| Blok | |
|---|---|
 Blok as depicted inWho's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3 (May 1985). Art by Steve Lightle. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #253 (July 1979) |
| Created by | Gerry Conway Joe Staton |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Blok |
| Species | Dryad |
| Place of origin | Dryad |
| Team affiliations | League of Super-Assassins Legion of Super-Heroes |
| Abilities |
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Blok is asuperhero appearing inAmerican comic books published byDC Comics. He has a massive, stony body, as well as incredible strength and endurance.
Blok has made minor appearances in non-comics media featuring the Legion, includingJustice League Unlimited andLegion of Super Heroes (2006).
Blok appeared inSuperboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #253 (July 1979) byGerry Conway andJoe Staton in an era referred to as theBronze Age of Comic Books.[1]
Blok is introduced as a member of the League of Super-Assassins, where he is manipulated by the Dark Man, a clone ofTharok, into attacking theLegion of Super-Heroes and believing that they are attempting to destroy his home planet of Dryad.[2] After learning the truth, Blok turns on the Assassins and eventually joins the Legion.[3]
Blok is relatively slow to acclimate to life in the Legion, though he forms a close bond with two of his teammates,Timber Wolf and theWhite Witch. He remains with the team for several years before leaving after the catastrophic Black Dawn affair. He eventually moves to the Puppet Planetoid, where he spends several years in isolated contemplation. Shortly afterward,Polar Boy officially disbands the Legion of Super-Heroes.
In 2994,Rokk Krinn andReep Daggle begin to reorganize the team, which attracts the attention of Earthgov. TheDominators hire the space pirate Roxxas to seek out and kill Blok as a warning to his other teammates. Roxxas tracks Blok down to the Puppet Planetoid and kills him, delivering his corpse to the home ofGarth Ranzz andImra Ardeen on Winath.[4]
Blok does not appear followingZero Hour: Crisis in Time!, which rebooted the Legion's continuity.
Blok returns to continuity inSuperman and the Legion of Super-Heroes andFinal Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds, with the latter series revealing him to be in a relationship with the White Witch. After the White Witch absorbsMordru's magic and becomes the Black Witch, Blok convinces her to remain on the side of good.[5]
InDoomsday Clock,Doctor Manhattan is revealed to have altered the timeline and erased Blok, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and theJustice Society of America from existence. However, they are restored whenSuperman convinces Manhattan to undo his alterations to the timeline.[6]
Blok's rocky body gives him superhuman levels of strength and durability. He demonstrated the ability to absorb energy and manipulate his mass in early appearances, but these were later removed in favor of his strength.
As a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, Blok is provided a Legion Flight Ring, which allows him to fly and protects him from the vacuum of space and other dangerous environments. He initially wears three rings at once due to his massive size, but later switches to wearing a single modified ring.
Jesse Murray ofSyfy placed Blok as the 33rd greatest Legion member of all time, describing him as "once a misguided bad guy who saw the light".[7]Warner Bros. producerJames Tucker cited the character as a favorite of his.[8]
Consider this the YA era of the Legion. After years of dealing with galactic threats in Adventure Comics, the LSH took over Superboy's book, eventually kicking him out altogether in the late 1970s. Before then, there was a good deal of change. For instance, the popular heroes Blok, Wildfire, and Dawnstar were introduced.
Blok was once a misguided bad guy who saw the light. Despite his size, he was relatively young by his species' standards. He was mellow and slow, sort of like Eeyore minus the chronic depression.
"And we have given some other characters the spotlight, like Blok. He's a favorite of mine, and hopefully we would have given the girls more screen time," he teased.
