The Ray (Ray Terrill) Timeline
This timeline is designed to detail the exploits of The Ray (Ray Terrill) throughout different eras of comic book history. These summaries are here to help make reading about The Ray (Ray Terrill) easier. For more information regarding our timeline project, see our about page here.
This timeline is heavily based on our “The Ray (Ray Terrill) Reading Order“. Non-indented sections correspond with The Ray’s “Essential” storyline while indented sections correspond with his “Extra” storyline. Make sure to check out our reading order here for more information.
Jump to: Rebirth
Rebirth
Near the beginning of the Rebirth era, Ray Terrill is reintroduced as a brand new character in the DC Universe. This version of Ray is a young adult who discovers his powers on accident one day. From here, he proceeds to become a local hero and even go on to join the newly formed Justice League of America.
Also be sure to view the Rebirth era of our “The Ray (Ray Terrill) Reading Order“.
Justice League of America: The Ray Rebirth
Ray Terrill was born in the city of Vanity with a condition that made his body incredibly sensitive to light. This caused his mother to create a strict series of rules about Ray’s exposure to light, which involved never letting him leave the house. However, after years as a shut-in, Ray decided to take his chances with the outside world.
Upon leaving the safety of his home, he discovered that he was not allergic to light, he was fueled by it. He realized that he has the ability to absorb and control light, using it to travel or create hard-light constructs. He used these abilities to save Caden Zapote, one of Ray’s childhood friends and a candidate for mayor of Vanity. After this moment, he decided to become a local superhero and protect his city from wrongdoing.
This story is told in Justice League of America: The Ray Rebirth #1. This issue is collected in Justice League of America: Road to Rebirth (Review) or in Justice League of America: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1.
Justice League of America: Rebirth
Sometime after declaring himself a local hero, Ray Terrill is approached by the Atom (Timeline) with an offer to join the newly formed Justice League of America (Timeline). Ray accepts this offer.
Later on, Batman gathers each member of this new JLA and explains that the goal of this team is to inspire regular people. He also explains that something sinister is coming on the horizon.
This story is told in Justice League of America: Rebirth #1. This issue is collected in Justice League of America Vol. 1: The Extremists (Review) or in Justice League of America: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1.
Justice League of America: The Extremists
Multiple superpowered villains, called the Extremists, suddenly appear in Saratoga, NY. Their leader, Lord Havok, claims to be from a universe where society fell apart because it lacked control. As a result he has decided to invade this universe and bring it under his total control which, in his eyes, would save it. He also claims that his power comes from a mysterious being known as the Might Beyond the Mirror.
The Ray and the Justice League of America (Timeline) go in to confront these Extremists. The League goes head to head with Havok and his warriors, but they escape to the country of Kravia. Once there, Havok takes over the government and bends the people to his will.
The JLA decide to fight Havok by empowering a rebel group of Kravians who have been hiding near the country’s border. With these rebels, the League manages to take down each of the Extremists. During these fights, the Ray is able to convince one of the Extremists, Dreamslayer, to give up on his malevolent plans rather than besting him in a physical fight. With the Extremists defeated, the rebel group retakes the government, and Lord Havok is put in prison.
This storyline extends through issues #1-4 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 1: The Extremists (Review) or in Justice League of America: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1.
Justice League of America: Heart of a Bastich
The Justice League of America (Timeline) discovers that Penn City, a small town in Pennsylvania, has been taken over by Nikos Aegeus. This villain is using the city to manufacture an arsenal of magic weapons which he is then selling to the highest bidder. His plan was inspired by his hatred of order and is powered by a vision from a mysterious being known as the Might Beyond the Mirror.
The JLA storms the city and immediately begins fighting Aegeus’s forces. Aegeus’s weapons are powerful and give the JLA a lot of trouble. However, the Ray turns the tide of the battle by giving each member of the JLA armor made from hard-light constructs. Eventually, the JLA prevail, and the Atom knocks out Aegeus with a devastating punch.
