DC Comics has created some of the most popular superhero mantles of all time, with one of the most beloved being Green Lantern. Alan Scott created a legacy that would stretch almost a hundred years into the future, one that was taken up by Hal Jordan and made into a legends thanks to the concept of the Green Lantern Corps. This intergalactic police force recruited beings from across universe who had amazing willpower and could overcome great fear to protect the innocent from the most terrible forces in the cosmos, arming them with power rings and lantern batteries to charge them. In the ’00s, the Green Lantern mythos were expanded into something new, as more Lantern Corps’ were introduced that tapped into the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum.
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Suddenly, there were other Lanterns who weren’t Green Lanterns, using power rings that sometimes had very different abilities. While the Green Lanterns are usually considered the most powerful Lanterns in the universe, they’ve been joined by numerous other ringslingers, to the extent that other Corps’ have some of the best Lanterns ever. These ten Lanterns are the most powerful out there who aren’t Green Lanterns, mastering the power of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum.
10) Saint Walker
The War of Light is one of the most important events in Lantern history. It kicked off with “The Sinestro Corps War”, revealing the Corps that used the power of the yellow light of fear. The other Corps’ would pop up after this battle, including the Blue Lantern Corps. They were honestly the most useless Corps of them all; the blue light of hope basically just allowed them to boost the powers of Green Lanterns and mess with Red Lanterns. The first member of the Blue Lantern Corps was Saint Walker, who was given the power ring created by Ganthet and Sayd, former Guardians of the Universe (I thought about putting them on the list, but Ganthet went back to being a Green Lantern and Sayd is no longer member of either group). He proved to be the only Blue Lantern anyone remembered (other than the elephant one whose name escapes me; I could look it up, but it’s funnier this way) and played a role in the defeat of the Black Lantern Corps. He mastered the blue light, serving as the de facto leader of his Corps.
9) Indigo-1
The various Lantern Corps’ are all different, with some of them not even wearing rings. The Indigo Tribe used the indigo light of compassion, but they go about it in a very weird way. See, members of the Indigo Tribe were some of the worst people in the universe, sociopaths who are taken into the group and redeemed through the power of compassion. Instead of having the traditional ring and lantern, they carry power staffs that harness their power. It was led by Indigo-1. She fought alongside the other Corps’ against the Black Lantern and took Black Hand to join the Tribe to redeem him. While she doesn’t have the feats of some of the other Lanterns on this list, she’s certainly more powerful than Walker, at least, and proved to be the only member of the Tribe who actually stood out. She was a tenacious fighter and devoted to helping the people of universe find compassion.
8) Soranik Natu
Sinestro long used the power of fear in battle against the Green Lantern, and would eventually discover Parallax, the yellow fear entity. Working with it and the Weaponeers of Qward, he created the Sinestro Corps, attacking the hated Green Lantern Corps. During this period, Soranik Natu was the Lantern in charge of Korugar and she had a history with the villain: she was his daughter. She’d battle against her father and his legacy for years before walking down the same road that daddy dearest did. She ended up joining the Sinestro Corps and became one of its most feared members. She already knew how to use power rings thanks to her history with the group, so she took to the ring of fear like a fish to water. She was part of the power struggle against her father and unfortunately lived up to his example, eventually becoming a leader of the Corps. She started out as a hero of willpower, but found the power of fear to be irresistible.
7) Atrocitus
The Red Lantern Corps has had some powerful members, including Supergirl and Guy Gardner, but the most potent member of the group has always been its leader. Atrocitus was one of the demons of Ryut, who had been fighting against the Oans for years. The future Guardians of the Universe sent the robotic Manhunters to Ryut and Sector 666, slaughtering the demons. The ones they couldn’t kill they imprisoned and eventually Atrocitus was able to break free, harnessing the red power of rage. Unlike the other Red Lanterns, who became fire spitting rage monsters, he kept control of his faculties and would control red energies in a way that other members couldn’t. He held his own against the most powerful Lanterns in the universe and helped fight against the Black Lantern Corps and numerous other foes. He’s one of the most dangerous Lanterns ever; there’s as much chance that he’s going to tear your head off as there is of him helping you.
6) Larfleeze
The orange light of avarice is one of the most unique of the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum. The light of greed only draws in the most covetous beings; they aren’t known for sharing. There’s only ever one holder of the Orange Lantern; either the person who has it wins the fight against the newcomer and keeps it, sucking the soul of their opponent and making them into an orange construct, or they die. When it was discovered, Larfleeze was the holder of its power and he was exceedingly dangerous. He’s a master ringslinger, having killed numerous claimants to his power and has attacked members of the other Lantern Corps’ to try to take their rings. He’s proved to be one of the most powerful Lanterns out there, his greed fueling him and allowing him to hold onto the power that has defined him for so long. No one wants to fight Larfleeze; while he can seem pretty funny at times (and has a tragic backstory), he’s a killer.
