Kyle Rayner Green Lantern
Status: Active; Green Lantern, Instructor, Honor Guard (present),
Space Sector: (formely)2814, All Sectors
Sector Partner(s): John Stewart
Homeworld: Earth
Predecessor: Hal Jordan (returned to duty)
Successor: Hal Jordan (Sector 2814), Sodam Yat (as Ion)
Characteristics
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 175 lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Dark Green
Ethnicity: Mexican-American and Irish-American
Character History
The Last Green Lantern
Green Lantern
Kyle Rayner was a gifted but struggling artist before given the last Green Lantern ring. Rayner was in Los Angeles when Coast City was destroyed which led to Hal Jordan going on a murderous rampage which left the Guardians of the Universe as well as the Green Lantern Corps (GLC) decimated. Rayner was found by the final Guardian, Ganthet, who survived Jordan's rampage. Ganthet thrusted the final ring into Kyle's hand muttering "You will have to do." After receiving the powers of Green Lantern, Kyle went to his girlfriend and told her that he was the new Green Lantern. His first adventure had made the community assume he was Hal, and as such he redesigned his costume to better fit his personality.
His first week on the job was not an easy one as he had to deal with Mongul, who believed him to be Hal, but instead settled for any Green Lantern. While battling Mongul, who is yellow, Kyle was able to beat him much to the shock of everyone else because to this point Green Lantern had trouble battling against the impure color, yellow. Superman helped Kyle defeat Mongul and was astounded to learn that Kyle had no idea about Hal Jordan or the GLC. Tragedy would strike Kyle, as his girlfriend, Alexandra Dewitt was murdered by Major Force, a super-villain sent to learn about this new Green Lantern. Kyle came close to killing Major Force before the police arrived, however he stopped. Later he was approached by Alan Scott, a Green Lantern of a different kind, who told him all about the Green Lantern Corp as well as Hal Jordan, he also spoke of how they would all have to confront Hal.
All too soon he would have to face him, now known as Parallax, when he tried to reshape the universe, almost destroying space and time in the process. He was stopped by a group of heroes and in the middle of the battle takes Kyle to Oa, the home of the Guardians, in a bid for more power. In order to stop Hal's madness Kyle blew up Oa. Kyle then found himself lost in space and came across a former Green Lantern who attempted to take Kyle's ring, but when it didn't work for her, she returned it. When Kyle made it back to Earth he moved to New York City. There he partnered with Guy Gardner, another former Green Lantern, and took on Major Force for a second time, this time not even thinking about killing him.
Kyle met the Flash, Wally West, during a battle with Sonar, and in the process the two began to bicker almost to the point of Sonar getting away. The two would eventually settle their differences and become good friends. He would also soon team-up with Superboy to take on Black Manta. Kyle began a relationship with Donna Troy, who recently got over a divorce. Their relationship is stained and she breaks up with him before leaving to go to space with the Darkstars, a group headed by former Green Lantern John Stewart. Kyle begins to question his his abilities and wonders what it really means to be a hero. He goes to seek advice from Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel who all help him establish himself. Donna Troy returns and asks for Kyle's help in space. He battles the son of Darkseid and manages to win, however John Stewart is left paralyzed during the fight. Donna and Kyle give it another try as a couple. Upon returning to Earth, Kyle teams up with the new Green Arrow, Connor Hawke, and the two quickly become friends because of their similar situation.
Final Night and the JLA
When the sun-eater was bent on destroying the Earth's sun, the heroes were set in a scramble. Kyle left Earth on a quest to find Parallax, Hal Jordan, in hopes that he would help the heroes. He eventually found Hal at the source wall and pleaded for Hal to help them. The hero in Hal Jordan shone once more and in a selfless act he destroyed the Sun-Eater at the cost of his own life. At Hal Jordan's funeral Kyle made a speech as well as Superman. Various heroes were shown in the crows.
Following Final Night, Earth's heroes would stop a White Martian Invasion and as such the public praised the heroes and Kyle became a founding member of the new JLA. In this period Kyle would gain the respect of Batman, who usually had a bad relation with the previous Lanterns.
An old Villain, Familiar Faces, and New Love
Kyle would soon have to face another familiar Green Lantern Rogue, who was hell-bent on killing any Green Lantern. Fatality, whose homeworld had been destroyed, partially due to John Stewart's actions as Green Lantern came and fought Kyle, because he was the Last Green Lantern. He defeats her but she learns that she is looking for John Stewart.
