Solar Queen is a member of the Knights and the founder of The New Knights superhero teams. Since Darke Day, Solar Queen has been the leader of the Knights. As Matriarch, she is the leader of the New Knights as well.
Her name is Erika Nystrom. Solar Queen is married to Supreme Commander. She is the mother of Shadowthief.
Born in Minnesota, Nystrom was the daughter of a longhauler who often worked for the government. He was part of the secret nuclear waste disposal trucking system for the Nevada bombing ranges and later Area 51. His work with or longterm exposure to certain unknown radiological or biochemical substances seemed to have had unforseen consequences and Erika was born with a powerful mutation. She acts as a solar battery and can store and manipulate sunlight in incredible ways. Nystrom was originally active as a teenager and young lady under the moniker Sun Girl, and made quite a name for herself with her dynamic powers and amazing looks. Supreme Commander, as well as the country, took notice of her exploits in the late 1960s and he began a recruiting drive to get her on his team. When she officially joined the Knights in 1975, Supreme Commander almost instantly began calling her Solar Queen, at first as a praising kind of joke. As her career and their relationship evolved, the name stuck and she officially changed her superhero name to it after her third year on the team. At that time she dropped the Sun Girl outfit and adopted to iconic white and gold uniform and logo of Solar Queen. There was salacious speculation in the press early on that all the "boys" on the team were vying for her love, with a "Darke Knight and a White Knight" secretly trying to outmaneuver each other for her affection. But in the end there was only Supreme Commander and the rumors died away as the country embraced their popular new super couple.
Two years later they wed in an extravagant public ceremony that was the biggest event of the decade in Queen City and the talk of the nation. From the time around this event, the press began treating her like royalty and calling her the Queen of the City, a title she always disavows.
She remained a steadfast member of the Knights over the years, usually functioning as its de facto Second-in-Command. The tragedy of Darke Day profoundly effected Nystrom. Their headquarters, Knights Tower, was destroyed and the Earth invaded. Her husband and half of her teammates were voluntarily trapped in Hell. One of her most powerful allies and her best magical advisor, Dr. Darke, sacrificed himself to seal the portal between Hell and Earth. Very distraught by the event, she had been in a deep depression for the past year. However, she is well aware of her duties, so she has kept the Knights functioning.
Furthermore, living in fear and dreading the return of Dhrell and his hellish legions, Solar Queen has undertaken the training of a younger generation of heroes and the establishment of a team of New Knights to defend the Earth. Upon the founding of the new team, Solar Queen changed her uniform and adopted the new name Matriarch.
Her teammates and the public have witnessed with alarm the aging effect which the stressful burden has had on Solar Queen. Her iconic blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes have now dimmed to platinum and the bleak Viking chill of an arctic dawn.