9 Marvel Characters Who Were Made for DC’s Lantern Corps Emotional Spectrum

One of the most important aspects of DC Comics is the Emotional Spectrum from which all emotion in existence originates. This infinite and diverse energy acts as the power source for numerous Lantern Corps. Obviously, the most iconic of these are the Green Lanterns, but there are also eight other Corps who harness the power of different emotions. Only beings who best personify one of these nine emotions have a chance to be recruited into a corresponding Lantern Corps and obtain a ring that grants the wearer immense power. The Marvel Universe is home to a plethora of different characters who would make perfect candidates for DC’s Lantern Corps.

The nine colors that make up DC’s Emotional Spectrum are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, black, and white. To be found worthy of any of these Corps is an extremely difficult task. Luckily, Marvel Comics is no stranger to having characters that are constantly overcome with raw and unrestrained emotion. These Marvel heroes and villains would fit perfectly into their respective Lantern Corps and wield their rings to their maximum potential.

9) Red: Hulk

The Red Lantern Corps are fueled by their endless rage, just like the Incredible Hulk. Born from Bruce Banner’s repressed anger after a childhood filled with abuse and trauma, the Hulk is literally Banner’s rage given physical form after he was caught and transformed in a gamma bomb explosion. As the saying goes, the angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets. The Hulk has no limits to how mad he can become, making him an unstoppable force of fury and destruction. This anger can cause him to become blinded by rage and go on rampages that threaten everything in his path. If a Red Lantern ring were to end up in the Marvel Universe, it would instantly make a beeline for the Hulk because it would be able to sense his infinite wrath. And since Red Lantern rings drastically increase the anger and strength of those who wield them, the Hulk would become the most powerful and unstoppable Red Lantern in existence.

8) Orange: Collector

The Orange Lantern Power Battery channels the overwhelming orange light of avarice and greed, with only one person being able to wield its power at a time. There are plenty of greedy characters in the Marvel Universe who would try to claim its power for themselves, but none of them compares to the sheer avarice of the Collector. As his name exemplifies, the Collector has lived for billions of years for the sole purpose of acquiring everything in the universe that’s unique or valuable. He has amassed a collection of countless specimens across numerous galaxies, and he’s always trying to get more. His near-endless collection even includes living beings whom he keeps prisoner. The Collector’s obsession has led him to view everyone around him as mere objects to be captured and contained for his benefit alone. As the Marvel Universe’s ultimate hoarder, the Collector would be a prime candidate to obtain an Orange Lantern Ring.

7) Yellow: Red Skull

The ability to instill great fear in others is among the most potent weapons in existence, which the members of Sinestro’s Yellow Lantern Corps harness to its full potential. And no one in Marvel is a greater master of fear than the Red Skull. The leader of Hydra, the Red Skull’s ghoulish appearance was created to spread fear in the hearts of those who would oppose the Nazi Regime. The Red Skull’s ability to cause fear goes far beyond his appearance, as his cruelty and strategic mind have led to him committing countless atrocities during and after World War II, with the blood of millions on his hands. Red Skull truly believes, just like Sinestro, that order can only be instilled through fear and he uses propaganda and fear tactics to manipulate people’s paranoia and bigotry to aid his drive for world domination. If the Red Skull were to obtain a Yellow Lantern ring, he would immediately master it and use its immense power to further strike terror into all those who would dare defy him.

6) Green: Spider-Man

Green Lanterns are the ultimate peacekeeping force in the DC Universe because those who are selected into their ranks possess the willpower necessary to overcome any odds to protect others. Naturally, there are plenty of determined superheroes in Marvel who can overcome great fear and hardship. But chief among them all is Spider-Man. His entire identity and life is a testament to his immense willpower. Spider-Man is defined by constantly experiencing and overcoming physical, emotional, financial, and existential hardship. Yet even after the loss of Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, his marriage to Mary Jane, or the countless times he’s been beaten half to death, Spider-Man will always will himself to get back up and fight another day. Even when they are all against him, Spider-Man won’t stop doing what’s right by protecting the people of New York City because he knows better than anyone that with great power comes great responsibility. Such nobility and determination would make Spider-Man more than worthy of joining the Green Lantern Corps.