Kyle and Jade
When Kyle returned to Earth, he found Alan Scott's daughter, Jade, in his shower, much to the disapproval of his girlfriend at the time, Donna Troy. However Kyle soon takes her to Los Angeles to see his mother because he has fallen that much in love with her. Soon Donna's ex-husband and child are killed in a car accident and Donna breaks up with Kyle, needing space, something Kyle takes very hard. Kyle heads to Hawaii with Superboy where they take down a villain and reflect on their past break-ups. Kyle would soon start a relationship with Jade.
As Kyle finally becomes accustomed to his role Hal Jordan arrives, however this is a Hal Jordan from 10 years ago. This caused a rift between Kyle and some other members of the DCU as they were happy to see the return of their long lost friend. However soon an older version of Parallax would arrive and the two Hals would fight which ended with both of them returning to their own times. However, Hal gives Kyle a copy of his ring, which is able to duplicate itself, in an effort to make up for some of the sins he would commit in the future. With this Kyle thinks of restarting the Green Lantern Corps. When he presents to idea to Guy and John, they turn down the ring, so Kyle gives it to Jade and and goes off to look for recruits in space. His efforts did not mark any success.
Kyle runs into Donna again and she reiterates the fact that they aren't together anymore and probably never will be. While this is going on Jade dumps Kyle because she doesn't feel that she is given enough attention when Donna is around. The Controllers attempted to control Kyle, but due to sheer willpower Kyle overcame their ploys and beat them.
Kyle would soon get a new Job, working for a bi-weekly comic strip for Feast Magazine. He got an assistant as well. However after his first day he is attacked by a group of rogue Manhunters who have become self-aware. They captured Kyle and tried to force him into their society as their power source, however Kyle would eventually escape their grasps and destroyed the machines. Fatality would make another return, this time with a yellow power ring, hunting John Stewart, Kyle beat her and in the aftermath Jade and Kyle have a conversation about their relationship as they slowly get back together. The yellow ring that Fatality had was soon passed to Nero who attacked New York with yellow creatures to the point that Kyle had to call in the JLA. Because of his efforts defending the city the mayor hailed Kyle as the hero of the hour and soon afterward Kyle proposed to Jade, who turned him down.
Oblivion
An entity known as Oblivion comes to Earth. It is revealed that it is the embodiment of Kyle's fear which he created unknowingly when he received his Ring. The JLA fight the entity but soon send Kyle back for reinforcements. He recruits Power Girl, The Atom, Firestorm and Adam Strange. He also creates a group known as the Circle of Fire, which is the embodiment of Green Lanterns from Alternate Realities. When the JLA found out this group was from Kyles mind they urged him to put them back there and in the process he unlocks powers he had no idea he had. In the final confrontation Oblivion reveals that he is Kyle's dark impulses and once Kyle comes to terms with this is able to trap Oblivion in his mind.
ION
Kyle releases the hate in himself which forms it's own physical form known as Oblivion. It was modeled by a drawing of a villain Kyle drew when he was a kid. Kyle defeats Oblivion and the energy he absorbed because of this resulted in the ION entity being drawn to him. The Central Battery energies left Hal during Zero Hour and after he ignited the sun in Final Night was also absorbed by Kyle so it wasn't just the Central Battery Power. During the story we see when Kyle is clearing his thoughts in another reality that Oblivion and Parallax (Hal) are both prevalent. The reason he sees the manifestation of both Oblivion and Parallax, is his ability to overcome fear (Parallax) and embrace the Central Power Energy as well as overcoming his rage (Oblivion) as he expelled whatever hate he had in his heart. It should be noted that most of the hate came into fruition because of Major Forces' killing of Kyle's then girlfriend. What made this version of ION the most powerful was Kyle's ability to embrace his fears and rage permanently, as well as gaining the total sum of the energies from the remnants left from the sun because of Hal, the total energies by the Guardians of the Universe and full access to the Central Power Battery. Kyle battled Nero, who has a similar connection to Kyle in relation to the Oan energy and whoever won their confrontation would claim the power of what Kyle would call, ION. After their battle in space, Kyle moved the location to a neutral zone where he beat Nero in hand to hand combat outside of reality itself. He would then claim the powers of ION.
