Kraken

Storyline

Kraken is one of two Green Lanterns from the planet Apokolips, where she has seen many horrors and witnessed terrible suffering in her young life. Kraken was responsible for rescuing the long lost Green Lantern Raker Qarrigat from Darkseid‘s planet, many years after the Lantern had led an ill-fated strike force to liberate Apokolips. She saved Raker Qarrigat from Darkseid’s clutches, and by doing this she has been targeted by the Female Furies of Apokolips. As a result, the two partners developed a strong bond over their mutual desire to end Darkseid’s rule.

It was this desire to liberate Apokolips that convinced Kraken to accept a position as an Alpha Lantern when the Guardians selected her for this elite Corps. Both Kraken and her partner agreed that the added power of an Alpha Lantern would certainly help them in their struggle against Darkseid’s forces. Since her conversion, however, Kraken, like the other Alpha Lanterns, has appeared more hostile and distant to her fellow corpsmen.

When the New God Orion was found dead on Earth, Kraken was dispatched to lead a team of Lanterns sent to investigate the crime scene and take over the investigation from Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and earth’s heroes. Kraken’s authoritative manner immediately rubbed members of the Justice League the wrong way, particularly Batman, whose conclusion as to Orion’s murder were quickly dismissed by the Alpha Lantern. Although Jordan tried to diffuse the tension between his superior officer and the League, Kraken was quick to find fault with Jordan, charging him with favoring Earth over the other worlds in his sector. Kraken dismissed Jordan and continued the investigation alone.

While investigating the crime scene, John Stewart discovered the apparent murder weapon buried deep in the ground. He was soon ambushed by an unknown attacker who violently pinned Stewart to a nearby wall with spikes of Green Lantern energy. Before the attacker could gouge out Stewart’s eyes, the Earth Lantern defended himself with a right cross to his attackers jaw. Some time later, while Stewart struggled for his life, his partner Hal Jordan was awoken from his bed by Kraken and her team. They had come to arrest Jordan claiming that they had evidence that he was responsible for the attack on Stewart. Drained of his power, Jordan was taken into custody. Yet, despite Jordan’s troubled past, Batman and the League refused to believe that he had attacked his partner.

As Earth’s finest detective, it took little effort for Batman to recognize that Kraken was the mystery assailant. However, Batman failed to discover the Kraken herself was a victim; possessed by the “spirit” of one of Darkseid’s minion’s, Granny Goodness. The Dark Knight was captured while “Kraken” joined her fellow New Gods in their hidden lair on Earth. It is unclear how long Kraken has been possessed by Granny or if there is any vestige of her former self left within the body of the Alpha Lantern from Apokolips.

Green Lantern Statistics

• Status: Active
• Space Sector: 38
• Sector Partner: Raker Qarrigat
• Home-World: Apokolips
• Predecessor: Unknown
• Successor: Inapplicable

Powers and Abilities

Green Lantern Power Ring

Kraken wields a Green Lantern Power ring, which gives her several very formidable abilities and tactical resources:

