Despero

History

A mutant on his home planet of Kalanor, Despero's third eye made him undeniably different from the rest of his people. It was this hypnotic eye though that gave him the mental powers he used to subjugate Kalanor under his rule. His mental powers weren't enough though, and he bathed in the radioactive Flame of Py'tar on Kalanor to gain unimaginable strength, durability and stamina.

One of the first and most constant enemies of the Justice League Of America, he is hellbent on seeing to the League's brutal and bloody deaths after numerous defeats at their hands.
 
After escaping Takron Galtos Despero recreated himself in the Flames of Py'tar. He returned to earth to exact revenge on the League with his new found powers and recreated the Flames of Py'tar to fuel his power.  Able to bend reality to his will, Despero quickly defeated the League and captured Batman and Vixen. Batman learned the source of Despero's powers, escaped from his restraints, and freed Vixen. Vixen brought the League back for another battle in which Gypsy distracted Despero with an illusion of being incinerated by sun. Though Despero knew it was an illusion, the distraction gave Vibe time to destroy the Flames of Py'tar, removing Despero's energy source and causing Despero to consume himself.

Despero survived as formless conscious matter. His will and hatred eventually created a new body for him to attack the Justice League once more. One of his first targets was Gypsy. He killed both of her parents and was about to kill her when J'onn J'onzz saved her. After deafeating J'onn, Despero was about finish of Gypsy when Guy Gardner catapulted Despero away. The League found Despero and attacked him all together, but their combined might could not bring him down. Despero was about to kill Ted Kord when the Martian gifted him with Mayavanna, a scared gift of martians that reaches into their mind and provides a reality more powerful than what we take to be reality. This gift grants the receiver a reality where they obtain that which they want most. Despero see's himself killing the league and destroying the world and finally becomes at peace. Once Despero was at peace he reverted into a fetus of Despero and was given to Manga Khan in exchange for his servant robot L-Ron.
 
Re-aged and as hateful as ever Despero returned to earth to exact his revenge for his humiliation. After destroying much of New York. Despero is attacked by Guy Gardner, Power girl, Ice, Fire, Metamorpho, Flash, Rocket Red, and Martian Manhunter. After defeating much of the league, Despero is attacked by Lobo who has been hired to return him to Lord Manga.After Despero and Lobo fight resulting in Lobo being knocked away, Rocket Red leads Despero to a less populated area to fight. Eventually Despero is battling the Justice League of America, The Justice League of Europe, The Conglomerate, and Lobo. Meanwhile, Kilowog had been working on a new control device for Manga Khan's slave collar that Despero was still wearing. Unfortunately the only compatible circuitry came from L-Ron. After constructing the device from L-Ron's circuits Kilowog used the device to subdue Despero. Unexpectedly, the device actual imprinted L-Ron's consciousness into Despero's body and vice-versa. L-Ron, using Despero's body would later join Justice League Task Force while Despero was seemingly destroyed when L-Ron's body was destroyed.

However, his consciousness survives the loss of his body, becoming a free floating essence.  In this form, he possesses the bodies of a number of people, using their abilities to further his own ends.  He also temporarily regains control of his body struggling with L-Ron for his body while at the same time battling Supergirl. He was surprised when she grew wings of flames and burned him with magical fire. Once L-Ron regained control, Despero attempted to possess Supergirl, but as said by Lord Satanus, she could not become possessed because she is an angel. Despero's spirit was seemingly liy destroyed but he eventually returns. He eventually recovers his physical body.

In JSA/JLA: Virtue and Vice, Despero frees Johnny Sorrow from another dimension. Despero then possesses  Lex Luthor, who was at the time the president. Despero battles most of  JSA and the JLA at the same time, seeming unstoppable until Captain Marvel, using the widom of solomon, thought of a way to expel him from Luthor's body. They were able to use Johnny Sorrow to exorcise Despero and end the threat.
 
Before Infinite Crisis, in response to the events of Identity Crisis, Despero attacks the Justice League again. This time specifically trying to enslave them all as "justice" for what Zatanna and the League did to the minds of criminals who learned to much. Only Superman and Red Tornado still opposed him by the time Zatanna showed up to stop him.
 
During the events of Blackest Night, Vixen, Dr Light, Plastic Man, and Red Tornado are discussing the future of the Justice League when Despero bursts in, having already defeated Gypsy. Zatanna again shows up to save the league and is about send Despero to the center of the earth before he mysteriously disappears.

An earlier version of Despero from before he gained his current monstrous form was a member of the Time Stealers. 

Personal  Data

• Height:8'5"
• Weight: 405 lbs.
• Planet of Origin: Kalanor
  

Known Powers & Abilities:

 Despero lifts the Rock of Eternity

• Super Strength – Despero has greater strength than even Superman or Captain Marvel.  He was able to defeat Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Hourman, and Power Girl simultaneously. Despero was able to hold up the Rock of Eternit y when Geoforc e attempted to crush him with it.
  
• Invulnerability  – Despero has been described as having invulnerability and he has been shown to take powerful blunt force attacks from superman and heroes of similar strength without much harm, but his skin is not impervious. His skin has been pierce by Aquaman wielding a metal rod despite being able to repel bullets
  
• Super Speed - Despero has shown the ability to use speed in flight as well as in combat. He also has been able to hit Flash on the run with a telekinetic blast.The extant to his speed is unknown.
  

• Telepathy  – Despero's hypnotic third eye grants him telepathic abilities that surpass even Martian Manhunter. He also is able to block other telepathic communications.

•   Illusion Casting –   He can project realistic Illusions into people's minds. He gave J'onn a painful illusion of Mars where Despero killed his loved ones.
  
• Mind Control –  Despero's third eye also gives him a powerful hypnotic ability to control minds or paralyze foes. He can enslave multiple people at once and can even control strong telepaths such as Martian Manhunter and Aquaman. Supergirl described Despero's mind control as being 1000 times worse than Grodd.
  
• Possession –   Despero can possess the body of others and still retain his extraordinary abilities as seen when he possesses Lex Luthor and is able to defeat both the Justice League and the Justice Society.
  
• Psychic Fire  –  Despero has been shown to be able to project psionic bolts of fire from his third-eye capable of matching Supergirl. He nearly used this ability to destroy the Martian Manhunter but Booster Gold shield J'onn form Despero's attack
  
• Flight – Despero was shown to be nearly as fast as Martian Manhunter and is capable of flight in space.
• Telekinesis - His third eye gives him telekinetic abilities; while L-Ron was using his body, he used TK to shield 5 men in a telekinetic bubble under water to save them from drowning. He can also use his telekinesis to fire bolts of force from his third eyer explosive blasts capable of destroying a Javelin.
• Energy Manipulation –  When Despero first appeared as Despero Reborn, he was able to manipulate energy and turn energy into matter while fueled by the Flame of Py'tar. He no longer retains this ability.
  
• Matter Manipulation –  With the Flame of Py'tar, he was also able to manipulate matter or change it into energy.  He no longer retains this ability.
  
• Reality Warping –  Being Fueled by the Flame of Py'tar also allowed him to bend reality to his will, turning skyscrapers to dragon-like creatures and stones into demons. He no longer retains this ability.
   

Other Media

The "Justice League" animated series had Despero as the leader of a massive cult in the two-part episode Hearts and Minds. He used the Flame of Py'tar (the life-force of Kalanor) to enslave and mind-control others, until the Py'tar is fully awakened by the Martian Manhunter and turns the barren

world into a lush garden, absorbing Despero into the ground.