5) Blue: Captain America

Captain America is inarguably Marvel Comics’ greatest symbol of hope, making him clearly worthy of a Blue Lantern ring. The blue light of hope seeks out people who have an overwhelming sense of optimism in the face of despair and can inspire others to act in the name of a better tomorrow. Captain America perfectly embodies these traits, as he believes in the ideals that the United States was founded on and should strive for. During World War II, Captain America was a symbol of hope and motivated people to fight to end the tyranny of the Axis Powers. That legacy has followed Captain America well into the modern day, as he stands as the uncompromising embodiment of what the United States could be. Practically every hero looks to Captain America to be a voice of peace, morality, and hope that the battle for equality can be won. With his unrivaled ability to inspire the best in people and bring hope during the darkest of times, Captain America would easily qualify for the Blue Lantern Corps.

4) Indigo: Carnage

When it comes to recruitment, the Indigo light of compassion is unlike any other in the DC Universe. The people who are brought into the Indigo Tribe aren’t those with the most compassion, but instead those who completely lack it. If an Indigo Lantern ring were to end up in the Marvel Universe, it would seek out the most depraved and murderous monsters and force them to experience overwhelming remorse for the suffering they have caused others. And if there’s anyone who needs this cosmic form of rehabilitation, it’s Carnage. Even before obtaining the Carnage Symbiote, Cletus Kassady was a notorious sociopath and serial killer with dozens of victims. And upon merging with the Symbiote, Kassady took the opportunity to slaughter hundreds, if not thousands, of people to satisfy his insatiable sadism. An Indigo Lantern ring would sense this lack of empathy and would latch itself onto Carnage. With the ring on, Carnage would be forced to experience compassion and empathy for all the people he’s tortured and killed so that he may seek repentance.

3) Violet: Gambit

The Star Sapphire Corps harnesses all aspects of the violet light of love, which can range from the healthy to the obsessive. And while members of the Star Sapphire Corps are almost exclusively women, there have been select times when men have been allowed into their ranks. With these factors in mind, the smooth-talking former thief Gambit would be capable of harnessing a Star Sapphire ring. Gambit is a hopeless romantic whose world practically revolves around Rogue. Even when Rogue pushes Gambit away because of her own insecurity, he’s still willing to die for her because he cares so deeply about her. All of Gambit’s faith and willingness to fight to keep his relationship with Rogue alive and strong is made even more significant by the fact that he will never be able to touch her physically. Such devotion for another person even in the face of physical and emotional hardship makes Gambit’s love for Rogue a shining beacon that would summon a Star Sapphire ring to his hand.

2) Black: Thanos

No one is more obsessed with death in the Marvel Universe than Thanos. The Black Lanterns are powered by a complete lack of emotion and life, with their members being either reanimated corpses or those who are completely consumed by their fascination with death. The Mad Titan Thanos is a person who’s literally in love with the personification of Death herself. Everything Thanos does is in the pursuit of winning Lady Death’s hand. Thanos is a scourge of the multiverse who has committed countless cosmic genocides that have left trillions of people dead. He literally collected the Infinity Stones and snapped away half of all life in the universe to impress her. Thanos sees death as a beautiful and inevitable truth of existence that everyone must embrace, making him an ideal candidate for a Black Lantern ring. Thanos would gleefully welcome the opportunity to join the Black Lantern’s eternal mission to exterminate all life in the multiverse.

1) White: Jean Grey

The most powerful, rarest, and purest of all the Lantern Corps are the White Lanterns. The white light of life is made up of all the other colors of the spectrum, and those who are found worthy of its infinite power must have an understanding and connection to life and balance on a multiversal scale. Jean Grey could undoubtedly harness such power. Jean has essentially gone through and mastered all the trials and tribulations associated with a White Lantern thanks to her symbiotic relationship with the Phoenix Force. This multiversal entity is the personification of life, death, and rebirth, and exists to maintain multiversal balance. After significant physical, mental, and emotional tribulation, Jean and the Phoenix have merged to the point that they’re essentially the same entity. A part of Jean now resides in every part of existence, making her the embodiment of life and creation. There’s not a person in either the DC or Marvel Universes more qualified to harness the infinite might of the White Lantern ring than Jean Grey.

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