• Emotional Spectrum Green Will Energy Conduit: The rings use pure energy supplied by a Power Battery, which in most cases takes the form of bright green light. This energy is the green light of willpower of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum. A Green Lantern’s ring, considered by some to be one of the most powerful weapons in the known universe, has the ability to affect and use fundamental forces of the known universe, including electromagnetic energies such as gravity, radiation, heat, light, and powerful blasts of concussive force. It is also theorized that the ring also has a basis in other dimensional energies commonly called magic by users of such energies. The ring can also create fields of force formed from an unknown energy that is bound by the users’ will. The limitations of such use are the skill, knowledge and imagination of the user.
• Energy Projection: The ring can be used to fire blasts of energy or create weapons such as projectiles of them. The ring can project beams of force powered by the will of the user. Their appearance does not indicate the power of the weapon. The weapon’s power is more an indication of the will of the user.
• Force Field: The ring can create various force fields of various sizes and shapes to protect the wearer and others in the vicinity. With the cosmic scope of a Green Lantern’s duties, it is only natural that the power ring is designed for operation in space. The ring creates a force field around the wearer, protecting them from the hazards of the void including filtration of stellar radiation and microscopic particulate matter which would ordinarily be fatal should the space debris strike the ring wielder at high speeds. An atmosphere appropriate to the ring wielder’s biology is created inside the force-field while body temperature is maintained and waste products are removed. Gravitational stresses which could cause injury are stabilized for the ring wielder. Theoretically, a ring wielder could use the ring as their sole source of life support. The force field is created instantaneously whenever needed as part of the ring’s automatic defensive system.
• Energy Constructs: The primary function of the power ring is to provide a weapon capable of transforming the wearer’s thoughts into physical constructs through the wearer’s strength of willpower. A Green Lantern can create any particular items or construct that they can imagine as long as they have the willpower necessary to will it into existence. The constructs exist only as long as a Green Lantern is fueling them with their willpower. Items created by the rings are not indestructible and are only as powerful as the willpower of the Green Lantern creating them. The types of constructs usually reflects the ring wearer’s personality.
• Phasing: The power ring allows the wearer to pass through solid objects such as walls, though this is also a function of the ring-bearer’s will and not an automatic ability of the ring itself.
• Environmental Playback: Upon request, the power ring can recreate a holographic environment based on data in its memory banks. The ring-bearer can observe events in a ghostlike state, but the cannot alter the outcome of the playback. All objects in the playback will appear in the full spectrum of colors, regardless of the wielder’s level of expertise creating simulacra. The power ring will automatically end the playback if outside interference warrants the ring-bearer’s undivided attention.
• Invisibility and Light Refraction: A ring-bearer can render themselves invisible by willing the ring to bend light waves around their body. A similar action allows an experienced ring-bearer to create objects of colors other than green, even simulacrums of living people.
• Energy Absorption: The ring can absorb and store other energies. Doing so does not replenish the normal store of energy the ring has. For example: a ring that needs recharging but contained a store of electricity could only discharge that electricity.
• Superhuman Strength: While not super strength of the conventional sense, a Lantern, while using constructs created by the ring, becomes capable of lifting/moving tremendous weights far heavier than they would normally be able to with comparatively little effort.
• Flight: By the manipulation of anti-gravitons and directed molecular movement, the ring allows the user to fly at incredible speeds. In atmosphere, a Green Lantern has been known to fly as fast as Mach 10 in atmosphere by creating an aerodynamic envelope around their body. In space, a Green Lantern’s flying ability has been shown to reach velocities far exceeding light speed. In atmospheres, air friction is not a hindrance since heat is either absorbed or reflected by the ring’s field.
• Wormholes and Spacial Warps: The power ring grants its bearer access to wormholes in space, enabling a Green Lantern to rapidly cut the time and distance needed to respond to an emergency. Black holes can also be navigated by experienced ring wielders. A Green Lantern can travel through a black hole to be deposited outside a white hole in a far off sector of space.
• Time Travel: Time travel is possible with the power ring, though the further forward in time a ring-bearer travels, the more willpower it takes.
• Limited Cellular Regeneration: A Green Lantern can use their ring to heal physical injuries in their self or others.
• Electromagnetic Scanning: The ring has a wide range of detection abilities based on the imagination of the user. If the ring-bearer can conceive of it, they can probably detect it. Most normal electromagnetic phenomena are within the range of the ring, including radio, radar, television, infrared, ultraviolet, microwave, and high frequency band communications.
• Thought Relay: Otherwise known as a telepathic link, which can be used to coordinate tactics with other Green Lanterns or report of the status of an active mission to a sector partner or other Lantern. The links can also be established with non-Green Lanterns, though it requires more willpower.
• Galactic Encyclopedia: The earlier rings worn by the Corps functioned as references for their bearers. Having the vast knowledge of the Book of Oa to draw upon, each ring functions as a ready reference on most peoples, stellar events and conditions that may have been seen by other rings or other Green Lanterns.
• Universal Translator: The power ring can translate virtually any language in the universe, facilitating diplomatic encounters rather than violent confrontations. Complications arise when a frame of reference for translation is not available, as evidenced during Katma Tui’s induction of Rot Lop Fan into the Green Lantern Corps. Katma Tui had the difficult assignment of explaining the concepts of “light” and “color” to the sightless Rot Lop Fan. She overcame this barrier by using sound rather than light as the basis of the ring’s power. Some Green Lanterns, such as the planet form known as Mogo, have used the ring to create an intermediary “being” to expedite communication.
• Material Alteration: The Green Lantern’s uniform is not made out of fabric. It is created by the power ring whenever the ring-bearer wills to wear it. Most Green Lanterns wear similar uniforms that are programmed into the ring by default. However, each Green Lantern is able to adjust their uniform to fit their own needs, personalities, or whims. The green parts of the wearer’s uniform are usually very warm or hot to those who touch it, while the black parts are very cold. The uniform also produces a “siren” taking on the form of the Green Lantern Corps’ symbol, circling the Green Lantern when active. The symbol, or badge, will not appear on the uniform until after a newly inducted Lantern has completed training on Oa, leading to the term “White-Circle” to describe a rookie Lantern.
• Ring Duplication: A power ring is capable of duplicating themselves. Each duplicate shares the qualities and capabilities of the original ring. The duplicate rings are subject to over-ride control by the original ring-bearer, and take a significant expenditure of energy to create.
• Emergency Beacon: A Green Lantern in distress can use their power ring as an emergency beacon. The alert can be directed to a Green Lantern’s neighboring sector, or it can be a Corps-wide alert.
• Homing Beacon: A homing beacon in the power ring can lead one Green Lantern to another. Though a power ring can be ordered to disguise itself to elude power ring wielding trackers.
• Mind Alteration: Though the ethics of mind tampering may be debatable, sometimes it is deemed necessary. As the power ring relies on thought and will to operate, mind tampering is not impossible. The real difficulty lies in properly applying the power. There lies a risk of severe damage to the mind where alterations are being attempted should mistakes be made. A ring-bearer can use the power ring to erase portions of an individual’s memories. Green Lanterns have used mind techniques as part of training. New recruits may be subjected to mind scans by other Green Lanterns or the Guardians of the Universe. They are taught to build mental defenses to protect themselves from mental attack. The power ring can also be used to beam information from the ring wielder to another being. Green Lanterns have used this technique to share information regarding their enemies during combat situations.
• Pocket Dimension: A ring-bearer can use their ring to create a small extra-dimensional holding space in which they can store their power battery for ease of retrieval. These pocket dimensions can be accessed from any location.
• Security Protocol: The rings can be programmed. They are coded to the wearer to make them unusable if stolen. The ring will refuse to take an action that would kill a being unless they are on Oa or have obtained permission. The Guardians recently removed the lethal force prohibition, first to allow lethal force against members of the Sinestro Corps, then against all enemies of the Green Lantern Corps.
• Preset Conditions: Commands can be stored in the ring to be executed at a later date even if the bearer is not wearing the ring.

