| “ | Your daughter?! Michael Jon Carter--, how many times have I told you to use con-- | „ |
| ~ Michelle Thinking Rani Was Michael's Biological Daughter. |
Michelle Carter is the twin sister of Booster Gold. In the same fashion, she uses 25th century technology to fight crime in the 21st century as Goldstar.
Goldstar was created by Dan Jurgens and made her first appearance in Booster Gold #1 (1986). However, her debut as a superheroine occurred sometime later.
Background[]
Origin[]
Michelle Carter and her twin brother, Michael, were born in 25th-century Gotham City to Ellen Carter, a devoted mother, and Jon Carter, an irresponsible and deeply flawed father. Their early years were defined by hardship, poverty, and instability. When the twins turned four, their father abandoned them to chase his gambling addiction, leaving behind a mountain of debt that only deepened the family’s struggles. To make matters worse, Ellen was a victim of domestic abuse, often requiring medical care due to her injuries.
Unlike her brother, who was led astray by their father’s brief return and manipulative influence—ultimately getting entangled in illegal gambling—Michelle took it upon herself to provide for their mother, working tirelessly to keep the household afloat. Years passed, and the siblings became estranged. However, Michelle’s perception of her brother changed when she received a cryptic message from Skeets, containing an old photograph of Michael—now known as Booster Gold—standing beside the President. That single image sparked hope within Michelle and filled their mother with pride, proving that, despite his past mistakes, Michael had become something greater than they ever imagined.
Their paths crossed once again when Booster was forced to return to the 25th century to seek treatment for a life-threatening illness. During this unexpected reunion, Michelle made a life-altering decision: she chose to travel back in time with him. Intrigued by her brother’s heroic life and eager to understand it firsthand, she took with her the Goldstar suit—a name that was originally meant for Michael but had been lost due to a nervous slip of the tongue that led to him being known as Booster Gold instead.
As she adjusted to life in the past, Michelle seized the opportunity to explore the world, with Booster unknowingly financing her travels. However, bringing the Goldstar suit with her proved to be a catastrophic mistake. Interdimensional beings sought to exploit the suit for their own sinister purposes and abducted Michelle to obtain it. Though Booster and the Justice League successfully thwarted the alien threat, Michelle’s attempt to escape from Dimension X came at a terrible cost—her life.
For years, Booster grieved the loss of his sister, burdened by guilt and sorrow, until Rip Hunter, the enigmatic Time Master, defied the natural laws of time and space to restore her existence. Grateful yet conflicted, Michelle initially aided Booster and Rip in their mission to safeguard history. However, when she learned that her resurrection had disrupted the natural order of time, she felt betrayed and chose to forge her own path rather than remain a pawn of forces beyond her control.
Seeking stability, Michelle returned to the 20th century, where she eventually found companionship with a man named Drew. For a brief moment, it seemed as though she had finally found peace. But fate had other plans. The couple inadvertently found themselves in Coast City just before its catastrophic destruction. Were it not for the intervention of a much older Booster Gold, Michelle would have perished that day. Tragically, Drew did not survive, leaving Michelle and Michael to face the harsh truth: even those who wield the power to manipulate time cannot escape every tragedy.
Determined to make her second chance count, Michelle became an invaluable ally in the fight to protect the timeline. She played a pivotal role in Rip Hunter’s operations, assisted in the search for a displaced Batman, helped raise the orphaned Rani, and took part in his adventures.
History[]
She later died during her adventures, but has since returned, having been saved at the last second by Rip Hunter, so there was some question, due to the mechanics of time travel, as to whether she actually ever died at all. Michelle is currently being trained by her brother to be a Time Master.
Upon returning to life, Michelle became her brother's partner in their time-travel adventures. Discovering her past death initially unsettled her, causing inner turmoil despite Skeets' attempts to comfort her. Feeling overly protected, she left through a time portal before Booster could reach her.
