While Michael Jon Carter may not have created the superhero persona of Booster Gold for the most noble of reasons, the time-traveling figure has since become a bonafide -- if somewhat under-appreciated hero -- in his own right and an occasional member of the Justice League. Booster teams up with his old friend Blue Beetle in the new comic book miniseries Blue and Gold, with the fate of the DC Universe hanging in the balance.
And while Booster and Beetle are able to prove their heroism, Booster has had multiple brushes with defeat that has nearly brought him out of the superhero game for good.
After traveling back to the relative present of the DCU from his native timeline in 25th century Gotham City, Michael Jon Carter stole various superhero equipment from a history museum where he worked to create the superhero alter ego of Booster Gold. Commandeering one of Rip Hunter's Time Spheres, Booster arrived in the modern DCU with the intent to use his superhero derring-do to attract the attention of potential corporate sponsors and become a well-paid celebrity as he operated primarily out of 20th century Metropolis. Following the creation of the Justice League International after the crossover event Legends, Booster was formally inducted into the JLI and was frequently partnered with Blue Beetle Ted Kord, with whom he quickly became best friends with as they were often overlooked compared to their flashier teammates.
Booster was an active member of the Justice League when the team confronted the supervillain that would soon become known as Doomsday, with Booster himself being the hero to coin the moniker for the unstoppable antagonist. During the 1992 crossover event "The Death of Superman," the Justice League combined their efforts to prevent Doomsday from continuing his rampage to Metropolis.
Doomsday easily defeated the entire Justice League, including laying out Booster with a single punch. With his superhero costume, containing much of his empowering technology destroyed by the blow, Superman caught the defeated Booster who remarked that the villain was like "Doomsday" and the nickname stuck. But as Doomsday's attack continued in Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding's Superman #74 in 1992, he mercilessly pummeled the now-defenseless Booster,even slamming his head in a car door.
Blue Beetle constructed a new, slightly bulkier costume for Booster to continue his superhero activities but he would face hardship again shortly thereafter.
While fighting the supervillain Devastator in 1994s' Justice League America #89, by Dan Vado Marc Campos and Ken Branch, Booster was horrifically maimed in battle and lost one of his arms. The tragedy nearly led Booster to retire from heroics entirely, with Beetle constructing a new suit that contained a prosthetic limb for his best friend. Booster would later make a deal with the powerful supervillain Extant to fully heal his wounds and recover his lost arm, moving back to his classic costume with the rest of his career enduring nowhere near as much physical harm.
Booster Gold may have become a superhero as a quick way to get rich and famous but he has certainly paid his dues in the field of battle against some of the most powerful supervillains in the DCU. From giving Doomsday his nickname while losing his superhero costume to being gruesomely dismembered while fighting the Devastator and the cadre, Booster has been on the receiving end of some of the most sadistic enemies in the DCU and paid in blood for the privilege to run alongside the Justice League, as if any questions regarding his commitment to heroism remained. And with his best friend back by his side, Booster is back to take on the next generation of threats in the Infinite Frontier.