Michael Costner
{{Short description|Fictional superhero in DC Comics}}
{{Infobox comics character
|image=250px
|caption=Michael Costner / OMAC as depicted in OMAC #1 (September 2006).
Art by Renato Guedes.
|character_name=OMAC
|real_name=Michael Costner
|publisher=DC Comics
|debut=OMAC #1 (September 2006)
|creators=Bruce Jones
Allan Goldman
|alliances=
|aliases=
|powers=*OMAC physiology
- Superhuman strength and durability
- Shapeshifting
- Heat vision
- Access to extensive metahuman database
}}
OMAC (Michael Costner) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Michael Costner was introduced in OMAC #1 (July 2006) and was created by Bruce Jones and Allan Goldman.
Fictional character biography
Michael Costner, a seventeen-year-old petty thief, spent his entire life in Gotham City; first as an orphan in care of the local orphanotrophy,OMAC (vol. 3) #2 (October 2006) then scraping his life on the streets, stealing to sate his addiction to heroin.
While at the orphanotrophy, Michael is infected with the OMAC nanovirus through a contaminated vaccine. However, Brother Eye never activates Michael's OMAC programming due to losing contact with him. Instead, Brother Eye keeps Michael as a "sleeper agent" who will only activate in times of dire need.
Michael Costner's OMAC programming activates after Sasha Bordeaux destroys Brother Eye. While other OMACs have no personality or qualms with used as killing machines, Michael defies his programming and opposes Brother Eye.OMAC (vol. 3) #1 (September 2006){{cite book |last1=Greenberger |first1=Robert |author-link=Robert Greenberger |title=The Essential Batman Encyclopedia |date=2008 |publisher=Del Rey |isbn=9780345501066 |pages=67}}{{Cite book |last=Greenberger |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Greenberger |title=DC Comics Super-Villains: 100 Greatest Moments: Highlights from the History of the World's Greatest Super-Villains |date=May 14, 2019 |publisher=Chartwell Books |isbn=9780785836193 |pages=55}}
Despite the inconsistencies in Michae's programming, Brother Eye, having no other choices, trusts him with stealing a hard drive from NORAD.{{Cite web |last=Francis |first=Allen |date=February 8, 2021 |title=The OMAC Project: What Happened to Batman's Brother Eye After Infinite Crisis? |url=https://www.cbr.com/omac-project-infinite-crisis-brother-eye/ |access-date=April 24, 2025 |website=CBR |language=en}} Resenting Brother Eye for forcing him to kill and for stealing his personality, Michael flies to outer space, taking enough control of his OMAC form to jettison the hard drive and Brother Eye. Enraged, Brother Eye casts him on Earth.
While on the run, Michael meets Vienna Barstow, a showgirl who falls in love with him.Brave New World one-shot (August 2006)OMAC (vol. 3) #3 (November 2006) Brother Eye restores its body and transforms Vienna into an OMAC, but Michael manages to restore her to normal. As Superman battles Brother Eye, Vienna sacrifices herself to destroy the atomic furnace that sustains it.OMAC (vol. 3) #7 (March 2007)OMAC (vol. 3) #8 (April 2007)
Powers and abilities
As an OMAC, Michael is able to access the extensive knowledge on metahumans stored by Brother Eye, shapeshift parts of his body, and enlarge his body mass. He later gains the ability to use his invulnerability, heat vision, and shapeshifting abilities in human form.
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costner, Michael}}
Category:Comics characters introduced in 2006
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Category:DC Comics characters with superhuman strength
Category:DC Comics male superheroes
Category:DC Comics shapeshifters
Category:Fictional characters with fire or heat abilities
Category:Fictional criminals in comics