5) Deathstorm
Firestorm was one of the most powerful heroes on Earth, the Firestorm matrix giving him various nuclear powers, energy and matter manipulation, phasing, flight, invulnerability, and superhuman strength. However, the Ronnie Raymond version was killed when he was stabbed by the Shining Knight’s magic sword, the wound causing him to go critical. A new Firestorm took over, Jason Rusch, battling evil and mastering his powers. Then Deathstorm showed up. Ronnie was resurrected by the Black Lantern ring and decided to target Jason, killing his girlfriend by turning her to salt and forcing Raymond’s old Firestorm partner Professor Stein to bond with him. Deathstorm kept all of the powers he had in his past life and had the indestructibility granted him by the Black Lantern ring. He was one of the most dangerous members of his Corps and stuck around after their defeat (both on the Prime Earth and on Earth-3, where there’s another version of Deathstorm that’s different from the Black Lantern).
4) Earth-Two Superman
Earth-Two Superman was the first Superman, helping protect Earth-Two from the greatest threats in the multiverse. He fought alongside the All-Star Squadron and the Justice Society in World War II and had adventures with the Justice League and the Earth-One Superman. He’d help defeat the Anti-Monitor in Crisis on Infinite Earths and was sent to a paradise dimension to be with his wife Lois, Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three, and Superboy-Prime. He returned in Infinite Crisis, manipulated by Luthor and Prime, but was killed by the younger Kryptonian in the final battle. He was buried on Earth and when the Black Lantern rings started resurrecting the dead, he rose from his grave. He was easily one of the most powerful of the Black Lanterns, his pre-Crisis Kryptonian might making him an extremely dangerous foe for the heroes. As the biggest Earth-Two Superman fan writing about him on the Internet (although back then, I wasn’t writing; come at me for the title if you think you can), I was thrilled to see him back in Blackest Night, even if he was an evil zombie. He’s even got his own action figure (some would say he’s gotten two, but the second DC Multiverse Black Lantern Superman figure was the prime version).
3) Black Hand
William Hand was raised in a mortuary, obsessed with death. He ended up killing his family and created a special weapon that would allow him absorb Lantern energy and harness it against his enemies, battling Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps. Hal ended up melting off his hand while he was the Spectre, and he soon got a new one when he was given the first Black Lantern ring. He was the field leader of the Corps, leading them in their battle against the forces of Earth, guiding the rings and giving the resurrected heroes and villains their marching orders. He had great control over the black energy of death and proved to be one of the most skilled of the Black Lanterns. After the Black Lantern Corps was destroyed at the end of Blackest Night, he was recruited by the Indigo Tribe, who tried to redeem him. He eventually tried committing suicide, but was resurrected but his Black Lantern ring, which had been hidden inside his body, never getting the peace of the grave he’s wanted for so many years.
2) Carol Ferris
Carol Ferris is the owner of Ferris Aircraft, the company that Hal Jordan worked for testing aircraft. The two of them were very different people – Carol was the straight-laced businesswoman and Hal was the wild one – but they found love in each other’s arms. Their relationship was always tumultuous and it only got worse when Carol got the Star Sapphire. It was created by the Zamarons, a female offshoot of the Oan race, harnessing the violet power of love. She would become a villain while using it, obsessed with Hal, and would lose its power. She’d regain it by the time of the War of Light, but this time she was able to control the power. She fought alongside Hal and since then has been an on-again, off-again hero, which is the same status as their relationship. She’s currently a member of the Justice League and has proven herself one of the most skilled ringslingers out there. Carol has more than proven her Lantern bona fides.
1) Sinestro
Sinestro is the greatest Green Lantern villain. He became the Green Lantern of Sector 1417 by killing the person that the ring was meant for, gaining the power that he had always dreamed of. He became the most decorated Lantern in the Corps and his Sector was the safest in the universe. He ended up training Hal Jordan and this would lead to his downfall, as it was revealed he was running Korugar like a fascist dictatorship. He was stripped of his station and found his way to the anti-matter universe of Qward, where he harnessed the power of fear and forged it into a ring. He used the yellow ring for years against Jordan and the Green Lanterns, eventually discovering the existence of Parallax, the two of them creating the Sinestro Corps. The villain is without a doubt the most powerful ringslinger who isn’t a Green Lantern. He sometimes returns to the Corps but he always leaves it, going back to the fear well and trying to use it to tame a chaotic universe.
Who’s your favorite non-Green Lantern? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
