darkstar-stancioff-unmasked-facedarkstar-stancioff-dwg1-upperDARKSTAR

Real Name: Reena Stancioff (see comments)

Identity/Class: Human (mutant);
    Russian citizen;

Occupation: Government agent and warrior

Group Membership: Winter Guard (Crimson Dynamo/Galina Nemirovsky, Red Guardian/Anton, Ursa Major/Mikhail Ursus),

Affiliations: Agents of Atlas (Gorilla Man/Ken Hale, M-11, Namora/Aquaria Nautica Neptunia, Uranian/Bob Grayson, Venus/Naiad, Jimmy Woo), Crimson Dynamo/Dmitri Bukharin; apparently Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna) and presumably Darkstar (Sasha Roerich), Russian Executive Security Committee;
    very loosely affiliated with Colonel Alexi Vazhin;
    allied with the People's Protectorate (Powersurge/Lt. Illarion Pavlovich Ramskov, Starlight/Tania Belinsky, Vanguard/Nikolai Krylenko) against the Dire Wraiths, although they -- especially Vanguard -- resented her existence

Enemies: Dire Wraiths, Fantasma, King Hyperion of Earth-4023, Krang and his Atlantean followers, the Presence (Sergei Krylov);
    formerly the People's Protectorate (Powersurge, Starlight, Vanguard)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Lapsha ("noodle"; from Ursa Major)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly the Citadel, unspecified location in Russia

darkstar-stancioff-dwg1-blockFirst Appearance: Hulk: Winter Guard#1 (February, 2010)

Powers/Abilities: Wearing the amulet granted Reena abilities comparable to Laynia Petrovna Darkstar.

    She could access the Darkforce dimension and project the Darkforce into the Earthly plane, often forming simple mentally controlled solid objects such as pincers, snares or a block with which to strike someone. She could also project the Darkforce as beams of solid force.

    She could fly, presumably by generating a virtually invisible portal into the Darkforce dimension along the contours of her body without passing through it, then balancing the attractive force of the dimension against that of Earth’s gravity. She could fly carrying the weight of another person (at least another adult woman), including catching someone falling out of the sky.darkstar-stancioff-dwg1-fly

    Darkstar could transport herself -- and even objects or beings as massive as small aircraft -- across space via opening a portal into the Darkforce dimension, traveling through it, and emerging at another location on Earth.

    Innocent and lacking in confidence, Reena was drive by a desire to live up to Laynia Petrovna

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'3" (based on comparison to Mikhail Ursus)
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 115 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde

History:

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2 (fb) - BTS) - Reena grew up fat, lonely and unloved. She became the understudy to Darkstar (see comments) because she wanted a better life for herself. The technology at the citadel changed her, giving her a leaner and more attractive form. 

(Hulk: Winter Guard#1 - BTS) - Darkstar (Sasha Roerich, who had succeeded Laynia Petrovna after her apparent death) lost control of her power and transformed into a gamma-powered Darkforce monster that drew others into the Darkforce. To stop her, Red Guardian (Anton) grabbed the amulet associated with her powers, somehow dispersing her form and apparently killing her.

darkstar-stancioff-hwg-face    Red Guardian lost his left arm in the process before being pulled to safety by Crimson Dynamo (Galina Nemirovsky). Contacting the citadel, Red Guardian informed them of Sasha's passing and instructed them to ensure Sasha's family was taken care of, to deploy another Darkstar for the press conference and to prepare repairs for LMD (presumably Life Model Decoy) model RG7.

(Hulk: Winter Guard#1 (fb) - BTS) - Reena Stancioff was outfitted and assigned to be the new Darkstar,

(Hulk: Winter Guard#1) - Reena was present at the subsequent press conference alongside Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian and Ursa Major. Afterward, Dmitri Bukharin, who was then acting as mission supervisor, welcomed Reena as the newest Darkstar. Taking the amulet, she thanked him and noted that it was an honor to serve.

    Laynia's spirit, however, somehow persisted, although unable to act or influence anyone else.

(Age of Heroes#3/2) - In Uzbekistan, Darkstar was with the rest of the Winter Guard (Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian, Ursa Major) in confronting King Hyperion, who easily subdued the group, casually swatting Darkstar and Crimson Dynamo down with each hand.

    Seeing a news report of this, Blue Marvel (Adam Brashear) flew there and ultimately subdued King Hyperion.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1 (fb)) - Darkstar used her Darkforce power to contain a helicopter (possibly rescuing it from crashing).darkstar-stancioff-dwg2-grabvan

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1 (fb)) - Darkstar apparently found a friendly bond with Mikhail (Ursa Major), who called her his sweet little Lapsha.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1 (fb)) - Darkstar and the rest of the Winter Guard (Crimson Dynamo, Red Guardian, Ursa Major) joined the Agents of Atlas (Gorilla Man, M-11, Uranian, Venus, Jimmy Woo) in Vladivostok, where they opposed Atlanteans led by Krang, who rode a giant three-headed sea monster and sought to claim Namora as his betrothed.

