DC’s Vicious Red Lantern DEX-STARR Returns for a Story So Heart-Breaking, I Nearly Cried

Warning: Spoilers for Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1!

I’ve always thought it a little odd that the Red Lanterns had a cat among their ranks. However, Dex-Starr is just as vicious as any of the cold-blooded monsters fueled by rage in Green Lantern lore. What doesn’t necessarily get seen so often is the softer side of such an angry character — but Dex-Starr achieves this in a way that broke my pet-loving heart.

The cutest Red Lantern makes another appearance in a stand-alone story called “The Little Cat” by Dan Watters and Christopher Mitten from Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1. In this short story from the one-shot special, an alien town evacuates because of the “Great Red Beast” that is fighting a celestial battle in the sun and quickly heading their way.

As the narration tells, one lone alien girl is left behind to fend for herself against the red monstrosity, and she sits and waits in fear for her end. But only a ragged cat shows up and comforts her. The two fall asleep together, as Dex-Starr returns to his roots as a beloved house-cat.

Dex-Starr Returns as the Rage-Filled Cat Lantern

The Great Red Beast Battles a Cosmic Monster

Dex-Starr isn’t from an alien world where the species is particularly feline. He’s, in fact, from Earth: a cat so filled with rage from wanting to avenge the harm brought to his owner. The master of the Red Lantern Corps, Atrocitus, noticed the power within him and awarded him a Red Lantern ring. Green Lantern fans quickly fell in love with this psychotic cat, but I needed a little more convincing.

Giving Dex-Starr a fairy-tale story with the art style of a children’s book was exactly what I needed to see to become a fan of this Red Lantern. The storytelling style is also brilliant in that it ironically tells of the girl’s fear of Dex-Starr, all while showing how Dex-Starr was actually saving their whole planet from extinction. The girl finds a cat as a friend at the end of the story, but what she doesn’t know is that the Great Red Beast fought to save her life in a way that he couldn’t for his last owner.

Dex-Starr’s Story Is a Love Letter to Pet Owners

The Little Cat and the Girl Find Comfort in Each Other

This story moved me emotionally as someone who loves not only fairy tales but stories showcasing what pets would do for their owners if they only had the power. It also brings the idea of the Red Lanterns into a new light. Those who wield rage show that anger is a normal emotion and can be used to enact good means — like saving loved ones. When pressed to the extreme, the little cat becomes the Great Red Beast just to protect those he loves. Dex-Starr isn’t just another Green Lantern villain; he’s a cat who misses his owner and needs to fill that void.

With as much of a tearjerker as “The Little Cat” is, I had no choice but to fall in love with Dex-Starr. Just as the story shows how misunderstood he is as a part of Green Lantern lore, so I’ve been misunderstanding him the same way. I know some of the pets I’ve had in my life would kill a celestial monster for me, and sometimes that kind of rage is needed to protect someone. Dex-Starr the Red Lantern has that kind of power, but he’s also just a house cat who curls up in a girl’s lap and purrs gently until she falls asleep, safe and sound.

Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1 is available now from DC Comics!