Michael Carter (New Earth)

Michael Carter, alias Booster Gold was born on December 29th, in the year 2442. Using the technology he stole from the 25th Century, Michael became a superhero saving the life of the President of the United States Ronald Reagan on his first adventure. This act rewarded him with instant fame, which he cashed in on, becoming quite wealthy. Unfortunately, Booster's manager stole a large amount of his money, leaving him with only a little.

History

Origins

Michael Carter and his sister Michelle Carter were born as twins to a loving mother and an irresponsible father in Gotham City in the 25th Century. On their 4th birthday, their father left the household to pursue his true love, gambling, leaving a huge gambling debt behind for the struggling family. Michael became a football player in college with the nickname "Booster", hoping that he would make it into the big leagues, when his mother was suffering from a debilitating disease that required a treatment that his family could not afford. Turning to the same vice as his father, Michael made bets and purposely threw games in order to earn enough money for the treatment. After his mother was cured, Michael was arrested and put in jail for gambling, instantly breaking his mother's heart.

After he was set free from jail, Michael managed to get a job as a security officer for the Metropolis Space Museum, where he saw images of superheroes from the 20th Century that were legends in his time. Deciding to change his life and become a superhero himself, Michael stole some artifacts from the museum as well as the security robot Skeets and used Rip Hunter's time machine to travel back to the late 20th Century. It was there that he made his public debut, saving the life of the President of the United States Ronald Reagan from the Chiller as the new superhero Goldstar. Nervous, Michael misspoke on live television and got stuck with the name Booster Gold instead.

Goldstar, Inc.

Michael hired an agent, Dirk Davis and started Goldstar, Inc. in Metropolis, with Trixie Collins as their secretary. Booster Gold was on his way to becoming rich and famous, not knowing that he had made an enemy out of The 1000. He eventually fought their leader, the Director.

Justice League International

 Main article: Justice League: A New Beginning

Booster Gold was a main player in the revamped Justice League International, run by Maxwell Lord, during the late 1980's. Booster teamed up with Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle, who quickly became a good friend, together causing some major trouble for the League, and drawing them into some of their funnier adventures, including setting up a casino on a living island. Frustrated at the lack of respect he received from his teammates, Booster quit the JLI and formed The Conglomerate, though he would later return to the League's ranks. During the battle with Doomsday (a name that Booster coined to describe the monster who would eventually kill Superman), his suit was destroyed, leaving him no longer able to function as a superhero. Ted came to the rescue and built him a new suit, although it was much bulkier and tended to malfunction. During a battle with the Overmaster, Booster was mortally wounded, losing his suit and his right arm. Ted built Booster another suit, which also served as a life-support system and included a cybernetic arm.

Extreme Justice

 Main article: Extreme Justice

This incarnation of the Justice League eventually fell apart and Booster Gold joined with Extreme Justice. It was during his time with this team that Booster made a deal with Monarch, who restored his arm and health. Another new costume was constructed, this time in part from Skeets, bringing Booster back to his former power level.

Super Buddies

Booster was briefly a member of the Super Buddies, a group reunited by Maxwell Lord with former JLI members. He mentioned be married with a rich elderly woman after his bankruptcy and JLI dissolution.^[1]

OMAC Project

 Main article: OMAC Project

After the death of Sue Dibny, Booster, becoming disillusioned with his fellow heroes, gave up the Booster Gold identity and returned to normal civilian life. This did not last long, as he teamed up with his friend Ted to find who was manipulating Kord Industries, an investigation that led to Ted's death and Booster's temporary hospitalization. During the following crisis, Booster brought together former team members of his version of the Justice League to help find the killers. After this group encountered a trio of O.M.A.C.s, which resulted in the death of Rocket Red IV and the hospitalization of Fire, as well as the destruction of the power source of Booster's suit, Booster left the group, claiming that he was going "home."

52

 Main article: 52

Soon thereafter, however, Booster reappeared, with a once-more functioning suit as well as Skeets, who had been previously destroyed, seeking the Blue Beetle Scarab. He found it fused to the spine of teenager Jaime Reyes, whom he promptly brought to the Batcave to aid in Batman's mission to find and destroy Brother Eye.

After Superman lost his powers fighting Superboy-Prime, Booster attempted to fill the void he had left in Metropolis. Signing many lucrative sponsorship contracts, he used Skeets' knowledge of the future to be in exactly the right place at the right time to perform heroic deeds. He also, on at least one occasion, hired an actor to pose as a supervillain and subsequently "defeated" him. The actor later came forward, however, and Booster's credibility was immediately lost.

