Friday, July 8, 2011

25 Days of Supporting Characters: Jason Goldstein

#21 Jason Goldstein a.k.a."Rex Hunter"

He's a former student of Rips' that flunked his time cop job after trying to "erase" Lex Luthor. Someone that doesn't like to listen to a certain time master and wants glory. Sound like anyone we know? 

Why he's important to Booster: Only on a meta level.Yeah, at first glance Jason does seem more like a Rip Hunter character than someone who represents anything from Boosters' life. Taking a closer look reveals some similar traits.In a way Jason is a darker version of an early Booster that didn't want to listen to Supermans' expertise. Jason doesn't want to believe he's in the wrong. Like Booster he want to be someone important. 

His downfall is his refusal to listen to the person he's trying to overcome (Rip) and like Booster he wants credit for his deeds. At one point Rip even points out that Booster wants to change time to suit his needs just like Jason without considering what this would do to the timeline. He's what Booster would be like if he completely ignored Rips' warnings and did what he wanted. Never learning from his mistakes and always in it to further himself. Not what a true time master should be. ...Plus his name has gold in it. ;)

Suggested Reading: Booster Gold #18 Vol. 2 Where Jason is revealed as the big bad in the Reality Lost storyline. It's a nice character issue for him building on his shortsighted views. What's tragically funny is his earlier remarks to Booster at the start of the arc, when he claims Booster has no concept of the power he's been given. Jason himself never seems to grasp any of Rips' lessons. So in the end I suppose this proves that Booster really IS a good student.

2 comments:

  1. Well, Jason does serve as a cautionary tale, and that's always a good thing.

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  2. True although I don't think Boosters' really given it much thought yet. So far his reaction has pretty much been "that loser? Guess I'll have to stop him again."

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