Laira (DC)
Laira is a female extraterrestrial comic character who features in DC Comics.
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Biography
Laira Omoto was born on the planet Jayd in space sector 112. She is trained by her father Kentor Omoto to take over his role as a soldier of the Guardians of the Universe; a Green Lantern of her sector. Her training is also one strict with tradition and honor. During her training she becomes exceptionally adept at her native martial arts. Throughout his time with his daughter, her father never hides the fact that the ruling council of his planet are not doing things the way he would. He sees their rule as weak and disreputable.<ref name="glq6">Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #6</ref> After the disappearance of her father during the Crisis on Infinite Earths and the proclamation by the Guardians that he is dead, she is considered for the post of ring bearer and Green Lantern of her sector. Her instructor turns out to be Ke'Haan of Varva: Kilowog's second in command, known for his tough as nails training. Eager to please and finding a kindred spirit of honor within her teacher, she becomes his prized pupil.<ref name="gl12">Green Lantern (vol. 4) #12 (July 2009)</ref>
To complete her training, Laira is sent to the city of X'ol on her home planet. Her mission is to put an end to the "Golden Dragon." Upon coming face to face with her target, he is revealed to be her previously believed dead father: Kentor Omoto. He describes his return from the Crisis on Infinite Earths to his home planet, where the years of sitting idly by finally break him. He is disgusted by the behavior of the people of X'ol and crosses the same ethical line as Sinestro; using his ring to influence the people's behavior as well as that of the ruling council. When the Guardians discover his actions, he is charged with political interference, stripped of his power ring, and returned to Jayd. The ruling council exiles him upon his return. Having lost everything, he creates his Golden Dragon identity so that he can remake X'ol in his image. Omoto pleads with Laira to ignore her training. Realizing her father endangers not just X'ol but all of Jayd, she fights and defeats her father. Omoto asks Laira to kill him, as honor demands his blood for what he had done, but she refuses; forcing him to commit ritual suicide.<ref name="glq6"/>
Her mission completed, Laira returns to Oa angry at the Guardians for hiding the true nature of her mission from her. The Guardians, impressed with her loyalty and skill, make her the Green Lantern of her sector and induct her into the Green Lantern Corps.<ref name="glq6"/> As a Green Lantern, Laira is known as one of the Corps' fiercest warriors, and her martial arts skills are without comparison. She is noted as never looking at her target, so that every attack is a surprise. Due to her time with Ke'Haan, a rumor circulates among the Corps that their relationship extends beyond that of student and teacher (despite Ke'Haan having a family).<ref name="gl12"/> Though they do develop feelings for one another, neither act on them.
In Green Lantern (vol 3) #49, after Hal Jordan goes rogue, Laira and her mentor, Ke'Haan, engage Hal Jordan but fall to his increased power and near psychotic rage. She and Ke'Haan are both stripped of their power rings and left for dead.
She is later discovered by a reformed Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner being held captive by the Manhunters with the other "Lost Lanterns" including Kreon and Tomar-Tu.<ref>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #3 (August 2005)</ref><ref>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #11 (May 2006)</ref> With the help of Jordan and Gardner, the Lost Lanterns put an end to the Manhunter planet of Biot and return to Oa. She then resumes her duties as Green Lantern of her sector.<ref name="gl12"/><ref>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #13 (September 2006)</ref>
Laira and the Lost Lanterns were on Oa when the planet was assaulted by the Sinestro Corps. After a valiant fight many Green Lanterns were killed, and the Sinestro Corps fled with sciencell prisoners Superboy Prime and Cyborg Superman as their newest recruits. (Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special v1 #1) The Corps began picking up the pieces after the assault on Oa, and when Hal Jordan tried to attend to the wounded Tomar-Tu, Laira and the Lost Lanterns told him to back off. They told him they’d see one of their own die before asking him or any other human for help. Kilowog stepped in, reminding them that now was not the time to keep opening old wounds. The Lost Lanterns were sent to Qward to rescue Kyle Rayner from the Sinestro Corps. (Green Lantern v4 #21) Laira and the Lost Lanterns traveled to Qward to retrieve Ion, and found Hal Jordan being overwhelmed by the Sinestro Corps. Parallax told Hal that the Green Lantern Corps despised him and had abandoned him, but Ke’Haan said that although they hated Hal they’d never abandon a fellow Lantern. Parallax killed Jack T. Chance, and Hal and the remaining Lost Lanterns retreated to Qward’s underground catacombs. They split up, with Ke’Haan and his allies attempting to locate the imprisoned Ion, while Hal was joined by Graf Toren and Tomar-Tu in rescuing Guy and John Stewart. They found their comrades, but were confronted by Lyssa Drak, keeper of the Book of Parallax, who was in the process of breaking their friends and making them give in to fear. (Green Lantern v4 #22)
Laira and the Lost Lanterns searching for Ion were halted by the Anti-Monitor. The Anti-Monitor incinerated Lost Lantern Ke’Haan, but the remaining Lanterns fought hard against him, and managed to free Ion. The Lost Lanterns saved Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner and John Stewart from Sinestro and Parallax, and returned to the positive-matter universe, returning Ion to Oa. The Guardians foresaw the Blackest Night prophecy coming to pass with the rise of the Sinestro Corps, and did the unthinkable, rewriting the Book of Oa. The first of their ten new laws stated that the Corps power rings were authorized to use lethal force against the Sinestro Corps. (Green Lantern v4 #23) As the Sinestro Corps War raged on Earth, Laira, the Green Lantern Corps and an army of superheroes battled the Corps the Anti-Monitor prepared to unleash an anti-matter wave to destroy Earth. With Earth’s destruction, the entire 52 would fall, and he would once again rule all that was. The Green Lantern Corps ruptured the heart of Anti-Monitor’s Warworld, the Sinestro Corps central power battery, and created a shield around Warworld and the Monitor. The ensuing blast nearly destroyed the Anti-Monitor, and he was finished off by Superman-Prime, who betrayed him for having destroyed his home, Earth-Prime. GL Hal Jordan defeated Sinestro in personal combat, and the Sinestro Corps, lacking any leadership, fled Earth. The heroes rejoiced and began rebuilding the damage the Sinestro Corps had done to various worlds. (Green Lantern v4 #25)
After preventing the invasion of Coast City by the Sinestro Corps, Laira visits the Crypt of the Green Lanterns to mourn Ke'Haan's death. Hannu reveals their attraction to one another to Boodikka, but explains that (before his death) Ke'Haan refuses Laira because he has a family on his home planet. Laira and the Lost Lanterns set out to his homeworld to deliver news of his death, only to find that his family has been murdered by Sinestro Corps member Amon Sur. The killer willingly submits to the Lanterns, so that news of his actions will spread. Enraged by this, Laira kills Amon.<ref>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #26 (December 2007)</ref> Afterwards, Laira is held in custody on Oa, while the Lanterns who had seen her crime testify against her. She is placed in the custody of the newly founded Alpha Lanterns, and tried by the Guardians, who find her guilty and strip her of her power ring.<ref>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #27 (January 2008)</ref><ref name=GL28>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #28 (January 2008)</ref>
After her trial, Laira is arranged to be transported back to her homeworld, Jayd, by Hannu. However, a red power ring attacks their ship and chooses Laira as its bearer; making her the second Red Lantern. Under the influence of the red light, Laira's personality degenerates to the point where she is little more than a snarling beast; obsessed with revenge against Sinestro and showing no recognition when confronted by Hal Jordan and John Stewart.<ref>Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns #1 (October 2008)</ref> During a skirmish on the prison planet Ysmault with multiple Lanterns, Hal begins to free Laira from the red power ring's influence, but she is killed by Sinestro before being able to fully recover.<ref name=GL36>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #36 (December 2008)</ref><ref name=GL37>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #37 (January 2009)</ref> Learning of her demise, the Guardians view her as dying in disgrace as a Red Lantern and renegade despite Jordan's protests.<ref name=GL39>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #39 (April 2009)</ref>
During the Blackest Night event, Laira's fellow Lost Lanterns head to Ysmault to retrieve her body.<ref>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #40 (May 2009)</ref> While trying to fend off the Red Lanterns and return to Oa with their former friend, black power rings descend upon the planet to reanimate the bodies of the deceased and recruit them to the Black Lantern Corps; one of the rings attaches itself to Laira's body, turning her into a Black Lantern.<ref name=GL44>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #44 (September 2009)</ref><ref name=GL45>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #45 (September 2009)</ref> Laira attacks Tomar-Tu and Graf Toren, severely slashing Tomar's chest. As a Black Lantern, Laira appears to have maintained her degraded, animalistic mental state from being recruited to the Red Lantern Corps.<ref name=GL47>Green Lantern (vol. 4) #47 (October 2009)</ref>
Overview
Personality and attributes
Powers and abilities
Laira was a female inhabitant of Jayd and possessed all the natural traits of her species. (Green Lantern Corps Quarterly v1 #6)
She came to be recruited to be a Green Lantern and thus was granted a Power Ring. (Green Lantern Corps Quarterly v1 #6)
Notes
- Laira was created by Ruben Diaz and Travis Charest where she made her first appearance in Green Lantern Corps Quarterly v1 #6 (September, 1993).
Alternate Versions
In other media
Films
- In Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, Laira appeared in the animated film where she was voiced by actress Kelly Hu. The daughter of Kentor Omoto, who was jealous he was passed up for the Green Lantern Ring over his daughter on a battle at her homeworld. She went back to Jayd years later to bring her father to justice for the massacre of an enemy race and won in a battle against him. She was shown to be very serious and very quiet however as Arisia Rrab's plan works to defeat Krona she bows in respect toward Arisia.
Appearances
- Green Lantern Corps Quarterly v1:
- Green Lantern v4:
External Links
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