MINDSTAR
REAL NAME: Michael Longstreet
AGE: 24
POWERS: Telekinesis/telepathy: telekinetic force shield, force bolts, and flight coupled with
telepathic mind reading. Lately, Mindstar has also demonstrated a telepathic attack power.
Mindstar's dark side, or id, has shown evidence of other powers, possibly including mind control.
APPEARANCE: 6'2", 190 lbs, short, brown hair, dark eyes. Think Cyclops
without the visor. Costume is royal blue full body suit, black belt and boots. Mask is a strip
across the face; like a wide domino mask.
FIRST APPEARANCE: Guardians #1
BACKGROUND: Michael Longstreet had what he thought was a normal childhood. Sure, his
parents worked a lot at a place they called The Lab, but didn't everybody's parents work long
hours? He always knew that they loved him, and they bought him plenty of toys, and he was
happy.
What Michael didn't know, however, was that his parents were top-flight engineers working on a
top secret government project to develop new weapons and espionage equipment. The lead
designer on the project was Dr. Thaddeus Pugh, a brilliant but sociopathic weapons designer.
The lead field operator for the project was Brian Carpenter, an ex-Green Beret and CIA operative
who came to be a very good friend of the Longstreet family. When the government decided to
end the project, the Longstreets were to be reassigned to a different project, a challenge they
relished. Pugh, however, saw the closing as a personal affront. One terrible night, he had the
Longstreets murdered and attempted to kill Carpenter. That night, Michael Longstreet's life
changed forever.
Carpenter escaped the assassins, but could not save the Longstreets. Carpenter adopted Michael,
then ten years old, and retired from active operations. He then proceeded to train Michael
relentlessly, with friend Kenneth Lee as his martial arts instructor and, a few years later, Janet
Simms training him in the fine arts of crime-fighting. During this training, Michael's latent mental
powers came to the fore, and Ken trained him in Oriental meditation techniques to maximize his
powers. When Michael entered Duke University as an engineering major, Carpenter began
forming the Foundation to support and work with Michael. Only later did both Carpenter and
Michael realize what was afoot.
When Guardians #1 opens, Michael has graduated with Masters degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, set himself up as a consultant, and begun to encounter the underworld of Dallas. Realizing that he needs more help, he takes quick notice of a young woman who he mentally recognized to be a mutant. When her powers suddenly manifest, Mike takes her under his wing and the Guardians are born.
Mike's mental powers have one catch. His mind has manifested a dark side, a persona created
from his rigidly controlled emotions, which has access to greater depths of mental prowess than
Mike consciously has. During one particularly harrowing experience, this dark side enabled Mike
to escape a coma he entered in order to escape the Black Queen (Guardians #'s 4-5). In order to
escape, Mike had to allow his dark side more reign when he was conscious. The full effects of
this pact remain to be seen.