Reactron as depicted in Supergirl vol. 5 #26 (April 2008). Art by Drew Johnson and Lee Ferguson (pencillers), Ray Snyder and Marc Deering (inkers), and Brad Anderson (colorist).
Reactron first appears in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 (June 1983), in a story written by Paul Kupperberg and drawn by Carmine Infantino.[1]
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis
Reactron as depicted in his early appearances.
Ben Krullen is a sergeant serving in the US Army during the Vietnam War, alongside Joshua Clay. Krullen later massacres the inhabitants of a Vietnamese village, with the shock triggering Clay's metahuman powers.[2] Clay seemingly destroys Krullen with his energy blasts, transforming him into a metahuman capable of generating radioactive energy. blasts. Calling himself Reactron, he surfaces years later and attacks the Doom Patrol,[3] as well as Supergirl.[4]
Post-Crisis
Reactron's origin and background are changed for his appearances after the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity reboot. Now known as Benjamin Krull, he faces the Doom Patrol and Power Girl in his first appearance.[5] Most of his pre-Crisis continuity seems intact, but it is now said that his previous battles involved Power Girl instead of Supergirl.[6]
Seemingly destroyed after overloading on Negative Woman's energy,[7] he resurfaces unharmed and as a member of the Suicide Squad.[8] Reactron is destroyed when Deadshot punctures his containment suit, causing him to go critical.[9]
Reactron, redesigned with a Gold Kryptonite heart, wreaks havoc alongside Metallo during the "New Krypton" storyline.
Reactron reappears in the Superman: New Krypton storyline with a new costume and abilities. Recruited by General Sam Lane as part of his Project 7734, Reactron is equipped with a heart made of gold kryptonite and partnered with Metallo. Reactron and Metallo attack the city of New Krypton, where Reactron kills Zor-El, the father of Supergirl. As part of his participation in Project 7734, Lex Luthor sends a robot double of himself with Brainiac on a mission to attack New Krypton, a new planet in Earth's solar system populated by the survivors of the Kryptonian city of Kandor. While there, the Luthor robot tampers with Reactron's body chemistry.[11] Shortly thereafter, Reactron kills himself, causing a chain reaction that destroys New Krypton.[12]
Reactron is a metahuman with the ability to generate nuclear radiation and concussive blasts. Reactron is also equipped with a gold Kryptonite heart, which allows him to briefly depower Kryptonians.[14]
In other media
Reactron appears in Supergirl,[15] portrayed by Chris Browning.[16] This version is a former reactor engineer who became Reactron when he was exposed to radiation after a terrorist attack which was stopped by Superman. Ben survived the radiation, but his wife Alyssa did not. Ben blames Superman for his wife's death and swore vengeance on him. He then built an advanced bio-medical exo-suit capable of firing highly concentrated bursts of energy while also giving him super strength and the ability to fly. Cat Grant leaks evidence of Supergirl being Superman's cousin, which causes Reactron to starts targeting Supergirl. He is eventually defeated by Supergirl and arrested.[17]
References
^Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 293. ISBN0-8160-1356-X.
^Greenberger, Robert; Pasko, Martin (2010). The Essential Superman Encyclopedia. Del Rey. p. 334. ISBN978-0-345-50108-0.
^The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #8 (June 1983). DC Comics.
^The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #9 (July 1983). DC Comics.
