NERO (Alex Nero)	BIOGRAPHY
Created by Judd Winick, Darryl Banks and Mark Bright

PERSONAL DATA

Real Name: Alex Nero
Full Name: Alexander Nero
Occupation: Unknown
Status: Deceased
Homeworld: Earth
Space Sector: 2814
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Raymond (father, deceased) Joanne (mother, deceased)
Group Affiliation(s): Agent of the Weaponers of Qward
Gender: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Eyes: Yellow
Hair: Red
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 3 #132 (January 2001): "While Rome Burned Part One - An Orphan's Heart"
Creators: Judd Winick, Darryl Banks and Mark Bright

HISTORY

The only child of Raymond and Joanne Nero, Alexander Nero experienced bad temper and hyperactivity which increased as he grew older. By the time he was in grade school Nero was prone to violent outbursts. In his early teens, Alex Nero was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder and put on medications to control his violence. At age 15 Alex Nero's life changed forever. On April 12th he was on a picnic outing with his parents, by April 13th his parents were dead.

Though there had been some speculation Alex Nero may have caused his parents' deaths, it was ruled Raymond Nero had killed Joanne and himself in a murder-suicide. Alex Nero spent almost three years confined to an institution before being released to continue on his medications. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #134

By age 27, Alex Nero was institutionalized again. He had attacked his landlord, claiming his drinking water was being poisoned. Nero was admitted to Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric ward and placed under the care of Dr. Arthur Phillips and his staff. Nero was suffering from extreme paranoia, delusions of grandeur as well as persecution. He was given haldol, effexor and klonopin to help settle him. His caretakers remarked about his artistic talent, but were deeply troubled by the violent and dark content of his artwork. The medical staff was not the only observers of Alex Nero. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #132

In the antimatter universe of Qward, a realm where evil is prized, the Weaponers of Qward planned to once more strike at the positive matter universe. The Weaponers had long been foes of the Guardians of the Universe and their Green Lantern Corps. Years ago, the Weaponers had armed Sinestro with a yellow power ring and sent the renegade Green Lantern against his former masters and their Corps. Sinestro had died and his ring came into the possession of Guy Gardner, at that time another former Green Lantern, before it was ultimately destroyed. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #9, Green Lantern Corps Vol. 1 #222, Guy Gardner Reborn #3, Guy Gardner: Warrior #21

Recently, the Weaponers created a new power ring, a yellow ring in homage to Sinestro. For a brief time it was given to Yrra Cynril of Xanshi, better known as Fatality. The Qwardians retrieved the ring following her failure to defeat Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. They were pleased by the ring's exceptional performance despite Fatality's defeat. The Qwardians opened a warp to Earth where they presented the yellow ring to Alex Nero. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #130- #132

As reported in his medical records, Alex Nero told the staff the Bellevue he had "a visitation from the gods...they gave hive great power ... he was chosen to be the bearer of the ring and he could change the world at his whim..." This was dismissed as part of his delusions. Nero later escaped from Bellevue and nine days later was using the yellow ring to terrorize New Yorkers on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Within fifteen minutes, Alex Nero's creations were able to overwhelm Sentinel, formerly Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott, as the JSA member tried to stop the ring constructs. When Kyle Rayner intervened to save his friend, Nero showed himself and attacked. Rayner had to leave Nero behind as he took Scott to safety. Rayner spent hours looking for Nero but he and his yellow ring spawned creations were nowhere to be found. Rayner called in the JLA and Guy Gardner, now known as Warrior. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #134

Nero started in the morning, unleashing what witnesses referred to as "gold demons" across the city. By noon, the creatures became larger and more destructive. For three hours, the JLA fought across Manhattan until Nero stood revealed in Times Square. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #135

While Warrior and the other members of the JLA rescued New Yorkers and fought the yellow ring constructs, Green Lantern fought Nero directly. It was clear that Nero would not tire and a direct assault might ultimately fail. Green Lantern had the Flash bring a video tape of the Nero family's April 12th picnic which was played to disrupt Alex Nero's delusions. Unexpectedly, when the tape was played, Nero's delusions transformed the images into twisted versions of his parents that screamed at him and blamed their son for his failures and their deaths. A huge explosion took Nero and the Qwardian ring. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #136

