DURLANS

Planet of Origin: Durla

Durlans are a polymorph species that developed an advanced interstellar civilisation. Durlans look like an amorphous mass of tentacles with a pair of eyes and a pair a antennas with which Durlans can emit special signals that analyze an item or a lifeform and record its molecular pattern, after which they can mimic that pattern, becoming its perfect duplicate. They also have the ability to link together to form more massive structures. When travelling on alien worlds, they tend to either hide under hooded long robes (as shown on the picture above) or assume a humanoid form.

The inhabitants of the planet Durla are most distrusted a result of their legendary xenophobia; Durlans strictly prohibit any visitation by outsiders and do not often leave their own world. Some of the galaxy's mistrust of Durlans stems from their native shape-shifting ability.

Durlan society crumbled some two to three thousand years ago when their war-like tendencies erupted into the Six-Minute War, a thermonuclear armageddon that destroyed most native life and turned the technological wonderland of Durla into a bleak planetwide wasteland. Facing desolation and deadly radiation levels, the remaining population used what little technology remained to further mutate their naturalbut-limited shape-shifting ability into the power to change their form instantly, so as to better adapt to their new environment.

The Durlans learned of Earth in the 20th century, when they allied themselves with the Dominators ans other civilisatons that feared that Earth was on its way to becoming a spawning ground for an unpredictable and unbeatable super-race.

Source: DC Universe ( First Appearance: (historical) ACTION COMICS #283 (December, 1961); (current) INVASION!#1 (1989); (30th century) ACTION COMICS #267 (August, 1960))