As Ion, Kyle was nigh-omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent even saying before his fight with Nero ended that the power of the universe was flowing within him. During this time he made some drastic changes to the DCU including healing John Stewart 's back so he could walk again and giving Jade her natural powers back. At first, the ambient energies from Kyle were too much for Alan Scott and Jade and they were not able to mentally link with him. Once he comes to the realization and understanding of his new-found power, as seen in his confrontation with Oblivion and Parallax, he maintains a balance of the energy stored within him. Once he sees Jade outside of his neutral zone, he charges her ring by merely being in proximity of her. Kyle went to the Justice League tower and was able to see the structure, heartbeats, and otherwise unknown components of his companions, as well as reading their minds although he said J'onn didn't like going into people's minds but Kyle was just curious. There was little conversation because of what Kyle had become, a force greater than any member of the League. He remarked on the Kryptonian physiology of Superman:
"But Kryptonians might have slightly different wavelengths. And Superman might have completely different impulses from everyone else. You should hear his heartbeat and respiratory systems at work. It's amazing."
An alien space armada appeared and J'onn and Bruce picked it up but Kyle said not to worry as he has stopped the invasion before the Flash and everyone else in the tower could even notice it. Kyle explained that he didn't have to reveal his presence to the aliens and could have disarmed them without making an appearance but he wanted to be known so that they wouldn't try invading them again. He then asked J'onn to brief them on the specs on the new wing. Kyle's omniscience is displayed by knowing several and fixing several activities across different galaxies simultaneously due to his omnipresence and ability to have more than one of himself. He even spied on Jade to make sure she was okay, although Jade would be angry at him if she found out. Some instances, but not all, where Kyle showcases his nigh-omnipotence includes:
He talks on equal terms with The Spectre (Hal Jordan) and is seen as his superior as Spectre contemplates Kyle's proposition as if his powers will not allow him to reach that magnitude. "For me, for what I am now -- time is now set in stone. It's pliable. It's not a fabric that will unravel if I pull on a string. I can hold all the threads now, Hal. I can change what's happened without altering everything that will be. I can take it all back. The destruction of your home -- Coast City. The millions who died. And...when we lost you. When you became what you became. All of it." Hal leaves it in Kyle's hands as he does not want to step in asking Kyle, "But where does it end." Kyle contemplates whether or not he should do it, but decides not to.
He fertilizes African grounds as Superman watches the television set, bored. He is unable to do anything that Kyle hasn't already done.
He revitalizes the dormant energies of the Starheart which is stored within Jade.
In the past years, we now that Kyle had an Irish mother but we have never seen his father. He has tried using JLA equipment in the past in order to try to find his father, to no avail. In ten minutes, Kyle launched a global search to find any trace of D.N.A. matching his own. He finds a match, leading himself to Gabriel Vasquez, also referred to as Arron Rayner and Raymond Hauser. He is the Mexican father of Kyle.
"I spent years utilizing all of the resources of the JLA's various connections and access to computer data bases. I still came up with nothing. It wasn't until I became ION that I could locate him."
When Kyle's dad asked him how he had found him, Kyle said that he had a friend that works in the government and it took years since his father said that he made it difficult for anyone to trace him.
"I have come into the possession of nearly unlimited power and I did a global search of anyone carrying the remotest traces of D.N.A. matching my own. It took ten minutes."
Kyle rang the doorbell and when he revealed his identity, his father was shocked and asked him to come inside the house and prepared coffee although Kyle didn't want any. After their conversation about how Kyle had found him, Kyle asked him for his story on why he walked on him and his mother. Gabriel Vasquez was the birth name of his father and he was a Mexican-American CIA Agent who worked under many names. He had to break the ties he had with his wife and infant son because his work was threatening their well-being. Him and his wife had to manufacture a domestic violence act in order to have a reason for their separation. He regretted it because of the lifestyle Kyle and his mom went through because of it. Kyle forgave and accepted his father and was glad to finally hear the true story. Kyle had learned many things that would enable him to move forward in life due to his experiences.
"From Superman who advised him on humanity's need to be self-reliant. To the Spectre who advised him that the past should remain untouched. And from his father. There are ways of righting wrongs by moving forward and not back."
In a show of true character, his will, and what he has learned throughout his time as ION, Kyle gave up this way of life, instead using his vast power to restart the Lantern Battery on Oa and restart the Lantern Corps. Kyle met up with Ganthet, the last remaining Guardian. Kyle knew that the power he had was too great for one man and needed to be returned to it's rightful place. Kyle returned all the power back into the Central Power Battery and in the process he also created new Guardians. The energy that created Kyle's ring was the essence of every Guardian who died forming it in their last resort to stop Parallax and find the last wielder of the Green Lantern Ring, Kyle. As ION, Kyle was able to reshape the energy and give it life again, forming New Guardians, who Kyle referred to as children. Kyle told Ganthet that The previous Guardians were not perfect and forgot what living was truly like. He said that logic and order were important but they shouldn't be so strict because it would be too rigif for the living. He told Ganthet to teach, raise, and lead them, while maintaining their purity and being the father for his race of Guardians, as well as instructing him to teach them humility.
