Lightning Master

Lightning Master

Created by Robert E. Wronski, Jr.

Real Name:  Dr. Obidiah Planters

Alias:  Lightning Kid

Current Occupation:  Villain

Parents:  Unnamed

Siblings:  None

Spouse:  None

Children:  None

Group Affiliation:  Powerkid Haters, Seven Deadly Sins, New Power Organization

Place of Birth:  Orange City

Current Place of Residence:  Unknown

First Appearance:  Super Comics # 6, April 1980

Biography:

Obie Planters was a classmate of Chris "Super-Bob" Kowalski.  During one terrible lightning storm, lightning crashed into Obie's bedroom window, striking Obie, his computer, and his chemistry set.  Obie went comatose.  A few days later, Obie awoke with a super intellect, electrical powers, and evil madness.  He made the logical conclusion that he should blow up the city.

To that end, he escaped from the hospital, and for several weeks, created a large underground lair, a super-computer, and a doomsday device.  He tried to blackmail the city for $1,000,000.00, but he was thwarted by Super-Bob.

Planters, who would start calling himself the Lightning Kid, became one of Super-Bob's most dangerous recurring foes, even in the years that followed when Super-Bob became Powerkid then Powerman.

Weirdly, even though Super-Bob had taken over Planters' original headquarters and made it his own, Planters never tried to take advantage of the information of knowing this secret location nor did Super-Bob seem concerned that one of his worst enemies knew his secret location.  Additionally, the villainous Jack Frost had worked there as Planters' lab assistant, and also never gave away any information.

As it turned out, one of Planters' original defense mechanisms was a device that blocked people's brains from acknowledging the location of the lair.  Only certain programmed brain patterns were immune.  Planters' super-computer, VIC-20, had made his own decision to change his affiliation, thus allowing Super-Bob to find the headquarters, and then later preventing the villains from remembering it.  However, a recent glitch allowed the two to find and attack the headquarters, and destroyed it.

During his year in reform school and prison, minus his escapes to attempt revenge, Planters gained a doctorate degree.  As an adult, he changed his villainous alter ego name to Lightning Master.  He continued to plague the his heroic nemesis, now called Powerman.

Upon adulthood, his powers progressed.  He began transforming into pure energy, and eventually had on physical form at all, but became sentient energy.

The Lightning Master continues to plague both Powerman, and his son, Powerkid.  Currently he is leading a team of their greatest enemies in a plot to destroy them both.

Comments:

Physically, this character was based on a childhood classmate.  His civilian name is also an alteration on the real person's name.  But personality wise, the character is really inspired by the silver age Lex Luthor.

This character has no relationship to the Superman villain called the Lightning Master.  I hadn't heard of him yet when I created my character.

This character has remained one of the top villains of the Powerman series since 1980.