Who the Clix? is a series of articles featuring information on comic book characters that have been made into figures for the popular tabletop game Heroclix. These articles are meant to help Heroclix players learn more about the characters behind their favorite pieces.
It’s the dark sun that knows all the dark things you think but never tell anyone about: Umbrax
For the full Who The Clix? archive, click here. If you think these articles are worth more than $0, click here.
Appearances in Heroclix: Lantern’s Legacy
First Appearance: Justice League Vol. 4 #3 (2018)
Team Affiliations: Ultraviolet Corps
Powers/Abilities: Cosmic awareness and darkness manipulation; Forced corruption and mind control over beings; Creation of Ultraviolet Power Rings and constructs; Embodiment of the UltraViolent Emotional Energy; A living Sun that can occupy space without revealing itself through conventional means
Created by: Scott Snyder · Jorge Jiménez
Umbrax is a living sun in a phantom dimension, linked to the “Invisible Emotional Spectrum,” also known as the Ultraviolet spectrum. The Ultraviolet spectrum feeds off of and into repressed negative emotions, unlike the other emotional entities that are powered by their emotions. Umbrax acts somewhat as both an entity of the Ultraviolet spectrum as well as its central power battery, similar to how Nekron behaves.
For unknown eons, Umbrax is essentially trapped in the Source Wall, unable to directly interact with the universe. Umbrax and the Ultraviolet are largely unknown to most mortal beings, though Sinestro researches the hidden energy during his training in the Green Lantern Corps. Terrified by the potential, Sinestro commits himself to making sure the Ultraviolet energy remains locked away.
During the battle with the Dark Knights, the Source Wall is shattered and releases previously unknown primal forces into the wild. Among them is Umbrax, that instantly taps into the Ultraviolet spectrum and forcibly recruits beings across the universe into the newly formed Ultraviolet Corps. It absorbs entire planets into its Corps, moving from the edge of the universe towards the home of the Green Lantern Corps.
At first, Sinestro seeks out the phantom planet in hopes of containing its corrupting power and sealing it away again. However, when Sinestro faces Umbrax his darkness is unleashed and he willingly submits, becoming the leader and first willing Ultraviolet Corps member. Sinestro recruits Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom, bringing Umbrax to Earth where almost all of the population is recruited into the Corps.
Desperate, the Justice League is able to tap into the Earth’s inherent connection to the White Light of Life and purify its inhabitants of Umbrax’s control. With the people free, the League is able to defeat Umbrax and force him to retreat into hiding. For now.