. While on Earth, the character has been depicted as a model under the alias Kory Anders, occasionally the leader of the Teen Titans, and was the principal of Teen Titans Academy during a period in which the Titans help trained future superheroes of the DC Universe.

Starfire has been featured in various media outside comic books. Within television, she is notably voiced by Hynden Walch in the animated series Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go!. Kari Wahlgren voices the character in the DC Animated Movie Universe, Injustice 2, and Lego DC Super-Villains.

Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, Starfire first appeared in a in DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980), in a preview story heralding a new incarnation of the Teen Titans that also introduced Cyborg and Raven. The new series, The New Teen Titans, debuted in November 1980, and the Teen Titans subsequently became DC Comics' most popular superhero team of its day.^[2]

Pérez said of his design for Starfire:

...I figured based on the description, was Red Sonja in outer space, so she ended up having a visual cue from that. When Joe Orlando passed by and saw the character sketches he suggested that maybe her hair should be longer. That I took to the ninth degree and gave her the Mighty Mouse contrail.^[3]

Princess Koriand'r was born on the planet Tamaran, which is located in the Vega system. Koriand'r was the second of three children. Her older sister, Komand'r was the first in the line of succession, but she was crippled by a childhood illness that robbed her of her natural Tamaranean ability to convert ultraviolet light into flight energy. Therefore, she was deemed unworthy to be queen and the succession fell to Koriand'r. When both sisters were sent to train with the legendary Warlords of Okaara, the bitter Komand'r ran off, allying herself with the Citadel. They used Komand'r's information to successfully invade Tamaran, and King Myand'r turned Koriand'r over to the Citadel to ensure peace. Koriand'r spent living in the Citadel for six years under physical and emotional torture, even sexual abuse, until she and Komand'r were both captured by the Psions for experimentation. Widely known to be a sadistic scientific extraterrestrial race, the Psions performed a deadly experiment on both sisters to see just how much energy their Tamaranean bodies could absorb before exploding from the overload. During the procedure, forces loyal to Komand'r attacked the Psion ship to rescue her, and while the Psions were distracted, Koriand'r broke free using her new ability of starbolts (destructive blasts of solar energy) acquired through experimentation. Against her better judgment, she decided to free Komand'r who was still absorbing energy. However, far from grateful, Komand'r struck her sister down with the same - but much stronger - starbolt power and had her restrained for later execution. Koriand'r escaped and eventually found her way to Earth, where she gained the help of the Teen Titans.

Starfire would join the new iteration of the Teen Titans with Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Cyborg, Changeling and Raven. The first adventure she had with her teammates was battling against Grant Wilson aka the Ravager, the son of the mercenary Deathstroke The Terminator, who was gifted enhanced abilities like his father due to the experiments by the terrorist organization H.I.V.E.. She would also aid the Titans by protecting the planet Earth and the dimension of Azarath from the demon Trigon The Terrible, and battling against various supervillains including the Fearsome Five, Brother Blood and the former members of the Brotherhood of Evil, Madame Rouge, and General Zahl.

At one point, she became a successful super model under her human alias "Kory Anders". She dated and fell in love with a human man named Franklin Crandall. Crandall turned out to be a freelance spy working for H.I.V.E. , and was eventually killed because he decided he truly loved Starfire and couldn't betray his feelings towards her. Starfire attempted to kill the H.I.V.E. agent who committed the murder, but was stopped by Wonder Girl.

Starfire was also romantically linked with Dick Grayson (aka Robin, later Nightwing) in various runs of Teen Titans.

In Infinite Crisis, Starfire is among the heroes who battle Alexander Luthor Jr. and stop him from destroying the multiverse. She is presumed dead, but survives and is teleported to another planet alongside Animal Man and Adam Strange.

After returning to Earth, the three heroes reunite on several occasions, including the limited series Countdown to Adventure and Rann–Thanagar War.^[4]

Following the dissolution of the JLA in Blackest Night, Starfire joins Kimiyo Hoshi's new Justice League.^[5] She quits the team shortly afterward and joins L.E.G.I.O.N. The group battles a group of Tamaranean refugees led by Blackfire and agrees to let them live in an uninhabited portion of Rann.^[6]

In The New 52 continuity reboot, Starfire was sold to the Citadel to protect Tamaran from them. Additionally, Blackfire is a neutral figure who assists her in retaking Tamaran from the parasitic Blight.^[7]

