Lloyd Garmadon

Concept and creation

The Lego Group proposed a series about ninja in 2009, planning for four ninja to be Elemental Masters. The Lego Ninjago theme concept originated from the Lego Ninja theme, which was released by Lego in 1998. In 2011, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu was launched, which included concepts from the Lego Ninja theme, such as dragons and fortresses inspired by ancient Japan, combined with a modern setting. The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen, two Danish film producers.

The character of Lloyd Garmadon was conceived by screenwriters Dan and Kevin Hageman following the pilot season. The first sketch depicting Lloyd Garmadon was created in 2010 by co-creator Tommy Andreasen. The Hageman Brothers have stated that "Lloyd" Garmadon was created as a pun on "Lord" Garmadon. The series was animated in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Wil Film ApS for its first ten seasons.

The production was relocated to WildBrain Studios in Canada with the release of the eleventh season, Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, and the show's title was shortened to Ninjago. The run-time for the show was also revised from 22 minutes to 11 minutes. The eighth season, Sons of Garmadon, implemented a new phase for the ninjas' designs, which were inspired by their movie counterparts in The Lego Ninjago Movie. Lloyd was noticeably older in appearance, which was further illustrated by the introduction of a new voice actor, Sam Vincent, replacing Jillian Michaels.

Appearances

Lloyd first appears in the first season, Rise of the Snakes, released in December 2011, as a minor antagonist who makes childish attempts to perform evil deeds, such as robbing villagers of candy and pulling pranks. He is depicted attempting to conquer Ninjago, but failing due to his immaturity. He is taken into the care of his uncle, Master Wu, and redeemed from the path of evil. In the second season, Legacy of the Green Ninja, Lloyd is trained by the ninja and develops his skills in Spinjitzu.

His powers first begin to develop in this season, and towards the end, he reaches his true potential, becoming the Golden Ninja and using his "Golden Power" to destroy the Overlord in an explosion of light. In the third season, Rebooted, Lloyd voluntarily gives up his Golden Power, leaving just his elemental energy powers remaining. By the seventh season, Hands of Time, he is portrayed as a fully developed character, ready to take on the role of leader of the team.

At the beginning of the eighth season, Sons of Garmadon, Lloyd is further developed into a late teen and appears visibly older, with a deeper voice provided by Sam Vincent. In this season, Lloyd is shown to completely lose his elemental powers after losing a brutal fight with Lord Garmadon.

From the eleventh season onward, Lloyd's character is consistently portrayed as a calm and confident team leader. Chronologically, Lloyd is the youngest member of the ninja team. He is the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master, who is described as the legendary inventor of the Spinjitzu art.

Other media

A different incarnation of Lloyd served as the main protagonist of The Lego Ninjago Movie, released in September 2017, voiced by Dave Franco. In that film, Lloyd's age is stated to be 16. Lloyd is depicted in numerous short films, children's books, graphic novels and other media. He has been repeatedly released in Lego minifigure form as part of the Lego Ninjago sets that coincide with each Ninjago season.