Boom tubes were invented by Metron,[1] and are typically generated by a Motherbox, a living computer made in New Genesis,[2] or its Apokoliptan counterpart, a Fatherbox.[3] Some other New God tech can open boom tubes, including Overlord[4] and Metron's Mobius Chair.[1]Infinity-Man, Halo and Cyborg are able to open boom tubes at will, as they all incorporate Mother or Fatherboxes in some way. Halo's tubes have the particularity of being indigo rather than the typical yellow-orange color.[2][5][4]The Light possesses a number of Fatherboxes, and are therefore able to use boom tubes.[3]
While most boom tubes are little larger in diameter than the height of a human or New God, much larger tubes can be created when needed.[6] The tube has tangible sides that someone sufficiently fast can run on.[7] Opening a boom tube without knowing the terrain by having visited the location before or having precise coordinates can be dangerous.[8] Boom tubes can only stay open for a maximum of around four hours before they destabilize and collapse. A Motherbox can only open one tube at a time.[9]
The Forever People came to Earth via boom tube in order to retrieve Sphere.[2]
Metropolis October 23, post-18:04EDT
Bruno Mannheim and most of his crew escape capture by the Forever People by fleeing into a boom tube. Infinity-Man, a merged form of the Forever People, then sends some stolen technology from New Genesis back via boom tube. A captive Whisper A'Daire reveals they received the alien technology, Fatherbox included, from Desaad.
Later, after Intergang had been defeated once more, Desaad retreated via boom tube.[2]
The Watchtower detected an increase in boom tube activity in Bialya. A squad from the Team were sent in to investigate hot spots in the hope they could find out more about the alien bomb used to destroy Malina Island.[13]
While the Reach forces were distracted by the attempts to rescue the Team, Deathstroke opened a portal to the Warworld's stasis chamber, sending through some taser bolas to take out the guards, before coming through himself to steal the crystal key.
Once the Team was rescued, and Nightwing had dismissed Arsenal from the Team, Asami opened a boom tube to take Arsenal, her friends, and herself back to their safehouse.[3]
Count Vertigo used a Fatherbox to generate boom tubes to transport meta-teens, as well as to make his attack on, and subsequent retreat from, Nightwing's team.[16]
Bear used a Motherbox to travel to Earth to get help investigating an attack on Bugs involving humans. He subsequently boom e tubed to New Genesis with the Team, and boom tubed them back home once the mission was complete.[17]
Violet Harper discovered she had the ability to open indigo boom tubes with her indigo aura. She took a tube to STAR Labs in Detroit and returned with Vic Stone shortly thereafter.[5]
The Furies conducted a series of raids to gather rare materials for Granny Goodness's Ghost Dimension device. They had a policy of boom tubing in and out to prevent them being tracked.[6]
Tuppence Terror used a Fatherbox to open boom tubes offensively while fighting the Team at the Meta-Human Youth Center. She opened one tube beneath Bart and Ed, who escaped it by running up the sides and teleporting out, respectively. She opened another tube but Static took the Fatherbox from her and threw it through.[7]
After an argument with his father, Ed stormed away, demanding Halo open a boom tube, with the rest of the Outsiders following through in solidarity.[19]
Dreamer gave Superboy a Motherbox to find Metron in order to help Vic. After opening a boom tube for herself to leave, Superboy, Forager and Black Lightning had the Motherbox open a boom tube to Metron, which took them to the Source Wall. Metron soon boom tubed away with his Mobius Chair, and the trio followed. They emerged in the Minosyss Ring, where they caught up with Metron and boom tubed back to Earth. After Vic was cured, Metron boom tubed out. Later that day, Halo boom tubed back to the Premiere Building from Dhabar with Artemis, Tara and Sphere.[1]
Overlord boom tubed Gretchen, Aquaman and Wyynde from Gretchen's home to the X-Pit to get Dick and Jeff, then returned them all.
Later, at the Premiere Building, Vic sensed a Motherbox in distress and opened a boom tube to the site. He and others went through to Gretchen's house. Vic then boom tubed everyone back once they were finished.[4]
From a lab, Overlord transported Gretchen, Ultra-Humanite, Helga, Halo, Brion Markov and Tara Markov to the X-Pit for Gretchen's Anti-Life Equation experiment, then returned them. When Tara and Brion confronted Gretchen, she had Halo boom tube out with her, and Ultra-Humanite used a Fatherbox to escape with Helga.[20]
Vic boom tubed the Outsiders into a suspicious building on the Goode World Studios lot. They were quickly transported to an X-Pit by Overlord. Vic returned them after defeating Overlord in cyberspace. After Gretchen teleported back to Granny Goodness following the destruction of the device keeping them as separate entities, Vic boom tubed in pursuit, arriving at the Orphanage. Once Granny was defeated, Vic and Halo boom tubed the Team back to the Premiere Building.[22]
During the joint Team/Outsiders response to the coup in Markovia, Halo boom tubed Beta Squad into the Royal Palace, with Cyborg bringing in Alpha shortly after.[24]
Cyborg was unable to boom tube a squad to Mars, as he had never been there. Once contact was re-established with Mars he tried to get coordinated, but contact was lost again before he could.[8]
Halo boom tubed to see Brion Markov at the Royal Palace after he wouldn't answer their texts. When the conversation went sour, they boom tubed back home.[32]
There, Dru-Zod had another portal to the Phantom Zone opened. Nightwing's team defended it and found that, while the unusual laws of physics applies at the Zone end, in the middle of the tube normal rules resumed. The boom tube was held open for about four hours and collapsed with Rocket still inside.
When he came under attack, Zod had a new boom tube opened to the Zone to get his army. Faora Hu-Ul and Non came through, but the tube was closed by Kaldur'ahm before the rest could arrive. Danny Chase opened another, vertical, tube to the Zone, and Non, Faora, Dru-Zod and Ma'alefa'ak were forced through.[34]
The Outsiders' Gorilla Squad arrived at the factory from the Premiere Building by a boom tube created by Cyborg. They were later reinforced by Mongoose Sqaud, who also arrived by boom tube.[35]
In the comics, boom tubes are used by the inhabitants of the worlds New Genesis and Apokolips as created in Jack Kirby's Forth World series of comic books and used extensively in other DC properties.
A boom tube is summoned into being by Apokolips/New Genesis technology, usually in the form of a "Motherbox" or hand-held "living computer" capable of determining the destination. The tube appears with a blast of energy and resounding "BOOM" and connects unlimited distances in Space/Time through a short corridor. The Tube disappears quickly and without a trace if it is not actively kept open.