Jax-Ur (Earth-One)

Jax-Ur was once a scientist who worked at the Kryptonian Space Center along with his colleague Jor-El. His rocketry experiment decimated Wegthor, and Jax was sentenced to the Phantom Zone.

History

Life on Krypton

Jax-Ur was a scientist on Krypton who originally worked closely with Jor-El developing early Kryptonian rockets, including the early prison capsules. The first capsule was sabotaged, ironically, by a matter-dissolver ray secretly developed by Jax's grandfather Vas-Ur. After that failure, Jax-Ur still attended Jor-El and Lara's wedding, but started his own competing and illegal rocketry program, head-quartered in the Jewel Mountains.^[1]

He developed a nuclear missile and decided to test it against a giant meteor in space. If this test proved successful, Jax-Ur would then commence the build-up of a massive, privately-held nuclear arsenal with which he would overthrow the Kryptonian government, and place the entire planet under his dominion. His missile collided with a spaceship piloted by Jor-El, altering its trajectory. Instead of striking the meteor, it struck the Kryptonian moon of Wegthor, destroying the moon and its colony. Although the incident was an accident, Jax-Ur was placed on trial for the deaths of over five-hundred colonists. He became the first criminal in Kryptonian history to be imprisoned inside the dimension known as the Phantom Zone.^[1]^[2]

Phantom Zone

Time passed and more and more criminals were exiled into the zone, at which point, Jax-Ur met the military leader known as General Zod. Aligning himself with Zod, he committed his amoral, scientific genius towards avenging himself against Jor-El. In an ironic twist, fate would deny him vengeance. As Jor-El lamented, "while [Jax-Ur] was sentenced to life, Krypton had been sentenced to death!"^[1]. Jax-Ur and Va-Kox did spent a few fleeting moments free shortly before the cataclysm, but the chain reaction in Krypton's core blew them back into the Phantom Zone.^[3]

Years passed, until Jax-Ur learned that the son of Jor-El, Kal-El, had survived Krypton's destruction and was now living on Earth. Jax-Ur escaped the Zone and discovered that under a yellow sun, he developed the same powers as the crime-fighting Superboy. Jax-Ur imprisoned Jonathan Kent and took his place, pretending that he'd gained superpowers and forbid Superboy from using his. Superboy discovered Jax-Ur's true identity and defeated him, freeing his father. Jax-Ur was returned to the Phantom Zone.^[2]

Ur Family Vault

Jax-Ur Earth-One 002 — The Ur Family Vault

When Superboy found the remains of the El Family Vault, Jax-Ur and the other Phantom Zone criminals mocked him for his ignorance of how to honor it, and projected an image of the Ur Family Vault into Superboy's dreams.^[4] It contained the statues of numerous Ur ancestors including:

Vas-Ur: Jax-Ur's grandfather, who created a matter-dissolver ray that would eliminate a victim and leave no evidence; which Tron-Et used to sabotage Jax and Jor-El's prison capsule.^[5]
Mal-Ur: Vas-Ur's father, who destroyed all life in Lake Krypton.^[4]
Can-Ur

Black Zero and a Temporary Reprieve

When the slippery villain Black Zero threatened Earth with the same fate he had provided Krypton; Jax-Ur sent a telepathic message to Superman and swore that he would would not double cross him if he coukd help capture Balck Zero. Jax was true to his word, and allied with Jor-El's son to avenge the destruction of Krypton. Once Jax had turned Black Zero to stone and destroyed him, he surrendered himself to Superman and asked to be returned to the Phantom Zone — despite having the same earthly powers as Superman.^[6]

The good will gained by besting Black Zero gained Jax-Ur another release when Lori Lemaris and the Atlanteans were stricken by a fungal plague. Jax-Ur promised Superman that, if released, he would cure them. While he was true to his word, the cure had to be found in the past in his Kryptonian Jewel Mountain stronghold. While completing the formula for the cure, he also formed a piece of crystal that would be thrown clear of Krypton's explosion and be sent to Earth.^[7]

Once Superman and Jax-Ur returned to their own time, the Atlanteans were cured and Jax again accepted the twilight of the Phantom Zone Projector. Thus Jax had been good to his word, but also had a weaponized piece of Jewel Kryptonite in orbit that allowed the combined wills of the Phantom Zoners to manipulate the real world. They had almost tricked Superman into leaving Earth, when Lemaris helped Superman learn that Jax-Ur had betrayed his trust and the Man of Steel threw the majority of the Jewel Kryptonite into the sun. And his chance for freedom blown, Jax-Ur remained in the Phantom Zone.^[7]

Phantom Zone's Revolving Door

Jax-Ur continued to plot from the Phantom Zone, but his escapes were few, and short. Jax-Ur's plots and escapes include:

Hypnotizing Jimmy Olsen and instructing him on how to repair a time machine; and to travel back to pre-cataclysm Krypton to free Jax and Vakox from the Phantom Zone.^[3]
Refusing to allow Superman into the Phantom Zone in order to save him from advanced Kryptonian Leprosy.^[8]
Participating in a mass escape orchestrated by Faora where the zoners swapped places with everyone on Earth.^[9]
Mentally dominating Quex-Ul (in the guise of poor befuddled Charlie Kweskill) and having him build and activate a Phantom Zone Projector; that freed all the inmates and damned Superman to the Zone.^[10]
Finding the remaining piece of Jewel Kryptonite and focusing his mind through it to free himself and three other prisoners.^[11]