In 2015, Starfire received a self-titled series where she returns to Earth and moves to Key West. Additionally, she adopts Syl'Khee, a worm-like alien based on Silkie. She desired to experience a normal human life and appeared to have no interest in heroism or her former life. She befriended the local Sheriff, Stella Gomez, who helped her find a place to live and constantly dealt with Kori's naiveté regarding human culture. Kori also got to know Stella's widowed brother, Sol (who happened to bear a striking resemblance to Dick Grayson), and later began dating him. Starfire later met Atlee, a waitress who was secretly a super-powered woman from a civilization living below the Earth's surface. Despite no longer wanting be a hero, trouble continued to find Kori in her new home and she was forced to defend Key West from various threats. After a trip to Atlee's home, Starfire decided that she should once again use her powers to help others. She left her friends in Key West and tried her hand at being a hero once again.^[8]

Within the depiction of Tamaran's culture in the DC Universe, concepts such as open marriage are more common and accepted. Due to her upbringing, Starfire's sex-positivism and free-thinking habits such as a fondness for practicing nudism, openness to polygamous relationships and acceptance of "open sex" and pansexual "free-love" with persons regardless of terrestrial species, race or gender, usually lead her into conflict with Earth's more reserved culture and customs.^[9][10] In recent years, the character was developed to be polyamorous and pansexual.^[9][10]

Starfire is a Tamaranean and as such her physiology is designed to constantly absorb ultraviolet radiation. The radiation is then converted to pure energy, allowing her to fly at supersonic speeds. Starfire is capable of using this power to fly in space and even go fast enough to cross several solar systems in minutes to seconds.^{[citation needed]} This energy also gives her incredible superhuman strength and durability. After being experimented on by the Psions, Starfire gained the ability to release her absorbed energy into powerful blasts called "starbolts".

Starfire is also proficient in hand-to-hand combat, having been trained by the Warlords of Okaara. Her natural strength, combined with her fighting skills, allowed her to defeat the powerful Donna Troy about one out of three times during purely hand to hand matches.^[11] She later proved strong enough to fight against Wonder Woman for a short period of time and, during a fit of rage, was so strong that Donna Troy was unable to contain her without the help of Mon-El. In the 2003 TV series, Starfire was strong enough to easily throw vehicles and destroy entire streets with her blows.

As shown in the "Insiders" crossover story arc (Teen Titans and Outsiders), Starfire can also release nearly all of her stored energy as a powerful omni-directional explosive burst, many times stronger and more powerful than her standard blasts. The released energy leaves her in a weakened state.^[12] She's also shown that she can absorb ambient ultraviolet energy consciously.^[13] Starfire demonstrated more control over her powers in the New 52 reboot, using her internal energy to melt the metal of Jason Todd's gun when it came into contact with her skin.^{[citation needed]}

Starfire, like all Tamaraneans, is capable of assimilating languages through physical contact with another person. When Starfire attempts to do so with a male, she typically does so by kissing because it is "more fun" for her.^{[citation needed]} She also doesn't need to eat, drink, or sleep, and doesn't require an atmosphere to breathe unless she is low on ultraviolet energy.^{[citation needed]}

• Shatterstarfire, a fusion of Starfire and Marvel Comics character Shatterstar, appears in the Amalgam Comics series.^[14]
• An alternate universe variant of Starfire appears in Kingdom Come. This version died under unspecified circumstances, leading her and Nightwing's daughter Mar'i Grayson to become Nightstar.^{[citation needed]}
• Star Canary, an amalgamation of Starfire and Black Canary, appears in Superman/Batman #60.^[15]
• An alternate timeline variant of Starfire appears in the Flashpoint event. This version is a member of the Amazons' Furies before being killed by Dick Grayson.^[16][17]
• An alternate universe variant of Starfire appears in Teen Titans: Earth One.
• An alternate universe variant of Nightwing: The New Order. This version was temporarily depowered alongside 90% of metahumans after Nightwing activated a device to end an ongoing feud among them. Prior to this, Dick and Kory were married and have a son named Jake, who eventually restores the metahumans' powers.^[18]

Starfire placed 21st on IGN's 2013 list of the "Top 25 Heroes of DC Comics".^[19] She was also ranked 20th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.^[20] Comic Book Resources ranked Starfire 13th in their "The 20 Strongest Female Superheroes, Ranked" list,^[21]

Left to right: Starfire as depicted in Teen Titans (2003–2006), Starfire as depicted in Teen Titans Go! (2013–present), Anna Diop as Kory Anders/Starfire as depicted in Titans (2018–2023)

