Sodam Yat
Encyclopedia
Sodam Yat is a fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...

al character
Character (arts)
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...

, an extraterrestrial superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

 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...

. He first appeared in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

#2 (1986), and was created by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...

 and Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (comics)
Kevin O'Neill is an English comic book illustrator best known as the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Marshal Law , and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen .-Early career:...

. He operated as Ion, having become one of the most powerful characters in current continuity.

Introduction

Sodam Yat is a prophesied future member of the Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...

, created by Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...

 and is first mentioned in "Tygers", a story in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2. He is mentioned in passing to Abin Sur
Abin Sur
Abin Sur is a fictional character and a superhero from the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Showcase #22 : "SOS Green Lantern". He was a member of the Green Lantern Corps and is best known as the predecessor of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, whom Abin Sur's power ring chose as his replacement...

 by a demon named Qull of the Five Inversions, who had been imprisoned on the planet Ysmault by the Guardians of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...

. As a Daxam
Daxam
Daxam is a planet within the DC Universe. It is home to a race called the Daxamites, who are descended from Kryptonian colonists.-History:Daxamites were originally Kryptonians who left their homeworld in order to explore the Universe. They are an intensely xenophobic race, and are fearful of alien...

ite (a race which descended from Kryptonians with inherent Superman-like powers
Powers and abilities of Superman
The powers of DC Comics character Superman have changed a great deal since his introduction in the 1930s. The extent of his powers peaked during the 1970s and 1980s to the point where various writers found it difficult to create suitable challenges for the character...

) with a power ring, he would be nearly unstoppable. Despite this, in Qull's prophecy, he is still defeated as part of the final destruction of the Green Lantern Corps.

Alan Moore planned to use the character in his proposed story, "Twilight of the Superheroes
Twilight of the Superheroes
Twilight of the Superheroes is the title of a proposed comic book crossover that writer Alan Moore submitted to DC Comics in 1987 before his split with the company...

", which went unpublished. In the proposal that was leaked onto the Internet, the Daxamite Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

 is named "Sodal Yat" and is also referred to as "The Ultimate Green Lantern". In that story, Sodal Yat is the last of an army of aliens to attack Superman. The Man of Steel defeats many Green Lanterns, Thanagar
Thanagar
Thanagar is a fictional planet in the . Thanagar is the original home of the humanoid Thanagarian race, noted for the discovery of gravity-defying Nth metal...

ians, and the Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter
The 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...

 before finally being killed by Sodal Yat. The character would subsequently go unused until 2006.

Modern incarnation

As a young boy, Sodam Yat wants nothing more than to explore the stars, but the xenophobic Daxam society forbids it. When a spacecraft crashes on Daxam, Sodam rescues the pilot. The pilot, named Tessog, and Sodam become friends despite not speaking the same language. His parents discover Tessog and kill him, and then brainwash Sodam into thinking his friend was a violent menace. Years later, while on a school field trip to a museum, Sodam freezes at the sight of an anti-alien diorama featuring Tessog's stuffed and preserved body attacking a Daxamite. This discovery causes Sodam's true memories to resurface. Enraged and disgusted by what had happened, Sodam rebuilds Tessog's ship, planning to leave Daxam forever. On the night of his departure, a power ring comes to him, telling he has the ability to overcome great fear, and Sodam becomes a member of the Green Lantern Corps.

Sodam Yat makes his first appearance in regular DC continuity in Green Lantern Corps #12 and part three of the Sinestro Corps War
Sinestro Corps War
"Sinestro Corps War" is an American comic book crossover event published by DC Comics in its Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles. Written by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons and drawn by Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, and Ethan Van Sciver, the 11-part saga was originally published between June...