Nero was not dead. He was hidden deep in the forest outside a small, remote village in Eastern Europe. The constructs formed by his madness and the yellow power ring preyed on the local villagers unfortunate enough to venture into the dark forest. He would have likely stayed there, but for the sudden realization that there was far more power to gain. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #143

The power of Oblivion, a sentient construct inadvertently formed by Kyle Rayner, and the residual power of Parallax had merged in the sun. Rayner had been tapping into the vast reserve of energy, and now Nero was aware of it as well. Nero fought to claim it for his own, and would not let Rayner stand in his way. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #144

They both drew upon the power in a furious battle on ring constructs. While they fought, the Weaponers of Qward embarked on a contingency plan should Nero be defeated by the Green Lantern. Nero either did not notice or did not care that a Qwardian placed a device on his person, he simply used his ring constructs to slay all the Qwardians.

Ultimately, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner brought Alexander Nero into what appeared to be another plane of existence where they fought hand-to-hand until the yellow ring wielder was soundly defeated. Rayner would go on to claim the Oblivion and Parallax powers for his own, becoming the omni-potent being known as Ion. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #145

Sometime later, the Ultra-Humanite had taken control of Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt and made himself absolute ruler. Alex Nero was one of countless super-humans under the Ultra-Humanite's sway. The Ultra-Humanite was eventually defeated and time was folded back on itself to erase all but the memories of the villain's six month reign. - JSA #35

Nero was later secretly used against his will by the Sinestro Corps. Masquerading as Kyle Rayner, now Ion once more, Nero visited destruction on a number of worlds. He was not fully aware of his actions or identity, believing himself to actually be Kyle Rayner. The link between the two had detrimental effects on both their minds, with Kyle Rayner suffering blackouts as Nero leeched power from him.

Sector 3521 Green Lanterns Garmin Vid and Torquemada confronted "Kyle Rayner" and were soundly defeated and sent back to Oa. Nero-as-Rayner then moved onto sector 3503, to the planet Alytt. By this time, Green Lantern Hal Jordan was investigating. - Ion #1-4

Jordan caught up with Nero-as-Rayner on the Khund-controlled planet Allistra in Sector 937. Attempting to bring "Rayner" to Oa caused a violent mental breakdown and the truth was revealed. When the true Kyle Rayner arrived Nero renewed his attacks. Though Rayner had not been responsible, Nero blamed his foe for all that Rayner’s enemies had done to him.

Once on Oa, Nero’s power ignited, threatening to violently explode as a suicide bomb against the Guardians of the Universe. Rayner, now in control of his powers as Ion, was able to contain the blast so no lives were lost, including Nero, but his foe could not tell him anything about the hidden enemy. Later probes by the Guardians themselves revealed Nero’s memories had been expunged. - Ion #6, 8

Nero was seen following the defeat of the Sinestro Corps on Earth. It is believed he had escaped the Oan sciencells during the Sinestro Corps initial attack on Oa which freed the Cyborg-Superman, Parallax and Superman-Prime. Nero sought revenge once more against Kyle Rayner, but was defeated by the new Ion, Sodam Yat of Daxam and returned to the Sciencells on Oa. - Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Ion #1

Following a prisoner riot, the Sciencell inmates were lined up and executed one by one by the Alpha-Lanterns. Alexander Nero was one of many villains slain. - Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #38

BLACK LANTERN: NERO

After the fall of the Blackest Night, a black ring descended upon Nero's corpse, downloaded his memories and reanimated his body as a member of the Black Lantern Corps. - Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #40

POWERS AND WEAPONS

Though never a member of the Sinestro Corps, Nero possessed a yellow power ring. He did not require a power battery as his ring was fueled from the ambient energy in the universe.

CHRONOLOGY

For a definitive list of appearances of Nero in chronological order click here