Michael Morningstar (Classic)

Michael Morningstar, also known as Darkstar, is one of the recurring villains of the franchise. He gained a grudge against Ben Tennyson and his team after they accidentally caused him to turn into a zombie-like being who has to wear a helmet to hide his face. His plans usually involve gaining back his original face and feeding himself though he seems to still be interested in feeding from Gwen's vast stores of Anodite energy.
==Appearance==
===Michael Morningstar===
His general appearance is that of a tall, handsome young man in his late teens with blond hair, light blue eyes, dark eyebrows, and pale skin. He is dressed in a dark gray overcoat, a black shirt, a brown scarf, khaki pants and black dress shoes.
===Darkstar===
When drained of his energy, he becomes almost zombie-like: his hair becomes patchy and his eyes become sunken, black and beady. His lips pull back to show his teeth, and his skin turns grey. He wears a metallic helmet and gloves to hide his face and hands, the holes in his helmet for his eyes and mouth still keep those parts of his face hidden in shadows. He now wears a medieval tunic and pants.
In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Darkstar's tunic and pants were bluish-grey and the boots worn over his pants were black.
In Omniverse, his tunic and pants are recolored bright bluish-purple and his boots are more metallic.
Hamsome.png|Michael with a white suit
AP2 (555).png|Michael in dark blue briefs
Remembering blues.png|Michael in costume, unmasked in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien
Caped Michael.png|Michael in costume, unmasked with a cloak
Dark star cloaked.PNG|Cloaked Darkstar
Michael Handsome Stand.png|Michael in costume, unmasked in Omniverse
ATG (555).png|Michael with grey skin
ATG (582).png|Michael drained of energy in overcoat
Darkstar.png|Michael drained of energy in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien
Michael Zombie Stand.png|Michael drained of energy in Omniverse
Golden Michael.png|Golden Michael in overcoat
AP2 (551).png|Golden Michael in briefs
Golden Darkstar.png|Golden Michael in costume
Dante Stand.png|Michael disguised as Dante
Evil Minature Stone Form.png|Darkstar as Charmcaster's totem
==Personality==
Michael is vain, often seen admiring himself in a mirror or some other reflective surface when he gets his original looks back. He seems to view all women he comes into contact with as "trophies."Couples Retreat He is also power-hungry and egocentric, being more in love with himself than anything else and he is also kind of sarcastic, for example: in "All That Glitters" he told Gwen that he was hungry, what he meant was that he had to absorb all the energy out of her.
However, at times he is shown to have some level of morals or restraints, such as when he started absorbing the DNAliens but stopped once Ben pointed out that he was killing them, although he was irritated at him for stopping him.War of the Worlds: Part 1
Michael seems to be shortsighted as shown when he prioritized stealing the power Kevin had stolen rather than the offer of mana for a year as promised by Gwen.Absolute Power: Part 2
==History==
===Alien Force===
In All That Glitters, Michael is initially depicted as a well-mannered individual who appears eager to help Ben and company. He comes from a rich family, as he states that his family has multiple mansions. How his family acquired such wealth isn't explained but it is known his is the only family which has such wealth, which are armed with a menagerie of Plumber technology. The technology in question is monitoring equipment that uplinks to a variety of networks, which funnels information to him. Part of the monitoring equipment features a communication network between the Plumber badges.
As they travel with him, he shows a very uncaring attitude to others around him. This is evident by his slamming of the door in Kevin's face as well as his remarks to Gwen while they are alone. While Ben and Gwen quickly trusted him, Kevin knew since the beginning about Morningstar's true motivation (partially because of his jealousy, as Michael and Gwen tended to flirt with each other). After a fight with zombified schoolgirls from unknown origin, Kevin guessed that Michael was the one responsible for these zombifications. His guess later proved to be right when Morningstar drained Gwen's energy, becoming nearly unstoppable and easily defeating both Ben and Kevin. However, Gwen proved to have enough will to resist his control, and drained her energy back from him, as well as part of his own, leaving him weakened. His other zombie victims then turned against him, and took back what remained of his energy, leaving him almost desiccated and powerless. His Plumber badge was then taken and destroyed by Kevin, who stated that he doesn't deserve it.
