Michael Jon Carter was born poor in the Gotham City of the 25th century.[6] He speaks Esperanto as his first language. He and his twin sister Michelle never knew their father because he left after gambling away all their money. Luckily for Michael, he was a gifted athlete and he managed to get into Gotham University on a football scholarship. In college, Booster became a star quarterback with a bright future. His father then reenters his life and convinces him to bet on games and then throw them. He is exposed and his once bright future is shattered. He takes a job as a night watchman at the Metropolis Space Museum, where he begins to study displays about superheroes and villains from the past, particularly the 20th century. With the help of a security robot named Skeets, Michael steals devices from the museum displays, including a Legion of Super-Heroes flight ring and Brainiac 5's force field belt. He uses Rip Hunter's time machine, also on display in the museum, to travel to the 20th century, intent on becoming a superhero and forming a corporation based around himself to make a comfortable living.[1] As such, he is a shameless self-promoter whose obsession with fame and wealth irritates other heroes.[7]
Carter's nickname as a football player was "Booster", but his chosen 20th century superhero name was "Goldstar". After saving the president, Carter mangles the two names, causing the president (at the time Ronald Reagan) to introduce him as "Booster Gold". The name stuck. There is a running joke with his name throughout the DC Universe where people call him "Buster" instead of "Booster".
