Who is Lobo? A quick history of the Main Man

Lobo is a ruthless and powerful alien from the planet Czarnia. He is occasionally heroic, often self-serving, and always over-the-top in every way possible. This unique combination of character traits have made him a fan-favorite for years. Here, we’ll be exploring some of Lobo’s history and taking a look at his modern backstory.

Powers and Personality

Lobo is a Czarnian, a member of an alien race from the planet Czarnia. Because of his alien biology, he has the ability to regenerate from almost any injury, though this regeneration occasionally takes some time. He also possesses enhanced strength, an arsenal of alien weapons, and a genius-level intellect.

Lobo is also more vulgar and brash than most DC Comics characters. He is typically shown to have little care for anyone or anything, to the point where he will kill or destroy without giving it much thought. However, Lobo does have a remarkable sense of honor, as he often has shown that he is always true to his word. Besides his honor, one of the few things Lobo cares about in the universe is dolphins, as he claims that he enjoys their purity and lack of judgement (though this care can occasionally be extended to individuals whose personality reminds him of dolphins).

Check out our Lobo reading Order right here

Classic History

Lobo’s first ever appearance was in issue #3 of the Omega Men. Though his character was initially more mainstream and presented him as the tragic survivor of a dead planet, his antics and personality eventually became more and more outlandish. His origin was then altered to reveal that he destroyed his own planet, further highlighting the fact that he does not care about most people or things.

Lobo’s solo adventures mostly centered around his aggressive personality and self-centered pursuit of whatever pleased him. These adventures typically saw Lobo fight those who annoyed him, collect the rewards on random bounties, and flirt with any woman willing to give him the time of day. Some of the adventures were even more outlandish and included a war against his own children and a mission to assassinate Santa Claus.

Meanwhile, his interactions with the greater DC Universe were more mixed. Many of them saw Lobo as an adversary, as he is typically viewed as an enemy to Superman. However, others saw him on the heroic side, especially when the lives of dolphins were at stake. Overall, Lobo’s allegiance typically landed with whomever was willing to pay the most or whomever had something that Lobo wants.

Modern History

In 2011, DC Comics rebooted their universe and wiped most of Lobo’s history from the current continuity. Through the reboot, Lobo maintained his regenerative powers, his strict sense of honor, and his career as a bounty hunter/mercenary.

At some point in this new continuity, Lobo was captured by a secret sect of the US Government and thrown into prison. While under government control, he was forced into the first iteration of Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad. However, this version of the Squad dissolved quickly and Lobo was thrown back into prison.

Years later, during the Justice League vs. Suicide Squad (Review) event, Maxwell Lord broke Lobo and a number of other super-powered prisoners free. Maxwell Lord then used mind control to force them to help him takeover the world. Luckily, Batman was able to free Lobo from Lord’s control and, with a few other heroes, they were able to stop Lord’s rule before it got too far.

To repay Batman for freeing him from Lord’s mind control, Lobo agreed to join the newly formed Justice League of America. He went on a number of adventures with the team and played a crucial role in many of their missions. Eventually, Lobo payed off his debt to Batman and left the team, though he did return to heroics once more during the No Justice (Review) event.

Fun Fact

Stan Lee claims that Lobo is his favorite DC Comics character.

 

 

For more about Lobo see our Lobo Reading Order. Also be sure to check out other “Who is?” character explorations.