Mekt Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)

Lightning Lord
Legion of Super-Heroes‎
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Real Name	Mekt Ranzz
Main Alias	Lightning Lord
Relatives	Garth Ranzz (brother) · Ayla Ranzz (sister)
Affiliation	Former member of the Light Speed Vanguard · former associate of the Fatal Five · former partner of Imperiex
Base Of Operations	31st Century
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Public Identity
Race	Winathian
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Professional criminal
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Blue
Hair	White
Origin
Universe	Legion of Super-Heroes (TV Series)
Creators	Jerry Siegel · Curt Swan · Matt Wayne · Lauren Montgomery
First Appearance	"Champions" (November 11, 2006)

Lightning Lord was the brother of Lightning Lad.

History

Mekt Rannz was born the oldest of three children on the planet Winath. His younger twin siblings were named Garth and Ayla. In the late 30th century, the Ranzz siblings were returning home from another planet when their shuttlecraft 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. The power surge turned Mekt's hair white, while also giving Garth a lightning bolt-shaped scar below his right eye. Ayla however, disappeared entirely. Distraught by the apparent death of his sister, Mekt parted company from his family and disappeared into the underworld.

Mekt did not resurface for several years. In the early 31st century, he came out of seclusion to participate in the 343rd Intergalactic Games on Olympia 12. Reuniting with his brother Garth (now a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes under the code name Lightning Lad), Mekt sparked a rivalry between the two at the games and tried unsuccessfully to sabotage Garth's chances at winning the hang surfing competition. The two also competed in a five-hundred meter dash across a river of molten lava. Once again, Mekt tried to tip the odds in his favor by setting off various explosives and sand traps. One of his traps endangered the lives of another contestant, and Garth was forced to forfeit his chance at winning the race by going back and helping them.

Unsatisfied, Mekt further plotted to upstage his brother by conspiring with the villainous members of the Fatal Five during the Intergalactic Games awards ceremony. Mekt activated a remote control that lowered the force field surrounding the podium, enabling the Fatal Five to attack. Garth and the other Legionnaires fought with the Fatal Five and ultimately proved victorious.

A short time later, Mekt met a group of intergalactic vigilantes known as the Light Speed Vanguard. Functioning as a more aggressive and mercenary version of the Legion, they invited Mekt to join their ranks. At this time, Mekt Ranzz adopted the code name Lightning Lord. Following one of their missions, the Light Speed Vanguard encountered the Legion, and Mekt, pretending to make peace with his brother, invited him to join the team. Garth was impressed with the Vanguard's accomplishments, and felt that it was time to quit the Legion and join this more "mature" team of heroes. Soon enough however, Garth regretted the decision. When he discovered that the Vanguard only offered their services to those willing to pay them, he grew concerned. Complicating the matter was the fact that those who failed to pay the Vanguard often found themselves the victims of violence. This was enough to convince Garth to resign his membership, and Mekt and he squared off once again. While the rest of the Vanguard fought with the Legion, Mekt concentrated his energy on Lightning Lad. He managed to gain the upper hand on Garth, but let him be at the last moment, allowing him the chance to wallow in his defeat.

Lightning Lord's activities following this ordeal are largely unrecorded, but some two years later, he found himself working in the service of an intergalactic conqueror known as Imperiex. Imperiex wanted to use Mekt's power in the construction of a tachyon cannon. The cannon was being built in the middle of a giant nebula of intense electromagnetic energy. During this time, Mekt began suffering from flash visions of his missing sister Ayla. The longer he remained within the cloud, the more intense the visions grew. The Legion of Super-Heroes arrived to stop the construction of the cannon and Mekt and Garth clashed once again. The two were evenly matched by this point, so Imperiex decided to tip the odds in Mekt's favor by unleashing a blast of energy that destroyed Lightning Lad's arm. 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. After reviewing the matter more closely, 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. With years of guilt now washing away, Mekt Ranzz decided that it was time to do the right thing. He turned himself in to the authorities and is presently imprisoned at Takron-Galtos.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Electrokinesis

Abilities

• Demolitions: Mekt possesses a working knowledge of demolitions and the technology involved in creating miniature bombs and detonators.

Notes

• This version of the character is exclusive to the continuity of the television series Legion of Super-Heroes and is an adaptation of Mekt Ranzz/Lightning Lord. The original character was created by Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan and first appeared in Superman #147.
• Mekt Ranzz was voiced by James Arnold Taylor.
  

Trivia

• In the original Silver Age Legion continuity, it was actually Garth, not Mekt, who baited the approach of the Lightning Beasts of Korbal, thus granting the three siblings their powers.

Related

• 4 Appearances of Mekt Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
• 1 Images featuring Mekt Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
• Quotations by or about Mekt Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)
• Character Gallery: Mekt Ranzz (Legion of Super-Heroes TV Series)

Footnotes

Legion of Super-Heroes Villain(s) This character or group of characters is or was primarily an enemy of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 31st Century, and may have existed in any of the various Legion continuities, including but not limited to the Original Legion, Reboot Legion, and the Prime Legion. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Legion of Super-Heroes villains" category.