| OBLIVION | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Brian Vaughan and Norm Breyfogle |
Oblivion
PERSONAL DATA
Occupation: inapplicable
Homeworld: Earth
Gender: Male
Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Eyes: Red
Hair: Variable
First Appearance: Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #1 (early October 2000): "Darkness Visible"
Creators: Brian Vaughan and Norm Breyfogle
HISTORY
When he was seven years old, Kyle Rayner created Oblivion, a comic book super-villain. In Kyle's story, Oblivion existed long before the birth of the universe and possessed tremendous powers. Oblivion had the ability to create cosmic events like black holes and miniature suns. The mere sight of the villain could drive a victim insane. Oblivion fed on fear and anger, growing stronger from the negative emotions. Additionally, he had the power to unleash the Killer Wraiths, the ghosts of alien conquerors he had slain over the eons. In Kyle's story, Oblivion fought his greatest battle against the super-hero called the Cannoneer only to be defeated by the device known as the Omega Option. As the years went on, Oblivion was put aside as a childhood daydream. - Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #1- 2
In his twenties, Kyle Rayner was given the last power ring by Ganthet, the last of the Guardians of the Universe and became the latest in a line of heroes known as Green Lantern. Rayner had the ring a short time before his girlfriend Alexandra DeWitt was murdered by Major Force. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #50, 54
Rayner felt overwhelmed by Alex's death and the days afterwards only brought more stress as he participated in the event known as Zero Hour and battled former Green Lantern Hal Jordan who had become the villain Parallax. It was during his battle with Jordan that Rayner destroyed the planet Oa, to prevent Jordan from seizing even more power. - Green Lantern Vol. 3 #55, Zero Hour #4-0, Green Lantern Vol. 3 #0
It was around that time that Kyle Rayner unconsciously ordered the power ring to expel his feelings of sorrow, anger, fear and self-doubt. The shapeless blob of emerald energy gained sentience as the ring construct wandered the galaxy for months until it decided to take the form of Oblivion, a form which represented everything Rayner was afraid to confront. It was a year before Oblivion was able to manipulate the visible light spectrum, changing its appearance from a solely emerald existence. - Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #1- 2
Oblivion first attacked Rann in the Alpha Centauri system, gaining the attention of Adam Strange. Just as in Kyle Rayner's comics, Oblivion's appearance drove his victims insane. Unbeknownst to Strange, Oblivion had created an object similar to a Green Lantern power battery which was emitting light waves at a spectrum beyond that of human sight, so it had no effect on humans but was disastrous to the people of Rann. The hero of two worlds could do pitifully little as the Zeta radiation that transported him to Rann wore off and he was instantly returned to Earth, to warn of Oblivion's coming.
The badly injured Adam Strange met up with Firestorm and the Atom then was taken to the JLA. Earth's greatest heroes met Oblivion on the fringes of the solar system. Like his comic book namesake, Oblivion wielded powers far exceeding those of the JLA. At Superman's request, Kyle Rayner returned to Earth to marshal a defense by the remaining heroes. The JLA was defeated soon after. - Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #1
Captured by Oblivion, the JLA was placed in a yellow crystal and left on an alien world, guarded by the natives of that world. Oblivion would annihilate the native species if they allowed the JLA to be rescued or escape. - Green Lantern/Power Girl #1
To combat the threat of Oblivion, Kyle Rayner's unconscious mind created a number of Green Lanterns, each representing parts of his mind, and each with their own "history," which led them, and others, to believe they were real.
Green Lightning AKA Ali Rayner-West represented Kyle's hope for the future. Together with Adam Strange, they discovered the population of Rann was going mad from a signal broadcasted by a giant green lantern. - Green Lantern/Adam Strange #1, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2
Pel Tavin of Daxam, the Emerald Knight represented Kyle's sense of nobility. Tavin went with Power Girl to find the trapped JLA, but discovered the JLA were being protected instead. - Green Lantern/Power Girl #1, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2
A Manhunter turned Green Lantern represented Kyle's sense of logic. This Manhunter went with Firestorm to find the rumored Omega Option. - Green Lantern/Firestorm #1, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2
The Teen Lantern Corps members Forest and Hunter represented his imagination. The cousins teamed up with the Atom to find a super-villain powerful enough to create Oblivion. - Green Lantern/Atom #1, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2
Finally, Alex DeWitt represented love. She and Kyle sought out Oblivion, ultimately locating him amidst the rubble of Oa. - Green Lantern/Green Lantern #1, Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2
They gathered at Oa, at first falsely believing Pel Tavin was a traitor. The heroes soon came under attack by Oblivion. Momentarily without his power ring, Forrest was killed by Oblivion. Kyle was growing weak as the strain of keeping these living aspects was becoming too much to bear. Once he learned their true nature, to defeat Oblivion Kyle had no choice but to absorb the "Green Lanterns" back into himself. When the battlefield shifted to within Kyle's mind, the positive aspects of Kyle were able to defeat the negativity represented by Oblivion. - Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2
Though Kyle would go on to wield greater power as Ion, no other aspect resembling Oblivion has returned.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Oblivion in chronological order click here