    Using the Uranian's ship's warp drive core coupled with Crimson Dynamo's fusion beam, they created a dimensional portal to banish Krang and his army.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1) - Upon returning to the Citadel, she asked to speak with Mikhail. Feeling like she had not done much in the last mission, she questioned how she was doing as Darkstar. Mikhail told her of Laynia Petrovna, telling her to wear her amulet with pride and assuring her that she would have her moment to shine and to make Laynia proud.darkstar-stancioff-dwg3-layniaspiritmaybe

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1 (fb) - BTS) - The dimensional portal created in St. Petersburg led to another warp, into a portion of the realm of Limbo.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1) - The Winter Guard investigated the warp, from which Fantasma was expelled. Darkstar rescued the woman falling from the sky and brought her aboard the ship, where the others identified her. After Crimson Dynamo seemingly closed the warp, they returned to the Citadel, where Fantasma's history was related to Darkstar. Fantasma then levitated into the air and screamed that the children were coming and that they brought death to "us all" before relapsing into unconsciousness, unsettling Darkstar.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1 - BTS) - Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Powersurge, Starlight and Vanguard emerged through another warp, proclaiming themselves to be the People's Protectorate.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2 (fb)- BTS) - Darkstar kept a journal, relating how crazy her new life was and how hard she felt it was to live up to Laynia's legacy. She noted how Mikhail had been there to reassure her, as well as her concerns about the Red Guardians' warnings about whatever else would come through the warp.

 (Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2) - Frustrated by the marginally-functional coffee machine at the Citadel, Reena bonded with Galina (Crimson Dynamo), noting how something about Fantasma bothered her. She answered "all of the above" to Galina's query of whether it was her slutty outfit, finding her falling from a tear in reality or her crazy spooky premonition. Reena also discussed the reasons she had become Darkstar and how it had changed her, but she also noted how she had an incredible darkness within her, telling her that she wasn't ready; and that whole deal with Fantasma scared her and made her feel that this life wasn't for her. After Galina assured her that she would not have to face the threats together, Reena told her to forget that she had said anything and probably just needed some rest.

    Further discussion was prevented when Galina's handheld device detected another warp, and they rushed to the sick bay to tell the others; both she and Galina were upset that they had not been informed of Fantasma's revival. Regardless, after Galina discussed the warp, Red Guardian showed how their former teammates had emerged from the warp. Darkstar joined her teammates, traveling to meet the others; however, Vanguard, still upset at how they had replaced his sister, attacked Red Guardian, leading to a fight.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2- BTS) - Meanwhile, after seeing the Presence, Fantasma ran into a restricted lower level (unknown to their central computer) and housing a number of eggs. There, Fantasma's memory was restored, and she revealed herself to be a Dire Wraith, and she united with the Wraith-controlled Presence.

(Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2) - As Darkstar attempted to contain Vanguard, he told her how the sight of her sickened him and that she was a mockery of everything his sister had stood for. His breaking free of her bonds stunned her with the backlash, but she recovered in time to catch Starlight after Crimson Dynamo ricocheted Vanguard's blast to strike Starlight.

    After the Red Guardian convinced Vanguard and his allies to calm down and accompany them back to the Citadel, Vanguard related their time in Limbo and how Fantasma had revealed herself to be a Dire Wraith before escaping to Earth through the warp the Guard had created. Returning to the Citadel, they found it under Wraith control.

 (Darkstar and the Winter Guard#3 (fb) - BTS) - Reena apparently wrote in her journal on the way back to the Citadel, noting Fantasma's true nature and the state of the Citadel.
darkstar-stancioff-dwg3-skewereddarkstar-stancioff-dwg3-death (Darkstar and the Winter Guard#3) - Their ship was attacked by what Vanguard considered to be Fantasma's breed of Deathwings, and Darkstar worried about the fate of Dmitri and the staff. She also worried when Ursa Major took Vanguard's hammer and some rope and leapt atop and reined a Deathwing. At Red Guardian's command, Darkstar teleported their ship into the Citadel, apparently unaware as a ghostly form of Laynia floated above her as she did so.

 (Darkstar and the Winter Guard#3 - BTS) - Meanwhile, Fantasma and the Presence unleashed some Wraith hatchlings in the Citadel.

 (Darkstar and the Winter Guard#3) - Within the Citadel, Vanguard was impressed that Reena had teleported an entire ship, as his sister could never do that, and Reena advised him that she was not his sister. They were subsequently joined by Dmitri who had donned Dynamo armor, and they resolved to use Powersurge's armor and Starlight to open another warp to banish the Wraiths.