Kyle and Ganthet reminisce of when they first met and how Kyle received his ring for the first time. Ganthet stated that Kyle had done a selfless act for the universe and Ganthet, seeing as how Ganthet was not accustomed to loss, being an immortal and sole survivor. He says that the children have much to do and have an eternity to do so as well as him naming each one. In honor of Kyle and Earth, Ganthet told them to call him "Papoo" because he had liked the name and wanted to disregard being called "Elder" by the previous offspring, so he told them to follow the new paradigm, and they listened. However, before he used the last of his powers as ION he made some changes to his ring. It would still be able to combat the yellow impurity, does not have a set limit on his power, would always return to him, and would always have a line to the central battery so the power would never run out (although he still had to recharge it). Kyle would soon go on a self-imposed exile into space after his assistant and friend was brutally beaten and gave a ring to John Stewart, who was no longer paralyzed, to take his spot on the JLA. When he returned, Jade had begun seeing another person in his own apartment. He left New York to find his new place on earth, in the process staying with his mother for a period of time.
Personality
Similar to his best friend Wally West, Kyle loves being a hero and was finally confident in his future once he became a Green Lantern.
"My name is Kyle Rayner. When I was a kid, I never could decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. Now I know. I'm Green Lantern. I'm a hero."
Although he recognizes the seriousness and importance of being a Green Lantern, he never has the arrogant attitude of being places above others. As a Green Lantern, Kyle has lost many people close to him, but manages to lighten his mood and everyone around him due to his cheerful nature. His obedience to helping those close to him due to his incredible will, lets him overpower the fear he feels from losing them as seen in his confrontation with Parallax. He is a friendly guy who would befriend you in a second and is always interested in making friends and meeting new people, which is one of the reasons he enjoys being a Green Lantern. Kyle is a huge flirt and hopeless romantic who would hit on any girl he has an interest in. From his relationships with Alexandra, Donna, Jade, and Soranik, we can see that he is a great boyfriend who genuinely loves and would protect his girlfriend with his life, although some of his girlfriends do die from circumstances he has no control over. In his relationships he means well and will try his best to make it work to avoid heartbreak. As seen with his relationship with Donna, he sometimes cares too much, we can be seen as a sign of weakness to some.
Before he became a Green Lantern, Kyle was a struggling freelance artist and still makes time for his work even after becoming a Green Lantern. His imagination is greater than any Green Lantern and his personality is reflective in that sense. Although his art has been acknowledged my many, Kyle never seems to be satisfied with his work, whether it be art, constructs or battle tactics. Because of this, Kyle is able to push himself to further heights and grow as a person. There were some instances where the seriousness of his doubt in himself led to him abhorring himself. Thankfully, with the moral support of his friends and family, he is able to overcome these faults and hasn't had the same problem in years due to his self-assuraning, but not cocky or overconfident attitude.
Kyle is also a huge comic book and anime fan. One of the reasons for becoming an artist and illustrator in general was due to this. His favorite art style is Art Deco, and his contructs are generally related to more exciting and noticeable constructs as opposed to the general and bland constructs of other members. There are a number of characters or references from popular culture that Kyle brings into his art and constructs including, but not limited to:
Superman's 'S' symbol in his fight with Apollo (He used it as a shield)
The Batmobile
The Gurren Mecha ( Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Green Arrow's mask, beard, and bow and arrows
Anime style based Samurais
During midst of battles or in conversations Kyle will reference various interests of his ranging from old sitcoms like Seinfeld, Clint Eastwood, video games, Star Wars, anime, DC Superheroes as well as Marvel Superheroes. He has broken the fourth wall on more than one occasion.
"You want my suggestion? Rerun the episode where Kramer goes to the dog doctor. I love that one." - Kyle referencing Seinfeld.
"I'm gonna have to play this rough. There's no time for words. I gotta go Eastwood on everybody." - Kyle referencing Clint Eastwood.
"See what happens when you guys make me angry? I get big, green and mean -- no, wait. I've got me confused with somebody else. Never mind." Kyle referencing The Hulk.
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