Booster Gold facts for kids

This page is about the character. For the title he appears in, see Booster Gold (comic book).

Quick facts for kids Booster Gold
Booster Gold, as he appeared on the promotional art of Booster Gold comic book series. Art by Dan Jurgens.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Booster Gold #1 (February 1986)
Created by	Dan Jurgens
In-story information
Full name	Michael Jon "Booster" Carter
Species	Human
Team affiliations	Justice League The Conglomerate Justice League International A.R.G.U.S. Extreme Justice
Partnerships	Skeets Blue Beetle Michelle Carter Rip Hunter Godiva Green Lantern
Notable aliases	Supernova Waverider Gold Star Green Lantern
Abilities	Power suit grants: Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and durability Extended longevity Force field generation Energy blasts via gauntlets Enhanced senses via visor Time travel Flight via ring Expert athlete and hand-to-hand combatant

Booster Gold, whose real name is Michael Jon Carter, is a famous superhero from DC Comics. He was created by Dan Jurgens and first appeared in his own comic book, Booster Gold #1, in February 1986. Booster Gold has also been a member of the well-known superhero team, the Justice League.

Booster Gold comes from the future. He uses his knowledge of history and advanced technology to become a hero in Metropolis, Superman's city. At first, he loved being famous and getting attention. Over time, he grew into a more thoughtful hero, learning from his experiences.

You might have seen Booster Gold in TV shows! Eric Martsolf played him in Smallville, and Donald Faison appeared as him in Legends of Tomorrow. Many actors have also voiced him in cartoons, including Tom Everett Scott, Diedrich Bader, and Bruce Timm. A new TV series about Booster Gold is coming to HBO Max, as part of the DC Universe.

Booster Gold's Comic Book Journey

Dan Jurgens, the talented creator of Booster Gold.

Booster Gold first appeared in his own comic book, Booster Gold #1, in February 1986. He was one of the first major new characters introduced after a big event in the DC Universe called Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Soon after, Booster Gold joined the Justice League comic series. He remained a key member of that team for many years. Later, he and some former teammates appeared in fun stories as the "Superbuddies."

In 2007, a new Booster Gold comic series began. This series explored Booster Gold's secret time travel adventures across the DC Universe. It featured characters like Rip Hunter, Skeets, and Booster's family members. The series had a cool tagline: "The greatest hero you've never heard of!"

Booster Gold also played a big role in other comic events. He worked with heroes like Fire, Ice, and Captain Atom in Justice League: Generation Lost. He also traveled through time with Green Lantern and Superman in the Time Masters: Vanishing Point series. These stories helped set the stage for major DC events like Flashpoint.

How Booster Gold Was Created

When Dan Jurgens first thought of Booster Gold, he imagined a hero who was like famous Olympic athletes. These athletes used their fame to promote products. Booster Gold was designed to be a hero who also sought fame and fortune.

His original story involved him being a security guard at a future Superman museum. This part of his origin was later changed a bit when Superman's own story was updated in the comics.

Booster Gold's Important Destiny

Many characters in the DC Universe have hinted that Booster Gold has a very special role to play. Even though he often seems focused on fame, he is destined for great things.

For example, a character named Harbinger once shared that Booster is part of an important family line. He traveled to the past to protect against future dangers. Later, it was revealed that Booster would become a key figure among the Time Masters. He would even train Rip Hunter, who is a very important time traveler himself.

It turns out that an older version of Booster Gold, from the future, watches over his younger self and his son, Rip. This older Booster makes sure that Rip teaches his younger self correctly about time travel. This shows that Booster Gold's journey is much more important than many people realize.

Booster Gold's Story

From the Future to Heroism

Michael Jon Carter grew up in the 25th century in Gotham City. He was a talented football player and earned a scholarship to Gotham University. However, he faced a difficult time and lost his scholarship.