Alpha Lantern Enhancements

After being transformed into an Alpha Lantern, Kraken gained additional abilities as well:

• Built-In Power Battery: Unlike the Green Lanterns, Alpha Lanterns do not carry their lanterns. Their lanterns are surgically inserted into their chests. Because of the user’s connection to the lanterns (and the lanterns’ connection to the central power battery), their rings always have power and do not need to be charged.
• Green Lantern Ring Chagrining: Other Green Lanterns are able to recharge their rings by inserting their hand into an Alpha Lantern’s chest (like they would with their own lanterns).
• Power Ring Draining: Alpha Lanterns have been implanted with Manhunter technology that gives them the ability to drain the power from a Green Lantern’s (or other Lantern Corps’) rings (multiple or a single person). This is done by lifting up their face plate and draining the power. Their original (flesh and blood) face is removed and replaced with a fake face that looks similar to their original face
• Enhanced Physical Prowess: Even without their green energy based powers, physically, most Alpha Lanterns are stronger and more durable than they had been before their transformation.

New God Physiology

The New Gods of Apokolips and New Genesis have evolved due to their close proximity to the Source, along with their superior technology, into beings of genetic stability and very formidable power. Their abilities include:

• Immortality: The New Gods are functionally immortal; they cease aging physically near the age of 30. Unless they fall in battle, they are immune to the ravages of time, and could easily live for thousands upon thousands of years.
• Invulnerability: They are resistant to blunt trauma like punches, kicks, and blows from weapons like bats and maces, though not -completely- immune; unless the blows are dealt by a being with similar or greater strength, there isn’t a chance of injury. However, this invulnerability does not extend to bullets, laser-blasts, or other piercing/slicing weapons – their invulnerability is more akin to that of an Amazon, rather than a Kryptonian.
• Super Strength: A New God is naturally stronger than that of a human man or woman of their build and stature who engages in regular intensive exercise. Their strength can be measured by their ability to lift hundreds of tons.
• Super Stamina: New God stamina and endurance is nothing short of amazing. Due to the naturally exhausting and extensive rigors of their life on Apokolips or Stamina training on New Genesis, a New God is able to manage their stamina on a certain amount of rest and sustenance (more than minimal) so that it seems they are able to constantly function, though this is not entirely the case. Tied directly to their strength and invulnerability, even their immunity to a certain extent, they can actually function at peak efficiency for almost 48 hours before needing to eat and rest.
• Superhuman Reflexes: All New Gods, they have a highly developed nervous system. Their reaction speed and hand-eye coordination is superior to a normal human’s. They can move fast enough to dodge a bullet before the gun fires and react with blinding speed.
• Superhuman Immunity: New Gods have an extremely evolved immune system. They have developed immunity to a number of toxins and diseases.