Kyle Rayner

for the Marvel supervillain named Ion, see Ion (Marvel Comics)

Ion
Kyle Rayner in his second "Ion" costume. Cover art to Ion #1, art by Ivan Reis.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Green Lantern v3 #48
Created by	Ron Marz Darryl Banks
In-story information
Alter ego	Kyle Rayner
Team affiliations	Green Lantern Corps, Justice League, Titans
Notable aliases	Ion, Green Lantern, the 'Torch Bearer', Mr. Vasquez
Abilities	Near Omnipotence; Flight, energy manipulation, and other powers similar to a Green Lantern Corps Power Ring

Kyle Rayner is a fictional character from the DC Comics universe who became the superhero Green Lantern and later the superhero Ion. He was created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks in the third Green Lantern series, issue #48.

Kyle Rayner was originally created to be the universe's sole remaining Green Lantern after Hal Jordan became Parallax.

Character history

Before he acquired a Green Lantern power ring, Kyle Rayner was a struggling-but-gifted freelance graphic artist. He lived and worked in Los Angeles initially, moving to New York City shortly after receiving the ring. He is the son of Aaron and Maura Rayner.

His girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, helped Kyle train for his new role as a superhero, but was later murdered by the supervillain Major Force. Kyle later developed relationships with Donna Troy, and later Jade, the daughter of Alan Scott.

The last Green Lantern

After being rejected by Guy Gardner with the same offer, Kyle Rayner was approached by the last Guardian of the Universe, Ganthet, to become a new Green Lantern with the last power ring. Ganthet's reasons for choosing Kyle to bear the ring have never been made completely apparent, but Kyle's simply being in the right place at the right time was definitely a factor. Despite being cut from a different cloth of bravery and fearlessness as Hal Jordan -- or perhaps because of that -- Kyle Rayner proved to have his fans.

Kyle grew up enamored with Superman and Batman, though had only a passing knowledge of Earth's various Green Lanterns. This soon changed, and he found that the Green Lantern ring was the ultimate expression of his imagination. While in battle, he often used the ring's power to create constructs of just about anything an artistic mind can imagine - other superheroes, anime characters, mystical characters, mechas, futuristic weapons and original characters from his comic books. While some questioned the practicality of those constructs, they often made Kyle an unpredictable opponent.

Justice League

Rayner joined the Titans for a brief time where he dated Donna Troy, but eventually became a member of the JLA. He initially clashed with the Flash (Wally West) early in his career; West had grown up with Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern and he had a number of issues about Kyle replacing Jordan, but worked it out and became one of Rayner's best friends and biggest supporters. Rayner also formed friendships with the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, Alan's daughter Jade, Green Arrow Connor Hawke, and Green Lantern John Stewart.

Oblivion

During the 5th Week Event "Circle of Fire," it was discovered that a cosmic entity named Oblivion is the embodiment of Kyle's fear, unknowingly created when he first got the ring. It wasn't until later did Oblivion come to "merge" with Kyle. The Justice League tried to stop Oblivion, but during the battle Kyle was sent back to earth to get reinforcements. When he reached Earth, Kyle recruited Power Girl, Atom, Firestorm, Adam Strange, and the Circle of Fire - ostensibly a group of Green Lanterns from alternate realities and/or different time periods. In reality, Kyle created all of these Green Lanterns. The Circle of Fire consisted of Kyle's late girlfriend Alex, a pair of juvenile siblings, a descendant of Wally West and Kyle Rayner who possesed both the Flash and Green Lantern's powers but could only use one of those powers a day, a reprogrammed Manhunter robot, and a Green Lantern from the Middle Ages.

This group was split up to handle different crises caused by Oblivion, or in some cases to search for a way to defeat him. Eventually they all realized that Kyle had created the Circle of Fire because he needed help. When they realized this, they decided that the created Green Lanterns should return to Kyle's mind. Doing so made Kyle unlock more power from the ring that he hadn't used before. In a confrontation with Kyle, Oblivion revealed that he was a distillation of Kyle's doubts and darker impulses, made manifest through the power of the ring. After facing up to this, Kyle was able to defeat Oblivion and restore the Justice League.

