Early career
Jack reluctantly makes a deal to become Starman if his father agrees to devote his scientific knowledge to the betterment of mankind. Jack eschews a "uniform", instead opting to wear street clothes and protective goggles.
Nash returns as the new Mist and attempts to become Jack's nemesis. She drugs and rapes Jack, with the intent of becoming pregnant. She later gives birth to Jack's son Kyle Knight. Mist intends to raise him to hate Jack and all he stands for.
Although Jack discovers many latent heroic qualities within himself, he only fully embraces them when Nash theorizes that she and Jack are two sides of the same coin. Jack vows to prove her wrong. To do so, he travels to Hell to rescue two men he hardly knows, tries valiantly to save a friendly incarnation of Solomon Grundy, and helps prove Bulletman's innocence when he is accused of having been a Nazi agent during World War II.
Later, Jack joins the Justice Society of America, following in his father's footsteps. Working alongside his father's contemporaries, Jack fights the wizard Mordru, the terrorist organization Kobra, and the time-traveler Extant. Jack has to split his time between Opal City and the JSA's hometown of New York, making him a part-time member. He resigns from the team following his father's death and the end of his superhero career.
Jack lives and operates out of Opal City and has a number of allies. First are the O'Dares, a family of Opal City police officers. In addition, Jack regularly receives advice from a fortune teller named Charity, who has a shop in the alleys of the Opal. Charity had previously appeared in the 1970s series Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion, where she served as narrator. Jack also rescues Mikaal Tomas, an alien who briefly operated in New York under the name Starman during the 1970s. Jack's most intriguing ally is the Shade, a villain who aids Jack because he considers Opal City his home and wants it to remain quiet. Over time, Jack comes to question whether or not Shade's motives are more noble than he lets on. Jack also finds common ground with Jake "Bobo" Benetti, a retired super-strong bank robber from his father's days.
