Lightning Lad

Garth Ranzz, also known as Live Wire and Lightning Lad, is a superhero appearing in media published by DC Comics, usually those featuring the Legion of Superheroes, a 30th and 31st century group of which he is a founding member. He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity, usually in the form of lightning bolts.

Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad has appeared in various media outside comics, primarily those featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes. He is voiced by Andy Milder in '' Legion of Super Heroes'' (2006) and portrayed by Calum Worthy in ''Smallville''.

Publication history

The character first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #247 (April 1958), and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino.

Fictional character biography

Silver Age

Lightning Lad is a Winathian and founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes along with Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy. He is the older twin brother of fellow Legionnaire Ayla Ranzz (Lightning Lass), the younger brother of the supervillain Mekt Ranzz (Lightning Lord), and the father of two sets of twins; sons Garridan and Graym Ranzz and daughters Dacey and Dorrit Ranzz.

Early in the Legion's history, Garth is killed battling Zaryan the Conqueror and resurrected following the sacrifice of Proty. A later retcon revealed that Proty's mind had taken over Lightning Lad's body, but this has since been eliminated from Legion canon.

At one point, Lightning Lad lost his right arm to a monster dubbed the "Moby Dick of space", replacing it with a bionic appendage. He eventually had his arm regrown, but in the interim a criminal scientist hypnotized Lightning Lad into becoming the criminal Starfinger.

During the "Five Year Gap", Earth falls under the control of the Dominators and withdraws from the United Planets. A temporal clone of Lightning Lad is introduced, later assuming the code name Live Wire.

Zero Hour

After the '' Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!'' miniseries, Legion history was rebooted. In this version, Garth Ranzz formed the Legion while searching for his brother Mekt, who disappeared after gaining superpowers. After finding Mekt, Garth loses his right arm in a battle with him.

In the " Legion Lost" storyline, Garth is killed in battle with the Progenitor, an insane Element Lad. After the Progenitor's death, he leaves behind several crystals that Kid Quantum takes to the graveyard Shanghalla. Garth's essence survives in the crystals and uses them to create a humanoid crystal body. In '' Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds'', Garth regains his original body using a lightning rod created by Brainiac 5.

Post-"Infinite Crisis"

The events of "Infinite Crisis" restore an analogue of the pre-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" Legion to continuity. Lightning Lad makes further appearances in '' Doomsday Clock'' and '' The New Golden Age'', where Doctor Manhattan erases him and the Legion from existence before Superman convinces him to restore them.

Powers and abilities

Lightning Lad has the ability to generate electricity within his own body without harming himself. This electricity he is able to discharge in the form of potent "lightning bolts". He can also create flashing lettering which can be seen from great distances. He has occasionally displayed limited control of the weather. In more recent versions of the character, Garth is also able to direct his electric powers internally so as to move at superhuman speed, with his top speed being approximately one-third the speed of light. Lightning Lad is immune to the harmful effects of electric currents, not only those currents that he himself generates.

As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Garth is additionally provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments.

In other media

Television

* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the '' Superman: The Animated Series'' episode "New Kids In Town".
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''Justice League Unlimited'' episode "Far From Home".
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' (2006), voiced by Andy Milder. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version sports glowing blue eyes and a lightning-shaped scar over his right eye, both of which he obtained during the incident that gave him his powers. In the second season, Lightning Lad loses his right arm to Imperiex before Brainiac 5 and Shrinking Violet build him a prosthetic arm. Following this, he and his brother Mekt work together to restore their sister Ayla after discovering that she had become a disembodied energy being.
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in the ''Smallville'' episode "Legion", portrayed by Calum Worthy. This version is an overzealous fan of Clark Kent.

Film

* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash'', voiced again by Andy Milder. This version comes from a future Earth that Brainiac conquered by the year 2116.
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking appearance in ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' (2023).
* The ''Legion of Super Heroes'' (2006) incarnation of Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, Too!''.

Video games

* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''.
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in Brainiac's ending in '' Injustice 2''.

Miscellaneous

* Garth Ranzz as Live Wire appears in '' Adventures in the DC Universe'' #10.
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in '' Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century''.
* Garth Ranzz as Lightning Lad appears in '' Batman '66 Meets the Legion of Super-Heroes''.

References

External links

LIGHTNING LAD at the LEGION Collection

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ranzz, Garth
Characters created by Otto Binder
Comics characters introduced in 1958
DC Comics aliens
DC Comics cyborgs
DC Comics extraterrestrial superheroes
DC Comics superheroes
DC Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Fictional amputees
Fictional characters with electric or magnetic abilities
Fictional characters with weather abilities
Legion of Super-Heroes members
Twin characters in comics