Ion

Main article: Green Lantern: Power of Ion

For a brief period Kyle achieved godhood as the imposing Ion when he absorbed the leftover Central Battery energy remaining in the sun after Hal Jordan's Final Night sacrifice. With his new powers Kyle could bend time, space, and reality. Kyle could even be in many places at once. Kyle's trans-godlike powers had drawbacks: Ion was one with everything, but Kyle Rayner could no longer sleep or separate himself from the overwhelming responsibilities. Rather than sacrifice his humanity, Kyle abandoned omnipotence, bleeding off the vast power (recharging the Central Power Battery on the planet Oa and helping to create a new group of Guardians in the process). Before he purged all of the power, though, he modified his ring. Once again limited only by his willpower and imagination, Rayner's ring can still affect yellow, does not have a set time limit on its power, and is keyed directly to him. Kyle modified the ring so that it would always return to him, and so that it would always have a lifeline of power available (although the ring still required charging to get up to full power).

After the brutal beating of his young assistant and friend Terry Berg, Kyle went on a lengthy self-imposed exile into space. Before leaving he placed John Stewart, recently revived from his paraplegia and given a new power ring, into his spot in the JLA. On his return, he discovered that Jade had begun seeing someone new, and was doing so in his own apartment. He left New York and spent some time trying once again to find his place on Earth, and ended up staying with his mother for a brief time.

Green Lantern: Rebirth

After being tricked into believing his mother had been murdered by Major Force, Kyle fought with the villain. Knowing Major Force was essentially immortal, Kyle decapitated him and shot his head off into space. Feeling that he was a danger to those he cared for, he once again left for the far reaches of space. After the events of Rebirth, where he returned with Jordan's corpse and insight into the true nature of Parallax, Kyle no longer operates on Earth. He was given his first official Green Lantern Corps assignment from Kilowog, and met with the Guardians, along with Guy Gardner, about his role in the Corps. There, he is given special status amongst the Guardians, who consider him the "Torch-Bearer," the Green Lantern who carried the legacy through the Corps' darkest period.

Infinite Crisis: Return of Ion

Main article: Infinite Crisis

Template:Spoiler Jade died during a mission in the Rann/Thanagar conflict. Her power (the inherited starheart-cum-green-lantern power) was transferred to Kyle Rayner, vastly increasing his power, and instigated Kyle's second metamorphosis into Ion.

In Infinite Crisis, it was also revealed that if the Multiverse had continued to exist after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, Rayner would have been a native of Earth-Eight.

One year after Jade's death, Green Lantern Torquemada and his rookie partner, Garmin Vid, are investigating Sector 3521 and discover Kyle amidst the wreckage of an evacuation fleet from the Quinilon System. An incoherent Kyle blames himself for the fleet's destruction, but repeatedly admits that he didn't mean for it to happen. The two fellow Lanterns attempt to aid Kyle and bring him back to Oa but Kyle violently lashes out, nearly killing Garmin Vid before fleeing the scene.

Torquemada returns to Oa with his wounded ally and informs Kilowog that "something is terribly wrong". Meanwhile, Kyle awakens on Earth in Kaaterskill's Notch, a secluded village refuge for artists. Kyle has no memory of the incident with Torquemada or Vid, nor does he remember the destruction of the evacuation fleet. While staying at Kaaterskill's Notch, Kyle is greeted by his landlord, an old man named Schuyler, and attempts to introduce himself to the newest tenant, a reclusive mute girl name Marissa Rochelle.

Later, Kyle is attacked by a Thanagarian bounty hunter named Tarra Karn and is forced to defend himself. Kyle eventually forces her to reveal why she has chosen him as her prey and Kyle learns of the evacuation fleet's destruction and his apparent role in it.

On Oa, the Guardians have forbidden Kilowog and the other Lanterns from aiding Kyle, apparently wanting him to fight whatever it is that has possessed him. Indeed, it seems that something or someone is manipulating Kyle, causing memory lapses, bouts of violent anger and a lack of control over his actions and powers.

After visiting the wreckage of the evacuation fleet, Kyle loses control again and ends up on a world called Alytt where he impacts with a gladiator arena, unintentionally rescuing a warrior woman from a ferocious alien opponent via collateral damage. There, he freaks out again, nearly breaking her arm before flying off again and then finding himself in orbit over Mogo, the sentient Green Lantern planet.

Confronted by his own delusions and inner demons, in the form of his former girlfriends Alex, Donna, and Jade giving aid and suggestions, and Major Force as the embodiement of all his fears, Kyle ultimately realized the meaning of his "new life". He acknowledges, thanks to "Jade," that the Ion entity is a living conduit able to channel and harness both the Starheart and the Central Battery green energy. In space, Ariana, the mysterious alien girl, still angered for the massive devastation Rayner laid on her planet is encountered by Hal Jordan, who was sent to check on Kyle by Kilowog. The guardians forbid anyone to leave Oa to help, but did not say anything about off worlders going after him. It helps that Hal Jordan has gone through changes in his past, and would be the best to help.

