Character spotlight – Booster Gold

Booster Gold is Michael Jon Carter. The character first appeared in Booster Gold #1 released in February 1986. He and his twin sister Michelle were born poor in 25th Century Gotham City thanks to their father’s gambling addiction. Carter is a gifted athelete, attending Gotham University on a football scholarship. Micheal’s life is ruined when his father convinces him to deliberately loose games for gambling purposes. Carter is later exposed and is expelled from the University. Unable to find any viable work, he gets a job working at the Metropolis Space Museum as a night watchman.

He decides to start his life over again by traveling back in time and becoming a super-hero. With the help of a robot named Skeets, he travels back in time using Rip Hunter’s time sphere with technology from a future era. Initially seeking fame and fortune, Carter used his knowledge of historical events to stage high publicity heroics. His first act was to stop the shapeshifter assassin Chiller from killing the President of the United States. After saving President Ronald Regan’s life, during his debut he says his name incorrectly which the President repeats to the Public as “Booster Gold.”

From his initial debut, Booster was able to sign a multitude of commercials and movie deals. And as time passes, he became portrayed as a glory-wanting, money seeking super-hero.

Eventually Booster Gold’s character slowly develops into a true hero through his personal tragedies constantly struggling to overcome the reputation he originally created for himself.