When a ballostro brought a nuclear submarine into the middle of Metropolis, Booster tried to reclaim his lost glory by defeating the beast. However, he had no luck until Supernova arrived to teleport the creature away. The submarine had been damaged, and was in immediate danger of setting off a nuclear explosion in the middle of the city. Booster managed to lift the vessel in his forcefield and fly it out of harm's way. However, he was seemingly killed in the blast.^[2]

It was later revealed that Booster had conspired with Rip Hunter and used his time-traveling capabilities to fake his own death. The Booster skeleton found at the blast-site was actually his dessicated remains from his death at some point in the future. Aware that his longtime robotic ally, Skeets, had apparently turned traitor, Booster secretly adopted the heroic identity of Supernova and traveled backwards in time to a point prior to his apparent "death" in order to ferret out the cause of Skeets' malfunction.^[3]

First appearing as Supernova eight weeks after the defeat of Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime, Booster used the identity to form various good deeds without the stigma attached to the Booster Gold identity, as well as collect weaponry for Rip Hunter. While the Daily Star was the first to name the new hero "Supernova," Clark Kent won the exclusive first interview for the Daily Planet by jumping out the window of the office of Perry White.

While battling Skeets, Supernova revealed himself as Booster Gold. While Booster returned to the Booster Gold identity, Rip passed along the mantle of Supernova to Booster's 21st century ancestor, Daniel Carter.

Following the final, Multiverse-saving fight against Mr. Mind, the villain who had taken over Skeets, Booster left Rip's employ and had Skeets repaired by Will Magnus. He also arranged to live with Daniel in exchange for letting Daniel keep the Supernova suit.

Time Masters

Eight weeks after defeating Mr. Mind, Booster seeks out acceptance into the Justice League. However, Rip Hunter has other plans and attempts to recruit Booster to aid him in repairing the time stream. However, this would require Booster to sacrifice his reputation, so Booster refuses. But when his certificate electing him into the Justice League turns into Hal Jordan's death certificate, Booster realizes what's really important. He drops his certificate and tells the League that he was only petitioning for membership so he could brag about turning them down.

Booster returned to Rip's lab and agreed to work for him on one condition: that Rip will allow him to change history to save some people important to him, starting with "the best friend [he] ever had." Though Booster and Rip manage to rescue Ted Kord, it is later revealed that with out the death of Ted Kord, Max Lord accomplishes his early plan in killing many of the DCU's heroes. Ted Kord then decides to sacrifice himself and returns to the time were he is killed by Maxwell Lord, in order to save the heroes of Earth. But Booster was not left alone, as Rip Hunter surprises Booster by rescuing Booster's sister Michelle right before she died in one of Booster Gold's early adventures.

It is later revealed that Booster is in fact Rip Hunter's father. Booster is unaware of this, and Rip Hunter hasn't told him.^[4]

Flashpoint

Flashpoint
This section of the history takes place during Flashpoint, a massive crossover event set in an alternate timeline to the mainstream DCU. History was completely changed when Professor Zoom finally found a way to erase his nemesis the Flash without harming his own legacy.

In an effort to save his mother's life from the Reverse-Flash, Barry Allen unknowingly changes reality, creating a new world in which his friends' lives are drastically different.

After the Time Masters: Vanishing Point event, Rip Hunter informed them that someone snuck in and left a message on the chalkboard about the altered timeline.^[5]

When Booster and Skeets awaken, they are the only ones who remember in original timeline. Booster travels to Coast City, but US army attack him believing he is part of an Atlantean invasion. Skeets is damaged when Booster is attacked by the military's bio-weapon known as Project Six (Doomsday).^[6]

Booster, during the fight with the creature, discovers he is being controlled by General Nathaniel Adam, and during the battle he saves Alexandra Gianopoulos from the creature. Booster learns the timeline has been changed, suspecting that Professor Zoom was behind it. Booster travels to Gotham City, with Alexandra and the monster both following him. It is revealed that Alexandra has the power to absorb other metahuman powers. The mind control interface of the monster is severed by Alexandra, which causes it's true destructive personality to awake.^[7] The creature attacks and nearly kills Booster, only surviving as Project Six is at a more basic level of evolution than then mainstream Doomsday possess. The weapon then begins to rampage, killing innocent people, but after recovering, Booster places the mental control helmet back on the creature, giving General Adam back control. General, believing that creature was naturally mindless and incapable of doing anything without being under the control, decided that it was Booster's fault and decided to capture him.^[8] General Adam then decided to have Booster Gold interrogated. Booster shot down a girder, knocking the control helmet off him. At that moment the image of "Project Superman" appears on a computer screen, his true personality is awaken. The creature then rampages through the facility looking for the Kryptonian known as Subject One. Alexandra Gianopoulos puts on the control helmet, forcing him to rip open his own chest.^[9]

The pair travel to England and Alexandra saves Booster Gold from an Atlantean attack, leaving Booster to go to Vanishing Point. As history resets itself, his memory of the event is now a little hazy. Alexandra, however, survived and traveled back in time to before the Time Masters: Vanishing Point event. She lefts the message regarding the altered timeline on Rip's chalkboard before vanishing.^[9]

Futures End

 Main article: Futures End

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Booster's powers become unstable and he is teleported to different timelines. He is first sent to Prime Earth, where he encounters himself from that world and that worlds Blue Beetle. He is then teleported to Pre-Zero Hour 31st century Metropolis and finally to Deimos' castle, where he is captured.^[10]

Convergence

Convergence
This section of the history takes place during Convergence, a massive crossover event revisiting characters from past eras and realities. The villains Brainiac and Telos plucked them from their own timeline and stored them together, causing them to cross over into each others' reality. Its precise chronological placement and canonicity may be unclear.