Controversy

File:Green64.jpg

Cover to Green Lantern #64. Art by Darryl Banks.

The editorial decision to turn Jordan into a homicidal maniac and replace him with Rayner was very controversial in comic book fandom, sparking a debate that has lasted for years. Many fans consider the treatment of Jordan to be a betrayal of the character (some fans created a Jordan defense organization called H.E.A.T., "Hal's Emerald Advancement Team"), while other fans feel that displeasure at Jordan's fate should not motivate people to react badly to Rayner. Other groups of fans, even long-time 'Green Lantern' fans, approved of the removal of the Jordan character from the book and the creation of Rayner to replace him. Caught in the middle has been writer Ron Marz, who executed the editorial decision to replace Jordan with Rayner, and who has been defended as having done the best he could with a decision which was out of his hands.

The controversy is frequently contrasted with DC's decision in 1986 to replace Barry Allen as the Flash with Wally West. The latter is cited as an example of a replacement "done right". Not only was Barry Allen allowed to go out as a hero, Wally West continues to honor his legacy. Kyle Rayner, on the other hand, was created to replace the entire Green Lantern mythos to date, which was demolished in his origin story.

In other media

Being created much too late to be a part of the animated DC products of the 70s and early 80s (like Superfriends), Kyle's only incarnation in a cinematic medium so far has been in the DC animated universe.

His first appearance was in the Superman: The Animated Series episode "In Brightest Day", which introduced the Green Lantern mythos into the DCAU. He was voiced here by Michael P. Greco. Kyle was a newspaper commercial artist for the Daily Planet (and a wannabe comic artist) when he was chosen by the Lantern ring. The ring had come from Abin Sur, who sent it off with his dying breath (having been shot down to Earth by Sinestro). Mere moments after receiving the ring, Kyle had to fight for his life against Sinestro. With Superman's help, Kyle defeated Sinestro and confirmed his place amongst the Lantern Corps. This story is closer to the origin of Hal Jordan (the more recognizable Green Lantern), which is augmented by the fact that animated Kyle Rayner looks more like Hal than Kyle. During one of the battle scenes, the fight is taken to an Air Force base -- "Col. Hal Jordan" can be seen stencilled on the side of one of the fighter jets shown. Officially, it is not known why the two characters were blended for the DCAU, although it is likely due to controversy mentioned above.

File:ThereturnJLU.jpg

Kyle Rayner in the Justice League Unlimited series

Later, the decision to pass on using Kyle in Justice League in favor of John Stewart caused a mild controversy amongst DCAU fans. Stewart was established in Justice League as having been a Lantern for 10-15 years, which seemed to directly contradict the continuity established as having Abin Sur as Sector 2814's Lantern (the sector including Earth) and Rayner following him. This error was slowly fixed in the series by explaining further that Stewart's time as a Lantern before the actual timeframe of Justice League was spent in a different sector than 2814, and that he returned very recently to Earth. His return, it seems, was to take Abin Sur's place as the 2814 Lantern while Kyle was brought to Katma Tui for training (referenced in the episode "Hearts and Minds"). Kyle is seen amongst the mourners at Superman's funeral in "Hereafter", and finally returns with a speaking part in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Return". This time, he is played by Will Friedle. Last we heard, Stewart is still stationed in 2814, and Kyle appears to be stationed on Oa, acting as a sort of field commander for the Lanterns posted there. In his Justice League appearances, Kyle has adopted a "variant" costume and hairstyle from the comics (thus lowering the resemblance to Hal Jordan).

Kyle has also featured in the Justice League of America book series by Dennis O'Neil called "Hero's Quest", published by Pocket Star Books in 2005. The story takes place outside of both the JLA book series and the mainstream DCU storyline. It retells how Kyle came across the ring, changing the events surrounding it, and the origins of superheroes on Earth. Rather than Hal destroying the Corps, it was instead the Guardians abandoning the Corps to remake the Universe, and Kyle is chosen by Ganthet to be the one to stop them as the new Green Lantern.

External links

• DCDP: Ion - DC Database Project
• Alan Kistler's Profile On: GREEN LANTERN - Comic book historian Alan Kistler gives this in-depth three-part article on the full general history of the Green Lanterns, from the original stories of Alan Scott all the way down through Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner, with discussions on their enemies, the characters that inspired them and the stories that were planned but never happened. Lots of image scans.