In the aftermath, the JLA ensures the people of Penn City that they will be provided for in the future. In addition, they take in Xenos, a man who was forced to build Aegeus’s weapons but has now agreed to design tech for the JLA.
This storyline extends through issues #5-6 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 1: The Extremists (Review) or in Justice League of America: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1.
Justice League of America: Terrorstrike
While the rest of the JLA (Timeline) deals with small problems, Ray and Vixen visit a school in Harlem and connect with the students on a personal level.
This story is told in issue #7 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. This issue is collected in Justice League of America Vol. 2: Curse of the Kingbutcher (Review) or in Justice League of America: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1.
Justice League of America: The Man from Monster Valley
An organization called S.K.U.L.L. has just infiltrated an excluded valley where a young man, named Makson, has been raised by monsters his whole life. Though the Justice League of America (Timeline) is able to stop them, they arrive too late to save Makson’s adoptive “parents”. Afterwards, they reintroduce Makson to society, where he learns that he is the heir to a fortune.
As a result, Makson hosts a gathering where he will be able to meet every member of his new family. However, Batman doubts his motives and starts an investigation. This leads to a significant disagreement between Batman and Ray, as Ray believes that they should trust Makson and look for the good in people. However, Batman quickly discovers that S.K.U.L.L. was funded by Makson’s family to find and kill Makson, thus allowing the rest of the family to take his fortune. Makson is using his gathering to kill his new family, as revenge for their attack on his original home. Luckily, he is stopped by the JLA, who return Makson to the wild and imprison the people responsible for the attempt on his life.
This storyline extends through issues #8-9 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 2: Curse of the Kingbutcher (Review).
Justice League of America: Curse of the Kingbutcher
Back in Vanity, numerous people are visited by the Might Beyond the Mirror in their dreams. When they wake up, the Might has granted a wish for them. Unfortunately, this has caught the attention of the Lords of Order, who have sent the Kingbutcher to undo these wishes.
The Ray is the most vocal about stopping the Kingbutcher and insists that the JLA (Timeline) will investigate the wishes but will not cut them out immediately. In response to this, the Kingbutcher brings the JLA to Ray’s childhood home, where they see that his mother wished for a new family. The Kingbutcher then attacks the JLA but they are able to defeat him.
In the aftermath of the battle, Ray reproaches his mother about her wish and their past together. Later on, Xenos tries to convince Ray to forgive his mother, insisting that the hatred within Ray hurts him more than her. However, Ray is still unsure about forgiveness.
This storyline extends through issues #10-11 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 2: Curse of the Kingbutcher (Review).
Justice League of America: Panic in the Microverse
Most of the Justice League of America (Timeline) descends into the Microverse to save the original Atom, Ray Palmer. While this is happening, the Ray and Black Canary fight a villain named Afterthought. They are unable to defeat him and he is later seen meeting with another villain, named Prometheus.
In addition, Ray seems to be developing a deeper relationship with Xenos.
This storyline extends through issues #12-13 and 17 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 3: Panic in the Microverse (Review).
Justice League of America: Surgical Strike
The members of the JLA (Timeline) are being interviewed by a mysterious individual who begins to sow doubt among them, something that is easier now that Batman is gone (due to his involvement in Dark Nights: Metal). In the Ray, this doubt becomes so pronounced that he storms off and effectively quits the team. While he is gone, the JLA is forced to fight off a threat from Afterthought and Prometheus.
Later on, the Ray is seen back in Vanity, committed to being a local hero again. Xenos is with him, and the two seem to have officially started a romantic relationship.
The Ray’s involvement in this storyline extends through issues #18 and 20 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 4: Surgical Strike (Review).
Justice League of America: The Light and the Warrior
The Ray is still in his hometown of Vanity, performing his duties as a local hero. Xenos tells Ray that he should return to the JLA (Timeline), since his communicator has been receiving messages from them for a week. Ray refuses, so Xenos returns to the JLA without him.
After this, Ray meets Aztek, a hero who took over Ray’s position in Vanity while he was with the JLA. The two become friends and decide to defend Vanity together.