After this, Michael found a job as a night watchman at the Metropolis Space Museum. There, he learned all about the superheroes and villains from the past, especially the 20th century.

Michael has a loyal robot friend named Skeets. Skeets is a very smart robot from the 25th century. He can fly, think, and talk, and he knows a lot about history. Skeets also has many small tools and weapons hidden inside him, including a strong energy blaster.

With Skeets' help, Michael took some advanced gadgets from the museum. These included a flight ring and a force field belt. He then used a special Time Sphere to travel back to the 20th century. His goal was to become a famous superhero and earn a good living.

Michael's nickname as a football player was "Booster." When he first arrived in the past, he wanted to be called "Goldstar." But after saving Ronald Reagan, the President accidentally called him "Booster Gold." The name stuck, and that's how he became the hero we know today!

Becoming a Celebrity Hero

Booster Gold began his superhero career in Metropolis. One of his first big acts was stopping a dangerous villain from harming the President of the United States. This made him very famous, and he soon had many deals for commercials and movies.

His twin sister, Michelle Carter, also became a superhero named Goldstar. She wore a special magnetic suit. Booster was very sad when his sister, Michelle, was lost during a dangerous fight.

Booster used his fame to start his own company, Goldstar, Inc. However, he faced a big challenge when his agent, Dirk Davis, turned out to be a secret agent for a group called the Manhunters. Davis had taken Booster's money, leaving him with nothing. Luckily, the Manhunters were defeated, but Booster had to start over.

Joining the Justice League

Booster Gold became a very important character in the Justice League comics. He often teamed up with Ted Kord, who was the Blue Beetle. They quickly became best friends and had many fun adventures together.

Sometimes, Booster felt embarrassed and wanted his old reputation back. He even left the Justice League for a while to start his own team called The Conglomerate. This team was funded by companies. Booster wanted them to be true heroes, but their sponsors often made things difficult.

During a battle with a powerful alien called Doomsday, Booster's original costume was destroyed. His friend Ted Kord designed a new, stronger suit for him. Later, Booster was badly hurt in another fight and even lost an arm. Ted helped him again by creating a special suit that acted as a life support system and gave him powers. This suit also included a cybernetic arm.

Extreme Justice and New Suits

After the Justice League faced some changes, Booster Gold joined a new team called Extreme Justice. This team was led by Captain Atom. While with this team, Booster made a deal that allowed his wounds to heal completely, so he no longer needed his special battle suit.

Ted Kord then created another new costume for Booster. In this suit, Skeets acted as a system controller, helping Booster and even taking control if Booster was knocked out.

Later, this suit was also destroyed. A scientist named Professor Hamilton then made Booster a new costume. This one was based on his original 25th-century suit and looked more like his first hero outfit.

Challenges and New Beginnings

Booster Gold faced many difficult times. His friend Ted Kord disappeared, and Skeets was taken apart for its advanced technology. Booster gathered his old Justice League International friends to investigate.

He learned that a former friend, Maxwell Lord, had different plans for heroes. Booster was very upset by these events. He realized he could have used his knowledge of history to warn his friends. Feeling defeated, he decided to "go home," hinting at a return to the 25th century.

Helping the New Blue Beetle

Booster Gold later reappeared to help the new Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes. He helped Jaime understand his new powers and work with Batman to stop a dangerous satellite called Brother Eye. Booster played a key role in destroying this satellite.

Time Travel Adventures

After these events, Booster Gold returned in his own comic series. Rip Hunter told Booster that history had become unstable. Booster then worked to fix problems in the timeline.

In a challenging event called Blackest Night, Booster faced a difficult challenge when a former friend, Ted Kord, appeared again in a strange way. Booster worked to make sure his friend's memory was respected.

Later, Booster found his sister, Michelle, alive in Coast City. They were able to fix their relationship. It was also revealed that an older version of Booster Gold was actually Rip Hunter's father and had been secretly guiding Rip. This older Booster was a master of time and the multiverse.

