Kalibak
Encyclopedia
Kalibak is a fictional character
, a deity
and supervillain
published by DC Comics
. Created by Jack Kirby
, the character first appeared in New Gods
#1 (February 1971).
and Suli. His mother Suli is killed by Desaad
, acting under orders from Kalibak's grandmother Queen Heggra
. Kalibak becomes a legendary warrior, and often serves as Darkseid's second-in-command. After Darkseid breaks the pact of peace with New Genesis, the rival planet of Kalibak's home Apokolips
, he aids his father in the resulting battles.
Kalibak is often pitted against Orion
, and after numerous clashes they learned that they were half-brothers. This fuels Kalibak's hatred of Orion to new levels, for Darkseid clearly values Orion over his first-born. Unlike Orion, Kalibak secretly craves the love of his father - something neither he, nor anyone else, can ever hope to attain - and it has been shown that he has a gentle side which is completely submerged under his brutish exterior, and which he consistently and fearfully keeps hidden for any sign of weakness is, on Apokolips, subject to the cruelest punishment.
For his part, Darkseid is more lenient towards Kalibak's failures than those of his other servants; having slain him, he always returns him to life. It is implied this is because his eldest son is the offspring of the one person Darkseid truly loved.
At one point, Kalibak is desperate enough to confront Orion without Darkseid's consent. Kalibak's scheme fell apart and he kills his accomplice Desaad, also a servant of Darkseid, to cover his tracks. Darkseid was not pleased when he finds out and reduces his son to a pile of ash. After enough time had passed Darkseid resurrects Kalibak, hoping the boy had learned a lesson.
Kalibak later spends some time in an Apokolips prison, on Darkseid's orders. In Orion #1, (June 2000), Darkseid is on Earth when Orion invades Apokolips. Justeen, a servant of Desaad, releases Kalibak to battle Orion yet again. Kalibak is swiftly subdued, but does not care much as Orion leaves to battle Darkseid and Kalibak hopes to gain power as a result.
During the universe-wide Genesis
incident, Apokolips forces, including Kalibak, invade Earth. In Young Heroes in Love
#5, Kalibak and his small squad of Parademon
s are defeated by the leader of the Young Heroes, the telekinetic and telepathic Hard Drive.
Kalibak is slain by his uncle Infinity-Man
, who has been murdering the residents of Apokolips and New Genesis
as an agent of the Source Wall
in Death of the New Gods
.
In Final Crisis
the new Fifth World and human version of Kalibak appears alongside Darkseid (calling himself Dark Side) seemingly reborn in a new form alongside his father and a human Kanto
. This form is later replaced with a humanoid tiger-like form, engineered by Simyan and Mokkari. He is seen devouring a Green Lantern named Opto. He leads a regiment of tiger soldiers against the heroes in Blüdhaven
, but he is killed in combat with Tawky Tawny
. Before he dies, he begs his soldiers to help but they refuse as they only follow the strong. They then bow to Tawny as Kalibak dies.
. He can also summon and use aero-disks which allow him to fly. Kalibak also has access to high-tech weapons of mass destruction.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
and supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
published by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. Created by Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, the character first appeared in New Gods
New Gods
The New Gods are a fictional race appearing in publications by DC Comics, as well as the title for four series of comic books about those characters. They first appeared in New Gods #1 , and were created and designed by Jack Kirby....
#1 (February 1971).
Fictional character biography
Kalibak is the first-born son of DarkseidDarkseid
Darkseid is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby....
and Suli. His mother Suli is killed by Desaad
Desaad
Desaad is a fictional comic book supervillain, appearing in books published by DC Comics. He is one of the followers of Darkseid from the planet of Apokolips in Jack Kirby's Fourth World meta-series....
, acting under orders from Kalibak's grandmother Queen Heggra
Heggra
Heggra is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial monarch and supervillain in publications from DC Comics. The character first appeared in New Gods volume 1 #7 , and was created by Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
. Kalibak becomes a legendary warrior, and often serves as Darkseid's second-in-command. After Darkseid breaks the pact of peace with New Genesis, the rival planet of Kalibak's home Apokolips
Apokolips
In the DC Comics fictional shared Universe, Apokolips is the planet ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. It is also integral to many DC Comics stories. The planet is considered the opposite of New Genesis....
, he aids his father in the resulting battles.
Kalibak is often pitted against Orion
Orion (comics)
Orion is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in New Gods #1 , and was created by writer-artist Jack Kirby.-Jack Kirby Era:...
