Psi is a
DC character created by
Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg (born June 14, 1955) is an American writer and comics editor. He is currently a writer and executive editor at Charlton Neo Comics and Pix-C Webcomics, and a contributing author with Crazy 8 Press. Formerly, he was an editor for D ...
and
Carmine Infantino
Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...
for ''The Daring New Adventures of
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'' #1 (November 1982).
Fictional character biography
Pre-Crisis
Her real name is Gayle Marsh. At the age of twelve, she developed psychic powers, primarily psychokinesis. After her parents died she was raised by the scientist David Pendergast who was preparing to fight a new menace called "the Decay". In college, she took the alias of Psi and fought Supergirl several times, thinking that Supergirl was the Decay. The truth was that David Pendergast was an extension of her own fears. Realizing that the Decay was David and herself, she put a stop to Pendergast and herself.
Post-Crisis
Psi’s first appearance in the
Post Crisis DC Universe was with the
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
. She had no memory of her real name or history, as an unknown event "has nearly shattered her psyche".
[''Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special'' #1 (1988)]
She joined in order to gain help from the Suicide Squad in restoring her lost memory and accompanied
Rick Flag
Rick may refer to:
People
*Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name
*Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality
*Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
and a similarly untested team for a mission in Central America, but she was killed by the
Rocket Red Brigade. As she lay dying, she remembers her real name, Gayle Marsh, as well as her mother and father. Her allies, Mister 104, the
Thinker and the
Weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...
are also killed on the mission.
During the events of ''
Blackest Night
"Blackest Night" is a 2009–10 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous central miniseries, written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, along with a number of tie-in issues. ''Blackest Nig ...
'', Psi's corpse is reanimated as a member of the
Black Lantern Corps
The Black Lantern Corps is a fictional organization of corporeal revenants (resembling intelligent zombies or jiangshi) appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, related to the emotional spectrum. The group is composed of deceased fiction ...
alongside several other fallen Suicide Squad members. Psi is apparently destroyed by the
Manhunter's self-destruct mechanism unleashing an explosion of
Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
energy that eradicates the Black Lanterns.
The New 52
In September 2011,
The New 52
The New 52 is the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC canceled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new serie ...
rebooted DC's continuity. Psi is reintroduced as a prisoner in "The Circus", the Detroit station for
A.R.G.U.S.
A.R.G.U.S. is a government organization in DC Comics. A.R.G.U.S. first appeared in ''Justice League'' vol. 2 #7 and was created by Geoff Johns and Gene Ha.
Headed by Amanda Waller, A.R.G.U.S. is typically depicted as a parent organization for the ...
operations.
Steve Trevor
General Steven Rockwell Trevor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Wonder Woman. The character was created by William Moulton Marston and first appeared in ' ...
and
Killer Frost
Killer Frost is a name used by several female supervillains and superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics: Crystal Frost, Louise Lincoln, and Caitlin Snow. Each different individual in the DC Universe assuming the Killer Frost ...
visit her cell to see if she can disrupt the Firestorm Matrix in order to free the imprisoned Justice Leagues. When Psi touches him however, Trevor is flooded with images, which he realizes connects everything he already knew, based on the clue Madame Xanadu told him, and tells him how to save the Justice League. One of the visions that Psi showed Steve Trevor was that
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
's lasso is in the possession of
Cheetah
The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
.
Other versions
Psi appeared in the digital first comic book ''Adventures of Supergirl'' series.
This version of Psi was a
Kryptonian
Kryptonians are a fictional extraterrestrial race within the DC Comics universe that originated on the planet Krypton. The term originated from the stories of DC Comics superhero, Superman. The stories also use "Kryptonian" as an adjective to re ...
psychic who was an employee of Fort Rozz prison, working as its "dream mistress", controlling the dreams of its prisoners in order to secure their mental health. She lost her physical form when Fort Rozz crashed, and was manipulated by a villainess named Facet Jens into becoming an enemy of Supergirl, though eventually she was redeemed once Facet's true intentions were revealed.
In other media
Psi appears in the episode "
Triggers" of the third season of ''
Supergirl
Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. The character made her fir ...
'', portrayed by
Yael Grobglas
Yael Grobglas ( he, יעל גרובגלס; born ) is a French-Israeli actress, best known for her roles as Petra Solano on The CW's television series ''Jane the Virgin''.
Her first major role was in three seasons of the Israeli sci-fi TV series ...
. Her primary psychic ability is to trigger incapacitating fear in others, either by making them relive a traumatic event or confronting a fearsome element. Nicknamed "Psi" by authorities, Gayle Marsh was "a law-abiding citizen of
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, neighboring the City of Chicago's northern border. Its population, according to the 2020 census, was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately north of Chicago's do ...
" until she "snapped" and began robbing banks. Supergirl tries several times to apprehend Psi, but the criminal stops her by making her relive the trauma of being sent away from
Krypton
Krypton (from grc, κρυπτός, translit=kryptos 'the hidden one') is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and is often ...
just before it exploded and being lost in the
Phantom Zone
The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in '' Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created ...
. Supergirl ultimately manages to overcome her fears enough to resist Psi's attacks and capture her. Psi makes a return in "Fort Rozz" where she, along with
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Saturn Girl is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Imra's "Saturn Girl" title refers to her homewo ...
and
Livewire, is recruited by Supergirl for a team to infiltrate the Kryptonian prison Fort Rozz to gain information on Reign. During the mission, she inadvertently uses powers on Saturn Girl after a blow to the head. Psi later saves Supergirl from Reign using her powers after Livewire sacrifices herself to save Supergirl. After returning to Earth Psi gives Supergirl her condolences for Live Wire's death. Supergirl in return asks that Psi be given a better room during her incarceration which prompts Psi to smile at her. In the episode "Alex in Wonderland", Alex in her virtual reality experience as Supergirl has an offscreen fight with Psi. She is arrested by the D.E.O. even though Psi's face isn't shown.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Psi (comics)
Characters created by Carmine Infantino
Characters created by Paul Kupperberg
Comics characters introduced in 1982
DC Comics female supervillains
DC Comics metahumans
DC Comics telekinetics
DC Comics telepaths
Fictional characters with energy-manipulation abilities