Shapeshifting extraterrestrials with plans to infiltrate the earth are not uncommon. The entities in question today, on the other hand, have penetrated the DC Animated Universe and do not disappoint. They make for a good story arc that keeps viewers interested.
These sentient beings made their initial appearance in ‘Secret Origins Part 1’, as I am sure most fans are aware. Today, we shall look at the beginnings of none other than the ‘Imperium’ alien race. Keep reading to learn everything there is to know about them!
A Brief History of this Ancient Race
The Imperium is an extra-terrestrial parasitic species. They feed off other innocent species to sustain themselves. By this feeding mechanism, the Imperium also managed to steal the shape-shifting power possessed by Martians along with telepathy. However, Martians did not give up without putting up a fight.
Despite having their abilities stolen and is known to be a peaceful species, they formed a resistance movement led by J’onn J’onzz. Despite, the Martians’ relentless effort to defeat the Imperium, they realized they were simply delaying their loss. Their last effort was to infiltrate the Imperium’s underground network and released powerful nerve gas.
This led to all Imperium being paralyzed. All Martians except J’onn J’onzz were killed in this war. This left J’onn J’onzz to be the last of the Green Martian species. He was left behind to solely guard the Imperium in their state of paralysis. He did this duty diligently and undisturbed for nearly 500 years.
Things only went awry when an expedition launched by Earth landed on Mars. Human astronauts found the Imperium species while unfortunately, J’onn J’onzz was in a stage of hibernation. This innocent expedition launched by humans quickly took a horrible turn. The past seal got broken by the act of another foreign involvement. The Imperium’s state of paralysis was interrupted and as soon as they gained the power to act, they killed all astronauts.
They shapeshifted into them and assumed the astronauts’ identities. The most important of them is J. Allen Carter. The aliens decided to use Earth as their next feeding site and Carter served as a key element to establish this. The Imperium was highly sophisticated and decided to gain control over the globe by introducing Carter into politics.
Battling the Superheroes on Earth
The Imperium’s first political move was to promote the disarming of nuclear weaponry. Under the shroud of promoting peace, they wanted to leave the planet entirely vulnerable without having any means to fend for themselves. They even involved Superman in their campaign who unwittingly supported them.
They also began manipulating communication and tech facilities to secure connections between them and their other external invasion forces allowing for their smooth landing on Earth. However, unbeknownst to them, one of the communication facilities they were using turned out to be Wayne Tech. Batman’s attention was drawn to such activities, but he was unable to get to the root of the Imperium’s identity due to their excellent morphing.
The Imperium had also installed factories that pumped out an ionized gas that blocked the sun’s rays to protect the Imperium as they thrived in the dark. The Imperium was also keeping J’onn J’onzz captive in an army base and their leader had planned their move to overtake the planet after first killing the last Martian J’onzz. This was a grand symbolic gesture. In the meantime, all heroes now knew the nature of Imperium and were fighting the invaders arriving in meteor-shaped ships tirelessly.
Batman and Superman both joined forces and received aid from others like Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman. However, all heroes are soon captured and taken to the leader of the Imperium. Only Batman is an exception because he is presumed to be dead. Right when J’onzz is about to be killed, Batman appears.
He manages to sabotage their ionized gas-pumping factories by destroying the main crystal powerhouse that controls them. This then allows the sunrays to directly hit the Imperium leading to their weakening and defeat. The leader’s feeble attempt to flee is destroyed by Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman. Jo’nn J’onzz joins forces with the heroes which leads to the formation of the Justice League.
Their Powers and Weaknesses
The exact origins of the Imperium prior to their invasion of Mars are not known. J’onn J’onzz speculated that their species entered the Solar System roughly 1,000 years prior. Their species have no defined shape and feed off others as discussed prior. Their leader is distinct from all other Imperium beings.
The leader appears as a large purple circular mass that has numerous tentacles while the subordinates are black and white shapeless masses.
The strength of their parasitic species is to assimilate the powers of their captives. They possess the power of metamorphosis and teleportation, both of which they stole from the Martians. Moreover, their ability to discern human technology and use politics to their advantage indicated their advanced intellect.
The only weakness of the Imperium that became the reason for their defeat is their vulnerability to sunlight. Their skin burns at direct contact with the sunlight.