, and after numerous clashes they learned that they were half-brothers. This fuels Kalibak's hatred of Orion to new levels, for Darkseid clearly values Orion over his first-born. Unlike Orion, Kalibak secretly craves the love of his father - something neither he, nor anyone else, can ever hope to attain - and it has been shown that he has a gentle side which is completely submerged under his brutish exterior, and which he consistently and fearfully keeps hidden for any sign of weakness is, on Apokolips, subject to the cruelest punishment.
For his part, Darkseid is more lenient towards Kalibak's failures than those of his other servants; having slain him, he always returns him to life. It is implied this is because his eldest son is the offspring of the one person Darkseid truly loved.
At one point, Kalibak is desperate enough to confront Orion without Darkseid's consent. Kalibak's scheme fell apart and he kills his accomplice Desaad, also a servant of Darkseid, to cover his tracks. Darkseid was not pleased when he finds out and reduces his son to a pile of ash. After enough time had passed Darkseid resurrects Kalibak, hoping the boy had learned a lesson.
Kalibak later spends some time in an Apokolips prison, on Darkseid's orders. In Orion #1, (June 2000), Darkseid is on Earth when Orion invades Apokolips. Justeen, a servant of Desaad, releases Kalibak to battle Orion yet again. Kalibak is swiftly subdued, but does not care much as Orion leaves to battle Darkseid and Kalibak hopes to gain power as a result.
During the universe-wide Genesis
Genesis (DC Comics)
"Genesis" was a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self titled, four-issue, weekly mini-series and published by DC Comics in August 1997. The series was written by John Byrne and drawn by Ron Wagner and Joe Rubinstein...
incident, Apokolips forces, including Kalibak, invade Earth. In Young Heroes in Love
Young Heroes in Love
Young Heroes in Love is an American comic book series published by DC Comics; it ran for 18 issues from 1997 to 1998.-Publication history:...
#5, Kalibak and his small squad of Parademon
Parademon
Parademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
s are defeated by the leader of the Young Heroes, the telekinetic and telepathic Hard Drive.
Kalibak is slain by his uncle Infinity-Man
Infinity-Man
Infinity-Man is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial superhero published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Forever People #1, .-Fictional character biography:...
, who has been murdering the residents of Apokolips and New Genesis
New Genesis
New Genesis is a fictional planet in the . This planet, along with Apokolips, is speculated to be near the constellation Orion...
as an agent of the Source Wall
Source Wall
The Source Wall is a fictional structure in the . The wall lies on the edge of the known universe, in the Promethean Galaxy. Beyond the wall lies what is known as the Source, a cosmic essence or being that is the "source" of all that exists. The wall is theoretically passable. However, all those...
in Death of the New Gods
Death of the New Gods
Death of the New Gods was an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2007 and 2008 by DC Comics. It was written and pencilled by Jim Starlin.The series follows the final days of the New Gods as they are stalked by a mysterious killer....
.
In Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
the new Fifth World and human version of Kalibak appears alongside Darkseid (calling himself Dark Side) seemingly reborn in a new form alongside his father and a human Kanto
Kanto (comics)
Kanto is a fictional extraterrestrial assassin published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Mister Miracle vol. 1 #7 , and was created by Jack Kirby...
. This form is later replaced with a humanoid tiger-like form, engineered by Simyan and Mokkari. He is seen devouring a Green Lantern named Opto. He leads a regiment of tiger soldiers against the heroes in Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven
Blüdhaven is a fictional city in the . Created by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel in 1996, it was originally intended to serve as a backdrop for the Nightwing comics series.-Fictional geography:...
, but he is killed in combat with Tawky Tawny
Tawky Tawny
Tawky Tawny is a character in DC Comics and a supporting character of the Marvel Family. He is a humanoid and well mannered tiger who wishes to be a part of human society and is a close friend of the Marvel Family.-Pre-Crisis:...
. Before he dies, he begs his soldiers to help but they refuse as they only follow the strong. They then bow to Tawny as Kalibak dies.
Powers and abilities
Kalibak possesses incredibly high levels of superhuman strength, endurance, and durability. Despite his great size, Kalibak is actually fast and agile. Like all beings of the Fourth World he is immortal. Kalibak is a highly trained hand-to-hand combatant known on Apokolips for his savagery. He is armed with a Beta-Club, a weapon that fires force bolts or nerve beams that causes living beings agonizing pain. It is nearly invulnerable, though Orion once destroyed it with some assistance from LightrayLightray
Lightray is a DC Comics superhero. Created by Jack Kirby for the "Jack Kirby's Fourth World" meta-series, he first appeared in New Gods #1 .- Fictional character biography :...
