Ayla Ranzz was the twin sister of Lightning Lad (Garth Ranzz), believed to have died years ago.
History
Ayla and her twin brother Garth Rannz were the second and third child born to the Ranzz family on the planet Winath. They were preceded by an older sibling named Mekt. In the late 30th century, the Ranzz siblings were returning home from another planet when their shuttle craft began malfunctioning. They were forced to crash-land on the planet Korbal – a barren, desolate world populated by fierce Lightning Beasts. Mekt theorized that if he could lure the beasts towards their ship, he could goad them into using their lightning powers to recharge the shuttle's engines. While Mekt dealt with the animals, Garth and Ayla hid behind a pile of rocks. The plan failed however, and the animals' electrical discharge struck the siblings rather than the ship. Her two brothers thought Ayla was dead.
Garth had a bittersweet reunion with his brother Mekt. Mekt's guilt over the loss of their sister poisoned him emotionally, and he became a bitter and competitive rival to Garth. Later the Legion learned that Imperiex was constructing a tachyon cannon inside of an electrical cloud and that Mekt Ranzz was now working for Imperiex. They flew to the nebula to stop the construction of the cannon and Mekt and Garth clashed once again. In the midst of conflict, both brothers saw an image of Ayla coalesce in the center of the lightning cloud.
They began to suspect that their sister might be lost somewhere within the cloud. Garth returned to Legion headquarters where his ruined arm was replaced with a cybernetic enhancement. He discovered that Ayla had actually been transformed into a being of pure energy. She was not merely lost in the electric cloud. She was the cloud. Mekt learned of this and pleaded with Imperiex to help him save his sister, but Imperiex refused. Mekt betrayed Imperiex and opted to help the Legion destroy the tachyon cannon. Brainiac 5 theorized that if they were to recreate the incident that first gave them their powers, then they might be able to reconstitute Ayla's body. The plan worked, and Ayla was reunited with her brothers, no older than when they were kids.
Notes
- This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series Legion of Super-Heroes and is an adaptation of Ayla Ranzz. The original character was created by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte and first appeared in Adventure Comics #308.
- Ayla Ranzz was voiced by Kari Wahlgren.
Related
- 2 Appearances of Ayla Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
- 2 Images featuring Ayla Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
- Quotations by or about Ayla Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
- Character Gallery: Ayla Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
Footnotes