Universo - Pre-Zero Hour

Pre-Zero Hour

Universo first appeared as a powerful hypnotist. With his "Hypno Stone", he is able to control the head of the Time Institute, and lure the Legionnaires into a series of traps. The Legion defeats him with the help of a Time Cube invented by scientist Rond Vidar, who is subsequently revealed to be Universo's son.

With his next scheme, Universo manages to take control of Earth by posing as the new president, Kandro Boltax, using his powers of hypnosis, augmented by a chemical placed in the world's water supply. He accomplishes this while most of the Legion is away from Earth on a mission, and they return to find the Legion outlawed. The Legion find refuge in one of Lex Luthor's abandoned hideouts and eventually, with the help of Rond Vidar, are able to thwart his plans.

Years later, Legionnaires Blok and Timber Wolf view a file from the Legion Archives. Therein, it is revealed that Universo is a former member of the Green Lantern Corps who was assigned to journey to the Time Institute on Earth, and prevent the Legion from viewing the Dawn of Time (an act which had catastrophic consequences when perpetrated eons earlier by the Maltusian scientist Krona). When he attempted to view the Dawn of Time himself, he was stripped of his ring by the Guardians of the Universe (making him and Sinestro the only two renegade Green Lanterns in pre-Crisis continuity). Rond Vidar would later acquire his power ring.

Subsequently, Universo manages to temporarily take control of Earth again, this time posing as President Mojai Desai's right-hand man, Vid-Gupta. As depicted in "The Universo Project", the villain succeeds in mentally controlling the entire Legion except the four members most difficult to hypnotize: Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Chameleon Boy and Dream Girl. He strands the quartet on a distant world, but the four manage to make their way back to Earth and defeat Universo once again.