7 Powers You Didn’t Know Green Lantern Had

Green Lantern is one of the most powerful members of the Justice League, no matter which incarnation of the character we’re talking about. The Green Lantern Corps is DC’s biggest and most successful galactic peacekeeping force, with single Lanterns protecting entire sectors of space on their own. Their Power Rings grant them the incredible ability to create hard light constructs of anything they can imagine, from giant hammers to complex machines that are indistinguishable from the real thing on a molecular level. Simply put, Green Lanterns are absurdly powerful, but while constructs are their most famous power, their rings can actually do a whole lot more that you might not be aware of.

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Back in the Silver Age, especially, Green Lantern rings could do practically anything that the writers needed them to, and have kept a surprising amount of that functionality to this day. So, we’re going to be looking at some of the weirdest, wackiest, and most hidden powers that the Green Lanterns have exhibited over the years. Trust me, if you think that the GLs are a bunch of one-trick ponies, this list might just convince you otherwise.

7) Pocket Dimension Storage

Power Rings are not simply tools; they are practically semi-sentient items crafted from one of the universe’s essential building blocks. They are physical representations of pure willpower and creation, and so, they have the potential for entire worlds held within them. Within each ring, there exists a pocket dimension the size of an entire planet on the submicroscopic scale. Abin Sur, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 before Hal Jordan, once imprisoned the evil sorcerer Myrwhydden inside his ring, as revealed in Green Lantern (1960) #26. The world appeared as a barren wasteland, although it’s unclear if this world can be influenced or changed in any way.

6) Time Travel

While time travel is more the Flash and Booster Gold’s department, Green Lantern has shown that he’s able to will himself through the timestream way back in the day. In Green Lantern (1960) #51, Hal Jordan received a distress call from far into the future, and not being one to ignore a cry for help, used the vast power of his Power Ring to literally fly through time. Hal traveled all the way into the 58th Century. This ability didn’t come up often, even in the Silver Age, so it’s safe to assume that modern Green Lanterns can’t do it. With all the power they already have at their disposal, their time travel ability is best left in the annals of history.

5) Fusion

While Green Lantern rings are meant to be wielded by one person at a time, this power can only be achieved when two strong wills come together. When Hal Jordan was mind-controlled by the Devil Nezha in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4, the two titular heroes realized that Hal’s will would be weakened by the control, which gave them a chance to take his ring from him before they were overwhelmed. Batman and Superman combined their wills to drag the Power Ring from Hal’s finger, and when it came to them, its exploding energy somehow combined them into one being.

This fusion possessed all the power, abilities, and skills of both Batman and Superman, along with all the usual strengths of the Power Ring. It only lasted for a few minutes as it put a massive drain on the ring’s battery, and they split apart once it was tapped. Still, even if it was accidental and temporary, the fact that the ring can combine those of equally strong wills is absurd and definitely deserves to be explored more. The “Merger” story arc of World’s Finest seems geared up to explore just that.

4) Biologly Control

While the constructs that GLs make can only last for so long, the effects they leave can certainly be permanent. One of the best examples is how Green Lantern rings are capable of changing things on a chemical level, even to the extent of altering someone’s brain chemistry. In The Green Lantern Corps #211, after getting the rest of the Corps drunk, Guy had to shake his friends back to sobriety so they could help him fight off an invasion. Guy’s ring was able to instantly change everyone around Guy from drunk to sober, showing that the Power Ring is fully capable of altering people’s biology on some level.

3) Healing

While they are most often used to beat people to the ground or restrain people, Power Rings are also capable of healing. They can, to a limited degree, heal the bodies of both the wielder and others, although it takes a substantial amount of willpower. It can’t heal fatal injuries or anything beyond what the target’s body is capable of healing on its own, such as growing new limbs, but it can handle things like broken bones and even severe burns. Kyle once healed massive burns on his back and continued to fight, although it clearly exhausted him. This healing factor isn’t as impressive as someone like Lobo’s, but it definitely is better than nothing.

2) Phasing

Green Lantern and the Flash have always been one of DC’s best duos, and apparently, that means occasionally borrowing powers from each other. In this case, that includes Green Lantern borrowing Flash’s ability to phase through matter. This ability was first demonstrated in The Brave and the Bold #59, where Hal phased through a ceiling as if it weren’t there. This power does not come up often and can be safely assumed to be another power lost to the Silver Age, but given that it was used sparingly even then, it’s likely that the ability to phase also relies upon the density of the material and the user’s strength of will.

1) Resurrection

While giving life is the purview of the White Lanterns and necromancy is the domain of the Black Lanterns, Green Lantern rings have actually demonstrated the ability to resurrect their wielder and deny death to a limited degree. This was demonstrated by Lantern Driq in Green Lantern (1960) #217, where, after Driq was killed by Sinestro and his men, his ring somehow managed to capture his great will and preserve him in a zombified state. Driq continued like he always had, only now unable to be killed without the destruction of either his ring or the Central Power Battery itself. This wasn’t truly bringing someone back to life, but it was an incredible facsimile that came from the rings being pushed to their absolute limit.

If there’s one thing that we learned from looking at all the powers that Green Lanterns possess, it’s that they are far more versatile and powerful than we gave them credit for. Which of these additional powers is your favorite?

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