The Justice League’s first villain, Starro, may have unknowingly created Batman’s most entertaining and adorable sidekick before The Suicide Squad.
Fans of the recent Suicide Squad movie might be familiar with Starro, the mid-controlling starfish from space, but audiences might not know that this fearsome creature actually created one of Batman’s most unique sidekicks, Jarro, in the pages of Justice League. The creature became a valued asset to both Batman, and the Justice League as a whole.
Prior to Scott Snyder’s ongoing Justice League title, he co-wrote the miniseries Justice League: No Justice alongside writers James Tynion and Joshua Williamson and artists Francis Manapul, Marcus To, Riley Rossmo and Jorge Jimenez. This series brought together all the major heroes of the then-current DC Universe with a group of wildcard villains, including Starro, to battle four ancient cosmic enemies who each threatened the very fabric of the DC Universe.
Starro is an important figure in Justice League history, as it is his first attempted invasion of Earth that marked the first appearance of the Justice League in the comics. His inclusion in the group, fighting alongside those he once sought to destroy, adds a weight of importance to the moving narrative. In this fight, Starro would seem to give his life to save the universe, marking a tragic end to one of comic’s most famous space invaders (it is revealed in later issues that he survived). From this perceived tragedy though, Jarro would be born.
Batman takes a sample of Starro’s genetic material following his death, keeping him for study in a jar. However, this sample would grow into a young Starro, who Batman would affectionately name “Starro in a jar” or Jarro. At this point in Snyder’s Justice League title, Batman is immobilized from a previous encounter with Lex Luthor, thus he has bunkered himself in the Hall of Justice within a mech-suit designed to help him heal. Here, he feeds information to the Justice League regarding their various missions, and audiences are introduced to the young alien starfish in Justice League #10 by Scott Snyder, Francis Manapul and Tom Napolitano, as Batman instructs Jarro to extract information from a comatose Starman.
Bunkered here in the Hall of Justice, Batman and Jarro would form a bond similar to that of a parent and a child, with Jarro even referring to Batman as “dad” at various points. Together, they would survive the attack at the Hall by the Legion of Doom in the “Drowned Earth” storyline as well as the stories that followed, and through these continued trails, their bond would deepen. One of Jarro’s standout moments comes in Justice League #20, in which Jarro dreams of becoming Robin, and not just any Robin, but the best Robin. Sporting a full Robin suit, Jarro apprehends Deathstroke, with Batman praising him as his “favorite Robin ever.”
Jarro would come to admire and respect the Justice League, viewing them as teammates, friends and mentors. This bond grew so strong that Jarro began to fear for their lives, as the threat of the Legion of Doom became greater and greater. Later issues also detail a fear Jarro has of himself and the Starro he could see himself becoming. Justice League #29 sees Jarro face off against the entire Legion of Doom while recounting the horrors Starro once inflicted upon the galaxy. It is clear from these moments that these memories still haunt Jarro, making him wonder whether or not he is destined to be that monster once more. His fear of what the Legion might do to the League leads him to give in to this fear, using his starfish drones to trap them in a trance wherein Jarro becomes the conqueror once more, using his starfish to control the Legion and end the conflict.
Jarro cares enough for the team that he is willing to sacrifice himself to protect them, willing to give in to what he believes is his true nature in order to prevent the Legion from killing his mentors. It takes a heart-to-heart with Batman to show Jarro that he is not the monster he was made to be and that he can be better. Jarro is arguably the very heart of this Justice League team, and though he has appeared infrequently since Scott Snyder’s departure from the title, his appearance in Dark Night’s: Death Metal gives fans hope that the wholesome alien starfish may eventually return as the best Robin ever.
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