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Kanjar Ro was the delon (dictator) of the planet Dhor in the Antares star system. He was a frequent enemy of the Justice League.
History
Dhor was constantly at war with three other Antarean worlds: Alstair, ruled by the plantlike Queen Hyathis, Mosteel, ruled by the metal skinned Kromm, and Llarr, ruled by the lizard-like emperor Sayyar.
He enslaved the Justice League with his Gamma Gong, and used them to battle the other three monarchs by threatening to leave all humanity in a paralyzed state, who would only be released if all three monarchs spoke Kanjor Ro's name at the same time. The League was able to defeat all three monarchs, as well as Kanjar Ro, imprisoning all four on a small planet which Green Lantern created a barrier around.
Ro escaped after the four villains made a crack in the barrier using their thought waves, but he left them behind, and made several attempts to conquer Rann, prompting the League's team-up with Adam Strange. He first tried to use radiation from Rann's Triple-Star to become three times as powerful as Superman and nearly defeated the JLA, but Adam depowered him with Dhorite, much like how Superman was weakened by Kryptonite. Unfortunately, the yellow radiation he released meant Adam could not stay on Rann for more than a year. One of Kanjar Ro's attempts to seize power eventually proved successful, at the same time one of his former monarch rivals conquered Thanagar. This prompted the first Rann-Thanagar War.
After the collapse of the multiverse, Kanjar Ro became a scheming bureaucrat with the Thanagarian Ministry of Alien Affairs, eventually pursuing more ambitious goals.
Armed with an upgraded sceptre, Kanjar Ro monitored Earth and learned of Dr. Waller's plan to utilise Cygnus 4019 as a prison planet to deport Earth's most dangerous supervillains. Hoping to capture the diverse criminals on arrival, Kanjar Ro planned to harvest their DNA to sell on the intergalactic black market, however the convicts were all intercepted by a third party. His schemes seemed in vain until the Justice League of America arrived to investigate Waller's secret project and rescue J'onn. They were captured by constructs of space-time energy wielded by Kanjar Ro and his new sceptre, but the presence of Hawkgirl's Nth Metal neutralised his new-found power.[1]
Trinity
Kanjar Ro, having disguised himself as Despero to take his place in a ritual that stole the positions of "keystones of the universe" from Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.[2] Although the ritual successfully granted Morgaine le Fey and Enigma great power, Kanjar Ro gained nothing due to his deception. Revealed as a fraud, Kanjar Ro fled, but was confronted by a vengeful Despero. He bartered the location of the imprisoned Crime Syndicate of Amerika in exchange for leniency. Afterwards, he was ignored when he demanded vengeance against Morgaine, and was taken to Krona's polar base. There, he radioed for the heroes to save him from the destruction Krona had prepared for Earth. As the Green Lanterns took custody of Despero's massive alien armada, Kanjar Ro copied Krona's files to later sell them to the highest bidder. He sneaked away from the fleet and made for the prison planet of Takron-Galtos.[3]
Emerald Eclipse
Kanjar Ro was incarcerated on Oa in a Sciencell, set free during a mass breakout. Unwilling to be killed by the rioting prisoners, Kanjar Ro bargained with Kyle Rayner, offering to help quell the riot in exchange for leniency on his sentence. The pact saved his life as the Guardians ordered the Alpha Lanterns to use lethal force on all the escaped prisoners. Kyle was able to convince the Guardians to spare Kanjar Ro a death sentence by testifying to his assistance during the riot.[4]
R.E.B.E.L.S.
After being released from Oa, Kanjar Ro returned to Dhor and resumed his rule of the planet just as Starro the Conqueror launched a new invasion. Vril Dox proceeded to erect a forcefield barrier, stopping the spread of Starro's expansion, but also entrapped a number of planets with the entity, Dhor and Kanjar Ro included. Kanjar Ro "considered" Dox's request for his assistance in stopping Starro, though several members of the R.E.B.E.L.S. team speculated that Kanjar Ro was more likely to cut a deal with Starro to save himself. However, Kanjar Ro sought the R.E.B.E.L.S.' help when Starro's horde began their invasion of Dhor, and was denied by the Dominator Xylon. When Kanjar sought to use his gamma gong against the horde, Starro's General Smite shattered it to pieces. As Smite was about to kill Kanjar, Adam Strange zeta-beamed himself and Kanjar Ro to the R.E.B.E.L.S.' temporary base. Dox had originally sent Strange to retrieve the gamma gong, not its inventor, who Dox described as a "dithering idiot." Nevertheless, Kanjar Ro became a member of R.E.B.E.L.S.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Tactical Analysis: Kanjar Ro ws a cunning strategist and relies on advanced alien weaponry.
- Interrogation: Kanjar Ro enjoyed torturing captured enemies and was very good at inflicting pain to them with or without the gain of information.
- Weaponry: Kanjar Ro has used a wide variety of advanced alien technology.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Gamma Gong: (Formerly)
Transportation
- Cosmic Boat
Weapons
- Energi-Rod
- The Sceptor: The sceptor was later modified with a device that he stole from the Elementals of Qwaylar which drew on the force of space-time itself.[1]
- Energy Projection: He could produce blasts of energy.[1]
- Illusion Casting: The sceptre was able to create life-like depictions of others and even mimic Martian Manhunter's telepathic communications.[1]
- Energy Construct Creation: The energy restraints were strong enough to contain the entire Justice League, including Superman. The Green Lantern ring was even ineffective against it. Only Nth Metal had the ability to weaken the force.[1]
Notes
- Although this character was originally introduced during DC's Earth-One era of publication, their existence following the events of the 1985–86 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths remains intact. However, some elements of the character's Pre-Crisis history may have been altered or removed for Post-Crisis New Earth continuity, and should be considered apocryphal.
Trivia
- Kanjar Ro's sister, Kanjar Ru, was the warden of Starlag II.
- His reintroduction in Hawkworld was originally intended to take place prior to Justice League of America #3, but it is later revealed to occur in the present. Ro's pre-Crisis background still exists, however, as his Gamma Gong is kept in the Justice League Watchtower's trophy room.
Related
- 69 Appearances of Kanjar Ro (New Earth)
- 6 Images featuring Kanjar Ro (New Earth)
- 1 Quotations by or about Kanjar Ro (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Kanjar Ro (New Earth)
Footnotes
  This character, team or organization, is or was primarily an enemy of the Hawkman, or his associates Hawkgirl and Hawkwoman. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Hawkman Villains category." |
 This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Green Lantern of Earth, or the Green Lantern Corps as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Green Lantern Villains." |
 This character is or was primarily an enemy of the Justice League, in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Justice League Villains." |
 Injustice League member |