Her death is later revealed as fully expunged from the timeline: since no body was found after the explosion, Rip Hunter actually plucked her from her designed fate to deposit her safely years after her supposed death. Michelle spends some time blissfully unaware of the deeper implications of her return, until Jason Goldstein, the villainous Rex Hunter, deleted from his intended timeline by the Time Stealers because of Rip Hunter's actions, returns as a chronal energy being, forcing Goldstar to witness her intended fate. Despite Rex Hunter's defeat, Michelle is left deeply traumatized, and starts obsessing about her own death, strongly believing her life a glitch in the timeline resentful against Rip Hunter and Booster Gold for having hidden her real fate from her Goldstar disables Skeets with a powerful magnetic blasts, and escapes into the timestream to an unknown place.
Michelle's suit has been shown to have more powers than originally seen, as she can now fire energy blasts from her wrists like her brother, that still appear as magnetically based, albeit on par on the fully energetic ones of his brother. It is also assumed that her suit was altered by Rip Hunter the same way Booster's was, to protect her while traveling through the time stream, probably enhancing her abilities in the process, as Rip still has access to the same technology used to build and keep in shape the original Booster Gold suit.
However, she discovered she was supposed to die, and started believing that by being saved she was robbed of her place in the timeline. She then escaped, heading to an unknown destination. While Rip and Booster tried to find her, they didn't find any trace of her. More recently, however, she was revealed to be heading to Coast City in the eve of its destruction. However, Booster finds her in time and brings her to the present.
Prime Earth[]
Michelle had been absent for a long time, yet her existence as Michael's twin remained intact. However, she appeared in a hologram, embracing their mother alongside Michael when they were children. This occurred when Michael returned home and reunited with his mother.
Personality[]
Goldstar is the younger twin, the ‘mother’ of the group, and one of the most level-headed members alongside Rip. She consistently pushed Michael to take responsibility for his actions. Yet, Michelle is the more responsible and reliable of the two siblings, often reprimanding her eloquent brother. Despite this, she, like him, is deeply passionate about time travel, drawn to the excitement it offers. Initially, Michelle was portrayed as less interested in becoming a superhero for the typical reasons most heroes pursue it. Instead, she often broke the rules even more than her brother, saving people regardless of the consequences to the timeline. Nevertheless, she eventually became well-known as a competent and capable heroine in her own right.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Goldstar Suit[]
Her crucial asset is the Goldstar costume, granting her magnetic manipulation abilities. Through the suit, she can fly, manipulate metallic objects, generate force fields, and emit magnetism-based beams. Rip has also modified the suit to safeguard her from the hazards of time travel.
- Magnetic Manipulation: The Goldstar Suit grants Michelle the ability to manipulate magnetic fields around her. This power allows her to attract, repel, or control metallic objects, create protective shields, or even alter the trajectory of certain types of attacks.
- Flight: Michelle has the ability to fly, enabling her to swiftly move in any desired direction. This provides her with a tactical advantage and facilitates her actions in combat or during her temporal travels.
- Force Field: The suit can generate a defensive force field that shields Michelle from physical, energy-based, or temporal attacks, providing an additional layer of security in hazardous situations.
- Energy Projection: In addition to its magnetic capabilities, the suit allows Michelle to project energy blasts, similar to those emitted by her brother. These blasts are powerful and can be used both offensively and defensively, serving as an extension of the suit's offensive capabilities.
- Energy Resistance: The Goldstar Suit possesses remarkable resistance against various forms of energy, allowing Michelle to withstand energy-based attacks more efficiently and protecting her from damage caused by these energy sources.
- Transportation: Apart from flight, the suit has transportation capabilities, enabling Michelle to swiftly and accurately move to different locations, broadening her strategic options in missions or emergency situations.
- Time Sphere: Similar to Rip Hunter's device, the suit grants Michelle access to a Time Sphere, allowing controlled time travel. This ability can be crucial for specific missions or to comprehend past and future events.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- She once assumed the role of Batgirl for a brief moment.
- Michelle was already painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
- The Carter twins traveled back in time and took a photo while having a meal, with the Eiffel Tower still under construction in the background.
- Although Michelle never actually met Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, they are often paired as a couple by fans, as a "shiping."