Alex Nero | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | Green Lantern (vol. 3) #132 (January 2001) |
Created by |
Judd Winick Darryl Banks Mark Bright |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Alexander Nero |
Team affiliations | Black Lantern Corps |
Notable aliases | Ion |
Abilities | Qwardian Power ring |
Alexander Nero is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. The character was created by Judd Winick and Darryl Banks in Green Lantern (vol. 3) #132 (January 2001).
Nero was a destructive and mentally disturbed artist who was given a yellow Power Ring by the Qwardians, similar to Sinestro's. During his stint in the mental asylum, he was treated for several mental disorders such as schizophrenia, paranoid delusions, and bi-polar disorder. Nero claimed his parents were abusive, although given his state of mind, such assessments should not be taken at face value.
Nero was the second attempt by the Qwardians to take down the new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, the first being Fatality. In order to find someone with the same imagination and artistic skill as Rayner the Qwardians found Nero, who had a history of drawing violent and dark pictures in his asylum. Nero was designed as the "archenemy" of Kyle Rayner, seeing how both are artists with limitless imagination. He escaped from the asylum only to be confronted by a combination of both the original Green Lantern Alan Scott and Kyle Rayner. A battle ensued and Alan Scott was seriously wounded by Nero, forcing Kyle to retreat and call upon the assistance of the JLA. Kyle Rayner asked the JLA not only to stop Nero but to be prepared to kill him, reasoning that Nero's ring was one of the most powerful weapons in the universe and his insanity made him a profound threat. While the JLA declined his request, they were unable to stop him in several skirmishes of hit-and-run. In the end, the Flash found tapes of his parents and Kyle played the images. Eventually, the images consumed Nero, traumatising him and resulting in his defeat.
Nero returned a short time later when the residual Central Power Battery energy made itself known (it was left in the sun following the sacrificial reignition by Hal Jordan in the crossover The Final Night). Both Kyle and Nero's power levels were greatly increased and they waged war in space to see who would lay claim to the power. Kyle was eventually able to defeat Nero and claim the power (which caused him to become Ion for the first time) and it was believed that Nero was taken or rescued by the Qwardians.