(Green Lantern Corps #14) when Kilowog
Kilowog
Kilowog is a fictional superhero from DC Comics, and a member of the Green Lantern Corps.-Origins:A towering alien with a brutish and porcine appearance, Kilowog is renowned throughout the Green Lantern Corps as the primary trainer of the Corps' newest recruits...

 gathers a group of Lanterns to strike back against Sinestro
Sinestro
Thaal Sinestro is a fictional character, an alien supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, Sinestro is the former mentor of Hal Jordan and the arch-nemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro first appears in Green Lantern #7 . In 2009, Sinestro was...

's forces
Sinestro Corps
The Sinestro Corps is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analogue to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe. It is led by the supervillain Thaal Sinestro.-Before the Corps:...

 attack in Space Sector 2263. Salaak singles out Arisia
Arisia (comics)
Arisia Rrab is a fictional character, a superhero featured in comic books published by DC Comics. Arisia is a humanoid alien with golden-yellow skin, hair and eyes, and has pointed, elven ears....

 to keep an eye on the newly graduated Lantern Yat, though she wonders why Yat is so important. Salaak has been charged by the Guardians of the Universe to keep Qull's prophecy from coming to pass but keeps this to himself, only saying that one day she may know why he is so special. In Green Lantern Corps #16 he destroys the core of Ranx the Sentient City
Ranx the Sentient City
Ranx the Sentient City is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in the short story "Tygers", written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 ....

, ending the battle of Mogo
Mogo
Mogo is a fictional character and planet in the DC Universe, a member of the Green Lantern Corps. It first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2 #188 , in a story titled "Mogo Doesn't Socialize." Mogo was created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons....

.

In Green Lantern Corps #17 Yat is chosen as the new host for the Ion
Ion (comics)
Ion is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Judd Winick and artist Dale Eaglesham for Green Lantern vol. 3 #142, Ion was devised as the new superhero identity for Green Lantern protagonist Kyle Rayner. It was later revealed to be able to form mutualism with a host,...

 entity by the Guardians of the Universe and fights Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime, also known as Superman-Prime, or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain, and one of several alternate Supermen. The character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 , and was created by Elliot S...

. The two battle each other fiercely through different areas of New York. Under the yellow light of the sun, Ion begins to unleash Superman-like powers, such as heat vision, to hurt his opponent. While the two trade blows, Ion is thrown into a nuclear power plant. The lead lining the walls causes Ion to weaken. Prime takes the opportunity to spear him with several uranium rods, severely injuring him. Ion tries to escape, only to have Prime knock him into a cemetery. They continue to do battle, each drawing blood from their opponent. Although Ion battles courageously, the lead poisoning and loss of blood begins to affect him and he is beaten unconscious. He is later seen receiving medical attention from Soranik Natu
Soranik Natu
Soranik Natu is a fictional character, a member of the Green Lantern Corps in the . She first appears in Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1 , and was created by writers Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, and artist Patrick Gleason. Sora is an extraterrestrial from the planet Korugar...

.

After the events of the war, the Guardians request Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner
Kyle Rayner is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually in those starring the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of which Rayner is a member. Created by writer Ron Marz and artist Darryl Banks, Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern vol...

 assist Yat's in adjusting to his new role. While speaking about Yat's history and attitude as a Lantern, it is revealed that he must now permanently wear a power ring (despite his possession of the Ion powers) to prevent the lead in his body from killing him. They are then attacked by Alexander Nero who had been freed during the initial assault on Oa
Oa
Oa is a fictional planet that lies at the center of the DC Comics universe. Since its inception, Oa has been the planetary citadel of the Guardians of the Universe and the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps...

, but had not participated in the overall Sinestro Corps story. Rayner fights to less than his abilities to encourage Yat to embrace his status as Ion. Yat eventually defeats Nero by taking control of Nero's own constructs, something Rayner states that he had never attempted.