Incomplete
There's something missing here. This section of the article is incomplete, and contains information, but requires more before it can be considered complete. You can help DC Database by editing this page, providing additional information to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.

He is teleported to Earth-Four and is attacked by that worlds' Captain Atom, who believes he is a villain.^[11] He is rescued by his Prime Earth-self and Rip Hunter. He later reunites with Ted Kord^[12] and informs him he is aging at an accelerated rate. He is saved when his Prime Earth self takes him to vanishing point and he becomes Waverider. He then teleports Blue Beetle and his Prime Earth-self to their respective worlds and hides Goldstar and Rip Hunter in an undisclosed location.^[13] Before he left Convergence, he left a prank and note for Ted's birthday.^[14]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Quantum Energy Physiology
  • Time Travel
    • Retrocognition
  • Energy Projection
  • Flight
  • Intangibility
  • Temporal Resistance

Abilities

• Athletics
• Business Management
• Gymnastics^[15]
• Experienced Combatant: Even after being blasted and stabbed with a knife, Carter managed to one-shot Chronos with a punch, even when he was behind him.^[16][15] Booster managed to hold his own in a fist fight with Maxwell Lord for a while.^[17]
• Historiography
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Legion Flight Ring: As the name suggests, this ring provides Booster with flight. It is the only piece of equipment stolen from the Space Museum which has survived to the most recent version of Booster's suit unscathed.^[18][19]
• Power Suit: In lieu of any metahuman powers, Booster Gold uses an advanced microcircuitry-powered all-purpose combat suit that allows him a wide range of options to use in combat.
  • Enhanced Durability: The suit is extremely durable, very lightweight, and easy to wear. The suit itself is able to withstand bullets without losing its integrity (although being shot hurts).
  • Superhuman Strength: The microcircuitry woven into the mesh affords Booster a high measure of super-strength, enough to easily shift twenty tons - and a great deal more if he exerts himself. However, Booster must take into account the fact that attempting to lift things that heavy often causes them to fall apart under their own weight.^[18][19]
  • Force Field Generation: The suit is capable of generating a force-field that in prior incarnations was powerful enough to take a direct punch from Doomsday and leave Booster intact (this fried the force-field though, and eventually the suit didn't fare much better). It remains constant at that level for the current incarnation.^[20]
  • Time-Travel Circuitry: At some point between The OMAC Project and 52, Booster had time-travel circuitry built into his suit, enabling him to travel through the time stream, both into the past and the future. The suit has since been upgraded by Rip Hunter to enable him to traverse chronal anomalies without any adverse effects.
  • Gauntlets: The suit is able to provide powerful energy blasts, via blasters in the costume's gauntlets. At their highest setting, the blasts are capable of plowing through two solid feet of concrete.
  • Visor Devices: Booster's visor is outfitted with both sensory amplification devices (both auditory and visual) and a HUD for targeting and threat-identification.
    • Enhanced Vision: The visor provides broad scanning along the electromagnetic spectrum, providing infrared, ultraviolet, and X-ray vision.
    • Enhanced Hearing

Transportation

• Rip Hunter's Time Sphere

Trivia

• Booster Gold identifies himself as an atheist.^[21]
• Booster Gold is older twin, but Goldstar is more responsible for the two. ^[22]
• According to Blue Beetle, Booster Gold thinks to himself in Esperanto, implying that perhaps Esperanto is the language of all 25th Century natives.^[23]
• Booster managed to gain Batman’s respect and acknowledged Booster as a true hero who became the best he could be.^[24][25]
  

Recommended Reading

• Booster Gold Recommended Reading
  • Booster Gold (Volume 1)
  • Booster Gold (Volume 2)
  • 52 (Volume 1)
  • Justice League (Volume 1)
  • Justice League America (Volume 1)
  • Formerly Known as the Justice League (Volume 1)

Related

• 525 Appearances of Michael Carter (New Earth)
• 213 Images featuring Michael Carter (New Earth)
• 35 Quotations by or about Michael Carter (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Michael Carter (New Earth)

External Links

• Boosterrific!--a fansite

Footnotes

Justice League member This character has been a member of the Justice League of America, or the Justice League in any of its various incarnations, sworn by a duty to act as guardians of America and the world by using their skills and/or superpowers to protect Earth from the clutches of both interstellar and domestic threats. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice League of America members" category.

Justice Society of America member This character is or was a primary member of the Justice Society of America in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Justice Society of America members" category.