. He can also summon and use aero-disks which allow him to fly. Kalibak also has access to high-tech weapons of mass destruction.
Television
- Kalibak appeared in the last two incarnations of the original animated series, Super FriendsSuper FriendsSuper Friends is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part of its Saturday morning cartoon lineup...
voiced by Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
. His appearance was not as brutish a later TV incarnations, more like the original Jack KirbyJack KirbyJack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
design for the character. He was almost always depicted as boastful, dull-witted and ineffectual against the heroes.
- Kalibak was featured on Superman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated SeriesSuperman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
, where he was voiced by Michael DornMichael DornMichael Dorn is an American actor, and voice artist who is best known for his role as the Klingon Worf from the Star Trek franchise.-Early life and career:...
. Like in the comics, he seeks to earn his father's approval. He appears in "Father's Day" where he, Desaad, and Bruno Mannheim watch Superman fight one of Desaad's robots. He even pleaded to his father to fight Superman, but Darkseid denied that. Desaad later sneaks him to Earth so that he can fight Superman. Kalibak and Superman fight it out in Metropolis. Darkseid later finds out about this even when he forced the answers out of Desaad. Superman managed to send Kalibak flying into the nearby park. By the time Superman caught up with Kalibak, Darkseid arrived and withdrew Kalibak back to Apokolips. In the "Apokolips...Now" two-parter, he takes part in Darkseid's invasion of Earth. In "Legacy" Pt. 2, he fights Superman again when he breaks free from Darkseid's brainwashing.
- In Justice LeagueJustice League (TV series)Justice League is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It is based on the Justice League of America and associated comic book characters published by DC Comics...
, Michael Dorn reprised his role of Kalibak in the second season premiere, "Twilight". He later returned in "Hereafter" as a member of the Superman Revenge SquadSuperman Revenge SquadThe Superman Revenge Squad is the name of two fictional organizations in the DC Comics universe. As their name suggests, they are enemies of Superman.-Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths:...
in a plot to kill Superman. His brute strength allows him to defeat Wonder Woman, but he is then thwarted by Batman until Superman arrives, who knocks him out in one punch. During a second attack, he ended up engaging Lobo in battle and lost when Lobo threw a pile of cars on him.
- In Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
, Darkseid's death created a power struggle on Apocalypse, with Kalibak as Darkseid's son, whoever could bend him to their will could claim control of the planet. Granny GoodnessGranny GoodnessGranny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
appeared before Mister MiracleMister MiracleMister Miracle is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Mister Miracle #1 and was created by Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
and Big BardaBig BardaBig Barda is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Mister Miracle #4 , and was created by Jack Kirby....
to free Kalibak from the X-Pits (where Virman VundabarVirman VundabarVirman Vundabar is a fictional extraterrestrial supervillain published by DC Comics. He was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol. 1 #5 "drawn like Benito Mussolini."-Fictional character biography:...
was holding him) in order for Granny Goodness to release OberonOberon (comics)Oberon is the diminutive manager of Mister Miracle, the world's greatest escape artist. He is named after the legendary king of the faeries . Oberon was created by Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
from her clutches. With the help of the FlashFlash (comics)The Flash is a name shared by several fictional comic book superheroes from the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in Flash Comics #1 ....
, they freed Kalibak, only to trick Granny Goodness with Martian ManhunterMartian ManhunterThe Martian Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in publications published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #225...
, who had shape-shifted into a copy of Kalibak. Flash was able to free Oberon in time, Granny Goodness was defeated, and Kalibak was returned to a prison on Earth, in an attempt to prolong the power struggle on Apokolips.
- Kalibak appears in the Batman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the BoldBatman: The Brave and the Bold is an American animated television series based in part on the DC Comics series The Brave and the Bold which features two or more super heroes coming together to solve a crime or foil a super villain...
episode "The Knights of Tomorrow!" voiced by Michael-Leon WooleyMichael-Leon WooleyMichael-Leon Wooley is an American television, film and theatre actor and singer. Wooley lends his voice to Louis the Alligator in Disney's Oscar nominated animated feature film, The Princess and the Frog. Wooley has also done a small role in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV.- Early life :Wooley was...
. He along with the ParademonParademonParademons are a fictional group of aliens in the . They are monstrous shock troops of Apokolips used by Darkseid to maintain order of the planet. The original Parademons were created by Jack Kirby in The New Gods #1 .-Fictional history:...
s hunt down QuestionQuestion (comics)The Question is a fictional character, a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics. The original was created by writer-artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Blue Beetle #1...
after he discovers Darkseid's plans to invade Earth. In "Darkseid Descending!", he invades Earth to prepare for his father's arrival.