Boodikka

Boodikka first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 3 #20 and was created by Gerald Jones, Pat Broderick, Romeo Tanghal, Albert De Guzman, and Anthony Tollin.[1]

At three centuries of age, the warrior Boodikka of the planet Bellatrix was originally recruited by the sphere-like Chaselon of Barrio III to join the then-reconstituted Green Lantern Corps.[2] Boodikka had belonged to something called the "Bellatrix Bombers", a group of women mercenaries for hire by planets to clear the spaceways of hostile forces. The "Bellatrix Bombers" had broken up at some point, the majority of the team apparently having been killed along the way.

Initially Hal Jordan was dismayed and otherwise put off by Boodikka's inherently aggressive attitude. Despite this, Kilowog, a renowned trainer in the Corps and the trainer of Jordan himself,[3] was only too eager to train someone so challenging and gave her his recommendation as a candidate. Things moved quickly at this point, and Boodikka soon found herself thrust into battle with Star Sapphire. She and the rest of the Corps joined in the fight against Hal's one-time love, the mercenary Flicker, and an entire Teban convoy.[4]

Some time later, new recruits of the Green Lantern Corps were shown the Book of Oa, a book kept by the Guardians of the Universe which told tales of Green Lanterns past, present, and future. They learned stories which would help them be better Green Lanterns.[5] The new members had this training disrupted when they went to Earth to help free Hal Jordan from the influence of the villain Eclipso. They were no match for the eclipsed Jordan and Star Sapphire. Eclipso managed to escape the Corps and soon they returned to Oa. Guy Gardner was awarded a ring by the Guardians of the Universe to act as temporary Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814.[6]

She would quickly prove to be a skilled power ring wielder, a worthwhile addition to the Green Lantern Corps. Nevertheless, her problem with authority and authority figures posed a continuing problem. She was often at odds with Kreon of Tebis, another new recruit to the Corps. As the former Chieftain of the Teban battle fleet, he was used to discipline and military precision. Their infighting had even jeopardized Oa and the Guardians during a Qwardian invasion. Guy Gardner had returned to Oa to take the yellow power ring of Sinestro. Without Kilowog to guide them, the Green Lanterns were in chaos.

Kreon and Boodikka came to blows when the rival Green Lantern criticized her for being an undisciplined fighter. Running out of options, Kilowog brought the two squabbling Green Lanterns to John Stewart as a "guest lecturer" in cooperation and tolerance. Stewart performed a mind scan on the two recruits and somehow exchanged their consciousnesses. The two Green Lanterns were faced with their ultimate fears: Kreon's was represented by "Mama Denata" and his fear of the uncontrollable, while Boodikka's fear was "the Chain Men" which represented the suffocation she felt by authoritative restraints. The two had no choice but to learn to work together or be defeated.[7]

Boodikka never lost her love of battle. She eagerly fought against the incarnation of Entropy, even though the encounter then-seemed to mean certain death. Boodikka proved to have come a long way as a Green Lantern, then working as a team with the other members of the Corps to defeat Entropy.[8]

In a space sector far removed from our own galaxy, Boodikka was assigned to investigate the deaths of multiple alien races that had suddenly destroyed themselves in an apparent mass-suicide, environmental destruction, or otherwise massive wars. Upon arriving on a world in the midst of tearing itself apart, Boodikka encountered Guy Gardner. He and his colleagues, the "Gardners of the Universe," had been dispatched to solve the same problem as Boodikka. Guy sought to prove to his leadership abilities to his team of super-powered aliens from across known space. It was not long until Gardner got into an altercation with the Green Lantern. It was during this fight that Guy realized his yellow ring was powered by the energy of the Green Lanterns' power rings.[9] Fully charged, Gardner's yellow power ring enabled him to recognize the true threat. Created in the anti-matter universe of Qward, his power ring negated the mental block of the real attackers. Gardner used his ring to free the others from their trance.

Boodikka's respite would not last long. An alien race called the Ophidians had come to cleanse known space. On two occasions in their sordid past they had been nearly annihilated by alien invaders – then since confining themselves to eradicating all other life in the universe to insure their pseudo-religious quest would never again be in harm's way. The Ophidians would entrance their victims before causing them to fight amongst themselves all the way to extinction. As the Ophidian ship managed to elude them, Boodikka and Gardner had to join their minds together to achieve the speed needed to overtake them. When they reached the ship, it exploded. Whether this was a result of feedback from the two fighting off the mind control or self-destruction, is unknown. The pair now had no way to find the Ophidian's homeworld. After the battle, Boodikka called upon the Guardians of the Universe to consult in the matter of recovering Gardner's Qwardian power ring. The Guardians, however, had determined Gardner was working toward the same ends they were. Although they would be watching Gardner, they decided not to act on Gardner for the time being.[9][10]

A fierce warrior, Boodikka was well-versed in many combative arts including the use of short-swords, handguns, and explosives. Often she would visit her own mother for combat. On Bellatrix, this was considered a good time. Boodikka's own grandmother had been killed by her own daughter. Arisia, a former Green Lantern of Graxos IV and onetime love of Hal Jordan, told this story to Justice Leaguers Power Girl, Doctor Light, and Maya when they inquired about women in the Green Lantern Corps.[11]

At one point the Green Lantern Corps were called upon to help Hal Jordan on the planet Maltus. He had been fighting the Maltusian gods known as the Triarch and was also under attack by the Darkstars and the L.E.G.I.O.N. Boodikka was as smitten by the fighting prowess of Lobo, bounty hunter and L.E.G.I.O.N. operative. The two stopped in mid-fight and went "somewhere" at Lobo's suggestion for a formidable love-making session that caused the two of them to miss the entire fight.[12][13][14][15]

Boodikka eventually became a kind of recruiter for the Corps. In her search she encountered Barin, a young soldier of a kindred warrior species who she believed would prove to be an asset to her brethren. As events would turn out, Barin was not quite at a point where he was ready to fight solo. Upon his first outing alone he was quickly besieged by a kind of space mongrels and went into shock. The would-be Lantern was brought to Oa where he was connected to life support systems. Since the destruction of Oa by both the Parallax-ridden Hal Jordan and its resurrection by Kyle Rayner, Barin's ultimate fate remains unknown.[16][17]

Post-Sinestro Corps War

Boodikka as an Alpha Lantern

Boodikka became a member of the Alpha Lanterns, an internal policing force within the Corps itself, soon after the Sinestro War and the enactment of the Second Law of the Book of Oa. The Alpha Lanterns make sure that no Corps member performs an illegal action using a power ring. Each Alpha Lantern receives a second power ring and receives direct connections to the Book of Oa's Laws and the Central Power Battery. The process involves surgical alteration into a hybrid of the individual recruit's biological form and updated Manhunter technology. In other words, Alpha Lanterns are cyborgs.[28][29][30]

Boodikka and the Alpha Lanterns are seen in Final Crisis. Fellow Alpha Lantern Kraken is revealed to be taken over by Granny Goodness during Hal Jordan's trial after the Alphas had arrested Hal for the murder of Orion.[31]

• Unofficial Boodikka Biography
• A Character Profile, with a list of significant appearances