Psion (comics)

Psion
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	The Witching Hour #13 (March 1971)
Created by	Marv Wolfman George Pérez
Characteristics
Place of origin	Maltus

The Psions are a fictional extraterrestrial species in the DC Universe. The Psions first appeared in Tales of the New Teen Titans (vol. 1) #4 (September 1982) and were created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. The earliest uncredited appearance of the Psions was in The Witching Hour #13 (March 1971), written by Wolfman.

Fictional biography

Origins

The Psions originated as lizard-like aliens on the planet Maltus before being enhanced by the Maltusians, who studied all aspects of life. After the Maltusians left their world, the Psions investigated their labs and mimicked their creators, cutting off their tails to look more like them. After several millennia, the Psions left Maltus to reunite with their creators, now known as the Guardians of the Universe.

When the two discovered each other, things were not quite what the Psions expected. The Oans regretted their decision not to destroy their equipment before leaving Maltus. The Psions wished to learn more from the Guardians, but were forbidden from travelling to Oa. Though the Psions had mastered the technology, they had gained little understanding of it. The Guardians felt responsible for the Psions and sent them to a distant galaxy where they would be undisturbed, preventing the Green Lantern Corps from interacting with them.

Discovering their creators and then feeling humiliated by the same, the Psions buried the truth, forgot their background, and resumed their scientific work. They would repeatedly rediscover their origins, but suppress their knowledge soon after. The Psions refuse to acknowledge that their creators did not want or believe in them.

Invasion

The Psions were among the many alien races that took part in invading Earth after the Dominators became worried about humanity's ability to produce super-powered individuals. Part of their contribution to the war effort included creating sedatives for prisoners in the gulag that the Alliance maintained in deep space. A science team also worked out of Alliance Headquarters in Australia before being killed by a bomb that they had intended to send to the Justice League International.

A Psion was part of the Paradocs crew during the Our Worlds at War crossover. While helping tend to a gravely injured Wonder Woman, he openly stated she was most likely beyond saving and that he should start dissecting her. Fortunately, Hippolyta took over treatment for her daughter.

Current status

The Psions maintain vast floating laboratories where they experiment on the species of the Vegan star system, often with sadistic enthusiasm. For instance, when they captured the Tamaraneans, Komand'r and Koriand'r, the Psions subjected them to torturous experiments to test the limits of their ability to absorb solar radiation, eventually giving them the ability to project destructive energy blasts called "starbolts" from their hands.

Working with their science, the Psions created the many species of Vega's twenty-five worlds, subconsciously replicating their own origins. Active against them are the Omega Men, an interstellar group of rebels drawn from the Vegan worlds. Psion experiments accidentally created the Vegan goddess X'Hal. The Green Lantern Corps has been barred from entering or interfering within the Vegan star system due to an ancient pact with the Spider Guild. However, the fourth law of the rewritten book of Oa by the Guardians of the Universe states that the Vega System is no longer outside of Green Lantern Corps' jurisdiction.

Green Lanterns Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner planned to breach Vegan space to retrieve recruit Soranik Natu. The mission was successful, thanks to the skills shown by Soranik, leading to the defeat of the Spider Guild.

In other media

• The Psions appear in Justice League Unlimited #18.
• The Psions appear in Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12.