He later reappears as Darkstar in Darkstar Rising, his powers having gradually returned much stronger and more powerful than before. In order to get revenge, he tries to get Ben, Gwen, and Kevin arrested by Magister Prior Gilhil for impersonating Plumbers and by making a deal with a Highbreed lord he defeated. When the Highbreed did his part of the deal, Darkstar tried to absorb Ben, Gwen, Kevin, the Highbreed, and Gilhil's life force energy, but he was unable to absorb Gwen's because she escaped. He later captured the four and was about to absorb all of their life force energy when Gwen came in with the DNAliens in which he was unable to absorb all of them because of fatigue. He was defeated by Ben using a combination of his aliens. Afterwards, he was arrested by Magister Gilhil and thrown in the Null Void.
In the two-part first season finale War of the Worlds, Darkstar is eventually released from the Null Void by Cooper so he can help them stop the Highbreed invasion. During the battle, he tried to absorb the life force energy of several DNAliens, transforming his face back to its original youthful appearance, but Ben managed to talk him out of it because Michael realized that he was killing real people under alien control. After the fight was over, Darkstar managed to evade them.
Darkstar appeared again in the second season in the episode Trade-Off!, where he tricks Kevin into finding him so that he could convince Kevin to join him to find the Dominus Librium (a device that was decidedly alien origin and could restore the two of them to original human forms) to which they eventually retrieved and used to absorb their powers and return them to normal. Then he sucker punched Kevin in the face. Darkstar kept the Librium so he could still use his powers. When Gwen discovered the truth about Kevin, she confronted Darkstar and he started to drain her power as well as Swampfire's. Darkstar's full power was eventually perished by Kevin when he broke the Librium and got his regular powers and ugly appearance again. Enraged, Darkstar then swore that he would make them all pay someday before running away.
===Ultimate Alien===
When Darkstar appears in the two-part second season finale Absolute Power, it is revealed that he is now in a weakened state and is forced to feed off the energy of stray animals just to survive and tries not to cause too much attention to himself. He was later found and recruited by Gwen to stop Ultimate Kevin. As payment, she changes his face back to normal using a powerful transformation spell and promises him mana, enough to keep him fully restored for a year. Michael then agrees to help her to stop Kevin, much to Ben's chagrin. Michael reveals that he kept a fragment of the Dominus Librium after it had exploded in Trade-Off!, though it's ineffective. However, a strong energy surge would make it usable again. The group goes to Los Soledad and meet Cooper, who also agrees to the plot. Both Michael and Cooper create a device while Ben and Gwen stall Kevin.
When Kevin becomes normal, Michael takes advantage of this moment and absorbs the vast powers and abilities of the Dominus Librium, becoming the power-hungry Morningstar again. He then shreds off his clothes and becomes pure energy. However, Ben anticipated this plot and presses a button which causes Morningstar to become normal again in his briefs. Ben reveals that he told Cooper to create a mechanism to revert the process of the absorption.
Afterwards, Kevin punches Michael in the eye as retaliation for the events in Trade-Off! knocking him out.
Darkstar reappeared in Couples Retreat, having reverted to his ugly form. He broke into Kevin's garage to steal one of Gwen's spellbooks. He used a spell in it to summon the Door to Anywhere, but was badly injured while fighting Ben, Gwen, and Kevin in the process. Escaping his pursuers, Darkstar collapses at the foot of the open door, and Charmcaster appears, taking him to her castle in Legerdomain. Once in Legerdomain, Darkstar reverted to his handsome form, now having access to an unlimited supply of mana.
Charmcaster and Darkstar are later engaged in a romantic relationship, but Darkstar, of course, was only using Charmcaster for her power and that of Legerdomain as well. After telling him her real name, Hope, Charmcaster planted a rune on Darkstar's hand that acts like the key to Legerdomain, so he can come and go as he pleases. However, Darkstar soon finds that the power of Legerdomain leaves him when he leaves the realm, so he returns there, but is pursued by Ben, Gwen, and Kevin.
At Charmcaster's castle, Darkstar fights Ben and Kevin, ranting about how he'll take over Earth and Legerdomain, and keep the "lovely Gwen" as a trophy. Charmcaster confronts him about this, but Darkstar denies having meant it seriously and offers Charmcaster to join him in being evil. However, Charmcaster asks him if he remembers her real name. Darkstar, unable to completely remember, replies "Heather." Charmcaster becomes enraged, destroying her castle in a burst of magical power and also kicking out Ben's Team. In addition, she expelled Darkstar from Legerdomain, stripping him of his powers and returning to his ugly appearance. Charmcaster closes the Door to Anywhere in Darkstar's face, despite his pleas for her to take him back (calling her wrong names in the process). Ben, Gwen, and Kevin then approach Darkstar, ready to beat him up and apprehend him once more.
===Omniverse===
He returns in Special Delivery where he is one of the many people who are in the stands awaiting the items being auctioned off by Psyphon in Undertown.
