According to the DC Who’s Who entry, Dawnstar is a mutant born on the planet Starhaven. Aside from the obvious power of flight, Dawnstar is able to fly through space at high speeds (without need for protection), and has an uncanny ability to track people or objects. Dawnstar became the driving force behind a business venture started by her parents, Mistrider and Moonwalker. She guided spacecraft through dangerous sections of space, thus securing safe passage and delivery of goods. Greybird and Greatfire are her younger brothers. She came to the attention of R. J. Brande because of her work as a bounty hunter. He offered her a place in the Legion Academy where she was trained by Wildfire, and soon after joined the Legion. The entry also states that she had a crush on Wildfire that developed into a “romantic but platonic (of necessity)” matter. On a mission (circa 1985) she found herself attracted to man named Jhodan. More research will need to be done on this matter.
In the Five Years Later version, Dawnstar was possessed by Bounty, a malevolent being, who cruelly cut off her wings and coerced to work as an assassin. Zero Hour came along and erased Dawnstar (and Bounty) from continuity.
Dawnstar has reappeared in post Infinite Crisis continuity, first as only a statue (one of many depicting the Legion) in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, a scene in which Superman acknowledges having had adventures with the Legion. (Justice Society of America #5) Karate Kid, Wildfire, Timber Wolf, Dream Girl, Star Man, and Dawnstar have come to the 21st century on a mission to bring someone back from the dead. Who this person, aside from it being a male, the reasons and the circumstances remain a mystery. Power Girl, Hawk Girl and Red Arrow travel to Thanagar to find Dawnstar. They track down a lead and find a woman wearing fake wings but who has Dawnstar’s flight ring. The unnamed woman implies she and Dawnstar (who she calls Neela) have had a romantic relationship, and knows Dawnstar is not returning because she has “[felt] her friends from this far away–” The last page reveals Dawnstar has tracked down and joined her fellow time traveling friends, and will lead them to where they need to go to accomplish their mission.
Dawnstar appeared in issues #1 – #5 of Crisis of Infinite Earths. After Legion of Three Worlds it now seems these appearances may have been of an alternate Dawnstar.
Paul Levitz and James Sherman created Dawnstar who debuted in Superboy #226, volume 1. This version is outed in Justice League of America #9 (2007) as part of “The Lightning Saga” story in #8 – 10 by Brad Meltzer.
Art by Gary Frank, Jon Sibal, and Dave mcCaig (first image) from Action #859 and Ed Benes and Alex Sinclair Justice League of America #9.
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