Gundala

Gundala is a comic character created by Hasmi who first appeared in the comic "Gundala Putra Petir" in 1969. The location of the story is often depicted in the city of Yogyakarta, although in the film in 1981 is told to be in Jakarta. Gundala is a very popular comic character in Indonesia besides Si Buta Dari Gua Hantu, Godam, Aquanus, Mandala, Sri Asih, and Maza.

In the movie of Gundala 2019, Sancaka (Gundala) was an Astraphobic child who is the son of an Indonesian factory worker, he was Astraphobic because he is scared of lightning as a kid, believing the lightning always follow him wherever he goes. One day his father was stabbed by an unknown man, who presumably to be his Father's worker friend. His mother must leave her son alone at home to get a job in another city, but the mother never came home after that day, so Sancaka ran away from home and become homeless in the street of Jakarta and met a fellow homeless boy, Awang who teaches him self-defense, both of them plan to travel to Tenggara together but unfortunately only Awang is able to jump onto the moving train, leaving Sancaka alone at Jakarta once more.

Now as an adult, he became a guard and a mechanic of a news paper printing factory at Jakarta until he was strucked by a lightning which awakens his power, now dressing up in a suit to fight crimes around the street of Jarkata towards the evil force lurking around the streets at night.

Background
Gundala Putra Petir was first released in 1969. The character was created by Harya Suraminata (Hasmi). Adapting the development of foreign comics, Hasmi created 'Gundala' with local wisdom. The story of Gundala was not only influenced by foreign comics. Hasmi was also inspired by the Javanese legend, Ki Ageng Selo. Ki Ageng Selo is a powerful figure who is able to catch lightning with his hands. The name 'Gundala' itself is taken from the Javanese language, "Gundolo", which means lightning.

 (Comic) 

 Early Life 

In the comic, Sancaka is a scientist who is conducting a research to create the anti-lightning serum. Immersed in his ambition as a scientist, he forgot the birthday of Minarti, his lover, which resulted in the breakup of their relationship. The broken-hearted Sancaka ran furiously in the pouring rain. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck him. In a coma, he was pulled by a force from another planet and adopted by the king of the Lightning Kingdom who was named Emperor Kronz, and at the same time was blessed with a super ability to emit thunder from his palm. King Typhoon of the Bayu Kingdom gave him the strength to run as fast as the wind.

Since then, at certain times, he appeared as a superhero of crime suppressers dressed in black tights with red shoes and loincloth. His face was covered with a mask, with only his eyes and mouth that are visible, and bird wings on the side of the mask.

Joining The Patriot

In 1996, Godam, Gundala, Aquanus, and Maza appeared in a Patriot comic series by Sraten Comics.

Gundala is also a member of the 'Patriot', a superhero group led by Sri Asih.

 (Gundala 2019) 

Early Life:

Before the event of the movie, Sancaka was born to two loving family at a poor neighbourhood. He's father was a factory worker and his mother being a home wife and at some point of time, all of the factory workers that were working at the same factory that Sancaka's father work at, including his father protested as all of them begin walking towards the factory building because on the income inequality, with young Sancaka trying to catch up with his father and his father's fellow workers towards the situation, the workers were hold off by somewhat of hired guards for the factory itself to stop the riot of the protest workers of the factory, at the end resulting some of Sancaka's father fellow workers to discuss the situation on hand with the factory's boss.

At night, Sancaka was building a device which works with electricity, Sancaka was actually quite talented at making device that were powered by electricity, his father told young Sancaka an advice:

"If we remain silent while seeing the injustice in front of our eyes, then we are not humans anymore."

After that, Sancaka's mother told young Sancaka to close the window. Sancaka was hesitant at first because of the rainy night due to him being scared of lightning but he choose to proceed on trying to close the window, while the attempt was successful a lightning then strikes to the ground which spooked Sancaka so much that he ran as fast as he could to find somewhere to hide when seeing a lightning strike or hearing the loud thunder.

3 days later, Sancaka's father and his fellow workers came back to the factory's building because Sancaka's father friends didn't come home after 3 days so the workers group up again to came towards the factory building to investigate of their missing workers. While Sancaka's father and his fellow workers proceed to came to the factory again, Sancaka's mother and young Sancaka initiavely go to one of Sancaka Father's friend home and turns out Sancaka Father's friend was at home with his wife, knowing this information, Sancaka Father begin to hurry to catch up Sancaka Father and tell the father about him being entrap, until suddenly the mother fell and her leg's bone break, because of it Sancaka Mother then tells young Sancaka to go to Sancaka Father quickly before it's too late.

Sancaka was rushing to tell the father that he was being entrap until thunderstorm appear which Sancaka was afraid and take a shelter on a side of a building, because of this Sancaka tried to cry out for his father but was not heard by Sancaka Father, because of this Sancaka Father and his fellow workers begin storming and attack the factory's guard which result with a brawl between the two groups, and in the fight Sancaka father was stabbed multiple times by one of the worker from behind until they rushes away before being notice, One of the guard then shoot their bullet to the sky as they saw Sancaka Father fall to the ground of the rainy day, the guards adressed that there's none of them were carrying a sharp object, Sancaka Father then died due to his injury as young Sancaka begin running to his father's dead body, with rage Sancaka grab one of the guard's shield that were lying on the ground and scream which results to the shield cracks as the lightning flows towards the shield as Sancaka was also bounce away when two lightning strikes hits near his head, some guards and workers try to rush towards Sancaka, worrying about the child's life after being struck by those lightnings before being bounced back by the lightning that envelops Sancaka.