In Mystery, Incorporeal, Darkstar disguises himself as a nerd named Dante using an ID mask and captures Gwen using one of the Charms of Bezel at her college. He attempts to use her as a sacrifice to open a portal to Legerdomain to gain an unlimited supply of mana and is almost successful, until Ben uses Ghostfreak to possess him and make him reverse the spell at the last minute. After being taken into police custody, Charmcaster appears before him in order to take revenge. 
In Charmed, I'm Sure, it was revealed that Charmcaster turned Darkstar into a stone totem along with Addwaitya and trapped him in her bag. He whispers a plan in her ears which she liked enough to keep her from smashing him.
In Charm School, though Darkstar made no on-screen appearance, Charmcaster told him in her bag that he was a horrible boyfriend.
In Third Time's a Charm, Darkstar, along with Addwaitya, Hex, and Gwen, are freed from Charmcaster's bag. He attempts to flee, but is stopped by Rook and is presumably arrested.
==Powers and Abilities==
MI (387).png|Dynakinesis/Dyna-Telekinesis
MI (370).png|Energy Beams
CR (99).png|Optic Lasers
TO (207).png|Energy Absorption
MI (474).png|Mana Absorption
ATG (563).png|Energy Waves (with enough energy)
TO (446).png|Force Field Generation (with enough energy)
CR (370).png|Invincibility (with enough energy)
CR (38).png|Flight (with enough energy)
MI (558).png|Levitation (with enough energy)
DR (261).png|Enhanced Strength
AP1 (249).png|Enhanced Durability
ATG (500).png|Enhanced Agility/Enhanced Reflexes
ATG (502).png|Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant
MI (548).png|Magic
CR (377).png|Stone Creature Summoning
Michael has the power to absorb energy (life force, mana, electricity, etc.), but his powers are a vicious cycle; the more life force he drains from others, the stronger and more powerful he becomes.All That Glitters But the more power he gains, the greater his hunger becomes.
As Morningstar or Darkstar, his strength is great enough to lift large pieces of rubble and rip open metal doors with his bare hands.
Mike as Darkstar can easily withstand DNAlien blaster fire and being knocked back by a Highbreed. He is also durable enough to withstand attacks from Ben's aliens, Gwen, Kevin, Magister Gilhil, and being stomped on by Humongousaur all at once (which made a crater), but it did knock him unconscious as a result.
Darkstar has gained an affinity for using magic, as he could move objects with waves of his hands, recite a spell from Gwen's Spellbook to summon the Door to Anywhere, and create Rock Monsters powered by his life energy.
===As Michael Morningstar===
Through the absorption of energy, Michael's skin tone becomes more healthy looking. When he absorbs a great amount of energy, he gains a gold membrane over his skin. All these features are lost should he lose the energy he's absorbed. This can happen by means of him coming into contact with someone he's drained. Whether he needs to recharge or something of the sort is unknown but it is known that he uses his draining as a sort of feeding.
Michael's strength increases as he absorbs more energy.
When he is overflowing with power, Michael is resistant enough to shrug off Ultimate Humungousaur's missiles unfazed.
Michael can fly, and he leaves behind a sparkling energy trail when he does it.
Michael can release glowing, yellow energy bolts from his hands or eyes and projecting shockwaves from his body. He can also use this energy as a defensive shield around himself.
Michael's draining of people has a few aftereffects on his victims: The victims become "attracted" to him and may feel a slight level of infatuation after being drained a bit. Victims may exhibit a ring of 'bite marks' from being drained, correlating with a mark on Michael's hand with the appearance of a mouth and throat with spiked teeth in it. Finally, after multiple drainage victims enter a zombie-like state and their skin becomes grey and begins to desiccate and shrivel. In Omniverse, their hair turns white, making it look more like rapid aging than zombification.
===As Darkstar===
Darkstar is Michael's negative form. Michael becomes Darkstar when his energy levels are below average. His face becomes gray and zombified with a matching deteriorating hairline, so he wears a metal helmet/mask to hide it. His powers change while he is in this form.
Darkstar can still fly, but he no longer glows or leaves an energy trail when he does so.
Darkstar can manipulate and control dark energy and display it as blasts of black energy,;due to absorbing all stray energy in their path; including light. This is similar to Gwen's mana manipulation and control.
Darkstar no longer needs physical contact to absorb energy, but can using his own dark energy projections as conduits to the people he wants to steal life force from, which expands his list of targets exponentially. Mana shields seem to be the only defense against these long-range attacks; short-lived and imperfect as it may be.