Flashpoint and Alternate Timelines

During a major event called Flashpoint, the timeline was completely changed. Booster Gold and Skeets were the only ones who remembered the original history. They found themselves in a very different world.

Booster encountered a dangerous creature called Doomsday, which was being controlled by a general. He also met a woman named Alexandra Gianopoulos, who had special powers. Alexandra made a brave choice to help Booster escape danger. Booster then worked to restore history to normal, though he had no clear memory of his time in this changed world.

The New 52 and Convergence

In a new era of DC Comics called The New 52, Booster Gold was chosen to lead a new Justice League International team. He tried his best to be a good leader and hero. However, the team faced many attacks and challenges.

Booster also met different versions of himself from other universes. One older Booster Gold warned him about a future event that could change everything. These meetings led to a huge event called Convergence, where cities from across the multiverse were gathered.

During Convergence, Booster Gold, his sister Goldstar, and Rip Hunter worked together. The older Booster Gold transformed into a powerful cosmic time traveler named Waverider. Waverider then helped save the multiverse from destruction, restoring many timelines.

DC Rebirth and New Challenges

In 2016, DC Comics launched "DC Rebirth", which brought back many beloved parts of its history. Booster Gold and Skeets returned in Action Comics #992.

Later, Booster Gold absorbed a lot of powerful "Omega Energy" and was thrown into a future where he was captured by Darkseid's forces. Superman and Superboy-Prime rescued him. It was later hinted that Darkseid might have taken Booster's form to trick the heroes.

Other Versions of Booster Gold

An alternate universe version of Booster Gold appears in I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League.
In The Kingdom, an alternate Booster Gold is the owner of a restaurant called Planet Krypton.
A version of Booster Gold appears as a traveling mercenary and gambler in Justice Riders.
In DC One Million, a future version of Booster Gold is known as Peter Platinum.
An alternate universe version of Michael Carter appears as the Black Beetle.

Booster Gold in Other Media

Television Appearances

Animation

Booster Gold and Skeets appear in Justice League Unlimited. Tom Everett Scott voiced Booster, and Billy West voiced Skeets. They are members of the Justice League from the year 2462.
Booster Gold and Skeets made a quick appearance in the Legion of Super-Heroes episode "Man of Tomorrow."
Booster Gold and Skeets also appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with Tom Everett Scott and Billy West returning as their voices.
In Teen Titans Go!, Booster Gold is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
Booster Gold appeared in a segment of Mad called "That's What Super Friends Are For."
He was also part of the Justice League in Robot Chicken DC Comics Special.
Booster Gold appeared in Justice League Action, voiced by Diedrich Bader. In this story, he was once married to Margot Montgomery, who became the villainess Red Velvet. Booster realized his mistakes and went back to the future to make things right with Margot.

Live-action

Booster Gold and Skeets appeared in the Smallville episode "Booster." Eric Martsolf played Booster, and Ross Douglas voiced Skeets.
For a long time, there were talks about Booster Gold appearing in the Arrowverse series Legends of Tomorrow. The show's creators often wanted to include him.
Eventually, Donald Faison played a version of Booster Gold in the Legends of Tomorrow series finale. This character, named "Mike," protected a fixed point in time. He took the Legends' timeship, the Waverider, to confront his superiors.
Booster Gold is set to appear in his own television series on HBO Max, as part of the DC Universe.

Film Appearances

Booster Gold appeared in Batman and Harley Quinn, voiced by Bruce Timm. He was a member of the Justice League in this film.
He made a non-speaking cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.

Video Games

Booster Gold and Skeets appear as characters you can't play as in DC Universe Online.
They also appear as character summons in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
Booster Gold and Skeets are in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham and Lego DC Super-Villains. Travis Willingham and Roger Craig Smith voiced them.
Booster Gold and Skeets appear in Justice League: Cosmic Chaos, voiced by Alex Bedria and Josh Keaton.