Scene then turns to Sancaka and his mother at their home, the mother felt the loss of her husband and tells Sancaka that she needs to find a job at a city far away from their neighbourhood, his mother also told him that she won't be leaving very long and should arrive back tomorrow morning to find Sancaka. In the morning, Sancaka came back from school and goes back to his home, but his mother wasn't present at his home. Each days, Sancaka waits for his mother to arrive home that were surrounded by thunderstorm until Sancaka fall fever. In tomorrow morning the wife of Sancaka Father's friend that betrayed his father send some foods for Sancaka as the wife know that Sancaka was starving while waiting for his mother to come home, knowing of the scheme that the wife and her husband made to kill Sancaka's father, Sancaka kicks down the food infront of the wife's eyes and close the door at her, because of how starve he was waiting for his mother to come home, he opens the door and begin to eat the food that were lying on the ground which is the same food that he kicks down, given by the wife of the husband that betrayed his father.

 Being Homeless: 

Sometimes later, Sancaka begin homeless and running around the street of Jakarta and one day he was being chased by a group of homeless kids as he was chased into an alleyway and were beaten by the other children, until a kid who is older than Sancaka named Awang came to rescue Sancaka from the other childrens, Awang have a power of martial art and manage to beat a couple of the children and as the rest begin running away, Awang then takes Sancaka under his wing and teach him how to do martial art moves so Sancaka could defend himself if he came across those kids again, as Sancaka become proficient on using martial art that Awang taught him, Awang invite him to go into a place at Tenggara by getting into a train that will takes both of them towards the place, unfortunately Sancaka wasn't able to hop into the moving train so Awang told him an advice that was the opposite of Sancaka Father's word that is:

"Don't trust the rich, do not help other people and only yourself because if you help other people, you will only get more troubles!"

 Getting a job and work as security guard at a printing newspaper factory called The Djakarta Times: 

In short, Sancaka became an adult and was employed to work as a Security Guard in a printing newspaper factory called The Djakarta Times, and yes Sancaka is still living in Jakarta, when Sancaka was walking back home he saw two thugs that are attempting to rob a person. Sancaka was confused to if he wanna help the poor guy that were being robbed or just leave the two thugs alone because it is not his business and something necessary for him to do, but at the end he walk by pass them and came to his apartment, at his apartment home he close the windows and even when he's an adult, he's still scared of lightnings due to the scene showing a lightning flashing outside from Sancaka's window which Sancaka react to it in fear like when he was a child, he decide to go to sleep but yet when he was sleeping, he was haunted by the nightmares of his sleep that makes him wake up, he heard some noise outside his apartment and proceed to investigate by looking out from his window as he saw the neighbour apartment house was being banged.

At tomorrow morning, Sancaka heard the same banging on the door again at his neighbour's door and it turns out that his female neighbour was attacked by market thugs as Sancaka enters the apartment room and beat down the two thugs thanks to his martial art skills to save her which results to the two market thugs to left the apartment room, and when doing his job at night he was encountered by the same market thugs but now there were many of thems at once which results to Sancaka being overwhelmed by the amount of market thugs that are attempting to attack him, which at the end Sancaka lost the fight and with that defeat one of Sancaka's ear was slashed by one of the market thug's knife and Sancaka was drop to the ground as they were at the roof of the Djarkata Times Printing Newspaper Factory, and at this moment where the lightning finally hits Sancaka again and heals the wound that the market thugs give him while also giving him power.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Powers

 * Electricity Manipulation: After Sancaka was hit by lightning from the sky, he has the power to generate, control & project electrical energy. He using his power to against his enemies. His attacks are:
 * 1. Lightning Lasers: Gundala's original strike, this is when he targets his enemies & fired a bolt of lightning from his palm. Although not very strong, it is effective to defeat lesser enemies.
 * 2. Storm Blast: When carried out by gathering all the electrical energy in his hands then hit it to the ground & made an electrical explosion. This attack is strong to defeat enemies in the surrounding area.
 * 3. Thunderbolt Plasma: Gundala's strongest attack, when Gundala start to attack with maximum strength to gathering all electrical energy from its surrounding such as summoning lightning from the horizons, absorbing objects that containing high electricity & himself, it would make a powerful attack, in the form of a lightning ball ( in Comic only )
 * Superhuman Speed: Sancaka has incredible speed that he can run faster like a wind
 * Superhuman Reflexes: Sancaka has high reflexivity that makes him react suddenly to dodge all kinds of enemy attacks.
 * Superhuman Agility: Sancaka has had a balance, agility & good body coordinations that allows his movements with extraordinary elegance and speed that make it difficult for his enemies to attack or pursue him.
 * Enhanced Durability: With his power, Sancaka's bones and muscles are denser and much harder than average humans, which makes him incredibly durable.

Abilities

 * Genius-Level Intellect
 * Expert Martial Artist: Sancaka already had a martial arts skill that allowed him to defeat several enemies with the bare hands, make him as a proficient combatant

Family

 * Unnamed mother
 * Unnamed father †

Allies

 * Patriot
 * Merpati
 * Tira
 * Godam (superhero)
 * Satria Nusantara
 * Aquanus
 * Maza

Enemies

 * Atlantis (continent)
 * Bocah Atlantis
 * Godam (planet)
 * Doktor Setan
 * Ghazul
 * Ki Wilawuk
 * Pengkor
 * Covox Planet
 * Xrephus

Trivia

 * Gundala is a part of Bumilangit Universe, a new superhero franchise in Indonesia that brings back thousands of Indonesia's classic superhero characters.
 * Bumilangit Cinematic Universe is based on Bumilangit Comics (Gundala's comics' publisher).
 * This movie is based on Indonesia superhero's comic "Gundala Putra Petir" (1969).
 * "Gundala Putra Petir" comic has been released as a movie with the same title in 1981.
 * Gundala was the first Indonesian movie that uses Dolby Atmos Technology.