Rocket Red

For other meanings see Red Rocket (disambiguation).

Rocket Red
Gavril Ivanovich, the current Rocket Red. Art by Aaron Lopresti.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Pushkin Justice League #3 (July 1987) Ivanovich Justice League: Generation Lost #4 (August 2010)
Created by	Pushkin Steve Englehart (writer) Joe Staton (artist) Ivanovich Judd Winick (writer) Joe Bennett (artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Dimitri Pushkin Gavril Ivanovich
Team affiliations	Justice League Rocket Red Brigade
Notable aliases	Rocket Red #4
Abilities	Super strength, flight, invulnerability, energy blasts, mecha-empathy

Rocket Red is a fictional character and comic book superhero from the DC Comics universe. Created by Steve Englehart and Joe Staton, he first appeared in Justice League No. 3 (July 1987). His first DC Universe canon appearance was in Green Lantern Corps No. 208 (January 1987).

The term "Rocket Reds" refers to any member of the Rocket Red Brigade; the name in the singular is used to refer to the three individual characters named Rocket Red who were members of the Justice League. These comprise the original Rocket Red, No. 7, later revealed as an android, Dmitri Pushkin and Gavril Ivanovich.

Fictional character biography

Dmitri Pushkin

Dmitri in his second armor. Art by Ty Templeton.

Dmitri Pushkin (Rocket Red No. 4) became a member of the JLI after the previously assigned Rocket Red No. 7 was revealed to be a Manhunter android. A kind-hearted and jolly man with a taste for American culture, Dimitri served with the Justice League International for many years.

When his armor was destroyed by Lobo, he replaced it with a more advanced model made on Apokolips. This happened during a small-team Justice League mission to save Mister Miracle. He also suffered the destruction of his battle suit while facing Time Commander in Animal Man No. 16 (Oct 1989), when Dimitri served with Justice League Europe. During this time, Maxwell Lord made arrangements with the Russian government for Dmitri's wife, Belina, and his two children, Mischa and Tascha, to live with him at the league's Paris embassy. He also became friends with Animal Man, also known as Buddy Baker, in a manner similar to the friendship of Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Dimitri and Buddy initially bonded because they both had wives and children.

Dmitri is featured in the second Captain Atom annual, helping to defend the country of Bialya from various threats. ^[1]

In Justice League Europe No. 28, Dimitri was part of the small resistance against Starro because the alien could not take him over through his armor. Dmitri was neutralized when Starro threatens to harm his family. He willingly surrendered to the alien's control in order to keep them safe. Other JLA members eventually defeated the menace.

Later, Dmitri and most of the Reds are taken over by the sound-using criminal Sonar. In the same issue, Russian government reports have him listed as retired. ^[2]

Dimitri was the only European on the team initially. He retired from super-heroics for a long time before dying in The OMAC Project, self-destructing to save the other members of the old JLI. His last words to Booster Gold were "My wife and children, Michael ... tell them I love them".

In the Booster Gold series, Rocket Red's grandfather Dr. Sergei Pushkin was a Russian scientist working with the U.S. on the space race in 1952. The Task Force X's mission was to expose Pushkin as a traitor to the American cause. Thanks to Pushkin, the launch was ahead of its schedule, and the Russians were conducting a flight to outer space that night. Booster Gold traveled through time to stop it, giving a diversion to Task Force X to apprehend Pushkin without exposing him. Pushkin became more careful, and the space program started to lag behind until he was exposed by Frank Rock as a traitor in 1954. Because he was a valuable source, the U.S. placed him under house arrest where he worked on the Rocket Red armor in secret until he was sprung in 1957 by the Soviets. He didn't live to see his work completed, and it was up to his son, Dimitri, to finish the suit. So the legacy of the Rocket Reds was secure until 1962.^[3]

In Blackest Night No. 3, Rocket Red was reanimated as a member of the Black Lanterns and is shown attacking the Rocket Red Brigade.^[4]

