Kirt Niedrigh
DC Comics character From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kirt Niedrigh is a fictional character, a semi-reformed supervillain and former antihero in the DC Comics Universe. Created by Cary Bates and Mike Grell, Niedrigh is a former hopeful for the Legion of Super-Heroes under the guise of Absorbancy Boy. After being rejected from the team, years later he resurfaced as Earth-Man leading a group of supervillains calling themselves the "Justice League of Earth", which help to enforce a xenophobic agenda that Earth has adopted. He first appears in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #218 (July 1976), and reappeared as Earth-Man in Action Comics #858 (December 2007), the first part of the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" story arc.
| Kirt Niedrigh | |
|---|---|
Earth-Man and the Justice League of Earth as depicted in Action Comics #860 (February 2008). Art by Gary Frank. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | as Absorbancy Boy: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #218 (July 1976) as Earth-Man: Action Comics #858 (late December 2007) |
| Created by | Original concept: Cary Bates Mike Grell Supervillain reinvention: Geoff Johns Gary Frank |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Metahuman |
| Place of origin | Earth (31st century) |
| Team affiliations | Justice League of Earth Legion of Super-Villains Green Lantern Corps Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Notable aliases | Absorbancy Boy, Zoraz, Earth-Man |
| Abilities | Super-power absorption and duplication Legion Flight Ring Power ring allows flight, superhuman strength, and hard-light constructs with use of power ring. |
Fictional character biography
Summarize
Perspective
Absorbancy Boy
As a teenager, Kirt Niedrigh applies for membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes as Absorbancy Boy, possessing the ability to duplicate superpowers by absorbing energy. However, he is rejected, in part because Saturn Girl reads his mind and realizes that he has the potential to become evil.[1][2][3][4] Enraged at his rejection, Niedrigh becomes a villain before being defeated by the Legion.[5]
Earth-Man
Kirt Niedrigh resurfaces in the 2007 storyline "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes".[1] Now calling himself Earth-Man, he sows distrust and hatred of aliens around Earth, resulting in aliens living there being captured and deported.[2] Earth-Man allies with other Legion rejects to form the Justice League of Earth, a group purporting to uphold Superman's ideals.[3]
In Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, Earth-Man and the Justice League of Earth's members join the Legion of Super-Villains.[6] They are defeated, but Earth-Man gains a Green Lantern ring from Dyogene, a creature living inside the planet Oa.[7][4] However, Dyogene takes the ring back after Earth-Man uses it for evil.[8][4]
Brainiac 5 later manipulates Earth-Man into reforming and becoming an ally of the Legion.[9] While serving in the Legion, Earth-Man sacrifices himself to stop the Bringer of Chaos.[10][7][3]
Powers and abilities
Niedrigh has the ability to absorb and duplicate the superpowers of metahumans and aliens. However he is not able to copy the knowledge or skills, so it will normally take time for him to master a new power. He absorbs energies of people within a certain range of him, anywhere from several feet to a mile radius. He has shown the capacity to manifest numerous powers at the same time. The absorbed powers only last for twelve hours at a time.
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, he is provided with a Legion Flight Ring. It allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments. Earth-Man also temporarily possessed a Green Lantern ring given to him by Dyogene.
In other media
Kirt Niedrigh appears in Smallville Season 11: Argo as a member of the EarthGov army and Minister at odds with New Krypton.[11]
References
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