This story is told in issue #21 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 4: Surgical Strike (Review).
Justice League of America: Deadly Fable
The Might Beyond the Mirror has finally made her way into the real world and the power of her wishes has multiplied. This supercharges a number of Vanity’s local villains and causes a hard time for the Ray and Aztek. Because of this, the Ray realizes that some issues are bigger than Vanity and that he has to return to the JLA (Timeline).
He shows up just in time to help the JLA in their final battle against the Might. With his help, the Might is defeated and the world is safe once more. However, all of her wishes disappeared with her.
In the aftermath of the battle, Batman rejoins the team and tells them they have another world to save.
This storyline extends through issues #22-24 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 5: Deadly Fable (Review).
Milk Wars
On a higher dimension, a powerful corporation, called Retconn, attempts to sell the entire DC Universe to a potential client. In order to make the purchase more attractive, they attempt to homogenize the sensibilities of the universe by sanitizing many of the heroes. This results in brainwashed versions of the JLA and the Trinity that resemble society of the 1950s. In this reality, the JLA (Timeline) is the “Community League of Rhode Island” and their job is to police people’s actions to make sure they comply with their sensibilities.
Luckily, interference from the Doom Patrol helps break the JLA out of their spell. In addition, the actions of Mother Panic and Shade the Changing Girl help break Batman and Wonder Woman out of their spells. All of these characters are then brought together by Cave Carson to defeat Retconn. Together, they use Flex Mentallo, Crazy Jane, and Vixen’s powers to reboot reality and restore it back to how it was.
The Justice League of America’s role in this storyline extends through JLA/Doom Patrol Special #1 and Doom Patrol/JLA Special #1. These issues are collected in Milk Wars (Review).
Justice League of America: New Life and Death
Though the Might Beyond the Mirror is defeated, the Justice League of America’s headquarters is destroyed. Vixen leads the rebuilding effort and explains that the new building will also have a new purpose, one based in science. To go along with this new purpose, Ray introduces the team to Aztek, who decides to join them.
It is also revealed that the Ray has been splitting his time between Vanity and the JLA (Timeline). This allows him to maintain his position as a local hero but also help the world.
The Ray’s involvement in this storyline is detailed in issue #25 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. This issue is collected in Justice League of America Vol. 5: Deadly Fable (Review).
Justice League of America: Dawn of Time
Thousands of years before the present, a god landed on Earth and imbued the planet with the very idea of superheroes. This point of contact is what allowed superheroes to exist and is now buried underneath the JLA’s (Timeline) base. A villain named Chronos has learned this secret history and has decided to travel back in time and stop the god of superheroes before he is ever able to inspire the future.
To do so, Chronos storms the JLA’s base and easily dispatches the team. They follow him as he travels to the past but find he has already amassed an army there. Using this army, he holds off the JLA and manages to kill the god of superheroes. However, the Atom is able to steal Chronos’s time-controlling hourglass and send Chronos back to the present, where Lobo (Timeline) is waiting for him. After this, Aztek uses the hourglass to heal the god of superheroes’ wounds and bring him back to life. The god of superheroes is then able to make contact with the Earth and restore history to the way it once was.
The JLA then travels back to the present where they make a huge announcement. They decide to disband the JLA and become the Justice Foundation instead. This new group is set to become a “superhuman think tank” that will attempt to create medicines and technology to help push society into the future.
This storyline extends through issues #27-29 of Justice League of America Vol. 5. These issues are collected in Justice League of America Vol. 5: Deadly Fable (Review).
Justice League: Justice Lost
It is revealed that most of the heroes invited to the Justice Foundation were distracted by the cataclysmic events taking place in Justice League: No Justice (Review). This indicates that the heroes will continue to serve as heroes, but it also seems to indicate that the Justice Foundation has ended before it began.
This story is told in issue #43 of Justice League Vol. 3. This issue is collected in Justice League Vol. 7: Justice Lost (Review).