• Starfire appears in the 1984 Keebler PSA "New Teen Titans Say No to Drugs" as a member of the New Teen Titans.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire appears in Teen Titans (2003–2006), voiced by Hynden Walch.^[22] This version is a founding member of the eponymous Teen Titans who does not use contractions in her speech, possesses a limited grasp of Earth culture, and a tendency to misstate or misunderstand common idioms. Additionally, she displays initially unrequited romantic feelings for team leader Robin.
• Starfire appears in the "New Teen Titans" segment of DC Nation Shorts, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^{[citation needed]} This version is a member of the Teen Titans.
• Starfire, based on the Teen Titans (2003) incarnation, appears in Teen Titans Go! (2013–present), voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22] This version is a member of the Teen Titans who is oblivious to Robin's romantic feelings for her, seeing him instead as a brother. Additionally, the Teen Titans (2003) incarnation of Starfire appears in the episode "The Academy" via archival footage.^[23]
• Starfire makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in a DC Super Friends short.^[specify]
• Starfire appears in Titans (2018–2023), portrayed by Anna Diop.^[24] This version was sent to Earth to kill Rachel Roth to prevent her from releasing Trigon, only to lose her memories following a car crash. While in this state, she joins forces with Dick Grayson and Gar Logan to protect Roth. Despite eventually regaining her memories, Starfire chooses to stay on Earth as act a member of Grayson's Titans and help Roth control her powers.
  • Starfire makes a cameo appearance in "Crisis on Infinite Earths" via archival footage from the Titans episode "Titans".^[25]
• A young Starfire appears in the DC Super Hero Girls (2019) episode "#TweenTitans", voiced by Grey DeLisle.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire will appear in the upcoming series Starfire!^[26]

• The Teen Titans (2003) incarnation of Starfire appears in Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22] While helping the Titans combat Brushogun in Japan, she and Robin eventually become a couple.
• Starfire appears in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, voiced by Jennifer Hale.^[22] This version works for President Lex Luthor.
• Starfire appears in films set in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU), voiced by Kari Wahlgren:
  • A picture of Starfire appears in Batman vs. Robin.^{[citation needed]}
  • Starfire makes a cameo appearance in Batman: Bad Blood.^[27]
  • Starfire appears in Justice League vs. Teen Titans.^[28] Here, she becomes the leader of the Teen Titans following the departure of previous leader Dick Grayson.^{[citation needed]}
  • Starfire appears in Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.^[22] While combating Deathstroke and Brother Blood, she experiences doubt over leading the Titans, though Grayson assures her he named her his successor for a good reason.
  • Starfire makes a non-speaking appearance in Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. She leads the Titans in defending Earth from Darkseid's Paradooms, only to be captured, brainwashed, and converted into a cyborg Fury before being freed two years later.^[29]
• Starfire appears in Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Gotham City Breakout, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22]
• Starfire appears in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22]
• The Teen Titans Go! (2013) and Teen Titans (2003) incarnations of Starfire appear in Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans, with both voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22] Additionally, several alternate reality versions of Starfire appear throughout the film, such as her Tiny Titans, New Teen Titans comic, and DCAMU counterparts.^{[citation needed]}
• The Teen Titans Go! (2013) incarnation of Starfire appears in Teen Titans Go! See Space Jam, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22]
• The Teen Titans Go! (2013) incarnation of Starfire appears in Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[30]

• Starfire appears as a playable character in Teen Titans (2005), voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22]
• Starfire appears as a playable character in Teen Titans (2006), voiced again by Hynden Walch.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by Adrienne Mishler.^[22]
• Starfire appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.^[31]
• Starfire, based on the Teen Titans (2003) incarnation, appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham via the "Heroines vs Villainesses" DLC pack.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire appears as a downloadable playable character in Injustice 2, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.^[32] This version is a member of the Teen Titans who died years prior.
• The Teen Titans Go! (2013) incarnation of Starfire appears as a playable character in Lego Dimensions, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains, voiced again by Kari Wahlgren.^[33]
• Starfire appears in Teeny Titans, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22]
• Starfire appears as a playable character in DC Unchained.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire appears as an alternate skin in Fortnite.

• The Teen Titans (2003) incarnation of Starfire appears in Teen Titans Go! (2004).^[34] In issue #46, it is revealed that she has a younger brother named Wildfire, who was sent off of Tamaran amidst a Gordanian invasion years prior. After Blackfire works with Madame Rouge to manipulate Starfire into believing Wildfire had returned, Starfire disowns Blackfire and vows to find Wildfire, viewing him as the only family she has left. Additionally, an evil, alternate universe variant of Starfire, also named Blackfire, appears in issue #48 as a member of the Teen Tyrants.
• Starfire appears in the Injustice: Gods Among Us prequel comic^{[citation needed]} as a member of the Teen Titans.
• Starfire appears in DC Super Hero Girls (2015) and its tie-in films, voiced again by Hynden Walch.^[22] This version is a student and costume designer at Super Hero High School.
• Starfire appears in the Injustice 2 prequel comic as a member of the Teen Titans.^{[citation needed]}

• Starfire received two figures from DC Direct, with the second being released as part of the "New Teen Titans" four-pack.^[35]
• Starfire received a figure in the DC Comics Super Hero Collection.^{[citation needed]}
• Starfire appears in the Teen Titans trading card game.^{[citation needed]}

• Titans Tower: Starfire
• Starfire at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
• DC page: Starfire