Kalibak


Kalibak

(pop culture)Kalibak the Cruel, the loutish, superstrong savage with the looks of a caveman and the temperament of a barroom brawler, would be any family's black sheep were his father not the merciless Darkseid. Premiering in writer/artist Jack Kirby's The New Gods vol. 1 #1 (1971), Darkseid's firstborn is shipped away during his youth to be trained as a warrior after his mother, Suli, is slain by the executive decree of his grandmother, Queen Heggra. Under the tutelage of Darkseid's soldiers, Kalibak matures into the most aggressive and unbeatable bruiser on the wretched planet Apokolips, a reputation that spreads across the galaxy. Inheriting his father's near-omnipotence but not his intelligence, the obtuse Kalibak deeply resents his heroic half-brother Orion, whom Darkseid favors. He plotted unsuccessfully to murder his sibling, being killed by his father for his perfidy. Darkseid later revived Kalibak, and the barbarous scion remains unshakably faithful to his father, wielding his force-bolt-firing Beta Club in Darkseid's name. Among his few intergalactic enemies who have survived his wrath is Earth's mightiest protector, Superman. Despite his truculence and repugnant form, Kalibak is essentially an insecure “child” aching for a love his soulless father can never provide. Kalibak appeared on television in the animated series The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (1986–1987), Superman (1996–2000), Justice League (2001–2004), and Justice League Unlimited (2004–present). In 1985 Kenner manufactured a Kalibak Super Powers action figure with an accompanying toy vehicle, the rock-catapulting “Kalibak Boulder Bomber.”