Sun Boy

Sun Boy
Sun Boy powers up. Art by Kevin Sharpe
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics # 276 (May 1961)
Created by	Jerry Siegel Jim Mooney
In-story information
Alter ego	Dirk Morgna
Species	Metahuman
Place of origin	Earth (31st century)
Team affiliations	Legion of Super-Heroes Elements of Disaster
Notable aliases	Inferno, Ph'yr
Abilities	Heat and light generation Immunity to heat and radiation

Sun Boy is a fictional character, a superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe. Sun Boy (real name Dirk Morgna of the planet Earth) is a Legion of Super-Heroes member with the ability to unleash internal solar energy to whatever degree he wishes, from enough to light a single candle to enough to melt nearly any obstacle.

Sun Boy first appeared in 1961 during the Silver Age of Comic Books.

Dirk Morgna's father owns a nuclear power plant, where Dirk works as a helper. While he is delivering supplies to one of the plant's scientists, Dr. Zaxton Regulus, the machine the scientist is working on explodes resulting in the death of fellow worker Zarl Hendricks. Dr. Regulus blames the accident, and his subsequent dismissal, on the interruption. He tries to gain revenge on Dirk by throwing him in an atomic reactor; however, due to Dirk's "one-in-a-million genetic structure" instead of killing him, the radiation gives him the power to generate heat and light.

Dirk applies for the Legion, as Sun Boy, but is rejected as he has only demonstrated his ability to generate light. He is later accepted when he shows his heat-generation ability.

During the "Five Year Gap" following the Magic Wars, Sun Boy becomes leader of the Legion amidst a series of defections which results in his resignation. Soon afterwards, Sun Boy is hired by Earthgov as a public relations liaison, using his good looks and popularity to spin public opinion. Earthgov is revealed to be under Dominator control and Dirk complies with their demands despite personal misgivings. When the truth is revealed, he is branded a traitor to the Legion and Earth. Dirk is later exposed to a fatal dose of radiation when a powersphere explodes next to him during the destruction of the Moon. He is killed by his sometime lover Circe, in an act of euthanasia. His corpse is later animated for a short time by former teammate Wildfire.