Some time later, Yat and Arisia receive word of the Sinestro Corps' invasion of Daxam from Yat's mother, who had escaped using the ship that her son was going to use to escape Daxam. She is shocked when Yat refuses to return to Daxam. Instead, he lashes out at her, citing to Arisia his reasons for leaving his home planet. He even goes so far as to say that the Daxamites brought the invasion on themselves and that they are paying for their sins. Finally, he agrees to return on the condition that his mother, out loud, thank Tessog for providing her with a means of escape. After sending his mother to Oa, Yat and Arisia set out for Daxam. When Arisia asks him why he agreed to return, Yat states that his oath as a Green Lantern supersedes his hatred of Daxam and its people. Yat and Arisia arrive at Daxam after getting past the enormous snake-like Sinestro Corps member encircling the planet. Once on the surface, they find Yat's father who is promoting mass suicide as an alternative to living as Sinestro Corps slaves. The two Green Lanterns are able to save some, but not all, of his followers. Outraged, Yat declares that they will fight the Sinestro Corps. With the riot on Oa keeping any Green Lantern reinforcements from coming anytime soon, Yat takes on Mongul
Mongul
Mongul is the name of two fictional characters that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the character debuted in DC Comics Presents #27 and was created by writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin. The second version first appears in Showcase '95 #85 and was created by...

, the Sinestro Corps' new leader, head on, requesting that his ring grant him access to the Ion power. The ring refuses, stating that a Guardian (specifically Scar
Scar (comics)
Scar is a supervillain in the . She first appeared as an unnamed Guardian of the Universe in Green Lantern #25, and was first named in the February 2009 Origins and Omens backup stories.-Background:...

) is blocking his access to the Ion power and the only way to get past the block would be to remove his ring, which would kill him due to the enormous amounts of lead in his system from the battle with Superboy-Prime. His ring goes on to say that a massive power jolt could grant him limited access to the Ion power. With that, Yat drops his shields and takes the full power of Mongul's blast directly. The power jolt works and Yat rockets into the sky armed with 95% of the Ion power. As he heads for Daxam's sun, he removes his ring and tells Arisia to keep them fighting. Yat then plunges himself into the sun and uses the Ion power to turn Daxam's red sun into a yellow sun, giving the Daxam a power boost to ward off Mongul and his Sinestro Corps.

Sodam Yat is at first implied, then confirmed, as alive inside the sun of Daxam, unresponsive and constantly self-immolating, kept alive by Ion's power. The cloaked mastermind
Krona (comics)
Krona is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Green Lantern #40 , and was created by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane.-Fictional character biography:...

 behind the Brightest Day
Brightest Day
Brightest Day is a year-long comic book maxi-series that began in April 2010. The story follows the ending of the series Blackest Night and how the aftermath of these events affect the entire DC Universe.-Plot:...

, searching to trap and capture the whole emotional spectrum beings, exorcises Ion from Sodam, berating him for his sacrifice and his fellow Daxamites for their xenophobic view. As a result, a now restored Sodam Yat crashes on Daxam, still alive, but unconscious, several Daxamites die because of their sudden depowerment, as their sun turns red again.

The still unconscious Sodam's body is carried away by two boys and hidden from the other Daxamites. Sodam awakens in a cavern, surrounded by many Daxamites who revere him for his sacrifice. They reveal to him that his father and the rest of Daxam society wish to find him and throw him back into the sun so they can get their powers back. Convinced that his survival was due to divine intervention, Sodam declares that, before Daxam can be cleansed of its xenophobia, the rest of the universe must be made a better place. He leads his followers on a journey to "make the Guardians pay for their sins". While on this pilgrimage, Sodam is ambushed by a telepathic warlord, who later makes him attack Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner (comics)
Guy Gardner is a fictional character, a comic book superhero published by DC Comics. He is a core member of the Green Lantern family of characters, and for a time was also a significant member of the Justice League family of characters.He was created by John Broome and Gil Kane in Green Lantern...

 by having him believe Guy is a Guardian.

