History
Control of the universe will be ours...and only ours. 
- —Controllers[src]
Pre-Crisis
In their initial appearance, the Controllers came from "another space-time continuum". Their universe had almost been destroyed by war, and they determined to prevent the Earth-One universe going the same way. They used their mind-control abilities to prevent intergalactic war, but also had powerful weapons, including the Sun-Eater.
Post-Crisis
The Controllers origins were substantially changed following the Crisis on Infinite Earths, although their motives and methods remained the same. They were originally part of a race called the Maltusians from which they and the Guardians of the Universe are descended. Later on these ascended beings left Maltus and colonized a new world called Oa. Now calling themselves Oans, they felt responsible for the catastrophic effects on the universe caused by one of their own, the renegade scientist Krona, they argued how to handle the situation. (Note: in the original version of the story, this experiment was supposed to have created evil itself.) One group of Oans wanted to dedicate their immortal existences to contain evil. This group eventually became the Guardians of the Universe. Another group decided that evil should be destroyed. This group left the planet Oa, eventually becoming The Controllers. (A later version of the story claims the Controllers left over the Guardians decision to stop using their robot minions, the Manhunters.)
Just as the Guardians slowly changed their physical appearances over billions of years of existence, so did the Controllers. Originally, all Oans were blue-skinned humanoids; currently, the Controllers are pink-skinned and hairless. The Controllers moved to another dimension, and dedicated themselves to creating weapons that could be used to destroy evil beings if they became too dangerous. Among these are the Sun-Eaters, gaseous beings that can devour whole planets and stars, and the Miracle Machine, a device that can turn any thought into reality.
In recent times, the Controllers established their own corps of interstellar peacekeepers, called the Darkstars, to compete with the Guardians' Green Lantern Corps. Many former members of the Corps joined the Darkstars after the Corps were destroyed. The Darkstars are now considered defunct. In their continuing effort to create an alternative to the Green Lantern Corps, the Controllers experimented on Martyn Van Wyck, transforming him into the pyrokinetic Effigy.
An unnamed Controller was a prisoner of Doctor Polaris. The Power Company finally succeeded in freeing him and he told them that his original reason for visiting the earth was an attempt to re-secure a cosmic artifact called the Mephistopheles Matrix.
Recently the Controllers lament on their failures and decide that the need a central power source; namely the Orange Light of Avarice. Their search indicates that the Vega star system is where they will find the Orange Light.[1] Upon sending a group of Controllers into locating the orange light at the planet Okaara, they were instead slaughtered by Larfleeze, the current owner of the orange light, and assimilated as constructs in his Orange Lantern Corps.[2]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Cosmic-Level Energy Manipulation
Abilities
Miscellaneous
Type of Government:
Oligarchy
Level of Technology:
Highly Advanced
Cultural Traits:
Greediness for Control, Order through Destruction
See Also
Links and References
- Controllers article at Memory Beta, the licensed Star Trek publication Wikia.