Darkstar was shown to resist cold temperatures.
==Weaknesses==
MI (617).png|Energy Drained
File:DR (514).png|Neuroshock Blast Vulnerability
File:CR (246).png|Electricity Vulnerability
MI (594).png|Vulnerability to Possession
Due to Michael's constant cycle of absorbing greater and greater amounts of mana/life energy, energy from both normal aliens and humans alike will not sustain Michael for long, making him more desperate for larger amounts, such as those found in Legerdomain or from Anodites.
Michael's primary weakness is when his own energy can be drained to the point where he is practically powerless.
Michael was shown to experience pain from electricity.
Michael's absorption powers cannot affect Ectonurites since they do not have any mana for him to absorb.
Michael is currently so gorged on mana that he has trouble absorbing low-quality energy.
Michael is vulnerable to an Ectonurite's possession powers, which Ghostfreak used to make Michael attack himself.
Michael's arrogance can make him careless and greatly underestimate his opponents. Additionally, he assumed that the women that he targeted would not fight back against him and was proven wrong by Gwen.
Michael's misogynistic attitude has led to his downfall; he once did not care to remember Charmcaster's true name that she told him in confidence and lost their extremely beneficial relationship.
Darkstar is susceptible to certain rune spells, such as the one Gwen placed on his forehead to prevent him from using his absorption powers.
==Appearances==
===Alien Force===
====Season 1====
*All That Glitters (first appearance)
*Darkstar Rising
*War of the Worlds: Part 1
*War of the Worlds: Part 2 
====Season 2====
*Trade-Off!
===Ultimate Alien===
====Season 2====
*Absolute Power: Part 1 (first reappearance; flashback and present)
*Absolute Power: Part 2
====Season 3====
*Couples Retreat
*The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2 (flashback; cameo)
===Omniverse===
====Season 3====
*Special Delivery (first reappearance; cameo)
====Season 5====
*Mystery, Incorporeal
*Charmed, I'm Sure (stone form)
====Season 8====
*Third Time's a Charm
===Books===
====Chapter Books====
*The Dark of Knight
==Video Games==
===Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks===
Darkstar appears in Vilgax Attacks, where he tries to steal an energy core on Encephalonus IV. Soon, Ben arrives and after a battle, Darkstar is defeated by him once again.
====DS Version====
Darkstar appears on Vulpin and claims Vilgax is giving him power. He is invincible, and can only be attacked when acid fills the floor by pressing switches. However, only Goop can withstand the acid. Also, the switches will go up after a few seconds, and Darkstar will be invincible again. Once defeated, his mask will fall off.
====Powers and Abilities====
Darkstar serves as the boss of Encephalonus IV. He attacks by shooting dark energy lasers at Ben. He can either shoot multiple blasts of dark energy or a dark energy laser at Ben. Darkstar's energy blasts can regenerate his health. He also has melee attacks at his disposal. Darkstar runs faster than Jetray and Spidermonkey.
==Etymology==
Michael's first name comes from the archangel Michael and his last name comes from the fallen angel Lucifer, The Morning Star, often addressed by the Hebrew name "Satan" in Judeo-Christian tradition.
==Trivia==
*While his mother and stepfather live in the main mansion on their estate, Michael has his own mansion for himself nearby.
*It is a running gag in the show that whenever Michael regains his normal appearance, he quickly gets defeated and looks ugly again.
*In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Michael's helmet and his Darkstar uniform resembles both Iron Man and Doctor Doom.
**In Omniverse, both his helmet and his Darkstar uniform resembles more like Doctor Doom.
*It is currently unknown as to how he found out about the energy he thirsts for is known as mana.
*Michael was originally referred to by himself and others by his nickname, "Mike". As of Darkstar Rising, he is referred to by his full first name.
*Michael's hold over women is supposed to represent drug addiction and was inspired by vampire themes. 
*Dwayne McDuffie thought of Darkstar as Ben's most dangerous enemy.
*Michael's Alien Force and Ultimate Alien appearances were designed by Glenn Wong, with color styling by Chris Hooten. 
*The sweater Michael wears as Dante is similar to one worn by Star Trek character Wesley Crusher, who was played by Darkstar's voice actor, Wil Wheaton.
==Notes==
==References==
===Crew Statements===
====Derrick J. Wyatt====
====Dwayne McDuffie====
====Glenn Wong====
===Merchandise===
es:Mike Morningstar
it:Darkstar
pl:Michael Morningstar
pt-br:Michael Morningstar
ro:Steaua neagră
ru:Майкл Морнигстар
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