Gavril Ivanovich

The 2010 ongoing series Justice League: Generation Lost introduced a new Rocket Red named Gavril Ivanovich. In the title, several members of the erstwhile JLI, pursuing a group of OMACs controlled by the resurrected Maxwell Lord, encounter a fight among a group of Rocket Reds, whose infighting was triggered by renegade Rocket Red (Gavril Ivanovich), who remains loyal to the old Communist cause and is resistant to the capitalist values of the modern Rocket Red brigade. He also sports a bulkier, outdated suit of armor that resembles Pushkin's armor rather than the sleek, modern suits worn by the other members of the brigade. The Justice League members intervene to prevent collateral damage, and Ivanovich joins the group (somewhat to their initial reluctance) in a move that paralleled Pushkin's choice to join the original JLI years earlier.^[5] Gavril cements his membership in the new group during a fight against the Checkmate organization, suffering serious injuries but earning the team's respect.^[6] While the team deals with the apparent loss of Blue Beetle, Gavril bonds with Fire. He shares his insecurities about being thought of as a joke by his teammates due to his poor grasp of the English language, and the two grow close, eventually sharing a passionate kiss.^[7] During the final battle against Lords' army of OMACs, Gavril's armor is heavily damaged. Once Lord is temporarily defeated and the battle ends, the injured Gavril sets out to repair his suit.^[8]

During the New 52, Gavril (now sporting a new, much sleeker suit of armor) is invited to join the official Justice League International put together by the United Nations. He immediately clashes with August General in Iron, the team's Chinese representative.^[9]

Powers and abilities

The Rocket Reds were originally created for the Soviet Union by Green Lantern Kilowog and the Rocket Red Brigade —normal human beings enhanced using "forced evolution" and armored battle suits— proudly defended the USSR.

Their abilities included super strength, invulnerability, rocket-powered flight, the ability to project powerful energy blasts, and "mecha-empathy"—the ability to sense and control computers and machines.

In other media

Television

• Rocket Red is seen briefly in various Justice League Unlimited cartoons, notably in the episodes "The Return" and "Panic in the Sky". Because his armor is the same as Dmitri's (Rocket Red No. 4) second suit, it is probable that he is the man behind the mask. In "The Return", Rocket Red is one of the many heroes mobilized to defend Earth against the threat of Amazo. He is assigned to the second line of defense in the upper atmosphere, along with Supergirl, Fire and Red Tornado. The team is attacked by Amazo during his subsequent search for Lex Luthor. After a head-on collision with Amazo, Supergirl becomes the first casualty of the battle and falls, unconscious, into the ocean. Rocket Red then attempts to stop Amazo by firing a barrage of missiles from his suit. When this has little effect, Rocket Red opens fire with his shoulder-mounted Gatling gun and tries to retreat. However, Amazo pursues him and rips the gun from his armor. Later that episode, Rocket Red reappears briefly to carry the unconscious Fire out of the losing battle, moments before the last member of the team, Red Tornado, is destroyed by Amazo. He is also seen helping in the rescue efforts of the league after their weapon system is overtaken by Lex Luthor and fired at Cadmus Headquarters.

• Rocket Red appeared in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Crisis: 22,300 Miles Above Earth".

Toys

• Rocket Red also was a Mattel Justice League Unlimited DC Superheroes action figure in a single pack.

See also

• Rocket Red Brigade

References

1. ^ Captain Atom Annual #2 (1988)
2. ^ Justice League Europe #52 (December 1992)
3. ^ Booster Gold (vol. 2) #20 (July 2009)
4. ^ Blackest Night #3 (September 2009)
5. ^ Justice League: Generation Lost #4 (August 2010)
6. ^ Justice League: Generation Lost #8 (September 2010)
7. ^ Justice League: Generation Lost #21 (March 2011)
8. ^ Justice League: Generation Lost #24 (April 2011)
9. ^ Justice League International (vol. 3) #1 (September 2011)