The End Zone

Despite the chances that Superman gave him, the good deeds he had proved himself capable of, and the differing versions of how he destroyed Wegthor, Jax-Ur chose to remain an outlaw and perished along with the Phantom Zone; when the god Aethyr grew tired of the rabble in the Phantom Zone and was manipulated into leaving by Thul-Kar. All inmates were freed, including Jax-Ur, and they wreaked havoc upon the Earth until the new being combining Mister Mxyzptlk and Aethyr drew Jax-Ur and the other criminals into its crystal heart and left the universe with them.^[12]

Powers and Abilities

Powers

Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Jax-Ur possesses the same potential powers as an average Kryptonian. These include:
- Solar Energy Absorption: Under optimal conditions, this is the main source of Jax-Ur's super powers as they are contingent upon exposure to solar radiation from a yellow sun star system. His biological make up includes a number of organs which lack analogues in humans and whose functions are unknown. It is believed that between one or more of these and his bio-cellular matrix, "yellow" solar energy is stored for later use. This allows for the use of these powers to fade when yellow solar radiation is not available instead of immediate failure.
- Heat Vision: Jax-Ur can, as a conscious act, fire beams of intense heat at a target by looking at it. He can vary the heat and area affected.
- Super-Hearing: Jax-Ur's hearing is sensitive enough to hear any sound at any volume or pitch. With skill and concentration, he can block out ambient sounds to focus on a specific source or frequency.
- Enhanced Vision: Jax-Ur's vision processes the entire electromagnetic spectrum as well as allowing vast control over selective perception and focus.
  This umbrella ability includes the following:
  - Electromagnetic Spectrum Vision: Jax-Ur can see well into most of the electromagnetic spectrum. He can see and identify radio and television signals as well as all other broadcast or transmitted frequencies. Using this ability, he can avoid detection by radar or satellite monitoring methods. This also allows him to see the aura generated by living thing.
  - Telescopic Vision: This is the ability to see something at a great distance, without violating the laws of physics. Though limited, the exact extent of the ability is undetermined. In function, it is similar to the zoom lens on a camera.
  - X-Ray Vision: This is the ability to see through any volume of matter except lead. Jax-Urs can see things behind a solid, opaque object as if it were not there. He can focus this ability to "peel back" layers of an object, allowing hidden image or inner workings to be observed. The exact type of energy perceived—such as x-rays, cosmic rays, or some other energy invisible to normal humans—is unclear. This ability perceives an ambient energy source though, it does not involve the eye projecting a concentrated, possibly toxic, beam to be reflected back from objects.
  - Microscopic Vision: This is the ability to see extremely small objects and images down to the atomic level.
  - Infrared Vision: Jax-Ur can see with better acuity in darkness, and to a degree in total darkness.
- Flight: Jax-Ur is able to manipulate graviton particles to defy the forces of gravity and achieve flight. This ranges from hovering to moving in any posture, in any direction.
- Invulnerability: Due to the interaction of his dense molecular structure and supercharged bio-electric aura, Jax-Ur is nigh-invulnerable to extreme energy forces. In addition, his extends this protection against toxins and diseases.
  - Enhanced Immunity
- Superhuman Stamina: Jax-Ur is able to maintain continuous strenuous physical action for an indefinite period of time. This based on his body converting yellow solar radiation directly to energy but is limited by physiological and psychological needs to eat, drink, and sleep.
- Superhuman Strength: Jax-Ur's strength is augmented by yellow solar radiation interacting with the greater than human density, resilience and biological efficiency of his musculature. His strength is more an act of conscious will on energy fields than actual physical strength. It is this act of conscious will that enables him to perform physical feats that are beyond the mere application force, such as moving a mountain top without said rock crumbling under its own mass.
- Superhuman Speed: Jax-Ur is able to move at incredible speed by sheer force of will. This extends to his perceptions and allows for feats such as catching bullets in mid-flight as well as covering vast distances in little or no time.
  This also confers:
  - Superhuman Agility
  - Superhuman Reflexes
- Super-Breath: Jax-Ur is able to create hurricane force winds by exhaling air from his lungs. He can chill the air as it leaves his lungs to freeze targets. He can also reverse the process to pull large volumes of air or vapor into his lungs.
- Longevity: Jax-Ur can live longer than regular humans, remaining at his prime as long as he was under the exposure of the "yellow" sun.

Abilities

Weaknesses

Kryptonian Physiology: Under the effects of a "yellow" sun, Jax-Ur possesses the same potential weaknesses as an average Kryptonian. These include:
- Vulnerability to Kryptonite
- Vulnerability to Magic

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Jewel Kryptonite

Notes

This version of Jax-Ur, including all history and corresponding appearances, was erased from existence following the collapse of the original Multiverse in the 1985–86 Crisis on Infinite Earths event and later restored following the rebirth of the infinite Multiverse during the Dark Crisis of 2022-2023. Even though other versions of the character may have appeared, this information does not apply to those versions.