Legion of 3 Worlds

In the future shown in the Legion of 3 Worlds miniseries, Sodam Yat is revealed as still alive, having been kept ageless by the Ion power, and residing in the ruined and lifeless husk that once was Oa, a rotten graveyard in which the dead Lanterns and their rings, unable to reach the new recruits since Mogo
Mogo
Mogo is a fictional character and planet in the DC Universe, a member of the Green Lantern Corps. It first appeared in Green Lantern vol. 2 #188 , in a story titled "Mogo Doesn't Socialize." Mogo was created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons....

's destruction, come to rest. After the death of the last of the Green Lantern
Green Lantern
The Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...

, Rond Vidar
Rond Vidar
Rond Vidar is a fictional superhero published by DC Comics. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #349 , and was created by Jim Shooter, Mort Weisinger and Curt Swan.-Fictional character biography:...

, Mon-El and Shadow Lass
Shadow Lass
Shadow Lass is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Adventure Comics vol. 1 #365 , and was created by Jim Shooter and Curt Swan.-Fictional character biography:...

 travel to Oa where they find Sodam Yat still alive and ask for his help. He states his unwillingness to act due to his unspecified past failures and spiritual unworthiness- possibly foreshadowing his actions in leading his people in war on the universe-, along with his role as the last Guardian of the Universe
Guardians of the Universe
The Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...

. However, Mon-El is able to convince Yat to take up the fight against his old foe, Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime
Superboy-Prime, also known as Superman-Prime, or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain, and one of several alternate Supermen. The character first appeared in DC Comics Presents #87 , and was created by Elliot S...

, and the Legion of Super-Villains
Legion of Super-Villains
The Legion of Super-Villains is a team of fictional supervillains that appear in comic books published by DC Comics. They are adversaries of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future...

. Yat draws in all the power left in Oa's central power battery, absorbs the fallen rings (placing some on his fingers), and uses a modified oath.

Yat aids the Legions in fighting Prime, realizing that the universe still needs a defense against this sort of evil. After the battle is finished, Yat retreats to Oa and begins to send rings across the universe to begin a new Green Lantern Corps.

Daxamite powers

Like their Kryptonian
Powers and abilities of Superman
The powers of DC Comics character Superman have changed a great deal since his introduction in the 1930s. The extent of his powers peaked during the 1970s and 1980s to the point where various writers found it difficult to create suitable challenges for the character...

 cousins, the Daxamites gain a large number of abilities when exposed to yellow sunlight
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...

 including super strength; flight; super speed; super hearing; X-ray, heat, microscopic, and telescopic vision; and super breath. While the Daxamites are invulnerable while under yellow sunlight, the substance lead is still very lethal to them even in small quantities, as Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...

 is to Kryptonians. Due to his exposure to lead from lead shielding at a nuclear power plant and uranium stabbed into him by Superboy-Prime, Yat must wear his Green Lantern ring at all times to stop the lead poisoning or he will die within a few minutes.

Ion powers

The benevolent Ion
Ion (comics)
Ion is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. Created by writer Judd Winick and artist Dale Eaglesham for Green Lantern vol. 3 #142, Ion was devised as the new superhero identity for Green Lantern protagonist Kyle Rayner. It was later revealed to be able to form mutualism with a host,...

 entity bestows its host with powers similar to a Green Lantern Corps
Green Lantern Corps
The Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...

 Power Ring and the Starheart
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is a fictional character, a superhero in the and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern.-Publication history:The original Green Lantern was created by young struggling artist Martin Nodell, who was inspired by the sight of a New York Subway employee waving a red lantern to...

. With those powers, Sodam Yat has been described in some advising as the most powerful superhero in the universe. However, access to the powers can be controlled through his power ring, which he is required to wear constantly, allowing the Guardians of the Universe to shut off his Ion powers. In the Legion of Three Worlds miniseries, it is revealed that being host to the Ion entity has allowed Sodam to survive, unaging, into the 31st century.
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