Ray (DC Comics)
Four fictional characters in the DC Comics universe / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Ray is the name of four superheroes in the DC Comics Universe. All versions of the character have the superpower of manipulating visible light in some manner.
The Ray | |
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![]() The original Ray on the cover of Smash Comics #25 (Aug 1941), art by Gill Fox. | |
Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | (Happy) Smash Comics #14 (September 1940) (Raymond) The Ray #1 (February 1992) (Silver) DCU Brave New World (July 2006) (Gates) The Ray #1 (December 2011) |
Created by | (Happy) Lou Fine (Raymond) Jack C. Harris Joe Quesada (Silver) Justin Gray Jimmy Palmiotti Daniel Acuña (Gates) Justin Gray Jimmy Palmiotti Jamal Igle |
In-story information | |
Alter ego | Langford "Happy" Terrill Raymond Terrill Stan Silver Lucien Gates |
Team affiliations | (All) Freedom Fighters Justice League (Happy) All-Star Squadron (Silver) S.H.A.D.E. |
Abilities |
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The first Ray was Langford "Happy" Terrill, a Quality Comics character.[1] When DC Comics later purchased Quality Comics, Happy Terrill was retconned as a member of the Freedom Fighters on Earth-X.[2] The character, created by artist Lou Fine, first appeared in Smash Comics #14 (Sept 1940) and continued in the book until issue #40 (Feb 1943).[3]
Following DC altering much of its continuity and history in the storyline Crisis on Infinite Earths, Happy Terrill was now an inhabitant of the mainstream DC Comics universe and his son Ray Terrill became the second Ray. Later, the character Stan Silver briefly operated as the third hero called the Ray.
In 2011's New 52 relaunch of DC Comics, where fictional history was again restructured, a new character called Lucien Gates was introduced as the Ray.[4] Although historically he is the fourth superhero character to use this name, in The Ray #1 (2012), set in a rebooted continuity, he refers to the origin of Happy Terrill as a story he had heard as a child.