WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Justice League #10 by Scott Snyder, Francis Manapul and Tom Napolitano, in stores now.
In pre-Crisis continuity, Starro was the first villain the Justice League fought. A giant telepathic starfish with a single eye, the character has been a thorn on the super-team's side for decades -- that is, until the DC Universe's greatest superheroes had no choice but to unite with some of their greatest foes to save all of reality in Justice League: No Justice.
After the Source Wall broke, ancient cosmic beings known as the Omega Titans emerged with plans to destroy... everything It was up to the League and such villains as Starro, Sinestro, Deathstroke, Lex Luthor and Harley Quinn to find common ground and save the universe. However, their efforts came at a price: Starro was killed in the confrontation with the Titans, ripped to shreds by one of the cosmic giants.
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The longtime villain was assumed dead, but the latest issues of Justice League, issue #10, reveals that Starro isn, in fact, alive (more or less). What's more, he's got a brand new nickname courtesy of Batman, of all people -- and it's perfect.
Justice League #10 is the beginning of the "Drowned Earth" crossover event, a storyline that puts the team's foremost aquatic expert, Aquaman, front and center. But before the new pantheon of cosmic gods can drown the Earth under an ocean of purple water, the issue catches us up with where the League is currently at in their ongoing quest to find more answers about the Totality -- the fragment of energy that was once at the heart of the Source Wall. Batman, who is now sequestered in the Hall of Justice in a full body cast, is still trying to find answers about Will Payton, aka Starman, who has arrived from the past under mysterious circumstances.
Part of Payton's mind has been erased by the leader of the Legion of Doom, Lex Luthor, so, in order to find more answers, Batman uses a new tool at his disposal: A tiny, surprisingly cute Starro who is being kept in a little jar -- coined Jarro, of course, by the Dark Knight. He also explains that when Starro was ripped apart by the Omega Titan, he wasn't killed. Instead, the various fragments of his body lived on -- and they each have the creature's telepathic abilities.
For all intents and purposes, the Justice League now has their very own Starro as a resource, maybe even as an unofficial member of the team. This mini Jarro can speak, and should eventually grow, returning the character to his full and proper size. But the real reason we're excited about his debut is the prospect of the banter between the former villain and Batman. And who knows, maybe he will even prove to be a valuable ally when the Legion of Doom comes knocking.
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