Jay's mother

> "*Aw, I thought I was gonna finally go on my honeymoon. Really cute guy, too. Cliff is an actor and when I look into his eyes--*"
> ― Jay's mother to the Elemental Alliance.
>
>

An **unnamed woman**, sometimes referred to as **Lightning** or **Libber**, was the Elemental Master of Lightning during the era of the Serpentine War, the wife of the late Cliff Gordon, and the biological mother of Jay. Her current status is unknown.

## History

### Early Life

#### The Serpentine War

Years ago, the Elemental Master of Lightning fought alongside the Elemental Alliance led by Wu and Garmadon in the Serpentine War. Around this time, she married an actor named Cliff Gordon.

#### Battle for All of Time

After the Time Twins betrayed the Alliance, the Master of Lightning tried to fight Krux alone, but the Master of Gravity jumped in front of her and quickly fought Krux, although he was defeated.

At the battle at the Monastery of Spinjitzu, the Master of Lighting subdued Acronix after the Time Twins were stripped of their powers, though Acronix and Krux broke free of their captors and escaped in a Time Vortex, where they would be lost in time.

#### Visitors from the Future

Immediately after, the Iron Doom suddenly appeared from another Time Vortex, landing in front of the monastery, where the future Krux and Acronix emerged from the machine. Surprised, the past Master of Lightning asked the past Master of Ice if she was seeing things. As Krux confirmed that they were indeed the Time Twins, she complained that she thought she was finally able to go on her honeymoon with Cliff.

After Machia ordered the Vermillion to battle, she tried to fend off the attackers, but was surprised on how they would constantly reform, saying she's never seen snakes do that before. Eventually, Kai and Nya arrived, posing as their father and mother respectively. Telling them how to stop the Vermillion, the Masters gained the upper hand in the fight until Krux and Acronix called back all of the Vermillion to merge with the Iron Doom. As the Iron Doom towered above them, she began to complain about the Vermillion already being tough enough, asking how they could stop the Iron Doom.

While she tried to defeat the Iron Doom, she and the Master of Ice were slammed into the wall of the Monastery, though they recovered. She eventually hid with the other Masters in the Monastery while Kai and Nya fought the Iron Doom with the Fusion Dragon before giving them a distraction so they could land a solid blow on the Iron Doom. Eventually, she watched as the Iron Doom, Elemental Dragon, Kai, Nya, and a future version Wu left through a Time Vortex.

### After the Battle for All of Time

After the battle, the Master of Lightning presumably had her memory erased of fighting the Time Twins from the future, due to present-day Wu telling his past self to drink Obscuritea to restore the timeline. Along with the other Elemental Masters, the Master of Lightning's role in the battle against the Time Twins was commemorated in a large portrait, which eventually ended up in the Ninjago Museum of History.

The Master of Lightning's union with Cliff Gordon eventually led to the birth of a son named Jay, who would go onto inherit his mother's abilities. Due to Cliff's womanizing nature getting in the way of having a family, the former Master of Lightning ended up leaving her infant son in the care of Ed and Edna Walker, who he would see as his parents, unaware of his true heritage. Sometime later, Cliff died of unknown causes, while it is unknown what happened to the former Master of Lightning.

Jay's abandonment ultimately helped him to relate to and reason with Unagami, ending the attack by Unagami and reuniting Unagami with his creator, Milton Dyer.

## Relationships

### Family

* Cliff Gordon † - Husband
* Jay - Son

### Allies

* Elemental Alliance
	+ Garmadon - Superior
	+ Wu - Superior
	+ Ray
	+ Maya
	+ Previous Elemental Master of Ice †
	+ Previous Elemental Master of Earth
	+ Previous Elemental Master of Shadow
	+ Previous Elemental Master of Gravity
	+ Previous Elemental Master of Sound
	+ Unknown Elemental Master
* Kai
* Nya

### Enemies

* Serpentine
	+ Anacondrai
		- Anacondrai Generals
			* Arcturus †
		- Pythor
	+ Hypnobrai
		- Slithraa
	+ Venomari
		- Unknown Venomari General
* Mogra
* Time Twins - Former Allies
	+ Krux - Attempted Killer
	+ Acronix
* Vermillion
	+ Machia †
	+ Blunck †
	+ Raggmunk †

## Appearances

### *Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu*

#### Season 7: The Hands of Time

* 66. "The Hatching" (flashback; no lines)
* 72. "Pause and Effect" (flashback; no lines)
* 74. "Lost in Time"

### Video games

* *The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame* (non-canon)

## Behind the scenes

* It is unknown what her real name is, but Tommy Andreasen said that during development they called her "Libber Gordon." However, this is not canonically her name.
	+ Libber is what Andreasen calls his wife, as a nickname for Lisbeth.
* Tommy Andreasen originally pitched that she be voiced by Jay's voice actor, Michael Adamthwaite.
* She is modeled after Tommy Andreasen's wife.
* She has the same hair as the Intergalactic Girl from Minifigures Series 6.
* According to Tommy Andreasen, early ideas of Season 12 had Jay's mother connected to the creation of *Prime Empire*, with her powering the game.
* At some point, there were ideas to further explore her past and her relationship with her father.
* According to Andreasen, there was a scraped concept involving Jay's mother being trapped in *Prime Empire* and Jay's Elemental Powers being crucial to her survival.
	+ Another scrapped concept featuring Jay's Mother was running from someone because of Jay and his powers, which was why she left Jay in Ed and Edna's Scrap N Junk so she can protect her son and run away.

## Trivia

* She has the same face design as present-day Maya.
* She is an unlockable character in *The LEGO Ninjago Movie Videogame*. Her blind bag can be found in the level "The Battlefield".
* She is voiced by Kelly Metzger, who voices another Elemental Master, Nya.
* It is unknown if she is still alive or if she will ever meet her son. When asked if she would appear in the present, Tommy Andreasen said that she is "unaccounted for."
* She is the only parent of the ninja whose name is currently unknown and also the only one whose status is unknown.
* Jay inherited his sense of humor from her.
* Her torso and legs resembles the torso and legs of the unknown Elemental Master.
* When asked what Cliff Gordon thought of his wife's powers, Tommy Andreasen said, "Who doesn’t appreciate a beautiful electrifying woman? Cliff Gordon does!"
* When asked if there would be more background given on Jay's birth parents, Tommy Andreasen said, "The stuff I do for now will remain focused on then main cast. Other stories may be told in books, comics etc. I don't have much influence over those, though I am sometimes consulted." This implies that, as of May 2021, there are no plans to further explore the pasts of Cliff or his wife in the TV series.
	+ As of February 2022, Tommy Andreasen confirmed that there are no plans for her.
	+ During his livestream in November 2022, despite having no plan for her, he regrets not adding her to the story, especially in Prime Empire.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Hatching
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lost in Time
3. ↑ Pause and Effect
4. ↑ The Hands of Time
5. ↑ Way of the Ninja
6. ↑ Misfortune Rising
7. ↑ Game Over