  After the Wraiths decapitated the Red Guardian, Vanguard had Darkstar teleport them to the reactor room, where they all battled the Wraiths.

    However, after blasting some Wraiths, Darkstar was skewered through the brain by a Wraith...
 
darkstar-stancioff-dwg3-wraithds-facedarkstar-stancioff-dwg3-wraithds-full...killing Reena while absorbing her essence, power and form as well as claiming the Darkstar amulet.

    Vanguard was upset as she had been all he had left of his sister, but the Presence and Fantasma told her that he could join her.

     The Wraith Darkstar attacked Powersurge, but Starlight blasted off the Wraith's hand that was holding him.
 
 
    Starlight forced Fantasma through the portal but was pulled in with her, and the Wraith-Darkstar prepared to attack the other Russian heroes.

darkstar-stancioff-dwg3-layniareborn-full    However, Laynia Petrovna manifested, somehow taking over the Wraith that had absorbed Reena's essence, restoring Reena's form fully and then destroying the other Wraith hatchlings.

    Finally, Powersurge sacrificed himself to take out the Presence.

    Laynia continued to operate as Darkstar, but Reena has remained dead...

Comments: Created by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis.

    Gallaher made Reena a very likable character...and then he killed her.
    I always liked Darkstar (Laynia), from the first time I saw her in Contest of Champions, and it didn't like it when she was killed. But, I also am not wild about resurrections. However, there was evidence in place from Reena's first appearance, and it made some kind of sense...

    While Reena was not specifically noted to be an understudy of Darkstar, in Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1, Alexei Vazhin asked about an understudy for Ursa Major and reminding him that they were all replaceable makes that seem like the logical set-up. The fact that Reena was immediately on-hand for a press conference to replace Sasha Roerich also supports this.

    Her journal in Darkstar and the Winter Guard#3 -- as well as after Laynia had taken over her form and said that Reena was no more -- her last name was spelled Stanicoff. That does sound like a more Russian-sounding name to me, but that's not how it was spelled anywhere else, as far as I noticed...
    And, to confirm, her journal entry in Darkstar and the Winter Guard#2 spelled her last name "Stancioff," as per the precedent.

    I don't know if Reena's physical transformation as she related to Galina gave her the form of Laynia. Reena consistently had blue eyes, as did Laynia was she was reborn through the Wraith, but prior to that Laynia had brown eyes.
    I based Reena's height on her looking at least a foot shorter than the 6'3" Mikhail Ursus, while Laynia was 5'6."
    Not having re-reviewed subsequent Darkstar appearances as this profile is for Reena, I don't know what Laynia's height and eye color have been following Darkstar and the Winter Guard#3...

    Thanks to Loki for suggesting Reena for this profile to represent the Winter Guard.

   This profile was completed 12/29/2025, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Darkstar (Reena Stancioff) should be distinguished from:



images: (without ads)
Hulk: Winter Guard#1/3, pg. 22, panel 4 (face, with headdress, looking at amulet);
Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1, pg. 4, panel 4 (striking Atlantean with block of force);
       pg. 13, panel 7 (face, without headdress);
       pg. 17, panel 4 (fullish, flying);
       pg. 20, panel 4 (upper from thighs);
    #2, pg. 17, panel 1 (wrapping pincers around Vanguard);
       pg. 19, panel 2 (using pincers to catch Starlight; flying full, showing boots);
    #3, pg. 5, panel 5 (preparing to warp ship, showing Laynia manifesting above her);
       pg. 13, panel 1 (flying, full, rear view, showing boots);
          panel 6 (skewered by Wraith);
       pg. 14, panel 1 (dead);
          panel 3 (Wraith taking on Darkstar face; half-Wraith, half-Reena face);
       pg. 15, panel 1 (Wraith Darkstar attacking Powersurge);
       pg. 18, panel 1-4 (Laynia taking over Wraith Darkstar and destroying the remaining Wraiths)
Appearances:
Hulk: Winter Guard#1/3 (February, 2010) - David Gallaher (writer), Steve Ellis (artist), Jordan D. White (assistant editor), Mark Paniccia (editor)
Age of Heroes#3/2 "Don't Believe the Hype" (September, 2010) - Kevin Grevioux (writer), M.C. Wyman (penciler), Victor Olazaba (inker), Lauren Sankovitch (assistant editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Darkstar and the Winter Guard#1-3 (August-October, 2010) - David Gallaher (writer), Steve Ellis (penciler), Scott Hanna (inker), Jordan D. White (editor), Mark Paniccia (supervising editor)

First posted: 09/26/2026
Last updated: 12/29/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™  and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters