Real Name:  Kilowog

Voiced by Dennis Haysbert

Leaving the telepathic unity of his native Bolovax Vik, Kilowog went on to become one of the best recruiters and trainers of the Green Lantern Corps.  In addition, he is a skilled geneticist and mechanic with extensive knowledge of advanced technologies.

Images

Kilowog Image

Commentary

Originally debuting in Green Lantern #201 (June 1986), Kilowog was later retconned into Green Lantern history, where it was revealed that he was Hal Jordan’s trainer before Sinestro.  A popular and versatile character—due to his function as scientific genius and comic relief—the Bolovaxian enjoyed frequent appearances, both in the Corps as a trainer (he trained Katma Tui) and, later, as a handyman for the Justice League, where his ability to assess any machine, disassemble it, and improve upon it was a boon to the team’s security.  Kilowog died in the Emerald Twilight storyline, where he was murdered by an unhinged Jordan, but his cult status proved too much, as he was recently revived in the pages of Green Lantern.

Given his history, Kilowog’s appearances in Justice League should have been no surprise.  His trial scene in In Blackest Night was funny, but it was Hearts and Minds were he was really given a chance to shine—building a Carbon Bomb one minute, eating a videotape the next.  This is in tone with his comic book appearances, as the stories featuring him in the Justice League titles tended towards a more humorous slant.  In addition, his appearance in Minds provided a wonderful character for the Flash—another character distinguished by his humor—to play off of (this friendship could be a homage to Kilowog’s friendship with fellow Lantern Guy Gardner in the comics).

(It should be noted that Kilowog’s skills as a trainer were downplayed in Hearts and Minds in favor of his technical knowledge.  This is understandable:  the creative team probably wanted to differentiate him from Katma Tui, who was presented as a trainer in Minds—two Green Lantern trainers would have been too complicated for the episode.)

Images courtesy of The World's Finest, Cartoon Network, and Bat13 from DCU Animated.

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